Homeless Youth: Spit and Freddy

This past weekend I decided it was worth driving up to my home state of Pennsylvania to do some white water rafting with some of my friends from college. It a three and a half hour drive to Ohiopyle, PA from where I am living. I used Google maps and opted to avoid toll roads to save a little money. The scenic route was beautiful and void of traffic which was very peaceful for about half of the trip. Around six or so that evening I was making my way through Cumberland, Maryland and I saw three teenagers, dressed in the same clothes they have probably been wearing for months holding up a cardboard sign that read "Traveling, Broke, and Hungry." I stared as I waited at the stop light and then drove by like hundreds of vehicles before and after me.

As I continued down the road, the excuses started flowing: "What did I really have to give them? I don't have any cash. What if they tried to take my wallet? What if they pull a gun on me and steal my car? If I give them a ride, it's a pretty huge liability." Somewhere in the next few hours, God hit me hard. I thought "if that was Jesus, I would have pulled over in a heartbeat." Right? The truth is, that was Jesus.

In Matthew 25 Jesus is talking about the Kingdom of Heaven and what it will be like. In the end he will come to separate the sheep and the goats. Picking up from v. 37-45:

 "Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?'

The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'

Then he will say to those on his left, 'Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry and you gave me nothing to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me nothing to drink, I was a stranger and you did not invite me in, I needed clothes and you did not clothe me, I was sick and in prison and you did not look after me.'

They also will answer, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or needing clothes or sick or in prison, and did not help you?'

"He will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for me.'

This passage wrecked me the rest of my trip. It's not an exaggeration to say that I spent every waking moment with those teenagers on my heart.I prayed fervently for God's forgiveness and that those teenagers would be there when I got back. I wanted so much to give them something. God answers prayers for opportunities to glorify Him.

Sure enough the next day, as I rolled through town, the teenagers were in the same location. I pulled in to the Sheetz across the street to get gas, then to the Rite Aid parking lot where they were standing. I opened up the trunk. I had some fire starters, $6 cash, a granola bar, and my Bible. I walked up and began talking with one of these teens. Her name slips my mind, but three others were there as well. The guy referred to himself as Spit and one of the other girls introduced herself as Freddy. She was married to another boy they were traveling with, but he wasn't around. I gave them what I had and asked about their lives. They didn't want to the Bible, but I offered anyway. I learned that Freddy and her husband had been traveling for about nine years. One of the other girls had only been out about a year. The group travels by hopping trains and depends on the streets near the railways to provide them with food. One group came from Michigan, another from Chicago. They had to stay out of Ohio, because they had gotten in some trouble with the law.

I learned something valuable from these teens. When I drove by them the day before I judged them I decided in those few moments that they weren't worth my time. Besides there are millions like them across the United States and all over the world. These teens have spent most of their lives ignored and neglected and they have become so calloused to affection that they enjoy their lives on the road. I believe those teenagers were more like Jesus than any Christian I've met in the church. They depend fully on each other and the world around them. They ask for help when they need it, because they know they can't do it alone. Most of the world including the local authorities, and workers of the stores where they sit on the street corners are annoyed with them, but they aren't hurt. They keep going on to the next city. They find love in each other. It's not the fullness of love offered by our Savior, but how can they begin to understand a love that has never been shown to them.

Time Magazine put out an article that in 2005 and 2006 there were about 1.5 million homeless youth in America (http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1883966,00.html).  We can only assume the number is higher now with the shape of the economy. This number can be totally disheartening and it should be, but when we make those youth a number we don't really see the pain and the abandon that I saw in the eyes of those teens. Christ has called us to serve all of his people. Some of us are doing that everyday. Some of us have found comfort in our own churches and families and don't see the need around us. I pray that our eyes would be opened, that we would see Jesus in the people that are hungry, and thirsty and we would provide for them. They might be your next door neighbor.

I don't want to stand before Jesus as he points out every time I drove by when I could have helped one of His children because the miracle of what God has created is in each and every human being no matter how young or old, rich or poor, annoying or pleasant, clean or dirty. God loves them and He wants to use us to share that love. We can't ignore what is right in front us, but we do it every day. I don't want this story to be a sap story. Yes, what I saw was terrible, but instead of dwelling on it, do something about it. Share the love. It is what you're called to do.

Do you Believe This?

