Put Your Money Where Your Faith Is

A few months ago when I was down in Salem, Peggy suggested that I dedicate my blog entirely to the topic of Quaker tithing. I think she may have been kidding (it is sometimes hard to tell with her), but clearly I have not chosen to take that route. I think I would probably lose interest in talking about money eventually, and I doubt that even my closest friends and family would keep reading after months of nothing but suggestions that people give to their faith communities.

But today I am all fired up to talk about money again, so consider yourself warned. If you are already giving as much as you can, bless you. If you will not give under any circumstances, you may as well stop reading now because this post is not going to be about some cute Quakerisms or my strange attachment to emo music―for this post at least, it's all tithing, all the time.

Yesterday I received a letter from the treasurer of Freedom Friends Church, letting me know that if the financial situation does not improve, it may not be possible for the church to stay in its current meetinghouse. This made me very sad because I was there when we went through the process of deciding to move, looking for a new place, and negotiating the lease on the building. I know how much work that was. And I think it was a good move because Freedom Friends is growing to fill the space. Freedom Friends is not making any decisions now, but taking the next few months to discern the best direction for the meeting.

As I read this letter, I also had a sense of déjà vu. About a month ago, University Friends Meeting sent out a very similar letter to its members and attenders. Although University Friends does not need money for rent, there are many long overdue repairs and maintenance that the building needs and not enough funds to cover the costs.

Now I am sitting in front of my computer with both letters and a Bible in front of me, trying to figure out why these meetings are in such dire straits. I know the economy is bad, gas prices are up, and everyone is broke, but I think the problem runs deeper than that. I think that this is one situation where the tendency of some Quakers to shy away from biblical language is actually hurting the meetings. Asking members to give donations is not the same as asking them to tithe, and Quaker meetings need members to tithe.

I have met so many Quakers who are absolutely committed to social justice. And in the meetings there are committees and individuals who are doing so much good work. Over the past few months, I have had the opportunity to meet with several committees at University Friends and talk to them about what they do and what they need. I think I can safely say that the top two things committees would like to have is more people and more money.

But it seems like when Quakers give money to support social justice causes, a lot of it goes to organizations other than their meetings. I believe that most meetings would like to do more work in social justice, but they are limited by the funds that they have. It is very difficult to try to change the world when you can't make rent, and that applies to communities as well as individuals.

One of the reasons that we form Quaker meetings is to meet with others who have the same values and goals. If our meetings are not making the changes in the world that we want, we need to fix that. And we need to give as we are able to ensure that the meeting can take care of its own needs as well as meet the needs of others.

When I was discussing tithing with my sister Rachel, she told me that Jesus talked about money more than any other topic. I have not gone through the Gospels to see if she is correct, but it seems likely. The verse that keeps going through my head is the one I have always heard in relation to taxes and tithing: "Give to Caesar what is Caesar's, and to God what is God's." (Matt. 22:21).

As I was thinking about this verse, it occurred to me that money does not mean anything on its own. It is what money represents that is important, whether it is food, shelter, security, or toys. And then I was wondering what we can give to God―it seems like God pretty much has everything already. The answer I have come up with seems too simple to even say: we can give God our faith. God needs us to have faith that even if we give some of our money to the meeting, we will be ok.

So please consider giving some money. It would do the meetings good, and I believe it would do you good too.

Quaker ≠ Amish

Yay for funny Quakers! This post made me laugh out loud repeatedly:

Are The Quakers Amish?

Why I Own a Banjo

After I graduated from college, many people asked me what I had majored in. When I told them I had a degree in literature, their next question was, "Well, what are you planning to do with that?" Much to my parents' chagrin, I did not tell them that I was planning to go to law school (which was true, but still a year away). Instead I said, "Work in a music store." They would laugh, having confirmed their belief that I had a useless degree.

Part of the reason I highlighted the music store plan was because I felt the need to lower everyone's expectations. I also really wanted to separate my literature degree from my law school plans. I did not major in literature with any intention of going to law school; I chose that major because I love literature. It wasn't until I was a senior in college and realized that I could probably do more good in the world as a lawyer than a literature professor that I decided to give law school a try.

Taking a year off and working in a music store was one of the best decisions I ever made. I worked at Tupper & Reed music on Shattuck Avenue in Berkeley, along with other college graduates who had majored in humanities or music and were trying to figure out what to do next. Imagine the characters in High Fidelity, only younger, dirtier, and more frequently high.

