A poor parody of Hamlet

To give, or not to give: That is the question:
Whether 'tis nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,
Or to take arms against a sea of selfishness,
And by opposing end them?

Ok, I'm done. I can't even write a true parody of this passage because I don't really understand the actual context in which it was written. (In fact, I thought it was from Romeo & Juliet until I googled it just now. My high school English teacher, Mrs Robinson, would not be calling me a scholar right now).

Anyway, this week I heard some news about the movie that was to be made about Blue Like Jazz. Apparently production was suspended due to lack of funds, so some guys made a website asking people who have been influenced by the book to considering giving to fund the rest of the movie's production.

Before I could stop my mind from going there, it went there: what if they don't make their goal? Where does my money go? What happens to the movie?

It's like a student asking for support for a missions trip: What if she doesn't go? What happens to my money?

The thing is (thanks, Allison) I don't really have a say in how the money is used. My reaction points out a problem with my attitude in giving: control. It's not my money to begin with. While I should be a good steward of it, it's out of my hands when it's given away.

I ran into this same issue last week, when I was reading Revolution in World Missions by KP Yohannon. He cited many examples of American churches and big-name Christians (without naming names) that wanted to help him in his cause of raising funds for indigenous missionaries in India. But the Americans wanted additional confirmation that the money pledged would be used the way they wanted- through a variety of different stipulations. I admire KP's integrity and character - he would not accept money with ties. And I think he was totally right in asking them to reconsider. It's not that there wasn't any accountability within his system - it's that the people giving wanted to make sure it was done their way.

While we're on the subject of books, let me bring up another one (some of you are probably not surprised I'm mentioning this book). Last year, I read Law of Rewards by Randy Alcorn. It's not a long book, but it took me a whole year to finish; there was a lot to consider and converse about.

This topic of how to decide to give or not to give is one thing Alcorn covers in his book, and also on his website (Eternal Perspectives Ministries). He's got an article entitled Nineteen Questions to Ask Before You Give To Any Organization. They vary from checking a ministry's biblical doctrine, ministry strategies and overhead/admin costs, to talking with people both on the local level instead of just reading literature/seeing promo videos. One thing I'm really glad to see on the list is the importance of giving to the local church. Alcorn suggests we ask ourselves whether or not we've fulfilled our primary role in giving to our local church.

2 Corinthians 9:7 (loosely) says we should decide in our hearts what to give, and to give it cheerfully. I think the kicker comes right before this verse, in 9:6: "Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously."

As with many of life's interesting issues, the answer probably lies in a balance: giving where, when and how God leads you - which might sometimes be off-the-cuff without much consideration, and might sometimes be after an hour long personal appointment with a missionary from a ministry you've never heard of.

What are your thoughts? Do we have any say in how money is used when we give it away? Why/Why not? Should we extensively scrutinize every single financial opportunity that comes our way with Alcorn's list of 19 Questions?

(By the way, I just checked the Save Blue Like Jazz website, and they made their goal).

Live Your Best Life Now.

Well, it's official. As of 2011, Oprah is done with her hit talk show. I'm sure housewives across the country teared up at the announcement. Don't worry, she's merely moving from ABC to her own cable network- the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN).

You know how there are those moments in history where you will always remember where you were and what you were doing when you heard big news? (For me, 9-11. For my mom, when JFK was shot).

I really hope this Oprah thing is not one of those moments. When I heard the news, I did not cry. In high school I loved the NBC Today Show with Katie Couric, I enjoyed watching a good episode of Oprah interviewing famous people...even the View. I had to know what the panel would say about the newest hot topics. I'm not sure how or when it happened, but after I became a Christian I started to care less about Oprah. I also started watching a lot less TV...but I can't get over how much I really don't care about famous people in the news.

I must say, Oprah's story is an admirable one. Rising from a rough childhood in the deep south, she made it to the top, exactly the 'American Dream' that so many people are hoping to fulfill. She has overcome adversity to be a benefit to society. Wikipedia cites her show as gaining popularity by focusing on literature, self-improvement and spirituality.

Our souls are yearning for good stories, hope for change, and a belief in something greater than ourselves. We want someone to give us all of these things. Oprah fulfills so, so many of the unmet longings and desires of American women of all ages. Live your best life now, she urges us.

Huh. Where have I heard that before? That's the same thing Jesus says. And while Oprah can offer us things to fulfill our longings, nothing truly satisfies these desires like Christ can. And does.

Chadley, my Bible study leader, says that the best lie is one that's the closest to the truth. Oprah is just close enough to the truth and goodness of Christianity that many don't think twice her advice and suggestions.

Even her name gives us a clue to this. She was originally named Orpah, after the biblical character in the book of Ruth. "According to an interview with the Academy of Achievement, Winfrey claimed that her family and friends' inability to pronounce “Orpah” caused them to put the “P” before the “R” in every place else other than the birth certificate" (from this wikipedia article).

Most recently, she's entered into politics. Two economists estimate that Winfrey’s endorsement for Barak Obama - the first candidate she's ever publicly endorsed - was worth over a million votes in the Democratic primary race, and that without it, Obama would have lost the nomination. No wonder Blagojevich considered offering her Barak's Senate seat, viewing her influence more powerful than all 100 Illinois Senators combined.

Oprah has really made a name for herself.
That's exactly what isn't important to God.

i.

First of all, there is too much focus on the self. People are constantly concerned with their own thoughts, their own actions, their own misfortunes and their own tough breaks. How many times during one day do we look in a mirror? How many times do we start a sentence with "I?" We even complain if our friends only talk about themselves and don't want to talk about us.

There is more to the letter "i" than just ourselves. Some very important words start with this mischievous letter. How about the word "ignorance" as an example. It's the 'lack of knowledge or education.' Ignorance of some subjects are worse than others: If someone is ignorant of psychofarmicology, no one worries too much. There are a lot of people out there that are ignorant about a general idea they have grown up with, that claim to know what their talking about. Wrong (and sickening).

Indecisiveness is another bad "I" word. There is one thing that should be clear in this world, and that's the answer to the question "Why are we here?" A very commonly asked questions that probably everyone in the world has asked themself at least once in their life. Many of these people also claim to have found the answer. I (there's that darn letter again) think there's only one answer. There's one way. One truth. And if you don't believe in that way, nuts to you. It's never too late to believe in this one truth.

Part of verse 9 in 1 Chronicles chapter 28 reads "If you seek him, he'll make sure you find him, but if you abandon him, he'll leave you for good." Harsh. But fair. All God is asking is that you seek him. If your motives are clear and you truly desire to find him, you are certain to find him. Everyone has to make a decision to seek him or abandon him.