 I don't believe anyone believes that generosity is a bad thing.
To be honest, most people (I believe) want to be generous and grow in their generosity. Sometimes, it's just down right difficult to live generously. Whether it's a busy schedule (time), competing priorities (talents and skills like work and relationships), or financially (inflation, salary ceilings, macro economic realities, unexpected expenses... let's be honest - life in America is expensive)... living generously like Jesus takes work. That's one of the reasons Beth and I were so thrilled to have the incredible opportunity to attend our first Celebration of Generosity event last week in Phoenix. We wanted to discover how we could grow in our generosity as a family, today. What is the Celebration of Generosity? The Celebration of Generosity is Generous Giving’s annual gathering. It’s an intentional time when people are invited to have significant conversations about financial generosity. The event leaders stress that generosity is not about dollars and all about God’s heart for us and all people. As a result, conversations about generosity focus on aligning how we use and manage our stuff - our time, relationships, skills, and money to God’s heart and what God wants to see in the world. Why? Because in the end, it’s all God’s. We can’t take any of it with us because it isn’t ours to begin with. Over 650 people heard inspiring stories from people engaged with a national foundation that assists families with wealth management and how to execute complex gifts for charitable causes. We also received biblical teaching from people like Christine Caine (who also spoke at the IF:Gathering via video). We experienced Spirit-led worship led by Matt Maher and Martin Chalk (nothing like a worship leader with a Scottish accent!). It was a fantastic opportunity for Beth and me, along with 12 other OSLCers, to connect the dots between God’s generosity to us and how Jesus invites us to live out that same generosity to the world. I left the gathering reflecting on God’s faithful generosity to Beth, our boys, and our families. The truth is that while we have rarely had significant excess, we have always had enough… and in many ways, more than enough (even when I don’t recognize it). To be honest and vulnerable with you about this topic, here’s a snapshot of Team Bayer. Beth and I believe that all things are a gift from God - not good or bad, but rather a gift. And like all gifts - kids, work, food, our bodies, relationships, knowledge, clothing, school, the internet, tech (I could go on…), we are invited to manage money in alignment with our relationship with Jesus. Beth and I don’t have generational financial wealth. Both of our fathers were pastors, and in many ways, we didn’t know just how little money our families had when we were growing up - and yet, we always had enough. My dad’s side of the family were farmers. My mom’s side of the family were railroad workers. Both of Beth’s parents’ sides of the family were educators or pastors. We have immigrants on both sides of our family who left everything behind and spent everything they had to come to America. Since the ministry is not a publicly traded commodity, we do not have business equity. Therefore, the currency of our portfolio is primarily relationships, time, and skills - not dollars, euros, or crypto. As a family, we strive to live simply in a world that thrives in indulgence (the struggle is real). Like every disciple and ministry leader in scripture, we live paycheck to paycheck - depending on the generosity of God’s people. We pay self-employment taxes and contribute to Social Security. We manage debt (a mortgage along with some consumer debt resulting from a combination of some bad (past) tax advice, having purchased a house right before the 2009 housing crisis and selling it in 2013, unexpected medical expenses, and (honestly) some choices we made that weren't "mistakes", but were outside of our means at the time). A large part of our retirement comes from an employer-paid pension plan. In addition, we have contributed a very small amount to an individual retirement plan to supplement future retirement. As parents, we live in the tension to manage all the joys and challenges of three (growing) boys. While dollars are not our core motivation for living, from time to time, we do sometimes dream of what we would do if I transferred my skills to a corporate setting which would produce a storehouse of cash, dividends, stock, and perks. I have had headhunters reach out and ask me to join their firms. Yet, I feel deeply called to ministry, and that’s an intentional, God-driven choice. Would we be "happy" and feel satisfied? No - we don't think so. Why? Because satisfaction only comes from a relationship with Jesus - not from