I Disagree

A local preacher wrote:
"Here is the primary issue as I see it. Poverty is a spiritual problem. It is not a financial problem. To make any inroads towards solutions, we must address the problem holistically. Sin brought poverty into this world. I am not saying that anyone and everyone who is in poverty or is poor is there because of his or her sin. Indeed, their circumstances may show how truly evil poverty is. Perhaps, some find themselves in poverty because of the sin of someone else. But someone sinned. After all, poverty did not exist in the Garden of Eden.

How do you address sin? You address sin through grace and accountability. How do you address the problem of the poor? To truly make a difference with the poor, you offer grace and accountability.

You give out the grace that God has given you. You give out of love. But you do not give and give and give, in order to sustain a lifestyle that is counter to the way God has created us. You do not sustain and subsidize a lifestyle that is counter to the way a person was created. As painful as it is, if the situation demands it, love calls for you to say “no.” This is what lies behind Paul's statement to the Thessalonians in second Thessalonians 3:10, "If a man will not work, he shall not eat.""

I'm sorry, but my Bible consistently states that it is the rich who are the problem. Those of us whose hearts are hardened by our striving for more and better; those of us who would abuse and impoverish others by our actions and our choices for the sake of our comfort; those of us who build bigger walls in the name of security! As the followers of a penniless, homeless, unemployed carpenter our mission is to BE Christ to the world; to express the love of the Almighty to EVERYONE.

Is there a time to say, "No"? Of course, but its not when we judge someone and find them and their lifestyle to be unworthy. In my opinion, one should say "No" when we have nothing left to give or when the gift would be made in a grudging, superior attitude which would further harden OUR heart and damage our relationship with each other.

Do you remember how Jesus responded when asked by his wrong-thinking disciples, "Rabbi, who sinned, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?" John 9 contains the story. At the end of that encounter, the blind man received grace at the hand of God, he becomes a witnessing believer in the Son of Man, and the more religious folk are judged, "For judgment I have come into this world, so that the blind will see and those who see will become blind."

"Whoever has ears to hear, let them hear." The world is watching!

Lost: Years

Had a special moment (well, 15 minutes) tonight as our young friend Joy shared her struggles with mental illness resulting in drastic treatments, confinement, powerful medications, alienation, and salvation. She's trying to build a life in Christ, but still feels like she's in high school due to those "lost years". Not the kind of stuff you're going to hear about anywhere but "sharing time" at the Downtown Gathering! Praise God! The world is watching!

Chapter 7, by Denver Moore

Here you go, straight talk to do-gooders like us, from "What Difference Do It Make?" by Ron Hall and Denver Moore:

"I was about twenty-seven, twenty-eight years old by the time I wound up homeless in Fort Worth. Little children likes to say, "It takes one to know one!" So if you want to know about homeless folks, just ask me 'cause I was one of 'em for a whole lotta years.

Now, there ain't no two ways about it: some homeless folks is just plain ol', no-account lazy. I don't mean to be bad-mouthin nobody, but that's the truth.

On the other hand, though, there's a whole lotta homeless that got that way 'cause they kept tryin and tryin, and no amount a' tryin they done ever amounted to much. You can work a little pickup job for a day and make twenty or thirty dollars. But what you gon' do with twenty or thirty dollars? Maybe you can rent you a room for the night or have a decent meal. But what you gon' do after that?

Did you ever lose somethin or somebody you cared about? Somethin or somebody you really loved? I'm telling you what - if you did, you know that ain't somethin you can get over real easy.

Like I couldn't get rid of the pain when I watched my grandma, Big Mama, get burned to death in her shack. Or when that man ran outta the woods and stabbed my daddy to death. Or when my Aunt Etha, that was takin care a' me after that, took sick and died. All them things happened when I was just a little-bitty boy.

Lotta homeless folks been hurt like that. And the hurt just hangs around you like a stray dog that smells a bone. You can't never get rid of it unless you gets rid of the bone.

I always did believe in Jesus.

