Across Church Street
Ask my brother
Jesus’ brothers give unique insight into Jesus and their earthly family.
There are lots of people who have known me in different contexts. But my brother has a unique perspective on our growing-up years. We shared a bedroom and a lot of life.
So I find it interesting how practical and plain speaking Jesus’ brothers are. They speak to the Church—followers of their brother.
One (James) says “Faith without works is dead faith”. The other (Jude) says “grace gives no license for sin”. James requires fruit of the Spirit. Jude prohibits works of the flesh.
Apparently, the Jesus his brothers knew connected belief with actual down-to-earth behavior.
Recency, Frequency, and Amount
Applying nonprofit donation metrics to our own lives.
For three years I worked as Development Director for a nonprofit organization. ‘Development’ is short for ‘donor development’, or fundraising. It happens that my wife works as a donor database administrator for an educational institution.
There’s a report development directors use (and that database administrators provide) to assess the general health of their work. The report shows Recency, Frequency, and Amount.
Recency: how recently did each donor give?
Frequency: how often does each donor give?
Amount: how much does each donor give?
This report maps the engagement of a nonprofit’s financial investors.
Might this also be a good way to assess our own involvements? Like with our community? Our family? Our church? And most importantly, our God?
Recency: how recently did we give?
Frequency: how often do we give?
Amount: how much do we give?
These metrics aren’t only—or aren’t even primarily—about our money. They’re about our time and attention. Our heart. Our desire.
Having this same mind
Jesus operates from authority and humility to serve others and Creation.
“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who, though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, by taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross.”
In my English Standard Version Bible, the heading above these first few verses in Philippians 2 is "Christ's Example of Humility". It could just as well read "Christ's Example of Authority".
Those of us who are followers of Christ and have been given any measure of authority (as we all have) should ask:
How do we serve our own well-being, having this same mind?
How do we serve others, having this same mind?
How do we serve the rest of Creation, having this same mind?
- love
- friendship
- beauty
- thankful
- attunement
- communion
- discipline
- video
- hope
- hania rani
- holiness
- serving
- seth godin
- dean sherman
- across
- covenant
- music
- eternal life
- justice
- embodiment
- wonder
- gracious
- hesed
- welcome
- poetry
- rest
- image
- brokenness
- disruption
- invitation
- companion mode
- resonance
- steadfast
- observer mode
- framework
- pastoral
- oneness
- caritas
- difference
- shalom
- john stott
- worship
- status
- care
I practice the spiritual discipline of rescuing earthworms on paved surfaces. It's a reminder to me that I can pause what I'm doing, get a little dirty, and help. Also, that I've been given the responsibility to care.