Joe Stack brought dejavu all over again

President Reagan and various congressmen pledged to crack down on tax cheaters who were stealing $10 billion (or was it 20?  Maybe 120 billion) from the government. The greatest offenders, of course, were small businesses like farmers and contract engineers who use cash accounting methods. 

On a windy overcast day in February 1985 we filed our tax return.  Our accountant had determined that we owed $1100, but there was less than $100 in the checking account so he recommended we file the return without payment and wait for them to contact us.

A few days later we received a demand letter from the IRS threatening to take our 13 year old car (estimated value, $300), seize our checking account, seize our savings account (what's savings?), seize our house (negative equity), garnishe our wages (wages require a job, right?), and if that is not enough we would be put in prison. (Then you'll be sorry.)

I was standing on the lawn facing a frigid northwest wind and as I looked over the barren, frozen landscape the vision of three hots and a cot in a Federal prison was quite appealing.

I am living proof of the unlimited Grace of a loving God.  We survived this and subsequent challenges without suffering imprisonment.  Looking back; I really don't know how we did it other than guidance from He who rules the universe.

Reading the manifesto from Mr. Stack, it seems his nightmare began with the tax reform act of 1986.  He placed his faith in government and people.  He believed that justice would always be done.  Things didn't work out as he thought they should.  He reportedly was a self reliant person, a characteristic celebrated in our culture.  Unfortunately, he learned that he was weak and there was no one he would trust to lead him from his spiritual desert.  So he did what he thought he could.

There were many times when I fantasized about similar acts of violence; but thank God, the Spirit showed me a better way.

So: what are the life lessons learned from this experience?

1) Please don't ask me to canonize Ronald Reagan.

2) All governments are inherently evil.  They can't help it.  Governments are invented by people, managed by people and exaggerate all the flaws of humanity.  The God of the universe placed unique persons in a unique place in history to create a new government designed to inhibit itself through checks and balances.  We need to return to that model.

3) Nobody is qualified to adjudicate "fairness".  Nobody.  Life is unfair.  Deal with it.

4) To those whom much has been given; much will be required.  When you are blessed, reach out and share the blessing.

5) Everyone will let you down at some point.  Everyone. The truth is that you have let others down on more than one occasion.  Guaranteed.  The only One you can rely on is the Creator of all things seen and unseen.  He guides those who seek Him in a relationship of abundant life.  Guaranteed.

6) The only thing standing between you and the promised abundant life is an unforgiving heart.  Do you harbor unforgiveness?  How's that workin' out for you?  How did it work out for Joe Stack? 

The choice is yours.

Did You Get What You Wanted for Christmas?

So, what did you get for Christmas? Did you get what you wanted?

Several years ago my wife asked me what I wanted for Christmas and I replied, "I can't think of anything you can buy me that I want to pay for." Such is the cynicism of adulthood. Perhaps that is why Christmas is for children. It keeps us young as we watch the excitement in their eyes when they open up one surprise gift after another. For a few hours we are able to forget the reality that someone will have to pay for this.

If you didn't get what you wanted, did you get what you deserve? Everyone knows and freely quotes John 3:16; but many people haven't heard that Jesus said, "God did not send His Son into the world to condemn the world." (John 3:17) Why is that?

Why didn't God send his son to condemn the world? Could it be that we condemn ourselves? God created the world and everything in it. How could he not love it? It must break His heart to see how we ignore Him, abuse each other, and trash His creation. Yet, He does not condemn us; but wants to save us from ourselves. A couple of years ago my wife gave me a small stocking with a lump of coal inside. I think it was a joke, but I keep it around as a reminder of what I deserve.

As the days get longer and the cold gets stronger, we all gather with friends and family to celebrate the Christ Mass. This is the time we remember that God stepped out of heaven and walked with us to show us the way. We are reminded that

EVERYONE NEEDS COMPASSION
Love that's never failing
Let mercy fall on me
Everyone needs forgiveness
The kindness of a Saviour
The Hope of nations

God has freely given us everything we need and we pray that you will gratefully share what has been freely given; compassion, never failing love, mercy, forgiveness and kindness.

Zero Tolerance is the Antithesis of Restorative Practice

The apostle Paul wrote "No one will be declared righteous in His sight by observing the law; rather through the law we become conscious of sin."

Stop and think about it. Has anyone ever been restored by a rule or a law? Name one person whose life was restored by their obedience to any law. In fact, the only real value of any rule or law is to make us aware when we impose ourselves into the rights of others. For example; run a red light and risk death and destruction. How do you restore the life of someone killed by a collision? What law would accomplish that?

We all read of children who are caught with an aspirin in school. The rule is zero tolerance. You have an unauthorized aspirin on your person, you must spend a week in detention. It seems that there is more violence done by obeying the rule of zero tolerance than there was from the original infraction.

The conclusion is inevitable: you do the crime, you do the time. While you are doing the time you become even more estranged from the community. Where is the restoration of relationship in that?

The purpose of restorative practice is to restore community. It is unclear how any rule would accomplish that task.

If rules won’t do it, what will? Paul gives us a hint by writing, "For all have sinned and fallen short of the Glory of God and are justified freely by His Grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus." Life experience will show that merely labeling someone a disciple of Jesus will not restore relationships and community. But if you study those who have successfully restored relationships, you will discover they have not done so by obeying a rule or a law. They achieved that elusive goal in other ways.

Jesus set the standard by forgiving those who sought to destroy Him. He said, "Forgive us our debts as we forgive our debtors". Each of us sets our own standard for restoration of community. We can’t be forgiven unless we forgive. Pure and simple.

In ‘Le Miserable’, Jean Val Jean was banned from relationship in the community by the law when he stole a loaf of bread. His relationship with community was restored when the priest forgave him for stealing the silver service.

World War I ended with the Treaty of Versailles. Germany was required by law to pay war reparations. The net result was to impoverish and humiliate them, thereby creating an opportunity for National Socialism to flourish under the leadership of a charismatic dictator.

World War II ended and the US Government created and funded the Marshall Plan to rebuild and revitalize the countries that had been devastated by the war. The result has been unprecedented partnerships among former adversaries.

Therefore; it seems clear that zero tolerance is the antithesis of restorative practice.