I was talking with my fiancee last night and we were discussing the story of Lazarus when Jesus raises Him from the dead (John 11:1-43). If you aren't familiar with the story I'll summarize, because it's about forty verses. Mary's brother is sick and dies while Jesus is out of town. Jesus waits a few days until after Lazarus is dead and in the grave before he decides to go back and heal him. Martha meets him before he gets into to town. Here is the conversation that follows (vv. 21-27):

"Lord," Martha said to Jesus, "if you had been here, my brother would not have died. But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask."

Jesus said to her, "Your brother will rise again."

Martha answered, "I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day."

Jesus said to her, "I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die. Do you believe this?"

 "Yes, Lord," she told him, "I believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God, who was to come into the world."

Martha goes back into town and returns to escort Jesus to the tomb where he brings Lazarus up from the dead. All he said was "...Lazarus, come out..." (v. 43). Most of us would agree that this is pretty incredible that Jesus was able to bring someone back from the dead, but when we read the story, it doesn't affect us like it would if we were there, right?

Jesus is bringing people back to life every single day. He is reaching out through his people to heal those who have been hurt by abuse, their past, addictions, or simply a life they have tried to live without him. We aren't amazed by the miracles that God performs everyday and we aren't moved by what he has already done through his Son. I know that I get really excited when I see God do something in a youth that I'm working with or in a relationship, but sometimes when I read the scriptures I'm distanced emotionally from what is actually happening. I think many of us feel this way when we read about Jesus' life.

One reason I think we feel this way sometimes is that many of us don't feel that we have experienced or seen God work in such a miraculous way. We appreciate our interactions with people who are really nice or can pray out loud really well and we might say that God is really moving in that person, but our own pride makes us feel then that we are inadequate. We appreciate that person or that relationship, but we don't feel we could ever be in the place that they are with God. We start to compare ourselves to the person of faith rather than the One who is working in them. At the root of this issue and many other issues in the church is a hesitancy to earnestly seek God in prayer, but more importantly to believe that he is capable.

In the story of Lazarus, Jesus was present to Martha and Mary and the other Jews that witnessed the event. Although it may have been there, we don't read about any hesitancy in the sister's to seek out Jesus' help, but many around them, including themselves, seem to be upset that Jesus didn't come sooner. "If you had been here, my brother would not have died" (v.21).  I credit them in that they believed his presence would have brought healing, but they were beginning to doubt. It wasn't happening on their schedule.

Our culture is all about the immediate solution. What is the quickest and most efficient way to get the easiest reward. Our walk with Christ often ends up the same way. Instead of praying for a while about a decision, we will pray immediately before and judge the best course of action, hardly giving God time to respond. Throughout the gospels we see Jesus healing the sick and the lame and it sounds like He is doing great things and we wonder why he doesn't heal like that today. In many situations the people that Christ has healed are healed because of their faith. In their weakness, they believed that Christ could save them (Matt 9:22, 15:28; Mark 5:34, 10:52; Luke 8:48, 18:42). Jesus even heals a father's unbelief (Mark 9:24)!

Before I go much further, I want to make sure my point is clear. I am not saying that if you pray harder your friend, or your grandparent will come back to life, or if you prayed harder before they died, that it would not have happened. It's not only about physical healing and the amount of faith we have does not equate to God's ability to intercede. Jesus ministered to others through healing them and they responded by sharing what He had done with others. What I am trying to say is that we don't pray believing that God is capable and we often pray for what the best outcome will be for us.

Casting Crowns wrote a song a few years back called "What if His People Prayed?" I believe the church is praying today. We pray before meals and for God's blessing and for his will, but often times it is because that is what we are suppose to do. The Bible says pray so we pray. What if we prayed believing that God would come? What if we prayed for people we didn't know? What if we prayed with other denominations and worshiped with them to bring unity to his church? What if we prayed for healing without our own ?

If there is one prayer I believe God will always answer it's "draw me closer to you." God wants to be near us he wants to be in relationship with us. Any relationship requires consistent and honest communication. Our relationship with God is no different. We have to seek him out, believe that He is alive and moving in the world today, rejoice when he performs even the smallest miracles. When we give him the glory for all that we are given and dwell on the life that he gave for us, we will be overwhelmed by what He can do in us and through us, but we have to really believe that he can and he will. If we are praying with his will in mind and surrendering to his purposes, we may not get the answer we want, but we will know that God's hand is at work.

"Not in Our Church"

I walked into church this past week to be told that the seat I was about to sit in was reserved for someone else. I watched as this member of the church told a few others the same thing. As I told this to another one of our youth leaders, the response was "...that happened in our church?" I have to admit I was pretty upset at the idea of reserved seating in church. Had this been my first Sunday at this church I may have not have a felt very welcomed, loved, or cared about in that moment. I spent most of the service angry about it and the guest pastor's sermon fired me up even more.

