Review: 52 Little Lessons from It’s a Wonderful Life

Sometimes when life doesn’t go the way we want it to, we may feel like George Bailey of It’s a Wonderful Life. There is much we can learn from George and his compatriots in the fictional Bedford Falls.

Bob Welch has compiled some of what he’s gleaned from the Frank Capra’s movie starring James Stewart and Donna Reed into a book 52 Little Lessons from It’s a Wonderful Life (Thomas Nelson). The easy to read chapters present the challenges of life from a variety of characters including the miser Mr. Potter to the angel Clarence.

Welch gives us insights into how George maintains his passion while also offering suggestions on what this may mean for our own lives.

Some of the chapters may seem repetitive as Welch looks at the same scenes from different angles. Nevertheless, one doesn’t need to read the book all at once. It’s short chapters are ideal for quick devotionals or occasional reading.

The book does occasionally use scripture to highlight how these lessons are grounded in the Christian faith, but this book does not heavily push religion. God is watching over George Bailey, and Welch reminds us that God watches over us all.

If you love Capra’s movie and like reflective or devotional books, this may be something for you. It is not an academic or theological exploration of themes. Welch writes about the “little lessons.”

Disclosure of Material Connection: I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255: “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Sharing the Good News in 5-7 Minutes

I’ve been wondering for quite awhile what’s the best way to share my faith and other issues related to the church that I serve. I don’t want to turn people off, but I have a message to share. I have Good News.

I’m not a preacher in the typical sense. I don’t get into the pulpit every week to give some sort of homily to an entire congregation. Rather, I find myself working with small groups of church leaders and students of the faith. I want to share with them the joy and passion I have for this Word that comes from God.

I’m also a Toastmaster, so that means I like giving speeches in 5-7 minute time slots. OK, so that’s an over-simplification, but the time block is a good length for getting across a point without overwhelming your audience.

What if I were to present a series of short talks about different books or themes in the Bible? What if I had prepared brief presentations on leading a Sunday school class or how our faith connects with the world around us? Yes, these are items that I’ve been wanting to share, but they have been stuck in my head. These are thoughts that need to be organized, researched and practiced so that the delivery engages the audience.

I am looking forward to practicing these type of talks. I look forward to the day when I could confidently give three such speeches in a row with barely a use of any notes. This is one reason why I am forming a church-sponsored Toastmasters club, not to exclude persons who are not a part of the church, but to provide persons of faith a much more comfortable place to speak of the Good News and its impact on their lives.

Check us out if you are in the Nashville, Tennessee, area. We are planning an initial demonstration meeting tomorrow, August 26, at Hillcrest United Methodist Church, just off of Nolensville Pike and Tusculum Road. The meeting will be following the 10:15 a.m. worship service. Feel free to come on by at 11:30 a.m. if you worship elsewhere. There will be cookies and coffee provided to tied you offer for an hour.

I worry about my son

I worry about my son, should he ever go to Florida or any place where someone may misunderstand what he is doing and kill him. I worry about my son, to even bring him into this world where we are still so torn up about subjects of race and personal appearance.

I worry about my son, who may yet not be able to act in the same way as his friends and neighbors without putting his own life at greater risk. I worry about my son, for in my hope to bring about a family that crosses racial divides he may not yet find his way to adulthood and to the fulfillment of his dreams.

Let me tell you this, I do not currently have a son or any child. However, it has been my hope to be a father and to share with that child the same love I have found from my God, my family and my community.

Nevertheless, when children are followed and killed for looking suspicious I worry about how suspicious my child may look when he walks down the street at night. I worry about my own inability to explain to him what it means to be a man with dark skin since my own skin is so light.

No one, no child nor adult, should have to act differently because of the color of his or her skin. No one should have someone with a gun following him or her down the street after stopping by the store for a snack.

I have been so pleased, for the most part, of how society has accepted my marriage to a bi-racial woman. I had been thinking that the U.S. society has come so far in countering racism.

Unfortunately, it only takes one incident to remind us that there is much further to go before we will truly know that “there is neither Jew nor Greek; there is neither slave nor free” (Galatians 3:28).

I want my child to live. I want him to enjoy life. And, I want him to feel free to walk home alone from the store so that he, too, may grow up one day to experience the hope and joy of fatherhood.

 

Can we fulfill the mission by giving up the organization?

A historic church in downtown Kansas City, Mo., turned over its building to the thriving United Methodist Church of the Resurrection. (UMNS photo by Fred Koenig)

I am a part of multiple membership organizations. Each strives to strengthen its members and each relies on those members to continue the organization.

Sometimes, though, we must give up the organization in order to maintain the mission of building up the membership.

This can be seen in a variety of service and learning clubs, churches and even sub-groups within churches. When the membership no longer has the energy to maintain the organizational structure, it is better to give up the structure than to force the members to expend so much energy that they end up burning out and giving up on the mission completely.

Organizations should not expect a small number of people to do all the work of organizational maintenance, particularly when the mission of the organization is to support those same people who it is expecting to do all of the work. An organization cannot support a person, when that person basically IS the organization.

