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Monthly Archives: September 2012

John Wesley – A steward of treasures where moth and rust do not destroy

28 Friday Sep 2012

Posted by ccurlejr in History, Life Through a Christian Prism

≈ 4 Comments

Matthew 6: ”19 Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

John Wesley is largely credited as one of the founders of the modern Methodist Movement.   I was recently blown away by how well he lived out his own life’s teachings when I learned of the way that he managed his finances.  It caused me to reflect much deeper on how I manage my own….

Wesley grew up in poverty as a youngster.  He was one of nine siblings, all of them supported by his father, Saul, who served as a Anglican priest in England.  A father who was once ushered off to prison for failing to pay back his creditors.

While he would eventually follow in his father’s footsteps by vocation, he felt God leading him to teach at Oxford University.   Little did he know that eventually his financial situation would look nothing like his father’s.  He was appointed as a fellow at Lincoln college (one of Oxford’s smaller schools).  Financially, his life would never be the same.  His new teaching position paid him a healthy 30 pounds per year, which afforded a comfortable life for a single man.  Much of the money earned went towards playing cards, alcohol and tobacco.  He was living high on the horse, but one a singular event would later turn his perspective on life and money upside down.

One day while he was busy decorating a room with pictures he had just purchased, a cleaning lady (chambermaid) knocked on his door.  When he opened the door he found the woman wearing an exceptionally thin linen dress, which was likely all that she could afford.  It was a cold winter day, and taking notice of that Wesley reached into his pocket to scrounge up some change to give to her so that she could buy a coat.  He realized, however, that the remaining change in his pocket (after having purchased nice new pictures) was not enough to buy a coat.  It bothered him that the Lord may have been displeased with how he had spent his money.  He thought to himself………

“Will thy Master say, “Well done, good and faithful steward?” Thou hast adorned thy walls with the money which might have screened this poor creature from the cold! O justice! O mercy! Are not these pictures the blood of this poor maid?“

That solitary event may have changed his life forever.  He started to change his spending habits so that he could give more to the poor.  He first recorded that he made 30 pounds that year and spent 28 pounds of it, which allowed him to donate 2 pounds to the less fortunate.  The next year God blessed him by doubling his income to 60 pounds, yet he continued to live on only 28 pounds from the previous year.  In subsequent years, he continued this same pattern, living to the same standard while giving away more of his increase.  Here’s a summary of what it looked like as the years went on (in pounds):

Income £ Expenses £ Charity £ Giving as a Percentage of Gross Income
Year 1 30 28 2 7 %
Year 2 60 28 32 53 %
Year 3 90 28 62 69 %
Year 4 120 28 92 77 %
Years later….. 1400 30 1370 98 %

Wesley believed that with rising incomes, Christians’ standard of giving should increase — not their standard of living.  You can see in the table above that Wesley eventually gave nearly 98% of his income away later in life.  He was the ultimate example of what is often referred to as reverse tithing.

Wesley believed that Christians should consider themselves members of the poor.  He lived and ate amongst them.  Over the course of his ministry he opened two houses for widows.  He rejoiced to eat at the same table and partake in the same meals that they ate.  He looked forward to the day when all Christians would share together in the heavenly banquet.

His diet was modest, partly for health, but also because he believed “What I save from my own meat will feed another that else would have none.”

Wesley’s belief was that Christians should gain all that they can materially, so that they can give it to others in greater need:
“In the hands of [God’s] children, it is food for the hungry, drink for the thirsty, raiment for the naked. it gives to the traveler and the stranger where to lay his head. By it we may supply the place of a husband to the widow, and of a father to the fatherless. We may be a defense for the oppressed, a means of health to the sick, of ease to them that are in pain. It may be as eyes to the blind, as feet to the lame: yea, a lifter up from the gates of death!”

He also believed that the more that you buy the more you’ll want.

“Who would depend anything in gratifying these desires, if he considered that to gratify them is to increase them? Nothing can be more certain than this: Daily experience shows that the more they are indulged, they increase the more.”

Ain’t that the truth!  I pray that we all consider the incredible life of John Wesley as an example of true kingdom-minded living.  I have been pondering some practical ways to start on this road that seem impossible to accomplish in the flesh.  I find comfort in knowing that Christ’s apostles found it equally difficult to do, even though  they had left everything behind to follow Him (Luke 18:26-28).

