Saving Lives...One Handshake at a Time

“I have something to say to you. It is extremely important,” he said, when he came up to me.

I’ve been a pastor long enough to know that any statement that begins this way usually means I’m in trouble for some reason. However, as he began to choke up, I suspected something else was going on. With the next words out of his mouth he had my full attention.

“You literally saved my life.”

He paused.

“I’m serious. A few months ago I was sitting over there (as he pointed to an area of the Celebration Center) on a Saturday night. I was going to commit suicide.”

He went on to tell me about the recurrence of skin cancer just under his scalp, and the pain that results from it.

“You walked out of the Green Room, where you guys pray before the services, and you walked right to me. You took my hand to shake it, while putting your other hand on my upper arm. You said, ‘It’s good to see you tonight. Thank you for being here.’”

I have a vague memory of that night.

“That greeting changed everything for me.”

I’d like to say that I was consciously led by some spiritual sense of purpose as I greeted him those months ago. However, that would be a lie. I just did what I always try to do: show the love of Christ in any and every situation.

Verses 4-7 of Philemon say, “I always thank my God when I pray for you, Philemon, because I keep hearing about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for all of God’s people. And I am praying that you will put into action the generosity that comes from your faith as you understand and experience all the good things we have in Christ. Your love has given me much joy and comfort, my brother, for your kindness has often refreshed the hearts of God’s people.”

People are under assault today – spiritually, emotionally, physically – the onslaught is unceasing. And, though this experience might represent an extreme example, people are desperate to experience the love of God in tangible ways. Jesus’ heart for the poor includes those poor in spirit. 

We never know what God is going to use to impact another person’s life. Be kind, love, encourage, hug…who knows, you might even save a life.

Burn, Baby, Burn

I was driving home for Thanksgiving. I had made it over the snowy mountain pass, but as I headed down the mountain, the darkness seemed darker than it should have been.

It didn’t take long for me to figure out that the darkness wasn’t any darker than normal, but the lights in the 1970s Chevy Luv Pickup, that I inherited from Grandpa Marvin when he got a new car, were growing dimmer by the mile.

I’m not very engine savvy, but even I knew there was a problem. By this time it was 8:00 pm on Thanksgiving Eve, and I was coasting into the little town of Sisters. What was the likelihood of getting any help at this point?

In the news today, France is reeling from the pointless murder of 12 people (two policemen and 10 employees) who had the audacity to satirize the religion of Islam. Australia is coping with the murder of two people in a 16-hour café seizure. In the US, two policemen have been murdered in New York City, and in headlines across the country, murder has run amok.

That’s doesn’t even begin to cover the other craziness becoming part of mainstream culture as our world turns itself inside out and wrong becomes right, and right becomes wrong.

It feels like the darkness is getting darker.

But is it really?

I’m not sure that the things that happen in the darkness are any different now than they’ve ever been.

However, the light is growing dimmer.

The Church (capital C), the only light in the world, is flickering like a fluorescent light with a bad ballast.

The personal holiness that powers our light drains with every decision we make to be “of” the world, not just “in” it. I don’t need to make a list for you to get it. You know the sins I am talking about. 1 John tells us that if we claim to have fellowship with God and yet walk in darkness, we are liars. 

And, it isn’t just the sin we do (which is bad and growing worse), but also our lack of love that condemns us to dwell in darkness. Even in Salem, churches are being picketed – by another church – this weekend, because they choose to love (not condone, just love) all people.

I don’t like driving in the dark. I don’t like living in darkness. The only thing we need to chase the darkness away is for Christians to live and love like Jesus. Radically.

Matthew 5:16 says, “In the same way, let your light shine before men that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven.”

Let your light shine.

It Just Ain't Fair

My Grandma Merna believed in fairness. She wanted everything to be fair for her family. Her compulsion to fairness always showed up at Christmas. She would, of course, spend the same amount of money on every grandchild. But she wouldn’t stop there. Every grandchild had to have the same number of gifts under the tree, so it would be fair. They were usually sized the same as well! When Santa came overnight, he miraculously believed as she did, and every grandchild received the same number of gifts from him too.

1 Kings 13 tells the story of a man of God who was sent with a message from God to King Jeroboam. The Bible doesn’t name the man of God, so let’s call him Frank.

King Jeroboam didn’t like the message, so he ordered the guards to seize Frank. But as his hand stretched out, pointing toward Frank, it shriveled up so he couldn’t pull it back.

As you can imagine, it scared the dickens out of him. Amazingly, he had a change of heart. He asked Frank to pray for the restoration of his hand. God answered. Did this change Jeroboam’s heart? Of course not. But he did see the wisdom of having a man of Frank’s stature on his side so he invited him to dinner.

Frank declined. In verse 8 he says, “Even if you were to give me half your possessions, I would not go with you, nor would I eat bread or drink water here. For I was commanded by the word of the Lord: ‘You must not eat bread or drink water or return by the way you came.’”

He heads home.

Another “old prophet” hears about Frank’s response (Gossip chains were alive and well, even in biblical times). He saddles up his donkey, chases after him, and invites Frank to dinner. Frank gives the same response.

The old prophet says, “I too am a prophet as you are. And an angel said to me by the word of the Lord: ‘Bring him back with you to your house so that he may eat bread and drink water.’”

He lied.

Frank listens. Returns. Eats. Then...dies for his disobedience.

It’s not fair.

What about the old prophet who lied?

We all know that life isn’t fair, but stories like this tweak our fairness meter, and make us question God. God’s fairness meter will never be tweaked, even when we don’t understand how it works. We can trust Him. Others…maybe not so much.

I don’t know why the story unfolds this way. But I have thought about who I listen to.

I had a church member once tell me that “God told me that you were supposed to put me on the worship team.” She couldn’t sing well enough. I had the wisdom to respond with, “When He tells me too, I’ll do it.”

Then again, I’ve done lots of things where I felt like the Lord was saying no and others (godly people) were pushing for yes. And then, whatever it was bombed. I listened the wrong way (fortunately death hasn’t been the result…yet).

We, who follow Christ, have the same power that raised Him from death, living in us. God speaks to us. He leads us. Who will we listen to? Will we cultivate the discipline required to recognize His voice and obey when He speaks? Will we have the courage to say no, when others are saying yes? Or yes, when others are saying no?

Frank would tell you to listen to and obey God.