Wednesday, April 25, 2012
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Should We Circle the Wagons?
There may be a better response to tough economic times.
by Clayton Brumby
Editor's note: The following fictional piece provides some timely reminders for all of us in the midst of the current economic crisis.
As an older pastor, Shawn Minor had seen this before, or had he? Was this economic downturn different? It certainly didn't feel like other "corrections" in the market he'd been through from time to time. This was more like hitting the wall.
And he saw it on the faces of his older members—the fear as their savings and pension accounts shrank. Six trillion dollars is a lot of money to simply evaporate even for an economy as large as America's. But he hadn't been ready for his last board meeting. So much doom and gloom—so much pessimism, especially regarding the church's financial prospects. All systems stop. "It's time to hunker down … circle the wagons … until this blows over." These and other comments haunted him. The thoughts were so defeatist. Was this the way Jesus wanted them to be thinking? Fear … doom … annihilation?
His church wasn't large. If a few families moved because of their jobs, it would have an impact. Yet the church also was growing. He must stay positive and faithful to what he thought God wanted them to do and be—he must. But he couldn't help feeling a little alone in his vision. Was he being naïve? Economics was not his strong suit. If anyone could help him sort that out, Jim McManus could. Jim was a business consultant, a visionary, and thankfully, a new board member. Shawn liked the fact that he was no-nonsense all the way. But Jim had missed the last board meeting, and knowing the economic climate for what it was, Shawn wondered how he was doing. Lunch was his chance to find out.
"Sorry I missed being there Tuesday," Jim said, as he came up to the booth and slid in. "I don't imagine, from the way you look, it was much fun."
"It wasn't a party," Shawn chuckled morbidly, as he shook his head. "And if my lay leadership is this pessimistic, how is the congregation going to keep their heads up?"
The waitress interrupted their comments for a moment, getting their drink orders and giving them menus. "I'll be right back, fellas."
Jim thought for a moment, and then said, "I wish I'd been there, Pastor. I knew this conversation about the economy was going to come up sooner than later." He then smiled to himself, shaking his head and added, "But if they are responding this way, they're looking at it all wrong. This is a golden opportunity for this church—absolutely golden! And if we miss it, it will be because we are gutless. It will be because we have no real vision for what Christ has called us to."
"I wish I had your business sense," Shawn responded, hoping Jim could give him some good, clear reasons to stay with him.
"It's not business sense, Shawn. Do you believe God has called this church to be here?" The pastor nodded his answer. "Then what are we afraid of?" Jim followed.
"I'll admit, things are serious," he continued. "I think we do need to be careful. An economy like this doesn't give people a lot of room for error. But the opportunities are massive!"
The pastor gave him a glance that asked for him to elaborate, so he continued. "In every economic downturn like this, the country loses a number of businesses large and small. Those companies generally don't believe in themselves enough to survive, and you can tell that right off in their approach to marketing and advertising. They 'circle the wagons;' they 'turtle-up.' They fail to position themselves as part of the solution to the realities people are facing. It seems they just hope to hang on long enough to get through it, which is the last thing they need to do.
"The other side of the coin, however, is that, as those companies fail, others that do believe in themselves—that see themselves as part of the solution and market themselves aggressively as a result—end up with the customers who used to patronize those businesses that fold. So the companies with vision, with confidence in their role in the marketplace, and who therefore increase their marketing accordingly, not only survive, they thrive. 'So it's an economic downturn—so what?!' They've just decided not to participate!"
Shawn looked a little lost. Again, he wasn't a businessman, and he wasn't thinking in terms of economics and products and marketing; he was thinking in terms of ministry. "But how does that apply to us as a church?"
"I'm sorry," Jim said sheepishly. "I get lost in my own professional specialty. Here's how it applies: From what I can gather, there are about 300,000 churches in this country. Many, for whatever reason, are always struggling to survive. Maybe their mindset is so narrow, they can't relate to anyone else. Others seem to be marginal 'bless me' clubs that are just interested in maintaining the status quo—keeping the lights on and the parking lot paved. They have little concern for the unchurched community around them, for reaching out. I think a lot of these churches are going to disappear in the next two or three years, and that might be a good thing for the Body of Christ; it could use a good pruning. And where do those people go who no longer have a church to go to?"
Shawn thought for a moment as the idea dawned on him. "They go to a church where people have a healthy vision of what God has called them to, and who are determined to faithfully walk out implementing that vision."
"Exactly," Jim agreed. "So I suggest we 'seize the day.' I suggest we don't give into fear, that we remain faithful to the One who called us; that we remain obedient. We pray. We stop worrying about protecting ourselves. We stop this insanity of 'circling the wagons.' We look beyond ourselves to a hurting world that needs us; a world very motivated to ask important questions now; a world of people who are beginning to base their lives on something more than their company pension and their next tee time. And we get the word out that even though we live in the same world our unchurched neighbors do, and we struggle with the same things they do, that we have some answers. In fact, we have the Answer."
Copyright © 2008 by the author
Ron
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
by Clayton Brumby
Editor's note: The following fictional piece provides some timely reminders for all of us in the midst of the current economic crisis.
As an older pastor, Shawn Minor had seen this before, or had he? Was this economic downturn different? It certainly didn't feel like other "corrections" in the market he'd been through from time to time. This was more like hitting the wall.
And he saw it on the faces of his older members—the fear as their savings and pension accounts shrank. Six trillion dollars is a lot of money to simply evaporate even for an economy as large as America's. But he hadn't been ready for his last board meeting. So much doom and gloom—so much pessimism, especially regarding the church's financial prospects. All systems stop. "It's time to hunker down … circle the wagons … until this blows over." These and other comments haunted him. The thoughts were so defeatist. Was this the way Jesus wanted them to be thinking? Fear … doom … annihilation?
His church wasn't large. If a few families moved because of their jobs, it would have an impact. Yet the church also was growing. He must stay positive and faithful to what he thought God wanted them to do and be—he must. But he couldn't help feeling a little alone in his vision. Was he being naïve? Economics was not his strong suit. If anyone could help him sort that out, Jim McManus could. Jim was a business consultant, a visionary, and thankfully, a new board member. Shawn liked the fact that he was no-nonsense all the way. But Jim had missed the last board meeting, and knowing the economic climate for what it was, Shawn wondered how he was doing. Lunch was his chance to find out.
"Sorry I missed being there Tuesday," Jim said, as he came up to the booth and slid in. "I don't imagine, from the way you look, it was much fun."
"It wasn't a party," Shawn chuckled morbidly, as he shook his head. "And if my lay leadership is this pessimistic, how is the congregation going to keep their heads up?"
The waitress interrupted their comments for a moment, getting their drink orders and giving them menus. "I'll be right back, fellas."
Jim thought for a moment, and then said, "I wish I'd been there, Pastor. I knew this conversation about the economy was going to come up sooner than later." He then smiled to himself, shaking his head and added, "But if they are responding this way, they're looking at it all wrong. This is a golden opportunity for this church—absolutely golden! And if we miss it, it will be because we are gutless. It will be because we have no real vision for what Christ has called us to."
"I wish I had your business sense," Shawn responded, hoping Jim could give him some good, clear reasons to stay with him.
"It's not business sense, Shawn. Do you believe God has called this church to be here?" The pastor nodded his answer. "Then what are we afraid of?" Jim followed.
"I'll admit, things are serious," he continued. "I think we do need to be careful. An economy like this doesn't give people a lot of room for error. But the opportunities are massive!"
The pastor gave him a glance that asked for him to elaborate, so he continued. "In every economic downturn like this, the country loses a number of businesses large and small. Those companies generally don't believe in themselves enough to survive, and you can tell that right off in their approach to marketing and advertising. They 'circle the wagons;' they 'turtle-up.' They fail to position themselves as part of the solution to the realities people are facing. It seems they just hope to hang on long enough to get through it, which is the last thing they need to do.
"The other side of the coin, however, is that, as those companies fail, others that do believe in themselves—that see themselves as part of the solution and market themselves aggressively as a result—end up with the customers who used to patronize those businesses that fold. So the companies with vision, with confidence in their role in the marketplace, and who therefore increase their marketing accordingly, not only survive, they thrive. 'So it's an economic downturn—so what?!' They've just decided not to participate!"
Shawn looked a little lost. Again, he wasn't a businessman, and he wasn't thinking in terms of economics and products and marketing; he was thinking in terms of ministry. "But how does that apply to us as a church?"
