GPS Insights

Angela LaVallie is the Member Connection Program Director at The Church of the Resurrection. She provides oversight to our member connection efforts through the Connection Point, the Weekday Hospitality Team, Coffee With the Pastors, the New Member Team and our Spiritual Gifts Placement Team.

I just finished reading a novel about a preacher who took his wife and their four daughters to do mission work in the Congo during the late 1950s/early 1960s. Everything this preacher did worked against him and his mission of sharing Jesus Christ with the native Congolese. He used their language carelessly, which caused confusion; he condemned their lifestyle; he made assumptions about their values; and he didn’t take the time to listen to their thoughts and questions and concerns about accepting his beliefs.

It’s easy to see where the missionary preacher went wrong in this work of fiction, but these same mistakes are also easy for us to make with our friends and neighbors right here in the US. We might not even be conscious of what we’re doing. A stray thought about someone else—their lifestyle, their opinion of us, an event in their life—might make us think that he or she isn’t interested in hearing about Christ. But Jesus didn’t let that stop him from talking to the woman at the well. He knew his being a Jew might be a turn-off for her and he knew her past, but he also knew how her life would be changed by a relationship with him.

I have to remind myself that introducing someone to Christ is just that—helping to form a relationship. It’s not about being saved or living the right life (although that comes with it), but that relationship is what makes all the difference. Part of a relationship with him is a relationship with other Christians. So often he loves me through my Christian friends and my small group. I see the ways he works in the world through those who are making a difference through missions and service projects. These are the things I talk about when I share Christ. I don’t have to have all of the answers, but I share what I know and what my experiences have been.

When we put aside our prejudices and agendas and begin to forge relationships, it is easier to introduce others to Christ so that they can experience through him what we have.

Return to the GPS Guide to read today’s scripture and reflection questions.

Rev. Anne Williams is the Congregational Care pastor for members of the Resurrection family who have last names beginning with S-Z.

For the past year I’ve been taking a class called Process Communication Model. PCM teaches the difference between effective and ineffective communication and techniques for communicating more clearly with all types of people. It’s a class required by the Kansas West Conference of the UMC for all candidates for ordained ministry.

One of the maxims our facilitators have reiterated asks this question, “Do you want to be justified or do you want to be effective?” Here’s how ineffective communication works. You play one of three roles–the accuser, the victim, or the rescuer. Then, because you’re playing one of those roles, you’re inherently inviting the other person into another one of the roles. For example, if I play the victim, you jump in to be the rescuer. I whine and complain and you fix all my problems for me. The two parties complement each other in such a way that both sides feel good. The victim gets sympathetic attention and the rescuer feels like she saved the day. Both feel “justified” in their emotional stance.

Although we all have different motivators that influence why we do what we do, all of us are motivated by the desire to be justified. We love the way it feels. Then, we are tempted to continue communicating the way we always have instead of having the courage to communicate effectively and break the pattern. If I treat the Samaritan poorly and he treats me poorly in return, it gives me more reason to continue on in an unhealthy relationship. My presupposition has been affirmed, and I don’t have to go through the hard work of challenging that set of presuppositions.

I can imagine that both the Samaritans and the Jews felt pretty justified in their hatred of the other. After generation after generation of disagreements and fighting, both parties could easily justify continuing the mistreatment for another round. And I would venture to guess the modern day Samaritan equivalents in our own lives are the same way. We think we have pretty legitimate reasons for continuing the cycle of bad blood. But as long as we continue the way we’ve always done things, nothing will change.

What if I were to assume the best of the Samaritan and go out of my way to ‘kill him with kindness’ instead of creating a situation that gives me more reason to continue hating? It would mean eating a slice of humble pie. It would mean being the first one to change even when the other is still playing the same ol’ game. PCM has taught me that God is calling us to set aside our desire to feel justified, and venture into a new way of relating to the other. We may just find the beginnings of a new relationship built in the love of Christ.

Return to the GPS Guide to read today’s scripture and reflection questions.

Rev. Andrew Conard is a Christian, husband, father, son, brother, friend, United Methodist and also Associate Pastor at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection West.

I find it fascinating to read the history of the Samaritans, as it gives context to the modern day reality in the Holy Land. Events from so long ago can have repercussions and affect events long in to the future.

This is the final time that I will be writing the GPS Insights before beginning a new appointment on July 1. I have spent time reflecting on the impact that the events that I have experienced at Resurrection have had on me and the possibility for future impact. While certainly nothing like the what is described in 2 Kings, I have had formative experiences as a pastor which have prepared me for what is ahead.

