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Word to the Wise
Romans 14
Pastor Cliff Bowman
Bastian Church of God
Romans 14 speaks to a problem that is still common among believers today: sincere Christians do not always share the same practical convictions. In Paul’s day, some believers felt free to eat meat that may have been connected to idol worship, while others believed it was wrong and avoided it. Some regarded certain days as especially important, while others saw all days alike. Paul’s instruction was not for believers to despise or judge one another, but to receive one another as those whom God has received. The issue was not merely food or holy days; it was the heart attitude of believers toward one another in matters of conscience.
The practical lesson for us today is that Christian liberty must always be governed by Christian love. We may differ over matters such as entertainment, traditions, dress, holidays, music, or personal standards, but we must not allow those differences to become reasons for pride, criticism, or division. The believer who feels freedom should not look down on the one who is more cautious, and the believer who feels restrained should not condemn the one who has liberty. Instead, each of us should seek to honor the Lord with a clear conscience and be willing to limit our freedom if it might cause another believer to stumble.
Romans 14 reminds us that the kingdom of God is not built on winning arguments over secondary matters, but on righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit. A mature church is not one where everyone has identical preferences, but one where believers love one another deeply, respect one another’s consciences, and pursue what builds up the body of Christ. In a divided world, the church has an opportunity to show a better way: holding truth firmly, practicing freedom humbly, and choosing love over self-interest.
If you are not a Christian here are the ABCs to being one:
Admit you are a sinner in need of a savior.
Believe that Jesus died for you and rose again from the dead.
Confess your sins to God, ask Him to forgive you and commit your life to follow Him.
Light One Candle
From ‘Catholic Lite’ to Catholic Light (copy)
Tony Rossi
Columnist
Former news anchor and broadcast journalist Tracy Davidson refers to her religious upbringing as “Catholic lite.” But as she got older, she found herself becoming both a recipient and sharer of Catholic light, which came to illuminate her actions and perspective on life. We discussed her spiritual growth, her illustrious career, and her new mission to reach people in a more personal way on “Christopher Closeup.”
Tracy and her two siblings grew up with parents who had substance abuse and mental health issues. Still, she credits her mother with doing the best she could to plant the “seeds” of faith. “I received all the sacraments, and those seeds were deeply rooted,” Tracy recalled.
Those seeds only started blossoming about 20 years ago when Tracy felt drawn to grow closer to God and to study her faith more deeply. At first, she joined some friends for a Christian Bible study, then tried to find a Catholic Bible study group that fit into her busy work schedule at NBC 10 in Philadelphia, but she was unsuccessful. “Then I just started studying the Bible at home on my kitchen table early in the morning,” Tracy said. That led to a desire to pursue a degree in the area of religion, so she earned a Religious Studies certificate at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary and got her master’s in Holistic Spirituality at Chestnut Hill College.
After earning that final degree, someone asked Tracy why she pursued it. She answered, “Because I wanted to talk to people about God’s love, but I didn’t think that people would listen to the girl on TV, admittedly, Catholic lite, [who didn’t] know much about all the rules.”
This person inquired again, “Okay, but why?” This time, Tracy responded, “Because there is no other explanation but God’s love that my brother, my sister, and I are all living productive, happy, healthy lives. I credit the Lord.”
“I always did believe that the future could be better,” Tracy added, referencing her troubled home life in her youth. “I can think back…going to 5:00 Mass, and I was part of the guitar group where I sang. I always felt incredibly peaceful at Mass. There was something inside me, the message was always that it was going to get better. And I tell people that today. Whether I’m talking in spiritual terms or not, I say, ‘You get to decide how you’re going to view the future, and I’m going to always choose hope.'”
After 40 years working in news, Tracy recently stepped away from that job to focus on public speaking and mentoring young women. Faith remains a focus of her life and work, though. She even received the John Cardinal Foley Award for Excellence in Communications from St. Charles Borromeo Seminary.
She said, “Even though I didn’t go the pastoral counseling route, I feel like I had a lot of classes in that, and I feel well-prepared to journey with anyone up the mountain regardless of their spiritual tradition, whatever they’re facing. [Also], I just delivered a commencement address, and I quoted one of my favorite songs. The lyrics are, ‘God put a million doors in the world for His love to walk through. One of those doors is you.’ I actually used that in a commencement address at Ursinus College, which is an incredibly diverse community…I said, regardless of your spiritual tradition, that holds true. We’re all called to love one another and to serve one another.”
For free copies of the Christopher News Note Talking to God: Everyday Prayer For Everyday People, write: The Christophers, 264 West 40th Street, Room 603, New York, NY 10018; or e-mail: mail@christophers.org.
Efforts helping farmers expand
The Nature Conservancy and partners announced the launch of the Expanding Agroforestry Project, an effort to help U.S. farmers strengthen their operations, diversify revenue, and improve land health. Eligible producers throughout the 30-state project area are invited to apply for financial and technical support to adopt agroforestry practices—the intentional integration of trees and shrubs with crops and livestock.
Farmers interested in applying or learning more, visit: nature.org/ExpandingAgroforestry. The current application window is through Aug. 11.
The Expanding Agroforestry Project is a three-year effort funded through the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Advancing Markets for Producers initiative and led by TNC in collaboration with a network of partners including six regional leads: Hawai‘i ‘Ulu Cooperative, Propagate, Savanna Institute, Tuskegee University, the University of Missouri Center for Agroforestry, and Virginia Tech.
Participating farmers are eligible to receive incentive payments from a $39 million fund. They will also have access to regionally tailored technical assistance and peer learning opportunities with the aim of establishing tens of thousands of acres of new agroforestry plantings. Project partners are also working to strengthen markets for agroforestry products such as nuts, fruits, and timber, as well as livestock raised in pastures with planted trees.
“Farmers are land stewards to the core, and this project is an opportunity to recognize and support their transformative stewardship efforts.” said Graham Savio, agroforestry program manager for TNC’s North America Agriculture Program. “In collaboration with our partners, we want to make it easier for producers to adopt proven stewardship practices by providing the financial support, technical expertise, and market connections they need to succeed.”
Agroforestry is used on less than 2% of U.S. farmland, but millions of acres of working lands are well-suited to support plantings. This project focuses on the near-term opportunity of helping eligible farmers put agroforestry practices to work on their lands today, while building a nationwide model for large-scale adoption in the future. The result: stronger, more resilient farming operations and benefits for soil, water and wildlife.
"Most farmers already want trees on their land,” said Ethan Steinberg, co-founder and CEO at Propagate, an EAP regional lead. "What’s stopped them is financing and the years before a new planting pays off. This project changes that math, so that growers across the country now have the support to plant with confidence, knowing their land and their livelihood can both come out ahead."
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