Not A Cup But A Cow
Stories
Object:
Contents
What's Up This Week
"Not a Cup but a Cow" by Frank Ramirez
"Compassion at Work" by Argile Smith
What's Up This Week
Christ calls us to be compassionate and giving in a world of cruelty and greed. In "Not a Cup but a Cow," we see how one man's compassion for those in need, even those considered enemies, was able to affect countless lives around the world. While we may be compassionate and giving, there are many in the world who would take advantage of that, as seen in "Compassion at Work." How should that affect our compassion? Will one act of deceit rob us of our calling to love and serve those in need?
* * * * * * * * *
Not a Cup but a Cow
By Frank Ramirez
Matthew 14:13-21
When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves." Jesus said to them, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat."
-- Matthew 14:15-16
Dan West (1893-1971), a Christian aid worker in Spain in 1936 during their Civil War, agonized over the life-and-death decisions involving the cups of powdered milk he gave to starving children. It was never enough, and infants that received no milk died. He realized, "These children don't need a cup, they need a cow." If only, he thought to himself, he could bring some of the cows from his native Indiana to hungry people then they could produce their own milk. Then he wondered -- why not do exactly that?
Then he got another idea: Why not send impregnated cows so those who received the gift of life in the name of Jesus Christ could pass it along to another and become part of the chain?
When he first approached Christian aid groups in England with the idea, there was some enthusiasm, until he explained that he intended to feed people on both sides of the coming World War. Christians refused to help.
When West returned home to Indiana in 1938 he told dairy farmers who belonged to his denomination, the Church of the Brethren, about his idea. Some were frightened by his idea and called him a communist. In those days, that word could destroy a person's reputation. However, others thought the idea was so good and so obvious that they wondered why no one had thought of it earlier. Cows were quickly donated by the Indiana farmers. The first three were named Faith, Hope, and Charity. It took a while for the program to get off the ground, and the first cows actually went to Puerto Rico, rather than Europe where they were intended. But when World War II ended, West and the others began to wage peace. Animals were shipped to people on both sides of the conflict.
In order to get those animals across the ocean, farm boys were recruited to care for them on the long voyage. Many of these young men had never traveled more than a few miles from their homes in isolated rural area, but they wanted to help a world that was suffering the ravages of war. They were given the name "seagoing cowboys." Horses, cows, goats, and other farm animals were lowered below decks. It proved to be a difficult job keeping them alive.
Having arrived in Europe, the seagoing cowboys were shocked at the sad state of affairs in Europe. Many cities were reduced to rubble. But their gifts, especially to the conquered German people, restored hope and faith among many. That someone they did not know would give them the gift of a living animal that could provide milk for starving children was almost incomprehensible.
One of the hallmarks of the program was that the animals themselves were impregnated, and it was expected that the recipient family would pass along the first born to another family, always in the name of Christ. In this way, those who received help became partners in the relief effort.
The program, known then as Heifer Project, and later as Heifer Project International, and now as Heifer International, grew. Although originally a service provided by one denomination, many churches were invited to join in what became an ecumenical organization.
Millions of animals of all sorts have been given to people in 128 different countries, but the mission -- providing a future with hope by working in partnership with the hungry to help provide a long-term source of food in the name of Jesus, has remained unchanged.
Dan West remained committed to relieving world hunger in the name of Jesus to the end of his days. It used to drive his family crazy because he proclaimed on his birthdays, "I will not eat cake while the rest of the world goes without bread." They would beg him to change his mind. Why couldn't he just break down and have a piece? It's not like even a single person would be fed if he went without. But he was adamant.
Some might say it was ridiculous. Just like when our parents told us to eat our lima beans because the children in "Ruritania" were going without food. Yet -- it matters if we are demonstrating our concern, living our hope. Prophets need to live their message. It matters when we show solidarity with others who are suffering. There are times when we should neither have our cake nor eat it.
As mentioned earlier, there was a good deal of skepticism at the beginning. The fact is, every idea goes through three basic stages. Stage 1 is "It will never work." Stage 2 is "It might work, but it's not worth doing." Stage 3 is "I'm glad I thought of it."