"I'm sorry," Jim said sheepishly. "I get lost in my own professional specialty. Here's how it applies: From what I can gather, there are about 300,000 churches in this country. Many, for whatever reason, are always struggling to survive. Maybe their mindset is so narrow, they can't relate to anyone else. Others seem to be marginal 'bless me' clubs that are just interested in maintaining the status quo—keeping the lights on and the parking lot paved. They have little concern for the unchurched community around them, for reaching out. I think a lot of these churches are going to disappear in the next two or three years, and that might be a good thing for the Body of Christ; it could use a good pruning. And where do those people go who no longer have a church to go to?"
Shawn thought for a moment as the idea dawned on him. "They go to a church where people have a healthy vision of what God has called them to, and who are determined to faithfully walk out implementing that vision."
"Exactly," Jim agreed. "So I suggest we 'seize the day.' I suggest we don't give into fear, that we remain faithful to the One who called us; that we remain obedient. We pray. We stop worrying about protecting ourselves. We stop this insanity of 'circling the wagons.' We look beyond ourselves to a hurting world that needs us; a world very motivated to ask important questions now; a world of people who are beginning to base their lives on something more than their company pension and their next tee time. And we get the word out that even though we live in the same world our unchurched neighbors do, and we struggle with the same things they do, that we have some answers. In fact, we have the Answer."
Copyright © 2008 by the author
Ron
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
Monday, December 22, 2008
Prince of Peace I
Christmas is one of the most hectic times of the year. Traffic is terrible. One trip down Dixie Highway or Route 747 or a visit to Tri-County Mall or Kenwood Mall will test your calm sweet spirit.
We are all besieged with many activities, dinners, gifts to buy, guests coming and going and, as a result, stress begins to build. Counselors tell us that emotions intensify around Christmas time to the extent that there is more drinking, marital problems, suicides, frayed nerves, and strained relationships at this time of year than any other.
Isn't it interesting that the Bible says that Jesus came as the "Prince of Peace." ? Almost all Christmas cards have something to say about peace. The most popular Christmas carol talks about "All is calm; all is bright". But do we really have peace at Christmas?
One of the most unusual incidents in the history of war occurred on the first Christmas Eve of World War I. The war was only five months old yet 800,000 men had already been killed or wounded. Chemical warfare was being used and bombs were dropped for the first time. It was a killer war.
On that Christmas Eve something unique happened. All was quiet on the Western Front. There was no fighting going on. The British troops raised some signs above their trenches which said "MERRY CHRISTMAS" . To their surprise the German troops did the same. Christmas carols, in different languages, began to be heard. Christmas day found them unarmed.
Soldiers from both sides were meeting out in the middle in an area known as "no man's land." Christmas day passed peacefully and at one spot along the battle line the British soldiers played the Germans in a soccer match. The Germans won 3 - 2.
Peace followed the next day because neither side was willing to fire the first shot. Finally the fighting resumed but only after fresh troops arrived.
If we would let it, Christmas could be a pocket of sanity in a world full of turmoil, hurt, heartache and despair. We can have peace regardless of circumstances.
We are all besieged with many activities, dinners, gifts to buy, guests coming and going and, as a result, stress begins to build. Counselors tell us that emotions intensify around Christmas time to the extent that there is more drinking, marital problems, suicides, frayed nerves, and strained relationships at this time of year than any other.
Isn't it interesting that the Bible says that Jesus came as the "Prince of Peace." ? Almost all Christmas cards have something to say about peace. The most popular Christmas carol talks about "All is calm; all is bright". But do we really have peace at Christmas?
One of the most unusual incidents in the history of war occurred on the first Christmas Eve of World War I. The war was only five months old yet 800,000 men had already been killed or wounded. Chemical warfare was being used and bombs were dropped for the first time. It was a killer war.
On that Christmas Eve something unique happened. All was quiet on the Western Front. There was no fighting going on. The British troops raised some signs above their trenches which said "MERRY CHRISTMAS" . To their surprise the German troops did the same. Christmas carols, in different languages, began to be heard. Christmas day found them unarmed.
Soldiers from both sides were meeting out in the middle in an area known as "no man's land." Christmas day passed peacefully and at one spot along the battle line the British soldiers played the Germans in a soccer match. The Germans won 3 - 2.
Peace followed the next day because neither side was willing to fire the first shot. Finally the fighting resumed but only after fresh troops arrived.
If we would let it, Christmas could be a pocket of sanity in a world full of turmoil, hurt, heartache and despair. We can have peace regardless of circumstances.
Prince of Peace II
We must remember that peace is not just the absence of conflict. Our world is full of war. We need to hear the words of Jesus as He promised peace in the middle of turmoil and stress " Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid." (JOHN 14:27 ).
Have you ever been stalled in traffic in a major roadway. Traffic is creeping along. It is backed up for miles. Everyone is getting more and more tense. Horns are honking, people are shouting to one another and you are about ready to lose it.
You look over and there is a teenager with earphones on. He is smiling, snapping his fingers and thumping the steering wheel. He is thoroughly enjoying himself. Why?
He is tuned to outside music. We need to be tuned that way. In the midst of heartache, sickness, loss of loved ones, we need to follow Jesus' admonition, in Matthew 11:29, when He said, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest (peace).".
We get so caught up in the activities that we spend more time making fudge than we do spending time with the one who can give us that peace. Sometimes I think we ought to go ahead and call it "fudge-mas," or "cookie-mas," or "pie-mas"? Why don't we honor the day as "Christ-mas"?
On this great holiday make room for the Prince of Peace. Don't let Jesus be forgotten! Don't forget Him! Please?
Have you ever been stalled in traffic in a major roadway. Traffic is creeping along. It is backed up for miles. Everyone is getting more and more tense. Horns are honking, people are shouting to one another and you are about ready to lose it.
You look over and there is a teenager with earphones on. He is smiling, snapping his fingers and thumping the steering wheel. He is thoroughly enjoying himself. Why?
He is tuned to outside music. We need to be tuned that way. In the midst of heartache, sickness, loss of loved ones, we need to follow Jesus' admonition, in Matthew 11:29, when He said, "Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am meek and lowly in heart, and you shall find rest (peace).".
We get so caught up in the activities that we spend more time making fudge than we do spending time with the one who can give us that peace. Sometimes I think we ought to go ahead and call it "fudge-mas," or "cookie-mas," or "pie-mas"? Why don't we honor the day as "Christ-mas"?
On this great holiday make room for the Prince of Peace. Don't let Jesus be forgotten! Don't forget Him! Please?
Thursday, October 30, 2008
A Boomer’s Guide to Understanding Twentysomethings Part I
By Margaret Feinberg Ones
Retro Versus Metro
Just as every generation is different, every generation also has things in common. Today’s baby boomers and today’s twentysomethings are no exception. Understanding the differences between these demographics is important when it comes to both mentoring and ministering to twentysomethings.
“My culture was filled for the most part with stable families, Judeo-Christian values and a relevance of faith to living,” said Carol Harris, a boomer parent of two twentysomething daughters living in Houston, Texas. “Twenty-year-olds have none of that now. The traditional family is broken, values are based on each individual’s own thinking and faith is not seen as relevant to life. We boomers should simply remember what it was like to be 20 and confused...and then at least quadruple the complexity of what we remember feeling and thinking to even begin to understand what it's like to be 20 now.”
This article is designed to highlight some of the differences between boomers and twentysomethings. It explores how these generations process information, respond and react. As you reflect on the differences, remember that the characteristics found in boomers can be found in twentysomethings just as the characteristics found in twentysomethings can be found in boomers. Being a twentysomething or boomer is more of a mindset and approach to life, and at times, it crosses all ages.
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
Retro Versus Metro
Just as every generation is different, every generation also has things in common. Today’s baby boomers and today’s twentysomethings are no exception. Understanding the differences between these demographics is important when it comes to both mentoring and ministering to twentysomethings.
“My culture was filled for the most part with stable families, Judeo-Christian values and a relevance of faith to living,” said Carol Harris, a boomer parent of two twentysomething daughters living in Houston, Texas. “Twenty-year-olds have none of that now. The traditional family is broken, values are based on each individual’s own thinking and faith is not seen as relevant to life. We boomers should simply remember what it was like to be 20 and confused...and then at least quadruple the complexity of what we remember feeling and thinking to even begin to understand what it's like to be 20 now.”