Most a' the people on the streets know Jesus loves 'em. But they figure nobody else loves 'em but Jesus. Street people done heard more sermons than most preachers ever preached. Lotta good folks come 'round the 'hood, talkin 'bout Jesus this, Jesus that. Tellin us about Him is one thing ... who goin' stick around and show us Jesus? See, deliverin kindness ain't the pastor's job. That's our job. When Jesus sent the disciples out two by two, He didn't go with 'em. He stayed back and laid low, maybe had hisself a cup a' coffee.

Listen at this: Jesus sent the disciples out. John and Mark and Nathaniel and them went into the villages. When I was homeless, one thing I just couldn't understand is why all these folks kept tryin to invitin me in someplace that I didn't wanna be. They'd come out and hand me some kinda piece a' paper, talkin 'bout, "Jesus loves you! Come fellowship with us!" Now, their hearts was in the right place, and they just tryin to show me the love a' God. But seemed like they didn't understand that it just ain't that easy.

For one thing, them folks that invited me was all smilin and clean, and I was all ragged and dirty. 'Sides that, most a' them was white, and I was black as a coffee bean. Wadn't no way I was gon' show up at their church lookin like I looked.

For another thing, where was I gon' leave my bags with all my worldly goods, my blanket and my soap and my half-pint and what have you? It wadn't much, but wadn't no way I was gon' leave it in the 'hood with all them fellas ready to split it up amongst themselves. And I was pretty sure they didn't have no luggage check at the church.

Then they'd say, "God bless you!" and leave me with that piece a' paper so I wouldn't forget where I was s'posed to show up. 'Course, they didn't know I couldn't read.

See, we don't need to be tryin to drag the homeless, or any kinda needy people, to "programs," to "services." What people needs is people.

And needy people don't need no perfect people neither. When Jesus sent His disciples out, He sent Peter right along, knowin Peter had a bad temper and a potty mouth and was gon' deny Him three times. He sent John and James even though they was full a' pride and fightin over the best seat at the table. He even sent Judas, knowin Judas was gon' betray Him. Even though Jesus knowed all a' their sin and weakness, He sent 'em anyway.

Listen, if the devil ain't messin with you, he's already got you. If you is waitin to clean up your own life before you get out and help somebody else, you may as well take off your shoes and crawl back in the bed 'cause it ain't never gon' happen. Jesus don't need no help from no perfect saints. If He did, He wouldn't a' gone up yonder and left us down here in charge."

Didn't End Well

It was a good night at the Downtown Gathering, our "come as you are" time of worship, Bible study and sharing - until the end. An unusual guy named Roy (an elderly white homeless man) showed up as we began; this was the first time he had arrived near the beginning of our evening (rather than right as we're finishing up the meal). This time he was not only on time, but he seemed to be dressed in clean clothes and was without his overloaded shopping cart. As before, he did not engage anyone in conversation, but I have seen this pattern play out several times, with our visitors gradually becoming comfortable enough with us to start participating, engaging and even sharing the deep concerns of their lives (the process may take years!)

But Roy hung around the very front of the room last night, a source of constant distraction as he shuffled back and forth, digging through his bag, writing notes on small scraps of paper, and trying to get someone to read the date on the old wooden nickel he had been given. All this was distracting, but peaceful, and within the realm of acceptable behavior for our gathering. At the end of the evening, after he got a full meal and we were finally cleaning up to leave, he started getting increasingly agitated and obstinate, refusing to pack up his scattered assortment of treasures and trinkets to leave the building. The more we waited, the slower he got and the more we asked him to pack up and leave, the more angry he got. It was a no-win situation that lasted about 30 minutes after cleanup was complete!

Finally, the last three of us were there and we hurried him out the door, as he turned extremely angry, cursing and shouting taunts and accusations. He took a swing at Carl, our elderly disabled friend, and then turned and started pounding the glass window with his fist. Two of us had to constantly circle around Carl to keep Roy from attacking him again. We called for help from the police, but they never arrived, so we got to our vehicles and left the parking lot, thanking God that no one had been hurt.

This type of outbreak of violent behavior saddens me, but is an occasional occurrence wherever the mentally ill frequent. It seems they are more susceptible to the pressures of the demonic forces around us, and are more likely to become disruptive. Steve Lopez documents a famous, similar story in The Soloist, which was made into a great movie this year. He concludes that the best thing one can do for someone with these issues is to just be their friend. That, my friends, will preach! The world is watching!