I am confident that my time at Resurrection will bear fruit at First UMC in El Dorado, where I will serve in a few weeks. Even beyond that appointment, I think that there will be a real impact years from now in God’s work through me in ministry. I am grateful for Resurrection’s purpose and vision, particularly that of renewing the mainline church. I feel that I am part of that vision as I prepare to serve as lead pastor in a congregation. My experiences at Resurrection will continue to shape me years from now.

What has shaped who you are today? If there is animosity or resentment for someone or a group of people, where did it come from? Can you identify the source of some of the ways that you act today? What are the ways that you are taking action in your own life or in the lives of others that will have a lasting impact?

Return to the GPS Guide to read today’s scripture and reflection questions.

Brent Messick is Resurrection’s Managing Executive Director of Operations.

“Will work for food”
“Need gas money”
“Spare some change?”

How many of us get caught at an intersection and see a person standing at the corner holding up a sign asking for help? We’re stuck. We can’t go anywhere. And there is this sign right outside our car window staring us right in the face. Our eyes move from the sign to the person and we see them staring at us. We try to avoid eye contact. We wish the traffic  light would change colors quickly so we can drive away and avoid this uncomfortable, awkward situation.

Candidly, I struggle every time this happens to me. The light turns green and I drive away, but all I can think about is this person. Would they use the money for food or gas, or would they use it for cigarettes and alcohol? What does it take for a person to humble themselves to stand out on a street corner asking for handouts? I guess if you are hungry enough, you will do just about anything.

I get a couple of blocks down the road and I start feeling guilty. I guess I feel guilty, because I know what it is like to be that hungry. Or maybe it is the Holy Spirit speaking to me. So, inevitably, I turn around and end up giving the person some money. Did I do the right thing? I have knowledgeable people tell me not to give them money, but I just hope the person will use the money in an honorable way. Ultimately, I suppose, that is between him or her and God.

How many of us are like the rich man in this Scripture passage who ignores Lazarus? We all know Lazarus. It may be the homeless person on the corner, or it may be your neighbor just down the street. All Lazarus is asking is for scraps from our table. These table scraps can come in many different forms. They can be money, a helping hand, a prayer, or just a kind word. But they all come from love. Jesus commands us to love God and to love our neighbor. Show your Lazarus some love this weekend. You will be blessed as much or more than they are.

By the way, Happy Mothers Day (tomorrow) for all you loving mothers out there. I hope you have blessed day.

Return to the GPS Guide to read today’s scripture and reflection questions.

Tyler Jenkins is a Program Director in Student Ministries at The Church of the Resurrection.

When I was young I remember thinking that the more I had the better off I would be. There was this natural desire in me to acquire things and claim them for my own personal benefit. The word “my” created a sense of ownership, pride and sometimes even power. However, as I grew older, I quickly realized that if I was to truly surrender my life to God, I needed to surrender all my personal possessions as well.

I know some good family friends who have taught me this valuable lesson by living within this idea of surrendering their “worldly wealth” to God. Their belief is that God truly owns everything they have and their role is to be excellent stewards of God’s riches. This mindset radically changes the way they view their stuff! Rather than conquering and controlling personal possessions, they live life by enjoying and sharing God’s things and constantly acknowledging that Christ is Lord of all things in the process. My personal hope and prayer is that I choose to surrender my “stuff” to Him daily and recognize God’s goodness regardless of what my worldly wealth looks like.

Return to the GPS Guide to read today’s scripture and reflection questions.

Rev. Glen Shoup is the Congregational Care pastor for members of the Resurrection family who have last names beginning with A – C.

“The only excuse for money, is what you can do with it”…I’m honestly not sure where I first heard that maxim—but when we get past our surprise that Jesus uses a story with a crooked book-cooker as an example of the kind of insightfulness that we ought have towards money—I think that the truth contained in this maxim I first heard long ago is what Jesus is getting at.  So let’s unpack this for just a moment to see if this seems like the kind of truth Jesus might be trying to impart in this parable.

What does that maxim mean?  Well certainly we all recognize that a basic amount of money is needed simply to live…to secure food, safe shelter, clothing, etc.  Now the word basic has different meanings in different places—but no matter where you live on this globe—there is a basic amount of money needed (however, this basic amount has nothing to do with the subjective amount you think it would take to make you happy with your standard of living—for as all of us reading this know…when it comes to that moving target—enough never is!).  What this basic amount does mean is the amount needed for you and your family to be fed, safely sheltered, and clothed; and frankly, this is what we mean (whether we realize it or not) when we talk about economic justice.  Economic Justice means everyone having access to the basic amount of money needed for them to have food, safe shelter, clothing and the like.  Therefore, the first excuse for money is being able to secure the basics.

