" To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it; when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment, we have become the Scum of the Earth, the refuse of the world. "
1 Corinthians 4:11-13
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It doesn’t sound like a church name … on purpose. We really want to connect with people who have no interest in “church” by society’s definition. There are plenty of churches for “normal people” and we think we have a unique calling to reach out to our otherwise unreached friends. Our name is integral to that process. Whether outcast by society (e.g., punks, skaters, ravers, homeless people…) or by the church itself, many who come can identify with the name 'Scum of the Earth' since they have been previously treated as such. More important to us, however, the name implies that being people of faith does not mean we are better than anyone else. We know many non-Christians who think Christians are out to cast judgment on them. Our name makes it clear that we aren’t about that. We are just aware of our need for God, as Scum of the Earth. Fortunately, God never sees us like that! But the name is humble and we like that.
– Chris Baker
The Scoop
The Joy of Inconvenience
Mike Sares May 25, 2017
“I have known some people…driven by their distress, to use theological terms to which they attached no doctrinal significance, merely because a drawer was jammed tight and they could not pull it out.” – G.K. Chesterton
Have you ever noticed that frustrating, annoying, embarrassing or inconvenient events from your past are now looked upon with great humor? (Insert your own memory of the events here.) Why is that, since at the time they seemed anything but funny? Or, have you noticed your own ability to look at a friend’s minor problems more positively than he or she can? How is that possible?
I think the answer is PERSPECTIVE. In both cases above, you are able to gain perspective by either time (in your own case) or distance (in the friend’s case). You are viewing the situations from a different vantage point.
Is there any way to gain perspective on the frustrating, annoying, embarrassing, or inconvenient events that are happening to you right now? Wouldn’t you love to see the poetry in your car breaking down, the whimsy in your basement flooding, the romance of waiting in a queue, or the humor in your trousers ripping?
The answer is in PRAYER. When you are in the moment, it is the best way to gain perspective on a perturbing situation. “How are you using this agitation for my good, Lord?” “Where is the adventure in this, Lord?” “How is this minor problem giving me a glimpse of grace?”
God sometimes allows us to be teased out of our earnestness.
Philippians 4:6-7 Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.
Relax in Him,
–Mike
Scum Staff
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