MARCH 16, 2021 VOL.2 NO.11
UP NEXT
DEEP CALLING // COMING SPRING 2021
"Deep Calling: On Being and Growing Disciples" is a wholistic movement – discipleship and disciple-making – that emphasizes a life-long process, not a destination. It’s about making space for God in the every day, bearing witness to transformation in the ordinary. It’s about knowing truth and experiencing Truth. It’s about learning to listen to the voice of God. It’s about satisfying your longing with the only One who can satisfy your soul. All are invited. All are welcome to answer the deep call of God.
Stay tuned for more details for the coming Spring revival. Discover more, taravincross.com/deepcalling
MAKE KINDNESS LOUD
The power of kindness was not a new thought to Jo and me. This concept is echoed in our Magnolia Manifesto, a series of statements that lead out the work we do as a company, serving as a lighthouse of sorts. No matter the conditions, these words guide us home. A line from that manifesto kept popping into my head:
“We believe in human kindness, knowing we are made better when we work together.“
What opportunities to treat people with kindness had I missed? Maybe the implications weren’t always so dire, but where could I have tipped the dominos, so to speak, if I had only stopped to consider it? So many times it’s not that people don’t care to be kind; it’s that life is moving too quickly for us to stop and think about how an outpouring of kindness could start. We’re hurrying home to make dinner, we’re late to pick up the kids from practice, we’re swamped at work, we’re stuck in traffic. Any thought given to someone else (and how we might change their day for good) gets buried under the noise and stressors of what we have going on in our own lives.
I didn’t want to get tangled up in the shouting match about gun control and mental health issues, but I knew I had to do something. It occurred to me: What good is this network I’ve built if I don’t rely on it... right now? Still, Jo and I realized that using our platform would only go so far. We needed to involve more people, knowing that true power is not in the “me” but in the “we.”
I wanted to work through this with the people around me — a process I’ve always found helpful — so Jo and I rallied the Magnolia team together to hear their thoughts.
We all came to the conclusion that the challenge was right in front of us: make kindness louder.
Louder than chaos.
Louder than hate.
I’m not talking about kindness in terms of grand gestures or the goodwill that comes on special occasions or holidays. I’m talking about day-to-day interactions that offer a glimmer of love or hope. The kind of goodness that abounds in equal measure for a loved one and a stranger on the street, people on both sides of our bubbles. That’s the kind of kindness that can tip the dominos in the opposite direction.
A subtle reminder is sometimes all it takes. A nudge to do just one small thing. At Magnolia we made up four fliers with pull-tabs suggesting practical ways to show kindness. We shared them on social media so people could print them out and also offer this idea to those in their own networks. Two of the flyer templates had general acts of kindness, those you could use around the home or office. The third flyer was geared toward kids, and the fourth was blank, which we hoped would empower people to think of even more ways to help.
Mow a neighbor’s lawn.
Write a letter of thanks to a first responder.
Stop and ask a person experiencing homelessness their story.
We knew we weren’t reinventing the wheel, but we hoped that something tangible — that little slip of paper — might burn a hole in someone’s pocket until they decided to act on it.
Within hours, the post took off. People all over the world downloaded the flyers, and we were blown away by the responses and stories that people sent in using the hashtag #makekindnessloud.
That’s it. That’s the stuff. Real and important change begins with small, courageous acts.
KINDNESS FLYER
Make your own kindness flyer for your fridge to remind you to perform random acts of kindness. Make a practice of pulling off a tab any time you feel a kindness deficit in the world.
Here are a few ideas to get you started:
Buy coffee for the person behind you in line at the coffee shop.
Make time to call a friend.
Ask a stranger how they’re doing.
Write a thank-you note to a former boss or teacher.
Volunteer at a local charity.
Tell someone what you like best about them.
GET UNCOMFORTABLY KIND
We tend to think that kindness is easy. Soft. Nice. It’s something you learn in kindergarten — how to say “please” and “thank you” and share your Goldfish crackers. Kindness has gotten a rep of being like Glinda the Good Witch, all gentleness and smiles. Someone with a “No, please, after you, I insist” type attitude. It’s easy to think, That’s just not me. I’m not a pushover, I’m not constantly in a good mood, and I’m not always patient and nice. But real kindness is built with grace and grit, and I don’t think one works without the other; they are wisely intertwined.
