Philippians 2:3-4

Altruism.
A word that is not commonly utilized in our cultures limited vocabulary.
You don’t often hear teenagers on the street say, “Hey, you know T-Dawg? Yeah, he can’t make it to the party tonight because he’s busy being altruistic.”

The idea of altruism is popular in movies, books, plays or throughout the internet. Unfortunately, applying the idea is not so popular with the masses.

For generations the idea of the sacrifice of the few for the good of the many has been idolized. That is, after all, the premise behind numerous hero’s, fictional and realistic alike. Though from day to day, the term “dog eat dog world” seems to motivate people in how they treat those they encounter and interact with.

Sad that it’s not implemented as much as it’s worshiped.

I watched a video recently on the interwebs about a musician who was talking about couch surfing, free music, begging for money on a street corner, etc. It was amazing to me how her idea’s seemed so simple and bizarre.
The experiences she had not only impacted her life directly, but also the lives of the people that were offering her a place to sleep, food, or money.

http://www.upworthy.com/an-8-foot-tall-woman-is-destroying-the-entire-music-industry

If one out of five people were to ask for help, assist others who needed help, or gave to someone who didn’t even ask for something, what kind of world would we be living in?

In my personal opinion, this is why I encourage and support religion of any kind. Almost every single faith practiced by mankind teaches that a person should do good for other people, without a selfish heart. Religion is the hand basket handed down from generation to generation as a means to keep all morals and beneficial teachings in.

But altruism… that’s a hand basket within itself. Luke 6:27-36 says:

Love for Enemies

²⁷ “But to you who are listening I say: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, ²⁸ bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. ²⁹ If someone slaps you on one cheek, turn to them the other also. If someone takes your coat, do not withhold your shirt from them. ³⁰ Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. ³¹ Do to others as you would have them do to you.

³² “If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners love those who love them.³³ And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even sinners do that.³⁴ And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even sinners lend to sinners, expecting to be repaid in full. ³⁵ But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be children of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. ³⁶ Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?v=751753141504203

What kind of revolution would the world go through if only ONE out of FIVE people actually practiced this on a daily bases? How easy would it be for us to do this, when everyone else in our community were doing this also?

Really, that’s not even the deepest part of my idea…

When I was growing up, my family and I were rather poor. My dad would hunt so we had food during the winter and my mother planted a huge garden so we would have vegetables to eat.
When the crop came in or my dad bagged multiple deer, my parents would save back as much as my family would need and then we would go door to door through the community and ask if anyone needed some.

I was lucky enough to grow up in a community, a real one.

When I was in need of a car, my friends gave me their extra car without any expectations of how I might pay them back in the future.

These are all examples of altruism at work within a community of human beings.

What’s amazing about a true altruistic community is that I’m not scared that I’ll ever be taken advantage of by my friends.
For example: when I was growing up, my family always had vegetables or deer, our friends always kept cows and would supply us with fresh milk; my grandparents always had fire wood and the ladies of our community always made blankets or hand made goods.

Always have something to give, never be afraid to receive, but never take with selfish intentions or give with a selfish heart.

2 Corinthians 9:6-9  
Generosity Encouraged

⁶ Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. ⁷ Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. ⁸ And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. ⁹ As it is written:

“They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor;
    their righteousness endures forever.”

How easy is it to actually apply this in our society today? Kinda hard…

How easy would it be for us to change that stigma of selfishness and proud wills? Not that hard at all.

It’s not impossible, it’s actually rather revolutionary.

I, for one, would rather live in an altruistic community of humans than a selfish individualistic gathering of random beings.

Let’s think bigger.

 

Psalms 100:2

As I stood in the shower, my thoughts hopping through loop holes in my memories like rabbits being chased by hound dogs through a forest, my mind went somewhere I had not been in years.

The Tulsa Workshop.

All my life my family and I attended this workshop every year, faithfully. I don’t remember one year that we missed this grand event. Throughout my childhood, this was what I looked forward to. This was my Disney World, my summer vacation, or luxurious cruise; this was my excitement.

Explanation:
The Tulsa Workshop is held once a year, every year in Tulsa, Ok. Hundreds, if not thousands of Christians from all over the United States and numerous foreign countries would travel to Tulsa to participate in this workshop.

(pictured is the Tulsa Workshop at a typical evening worship.
This is a sports arena filled with close to two thousand Christians at one time.)