stuff. Easier said than done... but if God's Word is true (which we believe it is), then we lean into it and trust it. And yet, when opportunities to help others present themselves to be generous (and overly generous), we respond. For example, we have helped (and continue to help) make it possible for people to go to camp. Treating people to a special meal (lately, it has been inviting them to our house to join family dinner), helping students pay for their college education, raising young children, or covering medical bills all have become a generous response to the generosity God has given to us. Perhaps you can relate to Team Bayer. So, what did a married couple with an overly generous heart, living paycheck to paycheck, who trust that they always will have (more than) enough, learn from last week’s event? I’m glad you asked. First, good things are different from good works. I never really gave this much thought until Tony Evans shared it from the stage. There is no shortage of good things to spend our time on. Hobbies. Family. Friends. Work. Church and ministry. They’re all gifts from God. Yet, God calls us not to good things but to good works (Ephesians 2:10). What are good works? God has already given us the answer: To act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God. (Micah 6:8) Justice. Mercy. A relationship with God. Those are the good works that God invites us to invest our time, talents, and finances into. Another learning is an operational definition of justice. John Mark Comer encouraged us not to allow others to redefine such a beautiful and biblical word. He helped me understand the biblical definition of justice as “disadvantaging yourself to give others a greater advantage.” Justice is generosity in action. And both begin and end with the heart of God. The heart of God is always about giving all people the more significant advantages of grace, belonging, acceptance, and unconditional love by disadvantaging himself by sending Jesus not to condemn anybody but to save all people (John 3:17, Philippians 2:1-10). Oh, sweet justice! Justice is not a matter of human equality or making the scales even. It’s disadvantaging yourself so others receive a more significant advantage. Regarding money, the truth is that God owns every dollar, won, euro, yen, and bitcoin in the world. He holds every nanosecond in his hands. He is the giver of every musical talent, technical skill, and unique personal gift. Those aren’t equal scales… God owns all of it. We get to use some of it. What a spectacular picture of the Christian faith. God gives. We receive. With every act of generosity, we continue the story of God in real-time. In this way, everything works together to bring the advantage of Jesus’ forgiveness, life, and promise of eternal salvation to all people. One way that the Bayers work this out is by learning to understand that everything we have - our clothing, shoes, house, hot tub, sports court, time, education, knowledge, meals, shopping trips, travel time, cars, and so much more are resources to help people know Jesus, not just for our enjoyment. We share it. We give it away. We disadvantage ourselves (not for self-gain), but as an acknowledgment that it isn’t our stuff, to begin with… it’s all God’s stuff on his excellent work of grace and mercy. Finally, while it was not a learning, per se, we both left with the burning desire to return to something we used to do: work out a Giving Plan. For the Bayers, having a Giving Plan is a matter of being faithful to God, who gave us each dollar. It acknowledges our relationship with God who gave us each cent to be used for good work, and not knowing how we manage it means that we are not faithfully responsible for God’s money entrusted to us. So, leaving the conference, we resolved to get back to laying out our Giving Plan. Jeanne McMains reminded us about the “Share. Spend. Save.” Approach - which we used in the past. Our friend Jenny introduced us to this system of managing our time, stuff, and money. In fact, she gave our kids piggy banks with those three “banks” for them to start thinking in those three ways. This is how the approach works. The first part of our Giving Plan is to determine how much money we share. Right now, between 10 and 11% of each paycheck acknowledges that God gave it to us - so we give it back to him through the local church. Over the years, we have grown from 3% to 5% to where we are now. It hasn’t been easy, but it’s been so worth it. We’ve seen people come to know Jesus through the ministries those dollars support. And that’s good work! In addition, we support a child through Compassion. We are also planning to talk with our kids about sharing “as a family.” That means our kids will get to choose how to share some of their allowance and