I enjoy being challenged by what the scriptures say and about my own thoughts and opinions. The pastor was giving a sermon on truly reflecting the image of Christ. He talked about what someones first impressions might be if they walked into church that morning. He talked about how we can make a church look good with lots of programming and friendly people, but can still miss the point of the Gospel. I watched judgmentally as the members that had refused me a seat in front of me nodded their heads in agreement. I was pretty upset as many others may be when the church lives out the stereotypes we are given.

The easiest thing to do is to be angry about it. As many of us watch the church spiral away from the core message of the gospel, we become disheartened and frustrated. I was reading a friend's blog and he was talking about how much money, time, and effort are spent on trying to keep people from making "wrong" decisions, specifically about homosexuality. The Presbyterian church has divided itself because some churches have become more "liberal" and don't want to associate with those "sinners." Romans 3:23 says "for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God." Every Christian believes that Christ died for our sins and that in Him we have eternal life. Isn't this the most important message that is consistent throughout scripture? I am not saying that nothing else in scripture matters, but at the core of the Bible is a message of love. We are called to love others without judgment. It is up to the Holy Spirit to convict others of their sins and how they can reconcile their relationship with God.

Christians are on the news picketing against abortion and against gay marriage and to be fair even for those things. What if we stopped spending our time arguing about who is right and who is wrong, whose lifestyle is the right one, and focused our eyes and our hearts on the cross? When we look to the cross and at the life of Jesus, there is no hatred. There is love for every single human being. I am not denying that there are consequences for our sin, but we tend to think that some people sin worse than others or because they sin "intentionally" that they are doomed to hell, but you tell me one time you have sinned after having known the Father and didn't know you were doing it. James 2:10 says "For whoever keeps the whole law and yet stumbles at just one point is guilty of breaking all of it." The liar and the murderer stand next to each other in judgment. God knew we could not fight the temptation of sin on our own. That is why he sent his son and that's why his grace is given to us so freely. The following passage in James 1:19-25 came to mind as I was thinking about this.

My dear brothers, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, for man's anger does not bring about the righteous life that God desires. Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you. Do not merely listen to the word, and so deceive yourselves. Do what it says. Anyone who listens to the word but does not do what it says is like a man who looks at his face in a mirror and, after looking at himself, goes away and immediately forgets what he looks like. But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.

I was hurt by how I was welcomed at church this past Sunday, but my easiest reaction was to be angry about it which accomplishes very little. What is important is how I respond. How do we respond when we feel the church is going in the wrong direction or a few people have missed the point? Have we hit the nail straight on the head in our own lives? Have we not slipped and missed the point a few times? God's word and the Life of His son are at the core of every believer. We must listen to what God is saying to us constantly, but I am pretty confident that he will never tell us to speak out against our brother. He tells us to love them and not to do anything that would cause them to stumble. Romans 14:19-21

"Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification. Do not destroy the work of God for the sake of food. All food is clean, but it is wrong for a man to eat anything that causes someone else to stumble. It is better not to eat meat or drink wine or to do anything else that will cause your brother to fall."

I believe if we simply get angry at the situation of the church today we will fail God's people. We have to get back to the heart of the life of Christ. If we seek out his purposes in our lives and ask the Spirit to guide us to the people we must minister to, He will give us the truth to speak to others in love.  In each of our churches there are as many sinners as they are members. Each of them is searching for truth and love. We must not deny them these basic needs through our actions and our words.We have to constantly look in the mirror and ask ourselves if the image that reflects back at us is that of our Savior. What we see in the mirror will be what the world sees. If we want the world to see Jesus we have to follow Him in our own lives in everything we do.

Carry-On Baggage

I seem to have had this conversation with myself and others many times. Most often it comes before a backpacking trip for two reasons. The first reason is that it is really easy to relate getting rid of extra baggage in our lives to packing a backpack. The second reason is that if you talk about it before your group packs, they will hopefully pack less which means less complaining and back aches later.

After I finished college I spent the few weeks I had at home going through all my old stuff and trying to get rid of the "baggage" I had kept from over the years so my parents wouldn't be left with a mess when I was gone. I went through old photos, notes from friends, cheesy lyrics I spent hours on and never put to music, and all my sports memorabilia from high school. I was able to narrow all my stuff down to one large plastic tub, which I would pack along with me as I moved to Virginia. A couple weeks ago, my fiancee and I were talking about memories from high school and what might be important to keep as we shared our lives together and some day with our kids. As we pursue life together, there are also some things we need to let go of.