What can stop this current generation from becoming the next Greatest Generation? Only us, of course. Especially when we decide for youth what the next great task of the church and our church should be. I want to quote a paragraph written by Dan West. Here's what he wrote:
"The energy of youth is abundant, and it shows in a dozen ways. It may go in a dozen directions, too, or it may be guided, but it must have action. However, we cannot give them our tasks. In a large measure their activity must be their own. They want to be persons, not things. We do well to respect those whom we would guide to more abundant life."
Frank Ramirez is a native of Southern California and has served as a pastor for nearly thirty years in Church of the Brethren congregations. Frank has served congregations in Los Angeles, California; Elkhart, Indiana; and Everett, Pennsylvania. He and his wife Jennie share three adult children, all married, and three grandchildren. He enjoys writing, reading, exercise, and theater.
Compassion at Work
By Argile Smith
Matthew 14:13-21; Psalm 17:1-7, 15
George had the good fortune to make plenty of money in the first half of his life. He had a knack for business and he didn't mind working hard. Having been raised in near poverty, he knew about being hungry, sick, and poor. Somewhere along the way toward adulthood, he climbed over the wall of his oppressive situation and made something valuable of himself. He was the quintessential self-made man.
But as the second half of his life rolled around, he lost interest in building an empire. Instead, he turned his attention to putting his money to work so other people could climb over the wall to a better life. Developing a foundation through which he could carry out his work, he set out to give away much of his wealth to causes that would help people break out of poverty.
One day he received a letter from a man named Les who needed some help. In the letter, Les shared the sad story of his daughter who had been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. The disease had taken almost all of her childhood and left her in almost constant agony. The treatments to cure her had taken a terrible toll on her body and, of course, on the family checkbook. Les elaborated that the previous Christmas had been meager for his daughter because most of their resources had to be spent on his little girl's medical care. He ended the letter with a plea for help.
Something about the letter captured George's attention and gripped his heart. Perhaps he hadn't read a letter like it in a while, or maybe he recalled the number of Christmas trees he had seen in his house when he was little boy that had no presents under them. The more he read the letter about Les' daughter, the more something inside him moved him to pull out his own checkbook and write a check for a generous amount to help her and her family. Then he instructed his assistant to mail the check to the return address on the envelope that contained Les' letter to him.
Months passed, and George hadn't heard anything from Les about his daughter's situation. Even though George had plenty of initiatives to occupy his attention, he still couldn't get the little girl and her poor health off his mind. One day he decided to find out how she was doing, so he asked his assistant to get some updated information on her condition.
After a few hours, his assistant finished the investigation and gave George a disappointing report. After investigating the matter, George's assistant had discovered that everything Les had said about his daughter was a total lie. Although Les lived at the address indicated on the return address of the envelope, he didn't have a daughter who was sick. In fact, he didn't have a daughter at all. He lived by himself.
George had been taken by a slick con artist. His assistant reported that Les had a history of scamming people like George out of money. Although he had been caught a couple of times, he always managed to weasel his way past the legal system. The gift George sent had been spent all right, but not to care for a sick child.
After George heard the report, he sat in silence for a moment. And then he said, "I'm glad that the little girl doesn't really have cancer." Then he thanked his assistant for helping him and went on with his work.
Jesus fed 5,000 people because he felt compassion for them (Matthew 14:14). The psalmist asked God to show his lovingkindness -- or compassion (Psalm 7:7). Compassion comes from God's heart, and it flows into his people who share his heart.
Argile Smith is vice president for advancement at William Carey University in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He previously served at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS) as a preaching professor, chairman of the Division of Pastoral Ministries, and director of the communications center. While at NOTBS, Smith regularly hosted the Gateway to Truth program on the FamilyNet television network. He has also been the pastor of several congregations in Louisiana and Mississippi. Smith's articles have been widely published in church periodicals, and he is the author or editor of four books.
**********************************************
How to Share Stories
You have good stories to share, probably more than you know: personal stories as well as stories from others that you have used over the years. If you have a story you like, whether fictional or "really happened," authored by you or a brief excerpt from a favorite book, send it to StoryShare for review. Simply email the story to us at storyshare@sermonsuite.com.
**************
StoryShare, August 3, 2008, issue.
Copyright 2008 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 517 South Main Street, Lima, Ohio 45804.
What's Up This Week
"Not a Cup but a Cow" by Frank Ramirez
"Compassion at Work" by Argile Smith
What's Up This Week
Christ calls us to be compassionate and giving in a world of cruelty and greed. In "Not a Cup but a Cow," we see how one man's compassion for those in need, even those considered enemies, was able to affect countless lives around the world. While we may be compassionate and giving, there are many in the world who would take advantage of that, as seen in "Compassion at Work." How should that affect our compassion? Will one act of deceit rob us of our calling to love and serve those in need?
