November 17, 2018

What Are You Doing?

“The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of the sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.” – Luke 4:18-19

“And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.”

– John 12:32

Our Sunday school class has been studying Why I Am A United Methodist by William H. Willimon. It’s a wonderful book that gets back to the basics of what being a Methodist is all about. It’s also a good reminder that no matter what denomination you claim as your own, we are called to something larger than ourselves.

John Wesley preached to the least. He didn’t set up a single preaching post in the wealthier boroughs of London. Willimon writes: He used the Methodist movement as an example of how God begins with those whom the world regards as lowly and of little account before God tries much with the rich and powerful.

Do you think that might be because the rich and powerful don’t always realize how much they need a Savior? Have you considered that the folks who have so much might believe deep inside that their money, their possessions, their abilities are what will save them in the end?

Wesley was all about people. He turned Anglican beliefs upside down. Why? Because he believed that religion was meant to be lived. It’s not enough to know that we should do good to the poor. We must live our faith through our actions. Sounds a great deal like James, doesn’t it?

There’s one true thing about the broken and the poor. There’s a common denominator among those who are sick and those who have lost it all. We are humbled by our circumstances. We know how fragile life truly is. We understand the limits of our human abilities. We are filled with compassion because we understand that no matter how hard life may seem, we are still so blessed by the Holy Spirit. We want to share the Good News. We want to share Jesus.

Jesus didn’t come to save those who had all the answers. He didn’t come to lift up those who considered themselves a little above everyone else. Jesus came for the lost, the poor, the broken. He came for you and me.

A local restaurant will head toward the coast this Thanksgiving. The world has moved on but there are still so many people who are homeless and broken in the aftermath of Hurricane Michael. It takes a village and a village has responded. Donations have poured in. Volunteers are lined up. One meal has now become three. More than 750 meals in three different locations. God’s hands at work.

We worry so much about having enough. We recruit the wealthy, we beg for money, we don’t see a way. We forget in all our humanness that we don’t need to worry about bank accounts and budgets. We only need to ask our Savior for His will, knowing that He will provide for and bless what He has ordained.

Jesus took a couple of fish and some bread and fed thousands. We forget that, don’t we? We forget that when we offer our small portion to the least, Jesus multiplies it for the masses. We don’t think we are enough but with Jesus we can provide an abundance.

Jesus came for everyone. He said He would draw others to Himself. We are His hands and feet. People who are hurting, people who are lost, will know Jesus because of our actions. Reach out. Show them His love. People need Jesus. What are you doing to shine His light so that all may see?

September 3, 2018

Clean Yourself Up First

On hearing this, Jesus said to them, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” – Mark 2:17

“How many people are more worried about a kid wearing a hat in the sanctuary than his heart?” It was an honest, if brutal, question posed by our Youth Minister.

We like to get caught up in appearances, don’t we? We are all about appropriate dress and appropriate behavior in church. Take those crying babies to the nursery! Tell that man to take a bath! Make those kids stop squirming! How dare someone sit on “my” pew! The music minister needs to pick different songs! The pastor talks too long! Should I keep going?

Why do we attend Sunday morning worship services? Is it to see who was there and to be seen by others? Or is it to truly worship God Almighty?

Why do we act as though others should clean themselves up to our standards before they enter our doors? If only “clean” people could walk into the sanctuary, there would be no one there. When did we stop realizing that?

We had a new person attend our Sunday school class this week. Apparently, she’s been attending church for a while but would never venture into a small group. Another class member has encouraged her and she joined us. I don’t know her story. I don’t need to know. She is broken and hurting inside. That’s obvious. She is going through the motions but barely hanging on. I’m really glad she came.

Church isn’t about having it all together before you walk in the building. It isn’t about knowing all the answers. It isn’t about making light conversation. It isn’t really even about reading Bible verses. We come together to worship God and love one another.

We spend a lot of time on prayer requests in my class. Some people don’t like it and end up leaving. Others come to hear the names of people they love lifted up. How do I know? They tell me. An awful situation somehow gets filled with hope when people gather around and pray about it.

Church isn’t a social club, where you put on your best behavior and pretend life is fine. At least, it shouldn’t be. Church should be the one place above all others where everyone is welcome and accepted, loved and cared about.

At one point in my life I attended church for a totally selfish reason. Do you want to know what it was? The hugs that came during fellowship time. It was the only time I was ever touched by another human being and I craved that connection. No one knew. They were just good people being Jesus. But I felt it and it led me into a deeper connection with the One who makes me whole.

