I Don't Know What Works, But...

From It's Like Herding Cats

Just by writing that title I've made some of you smile as you enjoy a moment of zen and merriment (can those coexist? - oh well). Lord knows I can remember when I thought I did know. Those were heady days when I thought if I just plugged into this program, or we just advertised this way, the world both believing and unbelieving would stream to our church's doors. Insert Tab "A" into Slot "B" - simple as that.

Well, there were certainly times when something was working, and there are certainly times when nothing seems to work. But cause and effect don't seem to be tied together tightly, if at all. (And yes, I know - never resign on Monday :) )

Yep, don't know WHAT works.

But I know WHO works and is working all the time.

God.

We've been trying to follow God's call to serve the least of these in our area. That took the form for years of giving food, helping with bills, even putting people up for a night or two. Then we felt that God was calling us to do more, so we started helping with "Supper On Saturdays" which is a local food distribution each week. We haven't overwhelmed them with support, but we have had several New Hope folks serve on a regular basis. We've seen things and met people we never would have. Been privileged to pray for needs we'd have never known existed. Then we started doing it by ourselves on Wednesday night.

One of the people we deliver to both on Saturdays and on Wednesday nights called today to share a prayer request. Her cousin was deathly ill, we had been there for her - could we pray?

Yes we can.

Betty is slowed by her age and arthritis, and it takes a while for her to get to her door. So you have to be patient and listen for her feet sliding across the heart pine floors. You can't give up on Betty. She's coming, she's just slow. She likes to talk to whoever delivers her food. She loves those dogs of hers a lot too. You know, I doubt Betty will ever come to New Hope. But I honestly do not think that's why we were placed in her life.

I think it was so Betty would know that God cares enough for her that He would send someone to listen, someone that would hear and understand, someone who would join her in her fears and grief. A few fellow strugglers like us.

That's why she called.

That's why we are here.

To do the work.

His name was Robin

From It's Like Herding Cats - A pastor's life

And there's not a whole lot else that I know about him. Thing is, I won't have another opportunity - Robin died last week.

One of our New Hope hearts, Pam Roberts in this case, came to us with an idea a couple months back. There was a program called "Supper on Saturdays" that the local UMC hosted and that several local churches participated in. A thousand meals every Saturday were being delivered by ordinary people following an extraordinary God. She checked it out and then asked for the opportunity to tell New Hope about it. And so it began.

During the last few weeks we've had people step up to help us participate as well as help us resource our Wednesday night ministry which delivers meals to some of the same people plus a few more. We've seen some of the people we reached out to come to our movie night, and had an opportunity to help one couple. When their bike tires were slashed, Joe Stoy went and fixed them so they would continue to have a means of transportation. So some are going, some are helping, and many are praying for this ministry.

Robin stepped out on the stoop on one of our Saturday deliveries. He was at a house that we had delivered to before and we thought was the home of a family with kids. So just seeing him there was strange, but his appearance was a shock. Tall and gaunt, his skin was the color of dried mustard - and it shocked us all. Pam is an RN and she immediately started asking him about getting looked at by a doctor, and specifically at the free clinic just a few blocks away. He looked awful and wasn't very clear in his responses about where the family was. We gathered and asked if we could pray for him. We finished our prayer, left a meal with him, but went down the road concerned about this man we just met.

On the Wednesday following, Pam again urged him to get medical help and provided the days and hours that the clinic was open.

The next Saturday, he died.

We don't know anything about him really. His relationship with God, now forever fixed, we will have to learn later.

We don't even know whether we were the last people to reach out to him with the love of Jesus or whether if we had known him longer we might have been able to persuade him to get help.

But we do know this - on a Saturday afternoon, we prayed for God to touch a dying man with His love and mercy.

And had we not been there that day, we'd missed another reminder of how much every single human being needs to know that there is a God Who cares for them. Before it's too late.

When It Rains, It Pours

Seems like a good time to write that line, given the weather right now consists of a deluge of rain accompanied by thunder and lightning. But most of us would use that phrase to describe those times when circumstances in our life are already tough, and life serves up a double helping of misery. Toothache PLUS head cold. Car trouble AND dishwasher dies.

Well what about poverty AND losing the $12/day fleabag "home" you had, maybe along with everything you own?