My prayer –  Lord if it’s your will, teach me how to be like Wesley.  In a sincere way, that’s not a works based manifestation of the flesh, but in a candid spirit-led way that is not out of false compulsion to please you for rewards (here or in the hereafter) but out of my love for you and your children.  Amen!

A Heck of a Fish Story (Part 2)

20 Thursday Sep 2012

Posted by ccurlejr in Cool Stuff, Life Through a Christian Prism

≈ 2 Comments

In Part 1 of this blog, I wrote about the miracle that Jesus performed on the Sea of Galilee in the presence of Simon-Peter and other fishermen I ended by showing that Peter and his crew caught an estimated 5,000 lbs of fish per boat.   Next, we’ll look into how many fish were possibly caught in total and the implications that it may have had on Peter’s understanding of his own calling.

What Type of Fish Were Caught?:

There were three types of fish that were commonly sought after by fishermen during the time of the story – Sardines, Barbels and Musht fish.  The Musht fish, also known as “St. Peter’s Fish” is in the Tilapia family.  The story doesn’t tell us which type of fish were caught, but the fact that the Musht is named after Peter and its larger size makes it a good selection in order to stay conservative in the estimate.  Musht fish can weigh as much as 3.3 lbs, so to be safe we’ll assume that the average fish weighed about half of that, which equals 1.65 lbs.

Therefore, the total number of fish caught would equal……
 Total Number of Fish Caught = 5,000 lbs * 1 Fish / 1.65 lbs ~ 3000 fish
However, this is only for one boat.  The story tells that both boats reached the point of sinking.  So, in that case 6,000 fish were caught in a day!  It’s very possible that some of my assumptions above are flawed, but even if I’m off by a factor of 2, and only 1,500 fish were caught on that day per boat, it’s still difficult to fathom what that must have looked like.  Personally, having fished for years and knowing how incomprehensible it would be to pull in that many fish in a short period of time, I’m pretty sure that I would have been more scared than anything had I been in Peter’s shoes.

The experience was obviously scary enough to Peter that he fell to his knees in repentance for his sin and said…..  “Go away from me Lord!”  Jesus calmed him by saying “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.”

Now, I would assume that somebody came back to get all of those fish, but as the story goes they literally left everything behind, and went to follow Jesus – “11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.”

Again, my math could definitely be off since I made plenty of assumptions above, but wouldn’t it be cool if they really did catch about 3,000 fish per boat!  Especially when you consider that Peter’s first big catch of men occurred on the day of Pentecost and 3,000 people found Christ

Peter experienced a genuine miracle from God that day on that boat– a miracle that shook him to his very core.  Little did he know that what he witnessed in the boat that day foreshadowed what would happen to him on the day of Pentecost. He stood before thousands of people fulfilling a prophetic calling given to him by Jesus– that he would one day be a fisher of men (Acts 2).  On that day he preached to a crowd of witnesses that had just witnessed a miracle of their own – where men spoke in foreign languages that they had no prior exposure to.  Shortly after, Peter preached the good news to the captivated crowd and 3,000 men came to know the Lord.

A Heck of a Fish Story (Part 1)

04 Tuesday Sep 2012

Posted by ccurlejr in Cool Stuff

≈ 2 Comments

I recently heard a great sermon about the miracle that Jesus performed on the Sea of Galilee in the presence of Simon-Peter and other fishermen.  According to the story, they caught so many fish that their two boats almost sank.  I personally find the story believable, but I’ve often wondered how many fish would someone have to catch for their boat to almost capsize?  As Christians we often talk about how we serve a God of miracles. Yet, I don’t think we give much thought to how utterly amazing some of them actually were, and what it must have been like to actually witness this event in person.

