I needed to talk myself into voting in the recent Michigan Presidential Primary election.  I tired of the countless phone calls we received at home.  The phone messages are just absurd as they tried to convince me to vote for or against a candidate.  These phone calls insult our intelligence and certainly do not call out the best in us.

I am reminded of the story of the Greek philosopher Diogenes who walked around carrying a lamp looking for an honest man.  I am looking for a candidate willing to honestly describe what they stand for and even more importantly speak honestly about their opponent.  What happened to the golden rule as it applies to politics?  What about the Great Commandment of loving one another?

So here are my questions. Can you be a friend, a real loving friend with someone you don’t agree with on political issues?  Can we work together to solve problems for the good of our communities?  Can we elect candidates who are sincerely interested in something more than just competition? What about civility? What about doing the business of governing . . . together?

This year one of the filters I am using to choose candidates who I will support is civility.  How well does the candidate live up to the truths found in Matthew 7:1-5, 12 and Matthew 22:34-40?  Check out this editorial written by Cal Thomas about how he confronted himself about his lack of civility and what he did to make it right.  We need more people like Cal Thomas – I want to vote for Cal Thomas.  Click on the link below:

What would happen if you and I would live out the Golden Rule and the Great Commandment?  What would happen if we demanded that our candidates displayed honesty, civility and love in their communications?  Now that is a campaign bandwagon I would love to see many people hop on!

The New Year is upon us and the holidays have come and gone.  Soon many of us will be thinking of completing our tax returns.  Next week KCC will send out 2011 charitable giving reports. We take very seriously our responsibility to be good stewards of the charitable contributions that people give to Kentwood Community Church.  We have adopted financial best practices and procedures that govern both the receiving and spending of your gifts.

Often times, we look at the national news and quickly say that our leaders should be held accountable for the financial decisions they make or don’t make.  Accountability is good for everyone:  leaders in Washington D.C., business leaders, church leaders, community leaders, families and me.  We all need to give permission to someone who can peer into our lives and hold us accountable for our decisions and actions.  We all should seek wise counsel in our lives.  Proverbs 12:15 says it well,  The way of a fool is right in his own eyes, but a wise man is he who listens to counsel.

Financial accountability is a good thing and provides protection for the church, staff and volunteers.  Personal accountability is just as important and provides protection for the workplace, families and individuals.  Stephen R. Covey states, “Accountability breeds response-ability.”  Accountability and responsibility begin with ME.  How about you?  Do you have someone holding you accountable for your decisions and actions in all areas of your life?  What about your family, workplace, the community nonprofit where you volunteer and the church where you attend - how can you help them establish accountability policies and procedures?  Remember, accountability is not a dirty word.

Image from Calvary Chapel, Fort Lauderdale

Let me share with you a few of the policies and procedures that are part of KCC’s financial accountability process:

• At each Board of Elders meeting, as Executive Pastor, I must certify that church staff have faithfully complied with all financial policies and procedures
• Each year we have an independent certified public accounting agency review our financial policies and procedures and report to the Board of Elders
• No one is ever alone with weekly contributions - from the ushers collecting the offerings to depositing the weekly offering in our local bank
• Security cameras oversee the collection and counting of all money
• Weekly deposit total is recorded prior to turning over to the bank and then the deposit is counted and the total is reconciled by bank staff
• All payments to staff are generated by the payroll accounting process• Any check requests must be accompanied by a check request form stating the purpose for the expenditure and what department budget account will be charged for the check
• All credit card expenditures are recorded in a monthly report that includes description, ministry purpose and budget account to be charged for the purchase
• Credit card purchases are reviewed by the supervisor and Finance Department
• Staff must get competitive bids from at least three vendors for expenditures over $1000
• Checks over $1000 require two signatures
• Different financial teams process the offering collection (income) and the accounts payable (expenses).

If you have any questions or suggestions about Kentwood Community Church’s financial accountability process, please contact me or leave a comment here at this blog. 