special gifts given to our family. Then, we lay out our Spending Plan. This includes being faithful to provide for the kids God has entrusted us to care for and satisfy our debts (which means to ensure they're none past due). So, things like housing, mortgage payment, insurances, creditors, food, utilities, safety, and clothing. These are the basics. This is excellent work... God's work of providing for others as He has provided for us! We also include how best to invest in our kids’ talents and skills. Music lessons are a big one for us. That’s our choice based on learning how God has uniquely gifted each of them. We then save about $50 (which, at this point in our lives, is usually spent on unplanned medical expenses). After that, if there is excess, that is added to our Giving Plan to share as God leads us. That’s it. That’s how we lay out our Giving Plan. It’s not perfect… we are working to pay down debts... we are figuring out how to adjust as the cost of living is always shifting and our kids are constantly growing... that means the plan is constantly in flux… but it’s a plan. And we pray that God uses it to help us act justly, love mercy, walk humbly with God… and help others do the same. We left encouraged. If you’re still reading, then I’m guessing that you may want to grow in this area of your life. I’m encouraged that the conversation about generosity is less about specific dollars and more about God’s heart for us and all people. I’m encouraged that the conversation about generosity focuses on aligning how we use and manage our stuff - our time, relationships, skills, and money to God’s heart and what God wants to see in the world. Because in the end, it’s all God’s. We can’t take any of it with us because it isn’t ours to begin with. So, I’m excited to see how God will use the seemingly little that we have (in comparison to others in the world) to not only remind me that:
Some personal reflection questions What might you hear God say concerning how you can use your time, skills, relationships, and finances? What will you do about it?  Our Franklin Pierce Schools have some of the most resilient students I have ever known. This past Monday, Kristi Kellogg and I helped interview dozens of FPHS students who applied to graduate in June with "distinction." Many of them are first-generation high school graduates. Several students I had the honor of getting to know through the process will be first-generation college students, too. Several students were immigrants. And each faced obstacles many of us could never imagine experiencing in high school. That is all I will say about the students because someday, I would love them to share their stories with you - face to face. But they are their stories to share… not mine. These students love God, love people, and live like Jesus, where they live, work, learn, and play whether they know it or not. How can that be? Ready for some math and science? Paul Hiebert was a professor at Fuller Seminary in Southern California. He's with Jesus now, but he helped people like me think about people around me differently when he was alive. He explains that there are centered and bounded sets in "Set Theory" (people in math and science understand what I'm talking about). And while that's true for data, it's also helpful to understand relationships among people in this framework. Bounded (or fixed) sets have a firm boundary. Data and people are defined by their relationship to the specified limit. There are people inside and outside the perimeter. Knowing the border, describing it, and maintaining distinction is critical to "being" and "belonging" to the set (or not). These sets do not change - they only add or lose what is inside the boundary. This means that the entire purpose of the set is to "cross the boundary" from the outside to be inside. On the other hand, centered sets do not focus on the boundary. Instead, the data and people in a centered group are defined by their relationship to (you guessed it) the center. All data and people are either removed toward or away from the center. The limit or boundaries are still part of the set but are only determined by the relationship the data or person is to the center - not the boundary. Some may be near and others far, but always moving. Enough math and science for now. We often default to thinking (and living) in bounded sets. People are in or out based on a moral standard or behavior that we have come to accept as a norm within a community. The reason I say that the students we met earlier this week love God, love people, and live like Jesus where they live, work, learn, and play whether they know it or not is that from a "centered set" understanding, God already loves them. God is already the center of life because Jesus is risen. So, their relationship with Jesus - whether they know Jesus or not, is a matter of distance, not crossing a boundary or doing something to "cross over" into the God-stuff. In fact, the world is all God's and everything in it (Psalm 19), and Jesus tore down the boundary that separated all people from God (Philippians 2). Earlier this year, I was reminded by my friend Jeff that people are either moving toward Jesus or away from Jesus. Along with that, distance is not the same as openness. If Jesus is the center, you and I can be:
I don't know where the students are with the center of life - Jesus. But, if Jesus' word is accurate and He says that we will know we are my disciples by our love - then these students are not that far from the center at all. . . perhaps they don't know how close Jesus really is to them. And who will share that good news with them if that's the case?  My favorite way to preach and teach is by taking a book of the Bible and walking through it with people. That’s why I’m excited that we will preach/teach through the book of 1 Peter in our Sunday services between now and Memorial Day. I pray that you will invite a friend to join us, and we will discover A Life Worth Living that is all about Jesus, our living hope. Here are a few thoughts I’m having as we launch into this series of messages. We have a God of unlimited second chances. “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! According to his great mercy, he has caused us to be born again to a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead” (1 Peter 1:3). Because Jesus is merciful, we don’t receive the penalty for our sins that we deserve. Instead, we are regenerated over and over again to a better tomorrow. That’s our living hope. Not just a better tomorrow, but a better forever because Jesus is resurrected from the dead. “Born again” or regeneration is an exciting reality. If you’re playing a video game, it’s like repeatedly respawning with unlimited lives. It’s the dream of immortality come true… and ours only through faith in Jesus. Our living hope may not be what we first think. From an individual-centric worldview perspective, we may think it is our resurrection or immortality. And in a sense, we are not wrong. However, 1 Peter never mentions the resurrection of people. It does mention ten times the resurrection of Jesus (the revealing of Jesus in glory). In other words, Peter is emphasizing that human hope is not found in our personal resurrections. Rather, living and enduring hope is only found in Jesus’ resurrection. I wonder how many of us wake up every day looking, waiting, and hoping to see the resurrected Jesus and not just a better day for ourselves.  Sometimes Love Looks Like a Bowl of Soup My friend Tracy's words will forever echo in my mind: sometimes love looks like a bowl of soup. Every couple of months, a Saturday Faith in Action Day, a group of people prepare frozen meals to share with people who need one less thing to think about in times of crisis. A few weeks ago, someone asked if they could take some of those freezer meals to a coworker. This coworker's husband was hospitalized after suffering severe medical trauma. She had also recently lost a son (due to a drug overdose) and is caring for two elementary-aged grandchildren. The kids were super excited about the meals, and the coworker was grateful they were delivered with a hug. Someone took the opportunity to love someone else like Jesus - and it brought excitement to kids, melted this parent's heart, and made them feel seen and loved. Indeed, sometimes love looks like a bowl of soup. More Stories Staining Neighbor's Fence Brings Unlikely People Together A middle school student saw that his neighbor's fence needed some TLC. He asked some friends to help stain the fence and make it look like new. Afterwards the student shared, “I saw God at work by doing something for someone else without a reward”. They also discovered that one of the friends who helped with the project knew the family who was served. The relationship continues today. Gardens Help the Poor and Homeless Last summer, a student wanted to learn more about gardening. So, he jumped into a Faith in Action Day to work side-by-side with other adults in the Abundance Garden. He shared, “I saw God working by helping make a garden to help the poor and homeless”. He now knows how to better pull weeds, care for growing vegetables, and work the soil to serve the neighbors around him with his time and newly learned skills. Neighborhood BBQ Uncovers a Deep Need Among Neighbors Last fall, a student noticed that her neighborhood needed to get together and have a good laugh. So, she chose to host a neighborhood party complete with a cookout dinner. Reflecting on the experience, she said, “it was powerful to hear our neighbors say ‘why haven't we done this all these years?’”