Barnabas File

Statue of Rosa Parks in the U.S. Capitol Words have impact.     In a recent blog , pastor Carey Nieuwhof comments, “ Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me   is a lie.  I’ve seen people whose lives have changed direction because someone told them they didn’t have what it takes, so they stopped acting like they did.”  On the other hand, there are those who have succeeded because someone gave words of encouragement.   When one wishes to change or challenge a person or a culture, the use of words is pivotal.  Take for example, the word “patriot.” I found two definitions of the word that appear paradoxical:   One is “a person who loves, supports, and defends his or her country and its interests with devotion. ”  Another is  “ a person who regards himself or herself as a defender, especially of individual rights, against presumed interference by the federal government. ”   In recent days, i...

“He said to them,  ‘Then give back to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.’” (Luke 20:25, NIV)   Updated introduction:  Responses to the assault on our Capital Building this week have been varied and often ludicrous.  One that especially puzzles me is that of devout believers who argue that we as Christians should just see this as an expression of a sinful world and that these actions have little to do with the message of Christ.  Wrong!  If God cared enough to send a son into the world to live among us, God must have cared about the state of the world.  Jesus certainly pointed out moral and ethical failings that could be addressed by very human listeners.  As you read this blog, please consider your responsibilities as a citizen of two kingdoms.   When I did supply preaching on a regular basis, I was often called on to preach the Sunday closest to the Fourth of July holiday.  It was ...

When I was a child, I often went with my Dad to the voting place in our neighborhood.     He would pick me up at school and we would go directly to the polling place so he could cast his ballot (my Mom always voted earlier in the day).   My parents’ example has stayed with me.  This is one of the most important ways that we exercise our citizenship. Even if I estimate that my candidate has little chance of winning, I know it is important to express my point of view.     We are three days away from a national election.  Early voting has been going on in many places for a couple of weeks.  I encourage you to cast your vote for the candidates of your choice.  I am not arguing that you vote for a particular candidate or party, but I do suggest that you ask yourself these questions about each candidate as you decide.   First, would you be willing to have this person as a guest in your home?  Is this a person...

The Fourth of July gives us the opportunity to celebrate our freedoms, but the other side of the coin are the responsibilities that go with freedoms.     Paul White of Appreciation at Work addressed these freedoms in a recent blog : The freedom to live where we want. The freedom to choose our vocation. The freedom to speak our minds freely. The freedom to gather in groups publicly. The freedom to choose our religious beliefs. Although we could get into a great discussion about how absolute these freedoms are and how they are limited by socioeconomic circumstances, I want to respond to this question that White asks: “What responsibilities go with the freedoms and rights that we have?” I would suggest first is the responsibility of citizenship.  This involves obeying the laws, paying our taxes, accepting civic responsibilities (voting and serving on juries), and serving our community as volunteers and in military service.  Again, these ...

My grandson, Noah, and I visited Washington, DC, during the Spring break.   One of the highlights was a tour of the U.S. Capitol.   We had done this before, but each time is a learning experience.   As our guide pointed out the statues in the Rotunda and in Statuary Hall, both Noah and I noted an interesting juxtaposition.   In the Capitol are statues of both Abraham Lincoln, President of the United States of America, and Jefferson Davis, President of the Confederate States of America, the chief executives on the two sides in the Civil War.  There are also statues of both commanding generals of the opposing sides at the end of the war—Ulysses S. Grant and Robert E. Lee.  Of course, the individual states have the opportunity choose the statues in the Capitol Building based on persons that they consider notable, so Davis of Mississippi and Lee of Virginia are there because of their status in those states.  (You would be surprised at some of the se...

Students working on neighborhood project How do you explain taxes to a three-year-old?  I was leaving the house one day last week to pick up the completed tax return from our preparer.  Cooper, our grandson, asked where I was going.  When I told him, I could tell that the idea ‘taxes” was not on his radar.  I started to tell him that taxes help pay for the fire fighters and police officers (but they are only indirectly funded by Federal tax money).  I did tell him that the money we paid to the government helps build our roads.  I suppose I could have told him that the money helped to pay for our military but really did not want to go down that road too far.  As I thought about this later, I could have explained that our taxes (at least for now) help people who are sick and do not have food.  This whole train of thought led me to think about the things that our tax money pays for that were provided in other ways in the past.  When peo...