Giving is a sticky subject among most Americans. I recently was intrigued by a woman named Amanda Palmer (famed punk musician) about giving as it related to 'the ask.' You can watch the whole clip from her TED talk here (http://on.ted.com/Amanda).
I love when she states that "asking makes you vulnerable." How true. There is a lot of scripture out there about asking. Ask and you shall receive....whatever you ask I will give....yada yada yada. There is one incident that really changed me as a christian and as a person. It is Jesus' encounter with a blind beggar named Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52). I identify with Bartimaeus so much that it sometimes hurts to realize the truth that is unveiled in his story. Bartimaeus was on the outside looking in...with nothing to lose, he cries out of his anguish for help. He asks Jesus to have mercy on him. That is a place on vulnerability. There is an assumption though that Jesus was supposed to know what and how to have mercy on him. When I left the church and felt distant, I remember these cries I used to make from far off...God have mercy on me. But I too, was told to be quiet.
In the story, Jesus comes close to Bartimaeus and asks him "what is it that you want me to do for you?" Jesus makes no assumptions about what it is that Bartimaeus needs. It seems completely obvious to us that he will ask for his sight and that, I think, is part of the beauty of this story. Jesus gets Bartimaeus to name exactly what he is looking for...and he did it through 'the ask.'
Amanda helps reiterate what Bartimaeus and I learned, that "Thru the ask, you connect." Relationships are often built on the vulnerability of 'the ask.' A few days ago, Becky and I celebrated the anniversary of my ask for her to spend the rest of our lives together as husband and wife. It is weird, cuz I was so nervous, I didn't really ever ask the question. It's not easy to ask. We begin to see in 'the ask' that we need help, we need to trust others and we need change. I appreciate Bartimaeus' trust in Jesus to give exactly what he needed AND that Jesus' bold trust to ask Bartimaeus what it is he was looking for. The ask is simply about the courage to be in an authentic relationship without assumptions. What are you asking? and who are you asking?
Praying attention - Pastor Andy
I love when she states that "asking makes you vulnerable." How true. There is a lot of scripture out there about asking. Ask and you shall receive....whatever you ask I will give....yada yada yada. There is one incident that really changed me as a christian and as a person. It is Jesus' encounter with a blind beggar named Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52). I identify with Bartimaeus so much that it sometimes hurts to realize the truth that is unveiled in his story. Bartimaeus was on the outside looking in...with nothing to lose, he cries out of his anguish for help. He asks Jesus to have mercy on him. That is a place on vulnerability. There is an assumption though that Jesus was supposed to know what and how to have mercy on him. When I left the church and felt distant, I remember these cries I used to make from far off...God have mercy on me. But I too, was told to be quiet.
In the story, Jesus comes close to Bartimaeus and asks him "what is it that you want me to do for you?" Jesus makes no assumptions about what it is that Bartimaeus needs. It seems completely obvious to us that he will ask for his sight and that, I think, is part of the beauty of this story. Jesus gets Bartimaeus to name exactly what he is looking for...and he did it through 'the ask.'
Amanda helps reiterate what Bartimaeus and I learned, that "Thru the ask, you connect." Relationships are often built on the vulnerability of 'the ask.' A few days ago, Becky and I celebrated the anniversary of my ask for her to spend the rest of our lives together as husband and wife. It is weird, cuz I was so nervous, I didn't really ever ask the question. It's not easy to ask. We begin to see in 'the ask' that we need help, we need to trust others and we need change. I appreciate Bartimaeus' trust in Jesus to give exactly what he needed AND that Jesus' bold trust to ask Bartimaeus what it is he was looking for. The ask is simply about the courage to be in an authentic relationship without assumptions. What are you asking? and who are you asking?
Praying attention - Pastor Andy
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