November 11, 2018

Accept Everyone

“For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.” – Luke 19:10

They don’t attend our church anymore. The teenager prefers another church, as does his younger brother. The adults, well, they don’t want the Sunday morning battle. It’s just easier to attend church where the kids want to go rather than try to force them to attend a church they don’t want to attend.

One church member asked about the mom, who had been active in women’s ministry. I explained without getting into great detail. Her reaction shocked me. You see, she volunteers with the youth at our church. She teaches a Sunday school class and knows most of the kids.

“He’s a little different,” she said of the teen. “He just never fit in.”

Excuse me? He’s a wonderful young man who does indeed walk to a different beat. He’s into music, not sports. He gravitates toward theater, not softball. He has much to offer but I wonder how much of it she and others missed because he doesn’t conform to their stereotype.

We certainly missed an opportunity. Church provides a wonderful time to teach people how to accept and form friendships with those who are different than them. Did no one seek him out? Did no one try to include him, to hear him, to see him?

Because I know the backstory to this young man, I understand a bit more about why he might be different. I won’t share that here. It’s not my story to tell. I will say that we don’t always know the traumas others have endured. We don’t err on the side of being kind and inclusive. It’s just too easy to exclude those who don’t conform.

It is high school stuff but it’s stuff we see everyday in church. It’s sad. Church should be the one place where everyone is welcome and accepted. Sometimes that’s true. Oftentimes, though, it’s not.

We want to surround ourselves with people who look, talk and think as we do. We’ve got no room for anyone who maybe dresses a little bohemian or likes things we don’t care for. We prefer our own little cliques rather than try to expand ourselves by reaching out to someone who is different.

Several years ago I gave a ride to a man who was headed to his job at a nearby army base. He was from another country. His wife and sons were thriving in our area. His wife was working on a Masters Degree at a local college. His sons were involved in school and had made many friends. His daughter was suffering greatly. Because of their culture, she dressed differently. And, because of that, she was an outcast at school. No one wanted to be her friend. No one wanted to know her and include her.

I know what you’re thinking and you’re right. They weren’t Christians. So what? They were visitors to our country, to our community. What does this little girl now think about people who call themselves Christians? Did we draw her toward Christ or push her away? You already know the answer.

Our job in life isn’t to criticize, condemn or judge others. That’s especially true when people are different than we are. We have much to learn about Jesus if we don’t get that. Our Savior drew others to Himself. Jesus reached out to the outcast. Why don’t we?

Take a moment today to reach out to someone you don’t know. Include them in your group. Get to know them. Open your heart and your mind. Be kind. Accept them as they are just as Jesus would. Show them your faith through your words and actions. Draw them to Jesus by letting His light shine through you.

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?

Wednesday, September 12, 2012

Faith Talks Can Be Tough

My brothers, if one of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember this: Whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover over a multitude of sins. -- James 5:19-20

He was raised in church. He makes it to Sunday school most weeks but he avoids actual church services. He blames it on many things. It’s easier to cast blame than to look inside.

I’ve tried to talk with him but the walls come up and quickly he shuts down. He blames the influence of contemporary services on the traditional services though they are completely separate and quite different. Every now and then he mumbles something about the pastor but refuses to repeat himself when I ask.

I’m not really sure what his problem is. I simply don’t know. I just know that something is keeping him out of that sanctuary on Sunday mornings. And it can’t be good.

I wonder if I should push the issue. It’s just too easy to walk away rather than face his anger. It’s more comfortable to put it off rather than push the issue today. But who am I protecting? Myself, of course.

And yet this is his life. His eternity. Because, you see, I’m beginning to wonder if he is really a Christian at all. I know. I’ve already said he was raised in church. He knows all the right things to say. But he seems to have a little bit of trouble really giving Jesus all the credit he deserves and that is a huge red flag for me.

So I procrastinate. I always back off when he gets angry. It’s just easier to talk about the weather, a new restaurant, anything but what matters most. Do you know what I mean? Having that conversation is never easy.

But we must. How can we not? I’ve prayed and asked for wisdom. I’m fairly certain God is calling me to get the pastor involved. You didn’t expect that did you? Are you thinking I’m just shifting my responsibility to someone else? I’m not. Because sometimes we aren’t the best person to talk to someone who is at a bad place. It’s doesn’t give us license to ignore it. Still, our goal should be reaching the other person in whatever way God leads us.

