Serving the Least of These-A Meeting with Rodney

Today was just one of those days..our little boy did not sleep well last night and I was up late signing various documents for my job so the little sleep I did get was more than what my wife got. So we were both very tired, and our little boy did not nap at all today! yikes! All this was a recipe for me suggesting that we get out of the condo and go get something to eat, since it was 6:30 by the time I got home.

We went to Moe's Southwest Grill, which is VERY tasty and quickly becoming a favorite of mine simply because of how fresh the food is and how fast they make it. We ate our dinner and went outside when a homeless man, who we later found out was named Rodney, approached us and asked us for money for a meal. We paused and then asked him what he would like from the restaurant we were just in, he told us, so we got him a meal and a drink; while my wife was inside ordering it, he said he needed money to get to a shelter he knew of close by and I gave him a few bucks for the bus ride.

He stated he had no family and could not hold a job because he had been sick; he stated just yesterday he found out he had Parkinsons. I did notice a slight shake in one of his hands. A cynical person might have said that while he may have been poor, even homeless, the rest of the story was contrived or something to that effect.

However, these are the lost we are called to reach out to, these are the "least of these" that Jesus wants us to show his grace and love to. I am glad that my son was there to meet Rodney and to see that such folks are NOT outcasts or untouchables, or worst, people to ignore. To be sure, most people do not wish to be MEAN to the homeless, they are simply an inconvenience or a "strain" on their routine or finances. We must remember that before Christ, we were all lost in the sea of our own sin. It rather amazes me that the same people who would state that we need to preach the Gospel to everyone because we don't know who God has chosen or not chosen to be the "elect" (which is the truth, of course, no matter whether you are Calvinist/Reformed or Arminian), are the same people that have a predisposition to think that all people (homeless or otherwise) asking for help as Rodney did above are devious and are not to be trusted. Many say, never give them money, offer to buy the thing they request; while in some cases this might be prudent, is there never a time to simply give the money and leave the rest in the hands of God? Will He not deal with them at the proper time?


Showing Rodney a small amount of grace through the purchase of a meal and a ride as well as praying with him, I hope and pray that the Lord continues to guide Rodney to a knowledge of Him and Jesus whom He sent. May we all continue to be inspired to serve those that come across our path for the glory of the One who saved us from the depths of our sin!

On Friendship

So moving back to the area has been a whirlwind and things are starting (somewhat) to get into a pattern of things. My wife and I both have come to a realization that while we are "back" in one sense, it's not really true for the most part. We're living in a city adjoining where we used to live and we don't really know anyone. True, she's got some online contacts in the area and I'm getting to know people at work (sort of) but no real connections as of yet. There is some promise in the church we've been attending for two weeks now, but that all hangs in the balance as we consider our house search.

Having moved back and forth across the state, I've come to some realizations about friendships. Like many other things, you only get out of them what you put in; however, it would seem to me that not all friendships are created equal, or to put it differently, some friendships are valued more than others. Recently I have put out some contacts to folks (from various times in my life) but have not received much response. And looking back, I realized that in some cases I initiated most of the contact, yet with others, I did not probably do the work to maintain contact; could be they were too busy..who knows. But I wonder if, being human as we are, one side might value the friendship more than the other; subconsciously, if we are the side that does not value it as highly, we might be courteous and giving but then let it go or allow geography or life to excuse us out of it.

I say this only as an observation because I do not think we set out to do this to others, but we simply prioritize our social obligations; geography plus the pressures of life often make it very difficult to maintain a friendship with a former neighbor or co-worker (though having lived with my college roommate for four years, we manage to talk at least once a month).

Friendship is something slowly grown, maintained and kept like flowers in a garden; often we are casual with our "friendship," maintaining our real friendships as we would on Facebook. I have close to 400 "friends" many of whom are contacts I made throughout my life, but not really friends. Real friendship takes work and time that, I confess, I don't often have. Many might blame technology or the fast-paced nature of society and the world around us, but we shouldn't get off that easy. That excuse just covers up the heart of the matter--our selfishness. "It's my time and I can do with it what I want!" Or we take on friendships not for their own sakes but what it can do to advance us either socially or professionally. And yet we are surprised when an actor or famous person dies of an overdose or dies penniless; everyone "liked" that person, but no one truly knew him or her, not like a true friend would.

Value your friendships and be faithful to those who are put across your path; they might really need it, and you may find you need it too.

Child-Like Faith

We were in church this morning when my son was trying to climb up my body as he always does to point out and/or reach the things he sees above him. You see, when we were still in Roanoke, there was a Sunday where he was a little tired and not really wanting to be there and so I thought we would have a fun game where I lifted him up and he touched the "EXIT" sign above the doors leaving the auditorium/sanctuary. From that point on, he has been convinced that no matter how high the object, if he is on Daddy, Daddy can help him reach it.

I was thinking on this today and drawing a parallel in how our faith should be with our heavenly Father. What we SHOULD do is look back on all the glorious blessings that He has bestowed upon us, how faithful He has been, and say: "God can get me through it, He can do anything!" But often we get bogged down in our lives and we get overwhelmed by the circumstances to remember that this is the God who parted the Red Sea, caused the walls of Jericho to come down and controls the very universe we live in. But children have a unique perspective in that in looking to their earthly parents, they are in wonder of what their parents can do and think they can do anything with their parents help. It might do us good to think of our God that way. Lord, give us child-like faith!