Call me a dork if you like, but the scientific, left-brained side of me kicked in and I started pondering if there was any way to estimate how many fish were actually caught that day?  I’m not sure if anyone has ever attempted this before, but I figured it was worth a try.  To my surprise, the details in the story combined with archeological findings near the Sea of Galilee in the last few decades made getting a reasonable estimate possible. Thinking back to my classical physics training I knew that the keys to solving the problem would be finding a reasonable estimate of the boat size, the boat volume, and the boat weight.  Luckily, I was able to research and find some rough estimates for all three questions.  I figured that if I could get a reasonable estimate of all three, than I could back-calculate the number of fish caught using the laws of buoyancy (Archimedes principle).  One of the other main keys to the story was knowing that the boat almost capsized due to the huge catch.  When a boat is stuck in a state where it could either sink or float with added or decreased weight it’s referred to as neutral buoyancy.

So here’s the bottom line: If you combine current archeological understanding of boat sizes during Jesus time with the laws of buoyancy, then it turns out that almost 5,000 lbs of fish jumped into their boats.

So for those interested here’s the math behind the estimate………

Boat Dimensions:

In 1986 an archeological find discovered a boat believed to have been a typical fishing vessel at the time of Jesus[1].  The boat size was approximately 27 ft long x 7 ft wide x 4 ft deep (estimated depth).  Since, I didn’t have the internal boat dimensions or a scale model of the boat’s external body dimensions I slimmed it down to only include the space that I figured was free within the boat, after nets, fishermen, and other items.

20ft long x 5ft wide x 4 ft deep *
* This a very conservative estimate
.

Volume of the Boat:

Volume inside of boat = 20ft x 5ft x 3ft = 300 cubic ft

Boat Weight:

Density of Water = 1000 kg/cubic meter

1meter = 3.28 ft

So, 1cubic meter = 35.29 cubic ft

1kg = 2.204 lbs

Therefore………..

Density of Water (lbs/cu ft) = 1000 kg/cubic meter * cubic meter/35.29 cu ft * 2.204 lbs/kg = 62.45 (lbs/cu ft)

Neutral Buoyancy:

Neutral buoyancy means that the boat is literally teetering on the verge of sinking or floating, meaning that the buoyant forces are perfectly equal with the weight of the boat and the contents inside of it.  That basically means that the Total weight of boat = Weight of water that the full boat body displaces.


Total weight of boat

Total weight of boat = Weight of empty boat + Weight of fishermen + Weight of fish

Weight of boat = 10,000 lbs (estimated from similar sized wooden boats)

Weight of fishermen = 15 men (max boat capacity) * 200 lbs/fishermen = 3000 lbs

Weight of water that the full boat body displaces

Weight of water that full boat body displaces = Volume of boat x density of water

Weight of water that full boat body displaces = 300 cu ft x 62.45 lbs/cu ft = 18,000 lbs(approximate)

 

Total weight of boat = Weight of water that the full boat body displaces.

10,000 lbs + 3000 lbs + Weight of Fish = 18,000 lbs

Weight of Fish = 5,000 lbs

That’s alot of fish!  Stay tuned for Part 2………..

The American Dream

01 Saturday Sep 2012

Posted by ccurlejr in Life Through a Christian Prism, Reflections on Daily Life

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I was prompted to write this after a whole week of hearing the phrase – “The American Dream”.  As we lead up to the presidential election of 2012, I expect to continue to hear it alot more.  What is it?   Well, according to a background essay from the Library of Congress it has taken on multiple meanings over time, but the phrase was coined by James Truslow Adams in his 1931 book – “The Epic of America“.

He stated:
“the American dream is “that dream of a land in which life should be better and richer and fuller for everyone, with opportunity for each according to ability or achievement. It is a difficult dream for the European upper classes to interpret adequately, and too many of us ourselves have grown weary and mistrustful of it. It is not a dream of motor cars and high wages merely, but a dream of social order in which each man and each woman shall be able to attain to the fullest stature of which they are innately capable, and be recognized by others for what they are, regardless of the fortuitous circumstances of birth or position.” (p.214-215) [1]

On Wikipedia it’s defined as…
“The American Dream is a national ethos of the United States; a set of ideals in which freedom includes the opportunity for prosperity and success, and an upward social mobility achieved through hard work.” [2]

However, within the context of politics and modern day American life it basically means the “human right”- to pursue material wealth, to pursue upward mobility, and to advance socially.  I believe that it’s true within the political realm because the typical testimony given before mentioning the magical phrase always goes something like this….  “My dad migrated to this great country when he was 17 from the slums of a 3rd world country with only $5 dollars to his name.  He worked in sweatshops and factories in extremely dangerous conditions just to provide for our family.  He never received a higher education, but because of his hard work and sacrifice I’m now successful and have achieved what I only could have imagined in my wildest dreams.  Only in America could this great dream have been realized.”

