McHonza’s Weblog – Michael Honza

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.

A few weeks ago I simply shared the 5th chapter of Matthew. Chapters 5, 6, & 7 of Matthew contain the Sermon on the Mount. A great deal of Jesus’ teachings are given in what has been called “the greatest sermon ever preached.” These 3 chapters have been the focus of my personal time of scripture that I try to engage in daily. Here is Chapter 6.
Be Blessed!
Michael

“Be careful not to do your ‘acts of righteousness’ before men, to be seen by them. If you do, you will have no reward from your Father in heaven.
“So when you give to the needy, do not announce it with trumpets, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and on the streets, to be honored by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
“And when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, for they love to pray standing in the synagogues and on the street corners to be seen by men. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you. And when you pray, do not keep on babbling like pagans, for they think they will be heard because of their many words. Do not be like them, for your Father knows what you need before you ask him.
“This, then, is how you should pray: ” ‘Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as it is in heaven. Give us today our daily bread. Forgive us our debts, as we also have forgiven our debtors. And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.’ For if you forgive men when they sin against you, your heavenly Father will also forgive you. But if you do not forgive men their sins, your Father will not forgive your sins.
“When you fast, do not look somber as the hypocrites do, for they disfigure their faces to show men they are fasting. I tell you the truth, they have received their reward in full. But when you fast, put oil on your head and wash your face, so that it will not be obvious to men that you are fasting, but only to your Father, who is unseen; and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.
“Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.
“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are good, your whole body will be full of light. But if your eyes are bad, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!
“No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money.
“Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
“And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Twelve years ago, I needed a car with good mileage for a 104-mile round trip commute to work. Knowing that I would be putting a lot of miles on this car, I really considered it to be disposable. I’m also pretty cheap anyway, so I was looking for something inexpensive. No bells and whistles, just basic transportation. What I found has become “Blue Thunder.”

After years of high mileage daily trips for me and then Sherri, our daughter Brooke drove it during high school. That’s where the name came from. It is blue and it has quite a few and shakes as well. Then I got Thunder back. Then Alex drove it for a while. Then Sherri again. And then me again. A couple of years ago, the mileage rolled over 200,000. Through all this, we have never had to do any major mechanical repairs. Now there are plenty of things that don’t work, most notably the air conditioner for the last couple of years, but it just keeps rolling. I may sound like I’m joking when I say I’ll drive it until the wheels fall off. But I’m serious. Then I’ll put the wheels back on and see how far it goes after that.

I don’t drive it nearly as much as I used to since I got a motorcycle. But when it is really rainy, really cold, or the dreaded combination of the two, I roll in Thunder. If I need to haul some stuff around or take my bicycle or kayak somewhere, Thunder is ready. Not very pretty, not all that comfortable, but ready to take me and my stuff where I want to go.

In the last few years, Thunder has taken on some ministry work. For a few individuals and a couple of families, Thunder was a way to get around when they were in a bind. She just started a new gig this week. I heard a friend’s car had quit on him. When I offered Thunder, his reaction was, “Are you SERIOUS?” I assured him I was. This little car of mine, which could be accurately called a “pile of junk.” is making someone’s life closer to normal right now.

This has been a response to groups of Christians I know who live in shared community. They share a house and living expenses with each other and their neighborhood, trying to live closer to the ideas that Jesus taught and the early Christians attempted of “holding all things in common, that none would be in need.” One said, “when somebody shows up with a car, we’re like ‘Woo! Hoo! We’ve got a car!”

I’ve had Blue Thunder appraised to see what its worth. It is technically worthless in the automotive market. The few hundred bucks I might be able to get for it is nothing compared to what it means to someone who needs it, including me. I’m not interested in ever having another car payment or a full coverage insurance bill. Many of the things that we consider necessities are simply earthly desires. These desires take a toll on our ability to lead a life as Christ taught. Blue Thunder actually fills many worthwhile roles while also being somewhat of an inspiration in my opinion.

Find your way to serve. You may feel small, weak, or worn out, but you have a purpose that is exactly what someone else needs. Make some choices that make you uncomfortable. Not for the sake of discomfort, but for the sake of others.

Be Blessed!
Michael

Between my phone alarm and Google Calendar (which sends me text reminders) I have a lot of reminders to stay connected to my personal spiritual practices throughout the day, week, month, and year. These include prayer, reading scripture, meditation, devotionals, worship, fellowship, retreat, and fasting. I’m not a stickler for specific times, but I do notice when I’m trying to do too much or not getting enough.

My buddy Steve Heyduck posted a blog in which he shares that watering your lawn is best done with occasional deep watering. This encourages deep roots and the ability to survive times of drought. He then asks how we might use this in regard to our spirituality.

Tying into that: we’ve got an ivy that I gave to Sherri over a decade ago. She has killed many plants over the years and this was the hardiest one I could find. It survived our initial neglect and eventually I started making clippings to spread to other pots. The original plant has now been spread to at least 12 different planters in various states of health. I’ve got them spread all around the house, my office, and the youth room at church. I’ve over-watered several of them, killed several along the way, and have some that just keep thriving in the right combination of light & watering. The occasional watering seems to be the most successful. Whenever I see them wilting, I water, & they bounce back; seemingly even stronger. The vine thickens and the leaves are broader. So apparently a little thirst does them some good.

In whatever ministry we find ourselves connected to, we do need to find a balance between doing too much and doing too little. Neither properly serves those we seek to serve. And if our own spiritual depth is lacking, we must change. Initially for ourselves, but further to have the strength to serve those to whom we are called. Serving is not a substitute for minding our own spiritual health, though it can be part of the process. And personal spiritual strength is not fully realized if we don’t serve.

Be Blessed!
Michael