This article is designed to highlight some of the differences between boomers and twentysomethings. It explores how these generations process information, respond and react. As you reflect on the differences, remember that the characteristics found in boomers can be found in twentysomethings just as the characteristics found in twentysomethings can be found in boomers. Being a twentysomething or boomer is more of a mindset and approach to life, and at times, it crosses all ages.
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
A Boomer’s Guide to Understanding Twentysomethings Part II
Institution Versus Relationship
Boomers tend to value commitment and involvement in an institution. They like knowing that the organization they’re a part of is trustworthy. If the institution is well-established and a has a history within the local community that’s even better.
Twentysomethings, on the other hand, are less interested in the institution and more concerned with the people who comprise the institution. Twentysomethings are driven by their relationships. A boomer goes to church to learn a new spiritual lesson, sing familiar songs and fulfill their commitment to the local church. A twentysomethings goes to church to see their friends and hopefully learn, grow and serve along side them. So a boomer will walk into a service and ask, “What’s going on here?” whereas a twentysomething will ask “Who’s here?”
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
Boomers tend to value commitment and involvement in an institution. They like knowing that the organization they’re a part of is trustworthy. If the institution is well-established and a has a history within the local community that’s even better.
Twentysomethings, on the other hand, are less interested in the institution and more concerned with the people who comprise the institution. Twentysomethings are driven by their relationships. A boomer goes to church to learn a new spiritual lesson, sing familiar songs and fulfill their commitment to the local church. A twentysomethings goes to church to see their friends and hopefully learn, grow and serve along side them. So a boomer will walk into a service and ask, “What’s going on here?” whereas a twentysomething will ask “Who’s here?”
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
A Boomer’s Guide to Understanding Twentysomethings Part III
Settled Versus On the Move
Boomers tend to be more well-established, largely due to their age and stage in life. They are more likely to own a home and have several children. Boomers are more likely to have a resume that will actually impress someone and actually have a plan for retirement.
Twentysomethings are little more free-spirited, but not necessarily by choice. Since twentysomethings are getting married between four and five years later in life on average than their predecessors, many twentysomethings are still single. The majority of twentysomethings are saddled with so many student loans and so much credit card debt that they haven’t been able to buy a home. And children will only come after they find Mr. or Mrs. Right… which still may be a few years off.
Most twentysomethings are surprised that their lives don’t mirror their boomer parents. They expected to meet “the one” in college, get married and begin having children by the age of 25. They look at boomers with a quiet sense of envy in some regards. The delay is causing a lot of twentysomethings to ask God tough questions about their singleness and at the same time make the most of it by traveling, changing lives and living a more adventurous lifestyle.
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
Boomers tend to be more well-established, largely due to their age and stage in life. They are more likely to own a home and have several children. Boomers are more likely to have a resume that will actually impress someone and actually have a plan for retirement.
Twentysomethings are little more free-spirited, but not necessarily by choice. Since twentysomethings are getting married between four and five years later in life on average than their predecessors, many twentysomethings are still single. The majority of twentysomethings are saddled with so many student loans and so much credit card debt that they haven’t been able to buy a home. And children will only come after they find Mr. or Mrs. Right… which still may be a few years off.
Most twentysomethings are surprised that their lives don’t mirror their boomer parents. They expected to meet “the one” in college, get married and begin having children by the age of 25. They look at boomers with a quiet sense of envy in some regards. The delay is causing a lot of twentysomethings to ask God tough questions about their singleness and at the same time make the most of it by traveling, changing lives and living a more adventurous lifestyle.
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
A Boomer’s Guide to Understanding Twentysomethings Part IV
Information Versus Conversation
Boomers want information.
Twentysomethings want conversation.
Boomers are satisfied with a lengthy presentation on a topic, whereas twentysomethings are looking for an interactive examination of an issue. While boomers appreciate the time given to a particular topic, twentysomethings want depth. Twentysomethings don’t want to “get it” as much as they want to discuss it and wrestle with it.
“What it means to be "seeker sensitive" is totally different,” said Mark Batterson lead pastor at National Community Church (www.theaterchurch.com) in Washington, D.C. “I think twentysomethings are more spiritually attuned. I think many churches watered down or dumbed-down the message for boomers, but twentysomethings are looking for something supernatural, something they can't explain. I think our generation is more in touch with mystery and paradox. So ironically, the more seeker-sensitive you want to be the more spiritual you need to be. I think twentysomethings are looking for a high-octane experience.”
While a self-help title or article featuring six easy steps is appealing to a boomer, a twentysomething would look at the same piece and find it suspect. Certainly, things can’t be that simple. Thus, while boomers enjoy finding a short-cut to the answer, twentysomethings want to take the scenic tour at discovering the same truth.
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
Boomers want information.
Twentysomethings want conversation.
Boomers are satisfied with a lengthy presentation on a topic, whereas twentysomethings are looking for an interactive examination of an issue. While boomers appreciate the time given to a particular topic, twentysomethings want depth. Twentysomethings don’t want to “get it” as much as they want to discuss it and wrestle with it.
“What it means to be "seeker sensitive" is totally different,” said Mark Batterson lead pastor at National Community Church (www.theaterchurch.com) in Washington, D.C. “I think twentysomethings are more spiritually attuned. I think many churches watered down or dumbed-down the message for boomers, but twentysomethings are looking for something supernatural, something they can't explain. I think our generation is more in touch with mystery and paradox. So ironically, the more seeker-sensitive you want to be the more spiritual you need to be. I think twentysomethings are looking for a high-octane experience.”
While a self-help title or article featuring six easy steps is appealing to a boomer, a twentysomething would look at the same piece and find it suspect. Certainly, things can’t be that simple. Thus, while boomers enjoy finding a short-cut to the answer, twentysomethings want to take the scenic tour at discovering the same truth.
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
A Boomer’s Guide to Understanding Twentysomethings Part V
Print Versus Image
Twentysomethings process information differently. While boomers are more print oriented, twentysomethings are more image-driven. A boomer will read a book written with linear knowledge to explore and understand a concept. Boomers will respond to the plain black and white text. Twentysomethings, on the other hand, respond and react to film, music and the arts. They grab onto word-pictures—whether spoken or written—and are compelled by images.
The new iWorship DVD tracks from Integrity Music are a good example. They’re used in our church whenever the worship team isn’t able to practice. They provide a soundtrack of popular worship songs. Instead of just having the words projected onto an overhead, there are moving images of nature, people and scenes that play as the words are displayed. A number of boomers within the church have complained that the images are just too much—they distract them from worshipping God. But only one twentysomething has commented that the images are distracting. Most of the young adults appreciate the extra layer of images used in worship.
Church leaders who effectively use graphics and videos in their sermons can help capture the imagination of this generation.
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
Twentysomethings process information differently. While boomers are more print oriented, twentysomethings are more image-driven. A boomer will read a book written with linear knowledge to explore and understand a concept. Boomers will respond to the plain black and white text. Twentysomethings, on the other hand, respond and react to film, music and the arts. They grab onto word-pictures—whether spoken or written—and are compelled by images.
The new iWorship DVD tracks from Integrity Music are a good example. They’re used in our church whenever the worship team isn’t able to practice. They provide a soundtrack of popular worship songs. Instead of just having the words projected onto an overhead, there are moving images of nature, people and scenes that play as the words are displayed. A number of boomers within the church have complained that the images are just too much—they distract them from worshipping God. But only one twentysomething has commented that the images are distracting. Most of the young adults appreciate the extra layer of images used in worship.
Church leaders who effectively use graphics and videos in their sermons can help capture the imagination of this generation.
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
A Boomer’s Guide to Understanding Twentysomethings Part VI
Absolute Truth Versus Postmodern
Twentysomethings have grown up in a postmodern world—a land of gray—often lacking a foundation or belief in absolute truth whereas most boomers still believe that absolute truth exists. Thus twentysomethings are more likely to question and wrestle with issues than boomers. They want to know how something works and all its implications. For example, a boomer may say that something is absolutely wrong. A twentysomethings will look at the response and begin thinking of situations—even if they’re far-fetched—that will challenge that proposition and look for an exception.
“Not only are boomers in a different stage of life, but they are often in a different stage of their faith,” said Chad Wible, assistant to the lead pastor at Pathways Church. “Boomers also typically come from a different philosophical mindset since they were brought up in a modernist world and twentysomethings were brought up in a postmodern world. Therefore, boomers need to realize that twentysomethings are often seeking out their faith, capturing the faith as their own, or working through much of their skepticism.”