. She now feels confident to be a change-leader among her neighbors, friends, and school by bringing people together to build deeper friendships and laugh together. Tacoma Police Officers Encouraged by Middle School Students In January, a group of 16 students were bothered by the negativity their local police officers were experiencing. They know law enforcement work is challenging and they wanted to encourage them in a practical way. They chose to apply for a Thrivent Action Team and assembled Care Packages for Duty Officers and ordered breakfast for their mid-morning shift workers. It was a delightful and unexpected surprise delivery for the substation workers and officers who were at the substation that morning. Three students chose to boldly and powerfully pray over the officers and the community they patrol. The students received a full tour of the facility, shared stories and tears of gratitude, and left with a feeling of mutual joy that God is with all people. Winterizing Homes is More than What Meets the Eye After working on a Faith in Action Project last fall, a project team member followed up with the homeowner to make sure she was ready for the winter chill. She shared that she needed help installing a slider door to finish weather-proofing her home. Thanks to the ongoing generosity to our General Fund, we were able to provide the finances for the project. The team member completed the project right away and the homeowner enjoyed a warm, cozy winter. The homeowner and team member regularly connect about their kids and grandkids as well as pray together.  You might have heard that there is something going on at Asbury University in Kentucky. And that something has spread to other places, too. People have described it as an awakening, a revival, and a movement of the Holy Spirit. Like with most things today, there are also critics, pundits, and loud opinions mixed into the narrative. Whatever you might think about the Kentucky events, we know at least three things for sure. 1. Jesus’ Spirit there… and here! Jesus promises to show up whenever God’s Word is present. Much like any other time when people read the scriptures and respond, the chapel service which led into the ongoing event was just that - an invitation to respond to Jesus’ invitation to repentance. The question is - so why is that event considered different - a revival or awakening, and other times seem so “ordinary”. My personal opinion is that we’re trying to explain a spiritual (dare I say, miraculous or supernatural) experience in human ways… and our human way is limited, finite, and can only explain what we see - not what we can't see. So, we see an event, a mass of people, and activity - but can we see the broken spirits and contrite hearts of people who are responding? Maybe… perhaps… and only if they share it (which many have!). Here is what I do know. I know that God sometimes shows up and moves people to respond in masses (think Billy Graham). Other times, people respond loudly with singing and dancing (think David in the Bible dancing naked in the temple). And then there are individuals who respond as they sit in their cars with silent tears (or no tears at all). My point is, how people respond isn’t the point. Psalm 51:17 emphasizes what matters is a broken spirit and a broken and contrite heart. And that’s what we hear from people at Asbury and what we don’t always see when we, ourselves read and respond to God’s Word. In a way, everytime we (or anybody) reads God’s Word and responds is a revival or awakening. That’s how I know that Jesus’ Spirit is both there and here. 2. There is so much that we don’t know. I do wonder why it seems like sometimes we see God work in big ways and other times we don’t see God work at all. I know that’s a very self-centered question resulting from an American cultural worldview. But, I think it’s an honest question. I (personally) return to resting in the truth that there is so much I don’t know. I’m reminded of Psalm 55:8-9 when God responds to the psalm writer, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,". Then, God explains why by saying, "As the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts.” I find it interesting that it seems as though everyone feels like they are entitled to an opinion about the Asbury events. For me, the Asbury Revival reminds me that there is so much we don’t know… and that’s OK because we know the God who does. 3. You and I can experience revival. Revival isn’t fabricated or manufactured. It’s not manipulated responses or a forced emotional response. Revival is an awakening to who Jesus is, who we are, and a turning away from ourselves and toward Jesus. Our thoughts can be awakened as we turn our eyes on Jesus, the author and