January 2003 - Tower - Page 5
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You have undoubtedly seen the letters, "WWJD" in many places, on bracelets and necklaces, and on T-shirts and bumper stickers. The letters originally stood for "What Would Jesus Do?" A recent article in the newspaper has a new twist, namely, "What would Jesus drive?" The article went on to say that leaders of Ford and General Motors were planning to meet with certain religious leaders who are trying to make fuel economy of U.S. cars a religious as well as an environmental issue. The article goes on to state that an open letter to U.S. auto makers was signed by more than 30 senior religious leaders. A statement in the letter reads as follows. "Because automobiles are having such an extraordinary global impact, choices about what cars to build raise fundamental moral issues."
Of course, the car manufacturers build cars that the marketplace demands, which means that the moral issue resides with the consumer as well as the manufacturers. This, of course, is really just one of the pressing issues that deal with our environment. It is judged that the U.S. economy and its recovery will largely depend on the consumer, which brings us to the point dealing with morality, which is a matter of stewardship.
The Genesis story of creation states that God ordered Adam "to be fruitful and multiply and subdue the earth." Of course, what these words mean is open to many interpretations. Jesus, in his teachings, had much to say about money, and the use of money, and we are left with the idea that we have been charged with being good stewards of all of our resources, not only as manufacturers, but also as consumers.
The brochure, "Social Principles of the United Methodist Church" deals with many social issues. The section discussing the natural world states the following:
All creation is the Lord's and we are responsible for the ways in which we use and abuse it. Water, air, soil, minerals, energy resources, plants, animal life and space are to be valued and conserved because they are God's creation and not solely because they are useful to human beings. God has granted us stewardship of creation.
DRUG ABUSE: We all know family or friends who have become addicted to drugs from legal or non-legal usage. Many times, this can occur for months before we are aware that the person is in trouble and needs professional help. There are multiple signs and symptoms that are subtle at first to the untrained person. Even when we know something is wrong, our response is "oh no, she/ he would never have a drug problem!". Some of the more obvious signs/symptoms are:
When dependency is present: There is often deterioration of their physical condition, suicidal tendencies, unable to handle finances and severed ties with family/friends. We need to remember that this is an illness. Speak to your physician if you are concerned. These folks need to know that we love them and more importantly, that God loves them. Professional intervention is imperative. Our encouragement can lead to the necessary assistance to obtain wholeness.
NOTE: The Bereavement Support Program for providing nourishment and fellowship to our bereaved Church families starts January 1, 2003. We have many wonderful people who have volunteered to help in this ministry. We still need YOU. Contact me or Margaret Allen and/or Walter Thomas.
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If you have any comments on any of these pages, please email me: Robert W.(Bob) Mckitrick, thanks.
Last update: January 8, 2003
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