The Journey

There is a question on my mind today that I can’t quite figure out. Perhaps you can help me. I don’t understand why people ignore other people. I’m not talking about hiding two isles over in the grocery store making sure you go a way to avoid that person of interest. I am talking about a person who sits near you for a half hour or so, walks right by you up and down the hallway several times while not looking your way, smiling at you, or acknowledging you in any way. It would be understandable if it were done only once but it has become a regular behavior. My wife talked to this person and the only comment returned was a terse, matter-of-fact, no feeling of concern statement. It could have been computer generated… no personality included. And the point is we can’t remember anything we might have done to insult this person or get them all up in the air.

Now, all of you know that I put some rather frank comments on Facebook awhile back about my political leanings and my love for Donald Trump. Some people didn’t take to kindly to that, including my brother. Some de-friended me on Facebook while others asked me to leave their group. It was a hot time. Some of my friends in the church we attend once in a while (a church we use to serve), are dyed in the wool republicans, with whom we have simply agreed that we are not going to talk politics and let it ruin a good and lasting friendship. We have too much invested in each other to care so little for each other. I do know this person responded to me rather negatively about this matter back then… but now, after all these months… as Disney says (if that is it) “Let It Go!” Holding on to this stuff will eat you alive… but you already know that.

The reason I say we need to let it go is that if we let things like this push us off into our own little philosophical corners to put up barricades and keep the enemy at bay… then Lord help us if something really seriously happens. Who will we have left to lean on.

As far as I know I have sought to support this family ever since the first day we met. I haven’t said anything bad about them. Haven’t always agreed with everything they have done… but my support is there. I would never do anything to hurt them. And yet to be almost demonstratively ignored… like I am carrying this huge sign saying “I am walking by you and ignoring you.” Or I am sitting near you but I am not going to acknowledge you, speak to you, just look over and around you. I am not going to even share the peace of Christ with you. That simply baffles me.

Here is the deal: after I write this piece I will be over this and you can ignore me all you want. It will not bother me again. I will be sad that you have chosen this very awkward path of expression (being educated and all that). All you will be doing is hurting yourself and the influence of your family. People will notice and do notice how you treat others and the little games you play. Because what you do to me, I bet you are already doing to others… unless it cost you some political points. When they ask me did you notice how they ignore you, I will answer: “You know, I haven’t noticed. Perhaps they have something on their mind?”

Good luck to you my friend. If you are reading this and know it is about you, let’s talk and work this out. We don’t need this.

Grace and Peace
Steve

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I have just got to share with you this bragging word: “I am the luckiest guy in the world.” The reason I say this is I had the best vocation in the world… I was a United Methodist Pastor. I got to spend forty years serving churches all over Western North Carolina – from Murphy in the west to Greensboro in the east – Eden in the north and Midland and Asheboro in the south. I have served a church that had seven (Yep 7 members) and some having six hundred members. I have had some mighty good times and some horribly bad experiences. I have witnessed great joy and unbelievable sadness. But that is the life of a pastor. You win some, lose some, and some get rained out. Do you know that as lovable as I am, not everybody agreed with my own personal opinion of my gifts and graces. Through it all I found that not taking myself so seriously was a grace that all pastors need to understand and develop.

What brought all this to my pea brain tonight was today I was honored to be asked to return to a former church and celebrate the wedding of a young lady who was just one of the precious children we enjoyed at that church. She was funny. She was her own person. We all just loved those kids. I made it a habit in those days of having a children’s message. I loved doing that… felt like Art Linkletter at times – because I loved these kids and I loved the wonder in their eyes and the honesty of their thoughts. Many a Sunday I have had my sides hurting from laughter from something one of the children said. It not only happened in that church but in every church I served where I did a children’s time. I know some pastor’s do not do that and that is fine… but we lose a lot when we do not spend time with the children. Take the time to laugh with them, visit with them, talk with them about stuff they enjoy. I know you will be amazed by what they know and what they say.

Today, as I said, I returned to a church I served over twenty years ago to celebrate the wedding of one of those children who sat at my feet during five years of children’s messages. And believe me she was a hoot… on top of her game… ready for me every Sunday. Today she is all grown up and marrying this very nice young man she met in college. You can see in their eyes and in the way they speak with each other that they are really in love and really respect one another. Boy was I ever honored to be able to participate in her life in this special way.