* * * * * * * * *
Not a Cup but a Cow
By Frank Ramirez
Matthew 14:13-21
When it was evening, the disciples came to him and said, "This is a deserted place, and the hour is now late; send the crowds away so that they may go into the villages and buy food for themselves." Jesus said to them, "They need not go away; you give them something to eat."
-- Matthew 14:15-16
Dan West (1893-1971), a Christian aid worker in Spain in 1936 during their Civil War, agonized over the life-and-death decisions involving the cups of powdered milk he gave to starving children. It was never enough, and infants that received no milk died. He realized, "These children don't need a cup, they need a cow." If only, he thought to himself, he could bring some of the cows from his native Indiana to hungry people then they could produce their own milk. Then he wondered -- why not do exactly that?
Then he got another idea: Why not send impregnated cows so those who received the gift of life in the name of Jesus Christ could pass it along to another and become part of the chain?
When he first approached Christian aid groups in England with the idea, there was some enthusiasm, until he explained that he intended to feed people on both sides of the coming World War. Christians refused to help.
When West returned home to Indiana in 1938 he told dairy farmers who belonged to his denomination, the Church of the Brethren, about his idea. Some were frightened by his idea and called him a communist. In those days, that word could destroy a person's reputation. However, others thought the idea was so good and so obvious that they wondered why no one had thought of it earlier. Cows were quickly donated by the Indiana farmers. The first three were named Faith, Hope, and Charity. It took a while for the program to get off the ground, and the first cows actually went to Puerto Rico, rather than Europe where they were intended. But when World War II ended, West and the others began to wage peace. Animals were shipped to people on both sides of the conflict.
In order to get those animals across the ocean, farm boys were recruited to care for them on the long voyage. Many of these young men had never traveled more than a few miles from their homes in isolated rural area, but they wanted to help a world that was suffering the ravages of war. They were given the name "seagoing cowboys." Horses, cows, goats, and other farm animals were lowered below decks. It proved to be a difficult job keeping them alive.
Having arrived in Europe, the seagoing cowboys were shocked at the sad state of affairs in Europe. Many cities were reduced to rubble. But their gifts, especially to the conquered German people, restored hope and faith among many. That someone they did not know would give them the gift of a living animal that could provide milk for starving children was almost incomprehensible.
One of the hallmarks of the program was that the animals themselves were impregnated, and it was expected that the recipient family would pass along the first born to another family, always in the name of Christ. In this way, those who received help became partners in the relief effort.
The program, known then as Heifer Project, and later as Heifer Project International, and now as Heifer International, grew. Although originally a service provided by one denomination, many churches were invited to join in what became an ecumenical organization.
Millions of animals of all sorts have been given to people in 128 different countries, but the mission -- providing a future with hope by working in partnership with the hungry to help provide a long-term source of food in the name of Jesus, has remained unchanged.
Dan West remained committed to relieving world hunger in the name of Jesus to the end of his days. It used to drive his family crazy because he proclaimed on his birthdays, "I will not eat cake while the rest of the world goes without bread." They would beg him to change his mind. Why couldn't he just break down and have a piece? It's not like even a single person would be fed if he went without. But he was adamant.
Some might say it was ridiculous. Just like when our parents told us to eat our lima beans because the children in "Ruritania" were going without food. Yet -- it matters if we are demonstrating our concern, living our hope. Prophets need to live their message. It matters when we show solidarity with others who are suffering. There are times when we should neither have our cake nor eat it.
As mentioned earlier, there was a good deal of skepticism at the beginning. The fact is, every idea goes through three basic stages. Stage 1 is "It will never work." Stage 2 is "It might work, but it's not worth doing." Stage 3 is "I'm glad I thought of it."
What can stop this current generation from becoming the next Greatest Generation? Only us, of course. Especially when we decide for youth what the next great task of the church and our church should be. I want to quote a paragraph written by Dan West. Here's what he wrote:
"The energy of youth is abundant, and it shows in a dozen ways. It may go in a dozen directions, too, or it may be guided, but it must have action. However, we cannot give them our tasks. In a large measure their activity must be their own. They want to be persons, not things. We do well to respect those whom we would guide to more abundant life."
