First Glance

Money, it's a drag  -- Pink Floyd

Hello, it's your good friend and loyal Wandering Reverend, Steven.

The reason you're reading this is a plain one - money. People need it, some of you have it, and I want you give it up. Why beat around the bush, eh? :-)

I'm writing on behalf of an organization that I have come to love and respect, First Glance. Some of you may not know but they are an outreach outfit located on Kenmore Blvd. They're goal? To help all those kids that are hurting and lost in Kenmore. A noble task in an area of Akron that needs it bad.

I have been volunteering for them for about 2 mos now and I can tell you, it's an awesome place for kids to go. The kids have a great time and get to connect with leaders and other students who they might not ever get to. A lot of these kids from broken homes, families, and some even worse. First Glance, first, offers a little respite from all that. Second, they have many other programs for teen moms, girls, and guys that help them to grow into better kids.

Right now they're trying to build up money so that they can a) keep operating and b) expand to offer more services to those teens in need in the area.

So if you can are so lead, please take a few moments and drop them some money. Click here to go straight to the money donation page. If you can't give, then please keep us in your thoughts and prayers.

If you have any questions, feel free to ask.

Thanks for listening,

Steven

Malcolm X

Malcolm X is arguably one of the most controversial figures in the last 100 years. Some say he was a racist. A terrorist. An instigator. A hero. A villain. And just about any other descriptor there is in the English language.

Well, I just got done reading his Autobiography and I have come away with one descriptor - admiration. Now don't get me wrong, I don't agree with him on issues or religion or other matters that interest most people. But I can't help but have tons of admiration for the guy. He was a tireless fighter for whatever cause he was involved in at the time.

Obviously, there's no way I can do justice to the massive topic that is Malcolm X. There have been books written about all aspects of his life not to mention his own autobiography, which I have read. But below are a few things that I have I took away from the reading.

1. This first thing you might not pick up from reading through the autobiography. It really came to light from the epilogue that was written by Alex Haley, who was the collaborator for the writing. Haley notes that Malcolm, once they had engaged the writing agreement, only had time to come over and tell his story late at night. He would go to Haley's apartment at around 9pm, Malcolm would tell the story and Haley would take notes. Then, Malcolm would leave at 2 or 3am and be back up at 7 or 8am. This man was tireless!

I wish that I had only half the energy he had. Throughout his life, no matter what his goal was, be it being the best hustler, best burglar, best Nation of Islam minister, or being the leader of his own Muslim Mosque, Inc., he threw himself entirely into his cause.

2. Throughout a lot of his life, he made no bones about it - Malcolm X did not like Christians. Now, towards the end of his life, he did start warming up to us Jesus followers but before that, no way. And after reading the book, I can totally empathize with him.

Throughout most of his life, when he was building his disdain for white people, what faith did all those cruel white folks profess? You guessed it - Christianity. They were all Bible carrying Christian folk who also just happened to be violent racists (not all of them, of course).

The lesson I take away from this is that people only partly judge us by our beliefs. Mostly, they judge us by our actions. What we do. How we handle ourselves. The words that we say. Christians who are out there need to take note of this. As Jesus said, "they will know you are my disciples if you love one another" (John 13:35)

3. This guy was not afraid to change his mind. As he learned new things, he changed the way he acted and what he was doing. Honestly, I think it was from his distinct desire to never be a hypocrite.

You remember him mostly as being the anti-white people minister for the Nation of Islam, which is not bad, as that was how he spent a good portion of his life. However, once he broke with the NOI, he took a pilgrimage to Mecca, where he learned that all people, no matter what color, were equal. Racism, the way he knew it, was unique to the United States.

So what did he do? He changed his plan. He changed himself to reflect this new found revelation. Yes, it cost him in many ways, but at the end of the day, what does that matter? How can you live a life as a hypocrite?

4. Finally, I walk away with inspiration. Mostly with I noted above. If I could live a life like it was my last day, be a Christian that people see through my actions, and not be afraid to change myself with new information, I would be an immensely better person.

I recommend to anyone and everyone who happens to read this to check out the book. And I challenge you to not walk away and be inspired or challenged to change the way you live life.

Peace,
The Rev.

 

Pastor Packs Pistol

This Sunday I attended Akron Baptist Temple, where as a part of Ed's sermon on commitment, he noted that he packs heat. A gat. A heater. A bullet dispenser. No, he doesn't carry it with him but he keeps one in the house, just in case someone were to break into his house he would be able to protect his family.

I disagree with this idea 100%. I'm of the firm opinion that no Christian should ever have to carry a gun, for it is written (I just like using that term), Ephesians 6:10-18 that our "armor of God" is that of spiritual armor, and our weapon is the Word of God, not a physical sword. Not to mention killing an unbeliever would send that person to Hell, something I could never live with.