As I thought about it I realized that this plastic tub (a very heavy plastic tub) was quite intentionally full of me. I had kept things that kept me holding on to a past that I needed to let go of. It's important to know where we have come from and with all that is available with technology and things today, it's easy to keep track of your life, but some things need to be thrown away. We can't ignore our past and how it has affected us, but when we hold on to things that serve as constant reminders of our achievements and our downfalls, we aren't able to move on completely. I say achievements as well as downfalls, because both must be behind us.

As followers of Christ we are called to depend on Him completely. Our achievements would not have been achieved without his guidance and strength and we aren't to boast in these achievements. In the ministry field we tend to talk about numbers and view success by how many people were in church or how many tell you how great the sermon was or how they were moved. It's great when those things happen and we should rejoice that God is working through his people, but there is much more work to be done. Greater things are yet to come as the song goes.

When it comes to the places we have failed, we tend to hold on to them as excuses as to why we can't move forward or why we are inadequate for the work we are required to do. We are all inadequate to carry out the message of the Gospel. We were made adequate by the love of Christ and his death on the cross. He prepares us for the work he has to do. If we don't feel prepared, it is because we have failed to trust him.

As we pursue the will of God in our lives we must throw away the things that may hinder us (Hebrews 12:1-3). When Jesus sends out his disciples to minister in the villages he says:

"When Jesus had called the Twelve together, he gave them power and authority to drive out all demons and to cure diseases, and he sent them out to preach the kingdom of God and to heal the sick. He told them: "Take nothing for the journey—no staff, no bag, no bread, no money, no no extra tunic. Whatever house you enter, stay there until you leave that town. If people do not welcome you, shake the dust off your feet when you leave their town, as a testimony against them." So they set out and went from village to village, preaching the gospel and healing people everywhere." (Luke 9:1-6)

He tells them not to take anything. They must depend completely on him to provide for their basic needs  of food, clothing, and shelter. God has seen our past. He has redeemed us, and he knows what lies ahead, but we can't carry extra baggage. He provides for us everything we need when it is needed. We have to keep our eyes on Jesus and the eternal message that he brings. The things we do on this earth will fall away. The areas in our lives where we have failed him have been erased by his all consuming grace. When we make the decision to get rid of our extra baggage that we have insisted on carrying for so long, we allow God to completely enter our hearts and in doing so we can more fully share His love with others. I'll wrap up with one of my favorite scriptures from Philippians 3:12-14,

"Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already been made perfect, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Brothers, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus."

Leftovers and Hand Me Downs

I was out with some the middle and high school youth picking corn for a local food bank this morning. I was really excited about getting the youth out getting to know each other and helping others locally. As I was picking corn I realized we were picking the leftovers from the good corn that was already picked to sell. I pulled a few ears with bugs or very little corn on them, and I was a little saddened by what we were giving to others. Now, I believe this is a great mission and if we hadn't picked it to give to the organization it would have gone to waste. Some "okay" corn is better than no corn. The same concept applies to thrift stores and clothing donations. They are filled with the things that nobody else wants. We can go through our closets and get rid of all the things that don't fit and that no one who could afford better would ever want to wear.

What if we were providing for someone we cared about or someone we were having over for dinner? We would cook our best meal and if they needed anything we would jump on the opportunity to provide for someone we loved and cared about. Why is it so different with people we don't know, and people less fortunate than ourselves? You can come up with simple answers, often excuses, like we never met them or my absolute least favorite line when helping other "they have nothing, so they will appreciate whatever they get." These words may be true but I believe they are some of the most rotten words to say when trying to help others. In Luke 6:27-35, Jesus talks about love in relation to others:

 "But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.  "If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

In this passage Jesus tells us to love even our enemies. We are far from enemies with those who are in need of food and clothing. He also tells us the famous rule "do to others as you would have them do to you." You wouldn't feed your company with leftovers or provide them with old useless hand-me-downs. You would give them the best you had, because of your love and care for them. The world is full of God's children. As a Father, his desire is to provide for his children spiritually, physically, emotionally, and mentally. As children of Christ each of us is a brother and a sister to those next to us, regardless of whether we know them or how we feel about them. We are called to love others. Jesus didn't give half of himself or just the parts of himself he felt appropriate. He was obedient to the father in giving all he had, his very best to his disciples and those he ministered to. He called his disciples to do the same. In order to follow him and to love as he loved, they had to give up everything. They had to spread his love through their own lives by ministering and giving to others and showing them the love God had for them. Ephesians 5:1-2 says "Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God." Christ's gave his love fully to people he didn't know everyday. He provided for them with the best he had. He had to sacrifice all he had and serve with all he had. We must do the same.

