McHonza’s Weblog – Michael Honza

A friend of mine posted a blog with her acceptance of a challenge from another friend of hers:
“Challenge of the Upmost Kind:”
For 365 days I will purchase only handmade or second hand goods for my home and closet.
I pledge to engage my creativity to discover what it means to live simply and live often.

This is an awesome concept. I think I decided a few months back that I could probably never buy another article of clothing and make it through the rest of my life. My current weakness is college t-shirts, hoodies, & caps. I will try to do better. I think we could all get by perfectly fine with fewer new things and the earth would certainly do better with us consuming less.

I’ve been trying to think through the implications for trying to do this everywhere. I know a very green-minded couple that take their own cups & eating utensils for use at places that use disposable products. They even have glass straws. Going another step further, like using a real napkin, seems like a hassle but people used to carry a handkerchief and it seemed to work out just fine. To make it easy and portable we could use a bigger cup with a lid to hold your drinking cup, straw, knife, spoon, fork, & napkin. It would be a more complete and re-usable version of the little plastic bag, with plastic utensils & a paper napkin. Pack it up at the end of your meal and wash the stuff at home.

Another thing to try is carrying a refillable bottle for water instead of bottled water. You CAN recycle, but DO you? Using less stuff in the first place is probably a better way to go. We use a filtering pitcher at home and refill bottles that we keep in the refrigerator. Fresh, cold water, ready to go. Part of the packing list for our Mid-Winter Retreats this year is a “Refillable water bottle.” We have plenty of real coffee mugs at church, but every Sunday I see people walking around with throw-away cups. At our Youth meals on Wednesday and Sunday, we use real plates, bowls, cups, and utensils which we wash afterwards.

If we use less stuff, there is less to throw away.
I remember seeing a poster a while back that showed an overflowing trash can with the caption:
“When you throw something away, what does away mean?”

I’ve also seen a picture of a disposable, plastic spoon with the caption:
“It’s pretty amazing that our society has reached a point where the effort necessary to extract oil from the ground, ship it to a refinery, turn it into plastic, shape it appropriately, ship it to a store, buy it, and bring it home is considered to be less effort than to just wash the spoon when you’re done with it.

The current popularity of ideas like “Being Green” and “Environmentally-Friendly” fit in very well with the theology of stewardship and taking care of what God has blessed us with. Every step we take to “Reduce, Reuse, Recycle” into everyday thinking, planning, and practice can be a step further in our discipleship. Try a little something every week.

Be Blessed!
Michael

Although I’ve only received about 20 responses to our Youth Ministry Pre-Survey, the feedback has been good. There has been a lot that is supportive, as well as some constructive criticism. It’s very open-ended to allow you to cover whatever is on your mind. If you would like to take part go to http://ping.fm/izuCv

We had already set some things in motion such as defining some specific times and opportunities for Junior & Senior High, and refining the Sunday & Wednesday schedule. Other things we had talked about got a kick start such as planning to paint the Youth Room after a pretty major clean up.

It’s been very interesting to me to read and discuss the sometimes very contradictory needs and desires that students, parents, volunteers, members, and visitors have shared. The things that seem to drive some people crazy are the very things that others view as essential to their connection here. What has drawn some in has caused others to disconnect.

What I have learned during my years of youth ministry here and at other churches is that everyone needs different things and that any particular activity/program/meeting/study/group/gathering does not answer everyone’s needs all the time.

As I have said before: My calling, and my responsibility as the Director of Student Ministries, is to make sure that we create an environment in which each of our member and visiting students have the opportunity to discover and/or develop their relationship with Jesus Christ in a way that authentically connects them and draws them deeper.

There is nothing I won’t try to make sure our students get connected.

Students:
If you have not been a part of things here in a while, come check things out again.
We may be doing things differently than you remember.

Parents:
It is part of your calling to make sure your kids understand the priorities you have for them.
And if your kids are not driving, it’s up to you to get them here. (I’ll pick them up if that will help)

Right now we’ve got 14 different opportunities EACH WEEK to find a connection. Additionally, we have retreats & trips throughout the year. Don’t try to come to everything, that’s not the point. If you are part of another group, invite the friends you have there to try something here with you. Better yet, invite a friend that is not connected to anything spiritual. You should be able to find a connection here. And if it’s not here, we can create something that will. That’s what we’re here for.

Be Blessed,
Michael

This evening I went to the Dedication & Blessing of a Habitat for Humanity home. Our church was part of this Interfaith Build 2009 project. Lots of Christian churches as well as Baha’i Faith, 2 Jewish congregations, & the Islamic Center took part in building this home.

The spiritual differences of these faith communities were put aside and brought together under the “Theology of the Hammer” as a director from Habitat put it.