All of this got me to thinking about the good times we had in that church. What a great spirit of love, family and cooperation in that place all those years. We were a growing congregation – not by great numbers – but a steady growth each year. There were a few people that were real characters who got my goat all the time. One was and man named Buren. At the parsonage on moving day… Shirley and I were moving in. Buren was there along with some other men from the church to help us move in. I noticed burden was gathering up some boxes. He looked at me and said: “Preacher, we are going to keep these boxes in a safe, dry place. Just in case we don’t like you there will be plenty of boxes for you to use moving out.” I almost fell on the floor laughing. The second thing he did (which I can share) happened during Sunday school assembly one Sunday morning. Carl, the superintendent, was leading us through some thoughts on stewardship saying: “I’ve always heard that if you are experiencing a drought it is because you aren’t paying the preacher enough.” Buren chimed in saying: “We are paying him he just ain’t sending it in.” Again, rolling in the pews. Another man in the church was a big time fisherman. Thurmond would always brag that he once caught a fish who’s shadow weighed two pounds. He took me fishing one day at the city lake in Asheboro. We were in his little John boat. I was fishing with a cork, sinker and hook. He was fly fishing. That meant that in this little six foot boat with us sitting opposite ends, I had this fly (a feather weight lure with a hook hidden in it), swinging back and forth over my head. All of a sudden he caught me in the ear with that lure. That kinda finished the day. The next Sunday I made the announcement that “Thurmond was indeed the greatest fisherman I had ever seen. Just the other day, out at city lake, he hooked a two-hundred pound big mouth bass.” Everybody got a kick out of that.

There were plenty of other people and many experiences that continued to bring us together as a family and attract people to our congregation. We were all the time doing fun and exciting things. We were also involved in greater and greater outreach and ministry. It was a good church with great people. We hated to move but we knew it was time.

I will always remember this place with great appreciation that they allowed Shirley and me to spend five short years in their midst as they accepted us into their hearts and homes. Thank you, Guys… for all the great times.

God’s blessings on Colby and Ginny as they begin their new home and new life together.

Grace and Peace
Steve

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Today we arrived late picking up the kids from the Middle School parking lot. It has never happened before so we were kinda unprepared for what we really needed to do. The tradition is that there are about six handicapped parking spaces along the street side of the gym… close to where the kids exit the school. We pull up and back into these spots. If you park there you MUST get there a half hour before the bell rings… and you MUST have a handicapped placard hanging from your mirror or a handicapped license plate on the rear of your car.

Getting there late meant we lost our cherished spot and had to park almost at the end of the parking lot on the street side. Our mission (if we chose to accept it) was to wait for one of the handicapped spaces to come empty and move our car into that spot. That way the kids will know where we are. They are accustom to us being in one of those six spaces.

On the other side of the drive way or parking lot regress the school has placed several big orange traffic cones with signs on them which read: “NO PARKING.” You see if someone parks there some cars and buses cannot get through and it becomes unsafe for everyone, especially the kids. They had to put up the signs because people would park right next to the big orange cone as if it were saving them a special spot.

A teacher has to come out every afternoon to check to see if anyone is illegally parked. Sometimes people will argue with him and he just refers them to the deputy sheriff on duty over near the gym. Most move, some still try to get away with something they know is absolutely wrong.

Right after the Charlie Brown outside the gym speaker system showered us with static, noise and other unintelligible sounds out comes our teacher on patrol. He spots a red SUV parked behind a big orange traffic cone. Not sure what she told him, but he walked away looking at this phone and she just sat there. Shirley was in the process of making her way toward our old space and the friends we had shared those spots with for several years now (Tarheel Fans). On her way she stops and speaks to the lady in the red van. My wife says something she would probably only say to me… she said: “How do you get to park there and no one else can?” WOW Babe!!! The lady made some excuses that sounded like “I have things I have to do.” Shirley walks on and joins our friends as she waits for Noah to come from the High School and Abby to Come from the Middle School.

The lady in the red SUV slowly pull off and enters a parking space less that twenty-five feet from her illegal spot. She gets out of her van and walks back to talk with a lady in another vehicle. In sync they look toward Shirley as if to point that she was THE one who had the gall to question her parking choice.