It is incredible what God is doing through his people on this earth today, but simply giving is not enough. It's not about throwing money in the plate, taking your clothes to the Goodwill, giving a little extra from your harvest. These are all great things, but we must look at these moments of giving as if we were providing for our own family or loved one, because the world needs our love, not our leftovers.

Excess and Reward

I was reading a youth pastor's blog the other today, and he was talking about the difficulty of ministering in a more affluent community when Jesus speaks of how difficult it is for the "rich" to enter the kingdom of heaven (Mark 10:25). Most of us regardless of our societal status would hesitate to call ourselves rich..."Donald Trump and Bill Gates our rich, I'm just comfortable and providing for my family." I believe most Americans are rich in some way and I do believe it will be difficult for many of us to enter the kingdom of heaven, myself included. Our culture teaches us to show love through the material. The amount of love we have for someone is directly connected with what we can give them. Don't get me wrong, when Gary Chapman listed gift giving as one of the five love languages, I believe he was right. Giving is definitely a way to show love, but giving doesn't have to be material and even if it is it doesn't have to mean spending a a lot of money.

Luke says "but woe to you who are rich, for you have already received your comfort. (v.24)" Our dependence on the material wealth of this world has provided with so much comfort that it blinds are need for a Savior. How often instead of praying, do we seek comfort through the material. When you are having a bad day you go to the Dairy Queen and get yourself a medium snickers blizzard (guilty). When you get up for work and you get stuck in traffic and people are cutting you off, but if you just had your Starbucks coffee it would be all better. How about if we are trying to lose weight. We go out and buy all the pills and quick remedies instead of asking God to help us to be disciplined to work out a little every day and for him to give us the strength. These aren't all bad things at all if we have sought out God's purposes first. Have we taken the time to pray about it and to seek his comfort?

I grew up rich. I had a family that loved each other and stayed together through thick and thin. We had enough money to live on and then some. I had more than enough food on my plate every evening. I had clean water to drink and whether I chose to listen to Him or not I had and still have a Savior that provides for my deepest needs. Here is the key, Jesus never showed his love through the material. When he shared his last meal with the disciples, he didn't give them a collector's grail and a little figurine of himself to remember him by. He gave himself. He gave them eternal life (Jn. 6:54). He told them not to hold on to this love and to remember him only for that moment, but to spread his love to the nations (Matt. 28:19). To share the "wealth" and the "riches" that he has given them. As a material culture, we must learn to depend on Christ for our comfort. We have to serve his Kingdom with the eternal reward in mind. It's funny even as we serve in the church or on mission trips, a part of us still seek reward. We want gratitude for our work, even a t-shirt or something to remember the experience.

The truth is Christ is reaching out His every day with the opportunity to experience his love. Each experience has a reward, an eternal one that we will never see in our time on earth. How beautiful will it be to stand before the Father, after confessing all the times we have fell short, as he wraps us in His arms and says "for I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me (Matt. 25:35-37)."That's the beauty of the Gospel. One day we will be able to stand before our God and to be fully loved and unashamed before Him. This will be our most worthwhile endeavor and the greatest reward.

Thoughts on Blogging

     I decided to start a blog. I was in the office at my new job as a youth pastor and I was talking to our secretary. We were talking about facebook, twitter, blogging, etc, and how these social networking devices have created a culture of arrogance. As we type away each moment of our day when we wake up, are drinking coffee, or go to a concert, why we hate it when traffic is backed up for hours on the interstate, and anything else that comes our way, we believe people are really interested in what we are doing at that moment. On the other side of that coin we are interested in what is going on in other people's lives. Some of us will spend hours a day looking at pictures, commenting, and messaging our friends. Essentially, people do care about other people's lives and we find out a lot of information through facebook without ever having to talk to them on the phone or in person. At this point you may be asking, why then am I typing away assuming that you are interested. Well you have read this far, which means you are at least curious.

    The intention of this blog isn't to fill you in on my life and its whirlwinds, but to minister to those of you who may choose to read it. I am thinker and a talker, but often my thoughts don't come out very clear when I speak them. I hope they make more sense typed up. If any of the future topics I post about interest you or make you question I would love to have a conversation with you. Enjoy and God bless!