This was my first time to take part in a Habitat build & I am looking forward to being part of more. The new homeowner read a prepared thank you to the many people and groups that were a part of this. Her voice never wavered, but when she looked up, there were tears in her eyes.

God’s work comes in many varieties.

Thank you to all who were part of this.

If you have let Christmas “sneak up” on you, it’s right here. Ten days. Next week. Right around the corner. However you want to put it, it’s upon us. If you haven’t made plans for yourself, it’s very likely plans have been made for you. You might want to check on those. Either people are coming your way or you are heading toward other people.
We’ve gotten into a pretty consistent routine in our family. Not that each year is the same as the last. I guess it’s really less routine, actually more like traditions. From the way we put up the decorations at home, to which days we spend at which family. I like all that. Christmas lights in yards, Christmas music on the radio, Christmas concerts and pageants. Food, snacks and treats that we could make all the time, but only seem right at Christmas.
My hope is that this Christmas season brings you the best that you, your family, and your friends have to offer each other. When that happens it’s easy to extend some extra care and giving to those who we aren’t quite connected to as well.
We’re also close to wrapping up the first decade of this century. That gives me a bit more pause than usual for the end of a year. Not that a ten year period of time in which the first three digits are the same are really more special than any other ten consecutive years. But people tend to categorize things, so there we are.
This decade took me from my early 30’s to over 40. From the father of one teen to “kids” that are now both in their 20’s and launching their adult lives. From a self-employed business owner with plans of wealth and fortune to a youth minister in which monetary income has become almost an afterthought. From a college drop out to plans for graduate school. From someone new to the reality of true faith to making faith a fundamental aspect of how I order my life. This has been an interesting and transformative decade for me. My priorities have changed over these years and I’ve clarified many values that lacked definition. Those priorities and values have become a driving force to the authenticity of my faith and the way I approach it.
So enjoy everyone in your life, give them all your best, and help them to be their best as well. Jesus appeared and shared that very outlook when came to us. The world will never be the same because of him, and it will never be the same because of you. Take this season of celebration and this time of transition to carve out the direction you want for your life and for those entrusted to your care. God has provided us with gifts beyond our worth. Love is the reason for it all. Accept it and share it.

Be Blessed!
Michael

Every family goes through some adjustments as they grow in size and Christmas can highlight those differences in unique ways. My older and younger sisters are ten years apart. My daughter, a niece, and a nephew are each ten years apart from them and each other. So we’ve always had at least one young child at my parents’ house that seemed to help keep the Christmas spirit fun and playful. As our family grew in size we started getting more deliberate about who we bought presents for and we’ve tried some different exchanges. Generally we all give presents to the kids and then worked out some sort of list for us and our spouses. We tried out some different things; some smooth, some not so smooth. One year the talk about spending limits and the ease of gift cards made me think it would just be easier to all show up with a handful of cash, stand in a circle, hand the cash to the person at our left and call it done. That helped bring us back to a more personal exchange.
My Dad’s answer to inquiries about what he wants are assurances that he doesn’t need anything. I think that’s a pretty accurate assessment for most of us. I’ve determined that I could probably never buy another article of clothing and be OK, but some of my family are a bit more fashion conscious. So I can pretty much count on a new shirt or two most years. We’ve started making donations as gifts for some. Not necessarily to charities that we are personally connected to, but something of interest to the person for whom we make the donation. That creates the sense of personal connection to go along with the stewardship of giving in response to needs.
In honor of my grandmother, there are some in my extended family that are making donations to the nursing home that cared for her or getting gifts for residents we got to know while visiting her. What giving should be about is caring enough to put some extra effort to connect in some deeper way. If you ask a young child (or someone older who is pretty materialistic) about Christmas you may get a list of stuff that can be bought. If you ask someone who has lost a person they love, whether through death, disagreement, or just distance, you are likely to hear about shared memories and the importance of spending time together.
The birth of Jesus began a new era. God could have easily gifted us with overt power or plenty of possessions. What we were given instead, was the unlimited power of relationship. Jesus modeled and taught what an incredible difference that can make in each of our lives. If we will simply put the needs of others before our own, we all end up taking care of each other and no one gets left behind. There is more than enough stuff to go around. Time and caring enough to make an effort is what it takes to make sure we are all blessed. This is right season to make a difference.

Be Blessed!
Michael

The youth group has been focusing on food quite a bit lately. To be fair there has almost always been plenty of food to go along with our activities. But we have taken up the whole process ourselves lately. Everything from planning, shopping, cooking, serving, and eating, to cleaning up. We have experimented with odd combinations like hot dogs and fried rice or pizza and macaroni and cheese. One of the favorites, fresh baked chocolate chip cookies, has become a standard part of the program. And bananas. We always have bananas. And toast. Toast seems to go with everything, too.