Frank Ramirez is a native of Southern California and has served as a pastor for nearly thirty years in Church of the Brethren congregations. Frank has served congregations in Los Angeles, California; Elkhart, Indiana; and Everett, Pennsylvania. He and his wife Jennie share three adult children, all married, and three grandchildren. He enjoys writing, reading, exercise, and theater.
Compassion at Work
By Argile Smith
Matthew 14:13-21; Psalm 17:1-7, 15
George had the good fortune to make plenty of money in the first half of his life. He had a knack for business and he didn't mind working hard. Having been raised in near poverty, he knew about being hungry, sick, and poor. Somewhere along the way toward adulthood, he climbed over the wall of his oppressive situation and made something valuable of himself. He was the quintessential self-made man.
But as the second half of his life rolled around, he lost interest in building an empire. Instead, he turned his attention to putting his money to work so other people could climb over the wall to a better life. Developing a foundation through which he could carry out his work, he set out to give away much of his wealth to causes that would help people break out of poverty.
One day he received a letter from a man named Les who needed some help. In the letter, Les shared the sad story of his daughter who had been diagnosed with a rare form of cancer. The disease had taken almost all of her childhood and left her in almost constant agony. The treatments to cure her had taken a terrible toll on her body and, of course, on the family checkbook. Les elaborated that the previous Christmas had been meager for his daughter because most of their resources had to be spent on his little girl's medical care. He ended the letter with a plea for help.
Something about the letter captured George's attention and gripped his heart. Perhaps he hadn't read a letter like it in a while, or maybe he recalled the number of Christmas trees he had seen in his house when he was little boy that had no presents under them. The more he read the letter about Les' daughter, the more something inside him moved him to pull out his own checkbook and write a check for a generous amount to help her and her family. Then he instructed his assistant to mail the check to the return address on the envelope that contained Les' letter to him.
Months passed, and George hadn't heard anything from Les about his daughter's situation. Even though George had plenty of initiatives to occupy his attention, he still couldn't get the little girl and her poor health off his mind. One day he decided to find out how she was doing, so he asked his assistant to get some updated information on her condition.
After a few hours, his assistant finished the investigation and gave George a disappointing report. After investigating the matter, George's assistant had discovered that everything Les had said about his daughter was a total lie. Although Les lived at the address indicated on the return address of the envelope, he didn't have a daughter who was sick. In fact, he didn't have a daughter at all. He lived by himself.
George had been taken by a slick con artist. His assistant reported that Les had a history of scamming people like George out of money. Although he had been caught a couple of times, he always managed to weasel his way past the legal system. The gift George sent had been spent all right, but not to care for a sick child.
After George heard the report, he sat in silence for a moment. And then he said, "I'm glad that the little girl doesn't really have cancer." Then he thanked his assistant for helping him and went on with his work.
Jesus fed 5,000 people because he felt compassion for them (Matthew 14:14). The psalmist asked God to show his lovingkindness -- or compassion (Psalm 7:7). Compassion comes from God's heart, and it flows into his people who share his heart.
Argile Smith is vice president for advancement at William Carey University in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. He previously served at New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary (NOBTS) as a preaching professor, chairman of the Division of Pastoral Ministries, and director of the communications center. While at NOTBS, Smith regularly hosted the Gateway to Truth program on the FamilyNet television network. He has also been the pastor of several congregations in Louisiana and Mississippi. Smith's articles have been widely published in church periodicals, and he is the author or editor of four books.
**********************************************
How to Share Stories
You have good stories to share, probably more than you know: personal stories as well as stories from others that you have used over the years. If you have a story you like, whether fictional or "really happened," authored by you or a brief excerpt from a favorite book, send it to StoryShare for review. Simply email the story to us at storyshare@sermonsuite.com.
**************
StoryShare, August 3, 2008, issue.
Copyright 2008 by CSS Publishing Company, Inc., Lima, Ohio.
All rights reserved. Subscribers to the StoryShare service may print and use this material as it was intended in sermons, in worship and classroom settings, in brief devotions, in radio spots, and as newsletter fillers. No additional permission is required from the publisher for such use by subscribers only. Inquiries should be addressed to permissions@csspub.com or to Permissions, CSS Publishing Company, Inc., 517 South Main Street, Lima, Ohio 45804.