Counting the cost

"If you lead a group that allows anyone to join, for free, your group might be large, but it's not tight, it's not organized to make important change. Commitment slows things down in the short run, but ultimately aligns interests.", Seth Godin

Exactly what I've been thinking! In church, we cannot count on everyone who comes our way to have the same level of commitment to the mission and to the group, especially if we are a faith family who is attracting people from outside our group. So, how do we get new people to "buy-in"? By keeping the barriers low, we can pad our numbers, but isn't our mission larger than that?

I'm looking for answers here, or at least decent ideas full of compassion. The world is watching!

For Shadow - My Aqualung

"Sitting on a park bench --
Eyeing little girls with bad intent.
Snot running down his nose --
Greasy fingers smearing shabby clothes.
Drying in the cold sun --
Watching as the frilly panties run.
Feeling like a dead duck --
Spitting out pieces of his broken luck.

Sun streaking cold --
An old man wandering lonely.
Taking time
The only way he knows.
Leg hurting bad,
As he bends to pick a dog-end --
He goes down to the bog
And warms his feet.

Feeling alone --
The Army's up the road
Salvation ala mode and
A cup of tea.

Aqualung my friend --
Don't you start away uneasy
You poor old sot, you see, its only me.

Do you still remember
December's foggy freeze --
When the ice that
Clings on to your beard is
Screaming agony?
And you snatch your rattling last breaths
With deep-sea-diver sounds,
And the flowers bloom like
Madness in the spring.

Feeling alone --
The Army's up the road
Salvation ala mode and
A cup of tea.

Aqualung my friend --
Don't you start away uneasy
You poor old sot, you see, its only me."

AQUALUNG, by Jethro Tull

Rest in peace, my friend. I'm sorry for speaking harshly to you last week. I'm sorry I never took you to your home after Karing Kitchen after you found the trailer out on the west side of town. I'm sorry for the hard, hard life you lived. I want you to know that many people did love you, even when we didn't show it well enough, and, more importantly that God's love is eternal and constant. I hope we were able to offer you at least "salvation ala mode and a cup of tea". Rest in peace, my friend.




Man Killed When Trailer Crashes Into Bus Stop.



A man was killed and another injured Friday afternoon when a trailer loaded with a truck and bulldozer broke away from a tow truck and slammed into the bus stop.

The deceased is Clayton Allen, 47 of Tyler, police said. Bruce Williams, 46, of Tyler, was transported to Mother Frances Hospital. Williams is expected to recover, said information from Sgt. Darrin Grissom.

Williams was treated in the emergency room and discharged, a nursing supervisor at the hospital said.

Both men were waiting at the city of Tyler bus stop located on Texas Highway 110 just south of Loop 323 just after 5 p.m., police said.

A northbound tow truck was pulling a goose-neck trailer loaded with a truck and bulldozer when the trailer got loose and careened out of control smashing into the nearby bus stop during afternoon rush-hour traffic, police said.

No others were in the bus stop at the time and no other vehicles were involved, police said.

Allen was pronounced dead at the scene, police said.

Traffic was blocked for several hours.

The cause of the accident remains under investigation. No charges had been filed Friday night in connection with the accident.

Health Care Debate

I don't know what anyone else thinks about the current debate on health care reform in the USAmerica, but I'm intrigued by the 10:10Challenge issued by the United Methodists.

Their stated goal "for a justice-filled system of health-care that is:

* INCLUSIVE
* AVAILABLE
* ACCESSIBLE
* ACCOUNTABLE"

sounds right to me. With due respect to my friends in the medical community, I know the current system is in desperate need of change. Even though the current system is working for many, as a whole, overall health studies and mortality rates show that this country is not getting sufficient value for the amount of funds being spent. American businesses and the poor are especially hard-hit by the high cost of health care.

So, I do not understand the fierceness of the debate from those who are trying to protect the insurance companies and the status quo. As someone with an aging family member, I do not understand the mistrust of a "public option" patterned after Medicare, which clearly "works" for our seniors. When doctors tell me they are eager for themselves or their spouses to reach age 65 so they are eligible for Medicare, that tells me more about what they think of that system than the rants and complaints being voiced publicly. As a dues-paying member, I do not understand the AARP who loudly demands protection of the Medicare system while fighting against a similar system for the rest of us, including the millions of uninsured.