Twentysomethings often desire a transcendent element in their lives, the spiritual realm is a reality to them. “This means that the church cannot be solely focused on doctrinal or exegetical studies,” Wible said. “Of course, I am not saying that we do away with doctrine and exegesis, but it needs to be incorporated in a way that also brings the person into presence of a mystical God.”
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
Twentysomethings have grown up in a postmodern world—a land of gray—often lacking a foundation or belief in absolute truth whereas most boomers still believe that absolute truth exists. Thus twentysomethings are more likely to question and wrestle with issues than boomers. They want to know how something works and all its implications. For example, a boomer may say that something is absolutely wrong. A twentysomethings will look at the response and begin thinking of situations—even if they’re far-fetched—that will challenge that proposition and look for an exception.
“Not only are boomers in a different stage of life, but they are often in a different stage of their faith,” said Chad Wible, assistant to the lead pastor at Pathways Church. “Boomers also typically come from a different philosophical mindset since they were brought up in a modernist world and twentysomethings were brought up in a postmodern world. Therefore, boomers need to realize that twentysomethings are often seeking out their faith, capturing the faith as their own, or working through much of their skepticism.”
Twentysomethings often desire a transcendent element in their lives, the spiritual realm is a reality to them. “This means that the church cannot be solely focused on doctrinal or exegetical studies,” Wible said. “Of course, I am not saying that we do away with doctrine and exegesis, but it needs to be incorporated in a way that also brings the person into presence of a mystical God.”
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
A Boomer’s Guide to Understanding Twentysomethings Part VII
Denominations Versus The Emerging Church
Boomers are comfortable with the institutional church. They can easily identify themselves with denominations and their systems of belief. Twentysomethings are more uncomfortable with the traditional institutional church. They’re more likely to venture out of the denomination they were raised in and look for a body of believers where they can have their needs met as well as be a valued member.
A number of twentysomethings attend services on a weekly basis and quietly wonder, “Isn’t there more?” As a result, some have opted to change denominations or join a non-denominational church. Others have chosen to join home church movements. And some, unfortunately, have dropped out of church altogether.
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
Boomers are comfortable with the institutional church. They can easily identify themselves with denominations and their systems of belief. Twentysomethings are more uncomfortable with the traditional institutional church. They’re more likely to venture out of the denomination they were raised in and look for a body of believers where they can have their needs met as well as be a valued member.
A number of twentysomethings attend services on a weekly basis and quietly wonder, “Isn’t there more?” As a result, some have opted to change denominations or join a non-denominational church. Others have chosen to join home church movements. And some, unfortunately, have dropped out of church altogether.
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
A Boomer’s Guide to Understanding Twentysomethings Part VIII
Final Word
No matter how different boomers and twentysomethings may seem, young adults desperately need older adults to be involved in their lives. Boomers can be incredible mentors for twentysomethings despite any apparent differences. Mentoring can help break down and perceived differences between the generations as people understand each other on a one-on-one basis.
--Margaret Feinberg Onies (www.margaretfeinberg.com) is an author and speaker based in Sitka, Alaska. She’s author of Twentysomething: Surviving & Thriving in the Real World and How To Be A Grown-Up: 247 Lab-Tested Strategies to Conquer Your World. In addition, she’s written God Whispers: Learning To Hear His Voice, Simple Acts of Faith, Simple Acts of Friendship, Simple Prayers of Hope, Just Married: Surprises From the First Few Years of Marriage and way too many magazine articles. You can reach her at margaret@margaretfeinberg.com.
The Boomer Blogger
No matter how different boomers and twentysomethings may seem, young adults desperately need older adults to be involved in their lives. Boomers can be incredible mentors for twentysomethings despite any apparent differences. Mentoring can help break down and perceived differences between the generations as people understand each other on a one-on-one basis.
--Margaret Feinberg Onies (www.margaretfeinberg.com) is an author and speaker based in Sitka, Alaska. She’s author of Twentysomething: Surviving & Thriving in the Real World and How To Be A Grown-Up: 247 Lab-Tested Strategies to Conquer Your World. In addition, she’s written God Whispers: Learning To Hear His Voice, Simple Acts of Faith, Simple Acts of Friendship, Simple Prayers of Hope, Just Married: Surprises From the First Few Years of Marriage and way too many magazine articles. You can reach her at margaret@margaretfeinberg.com.
The Boomer Blogger
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
We Need Models and Mentors
Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you. Philippians 3:17 (NIV)
For us to mature, we need models and mentors.
Many people make the mistake of thinking all they need to grow spiritually is God’s Word and prayer. But the truth is, we need people to help us grow.
Christlike character is built through relationships, not in isolation. There are many things God wants you to learn about life that you’ll never learn on your own. You’ll only learn them in community.
We always grow faster and stronger with living, breathing examples who can model for us what a purpose driven life looks like. We need more than explanations, we need examples.
Paul realized the power of a pattern when he advised, “Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you” (Philippians 3:17 NIV). To grow, we need to see principles in practice. We need to see what beliefs looks like when they are translated as behavior in everyday situations.
When Paul would travel to a city to start a church, he would begin by simply living among the people. He was a “living Bible,” echoing the life of Jesus, where “the word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14 NKJV).
After Paul left a city, he would write back, “Keep putting into practice all you learned from me and heard from me and saw me doing, and the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:9 NLT).
Who are your models for following Christ? Who are you watching and learning from?
Here’s a tougher question: Are you an example for anyone else? In elementary school, you probably enjoyed “Show and Tell.” As believers, we’re often better at “telling” than “showing.”
In today’s culture, the world desperately needs people who can show us how to love our spouse and make a marriage last, how to relate to our kids, how to do business with integrity, how to handle conflict in the way Jesus would. These are lessons we learn by watching others.
Not only do we need models to grow, we need mentors. Mentors are people who’ve followed Christ longer than we have and are able to share their life lessons. You’ve heard that it’s wise to learn from experience, but it is wiser to learn from the experiences of others. Life is too short to learn everything by experience! And some painful experiences can be avoided if you’re smart enough to learn from mentors in your church family.
Ask yourself this: “What’s been the greatest positive influence on my life?” Most likely it was not a sermon, seminar, or small group lesson. It was somebody who shaped your life through a personal relationship.
Can you see God’s wisdom in creating the church, a family full of mentors and models for our benefit?
That’s why being connected to a small group is so crucial to spiritual growth. It’s a regular opportunity to learn from each other.
Today, spend a few moments getting intentional about this. Write down the names of people in your church and small group that you’d like to learn from. Then identify what you’d specifically like to learn from them. Remember, they don’t have to be perfect to be a model or mentor.
To grow spiritually, you must also be willing to be a model or mentor to others. That may scare you but all it takes is being one step ahead.
People don’t expect you to be perfect – they already know you aren’t. What they want you to be is honest! So let them see your struggles, not just your successes. We usually grow as much from others’ weaknesses as we do from their strengths.
© 2008 Purpose Driven Life.
Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., one of America's largest and best-known churches. In addition, Rick is author of the New York Times bestseller The Purpose Driven Life and The Purpose Driven Church, which was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th Century. He is also founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community for ministers.
The Boomer Blogger
For us to mature, we need models and mentors.
Many people make the mistake of thinking all they need to grow spiritually is God’s Word and prayer. But the truth is, we need people to help us grow.
Christlike character is built through relationships, not in isolation. There are many things God wants you to learn about life that you’ll never learn on your own. You’ll only learn them in community.
We always grow faster and stronger with living, breathing examples who can model for us what a purpose driven life looks like. We need more than explanations, we need examples.
Paul realized the power of a pattern when he advised, “Join with others in following my example, brothers, and take note of those who live according to the pattern we gave you” (Philippians 3:17 NIV). To grow, we need to see principles in practice. We need to see what beliefs looks like when they are translated as behavior in everyday situations.
When Paul would travel to a city to start a church, he would begin by simply living among the people. He was a “living Bible,” echoing the life of Jesus, where “the word became flesh and dwelt among us” (John 1:14 NKJV).
After Paul left a city, he would write back, “Keep putting into practice all you learned from me and heard from me and saw me doing, and the God of peace will be with you” (Philippians 4:9 NLT).
Who are your models for following Christ? Who are you watching and learning from?
Here’s a tougher question: Are you an example for anyone else? In elementary school, you probably enjoyed “Show and Tell.” As believers, we’re often better at “telling” than “showing.”
