“Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me–-practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you.”
Philippians 4:8-9
My Favorite Letter
This summer, I did a personal study of the book of Philippians. For several reasons, I have found this to be one of my favorite of Paul’s letters.
My daughter is named after Lydia, the seller of fine purple goods who was the first Christian convert after Paul received his “Macedonian Vision” in Acts 16.
We see an incredible miracle of the Lord when Paul and Silas are imprisoned there. This led to the conversion of the Philippian jailer and his whole household.
Church theologians and historians have long recognized the church at Philippi as a healthy church with great diversity. In this congregation, Lydia's family (wealthy) worshipped with the Philippian Jailer’s family (lower income).
Even though this was a healthy church, Paul exhorted the first church plant in Europe not to be complacent. He encouraged them to think and act on honorable, just, pure, lovely, and commendable things. He urged them to practice the things they learned and received.
Look at Your Life
How are you filling your available time?
What honorable, just, pure, lovely, and commendable things are you involved in?
Any MD5 participant knows the great benefit of having margin in our lives (time, energy, finances, resources, etc.).
Each Fall for the past six or seven years, I try to carve out a day to take off and serve as a Watchdog Dad at my kids’ elementary school. Even though I am exhausted at the end of the day, I find it fulfilling to help teachers by helping students with various school work, playing with the kids at recess, helping students open up their milk and apple slices at lunch, and greeting students when they get out of their parent’s car at the start of the school day.
Make A Difference
It is incredible to see the difference in having a male presence in the classroom since most elementary school teachers are female. Before going through MD5, I never would have used vacation time to do this. Another MD5 man, my friend Jeremy, carves out around six days a year since he works four 10-hour days, which allows him to be accessible on most Fridays. He could fill up his Fridays with things for his benefit but yet chooses to sacrifice his desires in service of others.
Evaluate Your Plan
Looking at your eulogy of what you want to be said about you, is there anything about service to your community through your church or local organizations? Schools typically are not short of mom volunteers. However, that is changing even today. According to a study from AmeriCorps, “formal volunteering fell from 30% in 2019 to 23% in 2021, with women seeing the largest drop in volunteering at a rate of 8% while the rate of men volunteering fell by 5%.”
How many dads carve out the time to volunteer during the workday at a local school or through their church or other community organization? Most need more margin. My dad and many of his friends were known for volunteering in their local community through church, coaching youth sports, Founders Day festival in their town, etc.
What An Honor
In October, my dad and one of his best friends were honored with a surprise celebration by some of their former baseball players. These former players were celebrating their high school reunion in their 60s and had returned to reconnect. They honored my father and his friend for coaching them in Junior Babe Ruth baseball (13 to 15-year-olds) decades ago. They had gotten their wives to bring them to their old baseball field, where they played as teenagers. Each man shared my dad and his friend's lasting impact on them at such a pivotal time in their lives. Some men had fathers in their lives, and some did not. Nevertheless, their coaches' impact on them resonated with them well into their 60s.
No Regrets
My dad and his friend, who are both retired, never discussed how they wished they had worked more. They reminisce about all the kids they coached over decades in various sports. So, I challenge you to carve out the margin to devote time to your families and service for the kingdom and your community (not just sports). Be willing to say no to even good things and say yes to better things that are honorable, just, pure, lovely, and commendable.
John Gore
MD5 Facilitator
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