I fully intended to write a blog whining about my past week. In a sense, I could justifiably do so, but more important topics are at hand.
Entitlement - we were fortunate enough to hear a wonderful sermon on the topic last week at Bethel Evangelical Free church here in Fargo. For an audio link to the sermon, click here and click on the link for "The Entitlement Myth."
There are three specific ways this sermon has impacted me this week, and I would like to share (read:confess) them here.
1. The Cell Phone - I was laid-off from my job this week. This was through no fault of my own, yet the company needed to reduce cash flow, so two positions were eliminated. Mine happened to be one of them. One of the other eight was the man who handled network infrastructure/cell-phones/desktop support (if this sounds like a role that shouldn't be eliminated, you're correct...and in fact they have been scrambling to replace his work with others in the meantime)...I digress. Anyways, he let me borrow a company phone for my wife to use on her line. It would have been easy to let it "fall in the cracks" (confess: I thought about it for a minute...ok, two.) Nevertheless I made the right choice and told my boss about it.
2. The Health Insurance - I recently turned in my health insurance information to Mayo Clinic. As my visits have been a mix of pre-existing condition and non pre-existing, I thought BCBS would "catch" the difference. It appears they haven't, and covered several items that total over $1,000. I thought for a few minutes about this one, and have decided to call Mayo and BCBS on Monday to see what happened.
3. The Other Employee - There were three people on my team: manager, worker 1 and worker 2 (me). Worker 1 is a slacker, shows up at 10, (we consider 9:30 early, 9 unheard of, 11 at times), takes long lunches, and leaves early. Worker one is going through some things in their life at the moment, and doesn't seem to care much about his job. I won't go into details, but it isn't looking good for him. For a long time, I rejoiced in this, thinking: "Finally, I'll get my job back!!!" or "Well they don't deserve the job, I do because of (insert all manner of reasons here)." or "I hope they fail and lose their job so I can get mine back". I was quite happy thinking of all these things, imaging returning, etc...then that darn sermon reminded me of...entitlement.
It's so easy to feel entitled to things, like we "earned" or "deserve" them. I fall into this trap all the time, and it's those little moments that strip our integrity for the other big moments. I don't write this so people can see how spiritual I am, I really hope that's not what people get from reading this.
What I sincerely hope and pray you see is my brokenness, and the sin in my life that God has been working on correcting. The fact that I even thought for a few seconds about the above three is reprehensible. I am deeply sorry for them and wish to confess it to all who happen to read this.
I owe my co-worker an apology. I'm challenged to pray that they use this time to change, grow, and thrive in whatever they do. I need to stop worrying about money and what position/pay I will get. I need to seek first His kingdom and righteousness...
continue to lift me and my family up in prayer this week.
Saturday, August 02, 2008
Sunday, March 23, 2008
Changes
About this time five years ago, I was preparing to leave for the Dominican Republic. It was the week before Easter, Holy Week, and I had little idea of what to expect when I arrived. At the time I was freshly graduated from college, been fired from my first "real" job after school, and living with my brother and a friend in a house that I had purchased less than one year ago.
That first week in the DR had a profound impact on me. I remember the many events we had for Easter - the footwashing service on Thursday, our sunrise service and the wonderful breakfast that followed. I remember joining the housefathers in cutting fruit for the meal as I got to know people and grow accustomed to my new surroundings.
Easter this year was quite different. There was a Thursday evening service, but completely different than the one to which I was accustomed. We had a Good Friday service in a Lutheran church that I had been in twice - once for the funeral of my beloved High School science teacher and once to give a report on missions in the DR. This morning's service was a nice sunrise service, but different than anything I was used to...it's amazing how quickly you get used to things but never fully appreciate them until they are behind you.
I can't say what I saw this morning, but it made a profound impact on my day (not a positive one though).
It's strange - feeling a stranger in the world you grew up in. As I reflect on this time and compare it to five years ago, I'm amazed at how different some things are, and how eerily similar others remain. At the moment, I'm living in a house where my friend lived growing up. I was a regular guest here from the age of 6. We got into all sorts of trouble here. Then my grandparents bought the house and lived here until some years after my grandfather passed away. In a way, this house is part of me. Once again, I am living with my brother, although he now owns the house. I now live with a lovely wife, darling daughter and a lively dog.
There is snow on the ground. Easter greets us with new promises as we celebrate Christ, who overcame death so we might live. As wretched as we are, he endured unspeakable sufferings for us. I am overwhelmed.