This was the highlight of my childhood. There was nothing better than those four days we spent worshiping with so many Christians under one roof. Many who experienced it would explain it as if they felt like the roof might explode into nothing and God himself would descend from the clouds to take us all back to heaven. It was, in a way, heaven on earth.

I’ve explained all of that to explain this one random memory that came to me today.

Another highlight of our trip from Missouri to Oklahoma was getting to eat at Casa Bonita!

We went there two or three times during our stay, to enjoy the food, play in in the arcade & visit with old friends who had also come for the workshop.

On a typical afternoon, on break from the workshop, there might be hundreds of patrons migrate from the fair grounds (where the workshop was held) to Casa Bonita.

We would all chat in the long halls that twisted and turned as we waited for our turn to get inside. Most visits, the wait was long. So long, that we would have ample time on our hands to chat, laugh, discuss the last speaker we heard or even sing.

And that’s what we would do. We would all sing.

We didn’t sing “Mary had a little lamb” or “She’ll be comin’ round the mountain”, we sang worship songs. Most of us, after all, had just came from the same event, so singing just seemed the proper thing to do whilst waiting fourty-five minutes to an hour for a table in a public restaurant.

Seventy-five to a hundred plus people would singing in four part harmony in the winding halls of Casa Bonita. We never sang quietly, either; we sang with all of our heart, loudly.

There’s a stirring deep within me
could it be my time has come?
When i’ll see my gracious savior
face to face when all is done.

It would start rather innocently as my dad or another man would start us out in whatever song came to the top of his head…

Is that His voice I am hearing?
Come away my precious one.
Is he calling me?
Is he calling me?

It normally worked like a game of “Telephone” as the people at the end initially had no clue what was happening. But within seconds, the entire line would be falling into their parts.

I will rise up, rise up
and bow down
and lay my crown
at his wounded feet

The front hall was an amazing place to sing. The base would boom off of the walls, the soprano soared through the open space, the alto rang like a church bell and the tenor brought tears to ones eyes.

There’s a stirring deep within me
could it be my time has come
when i’ll see my gracious savior
face to face when all is done

It was the most beautiful sound you could imagine within the confines of a public fine dining facility. When one song would conclude, the patrons already inside, sitting at their tables, would applaud.

is that his voice i am hearing?
come away my precious one
is he calling me?
is he calling me?
(calling me)

When our large choir would finally get to an open area where we could see inside the dining hall, there would be people crying, standing, singing along or applauding.
Another song would begin.

i will rise up
rise up
and bow down
and lay my crown
at his wounded feet

Once we reached the line to get our food, we would respectfully stop singing, grab our tray and move to the dining hall to become the audience. Slowly, one by one, the choir would die down and all began eating with their family.

Is that his voice i am hearing?
come away my precious one.

Year after year this would happen. We went to Casa Bonita, stood in line, sang worship songs, got our food, sat down and then enjoyed one another’s company.

I will rise up
rise up
and bow down 
and lay my crown
at his wounded feet

Until one year, the manager came and asked us all to stop singing. He told us that we were disturbing the other patrons. We were disturbing the other people’s meals. That we were being a nuisance to his establishment.
Year after year, we’d go back, stand in silence waiting for our turn to grab a tray and then sit down.
Something was lost.
A beautiful tradition was turned into a beautiful memory.

Maybe when we sang those worship songs, we were forcing our beliefs on the unbelievers. Perhaps we were being rude by being a slowly moving choir in the middle of a public establishment.
Or maybe we were just so extremely happy to be alive and together, that we couldn’t do anything BUT sing out loud.

Maybe what the world needs now is a little less quiet respect for everyone else’s miserable silence and a little more beautiful proclamation of  something so amazing you have to sing!

i will rise up
rise up
and bow down
and lay my crown 
at his wounded feet

Now that I’m older, I realize I live in a very somber, respectful world. It’s been years since I’ve sang worship songs in public for the sheer reason of just to sing. I live in a world where the joy is silenced, the beauty if forced to wear a mask, the love is forced not to show any affection and the saved are forced to pretend their still lost.

And then we wonder why the news only reports on killing, greed, wars, starvation and terrorism. Why is hate encouraged by those around us? Why are they so excited to hear about a star found dead from a drug over dose? Why do they crave to know which president may be assassinated next?

Maybe we all should just stop a moment, wherever we are… and just… sing.

There’s a stirring deep within me.