In today’s culture, the world desperately needs people who can show us how to love our spouse and make a marriage last, how to relate to our kids, how to do business with integrity, how to handle conflict in the way Jesus would. These are lessons we learn by watching others.
Not only do we need models to grow, we need mentors. Mentors are people who’ve followed Christ longer than we have and are able to share their life lessons. You’ve heard that it’s wise to learn from experience, but it is wiser to learn from the experiences of others. Life is too short to learn everything by experience! And some painful experiences can be avoided if you’re smart enough to learn from mentors in your church family.
Ask yourself this: “What’s been the greatest positive influence on my life?” Most likely it was not a sermon, seminar, or small group lesson. It was somebody who shaped your life through a personal relationship.
Can you see God’s wisdom in creating the church, a family full of mentors and models for our benefit?
That’s why being connected to a small group is so crucial to spiritual growth. It’s a regular opportunity to learn from each other.
Today, spend a few moments getting intentional about this. Write down the names of people in your church and small group that you’d like to learn from. Then identify what you’d specifically like to learn from them. Remember, they don’t have to be perfect to be a model or mentor.
To grow spiritually, you must also be willing to be a model or mentor to others. That may scare you but all it takes is being one step ahead.
People don’t expect you to be perfect – they already know you aren’t. What they want you to be is honest! So let them see your struggles, not just your successes. We usually grow as much from others’ weaknesses as we do from their strengths.
© 2008 Purpose Driven Life.
Rick Warren is the founding pastor of Saddleback Church in Lake Forest, Calif., one of America's largest and best-known churches. In addition, Rick is author of the New York Times bestseller The Purpose Driven Life and The Purpose Driven Church, which was named one of the 100 Christian books that changed the 20th Century. He is also founder of Pastors.com, a global Internet community for ministers.
The Boomer Blogger
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Consider the Decisions You Make!! Generations will be affected!! (Part I)
“Which of the following people would you say is the most admirable: Mother Teresa, Bill Gates or Norman Borlaug? And which do you think is the least admirable?
For most people, it’s an easy question. Mother Teresa, famous for ministering to the poor in Calcutta, has been beatified by the Vatican, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and ranked in an American poll as the most admired person of the 20th century.
Bill Gates, infamous for giving us the Microsoft dancing paper clip and the blue screen of death, has been decapitated in effigy in “I Hate Gates” Web sites and hit with a pie in the face.
As for Norman Borlaug . . who the heck is Norman Borlaug?”
Norman Ernest Borlaug (March 25, 1914- ) was born on a farm near Cresco, Iowa, to Henry and Clara Borlaug.
Borlaug enrolled in the University of Minnesota where he studied forestry. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1937. He returned to receive his master's degree in 1939 and his doctorate in 1942.
For twenty-seven years he collaborated with Mexican scientists on problems of wheat improvement; for the last ten or so of those years he also collaborated with scientists from other parts of the world, especially from India, Pakistan and nations in Africa, in adapting the new drought resistant wheat and other grains to arid lands and in gaining acceptance for their production.
Mexico presented a unique opportunity. Initially, his work had been concentrated in the central highlands where the problems with rust and poor soil were most prevalent. But he realized that he could speed up breeding by taking advantage of the country's two growing seasons. In the summer he would breed wheat in the central highlands as usual, then immediately take the seeds north to the Mexican state of Sonora. The difference in altitudes and temperatures would allow more crops to be grown each year.
One of the most significant developments that Dr. Borlaug brought about was the dwarfing of the wheat plants. Dwarf plants produce thick stems and do not lodge. The plants Borlaug worked with had tall, thin stalks. Taller wheat grasses better compete for sunlight, but tend to collapse under the weight of the extra grain—a trait called lodging—and from the rapid growth spurts induced by nitrogen fertilizer Borlaug used in the poor soil. To prevent this, he bred wheat to favor shorter, stronger stalks that could better support larger seed heads.
By 1963, 95% of Mexico's wheat crops used the semi-dwarf varieties developed by Borlaug. That year, the harvest was six times larger than in 1944, the year Borlaug arrived in Mexico. Mexico had become fully self-sufficient in wheat production, and a net exporter of wheat.
In Pakistan, wheat yields nearly doubled, from 4.6 million tons in 1965 to 7.3 million tons in 1970; Pakistan was self-sufficient in wheat production by 1968. Yields were over 21 million tons by 2000.
In India, yields increased from 12.3 million tons in 1965 to 20.1 million tons in 1970. By 1974, India was self-sufficient in the production of all cereals. By 2000, India was harvesting a record 76.4 million tons (2.81 billion bushels) of wheat. Since the 1960s, food production in both nations has increased faster than the rate of population growth.
He was involved scientific research in genetics, plant breeding, plant pathology, entomology, agronomy, soil science, and cereal technology. Within twenty years he was spectacularly successful in finding a high-yielding short-straw, disease-resistant wheat.
Wheat production in Mexico multiplied threefold in the time that he worked with the Mexican government; “dwarf” wheat imported in the mid-1960s was responsible for a 60 percent increase in harvests in Asia, Africa and the sub-continent Pakistan and India. He was credited with saving over 1 billion people from starvation. For that he was awarded the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize.
On September 27, 2006, the United States Senate by unanimous consent passed the Congressional Tribute to Dr. Norman E. Borlaug Act of 2006. The act authorizes that Borlaug be awarded America's highest civilian award, the Congressional Gold Medal. On December 6, 2006, the House of Representatives passed the measure by voice vote. President George Bush signed the bill into law on December 14, 2006, and it became Public Law Number 109–395.
According to the act, "Dr. Borlaug has saved more lives than any other person who has ever lived, and likely has saved more lives in the Islamic world than any other human being in history." The act authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell duplicates of the medal in bronze. He was presented with the medal on July 17, 2007.
Such a high honor ……..but wait!!!! There is more!!!
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
For most people, it’s an easy question. Mother Teresa, famous for ministering to the poor in Calcutta, has been beatified by the Vatican, awarded the Nobel Peace Prize and ranked in an American poll as the most admired person of the 20th century.
Bill Gates, infamous for giving us the Microsoft dancing paper clip and the blue screen of death, has been decapitated in effigy in “I Hate Gates” Web sites and hit with a pie in the face.
As for Norman Borlaug . . who the heck is Norman Borlaug?”
Norman Ernest Borlaug (March 25, 1914- ) was born on a farm near Cresco, Iowa, to Henry and Clara Borlaug.
Borlaug enrolled in the University of Minnesota where he studied forestry. He received his Bachelor of Science degree in 1937. He returned to receive his master's degree in 1939 and his doctorate in 1942.
For twenty-seven years he collaborated with Mexican scientists on problems of wheat improvement; for the last ten or so of those years he also collaborated with scientists from other parts of the world, especially from India, Pakistan and nations in Africa, in adapting the new drought resistant wheat and other grains to arid lands and in gaining acceptance for their production.
Mexico presented a unique opportunity. Initially, his work had been concentrated in the central highlands where the problems with rust and poor soil were most prevalent. But he realized that he could speed up breeding by taking advantage of the country's two growing seasons. In the summer he would breed wheat in the central highlands as usual, then immediately take the seeds north to the Mexican state of Sonora. The difference in altitudes and temperatures would allow more crops to be grown each year.
One of the most significant developments that Dr. Borlaug brought about was the dwarfing of the wheat plants. Dwarf plants produce thick stems and do not lodge. The plants Borlaug worked with had tall, thin stalks. Taller wheat grasses better compete for sunlight, but tend to collapse under the weight of the extra grain—a trait called lodging—and from the rapid growth spurts induced by nitrogen fertilizer Borlaug used in the poor soil. To prevent this, he bred wheat to favor shorter, stronger stalks that could better support larger seed heads.
By 1963, 95% of Mexico's wheat crops used the semi-dwarf varieties developed by Borlaug. That year, the harvest was six times larger than in 1944, the year Borlaug arrived in Mexico. Mexico had become fully self-sufficient in wheat production, and a net exporter of wheat.
In Pakistan, wheat yields nearly doubled, from 4.6 million tons in 1965 to 7.3 million tons in 1970; Pakistan was self-sufficient in wheat production by 1968. Yields were over 21 million tons by 2000.