Because life-changing kindness is hard. Sometimes so hard it hurts. It’s sweat and effort. It actually requires something of you. That’s kindness that inspires, kindness that makes a difference.
In the story of the widow’s mite in the Bible, [1] Jesus watched at the temple in silence as rich men made donations — some of them quite large — into the treasury. But then a poor widow placed two small copper coins in the box, barely a fraction of a penny. That was when Jesus spoke up, saying that this woman had given more than any of the others, even the richest of them, because she had made a true sacrifice.
How many times have you stopped short of giving because it would require something slightly inconvenient to you, maybe something as small as creating an account and a password to donate to a worthy cause?
Ninety-nine percent of kindness, of generosity, of fairness, of justice is follow-through. It requires sacrifice. It is uncomfortable. You hold the door for an older person on their way out of the grocery store — that’s kind — but when you help load their groceries into their car, even though you’re already running late, that’s uncomfortably kind. A teacher who gives a struggling student an extra-credit opportunity — that’s kind. Coming in early every day to go over her lessons is uncomfortably kind.
If we are going to belong to one another again, we need to get comfortable with being uncomfortably kind.
#makesense
During the recent protests surrounding the Black Lives Matter movement, a local woman tweeted at me. In a totally nonconfrontational way she asked if Magnolia would consider making a percentage of our vendors at our upcoming vendor fair Black-owned businesses. It took about two seconds for me to say yes. That part was a cinch.
That was easy kind. The hard part, the uncomfortable part, was following through by doing our due diligence to find and invite vendors in an honorable way, and making sure their businesses wouldn’t be overwhelmed by the bump in volume that could come. It made more work for our staff, but it was worth it a thousandfold. Society would have us believe that we have to be cutthroat to excel in business and in life, but I’ve learned to place my bets on a different theory:
Kindness never returns void.
When we push the borders of the bubble far enough, it eventually bursts. That’s when we can see what has been true all along — there is no difference in worthiness between those inside the bubble and those outside. We all belong to one another, and there’s no good reason why kindness shouldn’t blanket and protect us all. It’s like the old Irish proverb that says, “It is in the shelter of each other that the people live.”
I read a great story that illustrates what can happen when you break through your bubble. In early 2020, Qasim Rashid was running for Congress in Virginia. As he was campaigning he received a lot of support, but he was also on the butt end of a lot of upsetting anti-Muslim comments.
One day, a guy named Oscar Dillon blasted out a tweet, the gist of which was that Rashid was not welcome in America.
Anyone who has ever been on the internet knows how these exchanges usually go down — someone says something incendiary, then someone who disagrees either makes an impassioned argument or they hit back with bombs lobbed at the opposition, which usually just results in more name-calling and spite. Rashid took a different tack.
He did a little research and saw that Dillon was having medical issues and had set up a GoFundMe to pay for his mounting bills. Dillon had absolutely gutted his retirement savings and was now having to dip into his wife’s savings to cover the costs. When Rashid saw that, instead of firing back at Dillon, he took a risk. He set aside his own hurt, gave up his own affronted dignity, and decided to get uncomfortably kind. He donated to the GoFundMe — and then encouraged his supporters to do the same. Within weeks, the campaign was up to $20,000.
Dillon watched donations racking up, just staring at his screen in shock. He couldn’t believe that Rashid had reached out to take his hand given the way he’d treated him. He asked Rashid to meet, and when they did, they spoke openly to each other, and Dillon apologized for his tweet. Not only that, he invited Rashid to put campaign signs in his yard! [2]
When Rashid made the choice to see Dillon as a person, to look at his life as a whole, to understand where he might be coming from, it made all the difference. I genuinely believe that the more we operate in this kind of mindset, believing the best about people, the more likely it is that those people will believe the same in others. That’s another thing about kindness: it’s contagious.
Our collective kindness can become louder than any individual acts of hate. But that’s only if we don’t let ourselves go numb. Only if we expand our bubbles until they disappear. If we ask the hard questions. What pain does the world have that causes me to ache? What small thing can I do about it today? Maybe in that process you help someone who was so lost they were headed down a path that would have been destructive to themselves or to a whole bunch of people. We must build up instead of tearing down. So much of what we know is broken. The way we treat our neighbors. How we speak to one another. And we have to start moving back to a place of love and civility. A place of concern and respect.
Jo and I want to operate with the kind of love and kindness that lends itself to rolling up our sleeves and working hard. If we’re doing it right, we’re all in the restoration business.