Have you ever wondered why something stirs a passion within you?  Why does one thing among all the hundreds, even thousands of things that we come into contact with, stir our soul?   One of these passions for me is looking up at the night sky and especially the winter sky.  I was reminded of this passion one night recently when I stepped outside on a crisp night.  The cold crisp air and the smell of a fireplace burning transported me back to my childhood memories of winter skating, getting warm near the bonfire and looking up at the dark starry sky.

Now I am a child of the space era.  I love astronomy, telescopes (another viewfinder that I look through), rockets, science fiction books and movies.  This passion all started as a child looking up at the clear, dark winter sky filled with more stars than you could count.  The first constellation of stars that I learned was “Orion the Hunter.”  I could see the hunter, his belt and sword clearly displayed.  The Orion stars were bright jewels in the winter night sky.  After I received my first telescope, one of the first objects in the winter sky I would observe was the Orion Nebula in the Sword of Orion.

Orion Nebula

One of the other amazing finds in the constellation of Orion is the star Betelgeuse, a red supergiant located in the upper left of the constellation and the eighth brightest star in the sky.  If Betelgeuse were in the center of our solar system, it would consume the orbits of Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars and all the way out to the orbit of Jupiter.  Okay, try to wrap your brain around a star that big.  Betelgeuse is at the later stages of stellar evolution and is expected to explode as a supernova some day.  We get the name Betelgeuse from ancient Arabian astronomers.

As I look up at Betelgeuse and the other bright and beautiful winter stars, I think about another star that Arabian astronomers discovered.  The discovery of this star is recorded in the Bible in the book of Matthew, chapter 2.  We read that Magi from the east followed a bright new star that was announcing the birth of a new King.  The Magi dropped everything to follow this star, find this new King and worship him.

Where did this passion come from to travel many, many miles to worship a new King? The passion came from God, creator of the earth and heavens including this new star announcing the birth of a King.  A God who made the universe from nothing, a Creator who spoke the universe into existence.   When I look up at the winter sky, I marvel at the power of this Creator.  I realize that like the Magi, I am internally wired with a passion to worship God and this new King.

Who is this new King?  We celebrate His birth every year on Christmas Day.  This new King is Jesus, Son of God and Son of Man.  You can read the amazing story of His life in the Bible books of Matthew, Mark, Luke and John.  As you read His story, you will find that Jesus’ passion was to obey His Father and carry out His loving redemptive plan for all of creation.   This redemptive plan was God’s gift to you and me.  What should be our response to this Christmas gift?  Let’s follow the Magi’s passion for worshipping the King and share this passion and good news with others.  The next time you are outside on a dark clear winter night, look up with amazement at the work of our Creator and give thanks for His wonderful gift to us on Christmas Day.

On my way to work one foggy morning, I learned an unexpected lesson.  The early morning sun, burning through the fog, created a number of photographic opportunities.  I quickly turned my car around, went back home and grabbed my camera, wanting to capture a picture I could see in my mind’s eye.  Close to my home is a farmhouse with two red barns.  I would capture the sun shining through the fog rising over this idyllic farm scene.  Everything about this scene would express the peaceful nature of this quiet morning.

As I rushed to the location of the farm and set up my camera, I was disappointed to find the barns hidden by too much fog.  Since I did not have time to wait for the sun to burn off some of the fog, I would not be able to capture my anticipated prize-winning photo.  Gathering up my camera gear, I headed back to the car. As my thoughts turned back to my busy day ahead, the beauty of this morning was lost.  Just then I heard a quiet whisper, "Look around I have a gift for you.  Slow down and receive my peace - my peace I give to you."

Adjacent to the farm is the Paul Henry Trail.  I walked along the trail in the quiet and could see the trail disappear into the fog. This was my photo but I was not going to capture it, I was going to receive it - as a gift - a gift from God, reminding me to slow down and receive the gift of His peace.  I did not rush to click the shutter release button, but instead paused and reflected on the beauty of the gift that God was giving me that morning.  The gift was two-fold, a beautiful photograph and a few moments of peace that refreshed my soul. Here is the photo that I received from God that morning...

How many people do you know who need to find peace?  How many people do you know who are lost in a world that is so confusing and stressful?  Maybe that is you.  Why not accept the gift of peace that God offers?  

Peace I leave with you; my peace I give you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled and do not be afraid.  John 14:27