An encouraging day…
My wife and I returned home from meeting with the church around 3:00 this afternoon. The last 4 – 5 hours have been very encouraging. There are many things that I could write about this morning and afternoon, but one story in particular stands out to me.
After our morning meeting, we break for a few minutes to allow people to talk and fellowship. Then, after about 30 minutes to an hour – depending on how talkative people are – some people leave while others stay to have lunch together.
As one couple was leaving, they met an older lady on the street who asked them for money for food. They didn’t have money, but they invited her back inside to have lunch with those of us who were staying. (First, it was very encouraging that they felt comfortable inviting this lady to share lunch with other people. We try to treat each other as family, and that’s exactly what they did!)
When this couple brought the lady back upstairs where we were meeting, I immediately recognized her. Her name is Rita, and she’s a professional pan-handler. She goes around from place to place and asks for money. Her story has always been the same in the two years that I’ve known her: she’s recently lost her job; she’s recently had the flu; she wants a few dollars to buy groceries. If you offer to buy food for her, she’ll begin to ask for more and more.
I’ve bought her food before, gave her a ride home, and offered to help her find a job and to help her with financial planning. She wasn’t interested in any of that – she just wanted the money or the food.
I talked to Rita for a few minutes – she told me the same story. I mentioned that I had talked with her before, but instead of condemning her, I invited her to stay for lunch. I told her that my wife had made chicken salad and that she was welcomed to join us. I told her that we would be eating in a few minutes. She said she would come back in a few minutes to eat with us, and she left. I did not expect to see her again, and I didn’t. I explained the situation to the young couple, and thanked them for caring about Rita and bringing her back in for food. I told them that they did the right thing.
A few minutes later, another brother came in to have lunch with us. He was not able to meet with us that morning because he was giving a man a ride to the hospital to visit his dad. This man’s dad was in ICU and they were taking him off of the ventilator this morning. I’m glad that my friend decided to minister to this family instead of meeting with us this morning.
When my friend sat down to eat lunch with us, he told us he witnessed another conversation between Rita and another man who had been meeting with us, but could not stay for lunch. As this man was talking with Rita, he recognized something about her. He begin to tell her that he had once struggled with alcoholism, and that he thought she was struggling with that as well. He explained how he was able to withstand the temptation to get drunk because of the indwelling Holy Spirit. He then shared the good news of Jesus Christ with her. He also invited her to come in and eat with us as well – even though she rejected the gospel – and told her that she is always welcomed to join us, either for our church meeting or for lunch afterwards.
I am so glad that God has surrounded me with brothers and sisters who truly care for people. Both the young couple and the man was concerned that Rita said that she needed something to eat, and both attempted to meet her need. While I know the young couple was concerned about her relationship with God, they did not have an opportunity to say anything because she left. But, our brother found a way to connect with her through their mutual struggles with sin, and used it as an opportunity to care for her spiritual needs as well as her physical needs.
I pray that God will continue to give us opportunities to serve him by loving other people.
Excited about today
I’m excited about today, Saturday, October 25, 2008, for several reasons. [Thanks for the correction, Scott!]
First, our family and another family have been regularly spending time in a government assisted housing development on Saturday mornings, and occasionally at other times as needs arise. I have not been able to spend time in this neighborhood on the last two Saturdays because I was out of time one week, and my family was sick the next week. So, I’m excited to see the neighbors again.
Second, I’m excited because several people have expressed interest in joining us this weekend. I don’t want to build a huge “Saturday morning ministry”, but I do believe that as people serve God and love others, he will give them more and more opportunities to serve and love. So, while these people may not continue to go with us on Saturday mornings, I do believe that they will get more involved in other people’s lives because of their willingness to start serving. (In fact, I would prefer they spend time in another neighborhood, or in the same neighborhood but on another day.)
Third, I’m excited because a couple has expressed interest in teaching a Bible study in this neighborhood. This is something that I – and some of the neighbors – have been praying about for several weeks. Hopefully, we’ll be able to introduce this couple to some of the neighbors, and they’ll also be able to spend time in the neighborhood with the purpose of teaching Scripture.
So, whatever happens today – and today is certainly in the hands of God, not my hands – I’m excited about the prospects and the opportunities.
Serving or being served? Loving or being loved?
As I’ve mentioned several times, my family spends time in a local government assisted housing development. We’ve become friends with some of the residents, and we’re still getting acquainted with others. Of course, we started spending time in this neighborhood because we desired to serve and love the residents.
Last weekend, Margaret and I and some friends visited one of the neighborhood residents in the hospital. She talked about how much she appreciated getting to know us all, and she thanked us repeatedly for serving and loving her. The funny thing is, it seems to me that she serves and loves us more than we do her. It seems that I’m learning more from her than she could possibly be learning from me.