As an upper-50's semi-retired couple in pretty good health, we are paying over $25,000 per year in premiums for a private medical insurance plan through a professional society group for a high-deductible, bare-bones plan (that is, no coverage for prescription drugs, dental, vision, preventive care, disability, etc)- with the premiums going up 10-15% per year! If we had no insurance, an option which is looking more and more likely, the doctors and hospitals would charge us 2-3 times the rates for their services as the insurance companies are charged (check your latest billing to confirm this). No wonder the nation's emergency rooms are choked with non-paying customers.

I recognize that there are major issues with the cost of a new "public option" and that the insurance companies feel threatened by the concept, but at some point the "greater good" needs to win out. As I prepare to join the millions of uninsured, I suggest it is time for a change! This issue is personal to all of us, but I also see it as a matter of justice. Peace to all!

Three Years

This week marks three years that we have been worshipping with The Gathering on Sunday nights. We started out that first week with one single mom and her daughter from the neighborhood (downtown Tyler) and about 8 "church people" from Glenwood and West Erwin Churches of Christ. This Sunday we had about 12 "church people" from Glenwood and over 40 people from the neighborhood. Hallelujah!

Why are the neighborhood folks coming?
*They are coming for the praise & worship time (with one of the worst worship leaders ever!);
*They are coming for the verse-by-verse Bible study time (we have focused on the Gospels and Acts);
*They are coming for the praying and sharing time (this week 2 guys had "a song on their heart" and shared it solo);
*They are coming for the pot-luck meal and fellowship time;
*They are coming because they sense that they are accepted and even loved!

I am frequently asked, Where is this leading? I still don't know. But God seems to be involved and is able to use our feeble efforts to shine some light on some lives that don't get much light.

I'm thankful for Don & Derrick who shared this vision with me and helped to get it going. I'm thankful to our gracious hosts, the West Erwin Church of Christ, who have allowed us to use the Benevolence Center free of charge. I am thankful for all the helpers who have been a part of the ministry, especially Dana, the amazing Robinsons, the Teers, the Glenwood singles, Dixianna, and the ladies from William Booth Apts. I'm thankful for the wonderful gifts of sandwiches and desserts we've consistently received from Glenwood members. But I'm especially thankful to the Holy Spirit of God who has led us, protected us and encouraged us all along the way!

Grace and peace to all! The world is watching!

Saying No

Seth says "Saying No" is an important skill that frees you up to say "yes" to important opportunities. That's a skill I have not been good at, but just last night I said a rare "no" to another term on my Homeowners Association's Board of Directors! My goal is to reduce the number of organizations I'm responsible for by half this year. I'll need all the help I can get to accomplish this!

Don't Look Back!

Seth Godin says to "ignore the sunk costs", meaning "When making a choice between two options, only consider what's going to happen in the future, not which investments you've made in the past. The past investments are over, lost, gone forever. They are irrelevant to the future."

While his direct application is to marketing and the business world, it seems this also has application to the "church world". If more of us would release our grip on the aspects of "doing church" that we're "used to" and "comfortable with", and focus more on what's ahead and how we can accomplish God's mission, we would have fewer cases of "friendly fire". If we could ignore the "past investment" each of us has made, especially in the light of Christ's investment in the lost souls of this world, we might be better equipped to see the world as He does! Are our past investments holding us back from moving forward in fulfillment of God's calling for the church?

The world is watching!

Torture? OK. Taxes? No way!

That's embarrassing! Larry James reports that the latest polling data from the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life states that "White evangelical Protestants were the religious group most likely to say torture is often or sometimes justified -- more than six in 10 supported it. People unaffiliated with any religious organization were least likely to back it. Only four in 10 of them did."

I'm guessing the East Texas numbers would have been even higher; but don't raise our taxes or we'll protest in the streets!

Really?!? Being 50% more likely to support some use of torture on prisoners - is that who we want to be? The world is watching - what are they seeing?

I understand the wine, but no hugs?

Corpus Christi Bishop bans communion wine; says offer only the bread, and only in the hand, not on the tongue.

Time to go to multiple cups, Bishop!

