The Five Dollar Blog-- Doing Something...

The word "incarnational" describes the Christian faith about as well as any other. It means, more or less, that God did something. Since shortly after the beginning, humanity has been inverting the natural order of things, choosing small, broken lives that inevitably collapse in on themselves over lives that grow from the roots of creation and stretch out in worship of the Creator. The result of this choice has been well documented. We now live in a world of conflict, pain, disasters (natural and otherwise,) and, ultimately, death. In The Incarnation of Jesus that we recently celebrated with gifts and songs, God looked at all this and God did something.

As he walked along the countryside teaching and healing, Jesus wasn't content with just doing something. He wanted his followers to do something as well. When a crowd of over 5,000 had gathered around Jesus the disciples wanted to send them off to the neighboring towns to get food. Jesus said, rather emphatically, "YOU feed them."

Later, a man came to Jesus with a demon possessed son. The man asked him to show pity "If you are able." Jesus replied, "No, if YOU are able."

Jesus told a story about a master and three servants. Each servant was given a certain amount of stuff to work with. ("Stuff" is in the original Greek.) Two of the servants did something with their stuff, one did not. Two were praised, one was not. Two were incarnational, one was not.

Last Sunday my friend and pastor Josh began a sermon series titled A Faith that Participates. His text was the story about the talents, the "stuff." At the end of the service we were all given five dollars and told to do something with it. We were encouraged to be creative, using our talents and gifts to expand the five dollars. On February 28 we will return and see what we all did with what we were given.

For better or worse, my "stuff" is words. I've toyed with other stuff over the course of my life-- Politics, music, teaching-- but none of these has ever captured my attention as much as the search for a well crafted sentence. Most of what I have written has gone largely unnoticed, but at times I have received encouraging feedback.

So here is what I am doing. For February, I will be writing. This blog will be the ground on which I do something. Between now and February 28th I am committing myself to at least 20 posts. Significant posts. Stories. Memories. Thoughts. Things I am learning and things I am dreaming. Content more substantial than a Facebook Status update or a simple recitation of the activities of my day. And for my time, I will pay myself a quarter per post. Five Dollars.

Here's what I am asking of you: If you enjoy what I have written, either this month or in the past, I would like for you to consider doing something as well. On the top right hand corner of this blog is a "Donate" button for paypal. Click on it and donate Five Dollars. Do it now, in good faith, or wait until the last week of Feburary.

Chris and Britt Bernard are a young couple living in Waco. They have been married for just over a year, yet are now responsible for the care of Britt's five young siblings. Her parents are missionaries in Haiti. After the earthquake they decided to stay and help provide relief for the place that has become home for them. For the safety of their children, however, they placed them on an Air Force Plane with nothing but the clothes on their back and sent them to live with Chris and Britt. The Bernards are doing something. Britt's parents, the Livesays, are doing something. All of the money raised from the five dollars given out at church will go to helping Chris and Britt take care of these children. Help us help them do something.

After February I will return to my old blog, hopefully reinvigorated.