perfecter of our faith (Hebrews 12:1). Our feelings can be revived from not feeling anything to feeling something - sadness over our sin or the relief and “lightness” of the forgiveness we have in Jesus. Our lives can be moved by the Holy Spirit when we stop, reorient ourselves to God’s way - not our own, and take our next steps with Jesus. This is the revival or awakening that is happening in hearts and lives everyday. Afterall, the true fruit of revival is the love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, gentleness, faithfulness, goodness, and self-control (Galatians 5:22-23) seen in everyday life. What do you think? Shoot me an email or let’s find a time to catch up. If the blog helps you, share it with someone you think would appreciate it.   Happy New Year from Indonesia! Much of the world celebrates the Year of the Rabbit which according to the Lunar calendar invites calm, peace, gentleness, and mercy. As we join the celebration along with our SE Asia friends, I am reminded that God is in all things and works through all things (Colossians 1). Indeed, even Lunar New Year tells of the glory of God (Psalm 19). Jesus calms the storm and gives peace. He is gentle and humble in heart because his burden is easy and load is light. Jesus gives mercy because He is a walking - talking - breathing person of mercy. With the Lunar New Year here, all things “cute culture” (Google it) are helping us celebrate - which means Hello Kitty is our new best friend. During our layover in Taipei, we met Lin (name changed). We talked about K-Pop and T-Swift. She was born in Taipei, moved to Vancouver BC as a kid, and returned to Taipei when she got married. She has been here ever since. Gloria and her exchanged contact information and they plan to reconnect with Lin and her family when they’re back in Taipei, next weekend. We had a few moments of unsettled chaos before peace and calm was restored after Matt lost some documentation in Jakarta and Pete almost left his passport at the gate. Can we say traveling mercy? Our friends Jeff and Rachel met us in Semarang and introduced us to their good friend and cousin, Patik. They’ve known Patik for many years and is our go-to transportation driver while here in Indonesia. I (Tim) sat in the “prayer seat”. I admit, after being awake for over 40 hours, I prayed with my eyes shut most of the 90 minutes we were on the road to Salatiga, outside of Semerang. (I apologize to anyone who received texts and emails while I was sleep deprived), When we arrived, we were immediately greeted by Kezia, Nadia, Challenge, and Edis. We look forward to hanging out over the next few days with them and a variety of other young people and staff here where we are calling “home” while visiting employees, shops, and immersing ourselves in the culture and life here. We are always looking for opportunities to grow friendship, learning, and business. Today, we will explore Salatiga and travel into the mountains to spend time and have dinner with some of Jeff and Rachel’s friends at their shop. If you want to join us in a similar experience, walk next door to meet that neighbor you’ve been wanting to say hi to for a while; pick up your phone and call or text someone you've been needing to for months; or smile at the person in line at the store this weekend. Calm. Peace. Gentleness. Mercy. You can pray that these things would be evident in all we think, say, and do… more like Jesus, less like everything else. Since we have received these great gifts, may we share them with others. Until next time, aku cinta kalian semua. “Keep Your Lamps Trimmed and Burning” is a bluesy spiritual first sung by slaves on the plantation and then later while fighting the Civil War. Take a listen. The message continues to echo today.
Matthew, one of Jesus’ disciples, records Jesus saying the same message in Matthew 25. There is a wedding. As the bride walks in, ten bridesmaids are waiting for the groom with torches lit. They don’t know when he’s arriving, but they know it’s soon. Five bridesmaids brought extra oil for their lamps, not knowing how long they might be waiting. But, unfortunately, five of them didn’t get any excess oil. So, the bridesmaids without oil asked the ones with oil if they could use some of theirs. The answer is that there is not enough to go around. Midnight comes, and the groom arrives. The bridesmaids without oil are out trying to find some. The bridesmaids who had the extra oil meet the groom, and the wedding goes on. When the bridesmaids without extra oil arrived back at the wedding, the ceremony had begun, and they could not participate in the marriage. An interesting story. Here’s the point: Be and stay ready because Jesus is coming soon. Keep your hearts trimmed and burning… for Christmas… and His final Christmas.