So, I wasn’t surprised when I read what Brandon at “Eleutheros” wrote in a post called “Muhammad“. Apparently, Brandon has been spending time in an apartment complex in which many refugees live. He has recently met a young boy named Muhammad who has been a trouble maker. This is part of what Brandon wrote:
Last night, he was glued to me. I found out last week that both his mother and father physically abuse him, they yell at him rather than speaking to him and his father is very distant…when he’s not hitting him. He was like a completely different kid last night. He did have some moments, but he sat right down beside me and actually listened to the lesson. As we sat there, he put both of his arms around my right arm and his head on my shoulder as he listened to the story of Joseph. Again, my comfort zone was BLOWN WIDE OPEN! In our culture, guys don’t do that with men they don’t really know…or with guys they DO know. (In Africa this is not unusual behavior for boys or men) But the Holy Spirit reminded me that this kid is SO hungry to get attention and that he needs to see how God loves him. So I sat there with him until we were through with the lesson. Honestly, it was amazing. This kid who was one of the main reasons I didn’t want to do this is being knitted to me by God. It’s very humbling because my attitude was, “I’ll go, but I’m NOT going to deal with this Muhammad kid God, he’s your problem to deal with!”. I can see God smiling and saying, “Really?”. Last night when it was time to go, I went to give him a high five and he asked for a hug. He also wanted to know when I was coming back. This is nothing less than an act of God. I’m excited about what He is doing and what He is going to do in and through us in Clarkston.
I noticed that Brandon is dealing with the same issues that I’m dealing with. He went to this apartment complex to teach and love children. But, instead, he is the one who is being taught and he is the one who is being loved.
It is amazing how much God can teach us when we begin to give or serve or love just a little – when we actually start obeying him. I’ve also noticed that it is difficult to learn about serving and loving while you’re only reading about it or talking about it.
Lessons from the Trail 4 – Burdens
In this series, I’m writing about life lessons that I learned while hiking part of the Appalachian Trail with my son and two friends. This “Life Lesson” is about bearing burdens.
At the end of the first day of our hike – after 9 miles – my legs starting hurting. The next day started fine. But after a few miles, we began hiking uphill. I found out that I could not pick my foot up to take a step up because of the pain in my thighs. I could walk on level ground, and I could walk downhill, but I could not walk well when we were going uphill. And, unfortunately, for the next several miles, we were walking uphill.
I slowly made my way up a few hills, and climbed over some rock outcroppings. But, my legs started hurting even worse as I forced them to do something that they did not want to do. Eventually, the other three people in my group took my backpack so that it would be easier for me to walk. It was still painful, but it was not as painful.
So, for a few miles, until we turned downhill, I did not carry a backpack, and the other three (mostly Jim) took turns carrying two backpacks.
I have to admit that this was very hard for me. I like to serve others, and it is difficult for me to be served. However, it was better for me as an individual, and better for the group, for them to carry my pack while I did not carry a pack.
From that difficult afternoon, God clearly taught me about this passage:
Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks he is something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one test his own work, and then his reason to boast will be in himself alone and not in his neighbor. For each will have to bear his own load. (Galatians 6:2-5 ESV)
I could have refused to admit that I had leg problems – but, of course, it was obvious to everyone that I was walking slower and slower. I could have refused their help. They could have refused to help. But, because I admitted my own weaknesses, and because they helped me instead of condemning me, we were able to continue walking together.
Note that they could not relieve me of my “load” – my leg pain. My legs continued to hurt, and there was nothing that I could do about that. However, they could bear my “burdens”, so that I could walk more easily under that “load”.
I think this is one of the most important lessons that God taught me on the trail. It was a difficult and painful lesson, but an important one. Today, we often refuse to admit our problems. This is the sin of pride. Our pride tells us that we must seem to have it all together to those around us. We can’t seem weak or needy.
Since we don’t know one another, others cannot recognize our problems and weaknesses. This is also a sin, related to refusing to love one another. When we love another, we give up our own time in order to focus on others so that we can get to know them. Instead, we walk along carrying a burden alone when God has provided others to help us.
Even when we recognize someone’s problems or weaknesses, we tend to condemn or ridicule that person instead of coming along site that person and helping them to bear that burden. This is also a sin – the sin of refusing to love or refusing to accept a brother or sister. Many times, we simply don’t care about the person enough to help them. Other times, we’re afraid that if we bear someone else’s burden, then our own burden (plans, desires, goals, etc.) will not be accomplished. We put our own life and growth ahead of the life and growth of the community.
Do you know people in the church enough to recognize when they need help with a burden? Do you care enough to offer help? Are you willing to ask for help yourself?