I learned some interesting lessons between tuning violins and writing inventory orders. First, I discovered that I had a natural gift for selling pianos (particularly grand pianos). This was especially strange because although I have played the violin since I was five, I couldn't name a single note on the piano keyboard, much less play anything. I also learned that most people who walk into a music store regret they stopped playing an instrument at some point in their life.

I think my recognition of this longing to return to an instrument was my secret to selling so many pianos. Customers wanted music in their lives, especially music that they or their children played. Unlike other instruments, you can't really tuck a piano into a corner or under a bed. Having a piano in your home shows that you are committed to playing music.

When business was slow, we would teach each other how to play instruments. Between us, we had experts on trumpet, flute, percussion, voice, violin, guitar, bass, trombone, embira, and piano. Most employees played more than one instrument and several supplemented their income by teaching students. We also got a really good discount, so we spent a large portion of our paychecks on new instruments that we were trying to learn (hence the banjo).

I recently heard a music teacher bemoaning the fact that parents put their children in music lessons just so that they will be well-rounded. I was thinking about this later and realized that I think that is fine. It doesn't matter why parents want their children to play, the important thing is that they are exposed to music and have a chance to decide whether they want to pursue it. Although I will never be a professional violinist, I am so grateful for all the friends I have made over the years by playing in orchestras. And I feel blessed to have been a part of beautiful music.

In reading through the Bible, I have made it to Solomon. Before re-reading these chapters, I remembered that Solomon was wise, but this passage took me by surprise:

"God gave Solomon wisdom―the deepest of understanding and the largest of hearts . . . He created 3,000 proverbs; his songs added up to 1,005. He knew all about plants, from the huge cedar that grows in Lebanon to the tiny hyssop that grows in the cracks of a wall. He understood everything about animals and birds, reptiles and fish. Sent by kings from all over the earth who had heard of his reputation, people came from far and near to listen to the wisdom of Solomon." (I Kings 4:29-34).

Here is the wisest king of Israel, and he demonstrates his wisdom is writing poems, singing songs, and learning about plants and animals. I believe this is true wisdom and I hope we have not completely lost sight of it.

Death Cab Love

The other day, my Southern Alter Ego was very excited to announce that she had found my future husband:

I told her that I was not opposed to marrying a musician (I like having a lot of time to myself, so a spouse who is on tour a lot seems kind of ideal), but wikipedia says that he is an atheist, so that may be more of a problem. Wikipedia is frequently wrong, though . . .

On a completely different topic, happy birthday Lael!

Apology

My great-uncle just commented on my blog, asking me what I was getting out of revealing my inner thoughts to the world. Before I knew it, I had filled up an entire page of barely legible, hand-written notes. Apparently I get a lot out of it!

Probably the best part of having this blog is that I get to write. It may seem strange that I am so happy about this, considering that my job basically consists of writing all day, but writing here is completely different. It is one place where the writing is entirely my own, for better or worse. I am the only author and editor, I choose the topic, and I can play with language to my heart's content. I get the best and worst of writing―sometimes I am so inspired that I feel like all I have to do is put my hands on the keyboard and the ideas just flow through me, other days I have something I desperately want to say, but can't find the words. Writing for an immediate audience is scary, but exhilarating.

Another thing I get is relief. I tend to be in my head way too much. Here, I have a place to put all of my thoughts and ideas and try to make sense of them. When I write something, I know whether it is true―otherwise it just won't write. Even when something seems bad or strange or overwhelming, I feel better after I have written it out.

It also gives me a way to let friends and family know what is happening in my life. I recently had a conversation with a friend I hadn't spoken to in months and asked whether I had told her that I moved. She said, "Oh yeah, I read about it on your blog!" I had no idea she even knew about my blog. By writing posts and reading friends' blogs and comments, I feel more connected to people I care about, even if they are far away.

Writing regularly changes the way I see things. I feel like I am more aware of what is going on around me and I keep an eye open for new things that I can learn about and incorporate into my writing. Thinking in terms of themes and topics helps me see connections between areas in my life that I probably would not notice otherwise. It also provides a forum to write about things that interest me, whether it is books, music, podcasts, pictures, news, or stories.

When I first started writing this blog, I was ambivalent at best. I thought maybe writing about my faith would mean that I wouldn't have to talk about it as much―I could just point people here if they had questions. The opposite has proven to be true. The more I write about my faith, the more I end up talking about it. Even more surprising, I don't mind. Who knew I had so much to say?

Quaker Runner

I heard Zen defined recently as being absorbed in an activity that takes all your focus. If that definition is accurate, then here is a picture of me being completely Zen.