Good Inspiration: New Year, New Church
The character of the sixties was captured best in Bob Dylan’s famous line: the times, they are a-changin’. Dylan was right. The face of American popular culture had, by 1972, changed so much as to be almost unrecognizable by comparison to a short twelve years earlier. Now, fifty years later, I believe it’s accurate to say of the Church what Dylan once said of the nation: the times, they are a-changin’. Whether we like it or not, the Church as we have known it for the past few centuries is now a thing of the past, never to return. There are those who say the Church is dying. This, I am certain, is false. Changing indeed, but not dying. But to what is the Church changing? No one can answer that with certainty, but I believe a place such as Good Samaritan gives us a clue. Any place where people gather together to praise and pray to God is the Church, and that is precisely what happens with great frequency at Good Samaritan. It is messy, wildly diverse, and unruly compared to any stereotypes most people hold of “Church,” but I believe this is something to be celebrated and embraced, not feared and resisted. Since the dawn of time, the changeless God has been securely at the helm of times that are constantly a-changin’, and our own era is no exception. Let us walk with confidence and joy into this new incarnation of Church, all the while giving thanks to God for it.
“Good Inspiration” is a monthly article offering uplifting insights and words of wisdom. It is written by The Rev. Andy Lobban for Good Samaritan Community Services.
We’re Back!
After a short recess, the Good Samaritan blog is back to business! We had an incredibly busy Holiday season and spent the last month setting the stage for 2012. I hope you will continue to check back here periodically to learn more about the exciting activities at Good Samaritan Community Services.
Good Inspiration: Gratitude
So whose stuff is all this, anyway? Everyone on the planet has possessions. Even the poorest of the poor have life and heartbeat, and there are those among us who have a staggering amount of wealth and possessions. While these things are by no means insignificant, they do not allow us to escape one essential reality: all of us, all of God’s creation in fact, own absolutely nothing! Our lives are not our own. They are on loan from a Power far higher than ourselves, and they will one day be reclaimed and returned to their true Owner. This is even more obvious with our material possessions. Perhaps this is the key to the gratitude that many of us find so elusive. The Psalmist reminds us that we and everything we have are created beings: “I will thank you because I am marvelously made.” (Ps. 139:13a) When this humble realization pervades everything we say and do, then we can rightly call ourselves people of gratitude.
“Good Inspiration” is a monthly article offering uplifting insights and words of wisdom. It is written by The Rev. Andy Lobban for Good Samaritan Community Services.
Veteran’s Day 2011
“As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them.” -John Fitzgerald Kennedy
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Thank you to those who serve.
Scary Antics
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Good Inspiration: Compassion
We live in a world where competition is, by all appearances, the order of the day. One creature eats another to survive, and in order for us to get more, someone or something else must get less. There’s a finite amount of the good stuff to go around, so we’d better fight hard to get our piece of the pie.
The Gospel, though, along with many of the world’s other great religious traditions, offers an entirely different perspective. In Matthew 25:40, Jesus says this of acts of kindness and compassion: “Truly I tell you, just as you did it to one of the least of these who are members of my family, you did it to me.” What a radically different view of our condition! Instead of existing in competition with each other, Jesus is saying that we live in mutual interdependency. In other words, when we care for one another, not only are we caring for those who receive service directly, but we are, by extension, caring for ourselves, and, ultimately, for Jesus and His Father. While this certainly doesn’t mean that we’re going to be compensated directly for every act of generosity, it does mean that every time we show compassion and care for another creature, we have made our own contribution to God’s over-abundant goodness, and that goodness will surely flow out to us as it does to the whole Universe.
“Good Inspiration” is a monthly article offering uplifting insights to the life of a good Samaritan. It is written by The Rev. Andy Lobban for Good Samaritan Community Services.
United Way Days of Caring
Friday, October 7th, Good Samaritan welcomed volunteers from the JW Marriot San Antonio Hill Country to read and spend quality time with the adorable kiddos in our childcare center. The volunteers, who were participating in United Way of San Antonio’s Days of Caring, took turns reading the Dr. Seuss classic, Horton Hears a Who with our preschoolers. After story time, the volunteers helped the kids make elephant ears and a clover with a spec of dust so they can be just like Horton!
We are so grateful to our volunteers who helped spread the message of caring and taught our little ones that “a person is a person, no matter how small!”
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Mums & Mimosas
Last Friday we hosted our 3rd Annual Mums & Mimosas luncheon at the San Antonio Country Club. This year, nearly 300 women gathered to socialize and enjoy anecdotes on motherhood from author Kristen van Ogtrop. Van Ogtrop is the editor of Real Simple magazine and author of Just Let Me Lie Down: Necessary Terms for the Half Insane Working Mom.
As if commiserating over the toils of mommyhood over a bubbly cocktail weren’t reason enough to attend, Mums & Mimosas also benefits Good Samaritan Community Services‘ nationally accredited Child Development program. Guests also had a chance to purchase children’s designer clothes at the resale pop-up shop, Petite Boutique.
Envy-inducing raffle prizes including a $500 gift card from Shetler Wade Jewelers and a day of pampering and shopping at Neiman Marcus La Cantera, drew their fair share of attention and helped the event raise more than $22,000 for mothers and children in need. Now that is a reason to toast!
Good Inspiration: Social Responsibility
“Social responsibility” is a phrase that sounds pretty cumbersome, but it really shouldn’t be. If fulfilling our social responsibilities has us feeling like yet another stress has been added to our already full plates, I believe we’re misunderstanding what it means. Two verses of Scripture come to mind:
- And whoever gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones in the name of a disciple—truly I tell you, none of these will lose their reward. (Matt 10:42)
- For you always have the poor with you, but you will not always have me. (Matt 26:11)
These sayings are humbling and empowering at the same time. The second one is humbling because it says we do not have the power to save the world; only God can do that. No matter how hard we work, how much good we do, we will always have the poor with us. But then comes the empowerment: the good we’re supposed to do is simple, very simple in fact. Unless we really feel it’s our call to do so, we don’t have to do anything huge, or give gigantic sums of money. Just cups of cold water! Maybe a bit of food, bus fare, or an encouraging word would help too. This, and only this, is our social responsibility. In those little moments that show up every day of our lives where we have the opportunity to extend some small gesture of kindness, we’re to go ahead and do it. God will take care of the rest.
“Good Inspiration” is a monthly article offering uplifting insights to the life of a Good Samaritan. It is written by The Rev. Andy Lobban for Good Samaritan Community Services.
