Posts Tagged ‘Christian’

28 May

Easing the Pain of Unemployment

Posted by Zachary P. Hubbard in advice, Bible, Christianity, depression, Faith, jobs, ministry, outreach, Shakespeare, simplicity, Unemployment. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , .

Jobless-not-hopelessYou take my life when you do take the means whereby I live. –William Shakespeare

In Romans chapter 12, St. Paul tells us, “Rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep.” (ESV) Many churches attempt to follow his advice by hosting various support groups. There are groups for addiction recovery, divorcees, singles and those grieving the death of a loved one to name a few.

Unfortunately, there is another group in great need of support, but often overlooked by church ministries—the unemployed. Most people who become unemployed go through a series of emotional stages resembling this.

Initially, there is the shock of losing a job. This might initially give way to denial or disbelief like, “I can’t believe this is happening to me.” This sometimes gives way to feelings of anger or outrage towards those deemed responsible for the job loss. As the anger slowly subsides, sadness can follow. If the period of unemployment is prolonged, sadness can lead to the onset of depression. Isolation from others during this period worsens the situation.

To varying degrees, all of us derive some sense of worth from the jobs we do and the relationships we have. Losing a job can be every bit as devastating as a divorce or the loss of a loved one.

Those who have lost their jobs are in tremendous need of contact with and the support of others. This is where churches can weigh in for the unemployed. Options for helping are limited only by the imagination. The ShareFaith website published a very useful article in 2011 titled “Seven Ways to Help the Unemployed in Your Church.” You can find it at this link: http://www.sharefaith.com/blog/2011/12/ways-unemployed-church/.

I particularly like suggestion #4, “Provide free workshops.” Workshops are a fantastic way to help your church’s unemployed. But why stop there? Unemployment in your local area opens the door to a church ministry reaching beyond the pale of your own churchyard. Consider forming a job networking group reaching out to the entire community.

The north Pittsburgh area where I live has two fantastic, faith-centered job networking groups that have helped hundreds cope with unemployment over the years. Both began as ministries inside the church, but grew into nonprofit, community outreach ministries. Check them out and then start thinking about how your church can form its own job networking group. There can never be too many!

 Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. —Galatians 6:2 (ESV)

28 Apr

Did Jesus laugh?

Posted by Zachary P. Hubbard in advice, Bible, Christianity, Daily Devotional, discipleship. Tagged: , , , , , , , , .

Laughing Baby

I recently listened to a program on Christian talk radio debating whether or not Jesus ever laughed. After all, doesn’t the book of Isaiah tell us that Jesus was a “Man of Sorrows?” Does that imply that He was serious all the time he walked on the Earth?

Many non-believers view Christians as a solemn, dull bunch of people. Nothing could be farther from the truth. I grew up a Southern Baptist. A big part of Baptist culture, especially in the south where I lived, centers on shared meals—not just eating but reveling in the joy of sharing a big meal with a group of fellow believers. These gatherings tend to be loud, happy events full of smiles and laughter.

When I was growing up, Sunday afternoons after church frequently consisted of friends and family gathering at my grandparent’s house. Most of the ladies teamed up to prepare a grand southern feast while the rest of the folk conversed, shared family news and stories, discussed the weather and politics, told jokes and simply enjoyed being together. Of course there were many smiling faces and much laughter. It was a noisy, joyful place to be as a young child.

If we accept the Biblical accounts of Jesus life as a fully human child, we must at a minimum concede that He smiled, even though the Bible never mentions it. Following His conception Jesus grew in Mary’s womb, as any baby grows and He was born in a normal fashion. Anyone who has cared for a baby knows that babies smile. High resolution sonograms have shown that some even smile while in the womb.

We also know that “Jesus wept” (John 11:35). The shortest passage in the Bible is an account of Jesus becoming overwhelmed by emotion while standing before the tomb of his friend Lazarus, who had recently died.

Jesus also displayed anger. John 2:13-17, describes Him becoming outraged at the moneychangers and those selling animals in the courtyard of the temple. John describes how Jesus improvised a whip and went on a rampage, overturning the tables of the moneychangers and chasing away those selling the animals.

How could anyone with such normal human traits not laugh? Just look at some of those who Jesus chose as his first disciples. They included a bunch of roughneck fishermen, a conniving tax collector, a hot-headed Zealot and a manipulative liar—a motley crew if ever there was one! It must have made Jesus chuckle when he considered what the Jewish leaders must have thought about this unlikely team.

