Word of Grace

Building One Another - Vol. 11, No. 13
Dear Friend, “A certain monastery enforced a vow of silence. Each monk could utter only two words every five years, and those two words had to be spoken in the presence of the abbot, the chief monk. One of the monks, when given his opportunity to speak, said, ‘Bad food!’ Five years later, his two words were, ‘Bed hard.’ When given his third opportunity to speak five years later, he said, ‘I quit.’ ‘Well,’ said the abbot, ‘you might as well quit. All you’ve done since you got here is complain!’"1 So what is the New Testament take on grumbling? “Do all things without murmuring and arguing, so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world.” Philippians 2:14-15* When you choose not to grumble in our culture of complaint where grumbling is what everyone does, you shine like a star and you become a picture of God’s grace for others to see. So you have a choice –a word of grace or a word of grumble. What we say determines whether we inspire faith and life or inspire doubt, fear, anxiety, and anger. When you choose not to grumble, when you address your concerns directly to the people involved and you treat them with dignity and respect, you are so out of step with the culture that people see our Lord living in you! In practical terms, what happens when something annoys you? If you speak to everyone but the ones creating the situation, that’s grumbling. If you speak to each other in a spirit of hostility and disrespect making point and counter point, that’s bickering. If you speak graciously directly to those involved, that’s the grace of God in you and a word of grace through you. 1. Robert J. Morgan, Nelson’s Complete Book of Stories, Illustrations, & Quotes, (Nashville, Thomas Nelson Publishers).
With joy- E. Stanley Ott Copyright 2012 E. Stanley Ott *Scripture from the NRSV
To view archived issues and to subscribe: www.buildingoneanother.org

Word of Grace

Building One Another - Vol. 11, No. 13
Dear Friend, “A certain monastery enforced a vow of silence. Each monk could utter only two words every five years, and those two words had to be spoken in the presence of the abbot, the chief monk. One of the monks, when given his opportunity to speak, said, ‘Bad food!’ Five years later, his two words were, ‘Bed hard.’ When given his third opportunity to speak five years later, he said, ‘I quit.’ ‘Well,’ said the abbot, ‘you might as well quit. All you’ve done since you got here is complain!’"1 So what is the New Testament take on grumbling? “Do all things without murmuring and arguing, so that you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, in which you shine like stars in the world.” Philippians 2:14-15* When you choose not to grumble in our culture of complaint where grumbling is what everyone does, you shine like a star and you become a picture of God’s grace for others to see. So you have a choice –a word of grace or a word of grumble. What we say determines whether we inspire faith and life or inspire doubt, fear, anxiety, and anger. When you choose not to grumble, when you address your concerns directly to the people involved and you treat them with dignity and respect, you are so out of step with the culture that people see our Lord living in you! In practical terms, what happens when something annoys you? If you speak to everyone but the ones creating the situation, that’s grumbling. If you speak to each other in a spirit of hostility and disrespect making point and counter point, that’s bickering. If you speak graciously directly to those involved, that’s the grace of God in you and a word of grace through you. 1. Robert J. Morgan, Nelson’s Complete Book of Stories, Illustrations, & Quotes, (Nashville, Thomas Nelson Publishers).
With joy- E. Stanley Ott Copyright 2012 E. Stanley Ott *Scripture from the NRSV
To view archived issues and to subscribe: www.buildingoneanother.org

Life-Shaping Hope

Building One Another - Vol. 11, No. 12
Dear Friend, If I asked you, “What is the one hope you have over all over hopes?” What would you say?          Your hope for the well-being of loved ones?                 Your hope for health or financial security?                      Your hope for something else? The Apostle Paul answers this question in a marvelous way, “It is my eager expectation and hope that I will not be put to shame in any way, but that by my speaking with all boldness, Christ will be exalted now as always in my body, whether by life or by death.” Philippians 1:20* Paul’s hope has a negative aspect (that is really a positive) and another positive aspect to it. Negatively, he hopes, “that I will not be put to shame in any way.” If you share this hope, then you hope that your conduct is consistent with your convictions, that your life honors your Lord. Positively, he hopes, “that by my speaking with all boldness, Christ will be exalted now as always in my body.” So this hope is not just about “not being shamed” but rather is the hope that your life will bring honor, attention, love, and trust to the person of Jesus Christ! “My hope is built on nothing less than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.”  Edward Mote 1837
With joy- E. Stanley Ott Copyright 2012 E. Stanley Ott *Scripture from the NRSV
To view archived issues and to subscribe: www.buildingoneanother.org

Joy to You!