When the kids got in the car they informed us that she was the leader of Campus Life at Southeast Middle School. Here is the point I want to make: Being a Christian leader does not mean that we are better than anyone or that we are privileged in some way. She knows better… or should. She has to know that kids are always watching her… and she is setting a very poor example of how a Christian leader behaves even in the smallest of matters. Christian leadership is about servanthood not special treatment. I couldn’t help but remember Reverend Adam Hamilton emphasizing that on his large campus his parking space is the one far away from the door he enters. It is clear that people know that he sees himself as a servant and not a person of privilege.

I think our Campus Life Leader will do well to take a clue!!!

Little eyes are watching you.
They see what you say and know what you do.
One day they will grow up to be just like you

Grace and Peace
Steve

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Some of the happenings of today have made me wonder if we are in some sort of bad moon phase… you know like “A Bad Moon Rising.”

Everything started out very well. I got up early… around 7:30am staggered to my chair and slept another hour. I got up, took my blood pressure and heart rate, weighted in and cursed the scales. Took my medications, fixed a cup of decaf and headed for the study to do some writing. All of this was going well, as I remember, because I was working on the preface for a new book I am writing on how we are experiencing Jesus in a world gone mad. The words just seem to flow with great ease. Wow, what a good feeling.

Then… Then… we went to Office Depot to get new roller ball refills for my Cross pen. I just love the feel of this pen. I can’t spell any better with it, but I write with greater ease… it is easy on these old hands and fingers… it just feels great as you write with it. We walked to the back of the store where they keep the Cross roller-ball refills. I can’t seem to find the right one… reason being we can’t get the cap off my pen to identify the refill we need. Shirley tries to untwist it and so do I. To little avail neither she nor I can budge this stubborn pen. Shirley grabs it up and heads for the front of the store. Nothing like a woman on a mission… watch out store this baby is going to be opened. She found another lady who couldn’t open it… and then she found this extra big Office Depot dude who took it and very easily untwisted the pen. There you go, lady.

Returning to the Cross-refill isle Shirley brings help. This time we have an Office Depot lady rummaging through all the refills Cross has on these hangers. Finally, she finds one that appears to be near the one I need. The only problem is that the numbers don’t exactly match. You see, not knowing exactly what the numbers mean (her quote) we had a choice between a 1326 and a 0116. We rolled the dice and chose 0116. Finally, with great determination and assurance she says; “This is the roller ball refill you need. I think?” With my 0116 double-pack refill I leave the store and look for the first opportunity to see if it fits, and I can once again start using my smooth, easy on the hands, great feeling Cross Roller Ball Pen.

We moved on to Oakcrest Restaurant for veggie land. I took my newfound goodies in to try them out; a notebook and my roller ball Cross pen. As we entered the door we noticed the sanitation grade is an 87, a “B”. We moved on to be seated by the waitress in the doomsday booth right next to the kitchen pass through window, where the waitresses pass their orders to the cooks in the kitchen, receive the completed order back, and prepare drinks, bread and other items to complete the customer’s order. This is also the place just outside the kitchen where dirty dishes are brought and placed in rubber bends for the dishwasher to collect. (A word of warning… if you are ever seated in this place, move or leave. It is not worth the experience.)

Sitting down in our booth we notice (can’t help but notice) this waitress talking very loudly on her cell phone to a Dr.’s office operator. She is discussing a couple of appointments for her kids (or dogs) one at 3:00pm and one at 3:15pm. She says to the operator that she sees no difference between 3:00 and 3:15. She doesn’t get off until 3:00 and can’t get there until 3:15. Apparently, the operator is suggesting that she will lose the 3:00 appointment if she is not there. To which miss congeniality says: “You tell Dr. (blank) that we have been waiting four months for this appointment. And I will be sure to let him know (insensitive language) how retarded you are acting.” With that (and this is hard to do on a cell phone) I got the very clear impression that she slammed the phone down. Dale Carnegie would have slapped her right there.

Can you imagine that things went downhill from there in this small restaurant??? Sure did! Plates were dropped. Drawers were slammed. Dirty dishes were thrown into those rubber tubs. I think she even poured tea loudly. She wanted everyone in the place to know she was unhappy. Message received loud and clear!!! On and on the scene grew more intense with her grunting and growling.