We forget sometimes that Jesus came for sinners, for the outcasts, for the hurting, for the thief and the blind man. He came for all those society had cast aside as unworthy. Why do we think it’s okay to cast them aside too? Why do we judge and condemn rather than love and welcome?

We are all sinners. We all need Jesus. We are all welcome at His throne.

June 24, 2018

What Do Your Actions Say?

“What do you think? If a man owns a hundred sheep, and one of them wanders away, will he not leave the ninety-nine on the hills and go to look for the one that wandered off? And if he finds it, truly I tell you, he is happier about that one sheep than about the ninety-nine that did not wander off. In the same way your Father in heaven is not willing that any of these little ones should perish.”

– Matthew 18:12-14

She couldn’t remember where she left her. She was a new mama and trying to balance staying with the herd and responsibly taking care of her calf caused her to make a decision she regretted.

She bellowed loudly at me as she searched franticly for her tiny baby girl. The cow had no doubt that I could find the baby she’d misplaced. She just wanted me to do it immediately.

It took a while but I did find the baby. I watched her trot toward a relieved mama cow. She had never intended to lose her baby. She just wanted to be with the herd. We aren’t much different. Sometimes we’re so focused on being with the crowd that we don’t realize we’re ignoring those who desperately need help.

I could have ignored the cow. That baby was her responsibility. Eventually, she’d have found it. But I didn’t. I knew I could help her and, frankly, I wanted to. I care about the cows. Do I care about others just as much? Do you?

We never intend to be a bad influence. We never intend to teach children, by our actions, to use bad language or complain about “having” to attend church. We never intend to show that things come before people or that helping someone else is a chore to be avoided whenever possible.

How we live our lives is what shows others our faith. It shows up in the children we are around, whether our own or someone else’s children. It speaks to those who aren’t believers but are looking to see what sets us apart to determine if maybe Jesus is the answer for them.

We rarely think about the silent influence we might have on people. Most of the time we aren’t even concerned about others. We’re just focused on ourselves and those closest to us. We don’t care too much about the lost, the hurting, the disenfranchised. And then we wonder why there’s so much violence in our schools and workplaces.

Hatred isn’t a trait we’re born with; it’s one we are taught. Anger bubbles up and we ignore it or walk away. It’s not our problem, we explain. But Jesus says it is. I wonder what would happen if we were kind to people we don’t like. I wonder what would happen if we noticed people who aren’t just like us.

Jesus notices those who are lost. He cares deeply about those who are hurting, angry, marginal. Why do we think it’s okay to ignore them?

I know. Sometimes we don’t want to get involved because the situation is dangerous or it is so overwhelming that we don’t know what to do. But most of the time we don’t want to be bothered with the needs of someone else. We’re too busy protecting and caring for what is ours to even notice someone else.

Stop making excuses and look around you. Lost people are everywhere. It doesn’t cost anything to be kind. Smiles are free. When we ignore or hate, we tell others we don’t love Jesus. What do your actions say?

May 22, 2018

Reach Out to a Caregiver

I can do all this through Him who gives me strength. – Philippians 4:13

She is always okay. That’s what she tells anyone who might ask. There is a sadness that covers her, a fatigue that never goes away. She is a caregiver. The only way her life will change is when death claims someone she loves dearly.

My heart breaks for her. I know there really is nothing I can do. I pray for her to have the strength to see it through to the end. She is an only child, which is both a blessing and a curse. The weight of decisions rests solely on her shoulders. She is alone.

Oh, I know what some of you might be saying. What about her spouse? What about her children? What about her friends and her church family? All of those are gladly walking beside her and will do whatever we can. But at the end of the day, this is a journey she must take alone.

Those who brush off her fatigue have never taken the journey. Paid helpers don’t relieve the very real demands on her physically and emotionally. She made a commitment. She buried her Dad and then moved her Mom into her home. The commitment was easy. The days are not.

Living in a daily caregiving situation is far different from caring for someone who is still at home or who is in an assisted living or nursing home situation. It just is. Those times can drain you but not in the way of a 24-hour situation.

One ear must always be ready to hear. Plans are frequently set aside. Life changes quickly. The needs of someone else must always come first. I suppose it must like having an infant, except the weight is so much more. Sometimes the attitude is too. And you can’t just pick them up and take them with you. It’s all so much more complicated than that.