In India, yields increased from 12.3 million tons in 1965 to 20.1 million tons in 1970. By 1974, India was self-sufficient in the production of all cereals. By 2000, India was harvesting a record 76.4 million tons (2.81 billion bushels) of wheat. Since the 1960s, food production in both nations has increased faster than the rate of population growth.
He was involved scientific research in genetics, plant breeding, plant pathology, entomology, agronomy, soil science, and cereal technology. Within twenty years he was spectacularly successful in finding a high-yielding short-straw, disease-resistant wheat.
Wheat production in Mexico multiplied threefold in the time that he worked with the Mexican government; “dwarf” wheat imported in the mid-1960s was responsible for a 60 percent increase in harvests in Asia, Africa and the sub-continent Pakistan and India. He was credited with saving over 1 billion people from starvation. For that he was awarded the 1970 Nobel Peace Prize.
On September 27, 2006, the United States Senate by unanimous consent passed the Congressional Tribute to Dr. Norman E. Borlaug Act of 2006. The act authorizes that Borlaug be awarded America's highest civilian award, the Congressional Gold Medal. On December 6, 2006, the House of Representatives passed the measure by voice vote. President George Bush signed the bill into law on December 14, 2006, and it became Public Law Number 109–395.
According to the act, "Dr. Borlaug has saved more lives than any other person who has ever lived, and likely has saved more lives in the Islamic world than any other human being in history." The act authorizes the Secretary of the Treasury to strike and sell duplicates of the medal in bronze. He was presented with the medal on July 17, 2007.
Such a high honor ……..but wait!!!! There is more!!!
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
Consider the Decisions You Make!! Generations may be affected!! (Part II)
Henry A. Wallace inherited a passion for the modernization of agriculture, a talent for genetics, statistics and agricultural research and a conviction that farmers, who had not shared in the fabled prosperity of the 1920s, required federal support to achieve stable incomes.
Wallace was a shy young man, something of a loner, devoted to hybrid corn, econometric analysis of farm prices and the McNary - Haugen bill to raise farm income.
He was born on a farm in Iowa in 1888. He became a corn scientist who realized the commercial implications of cross-breeding and started Pioneer Hi-Bred International, the world's first commercial hybrid seed corn venture. He was also a prominent agricultural economist and a long-time editor of Wallace’s Farmer, a leading farm publication founded by his grandfather, "Uncle Henry," the first Henry Wallace.
Named as Secretary of Agriculture in 1933 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Wallace became a powerful spokesperson for sound conservation practices, believing they should be a central part of farm policy. The high cost of soil erosion, he often said, was of more importance than the low cost of production. Wallace favored certain practices which have been referred to as organic agriculture, and lately as alternative or sustainable agriculture.
Wallace also launched the Rural Electrification Administration, the Farm Security Administration, the first food stamp plan, and dozens of other programs designed to help American farmers. His goal was to establish a viable farm economy and, at the same time, conserve the nation's natural resources. Wallace was responsible for the creation in 1938 of the "ever-normal granary," which played a critical role in supplying food to Americans during World War II, and was one of his proudest achievements.
Wallace is considered the greatest secretary of agriculture. In 1933, a quarter of the American people still lived on farms and agricultural policy was a matter of high political and economic significance. Farmers had been devastated by the depression. His ambition was to restore the farmers' position in the national economy. He sought to give them the same opportunity to improve income by controlling output that business corporations already possessed.
In time he widened his concern beyond commercial farming to subsistence farming and rural poverty. For the urban poor, he provided food stamps and school lunches. He instituted programs for land-use planning, soil conservation and erosion control. And always he promoted research to combat plant and animal diseases, to locate drought-resistant crops and to develop hybrid seeds in order to increase productivity.
Today, as a result of the agricultural revolution that in so many respects Wallace pioneered, fewer than 2% of Americans are employed in farm occupations--and they produce more than their grandfathers produced 70 years ago.
He is said to be the greatest Secretary of Agriculture of all time!!
Maybe he should have gotten the Nobel Prize!!
But wait!! There is more!!!
The Boomer Blogger
Wallace was a shy young man, something of a loner, devoted to hybrid corn, econometric analysis of farm prices and the McNary - Haugen bill to raise farm income.
He was born on a farm in Iowa in 1888. He became a corn scientist who realized the commercial implications of cross-breeding and started Pioneer Hi-Bred International, the world's first commercial hybrid seed corn venture. He was also a prominent agricultural economist and a long-time editor of Wallace’s Farmer, a leading farm publication founded by his grandfather, "Uncle Henry," the first Henry Wallace.
Named as Secretary of Agriculture in 1933 by President Franklin D. Roosevelt, Wallace became a powerful spokesperson for sound conservation practices, believing they should be a central part of farm policy. The high cost of soil erosion, he often said, was of more importance than the low cost of production. Wallace favored certain practices which have been referred to as organic agriculture, and lately as alternative or sustainable agriculture.
Wallace also launched the Rural Electrification Administration, the Farm Security Administration, the first food stamp plan, and dozens of other programs designed to help American farmers. His goal was to establish a viable farm economy and, at the same time, conserve the nation's natural resources. Wallace was responsible for the creation in 1938 of the "ever-normal granary," which played a critical role in supplying food to Americans during World War II, and was one of his proudest achievements.
Wallace is considered the greatest secretary of agriculture. In 1933, a quarter of the American people still lived on farms and agricultural policy was a matter of high political and economic significance. Farmers had been devastated by the depression. His ambition was to restore the farmers' position in the national economy. He sought to give them the same opportunity to improve income by controlling output that business corporations already possessed.
In time he widened his concern beyond commercial farming to subsistence farming and rural poverty. For the urban poor, he provided food stamps and school lunches. He instituted programs for land-use planning, soil conservation and erosion control. And always he promoted research to combat plant and animal diseases, to locate drought-resistant crops and to develop hybrid seeds in order to increase productivity.
Today, as a result of the agricultural revolution that in so many respects Wallace pioneered, fewer than 2% of Americans are employed in farm occupations--and they produce more than their grandfathers produced 70 years ago.
He is said to be the greatest Secretary of Agriculture of all time!!
Maybe he should have gotten the Nobel Prize!!
But wait!! There is more!!!
The Boomer Blogger
Consider the Decisions You Make!! Generations may be affected!! Part III
It is rare to find a man of the caliber of George Washington Carver. A man who would decline an invitation to work for a salary of more than $100,000 a year (almost a million today) to continue his research on behalf of his countrymen.
Agricultural chemist, Carver discovered three hundred uses for peanuts and hundreds more uses for soybeans, pecans and sweet potatoes. Among the listed items that he suggested to southern farmers to help them economically were his recipes and improvements to/for: adhesives, axle grease, bleach, buttermilk, chili sauce, fuel briquettes, ink, instant coffee, linoleum, mayonnaise, meat tenderizer, metal polish, paper, plastic, pavement, shaving cream, shoe polish, synthetic rubber, talcum powder and wood stain. Three patents were issued to Carver.
He began his formal education at the age of twelve, which required him to leave the home of his adopted parents. Schools segregated by race at that time with no school available for black students near Carver's home. He moved to Newton County in southwest Missouri, where he worked as a farm hand and studied in a one-room schoolhouse. He went on to attend Minneapolis High School in Kansas. College entrance was a struggle, again because of racial barriers.
At the age of thirty, Carver gained acceptance to Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, where he was the first black student. Carver had to study piano and art and the college did not offer science classes. Intent on a science career, he later transferred to Iowa Agricultural College (now Iowa State University) in 1891, where he gained a Bachelor of Science degree in 1894 and a Master of Science degree in bacterial botany and agriculture in 1897. Carver became a member of the faculty of the Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanics (the first black faculty member for Iowa College), teaching classes about soil conservation and the industrial use of organic substances obtained from soybeans and peanuts for example.
In 1897, Booker T. Washington, founder of the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute for Negroes, convinced Carver to come south and serve as the school's Director of Agriculture. Carver remained on the faculty until his death in 1943.
(Read the pamphlet - Help For Hard Times - written by Carver and forwarded by Booker T. Washington as an example of the educational material provided to farmers by Carver.)
At Tuskegee Carver developed his crop rotation method, which revolutionized southern agriculture. He educated the farmers to alternate the soil-depleting cotton crops with soil-enriching crops such as; peanuts, peas, soybeans, sweet potato, and pecans. America's economy was heavily dependent upon agriculture during this era making Carver's achievements very significant. Decades of growing only cotton and tobacco had depleted the soils of the southern area of the United States of America. The economy of the farming south had been devastated by years of civil war and the fact that the cotton and tobacco plantations could no longer (ab)use slave labor. Carver convinced the southern farmers to follow his suggestions and helped the region to recover.