Have you ever considered how you might react in such circumstances? Or are you, like most of us, one to avoid anything confrontational when it comes to Jesus? We want to get along. We don’t want to get into a fight or cause hurt feelings. We’d just rather be nice.

But we aren’t called to be nice when it comes to someone’s soul. Sometimes we have to reach out despite the anger, the hurt, the despair, and say what needs to be said. Sometimes we need to bring in someone else. Sometimes we need to do it ourselves. But we aren’t to ignore it. There’s just too much at stake.

Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Reach For Jesus While You Can

Our lives are a fragrance presented by Christ to God. But this fragrance is perceived differently by those being saved and by those perishing. To those who are perishing we are a fearful smell of death and doom. But to those who are being saved we are a life-giving perfume. -- 2 Corinthians 2:15-26a (NLT)

It was a sudden death brought on by years of ignoring the symptoms. A heart attack. No one was surprised but it didn’t stop the sadness or the breaking hearts of those left behind.

The greatest heartbreak is that, unless something happened recently between he and God, he wasn’t a Christian. He refused to let a Savior into his hardened heart. He wouldn’t even entertain the possibility of his need.

So many of us tried to talk with him. Over years we tried. We kept thinking that a moment would come, words would flow, and light would finally open his blind eyes. But he couldn’t see past his pain and grief and anger.

He’d never been a Christian. His wife had been. But she’d died a slow, painful death from an illness that robbed her of her ability to function at all. Many times he would tell others that there was no point in being a Christian because it hadn’t done his wife any good. He couldn’t understand the promise of eternity. He couldn’t see the hope of tomorrow.

He admitted that his wife’s greatest desire was that he give his life to Christ. He just couldn’t do it. We talked about it but he wouldn’t budge. Instead, he grew more unhappy as the years went by.

Those who only knew him in bits and pieces probably thought he was getting on with his life. He got a girlfriend. He left his job. He was who he was. But he would talk about his wife and his eyes would grow distant. She kept him in line, focused, calm.

Without her, he was rudderless. She hadn’t meant to leave him behind but none of us can count our days before we’re gone. It’s what happens when we rely on other people -- even those who love us -- to be what only God can be. Always there. Dependable. Loving. Perfect. Strong.

He bragged about going home from work, cooking and eating a big dinner, then sitting on his front porch and drinking beer. One beer after another, all the while smoking an endless stream of cigarettes.

No one was surprised that he suffered a fatal heart attack. We remembered the good man, the laughter, the intense love he had for his son. And we mourned that he was lost forever. God’s child who refused to admit he needed a Savior until it was too late to make a choice.

Have you given your life to Jesus? Are you resting secure in His love? We don’t always have a moment to cry out. Sometimes it’s just too late.

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.

Satuday, September 4, 2010

Pray For The Lost

"If you believe, you will receive whatever you ask for in prayer." -- Matthew 21:22

I received a prayer request the other day. There's nothing unusual about that. I believe deeply in the power of prayer. Everyone knows that. I consider praying for others both a privilege and an obligation. So, of course, I was happy to pray. I doubt my prayer was what the person had in mind.

The request came from a wife seeking prayer for her husband. These two very nice people don't know Jesus at all. They don't want to know Him. The man especially can get really belligerent and ugly about Jesus. It's sad, really, because they are nice people. They are also lost in a maze of hardness that, so far, no one has been able to penetrate.

So, I was pretty amazed to hear the woman request prayer for her sick husband. Of course, I want him to be healthy. But then what? He goes along until his body fails again. And it will fail him. Our bodies aren't meant to last forever. Remember, we'll get a new body one day. But what about this man? So, yeah, I pray for healing -- that his hard heart will soften and open to the love Jesus longs to give him. See, I want him to come to know Jesus -- even if he has to suffer to get to that point.

I did wonder if his wife really wanted prayer or if it was just a phrase so people would think about him and know he was ill. Does she even understand what prayer is? Does she understand that prayer is basically talking with a God she really doesn't accept? Does she realize that He created the universe -- including both she and her husband?

Still, I am hopeful. Always. God wants all His children -- including those who deny Him -- to come and accept His gift of salvation and eternal life.

"This is good, and pleases God our Savior, who wants all men to be saved and to come to knowledge of the truth." -- 1 Timothy 2:4

So I'll pray for this couple in a way that don't expect and certainly wouldn't welcome. I believe Jesus died for them just as He died for me. I want them to one day know that. To understand it. To feel it in their hearts as He fills them with His love.