How He must have laughed when hearing some of his disciples debating which one would hold the most honored position in heaven. I can just see our Lord turning to them and saying, “Are you kidding me? I can’t believe how dense you guys are. Please start paying better attention.”

To put things in a modern perspective, imagine that Jesus had come today instead of two thousand years ago. If he had appeared in the area where I live near Pittsburgh, Pa., I imagine he would have chosen a few mill workers to be on his team of disciples. I can almost see Him walking into a neighborhood taproom, going up to the bar, and speaking to a couple of local fellows sitting there enjoying a few bottles of Iron City beer.  Follow me!

Unlikely disciples perhaps, but not so different from some of those he chose two millennia ago. It makes me smile just thinking about it. I pray that Jesus can find a little humor in the way I live today. I hope I can make him laugh now and then.

Click the link to listen to Thomas Rhett’s “Beer with Jesus.”

17 Sep

Rescue the Weak and Needy

Posted by Zachary P. Hubbard in advice, Bible, budgeting, Christianity, discipleship, Faith, Hope, love, materialism, Poor, Poverty, Prayer, Religion, Simple Living, Unemployment. Tagged: , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , .

Homeless

 Whoever gives to the poor will not want, but he who hides his eyes will get many a curse.

                                                                                                                                   —Proverbs 28:27

After enduring over 10 years with a dismal economy, many Americans today find themselves in perilous positions far exceeding anything they could have imagined. The middle class is quickly shrinking, leaving a fractured nation that is increasingly becoming a land of haves and have-nots.

The average American family has somewhere around $5,000 in savings, placing them in a position where losing a job can mean losing nearly everything.  Paying big mortgages, which is common for young working couples today, often depends on the salaries of two working spouses. Only two or three missed paychecks can lead to foreclosure! To stay afloat they tap into savings and then into retirement accounts, darkening their prospects for the future while also paying the federal government large tax bills for early retirement withdrawals.

The global economy has given rise to large companies having loyalty neither to their country of origin nor to their employees.   Workers are increasingly becoming disposable commodities that are brushed into the trash bin like rubbish on a picnic table.

Highly educated and experienced working professionals who lose their jobs and end up turning to the government for assistance are common today.  In my job working with the unemployed, I’ve heard far too many lament, “I never imagined that I could end up in this situation.”  This must change.

Churches, especially those in large urban areas, are often unaware of the financial struggles of individuals and families in their area—even when the strugglers are members of the church. Too many churches have lost touch with early traditions.

The scriptures speak frequently about caring for those who share the faith.  This is an essential part of discipleship that helps the church set its own house in order.  In Acts chapter 6, the Apostles appointed seven deacons to assist in the distribution of food to local widows, who were followers of Christ.  James 1:27 tells us,

“Religion that is pure and undefiled before God, the Father, is this: to visit orphans and widows in their affliction, and to keep oneself unstained from the world.” (ESV)

Even clearer guidance comes straight from the mouth of our Lord in John 13:34-35:

 “A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another: just as I have loved you, you also are to love one another. By this all people will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

Building a healthy church family is essential.  Brett Eastman has served as the small groups champion in several of the largest mega churches in the country including Pastor Rick Warren’s Saddleback Church.  Eastman writes:

“If you want to create a church community that really cares for one another, the best way to do it is through small groups. When small groups become the vehicle for care-giving, the whole church gets involved in sharing one another’s burdens—a much more personal approach than relegating the task to a committee.  The whole congregation should be making hospital visits, taking meals to people when they’re sick or something’s happened, doing childcare when someone’s in crisis and giving money when somebody’s lost a job.”

Small groups in churches set the conditions for encouraging personal intimacy and trust building—essential elements of loving Christian relationships.  Only by sharing our hopes, fears, cares and concerns do we really get to know other believers well.

Small groups also enable churches to develop many outreach ministries. One way to quickly make a difference is by reaching out to Christian charities in your church’s local area.  These organizations are always in need of volunteers, financial supporters, prayer warriors and other resources.  The possibilities are endless. You can’t take care of everybody, but you can take care of somebody.

Look closely and see that behind the face of every downtrodden man and woman is the face of Christ.

                                                                                                                                        –Oswald Chambers

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