That first week in the DR had a profound impact on me. I remember the many events we had for Easter - the footwashing service on Thursday, our sunrise service and the wonderful breakfast that followed. I remember joining the housefathers in cutting fruit for the meal as I got to know people and grow accustomed to my new surroundings.
Easter this year was quite different. There was a Thursday evening service, but completely different than the one to which I was accustomed. We had a Good Friday service in a Lutheran church that I had been in twice - once for the funeral of my beloved High School science teacher and once to give a report on missions in the DR. This morning's service was a nice sunrise service, but different than anything I was used to...it's amazing how quickly you get used to things but never fully appreciate them until they are behind you.
I can't say what I saw this morning, but it made a profound impact on my day (not a positive one though).
It's strange - feeling a stranger in the world you grew up in. As I reflect on this time and compare it to five years ago, I'm amazed at how different some things are, and how eerily similar others remain. At the moment, I'm living in a house where my friend lived growing up. I was a regular guest here from the age of 6. We got into all sorts of trouble here. Then my grandparents bought the house and lived here until some years after my grandfather passed away. In a way, this house is part of me. Once again, I am living with my brother, although he now owns the house. I now live with a lovely wife, darling daughter and a lively dog.
There is snow on the ground. Easter greets us with new promises as we celebrate Christ, who overcame death so we might live. As wretched as we are, he endured unspeakable sufferings for us. I am overwhelmed.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
viaje
Tomorrow we leave for the final treatment of round one and to be honest, I have mixed emotions about it. It's exciting to be finished with this first set of infusions. The process has gone amazingly well, far exceeding my expectations! Other than a brief cold that I had several days ago, I have not gotten sick. This is a blessing, considering I'm on an immune suppressant in January (having just moved back to winterland!) I am, however, sad to leave my wife behind. On Saturday my dad and I will be traveling to the Dominican Republic for a missions trip...more mixed emotions. I'm happy to serve, looking forward to seeing my friends, etc...but I'm missing out on a week of work. To some that might seem like a blessing, but we're not exactly the most financially comfortable at the moment. Thus, losing a week's wages really puts a pinch on what we can do.
As I began to worry about this (I'm good at worrying) the thought "Do I trust you, Lord?" ran through my head. I thought it was a good, albeit annoying question. We talk about having faith, and it's fun to read verses that talk about it, or to laugh at some of the human errors that people make in the Bible, but when it really gets down to it in our lives, the pinch starts to hurt.
"Do I trust you, Lord?" Sometimes yes, othertimes, no. Sadly I think the no's outweigh the yes's.
I'm not writing this post as a way to ask for money. Faith is something that I think we all struggle with, and I think that even a non-Christian could agree with the idea that faith in something is hard, but it's important. I'm thankful that I have a God who loves me, and that I can cling to him. I'm even more thankful when I actually do cling.
Thinking of Abraham, it really struck me the other day when I was reading about him in Genesis. Here is a guy who took the biggest leap of faith I can imagine someone taking. God told him to pack up and go to the land that I will show you. And, he did! I can't even being to think of how much was involved in carrying out that decision, and he not even knowing where to go. Then later on, he is afraid of what Pharaoh might do, so he says that his wife is his sister. I mean you would think that this guy, who had the courage to say yes to such a large request would have the courage to trust God in something smaller. But, he didn't.
I think the important thing to realize and to chew on is this. God doesn't expect us to be perfect. He knows we will doubt, and loves us (while holding us accountable) when we do doubt. This doesn't make it ok to doubt, but we can know that during those times God loves us and wants us back. Secondly, the "saints" of the Bible all messed up! They blew it big time, but God had a plan for them and they were used to glorify God even in the midst of their failure. Thus we shouldn't expect us (or others, for that matter) to be perfect. Think of the parable of the man who owed much to his master, but mistreated a man who owed him even less. If God can love us when we fail, then we ought to love others who sin!
People talk about the church becoming culturally relevant and communicating in a way that is meaningful and understandable to our culture. In some respects, I agree with this. We ought to reach people and the culture where they are at. But, more importantly, I think we should practice grace and humility with each other first! You know the old saying "They will know we are Christians by our love..." We ought to practice that, and if we do, I think our message to the culture will be relevant no matter what package it is in.