And no more sick people coming to worship, either! Wonder what Jesus's instruction would be if a sick person or a leper walked in? I think Jesus would touch them.

CDC Flu Update Widget

All the Blind Squirrels

I love reading Seth Godin's blog. Its like having a conversation with a friend who sees things very differently than I do, but might still be right! HA!

Today's post fits in well with the conversations I had yesterday about Malcolm Gladwell's book, Outliers. One of the main points is that talent is overrated; what's needed for success in our culture is hard, hard work and a little blind luck!

Homeless Man Leads Police to Suspected Burglar

A Tyler homeless man camped out near a shopping center witnessed a burglary in progress, scared off the burglar and provided police with an accurate description and even the license plate number of the getaway vehicle he had scrawled in the dirt. The suspect was arrested a short time later and a short distance away.
This story raises more questions than it answers, and its difficult to write about it without getting bitter and cynical about the policies that are perpetuating the invisible homeless tragedy. But I hope some stereotypes are shaken, if not toppled, by this incident. I hope this eyewitness is treated like the hero he is!

UPDATE: perhaps there is hope. The Tyler newspaper reporter did a nice job with the story, even asking the hero what he wanted!

It's 2009, Do You Know Where Your Soul Is?

You need to read Bono's op-ed piece in Saturday's New York Times. It's his reflection on Easter, including this paragraph:
"I come to lowly church halls and lofty cathedrals for what purpose? I search the Scriptures to what end? To check my head? My heart? No, my soul. For me these meditations are like a plumb line dropped by a master builder — to see if the walls are straight or crooked. I check my emotional life with music, my intellectual life with writing, but religion is where I soul-search." (Thanks to another prophet, Larry James for pointing me to this article!)

As we prepare for Pentecost, let's ready ourselves for the coming of God's Spirit with power! How will this change our lives? Will we be open to asking the question, "What shall we do?"

The world is watching!

A Faith That is Based on the Testimony of Women

I don't have a thing to add to Bishop Willimon's blog entry, but felt like sharing it with anyone who reads this one.

Here's a notable quote from it:
"By the way, in that time and in that place, the testimony of women was suspect, inadmissible in a court of law, ridiculed as being worthless. So why would the early church have staked everything on the testimony of these women at the tomb? You can be sure that if the men (hunkered down back in Jerusalem, I remind you) could have told the story of Jesus’ resurrection another way they would have – unless it happened exactly that way."

Peace to all! The world is watching!

Easter Thoughts

Once again, Mike Cope says it so well in this post titled "Following Jesus, Not US!". The bottom line is: "But here’s the catch: I don’t think you have to agree with me on everything in order to follow Jesus. He is clearly working in the lives of people who drastically disagree with what I believe on some issues."

Extending the embrace of fellowship to folks with whom I have significant doctrinal disagreement is challenging, but very freeing, too. By focusing more on the evidence of the fruit of the Holy Spirit, I can quiz people less and love more. We can unite in good works and worship, loving our God and our neighbors above all, following the footsteps of Jesus, our LORD, with his simple message ringing in our ears, "Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at hand!"

Hallelujah! Peace to all! He is risen!

The Coming Evangelical Collapse

"We fell for the trap of believing in a cause more than a faith."
This article in the Christian Science Monitor may be overstating the case, but there seems to be some truth there as the author looks at the USAmerican Protestant church. Will we really see that "Denominations will shrink, even vanish, while fewer and fewer evangelical churches will survive and thrive."? I don't know, but given the current landscape, I think it is likely. What is the cause of this coming collapse? Is it "Our young people have deep beliefs about the culture war, but do not know why they should obey scripture, the essentials of theology, or the experience of spiritual discipline and community." as he says? Maybe so; this certainly points out one of the huge tasks our families and churches have ahead of us. Teaching our children (meaning all the children of our community) the gospel story must always be of first importance!

Camryn Joy

We're back!

We made it home safely after an amazing trip to Israel! More details later....

To the Mountaintop

Last night, as we began our meal at Karing Kitchen, I read the last 8 minutes or so of Dr. King's final speech, one of his greatest. It's especially poignant in that he expresses such courage and dedication to doing God's will, while evil men were plotting his assassination and killed him the very next day! Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the LORD! Enjoy!