————————————————————–
Lessons from the Trail:
1. Introduction
2. Preparation
3. Watching
4. Burdens
5. Leaders
Wondering…
A few days ago, my friend Eric, from “Hammer and Nail“, linked to a video in a post called “Watch this Desiring God Video about James 3“. The video, if you haven’t seen it, or didn’t go to the link to watch it, shows a family getting ready to “go to church”. They are yelling at one another all morning, then they walk through the front doors of the church building and begin smiling. The video even shows the father raising his hand while singing a song.
I realize that the purpose of this video (given the reference to James 3) is to show how we praise God with our mouth and curse others with our mouth, too. In fact, from the comments on Eric’s blog, it seems that yelling at one another on Sunday morning seems to be fairly typical.
But, for me, the video raised different questions. In fact, I looked at this from a different perspective.
I expect people to sin, and I’m surprised when they do not sin. I expect for there to be conflict in relationships (even close families). I expect for parents to yell at their children sometimes, and I expect children to yell at their parents sometimes. Notice, I’m not saying that this type of behavior is godly or right, but I’m saying that it is part of our human nature. Since we don’t always live according to the Spirit, our human nature will often rise to the surface.
So, if we sin – and we do – then why do we feel that we have to pretend – put on a fake smile – when we get together with the church? Shouldn’t the church be people who accept us as we are, because that’s the way that God accepts us in Christ? Shouldn’t the church be the people who love us in spite of our sin and problems? Shouldn’t the church know us better than anyone else, and even know about our faults, our weaknesses, and our sins, and yet love us anyway?
So, these are the questions I’ve been wondering about: 1) Why do we find it so easy to pretend when we are among the church? 2) Why do we find it necessary to pretend when we are among the church?
I think something is wrong with this picture. What is wrong? Are we willing to do something about it?
More Blog Action Day posts
Here are a few posts for Blog Action Day from blogs that I follow:
Jeff at “Losing My Religion: Re-Thinking Church” with “Teach a Man to Fish (and Other Things We Say to Make Ourselves Feel Better)“
Joe at “More Than Cake” with “Blog Action Day: Poverty and the Christian Mission“
Jeff at “Thoughts From Jeff” with “Poverty: Where is the Faith Community?“
Travis at “On the Other Hand” with “A 2000-Year Old Modern Day Parable“
These are all good posts. There are other good posts at the Blog Action Day web site.
The poor do not need your money
This post is part of Blog Action Day 2008 concerning the topic of poverty. For those reaching my blog through the Blog Action Day site, there is something you should know about me. I am a follower of Jesus Christ, and I approach life from that perspective. The post is primarily written for other followers of Jesus Christ in an attempt to exhort and admonish others towards caring for the poor. However, I encourage others (even those who are not Christians) to interact with me in the comment concerning this topic.
If I had written this blog post a year ago, it would have been much different. Why? Because at that time I did not have any experience serving the poor. Instead, for most of my life, I had given money for others to take care of the poor. Looking back, I now see that I was blind to both the needs of those who are poor and the responsibilities that we have as children of God to take care of those who are poor.
Throughout the Old Testament prophets, God punishes his children primarily for two failures: 1) a failure to love Him, and 2) a failure to love others. They demonstrated that they did not love God by worshiping idols. They demonstrated that they did not love other people by refusing to care for the poor, the needy, the widows, the orphans, and the foreigners.
When we turn to the New Testament, Jesus again reinforces these two principles in what we call “The Great Commandment”: love God and love others. In the epistles, this two-fold command (and indeed “all the law”) is often summarized as “Love your neighbor” (Rom. 13:9; Gal. 5:14; James 2:8). Similarly, John writes that we do not love God (regardless of what we SAY) if we do not demonstrate love towards other people (1 John 3:17; 4:21).
Perhaps one of the most poignant passages related to caring for other people is found in Matthew’s Gospel:
Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers,1 you did it to me.’
Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.” (Matthew 25:34-46 ESV)
We often argue about the nuanced implications of this passage without noticing (and living according to) what is obvious: those who are righteous in God’s perspective demonstrate their righteousness by caring for “the least”. In this passage, there are several examples give of those included in “the least”: the hungry, the thirsty, foreigners (strangers), those needing clothing, the sick, and those in prison. Furthermore, “the righteous” respond to the needs of “the least” with action: giving food or drink or clothing, welcoming the stranger, visiting those sick or in prison. These are not passive responses, but active responses. These are not delegated responses, but personal, intimate responses.
However, today, the church deals with “the least” in a much different way. We pool our money and pay others to deal with “the least”. We delegate our responsibilities and pat ourselves on the back for caring enough to give $5 (or even $100). The truth is, the poor do not need your money.