But beyond that, what this maxim strikes at is the truth that once we human beings have what we need, more money isn’t going to do a blessed thing to truly enhance our overall happiness, contentment, satisfaction or sense of accomplishment and worth (despite the ubiquitous lie told to the contrary by so much of our culture).  The only true source of happiness, contentment, satisfaction or sense of accomplishment and worth comes from experiencing God—and for us human beings—that experience of God most often comes with other people—in sharing some challenge or adversity, in working for their advancement or achievement, in ministering grace and peace to them, in doing good or perhaps said better—in doing love (remember the Bible tells us God is Love).

And so once we are experiencing the basics, the only other excuse for money is the joy of giving away in investment towards helping others.  So I continue to hear this maxim as a corrective to the lie that the more money I can acquire, retain, and consume the happier I will be.  And I continue to hear this maxim as a trumpet of the truth that once the basics are provided for me and my family, the only other legitimate excuse for money and the acquisition of money is finding, imagining and creating ways to give away in favor of others—and only here (in serving and giving)—do I most fully experience the Self-giving God Who created me.  And I think that’s what Jesus was getting at in this parable as He rather blatantly stated in verse 9 of our text:  I tell you, use worldly wealth to make friends for yourselves so that when it’s gone, you will be welcomed into the eternal homes (Luke 16:9).  How does one make friends with worldly wealth…by being generous—giving it away!

Quite frankly, the bigger conundrum for me is not the question of what is Jesus trying to say in this parable…the nagging question for me is, am I doing what Jesus is saying in this parable?

Return to the GPS Guide to read today’s scripture and reflection questions.

Rev. Steven Blair is the Congregational Care pastor of Resurrection’s Support Ministries.

God Sends a People, Not a Flood
WEDNESDAY 5.9.12   Luke 12:42-48

11 chapters of Genesis in 5 lines:
Genesis 1 = God creates. All is Good.
Genesis 3 = Adam and Eve eat forbidden fruit (Sin is against God)
Genesis 5 = Cain kills Abel (Sin is Against Other Humans)
Genesis 6 = God sends flood, saves Noah (Sin is in everyone)
Genesis 11 = Building of Tower of Babel (Sin is Systemic, people march to beat of drum to make themselves gods)

Some scholars group the first 11 chapters of Genesis together and call it the prehistory of the Bible.  This is largely due to the significance of Genesis Chapter 12, where the conversation between God and Abraham (and thus the entire Jewish people) begin.

When Genesis Chapter 11 closes, the world is shattered and scattered.  Sin is illustrated as something that is against God, against others, widespread, and systemic.  In Genesis 12, we see God’s response.

When God sees the hurting world, God responds by sending a people, not a flood.  Let me say that again: When God sees the hurting world, God responds by sending a people, not a flood.

In Genesis 12:2-3, God said to Abraham, Israel’s “founding father,” “I will make of you a great nation and will bless you….all the families of earth will be blessed because of you.”  This is the beginning of the Covenant Relationship between God and a specific group of people, a lineage that we all stand in.

We are sent people.

Our identity as God’s people is intertwined with how we worship God only AND how we see ourselves as blessed to be a blessing.  We are God’s plan of responding to the hurt in the world.

Jesus, too, taught that we are blessed to be a blessing: “from the one who has been entrusted with much, even more will be asked.” Luke 12:48

People try to find who they are by backpacking through Europe or a number of other ventures.  The Bible is clear.

You are blessed to be blessing.
You are the people God is sending to a hurting world to make it right.
You are given much, and will be asked of accordingly.

and so am I.

Prayer: Lord Jesus, help me to see the state of the world around me.  Now help me to see my identity and my calling as part of the people you are sending to make this world right.  Help me to use my many blessings to do so.

Extra: Imagine a town of 100 households where the nearest source of safe, clean water is about a 4 ½ mile walk away. Click here to read about one of many such villages in Malawi. http://wandikweza.wordpress.com/2012/03/10/wilson-village-in-nsanje-district-cries-for-clean-water/

Return to the GPS Guide to read today’s scripture and reflection questions.

Rev. Molly Simpson is the campus pastor at The United Methodist Church of the Resurrection West.

There are so many things going through my mind as I read our passage today, Luke 14:12-24.  In studying the parable, I am aware that there are times when I am “hosting” and need to remember the words of verses 12-14.  My invitations ought to go to those who are so often forgotten, and likewise, my motivation for acting kindly ought not to be for my own gain (repayment).

But also find myself in the position of one invited.  I’m more likely to find myself in the first group of attendees–over-committed and unable to accept the host’s invitation, missing out on the great banquet because I’m busy.  But, that’s probably another look at this story for another day.