This is Jesus’ Christmas wish for us. Keep your heart ready like you have this advent season because Jesus has promised to come again, not only at Christmas but again very soon (Revelation 22:7).  I just had my in-laws in town. Just like we prepare our home for guests, advent is all about preparing our heart for Jesus’ arrival. When it comes to preparing my home for guests or my heart for Jesus, I have found that as I get older, different things matter. Here are three things that just don’t matter as much to me now as they once did (and one that will always matter to me). Maybe you can relate… 1. A Super Clean House I used to really value my house being cleaner than a hospital room. I would stay up until 3am stressing out whether or not it was “clean enough”. I make sure things are clean (Beth makes sure of it). However, I don’t stay up as late or stress out about it. Maybe it’s because we have kids and the moment they come home from school, the floor is covered with dirt anyway. Or, maybe I’m just tired and want to go to bed at night. It’s probably a little bit of both. My point is, I am getting okay with messiness. It reminds me that Jesus is OK with the messiness of my heart. In fact, it’s because my heart is messy that Jesus was born. It’s more important to be honest with my own mess and to welcome Jesus’ love and grace-filled presence right where I am. It is what it is - whether it’s my house or my heart. Guests are coming… Jesus is coming… and this is who I am - and I’m loved either way. 2. My Perfect Plan If you’re “Type A”, you and I can high-five. We enjoy our schedules and planning for what is to come. I used to have “a perfect plan” for when people visit. As much as I love schedules, I have found that they don’t matter to me as much as they used to. I’m getting better with knowing just enough. God is on his schedule. Jesus’ birth is on God’s time, not mine. I can plan and schedule all I want - but God’s time is the perfect time whether my schedule agrees or not. And sometimes knowing just enough is the best way to live. And to be honest, the older I get, the less I’m finding that I know. So, there’s that, too. 3. Being in Control of the Situation All of us struggle to some degree adapting to situations and environments that are out of our control. When guests visit us, we just know that something is going to happen that is going to lead us to pivot plans and what we want to do. It’s uncomfortable and sometimes I don’t know what to do. For example, my father in-law broke his hip last Thanksgiving. Our weekend of watching football, playing, and exploring the area was spent in doctors offices, hospital rooms, and being available for whatever needed to happen. Chaos happens. And when chaos happens, we are not in control of the situation. I used to think through every scenario in order to be prepared and in control of whatever might happen. I’ve learned that while preparing is important, you can never think through every scenario and you will never be fully prepared when chaos happens. So, I’ve had to learn to give up control. It’s not that I don’t plan anymore… I do. I have surrendered my need to control being available to respond to the moment. And, I’m learning that this is the Jesus way, too. When Jesus enters the chaos of this world, people surrender to his moments. Or, Carrie Underwood puts it best, we pray, “Jesus take the wheel”. While all these things seem to be fading as I get older, one thing will always matter to me - being together. And that’s the point of Advent (and Christmas). Emmanuel. God with us.  Sometimes it’s hard to put your finger on what is changing in real time. In countless ways, the past two years have been difficult, thanks to COVID. A lot has changed - including human attitudes. Six years ago, my friend Marilyn taught me to have an “attitude of gratitude”. Even though she had a terrible time physically moving around because of her severe arthritis, she was grateful for everything and everybody around her. That was her heart. It’s how she lived. It was beautiful. This past week, I spent several hours working at a local coffee shop. Person and after person came through. There were a few smiles. But more often than not, baristas were met with scowls, grunts, and even some words that would make Richard Sherman blush. I saw two baristas leave in tears, a manager lose it, and at least three customers storm out. Maybe it was just a bad day. . . and everybody is normalizing new levels of stress, anxiety, and tension. But as we move into the holiday season, I would expect joy and cheer coupled with selfless thoughts, thankful hearts, and grateful words. So much for moving into a season of selflessness, thankfulness, and gratefulness. I did go and encourage their staff and offered to buy them a mid-afternoon treat. STU is a deadly combination. Selfishness. Thanklessness. Ungratefulness. STU. STU is like cancer. It starts small. It spreads quickly. It kills everything in its way when it becomes out of control. The scary part is that it hides in places people cannot see (like our heart) until it’s too late. So what do you do if you notice you or people you know and love are suffering from some STU? Let me share three ways you can be good news to the STU-infected.
I get it. We’re all busy. But, perhaps, that’s part of the problem. Busy-ness contributes to stress and anxiety. Stress and anxiety builds up and without friends, it just bottles up. Sure, we all have our coping mechanisms, but self-care and self-coping is not enough. STU’s need to not be “on”. To sit and not be the professional, the parent, the worker, the responsible one. With all of the demands of life today, we need to just be who we are (and who God created us to be) - human beings.
