The Reverend's Rant

Friday, July 23, 2010

Who is Your James?

I KNEW IT! As soon as I read this verse a few days ago, I had a feeling God would make me "live it." Here it is:

Proverbs 21:13 -- If a man shuts his ears to the cry of the poor, he too will cry out and not be answered.

The moment I read it, I felt God telling me, "You're going to see him this week and you need to help him." Who? Well, that is a long story.

There is a fellow who stops by the church every now and then...I'll call him 'James.' James is a good guy who is always in 'crisis mode.' Now, before I go any further, you need to know that in my line of work, it is not too uncommon for people to stop by the church asking for help of some kind...usually monetary. I am well aware that there are many who will read this and will throw out the oft-used, "Well, they're just scamming you" line and dismiss the rest of the story; but, hang with me. James has walked in the church a number of times in the last 2 years and, I will painfully admit to you, it has frustrated me. I've been scammed before. But I have always chalked it up to God by saying, "Lord, I did my best. Please bless us for our efforts to help 'the least of these.'"

Others have literally cussed at me {right after telling me how strong of a brother in Christ they are} for not doing enough for them. Some have lied to me...I've caught them in it. That kind of stuff can make you pretty jaded when it comes to the poor among us.

James has gone through a lot and has brought me 'proof' with most of his stops that his crisis is real. {Hospital papers, obituaries, etc} I have tried to keep his family fed and have tried to keep him from losing his job.

The last time he was here, I emphatically told James, "This is it! No more! I can't keep doing this...I have people in my own church who are hurting." I THOUGHT that was the end of it because I hadn't seen James in quite a while...I figured he either moved on or found another place to get help. Then, I read Proverbs 21:13...and then the Lord whispered to me.

I actually dismissed it...I thought, "Well, apparently I was wrong on that one." THEN, this morning, I saw the car pull up and James got out of the vehicle. I hate to admit this; but, I actually got really mad. My mind started filling up with what I would tell him: "Come on, man, I told you before...blah, blah, blah."

Then he walked in and tearfully laid a 'bulletin' on my desk. His brother in Tuscon, Arizona had been shot and killed. He was left to die in his own blood and his body was not discovered for 3 days...very sad! The bulletin was the program from his brother's funeral. He started weeping right in front of me and God grabbed my heart and my wrong-attitude and said, "Remember that verse from earlier this week? You need to help this man." I obeyed. How could I not? God, for some reason, prepared me for that moment.

I couldn't do a lot for him...our little church is my no means 'rolling in it.' But, we were able to meet his need. He is moving to Tuscon into his brother's home. There is a very large family of kids whom James is hoping to help take care of. As I type this, he and HIS kids are loading a Greyhound bus to join those, now fatherless, boys and girls to try to take care of them, help them grieve, and start over.

He said I will never see him again until he has a check to give back to the church. I know the check's not coming...that's not why I have helped him today nor is it why I helped him in the past. I have really tried to be 'Jesus' to this man... I hope my church and I have succeeded in doing so.

My church comes in contact with many hurting people and I simply cannot help them all...but I think we can all help someone. According to Proverbs 21:13, ignoring the poor around us will have a significantly negative impact on our prayer lives---I don't want that to happen. I have A LOT to pray about. I am praying for some of you who are reading this. I need God to answer my prayers.

I've asked God to forgive me for my cruddy attitude. I am guessing many other pastors have a "James" in their lives. I imagine I won't see James again until I see him in Heaven. That's OK. I think God will bless our church in a greater way than a check in the mail.

How about you? Who is the "James" in your life? PLEASE, don't tell me you're too poor to do anything for anyone! Are you telling me you can't mow a lawn? You can't invite someone for a meal? You can't just sit and listen? You can't shovel a sidewalk/driveway? You can't make a phone call? There are a TON of James' out there who need more than your "hand out" They need your heart! Who is your James?

Thursday, June 03, 2010

Venom and 'Philisms'

Well, it has been an interesting year or so for me. Every once in a while, as a preacher, I will find myself having to REALLY apply what I share from the pulpit. Now, before I go any further, I am not referring to "sin" issues. We're good there. Whatever I find myself tempted by, I try to nail it to the cross of Jesus and He helps me overcome it. Thank you, Jesus!

I'm talking about those witty little statements that have become, for lack of a better term, "Phil-isms." These are my attempts at profundity whereby I take something that God has taught me and dish it out to my fair listeners in witty, "post that on the fridge", twitter-potential declarations. Not all of them are 'original' but I go back to them a lot.

Here are a few of my favorite Phil-isms:

1. Christianity is not a religion, it's a relationship
2. You can't pray for someone you hate and you can't hate someone you pray for
3. The more you worship Monday - Saturday, the easier it is to do so on Sunday
4. Your character will outlast any rumor told about you

Well, #4 has reared it's profound yet ugly head towards me quite a bit in the last 2 years. I don't know why; but, it seems I frequently have found myself the subject of some very untrue things that have been either said {never to my face} or posted on the Internet {never checking with me}. Now, I gotta tell ya, to say it's no big deal would simply be untrue. In all honesty, it hurts when you read a bunch of falsehoods, nasty stuff or mean rumors about yourself on someone's Facebook page or on a message board of some kind. It still stings to have someone come up to you in church and say, "Pastor, this person is saying this about you. What is going on?"

Ugh, then #4 pops in my head.

Now, I am not saying it's wrong to stand up for yourself or your family from time to time. {In fact, beat up on me all you want to. Just leave my wife and kid out of your venom.} But, I have often had to trust the Lord that He will work things out on my behalf. I can't even imagine how much time and energy it would take to put out every fire that has started with my name on it. It really can become an amazing distraction to what's really important.

So what do I do? Do I nail the offender to the wall with some brilliant posts of my own? Try to start rumors that would hurt them worse than they hurt me? No. That would bring me down to their level. Do I try to correct what was said about me to all who may or may not have heard or read it? No. Who has the time and energy for that? So what's the answer?

I pray and I wait. I pray to see what God will do. And you know what? He gets the job done much better than I can. Does it sound like a cop-out? I would say 'no.' Prayer is not inactivity...prayer is action! {Wow, a new Phil-ism}

God can accomplish more in my prayers than He can in my revenge. I don't have to defend myself. He is my Defender.

So, let me say a little something to all those involved in the scenarios I have brought out in this post:

1. TO THE TALKER/POSTER -- the ones responsible for the venom, the falsehoods and the rumors. I'm not coming after you. I'm not working on a slam against you. I will not bring myself down to your level. I feel bad for you that your life is so unfulfilling that you have nothing better to do than hurt others or try to convince the world or your friends {of which, I doubt you have many real ones} that you are right. Your desperation in your actions is a clear sign to the world of how miserable your life really is. I pray you find fulfillment in the Lord...He's the real Source of it.

2. TO THE VICTIM -- hang in there...God will have His way and, when we commit these situations to the Lord, He will cause the truth to come out. Will people get hurt? Will you get hurt? Probably. Will you lose friendships? Possibly...and that really stings. But, let God take the reigns on this one. Don't spend your energies {emotional, mental or physical} on trying to defend yourself...let God do it. There are FAR MORE important things in your life to deal with and worry about.

3. TO THE BYSTANDER -- neither the one spreading venom or receiving it but watching from the sidelines. Positively take advantage of your relationships. If your friend is the one spreading nastiness, tell him/her to stop. If you are friends with the victim, tell them to 'hang in there' and that you are with them. I have recently had some friends do that for me and it REALLY helps. It's too easy for the negative statements to ring louder in your memory than any positive ones. Your friends NEED you! Be there for them!