I also think about the message we heard from Pastor Daniel this past weekend about about our ministry partnership in Malawi.  When we seek to offer help–resources, training, presence–are we doing so for the right reasons?  As far as our church is concerned, I can clearly say yes–we are reaching out to our brothers and sisters in Malawi out of a genuine love of Jesus Christ and a desire to sacrifice so that others in need might be strengthened.  But when I think about my motivation to do good things to support our mission partnerships–to write a check at Christmas, even to get on a plane to go on a mission trip–I need to always stop to ask myself, “am I looking for repayment of sorts?”  In these situations, repayment can come in the form of the feeling good about my actions or assuaging a bit of guilt that I feel for the very comfortable life I lead.

This parable points me towards good actions, acts of service, that spring out of a pure love for God and God’s people.  It reminds me that I’m probably doing things for the right reasons when I don’t have to turn around and tell someone what a good thing I’ve done.  And, it helps me remember that all of us–regardless of how much or how little we have–has been invited to the Great Banquet by a Host who we can never repay.

Return to the GPS Guide to read today’s scripture and reflection questions.

Jeanna Repass serves as the Kansas City Missions Program Director at Resurrection.

My husband Kyle comes from generations of farmers on both sides of his family. Today, my uncles-in-law, Jerry and Bruce (Kyle’s Father’s brother and Mother’s brother) both still actively farm and ranch the land that their grandparents homesteaded in Western Nebraska. I love to hear stories about the times when the families were first settling the area. Back then everyone worked hard to support their families from the land but that was not the sole thing that kept the families going. The thing that turned hard living and individual farms into small sustained towns was that everyone pulled together to help one another.

Barn raisings were common where neighbors would provide wood, tools and labor to raise a barn for someone in the community and in return, the community would share a meal and celebrate together. My father-in-law tells stories about the time when a farmer would lose his farm to taxes and the neighbors would bid on the land and farm equipment and sell it back to the original family for a penny. There were times when a farmer had bad luck with a crop because of drought or parasites and the neighbors would share a portion of their healthy crops so the person in need could still take some yield to market.

I love these stories of neighbors looking out for each other. We see this in Missions today in so many ways. Panera Bread Company donates fresh bread to the church daily. Hostess has made large donations of sweet pastries to our ministries that feed children and our backpacks ministry was started in part because Office Depot had an overage of backpacks and was willing to donate them to the church. In Leviticus we hear God speaking to us about this very type of giving. In the laws and rules that were handed down to the Israelites, we hear God commanding us to give to those whom do not have.

Our collections ministries are all about sharing from our abundance to give to others. Clothes, furniture, food, computers and now cars are all things that we share with others whom may have a need for them. This year we began a gleaning project with the Society of St. Andrews which enables us to being fresh vegetables and other produce to those in need in our community whom don’t have access to them regularly. So when we read in our scripture today about leaving a portion of the harvest for the poor, we can say yes to God’s command by giving of our time and talents during a FaithWork to glean food or simply by cleaning out our closets from time to time. Jesus advised us – that which we do to the least of people we do to Him also. Just as we thank God for our abundance, we are reminded to thank God for the opportunity to show our love for him by sharing with others out of that abundance. Amen.

Return to the GPS Guide to read today’s scripture and reflection questions.

Carol Cartmill serves as the Executive Director of Adult Discipleship at The Church of the Resurrection.

Have you ever attended a wedding where the sight of the beautiful bride made you sigh, or perhaps even brought a tear to your eye? Did you catch a glimpse of the bridegroom looking at his bride? It’s as if, in that moment, there was this aura of perfect love. The tomboy you used to know had been transformed. The gangly kid with the cowlick was handsome and suddenly very grown up. Everything seemed shiny and new and brimming with possibility.

The passage today brought to my mind the image of a wedding. It doesn’t matter what we’ve done, or how we dressed before this moment. Christ sees us clothed in love and beauty. When we take off our old sinful nature, and put on the clothing God offers of forgiveness, grace, compassion, and humility, we are radiant. We truly are a new creation through our faith in Jesus. Christ sees us in the same way the bridegroom sees his beautiful bride.

Aside from the beauty of the day, entering the covenant relationship of marriage means making certain vows. Both parties agree to love and honor each other, to bear with one another, to be tolerant and forgiving. Neither party is going to be able to live out these commitments perfectly. There will be times when harsh words are spoken, feelings are hurt, and maybe even hearts are broken. In those times, a conscious decision will have to be made to forgive.

Christ calls us to forgive, just as we have been forgiven. Christ calls us to look at the other person with the same light of love in our eyes that Christ has in his eyes for us. When that happens, it is a beautiful moment. Everything is transformed, shiny and new, and brimming with possibility. It takes your breath away.

Return to the GPS Guide to read today’s scripture and reflection questions.