Building One Another - Vol. 11, No. 11
Dear Friend, How is your joy doing at the moment? “Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice,” wrote the Apostle Paul. (Philippians 4:4*) You may be feeling joy. You may be feeling no joy! One way to think about the “always” part of “rejoice in the Lord, always,” is to think in terms of your present joy and of your future joy. Present joy is right here, right now joy. Whether it’s a hug from a friend or a cup of coffee or time with a child or some good news, present joy uplifts the spirit. Future joy, on the other hand, sustains the spirit. It is the assurance that ultimately all things will work together for the good for those who love God. Future joy is the later on joy that sustains our spirits through times when life is tough. Present joy is about thanking God. When you are aware of a joy in your life or in the lives of those around you it’s the perfect time to simply be grateful. Thank you, Lord! Future joy is about trusting God. We read in Hebrews 12 how Jesus, for the sake of the joy set before him, endured the cross. So when you are aware of a tough time in your life or in the lives of those around you it’s the perfect time to simply trust the Lord who said, “I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete.” John 15:11 So your present joy, the joy that uplifts the spirit is about thanking God and your future joy is that which sustains you when you aren’t feeling joy, yet you are trusting God for the future. Ask yourself, “Am I an agent of joy in the lives of the people around me,” such that they offer thanks to God for the joy in their present life and they trust our Lord for their future joy as well?
With joy- E. Stanley Ott Copyright 2012 E. Stanley Ott *Scripture from the NRSV
To view archived issues and to subscribe: www.buildingoneanother.org

Limitless

Building One Another - Vol. 11, No. 10
Dear Friend, Do you have health issues that limit your mobility? Or employment or financial matters that constrain your actions? Or family situations that require all of your attention? It is very easy to assume that the constraints in our lives limit what our Lord may do in us and through us. The Apostle Paul makes an interesting comment along this line when his actions are constrained by imprisonment. The incredible missionary journeys that permitted him to tell vast regions about the person of Jesus are over. You might think the work of this great evangelist was done. Then we read, “I want you to know, beloved that what has happened to me has actually helped to spread the gospel, so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to everyone else that my imprisonment is for Christ.” Philippians 1:12-13* Paul is in prison but the work of God through him is not imprisoned! He says virtually the same thing when writing Timothy, his son in the faith, “That is my gospel, for which I suffer hardship, even to the point of being chained like a criminal.  But the word of God is not chained.”  II Timothy 2:8-9 “I am chained but the word of God is not chained.” What limits us is limitless for our Lord. Whatever the circumstances of your life at this moment, trust that the Lord who loves you has much to accomplish through you – through your words with people, through your prayers, through your acts of compassion and grace. Jabez prayed that God would, “enlarge my border.” I Chronicles 4:10  You, too, are welcome to ask God to work through you in the lives of people beyond what constrains you. What limits you never limits God!
With joy- E. Stanley Ott Copyright 2012 E. Stanley Ott *Scripture from the NRSV
To view archived issues and to subscribe: www.buildingoneanother.org

Make New Friends, But Keep the Old

I ran into one of our Scout Leaders early last Sunday morning as he was preparing to take the Troop to their summer camp in Oklahoma.  After he left I found myself reminiscing about the Scouting experiences I had had as a girl.  This song came to me that I learned beginning in my first Brownie Troop.  The first verse goes like this:

Make new friends

But keep the old

One is silver

And the other, gold.

I bet some of you are singing it right now!  This fun song is the one the Acts 16:5 Initiative uses to help us remember the value of long-time friendships and the importance of making new friends.

In Jesus Christ, becoming faithful people is what we all are striving to do.  Our own transformation and the church’s transformation will take place in energetic ways when we put this powerful idea to work.  Here’s a reminder of the way it works:  Next time you invite “gold” friends over for a meal or for dessert, invite someone that may be relatively new or “silver” to your gathering.  It could be an office co-worker or a neighbor or someone who’s been visiting the church.  The big challenge is NOT to talk about the church during your time together, because, of course, that would leave out the people who do not know the church well.  Bringing others into our circle of friends is how our own lives of faith are enlivened and stretched.  One of the fun things about meeting “silver” friends is learning about who they are and finding out about their lives, their interests and their faith.

Today in our busy and full lives, it may be too much to ask to have people over to our home, so another option is to change the venue.  Meet at a restaurant and have a meal together.  Meet at an ice cream parlor on one of these hot summer evenings and have conversation while enjoying cold, creamy cones.  Another alternative is to invite gold and silver friends to a game of some sort.  The possibilities are endless.

On the 4^th of July, my husband and I were invited to a parishioner’s home for dinner and homemade peach ice cream.  Yum!  There were people there, some of which we knew and some of which we did not.  What an enjoyable evening we had in lively conversation with both “gold” and “silver” friends.  It was an important reminder to me of making the effort to expand our circle to include those to whom God will surely lead us.