There’s a church in a nearby town that began a ministry for those with Alzheimer’s. Staffed only with trained volunteers, they provide a safe and enjoyable environment two mornings a week for those who can no longer stay alone. It gives their caregivers a much needed break.

One sweet friend traveled west several times a year to give her brother and sister-in-law relief from the daily care of their mother. Yes. There were full-time caregivers. But it’s not like having a family member there. It’s never really a break when you are always on call. Her being there provided someone else to be on call.

Do you know someone who is a caregiver? Are you able to give them a break? How about a meal or an uplifting card? Pray for them – and tell them that you are doing so. Reach out and don’t tell yourself you’ve done your part when they tell you they’re “fine.” They aren’t fine.

Sorrowful journeys are part of life in this fallen world. We gain the strength to make it through from the people who walk beside us. Take a moment today to reach out to a caregiver. Show someone who is hurting and overwhelmed the hands and feet of Jesus.

Tuesday, September 4, 2012

Reach Out To Hurting People

Why are you downcast, O my soul?

Why so disturbed within me?

Put your hope in God,

For I will yet praise him,

My Savior and my God.

-- Psalm 43:5

There’s an epidemic of suicides, he told me. It seems like it’s one after another after another. Why?

I thought about giving him statistics. I thought about telling him what he already knew. But, instead, I told him the truth as I see it: People are hurting all around us and we don’t see them.

Oh, we talk to them. We know their names. But we see only what we want to see. Or, at least, what they want us to see. Sometimes it seems that those who are hurting the most are the ones best able to tell us exactly what we want to hear.

And usually we don’t want to hear anything negative or bad. We don’t view anger or sarcasm as anything other than meanness or lack of respect. We refuse to see it as a cover for pain. Angry people are hurting people but it’s easier to just walk away.

Or ask inappropriate questions at inappropriate times. In high school I wrote a lot of poetry that was published in the school newspaper. Sad poetry. One teacher -- who was working on her master’s degree in counseling -- asked me why I was so sad. Not a bad question. And certainly the only adult who bothered to ask. But she asked in front of all my classmates and friends. I did what any teenager would do under the circumstances. I laughed it off. But without God’s intervention, I would have been one of those statistics.

I’m not trying to point fingers or assign blame. Ultimately we are all responsible for the decisions we make. And no one can keep someone else from suicide or other self-destructive behavior. We can help but they have to do it themselves.

So how can we help? We can give them a hope called Jesus. We can pray with them. We can reassure them that God sees them, that He hears them. Because isn’t that what we all want? To be seen and heard for who we really are.

Open your hearts and your eyes to those around you. Really look at them and hear what they’re saying and not just what you’d rather see and hear. Take time to actively care about the people in your life. Your words, your attention, your prayers, could have a life-changing impact on someone who is hurting deep inside.

Saturday, June 15, 2012

Pray For Hurting Children Everywhere

Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. -- 2 Corinthians 1:3-4

They meant well. They did. The person(s) who lamented the sorrow and hurt that John Edwards’ children have endured because of his actions and the death of their mother meant well. But to say that “no children” have endured worse was just such an exaggeration. Because many children have and do endure much worse.

I don’t want to belittle what the Edwards’ children have been through. They’ve suffered hurt, no doubt about it. But they also have lived without worrying about food or shelter. They’ve been loved by family and friends. Their uncertain lives have had many certainties other children don’t have.

Like the little boy mentioned in People magazine. His mother lost her job and now she and her children are living in a motel also inhabited with prostitutes and drug addicts. That eight-year-old helps feed his family by bringing home a backpack filled with food from school each Friday afternoon. He misses his old home and the basketball hoop that was at the end of the driveway. He’s suffering, too, through no fault of his own.

Or what about the grandchildren of a dear, sweet woman who lives in a neighboring community? This woman and her husband took the children in many years ago because their mother -- the couple’s daughter -- couldn’t stay off drugs and care for herself and her children. The older woman suffers from diabetes and congestive heart failure. She recently had a stroke and is now paralyzed on one side.

While the woman was hospitalized, the daughter returned to “care” for her children. Or so the world thought. Until the day she fell in the door and her daughter called 911. The woman was still on drugs -- and had stolen her mother’s jewelry and other items to feed her habit.

