Dear Family and Friends,
 
I started experiencing heart palpitations about two weeks ago. Not knowing what was going on was a bit scary.
 
The doctor said the EKG and blood tests showed nothing unusual. So, he referred me to a cardiologist – – who’s unable to see me until two months from now. 
 
As I gave a message at a memorial over the weekend, thoughts of my own memorial kept flashing through my head. Will I live long enough to make my appointment?
 
Thankfully our son identified the culprit. The eye drops prescribed for my cataract surgeries have a side effect – heart palpitations.
 
Why am I sharing this story?
 
To raise awareness about unwanted side effects.
 
Jesus taught about eyes in His Sermon on the Mount.
 
“The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light.
 
But if your eyes are unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness.
 
If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!”  Matthew 6:22-23 NIV
 
This passage sounds logical, but it leaves many of us wondering – what was Jesus really trying to say…
 
This passage happens to be sandwiched between Jesus’ teaching about treasures on earth (vv. 19-21) and money (v. 24).
 
Jesus was warning against materialism, the belief that having possessions and money are the most important things in life, more so than spiritual values.
 
Jesus calls materialism a sin of the eye, a sin like no other.
 
We’re unable to see a sin of the eye, similar to how we’re unable to see our own eyes.
 
Jesus was warning that we can’t see if we’ve fallen under the grip of materialism.
 
Tariffs, and its ripple effect on our cost of living, have been dominating the news for the past four months. It seems we can’t go a day without someone telling us we’re doomed.
 
But let me share this thought: The news we’re reading or watching to keep informed, comes with side effects.
 
We get upset about the tariffs, and blame the price increases and uncertainty on materialism.
 
Meanwhile, we fail to recognize a side effect – that it’s our own materialism that’s causing our frustrations. We’re upset that the tariffs are costing us our money!
 
As a result we do what many others are doing – we slow down our spending.
 
Generally speaking, whether we are retired or working, we’re all on fixed incomes. We should watch our spending.
 
But herein lurks another side effect. Through all this disruption, we’re only thinking about ourselves.
 
It’s hard to love or even think about others when we’re consumed by perceived problems.
 
We will always have the poor with us (according to Jesus, not me). They who have less will suffer more. Let’s not forget them.
 
Allow me to now close with something I would never say if I were still pastoring a church: While I encourage you to cut back where you can, please maintain your giving to the local church.
 
Why?
 
Our giving to the church should come from our first fruits, like that of Abel.
 
Genesis 4:3 (NIV) says Cain brought “some of the fruits of the soil as an offering to the Lord.” 
 
Abel “also brought an offering—fat portions from some of the firstborn of his flock.
 
The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering.”  Genesis 4:4 NIV
 
The church is one of the best places to pool our resources and help those who otherwise cannot help themselves.
 
Finally, in case you’re wondering, my heart is back to normal.
 
In love always,