Pastor Ed disagrees. He believes that a man must provide and protect his family, as that is his God given role in the family. He quotes 1 Timothy 5:8, which states that anyone who does not provide for their family is worse than an unbeliever. Pretty strong words, for sure.

So which is worse, sending an unbeliever prematurely to an eternity in Hell or not protecting your family?

With that, however, my point is not about gun control or whether or not a Christian can kill someone. It's about disagreement.

This applies mostly to me, as I can be quite the argumentative guy. As Christians, we're never going to agree with one another on every topic and issue of Scripture. It's just not going to happen. We have strong views on baptism (how and when), communion (how often), pre-destination (Arminianism or Calvinist), and a slew of other topics.

I mean, what is one to do? What if your church takes a stand on a doctrine that you find wrong or maybe you find it heretical?

First, I'd start reading and researching. More than likely, your leaders/preacher is not the only Christian to have such a belief. As the Good Book says, there is nothing new under the sun. There are so many different flavors of Christianity right now and they all have their own little seasonings that make them all a little different.

And if you do your research, you'll find that a lot of them have a few verses of Scripture to back them. They might even have a more firm backing than you do on your side of the issue. Which would suck, cause now you've gotta eat that crow.

Also, you should look at the intent of the person making the argument. Are they using the Scripture in order to get away with something sinister? Or are they simply stating a belief based on Scripture that they find true? And in all things, is based in love?

Did I mention prayer? Nope, but I should have. A little confession, I was doing my re-read of this before I remembered that I should put this in here. Isn't that how we always are? We do everything else first before we go to God and ask Him. What a bunch of ding dongs. Anywho, start with God. He'll give you some direction and insight on where to go. And since he's the boss, you're starting in the right place.

A fews years ago at my old church, the Pastor Naterob7 (that's his X Box Live tag) gave a sermon in support of the death penalty and of Christians going to war. I was livid. Not only was I having a bad day (oh, was I), but this ding dong is up there on the pulpit preaching what I thought was completely anti-Gospel! If not for my stance on non-violence, I would have gone up on that pulpit and knocked him out.

I was ticked, to say the least.

However, not too long later, the Weekly Standard ran an article about the arguments on both sides for going to war and whether Christians should be for or against. Both sides rattled off Scripture and early Church Fathers writings on the subject to make their argument (I, of course, thought the pro-war argument was weak) but it was interesting to see both sides of the argument examined and stated.

As I stated, I still disagree with him on this subject but I can now see his point of view and how he came to such a conclusion (no matter how wrong it is. Ha ha). Not to mention, since he's a good friend, I know that his intent was based in love, not in some pursuit of revenge or anger. Oh, and not to mention, he's got degrees in religious studies I don't even have a chance of getting!

Patience, love, and solid research are the key to effectively addressing the issue. Rushing to judgment and anger will get you nowhere and fast.

Salutations,
The Reverend

Wander No More

If you haven't noticed, the Wandering Reverend hasn't been doing much "wandering" lately. You might be asking yourself "Why?" or even "Why do I care?". And those are both good questions. Thanks for asking. 


Well, for one, I'm tired of wandering. While the learning experience was awesome and I had a great time, I have been missing that one aspect of church that matters most - family. Sure, I met a lot of nice people (some not so nice, like this guy Phil Alderman, what a jerk! Ha ha.) and got exposed to new ideas and thoughts on what really matters at church. 


But that one thing I kept missing was right after church. That moment when the service is over and everyone is talking and milling about. At my old church, it was time to catch up with some people and find out where the fam was going out to dinner (90% of the time, Angie's in Barberton. Good stuff). But when you're at a different church every week, I usually ended up at Burger King or Wendy's and then headed back home to eat it by myself. . . Heck, a few times, I even called people from my old church just so I could go out! Thanks Jared and Caroline!


But I did learn a lot (which I will be going over a little in future posts) so I am definitely not salty of the whole experience. It's just definitely time to move on. 


So what's up next? Good question - lots. There's First Glance, which I'm having a great time with. Those kids are awesome and the job that Noelle and the other volunteers are doing in Kenmore is immeasurable. And there's still a few churches I'd like to visit, so the old Rev ain't quite done yet. Also, I'd like to explore Kenmore a little further. I know there are some great places here that I haven't discovered! 


Stay tuned! If for no other reason, to be entertained and to goad my oh-so-fragile ego. 


Oh, and like I said, I am now going to start regularly attending Akron Baptist Temple ("ABT" for those in the know). Again, great place with lots of great people. Heck, they even took a video of me going into the church on my first day. Check it out! 





With Love, 
Reverend