The children are now with their grandmother’s sister in a town 80 miles away. Their lives are uncertain and tragic. They didn’t ask for a drug-addicted mother. And they certain didn’t ask that their grandmother, the one person who has loved and cared for them no matter what, would now be unable to care for anyone, including herself.

This doesn’t even touch on the children around the world who are starving, dying from preventable diseases, sold into slavery, and abused on every level. Have the Edwards’ children suffered? Absolutely. But the saddest thing is that so many children suffer so much more every single day.

Paul tells us that God comforts us in our times of trouble so that we can then comfort others. I pray that these children will feel God’s Presence in their lives and that they will turn their tragedies into hope for other children around the world.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Do You See The Lonely?

She gave this name to the LORD who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” -- Genesis 16:13

Being invisible is one of the loneliest things we could ever experience. When no one sees us, we appear worthless, unimportant, unnecessary. That can destroy a person’s soul.

How hard it must have been for Hagar. She was a servant girl, given by her mistress to that woman’s husband so that she would have children for the mistress. It wasn’t uncommon in those days. But, oh, what heartbreak!

So she ran away. She was tired of being treated badly. Can you relate to that? I sure can. But God sent an angel to speak with her, to send her back, to promise that life would not always be so.

God didn’t call her to something easy. Submitting to a woman who treats you badly isn’t easy. Being treated as property -- which women and servants were in early Biblical times -- is demeaning. And yet she went back. Because God saw her, recognized her pain, and cared for her.

We don’t know anyone like that. Or do we? Do we see the people around us? Do we recognize the hurting, the lost, the alone? Are you sure? Are you really, really sure?

A childhood friend contacted me a while back. She moved away long ago but her mother still lives in our hometown. She mentioned how depressed the older woman had been. She goes to church (a different church from the one I attend) but she feels so alone. With all her family having moved away, she has no one to sit with during worship service. Oh, she’s surrounded by people. It’s a large church. But there’s no one that knows her name and seeks her out. She is just another face in a sea of faces.

This dear woman told my friend that if she suddenly stopped attending church she was certain no one would notice. Even in her Sunday school class, she’s just another body. That is so very sad.

Our church has a program that reaches out to people just like that. The only struggle is locating all who need a friendly face, and sometimes a helping hand, amidst all our attendees. We don’t want anyone to fall through the cracks. But it’s hard to locate the invisible.

That’s where people like you and me come in. God puts us in contact with people who need a friendly face, a kind word, a place to belong. But we have to do our part. We have to open our eyes to see them. And then we have to reach out as Jesus would do and show them kindness and compassion, friendship and God’s love.

Tuesday, March 6, 2012

The Harvest Is Great

He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are so few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send out more workers for his fields.” -- Matthew 9:37-38

A man admits his frustration. He pastors a small, rural church and has for several years. While the attendance has grown, the congregation can still only afford a part-time pastor. So this preacher must work a regular job in addition to his pastoral duties.

He longs for the day when he can minister to his flock and others fulltime. He doesn’t understand why God won’t provide a way. He’s tried leaving before and making do with part-time jobs. The financial stress was just too great. The only way to help his three children get through high school and college was a regular job with a regular paycheck. So back he went.

He doesn’t see the harvest right before him. Or, maybe he does but wants something different. Something that looks better. Someone who is actively seeking rather than a bunch of broken people who desperately need a Savior they don’t know.

I see it so clearly. I suppose it’s easy to see what someone else is missing even while you blindly overlook what you are missing in your own life. I wonder if he is so busy just surviving that he no longer makes time to hear what God has to say? I’ve done that at times.

I look around and see a woman in an abusive marriage. There’s a young mother, pregnant with her second child, and still unmarried. Her mother is sick. Her mother’s boyfriend was just arrested for driving drunk and killing his own brother. Then there’s the worker who went to lunch one day and died in an accident. His grief-stricken co-workers are still struggling to make sense of something that no one can understand. And that’s just the surface things.

Why is this pastor still where he doesn’t want to be? Because this place he’d rather not be desperately needs Jesus. The workers need His hope and His love, His comfort and His strength. They are hurting and crying out for help.

And, yes, for those who are wondering what I’m doing, I do talk with them when I can. I don’t see them often but I reach out. Anyone would. Smiles and laughter can only cover so much pain before it spills out infecting everyone with anger and bitterness.

Jesus told us the harvest is great. Look around. It’s everywhere. Pray for more workers to tend the souls of those who are lost. Pray for strength and wisdom to work the harvest that grows right where you are.