I’m not saying add something new to your weekly schedule (unless you’re not already gathering for worship somewhere). I am saying to reframe what is happening when we worship. God chooses to meet us in our STU moments. Through Jesus, God forgives us with simple words; washes us in the water of baptism; feeds us with bread and wine in communion; melts our STU-infected hearts with His Word, and then says, “you can be selfless, thankful, and grateful like you have just experienced me being that to you. “Go and do likewise.” God does this to us everytime we gather together. We will take this truth further when we gather for worship on Thanksgiving Eve (Wednesday, November 23 at 7pm). All of worship is for those who know STU all too well.
There is always help for those with STU. In fact, Jesus himself says that he didn’t come for the healthy, but for those with STU of the heart, mind, and soul. STU is not who you are, it is what you choose to do. If you struggle with STU or know somebody who does, here are some simple truths to remind yourself about who you are, today. I can have a selfless, thankful, and grateful heart and attitude because…
And may who you really are shape what you will do. And What Happens? Our Hearts and World Changes Think about how much stress can be lifted off of your shoulders by reframing just “being”, focusing on worship, and being defined by Jesus, not STU. All of this can change our hearts. It can also make selflessness, thankfulness, and gratefulness contagious in coffee shops and everywhere we live, work, learn, and play. And that would be a great change for everybody. I know that this post can become a lighting rod, so let me bring some clarity to why I’m writing this. As your pastor, I get to share the words of Jesus and let His Holy Spirit encourage and inspire your thoughts and feelings when it comes to how best to faithfully follow Jesus in today’s world. To be clear, it is not my place to tell you how to vote or what it means for you to “vote your values”. So, as a follower of Jesus, our heart beats to hear and live out the words of Jesus: love God back with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength and love your neighbor as yourself - like God has and continues to love you. (Matthew 22:37-39) Or, to be succinct, Jesus said it best on the night he was betrayed: I give you this new command: Love one another as I have loved you. (John 13:34) Here’s the dilemma: Simultaneously loving God and people has never been more important or challenging. It’s never been more important because at times, loving God and loving people can sometimes feel so diametrically different. And we are called to both - love God and (all) people. Equally. Wholly. Completely. No exceptions. And it’s never been more challenging because we know that the only thing that can transform a heart of stone into a heart of flesh is the love of God through Jesus. (Ezekiel 11:14-21). And, people experience this love through echoing Jesus’ human words and actions like, “I forgive you”; “I’m for you”; “I am with you”; and “I love you”. Afterall, Jesus - the complete and total love of God becomes human and changes the world with His words and actions. (John 1:14) It is no surprise to me that many Jesus followers today have become cynical and apathetic or increasingly vocal and active when it comes to politics (on all sides, everywhere). As a result, so much of what we hear and see are emotional topics tied up in religious phrases. Where does that leave most of us feeling? Exhausted? Overwhelmed? Disappointed? It may surprise you that Jesus does not give instructions on how to vote. However, Jesus does remind, renew, and restore our understanding of the role (or vocation) we have as citizens and neighbors in our communities, nation, and world. Here are five things Jesus said that are worth considering when it comes to following Jesus in our current politicized reality.
Want to have a deeper conversation about your vocation as a child of God, a human neighbor, and citizen of your community, nation, and world? Reach out and let’s plan to grab a cup of coffee or lunch. |
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Pastor Tim Meet Pastor TimTim Bayer has served as Our Savior's Lead Pastor since September 2019. He also serves as an Adjunct Instructor at Concordia University - Irvine, a National Leadership Facilitator and Resource, and with the Northwest District of the Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. Archives
April 2025
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4519 112th St E, Tacoma, WA 98446 Office Hours: Mon-Fri 8:30-3:00 Sunday Services: 9:00 & 10:30am |