As I began to worry about this (I'm good at worrying) the thought "Do I trust you, Lord?" ran through my head. I thought it was a good, albeit annoying question. We talk about having faith, and it's fun to read verses that talk about it, or to laugh at some of the human errors that people make in the Bible, but when it really gets down to it in our lives, the pinch starts to hurt.
"Do I trust you, Lord?" Sometimes yes, othertimes, no. Sadly I think the no's outweigh the yes's.
I'm not writing this post as a way to ask for money. Faith is something that I think we all struggle with, and I think that even a non-Christian could agree with the idea that faith in something is hard, but it's important. I'm thankful that I have a God who loves me, and that I can cling to him. I'm even more thankful when I actually do cling.
Thinking of Abraham, it really struck me the other day when I was reading about him in Genesis. Here is a guy who took the biggest leap of faith I can imagine someone taking. God told him to pack up and go to the land that I will show you. And, he did! I can't even being to think of how much was involved in carrying out that decision, and he not even knowing where to go. Then later on, he is afraid of what Pharaoh might do, so he says that his wife is his sister. I mean you would think that this guy, who had the courage to say yes to such a large request would have the courage to trust God in something smaller. But, he didn't.
I think the important thing to realize and to chew on is this. God doesn't expect us to be perfect. He knows we will doubt, and loves us (while holding us accountable) when we do doubt. This doesn't make it ok to doubt, but we can know that during those times God loves us and wants us back. Secondly, the "saints" of the Bible all messed up! They blew it big time, but God had a plan for them and they were used to glorify God even in the midst of their failure. Thus we shouldn't expect us (or others, for that matter) to be perfect. Think of the parable of the man who owed much to his master, but mistreated a man who owed him even less. If God can love us when we fail, then we ought to love others who sin!
People talk about the church becoming culturally relevant and communicating in a way that is meaningful and understandable to our culture. In some respects, I agree with this. We ought to reach people and the culture where they are at. But, more importantly, I think we should practice grace and humility with each other first! You know the old saying "They will know we are Christians by our love..." We ought to practice that, and if we do, I think our message to the culture will be relevant no matter what package it is in.
Sunday, January 06, 2008
good medicine
I had my first treatment at Mayo Clinic on Friday. Julie and I were nervous prior to the treatment, as we did not know what to expect. Of course we were familiar with the possible side effects of Rituximab, but were unsure how it would affect me.
Julie, Lara, and I arrived at Mayo Clinic on Friday morning at 8:05 a.m. I was admitted to the Clinical Research Unit (Charlton Building, 7th floor - if you happen to be in Rochester on one of the coming three Fridays). The nurse did some preliminary work, including giving me a Benedryl to help with any allergic reactions. The infusion started at approximately 9:30 a.m., after a steriod was administered via the IV. The nurse checked my vitals every 15 minutes, and increased the infusion rate periodically. At one point, I began to have a reaction to the medicine. My face became flushed, and my head itched quite a bit! The nurse stopped the infusion for 20 minutes, until the symptoms were gone. She then resumed the infusion and it went without any further complications. I felt quite normal the entire time.
Julie and I busied ourselves watching "The Office" and Lara explored the room. All things considered, it was a pleasant day.
My friend, Scott Offord, recently put together a request on my behalf to help with my medical expenses. I am humbled by this request and grateful for both his friendship and desire to help. He wrote up this:
If you are interested in helping or learning more, please go to: http://www.scottofford.com/z/peter.html
Feel free to share the link with your friends and family.
Julie and I will continue to keep you updated on this situation.
Julie, Lara, and I arrived at Mayo Clinic on Friday morning at 8:05 a.m. I was admitted to the Clinical Research Unit (Charlton Building, 7th floor - if you happen to be in Rochester on one of the coming three Fridays). The nurse did some preliminary work, including giving me a Benedryl to help with any allergic reactions. The infusion started at approximately 9:30 a.m., after a steriod was administered via the IV. The nurse checked my vitals every 15 minutes, and increased the infusion rate periodically. At one point, I began to have a reaction to the medicine. My face became flushed, and my head itched quite a bit! The nurse stopped the infusion for 20 minutes, until the symptoms were gone. She then resumed the infusion and it went without any further complications. I felt quite normal the entire time.
Julie and I busied ourselves watching "The Office" and Lara explored the room. All things considered, it was a pleasant day.
