Martin Luther on Pastors' Salaries

Even we creatures of the world do not perform our duties as zealously in the light of the Gospel as we did before in the darkness of ignorance, because the surer we are of the liberty purchased for us by Christ, the more we neglect the Word, prayer, well-doing, and suffering. If Satan were not continually molesting us with trials, with the persecution of our enemies, and the ingratitude of our brethren, we would become so careless and indifferent to all good works that in time we would lose our faith in Christ, resign the ministry of the Word, and look for an easier life. Many of our ministers are beginning to do that very thing. They complain about the ministry, they maintain they cannot live on their salaries, they whimper about the miserable treatment they receive at the hand of those whom they delivered from the servitude of the law by the preaching of the Gospel. These ministers desert our poor and maligned Christ, involve themselves in the affairs of the world, seek advantages for themselves and not for Christ. With what results they shall presently find out.

Lazarus at the Gate

A spiritual approach to money
Christian Science Monitor: One group’s formula for trying times: Live gratefully, spend less, buy justly, give more.

Frugal Living Story

A story came across my email box today that is worth pondering. Its about a man who lived frugally and then passed on $2 million to his mother's church when he died. It raises a lot of interesting questions, not the least of which is how the church will follow or not follow in this man's way of life. But for us, it presents something of a modern-day St. Francis worth reflecting on his simple way of living. Here's the story:

Faithful son leaves $2 million to small rural church

United Methodist News Service: John Ferguson was a simple man. He drove an old pickup truck, lived in a trailer without running water and kept to himself. No wonder Hopewell UMC was shocked when he bequeathed it more than $2 million.

Clergy Debt Study

From our friends in the Missouri Synod Lutheran Church:

An interesting study on debt in clergy.

And an interesting debt calculator.

And an interesting Consumer Purchase Payment Calculator.

All good tools.

Practicing Our Faith

A website worth looking further at:

www.practicingourfaith.org

Evangelism

OSJ had a conversation tonight about evangelism. Here's my attempt to summarize what evangelism looks like for OSJ:

OSJ members will seek to build relationships with individuals and communities outside of the church and invite them to enter into new life in Christ by participation in the community of the church. Among other means, this invitation to enter into life in Christ will take place by living a holy life that is attractive to others (simplicity and hospitality being two key markers of this holy life), reaching out in mission and service and sharing our motivation for doing so (the love that God has shown us in Jesus Christ), entering naturally into conversation about Jesus Christ and the things of God, emphasizing through actions and words God's grace and mercy to transform here in this life, engaging fully the resources which already exist in the traditions and liturgies (both formal and informal) of the church, and when necessary and appropriate, reminding people of their mortality.

How does this do at summarizing our conversation tonight?

Communities of Shalom at Drew University

A website of interest to OSJ: http://www.communitiesofshalom.org. Worth exploring further at a later date.