January 2010 Linn County Leader Column – “What Would YOU Do?”

NOTE: This column ran a week late, on February 3, 2010.

How would you react during a crisis of epic proportions? Whether it be major flooding, or a devastating tsunami, or what we’ve been first-person witnesses to this past week…a country-wide earthquake that has taken countless lives in Haiti; when disaster strikes, can any of us really be prepared for the aftermath?

That question has reverberated throughout the world as video and print media have descended on the impoverished land of Haiti to give us gut-wrenching stories of loss; of miraculous rescues; of the utter demolition of hundreds of thousands of lives. We have heard over and over again of the entire loss of families, businesses, schools, etc. The list goes on with no end in sight. Our hearts ache as we ask, “Why?”

And yet, my friends, there is much work to be done as the search and rescue operations cease and the real cleanup begins. An entire country will need to be rebuilt from the ground up, with no infrastructure in place as a foundation. From the rubble of despair, hope will be born anew.

So what can we do to help? Sure, we can pray, send financial aid, supplies, and more….but that is only a small part of the bigger picture. Soon, physical labor will be required, and many projects means many hands to help.

Jeannie and I have discussed at length what we can do to help in this dire situation; and after seeking the Lord’s face, we have committed to going to Haiti on a missions/rebuilding effort as soon as teams are allowed in on an extended basis. It may be for only a week or two, but this is a country that needs our help; YOUR help; the whole WORLD’S help. They cannot do it on their own.

We are trusting in the Lord to provide the necessary funds to travel to Haiti; we are trusting that there will be safe travel; we are also trusting that we will be able to make a small difference in the lives of people who desperately need a helping hand.

Yes, I know that there are people here in the U.S. who need our help as well; we have high unemployment, high rural poverty, an escalating teen mothers pregnancy issue….and many, many other things. However, America has the infrastructure in place to help alleviate these problems somewhat, while the people of Haiti have absolutely nothing.

And folks, as God says, we are all made in His image; whether we are Caucasian, or Hispanic, or Asian, or African-American, or any other ethnicity…we are ONE human race, created by a loving Lord who wants us to love Him, love each other and love our neighbor as ourselves…whether that neighbor is across the street, or across the world. That is the greatest commandment of all, and something that in today’s self-centered society we too oftentimes forget.

The question is out there: what can we do to help? What can YOU do to help?

If a disaster like this one affected our country…we would probably hope that others would help us, too.

Think about it. And then help as you can.

Richard is a monthly columnist for the Linn County Leader, and a local United Methodist pastor. He can be reached at sliceofhome@gmail.com or via his online blog at http://sliceofhome.wordpress.com.

December 2009 Linn County Leader Column: “A Promise”

Oftentimes I let my thoughts wander to a time roughly three-plus decades ago, when life seemed simpler, and neighbors actually interacted with one another. Local mom-and-pop stores were the norm, and entertainment consisted of the local drive-in or walk-in theaters or roller-skating.

Alas, times have indeed changed. We are in a land where Nintendo Wii’s, Playstations, and X-boxes fill our homes, high-def TV’s are the latest craze, iPhones and Android smartphones are replacing regular “cell” phones, and high-speed Internet makes it possible to shop for everything while wearing your pajamas in the comforts of your home. A socially active society has turned into a lazy, interactive world.

As a minister of the Gospel, I refer to this syndrome as the “unholy trinity” of me, myself, and I, rather than the correct Holy Trinity of Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We’ve gone from the mindset of focusing on the Lord, family and friends to a sad and confusing way of asking, “What’s in it for me?”

So what can be done about this abysmal slide into selfishness?

Well, let’s take one thing for an example…remember Sundays? It was a time when everyone went to church as a family and worshipped together, instead of making excuses to stay at home. Businesses actually CLOSED for the day! Our sanctuaries were full of people genuinely seeking fellowship; and, afterwards, made the short hop to grandma’s house for a good home-cooked meal and time with family. Nowadays, we have the extravagance of 24-hour shopping, catching a flick at the movie theater, eating at a local restaurant, etc. Our way of living has turned into a convenient means to feed our bellies while dulling our minds.