My friend, Scott Offord, recently put together a request on my behalf to help with my medical expenses. I am humbled by this request and grateful for both his friendship and desire to help. He wrote up this:
I am a friend of Peter Schott. We worked together in the D.R. I have always been impressed with his commitment to helping others.Recently, as you might know, peter was diagnosed with a form of Nephritis that decreases kidney function. He is currently involved in a research study that might help in Peter's treatment.I would like to help Peter and his new family during this difficult time of transition in their life right now.The smallest amount will help... will you offer your kindness by donating to Peter's medical expense fund today? Just click "ChipIn" and you can pay with your credit card or Paypal account.
Scott Offord
If you are interested in helping or learning more, please go to: http://www.scottofford.com/z/peter.html
Feel free to share the link with your friends and family.
Julie and I will continue to keep you updated on this situation.
Sunday, October 28, 2007
on faith, doubt, and the nature of God
so recently I have been convinced that Julie and Lara will come to the USA when I go. I have not a shred of doubt about this...but the embassy hasn't called yet. The stress of life is building - preparing to move, say goodbye, adjust to a new life that we aren't sure of what it yet looks like...
my faith has been running dry. I've been filled will apathy, felt dejection, rejection, and in general sorry for myself.
This morning I was listening to music on the computer, and "How Great Thou Art" came on. Reflecting on the nature of God brought me to tears. "Oh Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds thy hands have made..."
my faith has been running dry. I've been filled will apathy, felt dejection, rejection, and in general sorry for myself.
This morning I was listening to music on the computer, and "How Great Thou Art" came on. Reflecting on the nature of God brought me to tears. "Oh Lord, my God, when I in awesome wonder, consider all the worlds thy hands have made..."
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
expeditious...
That's the manner in which the embassy is willing to handle Julie's visa. We received the following information from Congressman Pomeroy's office this morning:
Thank you for your e-mail dated October 11, 2007. Per correspondence from your office, the National Visa Center (NVC) forwarded an expedite request to the United States Embassy in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic. The response from the Embassy indicates their willingness to process the case in an expeditious manner. The petition filed by Peter Barton Schott on behalf of Julia Dolores Julian De Schott will be forwarded to the United States Embassy in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic shortly. Peter Barton Schott and Julian De Schott will than be notified.So the application is being forwarded to the embassy, and we will receive an interview date shortly thereafter. Please continue to pray for this situation, and be sure to praise and thank God for this praise!
Saturday, July 28, 2007
Enough...
I was reading "My Utmost" again this morning and I learned something - I hate it when that happens. Oswald said, "We must never put our dreams of success as God's purpose for us; His purpose may be exactly the opposite." That flies in the face of my individualistic, goal-centered American upbringing! All too often I am focused on what is God's vision for my life, and even more so focused on what I want for my life.
What does God want? Obedience to him, utter and complete obedience in every way. What do we want? Obedience from God, that he would bend and bow to our every whim and fancy. For further reading, see Galatians 5:17.
After finishing my reading, I went "above and beyond" and read the Scripture passage that Oswald referenced. He referred to Mark 6:45-52. This passage talks about Jesus walking on water after feeding the 5,000. I went on to read the feeding of the 5000 segment, and was struck by something. (I learned two things in one day, I *really* hate that.) The people were and it was late in the day, so the disciples wanted to do the sensible thing - send them away to search for food. Jesus on the other hand, did not like that answer. He told them they should give them something to eat.
I'm a fan of sarcasm. At times it gets me in trouble, but when I see it I can appreciate it because it exposes a nastiness inside of me that gives me further proof that I need God. And yes, I do from time to time need proof. The disciples were being a bit sarcastic (in my opinion) when they responded: "Shall we go and spend two hundred denarii on bread and give them something to eat?" Since two hundred denarii was equivalent to about eight months wages, I don't think this was a serious proposition.
Christ responded by asking them how many loaves they had. The grand total was five (and two fish). You all know the end of the story - Christ divided the people in groups, and began to feed them. Everyone was fed, with leftovers to spare. "They all ate and were satisfied."
Here is what I learned and some thoughts/reflections on this lesson:
We have physical and spiritual needs.
God is aware of these needs and desires to provide for us. In this story, Jesus took care of the spiritual needs first, but did not neglect the practical physical needs of the people.
God provides exactly what we need for any given situation.