Kindness asks us to look each other in the eye and see one another as valuable human beings. This begins at home, in our own networks and communities, with a steadfast belief that we are made better when we believe the best about each other.
Acts of kindness often occur in the absence of witnesses. We also can’t always see the immediate effect. But rest assured, if the conditions are right, kindness moves and shifts like wildfire, and its beauty lies in its potential to spread. To catalyze a series of reactions that can transform how we care for one another.
The spark has to begin somewhere. Let it begin with you. —Chip Gaines
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1. Mark 12:41–44; Luke 21:1–4.
2. Ewan Palmer, “Muslim Political Candidate Helps Pay Off Medical Debt of Man Who Sent Him Islamophobic Tweet,” Newsweek, March 12, 2020, https://www.newsweek.com/muslim-candidate-qasim-rashid-gofundme-debt-virginia-1491929.
PURSUE GOD
Last weekend’s message by Pastor Kayla Goodman, Delight-FULL: Give God Control
DELIGHT-FULL: GIVE GOD CONTROL
Hey all! Pastor Kayla here! This last weekend I talked about giving God control. This topic is especially relevant to me because a year ago I was enjoying my last few days on an island even though I didn’t know I would have to leave so soon. What were you doing before the world seemed to shut down with COVID-19?
“Have you not known? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth He does not faint or grow weary; his understanding is unsearchable. He gives power to the faint, and to him who has no might he increases strength. Even youths shall faint and be weary, and young men shall fall exhausted; but they who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings like eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint.” –Isaiah 40:28-31 [ESV]
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DELIGHT-FULL
What is it that excites GOD. What brings delight to His heart?
Take delight in the Lord, and he will give you your heart’s desires. Commit everything you do to the Lord. Trust him, and he will help you. –Psalm 37:4-5 [NLT]
Join Younger Generation Church in their Spring series, “Delight-FULL,” Saturdays, 10:00AM CST, fb.com/ygchurch #YGdelight #ygchurch
EXPERIENCE COMMUNITY
FREE ACCESS TO RIGHTNOW MEDIA FOR ALL OUR MEMBERS!
Our digital ministry library, Rightnow Media, offers tens of thousands of video-based Bible studies at your finger tips. Contact Pastor Tom [tom@arlingtonadventist.com] to gain access to our RightNow digital Bible study library.
HUMANS OF ADVENTISM: THE SERIES
HoA: The Series is intentionally designed to spark conversations.
Taken from over 40 interviews filmed across the United States, this 10-episode series contains a diverse set of stories and experiences - even conflicting values at times. Instead of telling you what to think and summarizing the episodes for you, our vision is that these episodes will be watched together and lead to deep discussions about the viewers’ own life experiences. We’ve attempted to cut to the heart of what drives human beings - questions of purpose and meaning, experiences of witnessing God’s work firsthand, and even navigating this new world of remote learning, church shutdowns, and lost employment.
Because this is not a theological project, but a relational one, we envision this series being used on a Sabbath afternoon or midweek small group. It can be easily adapted to remote watch parties and zoom small group discussions. But however you decide to share, we believe this will be an engaging, bonding experience for any group looking to deepen their relationships to each other and their neighbors.
Click here for the series.
LIFEGROUPS & INTEREST GROUPS FOR YOUNG PROFESSIONALS
Adventist Young Professionals Groups are all about building community. They are designed to give you a space to connect and do life together with other young professionals even if you are separated by hundreds or even thousands of miles. No matter your status or interest, we have a group for you!
Click here if you are interested in joining a group or would like more information about our program.
INSPIRE HOPE // SHARE GRACE
THANKS FOR YOUR PATIENCE AND PRAYERS
You may be aware of the impact Storm Uri had on our church facility. Thank you for your flexibility and understanding as we see construction and restoration to these impacted areas of our church. The latest Arlington LIFE online, provides the most recent updates as to progress.
GRATITUDE
YG MUSICIANS & ARTISTS
Younger Generation is so bless with creatives who lean in with their art to bless us in worship and inspiration. Here’s a beautiful collaboration with Michael, Kellany, Edgar, and Princess for whom we are so grateful!
PAST YEAR REVIEW // NEW YEAR TO COME
We would be wise, if even just for a moment, to look back at where we’ve come from, in anticipation of where next GOD is taking us. Click here for 2020 in review and a sneak peek at what 2021 brings for Younger Generation Church.