We shop for deals. We take turns cooking. There are a blessed few that almost always wash dishes. Making our meals together has become an important part of sharing our lives together. We have a lot of fun conversations and can talk about whatever anyone wants or needs to talk about. A lot of good things happen over shared food.

We used to ask families to sign up for the Sunday evening snack supper, but fewer and fewer people seemed to be able to work it in to their schedules. That was frustrating to me, but then I realized I was just adding another big task to a family’s crowded schedule and endless to-do lists. I was close to sending out a guilt-laden letter about priorities, but that just never felt right. So I like that we’ve figured it out in a positive way. To be clear, there is always room for anyone that wants to host. So if cooking and serving is your thing, just let me know and we will find a date that works.

Jesus did a lot of ministry centered around food and gatherings of people. That’s certainly one of my favorite ways to continue his ministry and connect people to faith. Food nourishes and refreshes and satisfies in wonderful ways just like faith does. Putting the two together is a great way to go.

Be Blessed!
Michael

“There are 2,000 verses of Scripture that tell us we must be committed to protecting the poor and the oppressed… There is no concern of Scripture that is addressed so often and so powerfully as reaching out to the poor” Tony Campolo

This doesn’t mean that we are called to just simply hand people stuff.
(though that very well may be what many particular situations call for)

I love the phrase:
“Give a man a fish and he eats for a day, teach a man to fish and he eats forever.”

But do we actually do much teaching?

What I hear more often is something along the lines of “They just need to…” or “Why don’t they just…”

That’s not teaching, that’s judging and blaming.

Jesus said we will always have the poor with us. In my experience, they are not always the same group of people who are always in need, but rather particular people in a particular situation. For some of these, giving a fish may be all that is required. For those that find themselves repeatedly in need, the more involved response of teaching is required those of who will teach. Our calling is to help whoever is in need in whatever way we can. Our turn to be helped has either already happened or will happen. No one is an isolated success.

I don’t think we will ever eliminate all of the many, many circumstances by which people find themselves in need of help. But if we see similar circumstances occurring again and again, it is also part of our calling to address that.

You don’t have to give all your stuff away.
(though it would be very scriptural to do so)
What we at least need to consider is that helping someone IN need is also an opportunity to help someone OUT OF need.

Jesus, give us the courage to live it. Give us the courage.

I got a generation older this week when my 102-year-old grandmother passed away. For as far back as I can remember, Grandma Martinek was a focal point for our family. She and my grandfather started a family that had grown to five generations and over 100 members, not even counting spouses. As her elderly niece phrased it to my mother and her siblings, “We’re the old people now.”
Faith, family, and friends are three words that could easily be used to describe my grandmother’s priorities, but would not tell the whole story.
Her faith was shown in many ways. She had pictures of Jesus in her home. Palms blessed on Palm Sunday stuck out from behind crosses on the wall. She drove herself to church for as long as she could. The gift of a family bible went to every new couple in our family on their wedding day. She supported those of us that moved into other denominations over the years, telling me, “It’s all the same, it’s all God’s church.”
What underlined her faith even more was the love she showed to family and friends. She vary rarely was without a smile on her face and she made everyone around her feel special. Holidays, weddings, birthdays, and even funerals were a chance to celebrate together. One of her gifts was baking. She didn’t just have a few good recopies that she kept to herself. Grandma made wedding cakes, kolaches, and strudels for generations of us fortunate enough to be connected to her. Weddings, anniversaries, birthdays, and festivals were better because of her. She instructed and taught others who continue the love and care that she put into her efforts.
I think she loved babies more than anything else in the world. She was always so happy to see and hold new additions to the family. My brother and his wife brought their month-old son and 4-year-old to see her the day before she died. She had not eaten for several days and had been spending most of her time asleep, but they said she got so excited that they thought she was going to hop right out of bed. Our last pictures of her are with bright eyes and big smile as she held this newest member of the family.
One of the phrases that stuck out to me at her funeral was when the priest said, “Forgive Annie for her sins. You know she had the best intentions.” I thought to myself, “If Grandma fell short, I don’t have a chance. We are lucky to have a God of such grace.” I hope to take that love that she showed me with her life. There are so many petty things that we let occupy our attention. Jesus told us that the two most important things are to Love God and to Love each other. Nothing past that really ends up mattering very much.
Thank you Grandma for showing such love and pointing us all toward our Lord. Thank you God for giving me so much love, and especially for putting so much of it in the farm girl and baker that was my grandma. You have both blessed me more than I deserve.

Be Blessed!
Michael

Test, test.

Test, test.