Carver also worked at developing industrial applications from agricultural crops. During World War I, he found a way to replace the textile dyes formerly imported from Europe. He produced 500 different shades of dye and he was responsible for the invention in 1927 of a process for producing paints and stains from soybeans.
Carver did not patent or profit from most of his products. He freely gave his discoveries to mankind.
Most important was the fact that he changed the South from being a one-crop land of cotton, to being multi-crop farmlands, with farmers having hundreds of profitable uses for their new crops. "God gave them to me." he would say about his ideas, "How can I sell them to someone else?" In 1940, Carver donated his life savings to the establishment of the Carver Research Foundation at Tuskegee, for continuing research in agriculture.
George Washington Carver was bestowed an honorary doctorate from Simpson College in 1928. He was an honorary member of the Royal Society of Arts in London, England. In 1923, he received the Spingarn Medal given every year by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. In 1939, he received the Roosevelt medal for restoring southern agriculture.
On July 14, 1943, U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt honored Carver with a national monument dedicated to his accomplishments. The area of Carver's childhood near Diamond Grove, Missouri preserved as a park, this park was the first designated national monument to an African American in the United States.
"He could have added fortune to fame, but caring for neither, he found happiness and honor in being helpful to the world." - Epitaph on the grave of George Washington Carver.
Maybe he should have gotten the Nobel Prize!!
But wait!! There is more!!!
The Boomer Blogger
Agricultural chemist, Carver discovered three hundred uses for peanuts and hundreds more uses for soybeans, pecans and sweet potatoes. Among the listed items that he suggested to southern farmers to help them economically were his recipes and improvements to/for: adhesives, axle grease, bleach, buttermilk, chili sauce, fuel briquettes, ink, instant coffee, linoleum, mayonnaise, meat tenderizer, metal polish, paper, plastic, pavement, shaving cream, shoe polish, synthetic rubber, talcum powder and wood stain. Three patents were issued to Carver.
He began his formal education at the age of twelve, which required him to leave the home of his adopted parents. Schools segregated by race at that time with no school available for black students near Carver's home. He moved to Newton County in southwest Missouri, where he worked as a farm hand and studied in a one-room schoolhouse. He went on to attend Minneapolis High School in Kansas. College entrance was a struggle, again because of racial barriers.
At the age of thirty, Carver gained acceptance to Simpson College in Indianola, Iowa, where he was the first black student. Carver had to study piano and art and the college did not offer science classes. Intent on a science career, he later transferred to Iowa Agricultural College (now Iowa State University) in 1891, where he gained a Bachelor of Science degree in 1894 and a Master of Science degree in bacterial botany and agriculture in 1897. Carver became a member of the faculty of the Iowa State College of Agriculture and Mechanics (the first black faculty member for Iowa College), teaching classes about soil conservation and the industrial use of organic substances obtained from soybeans and peanuts for example.
In 1897, Booker T. Washington, founder of the Tuskegee Normal and Industrial Institute for Negroes, convinced Carver to come south and serve as the school's Director of Agriculture. Carver remained on the faculty until his death in 1943.
(Read the pamphlet - Help For Hard Times - written by Carver and forwarded by Booker T. Washington as an example of the educational material provided to farmers by Carver.)
At Tuskegee Carver developed his crop rotation method, which revolutionized southern agriculture. He educated the farmers to alternate the soil-depleting cotton crops with soil-enriching crops such as; peanuts, peas, soybeans, sweet potato, and pecans. America's economy was heavily dependent upon agriculture during this era making Carver's achievements very significant. Decades of growing only cotton and tobacco had depleted the soils of the southern area of the United States of America. The economy of the farming south had been devastated by years of civil war and the fact that the cotton and tobacco plantations could no longer (ab)use slave labor. Carver convinced the southern farmers to follow his suggestions and helped the region to recover.
Carver also worked at developing industrial applications from agricultural crops. During World War I, he found a way to replace the textile dyes formerly imported from Europe. He produced 500 different shades of dye and he was responsible for the invention in 1927 of a process for producing paints and stains from soybeans.
Carver did not patent or profit from most of his products. He freely gave his discoveries to mankind.
Most important was the fact that he changed the South from being a one-crop land of cotton, to being multi-crop farmlands, with farmers having hundreds of profitable uses for their new crops. "God gave them to me." he would say about his ideas, "How can I sell them to someone else?" In 1940, Carver donated his life savings to the establishment of the Carver Research Foundation at Tuskegee, for continuing research in agriculture.
George Washington Carver was bestowed an honorary doctorate from Simpson College in 1928. He was an honorary member of the Royal Society of Arts in London, England. In 1923, he received the Spingarn Medal given every year by the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People. In 1939, he received the Roosevelt medal for restoring southern agriculture.
On July 14, 1943, U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt honored Carver with a national monument dedicated to his accomplishments. The area of Carver's childhood near Diamond Grove, Missouri preserved as a park, this park was the first designated national monument to an African American in the United States.
"He could have added fortune to fame, but caring for neither, he found happiness and honor in being helpful to the world." - Epitaph on the grave of George Washington Carver.
Maybe he should have gotten the Nobel Prize!!
But wait!! There is more!!!
The Boomer Blogger
Consider the Decisions You Make!! Generations may be affected!! Part IV
Moses Carver (1812–1910) was a German-American settler.
Moses Carver and his brother Richard mi¬grated to Diamond Grove, Missouri around 1838 from Ohio and Illinois. The Preemption Act of 1841 allowed farmers who lived on and improved 160 acres of land for six months to buy the land from the government at a low price. Moses Carver purchased a total of 240 acres in Marion Township, Newton County, Missouri.
As an early settler in the area, Carver selected a good site with an abundant water supply. He built a one-room log cabin with a window, a fireplace, and no floor. This is where he and his wife Susan initially lived, along with three nieces and nephews, whom they raised after Richard's death in 1839.
Though opposed to slavery on principle, Moses needed help as the farm prospered. In 1855, he purchased Mary Washington, a thirteen-year-old pregnant slave girl,from a neighbor. George Washington was born to Mary Washington. His father had died during her pregnancy in an agricultural accident.
In a state strongly divided by the tensions leading to the Civil War, the independent-minded and eccentric Moses Carver was in a difficult position, since he offended Confederates by being a Unionist, and Unionists by owning slaves.
Washington and his mother were taken from the farm by the feared Quantrill’s Raiders. These kidnappings were not unusual during the Civil War. When the Raiders got back to Kansas, the baby Washington was found to be too sick to be of any value to them.
A letter was sent to Moses Carver offering to trade the baby for a horse. Moses saddled up his best horse and headed for Kansas. When he got there, he took the baby, wrapped him in a blanket, put him inside of his coat and walked back to Missouri. George Washington was to remain sickly through-out his youth. The loss of his mother would remain with him throughout his life.
Moses and Susan Carver took the baby into their home and even gave him their name. George Washington became George Washington Carver. During that time, he was taught how to read by Mrs. Carver. He showed early promise in agriculture and developed a desire to further his education.
George left the farm when he was eleven to go to the black school in Neosho, Missouri. He returned to the Moses Carver farm on weekends, but never lived permanently with the Carvers again.
The Moses Carver farm became the George Washington Carver National Monument by an act of Congress in July 1943. The National Park Service maintains 210 acres of the original 240-acre farm.
Moses Carver should have received the Nobel Peace Prize!!!
The Boomer Blogger
Moses Carver and his brother Richard mi¬grated to Diamond Grove, Missouri around 1838 from Ohio and Illinois. The Preemption Act of 1841 allowed farmers who lived on and improved 160 acres of land for six months to buy the land from the government at a low price. Moses Carver purchased a total of 240 acres in Marion Township, Newton County, Missouri.
As an early settler in the area, Carver selected a good site with an abundant water supply. He built a one-room log cabin with a window, a fireplace, and no floor. This is where he and his wife Susan initially lived, along with three nieces and nephews, whom they raised after Richard's death in 1839.
Though opposed to slavery on principle, Moses needed help as the farm prospered. In 1855, he purchased Mary Washington, a thirteen-year-old pregnant slave girl,from a neighbor. George Washington was born to Mary Washington. His father had died during her pregnancy in an agricultural accident.