The residents of the "blockhouse", also known as "Smitty's" suffered just that Saturday as a fire took what little "home" they had away. They were already living in the grimmest conditions I have ever seen. Now they have nothing. The Red Cross has put them up in local motels for a brief period, but what then?

Two of those residents in particular, in the short period of time we at New Hope have known them, have made an impression on our hearts. Richard and Rhonda were doing "the best we can" coping with Richard's medical issues (100% disabled) and Rhonda's pregnancy. But last week when Joe Stoy and Pam Roberts delivered the Wednesday meal and talked with them, they found out that someone had slashed the tires on their bikes - their only means of transportation. So Joe volunteered to come back and put new tires on Friday, as well as provide some more minutes for their cell phone. A pregnant Mom needs to be able to get help. Joe made sure she could.

We are trying to find out what we can do for our friends at the blockhouse through the Red Cross and folks involved with Suppers On Saturday. In the meantime, will you pray for them - for Richard and Rhonda, and their baby? They've already named her Graci.

Lord, in your mercy, show all of those displaced from the blockhouse your grace. Provide what they need. And show your people - New Hope and everyone else - what we can do for these and others in need. Help us pour out your love.

Trying To Follow

It's not even Sunday yet, and I feel like the last 3 days have really taught me more about the way God is working all around us. Yogi Berra, that master of the malapropism once said "You can see a lot just by looking" and I think he was right. Let me try to explain what I mean.

Wednesday - Pam Roberts called me mid morning and asked what we were having for supper at church . Since I put on the chef's hat each week except for potluck night, I told her spaghetti, but added "I haven't gotten the groceries yet." She then reminded me about the people in need she had seen in two locations within Valparaiso on her scouting trip with the "Supper on Saturdays" last weekend. "Could we fix enough to take to them too?"

"Sure." So I got busy and Bunny and I went to Publix to buy the ingredients. I had never cooked that much of anything before, so I was unsure about how much to buy, and nervous about how much it was going to cost. Then I remembered the grant the local Rotary Club had given us to help with our neighborhood meal outreach. Still, it was going to be a lot of money. So I gather all the items and head to the checkout. The cashier scans it all and the total was $35.74. That's what it normally is. But we were feeding 30 more people.

Loaves and fishes. Give what you have and let God multiply it. 

Last night I attended a men's conference in Chipley with John and Ian Anderson. Johnny Hunt, former president of the Southern Baptist Convention was the speaker and he was great, but you know what I loved seeing? All those men ready to give their allegiance and hearts to God, singing, praying, and studying God's Word. Johnny Hunt told us of a recent Sunday at their church where he stopped during a message about 15 minutes in and asked his 4500 member congregation "Who has lost a job, a home, a business? Who is in need of help?" Over 200 people stood. Johnny called the congregation into a time of prayer for them but as he did, people came forward and laid checks on the altar at the from of the church. The prayer over, Pastor Hunt saw the checks and moved by the Holy Spirit said, let's take up an offering. If you want to give money, do that. If you lawyers, CPAs, financial managers, physicians, dentists etc. want to give of your talents to help these families, give that, if you have rental property, spare cars - whatever you feel God wants you to do - you do. The result was that 241 families were helped with a total given for the fund of $400,000.

If God has blessed you, He has blessed you to be a blessing.

Then today Frank, Diane, and Michael Weech, along with me and Bunny - participated in the "Supper on Saturday" ministry. There are eleven churches involved in this ministry coordinated by FUMC Niceville. Our group delivered 157 meals to locations and individuals all over Valparaiso and a little bit of Niceville. We met a lot of new people and saw some we recognized from the past. It was hard work and I'm tired. But it's a GOOD TIRED.

If you've done it for the least of these, My people, you've done it for Me.

The people of New Hope, including their pastor and his family, are trying to follow the will of God as we understand it for our church. Our past successes are just that - past. We can thank God for the honor of seeing Him work through us, but we cannot sit around talking about "the good old days." God is up to something friends. He's bringing people and churches to the realization that we have to live in the constant mindset of a missionary "whatever it takes." We used to cheer those folks when they came back from the "mission field" to tell us about the miracles they had seen. It's still awesome to hear what God is doing "over there."

Well, I'm here to tell you that whatever God has ever done at any time, He can do now. Whatever He has ever done through anyone, He can do through us. And whatever He has done anywhere - HE CAN DO RIGHT HERE.

I can say that, because I have seen that in just the last three days. Can't wait to see what's next.