Yet, my friends, there is a way we can reverse this process…and that is by remembering what is important in our lives. Instead of us being an impatient, imperfect people of overflowing landfills and wasteful spending…perhaps we should be content with what we have and try our best to practice conservation of our natural resources; practice being “green” instead of “GREEDY.” Go to church more; eat less; show more kindness; share love with one another: in short, practice what we tend to preach to others.

You know, the New Year is fast approaching, and many people are making “resolutions” that they will do their best to keep. Some succeed, while others fail. Many times, some simply toss them by the wayside and pick them up a scant twelve months later.

For me, I am not making any resolutions; instead, I am going to make a promise to God to truly “practice what I preach.” Because, you see, this servant needs to live his life better for Christ, for family and friends, and for this beautiful creation that was given to us. There’s a lot of life still to come, and lots of work to do for the Kingdom…so it’s time to act, to interact, and then to react and make a change in this world.

Something like this might seem to start out small, but even snowballs rolling down a hill are small at first; once they gets rolling, though, they become a huge mass and a mighty force to be reckoned with.

So make a promise for the New Year, folks. Promise to live a better life for your Lord, and for yourself, your family and friends. Do a random act of kindness for someone without wanting anything in return. Exercise more, eat less, and live healthier.

It will work wonders!!

Until next month, be blessed!

Richard is a regular monthly columnist for the Linn County Leader. You can reach him via email at sliceofhome@gmail.com, or via his online blog at http://sliceofhome.wordpress.com

November 2009 Linn County Leader Column – “Hidden Treasures”

For the past ten months, I’ve taken a breather from writing this column to focus more on the creative side of things (stories, an autobiography, a tech column for the non-geeks out there, etc.); it’s been a fascinating journey of discovering how God has blessed me throughout my life…even when those blessings almost seemed to be the exact opposite.

So now, after a few “brief” messages, this column resumes with hopefully more humor; more reminiscing; and a renewed sense of the call that has been placed in my life: to use the gifts that have been given to me and give something back to others.

The casual reader might ask, “What do you mean, give something back? I like my life just the way it is and I like my stuff.” Folks, that’s what is so wrong with the world we live in today; we are more concerned about getting and taking and hoarding then with giving and sharing and emptying. Our lives have taken on a “pack rat mentality” where we have forgotten how to be blessed by being a blessing!

If we have two or three of something, why not give them away and just keep one? Or better yet, why not give away those things sitting up in your attic or out in your storage shed that you haven’t used in years? Senate Bill 40 in Brookfield would put them to good use, and perhaps it would be a true blessing to someone else’s life. The old saying goes, “One man’s trash is another man’s treasure.” That very thing you think is no good could change a person’s life.

And, we can take and ponder this a step further…and realize the hidden treasure that we all have within us; the thing that we don’t like to bring out and share except in those moments when we let our guards down and our true selves come out, and people see the “real” you. That, my friends, is our souls.

When we bare it all (figuratively, not literally) to those around us, they see those gems that were gifted to us by our Creator above; our hopes for a better tomorrow for our families and loved ones; our desires to make a difference in this world; our dreams for a world that has gone astray and needs help, etc.

Folks, we all have those within us; the question that we need to ask ourselves is, “What are we willing to do to give something back? Could it be a complete lifestyle change? Could it be more giving instead of more getting?”

So, ruminate on those for a while; there may be some pretty tough answers that follow. And when the answers do come, don’t think about them…just DO them. Share your treasures no matter what the cost, and you’ll be amazed at what happens in your life.

Until next time, may God bless you and yours richly!

Richard Davis is pastor of the North Linn County Charge, consisting of Bear Branch, Pleasant Grove, and New Life UMC’s. His column will be appearing monthly in the Linn County Leader. You may reach him via his blog at http://sliceofhome.wordpress.com or by e-mail at sliceofhome@gmail.com