In a state strongly divided by the tensions leading to the Civil War, the independent-minded and eccentric Moses Carver was in a difficult position, since he offended Confederates by being a Unionist, and Unionists by owning slaves.
Washington and his mother were taken from the farm by the feared Quantrill’s Raiders. These kidnappings were not unusual during the Civil War. When the Raiders got back to Kansas, the baby Washington was found to be too sick to be of any value to them.
A letter was sent to Moses Carver offering to trade the baby for a horse. Moses saddled up his best horse and headed for Kansas. When he got there, he took the baby, wrapped him in a blanket, put him inside of his coat and walked back to Missouri. George Washington was to remain sickly through-out his youth. The loss of his mother would remain with him throughout his life.
Moses and Susan Carver took the baby into their home and even gave him their name. George Washington became George Washington Carver. During that time, he was taught how to read by Mrs. Carver. He showed early promise in agriculture and developed a desire to further his education.
George left the farm when he was eleven to go to the black school in Neosho, Missouri. He returned to the Moses Carver farm on weekends, but never lived permanently with the Carvers again.
The Moses Carver farm became the George Washington Carver National Monument by an act of Congress in July 1943. The National Park Service maintains 210 acres of the original 240-acre farm.
Moses Carver should have received the Nobel Peace Prize!!!
The Boomer Blogger
Consider the Decisions You Make!! Generations WILL be affected!! Part V
Norman Borlaug, Henry A. Wallace, George Washington Carver each have received enormous credit for saving millions, even billions, from starvation.
Moses and Susan Carver had no idea how many people would be impacted by their decision to save the baby Washington from certain death.
We do not realize the far reaching implications of the decisions we make on a daily basis. We are all inter-connected and are affected by our collective decisions. We should think of what the long term effect might be as we consider the decisions we are facing.
The Boomer Blogger
Moses and Susan Carver had no idea how many people would be impacted by their decision to save the baby Washington from certain death.
We do not realize the far reaching implications of the decisions we make on a daily basis. We are all inter-connected and are affected by our collective decisions. We should think of what the long term effect might be as we consider the decisions we are facing.
The Boomer Blogger
Monday, July 21, 2008
Are We Winners or Whiners?
After spending some time re-reading all of my blog entries, I have come to the conclusion that I am on the verge of becoming a whiner.
Let’s look at where we are:
1. 572,000 people over 45 in Cincinnati Metro Area
2. 429 ministry openings for youth and teens…no openings for “Seasoned Believers” ministries
3. the most prominent church model is the “commissary” model
4. It is unlikely, for many reasons, that there will be any shift to the "caravan" model in the foreseeable century.
So, given those factors, what are our options?
Option 1
Continue to bang our heads against a brick wall and become more frustrated, or
Option 2
Become pro-active and enlist our fair share of the demographic in which we find ourselves.
I can hear it now: “But ________!! (fill in the Blank)
Do you mean that I need to encourage other “Seasoned Believers” to become a part of a “commissary” that has nothing of any significance me or them?? In a word YES!!
How do we do it??
First of all, the “Seasoned Believers” already a part of a local church must cease being passive, come down off the shelf, make it known that they are not finished yet and that they desire to become s significant part of the local body.
Secondly, if we begin to increase the number of people who are in this demographic, the significance factor will be recognized.
How do we do it??
I am so glad you asked!!
I will give some suggestions as to how this can be done.
Stay Tuned!!! Don’t touch that dial!!
The Boomer Blogger
Ron
Let’s look at where we are:
1. 572,000 people over 45 in Cincinnati Metro Area
2. 429 ministry openings for youth and teens…no openings for “Seasoned Believers” ministries
3. the most prominent church model is the “commissary” model
4. It is unlikely, for many reasons, that there will be any shift to the "caravan" model in the foreseeable century.
So, given those factors, what are our options?
Option 1
Continue to bang our heads against a brick wall and become more frustrated, or
Option 2
Become pro-active and enlist our fair share of the demographic in which we find ourselves.
I can hear it now: “But ________!! (fill in the Blank)
Do you mean that I need to encourage other “Seasoned Believers” to become a part of a “commissary” that has nothing of any significance me or them?? In a word YES!!
How do we do it??
First of all, the “Seasoned Believers” already a part of a local church must cease being passive, come down off the shelf, make it known that they are not finished yet and that they desire to become s significant part of the local body.
Secondly, if we begin to increase the number of people who are in this demographic, the significance factor will be recognized.
How do we do it??
I am so glad you asked!!
I will give some suggestions as to how this can be done.
Stay Tuned!!! Don’t touch that dial!!
The Boomer Blogger
Ron
If Not A Caravan, Then A Complete Commissary!!
Since it would be nearly impossible to transform a “commissary” modeled church into a “caravan” model, the best, in my judgment, one can hope for is a blend of each.
I have talked to several pastors who understand that they are pastoring a “commissary” model but recognize the need for some sort of “caravaning” effort.
If that is the case, then we must make sure that everyone is served by the “commissary”.
I would like to call your attention to a response, by Paula Clare, to a previous blog entry (7/12/08)dealing with this subject.
“I agree the Seasoned Believers have been put "in the wagons." It's really poignant when you think about the reasons the wagon train did this with the women and children:
1. They couldn't keep up and would impede progress
2. They were seen as "weaker" and couldn't contribute to the movement of the wagon train
3. They were never given weapons to defend themselves, but had to rely on the skills of others to be protected.
Wow. Double wow. No WONDER so many boomers are dropping out...we feel like a hindrance instead of a help!”
There are Children’s Departments, Youth Departments, Teen Departments, College and Singles Departments, Young Married Departments, Married with Children Departments galore. These groups have ample opportunities to be served by their particular commissary departments.
There is virtually no recognition nor effort to provide the “Seasoned Believers” with fellowship or resources to assist them in their journey.
I recently had conversations with several Bible College representatives about this lack of recognition of the “Seasoned Believers”.
Three responded with similar statements that they planned to begin graduate programs for “Geriatric Ministries”.
Paula was correct when she said “No WONDER so many boomers are dropping out...we feel like a hindrance instead of a help!”
Dr. Thom Rainer, in an article titled The Church In 2011: Catching The Age Wave, that appeared in Lifeway Biblical Solutions for Life indicated that his research showed that 2/3 of the Baby Boomers are unchurched.
If that is true, then out of the 858,000 people over 45 in the 9 metropolitan Cincinnati counties, there are some 572,000 unchurched and church alumni among us.
My guess is that, if we are not “caravaning”, then it would behoove us to develop some significant “Seasoned Believer” departments.
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
RON
I have talked to several pastors who understand that they are pastoring a “commissary” model but recognize the need for some sort of “caravaning” effort.
If that is the case, then we must make sure that everyone is served by the “commissary”.
I would like to call your attention to a response, by Paula Clare, to a previous blog entry (7/12/08)dealing with this subject.
“I agree the Seasoned Believers have been put "in the wagons." It's really poignant when you think about the reasons the wagon train did this with the women and children:
1. They couldn't keep up and would impede progress
2. They were seen as "weaker" and couldn't contribute to the movement of the wagon train
3. They were never given weapons to defend themselves, but had to rely on the skills of others to be protected.
Wow. Double wow. No WONDER so many boomers are dropping out...we feel like a hindrance instead of a help!”
There are Children’s Departments, Youth Departments, Teen Departments, College and Singles Departments, Young Married Departments, Married with Children Departments galore. These groups have ample opportunities to be served by their particular commissary departments.
There is virtually no recognition nor effort to provide the “Seasoned Believers” with fellowship or resources to assist them in their journey.
I recently had conversations with several Bible College representatives about this lack of recognition of the “Seasoned Believers”.
Three responded with similar statements that they planned to begin graduate programs for “Geriatric Ministries”.
Paula was correct when she said “No WONDER so many boomers are dropping out...we feel like a hindrance instead of a help!”
Dr. Thom Rainer, in an article titled The Church In 2011: Catching The Age Wave, that appeared in Lifeway Biblical Solutions for Life indicated that his research showed that 2/3 of the Baby Boomers are unchurched.
If that is true, then out of the 858,000 people over 45 in the 9 metropolitan Cincinnati counties, there are some 572,000 unchurched and church alumni among us.
My guess is that, if we are not “caravaning”, then it would behoove us to develop some significant “Seasoned Believer” departments.
THE BOOMER BLOGGER
RON
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