I don’t know the history behind how or why the American Dream became an extension of American Christianity, but I do recognize how it has become a barometer for the health of the country and at times the church.  When things are going well economically, then it’s implied that we are blessed by God, because people are able to pursue our “dreams”.  When things aren’t going well it’s assumed that America is dead in it’s sinful behavior.  That we’re not doing enough or what it takes to pursue the dream with the greatest zeal possible.

The problem with this idea is not prosperity itself, but that the means become the end.  Instead of pursuing the savior first and foremost people end up inevitably pursuing all of the “things” that the savior can get them:

Matthew 6 –

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[e]?

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith? 31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.”

The Rich and the Kingdom of God

17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’[d]”

20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”

24 The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is[e] to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

26 The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”

27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

28 Then Peter spoke up, “We have left everything to follow you!”

29 “Truly I tell you,” Jesus replied, “no one who has left home or brothers or sisters or mother or father or children or fields for me and the gospel 30 will fail to receive a hundred times as much in this present age: homes, brothers, sisters, mothers, children and fields—along with persecutions—and in the age to come eternal life. 31 But many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Because the American Dream has now seeped into the very foundation of our lifestyle, and church teachings it’s become status quo to accept an Easy-button version of the gospel.  We’ve made it easy on ourselves by mentally skipping over scripture that’s inconvenient or by ignoring it in the name of – “Well, this doesn’t apply to us or me.”  I think that I can honestly say that in my mind I’ve never struggled with rejecting the tougher scriptures or making up reasons for why they don’t apply to me.  If anything, it’s the practical implications of what real sacrifice may look like, the discomfort it could cause to myself or others, and maybe the hesitation to try and make something happen by my own might instead of waiting on the right opportunity that the Lord has for me, or the fear of what people will think or say about me – including family.  I doubt I’m alone in feeling this way.  I had a conversation more recently with a non-Christian person at work about the often unspoken of, but real pressure that comes from conforming to social groups.  I believe that people often hold strong opinions that deviate from their closest or most immediate social network, but are often scared to deviate from the norm due to the fear of being ostracized by their peers.  In much the same way, I’m sure the rich young ruler had similar thoughts as he walked away from Jesus.  “If I gave away everything that I owned to just follow Jesus, how could I explain this to my father and my brothers?”  They will tell me that I have lost my mind, and that I should have thought about my retirement years before making an irrational decision.”  LOL.  That’s tough!

A sermon series that I recently discovered by Pastor David Platt is really challenging me in this area right now.  It’s a series that he taught on years back based on his book titled “Radical: Taking Back Your Faith from the American Dream”.  It’s an eight part series and I’m not even through with it yet, but thought I would share. I will give you fair warning before you start the series though.  It’s very convicting, so listen at your own risk 😉 One other note, if you have a penchant for the easy-button gospel or “prefer living the life of a King’s Kid”, then your first reaction to the message will be that Platt is being “religious”.  As a matter of fact, if you listen to many of Platt’s sermons you might feel that way.  However, I would say that although it could turn into a religious and works based effort that it’s not.  Platt just tends to go places in the bible that people often avoid, because it’s far too inconvenient to the flesh.  And the natural, and first reaction to rejecting tough biblical truths is often to dismiss them as religious or legal.

One thing I can say thus far (while listening to the sermon series) is that I’ve felt compelled to consider more closely how I honor God in my finances and my budget overall.  We really could be doing much more with what we’ve been given.  Let me know your thoughts.  This could be a great subject for group discussions.

Here’s a promo video for the sermon series:

Here’s the link to the full sermon series:
http://www.radical.net/media/series/series_list/?id=2

Here’s a link to an interview that he did for the book on the Christian Post:http://www.christianpost.com/news/interviewdavid-platt-on-the-american-dream-radical-christianity-45161/

  1. ^ a b Library of Congress. American Memory. “What is the American Dream?”, lesson plan.
  2. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Dream

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