How, then, will the people find support without the organization?

Most of the organizations I am referring to have multiple branches. When one branch folds, another takes on its work.

Let those who need a break from being a leader join with another group that already has leadership. In this way the mission continues.

Of course, sometimes the next nearest organization with the same mission is far away. In these situations there may need to be more of an effort to maintain the organization.

Such an organization may be able to obtain some assistance from outside of their area, but it may also need to take a break and then re-organize at a later date.

I am in love with non-profit organizations, and I want to see them succeed in fulfilling their missions. However, any organization will fail if it keeps pushing its leaders until those leaders want nothing more to do with the organization.

How are you rotating leadership in your organization so that no one burns out? When have you made the decision to fold your group into another in order to continue the mission and support your members?

Move from Christian privileges, rights to responsibilities

Musicians lead during the "Prayer, Renewal and Action on Immigration" interfaith vigil held in 2009 at Munger Place UMC. (UMNS photo by Gail E. Atwater)

When I was growing up, my parents would regularly remind me that much of what I liked to do and have in life was not a right but a privilege. This meant that I should not expect to be able to watch TV whenever I want, rather it was something that was allowed at times when it did not conflict with my other responsibilities.

Being a Christian is full of responsibilities. One should not expect unlimited access to the church building or to the pastor just because one is a member of the congregation or even because one gives a large sum of money to the local church.

Munger Place UMC in Dallas says, “membership is not about what you get, but what you give. It is not about privileges, but about responsibilities” (quoted in “Kitchen Groups–Not About Cooking,” by Steven Manskar, Romans 12, No. 118).

Being a Christian means being a disciple, living selflessly as led by Christ, loving God and neighbor, studying Scripture, and actively listening to how the Spirit calls today. A Christian cannot be concerned with one’s own entitlement.

This does not mean that a Christian ignores one’s own needs, whereas there is a difference between the needs of all persons and a belief that one is entitled to something that others do not enjoy. The selfless disciple is focused on loving God and neighbor, putting the needs of others first.

I started attending Hillcrest UMC a few years ago because I saw the passion whereby so many people gave of their time and resources to care for others in need, regardless of whether they knew those persons. I saw a level of commitment that I desired to have in my own life.

I hope that others will join me this Lent to gather in conversation about how we can live a life of discipleship, disciplining ourselves to live out the responsibilities of Christ-like love. It is good to be a member of the church, but now we need to challenge ourselves to set aside what we thought were our own personal rights and privileges and focus instead on the responsibility to follow the calling of the Holy Spirit.

What responsibilities of a disciple will you focus on this Lent?

Where’s the prophet from your community?

“The Lord your God will raise up a prophet like me from your community, from your fellow Israelites. He’s the one you must listen to.” – Deuteronomy 18:15 (CEB)

I was struck by the Common English Bible’s use of the word “community” in this lectionary passage for this coming Sunday. It makes me think about the community I live in and serve amongst.

Where may God be calling forth a prophet from among my community today? How would I know when there is a prophet in our midst?

Keep reading, and we hear God say, “I’ll put my words in his mouth and he will tell them everything I command him” (vs. 18b). God’s word will be on the lips of the prophet.

I hope I will keep my ears open to whom is speaking the word of God in my community today. I hope you will too.

This post is written as a part of the CEB blog tour. I received a complimentary copy of the Common English Bible for my participation. You may receive a copy as well by commenting below. One person will be selected at random of all those who comment by 7 a.m. CST, Tuesday, January 31. Sorry, but only U.S. addresses are eligible for the complimentary CEB.

What is the foundation for multicultural worship?

How do we welcome into our worshiping community the growing numbers of young people with cultural backgrounds different from our own? (A UMNS photo by Shalom Agtarap)

Last week I suggested having a monthly worship time utilizing the gifts of all the diverse peoples in a community. What would that look like and how would it come about?

First, one needs a team of people to guide this that would include many persons from the various parts of the community one seeks to reach. A good place to start would be the leadership teams of the various existing worshiping congregations in the community. The people on the new team need to be committed to the idea of being God’s community together, utilizing the shared gifts of all.

My vision is not of rotating which cultural group is taking lead. It is not to be worship in the Hispanic tradition one month, an Asian tradition the next, and the Euro-American tradition the third month. Rather, multiple traditions, and even languages, need to be woven together so that all God’s people celebrate the glory of God’s creation.

Sure, there will need to be some variation month to month to engage the different traditions in each part of the service, but care must still be taken that all parts connect to the whole as in any typical worship service. The primary purpose of this time is not to highlight the many cultures, but to worship God. If combining specific items becomes a detriment to worship, then please end that particular combination.

There are reasons worship has remained segregated for many years even as the United States has become more diverse and integrated.  Nevertheless, I believe we can find a way to worship together. We must explore that possibility through attempts at putting it into practice. A monthly service, separate from normal worship times would allow for the building of a multicultural worshiping community without disrupting already existing experiences.