There are many references to this in the bible. Daily he provided manna from heaven for the Israelites. In James he tells us that no temptation in front of us is greater than what we can withstand. Paul talked about being content and satisfied in all circumstances. The examples are too numerous to list them all.
Sometimes, God doesn't provide all the earthly means to satisfy, so he might be glorified.
Imagine if the disciples had prepared food for everyone, or had exceeding wealth in order to buy the bread. This miracle would not have happened, God would not have been glorified, and many would not have come to truly know him. Imagine the murmurs in the crowd that day, as they were being divided into groups. I'm sure rumors were floating through the crowd like "they only have five loaves, how will they feed us all?" or "Who is this madman that thinks he can provide for us all with such little food?" even possibly "I'll never be fed, he'll run out before it's my turn."
How many times do we ask these same questions in our own lives? We look at our budget and think there's never enough money for it all. The same goes for the size of our house, condition of our car (or lack thereof), etc, etc. Perhaps you are in a mission or non-profit, wondering how all the services will be provided. Maybe you get angry with God for not providing, wondering why he sent you, wondering if you failed.
None of this is true! God has called you to be right where you are. He provides you with just enough for each day. Think of the manna from heaven - the Israelites received just enough for that day, every day (with the exception of the Sabbath when they received enough the previous day.) Remain obedient to God. Each day wake up and proclaim your obedience to him, then live it out! Look to him (See: Col. 3:1-2; Matt. 6:25-34; Exodus 16:14-35).
What does God want? Obedience to him, utter and complete obedience in every way. What do we want? Obedience from God, that he would bend and bow to our every whim and fancy. For further reading, see Galatians 5:17.
After finishing my reading, I went "above and beyond" and read the Scripture passage that Oswald referenced. He referred to Mark 6:45-52. This passage talks about Jesus walking on water after feeding the 5,000. I went on to read the feeding of the 5000 segment, and was struck by something. (I learned two things in one day, I *really* hate that.) The people were and it was late in the day, so the disciples wanted to do the sensible thing - send them away to search for food. Jesus on the other hand, did not like that answer. He told them they should give them something to eat.
I'm a fan of sarcasm. At times it gets me in trouble, but when I see it I can appreciate it because it exposes a nastiness inside of me that gives me further proof that I need God. And yes, I do from time to time need proof. The disciples were being a bit sarcastic (in my opinion) when they responded: "Shall we go and spend two hundred denarii on bread and give them something to eat?" Since two hundred denarii was equivalent to about eight months wages, I don't think this was a serious proposition.
Christ responded by asking them how many loaves they had. The grand total was five (and two fish). You all know the end of the story - Christ divided the people in groups, and began to feed them. Everyone was fed, with leftovers to spare. "They all ate and were satisfied."
Here is what I learned and some thoughts/reflections on this lesson:
We have physical and spiritual needs.
God is aware of these needs and desires to provide for us. In this story, Jesus took care of the spiritual needs first, but did not neglect the practical physical needs of the people.
God provides exactly what we need for any given situation.
There are many references to this in the bible. Daily he provided manna from heaven for the Israelites. In James he tells us that no temptation in front of us is greater than what we can withstand. Paul talked about being content and satisfied in all circumstances. The examples are too numerous to list them all.
Sometimes, God doesn't provide all the earthly means to satisfy, so he might be glorified.
Imagine if the disciples had prepared food for everyone, or had exceeding wealth in order to buy the bread. This miracle would not have happened, God would not have been glorified, and many would not have come to truly know him. Imagine the murmurs in the crowd that day, as they were being divided into groups. I'm sure rumors were floating through the crowd like "they only have five loaves, how will they feed us all?" or "Who is this madman that thinks he can provide for us all with such little food?" even possibly "I'll never be fed, he'll run out before it's my turn."
How many times do we ask these same questions in our own lives? We look at our budget and think there's never enough money for it all. The same goes for the size of our house, condition of our car (or lack thereof), etc, etc. Perhaps you are in a mission or non-profit, wondering how all the services will be provided. Maybe you get angry with God for not providing, wondering why he sent you, wondering if you failed.
None of this is true! God has called you to be right where you are. He provides you with just enough for each day. Think of the manna from heaven - the Israelites received just enough for that day, every day (with the exception of the Sabbath when they received enough the previous day.) Remain obedient to God. Each day wake up and proclaim your obedience to him, then live it out! Look to him (See: Col. 3:1-2; Matt. 6:25-34; Exodus 16:14-35).
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