http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/us/2009/03/08/kosich.oh.janitor.job.wewsI could not believe this report when someone called to tell me about it. My first response was: NO WAY! His response: Yes…Way!
So, in typical weekly fashion I started an email discussion with the hopes it would lead to a spirited debated. It did…Well, it somewhat ignited when the following questions were asked:
What happens when faith is not enough? Shit happens, Right?
The sparks began to fly. But, too tamed for my liking so I continued to push:
Faith During Economic Crisis?
Shared by Brian E. Payne. Inspired by an ongoing shit!
11 comments:
Reader Response:
Yes it (Shit) does.
-Rev. Jennifer
Muata responds to Rev. Jennifer:
Rev. Jennifer-
I was not expecting much response to this - but your response has stumped me. Your answer to my question: "Yes it does.".
As a woman of the clothe I am wondering how you would conduct pastoral care to one of the 500 plus men/women who will not get this janitor job (initial video). You know that I am a seminarian (suppose to have the acquired tools to guide)- but I would find it difficult to consult in this situation considering the bleakness of the economy and increasing unemployment rate. What would be your guidance/counseling if this person came to you spiritually/religiously distraught as a result of not getingt the job? And, with you understanding that this person has done all the right things i.e. pray, obedient to God, fellowships, goes to church, takes communion, etc.
-Muata
Rev. Jennifer Responds to Muata:
My response was just an agreement that "stuff" happens. That is all "Rev. Dr. Brother Minister Payne". Smile. NOTHING MORE.
Ok - one more thing. In response to your question "What would I say?" - There is one job - if someone is distraught, then the trauma is not over this ONE job but resulting from the struggle of looking for ANY job. My response or pastoral care would deal with the root - the exhaustion and frustration of their current place on life's journey. And every person is different. So I do not have a "canned response" for this type of scenario - except that in ALL situations, I would pray and ask for the leading of the Holy Spirit. Folks lives and mental peace are at stake. And I certainly would only be a vessel for God's comfort and guidance.
Peace & Love!
-Rev. jennifer
Muata shares statistic:
More Americans say they have no religion
http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5iYmd8ToiQxh6WjqwG...
"A wide-ranging study on American religious life found that the Roman Catholic population has been shifting out of the Northeast to the Southwest, the percentage of Christians in the nation has declined and more people say they have no religion at all.
Fifteen percent of respondents said they had no religion, an increase from 14.2 percent in 2001 and 8.2 percent in 1990, according to the American Religious Identification Survey.
Northern New England surpassed the Pacific Northwest as the least religious region, with Vermont reporting the highest share of those claiming no religion, at 34 percent. Still, the study found that the numbers of Americans with no religion rose in every state..."
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Reader Response:
I know I know I know........Pray Harder and make sure you didn't miss any "down
payments"....then wait on God. :)
-EJ
Reader Response:
Its a matter of survival at this point. So, you encourage them to hit the pavement and out shine the next 200+ people applying for the same job. Simply there's nothing you can do about it but keep on keeping on. PUSH==Pray Until Something Happens!!!!
-DM
Muata responds to DM:
Did you leave something out?
Pray and then...ACT.
Right?
-Muata
DM responds to Muata:
Right!!
-DM
Muata responds to DM:
I am a MAJOR critic of Christianity (not sure if you know that) - but I will not discredit one's belief in prayer. I just can't...and of course I should not. I witnessed how it comforted my mother while growing up. One thing she did not do was depend solely on God, however. She did it for herself. Prayer was her therapy, and she taught us to understand that God cannot in NO WAY answer all my/her prayers. I am my ANSWER! Which means I am not waiting on God for anything. I say that with respect.
-Muata
DM responds to Muata:
I agree with you for sure. We cant depend on him for everything. However, it all starts with us. We have to make the first step and the higher power will do the rest. We definitely have to ACT to get a REACTION. So, many of us depend solely on God, Allah, Jehovah for everything and dont give anything back. Dont get me started on how we use the word CHRISTIAN in vain. Many probably dont even know what it truly means.
-DM
Reader Response:
"They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength."
Isaiah 40:31
God usually doesn’t tell us how He will answer our prayers, or even when. But He does promise those who wait on Him one thing strength. The word "wait" in this Scripture pictures a Hebrew word used in the making of rope. Every rope starts out as a thread, and every strand added just increases its strength. So each time you wait on the Lord you add another thread to the rope; you get a little stronger, a little more able to cope. Do you feel like you’re just hanging on by a thread today? Spend more time in God’s presence and God’s Word, and watch your thread turn into a rope. But waiting is not always passive, sometimes it’s active, like waiting on a customer, seeing that his or her needs are met. In this case, waiting is not so much a position as it is a focus. The Bible says, " Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on thee" (Isa 26:3). Whether it’s sitting prayerfully in His presence or actively carrying out His will, you have God’s assurance that your strength will be renewed.
If you’re at the end of your rope today, grab hold of these three promises: (1) "Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and He shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say, on the Lord" (Ps 27:14 NKJV). (2) "Wait silently for God alone, for my expectation is from Him" (Ps 62:5 NKJV). (3) "As the eyes of servants look to the hand of their masters...so our eyes look to the Lord our God" (Ps 123:2 NKJV). Do you need more strength? Wait on God!
Gratitude
Give thanks in all circumstances.
1 Thessalonians 5:18 NIV
In order to have a gratefu l heart you must learn to be grateful for flawed people and imperfect gifts. Be grateful when your child attempts to make the bed, even though they make it imperfectly. Be grateful when your spouse expresses affection, even if they do it awkwardly. Be grateful that your body still moves around, even if it’s more wrinkled and lumpy. Don’t wait to feel thankful. The thinking and the doing leads to the feeling. "Give thanks in all circumstances" calls for a decision and an act of your will, not an emotional response. It’s why Americans call their annual holiday Thanksgiving" not thanks feeling. James Dodson wrote a moving book called Final Rounds, in which he talks about the last months of his father’s life. They were both avid golfers, and when his father had been diagnosed with a terminal illness James took him to Scotland so they could play golf together at some of the world’s most celebrated courses. At one point James’s dad asked him about his marriage and family. James’s answer was evasive; he was so consumed by his work that there was little time left over. These were the words of a dying father to his son: "I wish I could slow you both down...The danger of great ambition is that you work so hard, y ou may some day wake up and find that the things you really wanted, were the things you had all along." Paul writes, "Wake up, O sleeper, rise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you" (Eph 5:14 NIV). Every once in a while we do wake up. And when we do, what we wake up to is gratitude for the things we take for granted.
JUST SOME FOOD FOR THOUGHT
-Freedom
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