In his book Beyond Charity: The Call to Christian Community Development, John M. Perkins highlights the problem:
America’s best intentions, most sincere thoughts, noblest efforts – all of these are useless to the urban poor if they do no connect with our personally defined, deepest felt needs. In fact, acts of charity can be dangerous because givers can feel good about actions that actually accomplish very little, or even create dependency. The result is that their sense of satisfaction takes away any motivation to seek more creative long-range development strategies. Overcoming an attitude of charity is a difficult task because it requires givers to demand more of themselves than good will. (23)
Caring for the poor requires more than giving our money. Our God-given responsibility toward “the least” requires action – not simply giving money. If we are to care for “the least” as Scripture says “the righteous” will do, then we must start responding to “the least” in more appropriate and more personal and more intimate ways.
Like I said, just one year ago, my only response to the poor was to throw a little money at the problem. This may have alleviated my guilt for a short time, but it did very little – if anything – to actually help the poor. I was not living according to my God-given responsibilities toward “the least” by giving money. In fact, as Perkins points out, my money was probably causing more problems that it was helping.
A few months ago, our family started spending time every week with poor people in a government assisted housing development. We found that those living in poverty need much more than money. Primarily, the people that we’ve met need friendship first. They are lonely. Second, they have needs that a little money will not help, but a little time will – things like tutoring, financial planning, parenting help. If we are going to care for “the least”, we must be willing to be part of their lives and invite them to be part of our lives.
Last weekend, as I was driving homes from Pennsylvania with some friends, I received a call. Tina, one of the ladies that we’ve met, needs some help. Tina has had cancer, she has emphysema, and she’s been sick for the last couple of weeks. Over the weekend, Tina’s son OD’d. Tina needs help, but a few dollars out of my wallet will not help her. Instead, Tina needs a friend, and our family has told her that we will be there for her. We can’t alleviate her grief, but we can walk beside her through it.
John wrote, “And this commandment we have from him: whoever loves God must also love his brother” (1 John 4:21 ESV). Do you love God? Are you demonstrating that love to others? Do you care about others enough to find out what they need and how you can help?
Its time for the church to stop throwing money at poverty and delegating others to care for the poor. Its time for followers of Jesus Christ to actually follow him by demonstrating his love to “the least”.
Blog Action Day Reminder – Poverty
Wednesday, October 15, is Blog Action Day 2008. On that day, thousands of bloggers will write about the topic of “Poverty”. Currently, over 8000 bloggers are signed up to take part. If you have a blog, why not click the banner below, sign up, and take part in this event.
God is teaching me alot about working with the poor. However, if I wrote last year, I would have had to admit that I had very little experience dealing with true poverty. Why? Because I never spent time with anyone who was poor. Now, by God’s grace, I have several friends who are poor. I do not say “By God’s grace” flippantly. I mean it. Because I’ve learned more from these new friends than they’ve learned from me.
But, if you are like I was last year, and if you have very little or no experience working with the poor, then write about that. Let this be a starting point, much like I wrote about a starting point last year in a post called “Bursting the Christian Bubble“.
Are any of my readers planning to take part in Blog Action Day 2008?
Love, Theologically Speaking
If you haven’t seen the “Out of Ur” cartoon “Love, Theologically Speaking” yet, then click on the link for a look. The caption of the cartoon (for those who will not click the link) is, “Of course I love people, at least in a theological sense”.
Honestly, this was me for much of my life, and it is still me in many ways. But, God is changing me. It is worthless for me to claim my love for God and others and then to do nothing about it. Do you know when God started teaching me how to love people? When I started to do something about it. When I started serving people, he taught me how to love people.
Do you love people? Then show it. Do something about it.
Who is my neighbor?
Mark, at “My Little Light“, has written this poem called “The Neighbor“.
I don’t know your name and I doubt we will ever meet.
I always see you at your church. I live across the street.I sit out on my front porch and wave at the passers by.
You never wave back. Maybe the sun is just in your eyes.I shout a hello to your family as the church doors you walk in.
I hear a muttered statement about missing church and sin.If the doors are open I see you there for every event that’s held.
Services, potlucks, and picnics. Oh, the food that I’ve smelled.I can hear the instruments and voices as you praise your God.
While I enjoy the music I must admit that I find one thing odd.I sometimes hear your pastor preach about spreading the word.
I scratch my head and wonder if any of you really heard.Cause I don’t know your name and I doubt we will ever meet.
I always see you at your church, but none of you see me.
Since our church doesn’t own a building, we don’t have “neighbors” in the sense that Mark is talking about in his poem. However, we do have neighbors. What kind of neighbor am I?