Amid all this comes the big hit… the grand slam of the day… the winning run that brings utter defeat to the foes… the manager/owner comes back to the battle station and has the gall to suggest to her that she allow the other waitress to have a couple of customers. KA-BOOOOOM!!!! More plates dropped and thrown. More drawers slammed. Louder talking. Insulting words to the other waitress, who by the way was in her second week at this job. She even told her not to come back into that little section because every time she did miss congeniality forgot what she was doing. She drops some glasses and the manager/owner sees them and comes over to pick them up and she chimes in: “I know there are dishes down there. Just leave them and I’ll get them in a minute. You know, you have a smart-ass cook and a smart-ass waitress… deal with it – join ’em.”

If miss congeniality had been working for me she would not be right now. Out the door… goodbye Charlie… it has been real. Don’t let the door hit you on the way out. Call me for a GOOD recommendation. Acting that way in a business, in life in general, is simply unacceptable behavior. It makes everyone uneasy and it kills any good feelings with which you entered this place. I want people to leave my place feeling better for having been there not running for the door…screaming into the night. I don’t know what she had on her boss, but it must be a doozy. If I were him I would be training a new lead waitress (one with personality, poise and a sense of maturity). And I would be building a team of employees that function as family… care for the customers… and seek to create a family atmosphere in that restaurant.

Before I let you go today I must add one more thing that contributed to me wondering about the phase of the moon. Sitting in the booth behind us is a couple, man and woman, who appear to be in their mid to late eighties. I overhear him saying to her: “You accused me a while ago of ignoring you. I wasn’t ignoring you.” I might add, this poor guy probably couldn’t even notice her across the booth. He probably didn’t know what was going on in the restaurant right beside him. I’m not all that sure he could pay attention to anything except breathe, in breathe out. I’ve been there not all that long ago.

I have got to say my veggies were good, as they usually are but Shirley’s hamburger was so big she had to cut it with a knife. My un-sweet tea came out sweet tea, so I ordered iced water. We were charged for tea anyway. I hope this young, new, confused waitress doesn’t let the bull in the china shop run her off. I think that must be her way of doing things. If the manager/owner allows this to continue he will find his customers leaving two by two.

By the way, I checked the moon phase. It is a “Waning Gibbous.” OMG! No wonder things are going so badly.

Grace and Peace
Steve

PS: Shirley’s fit bit battery died in the restaurant – that is only “fit.”

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Today as I was pondering my thoughts for my blog and all the issues of the day… Today for some reason I had this overpowering impression to say something about Mother’s Day… not so much about the day as the person or persons behind the day… those people who make the day a celebration… Moms.

Susie Coletrane

Margie McGehee Bruce

Laura Frances Martin

I have to admit… I am proud to admit that I have been very fortunate to have had the love and guidance, mercy and grace of many ladies… many mother figures… in my life. My own mother, Laura Frances Melvin Martin gave us the love, guidance, grace and mercy of a loving Christian home. She made sure that my brother and I stood on a solid foundation and tradition of faith and charity. She taught us to say our prayers and what that meant. She would read scripture to us and made sure that we had a good (for our ages) understanding of what she believed that scripture was attempting to convey. She taught us about forgiveness and being our brother’s keeper. She taught us to respect all people and never to put anyone down. I always knew that I was loved and that no matter what there was always a soft place for me to land… a place called home… a place called Faith… a person known as Jesus… a person I called mom. Thank you mom, for all you did for me… the stuff I knew and the sacrifices I did not have a clue about. You gave us your best and for that we are thankful. I do miss you very much each day.

Another lady in my life that was a mother figure was my nanny, Susie Coletrane, who stayed with us until I was about 4 or 5 years old. Susie came to us to help out while mom was going through some illness. She cared for me. I knew her as my mom. She would say often to my mother, I am told, “I believe my child is getting about as bad as your child?” Well, we knew that would never be, but I loved this lady. When I asked Shirley to marry me, we went to Madison to introduce Shirley to Susie and get Suzie’s approval. Susie told Shirley: “You treat my boy right or I’ll come get you.” Susie taught me much simply by her presence and her love. She cared for me and it didn’t matter who I was. I cared for her like my mother. I still miss her even today.

My wife’s mother, Margie McGehee Bruce, cared for me in a “You better take care of my baby daughter kind of way.” That meant she always had her eyes on me from the “I’m not sure about you” days through the days of “I guess she is going to stay with him” and finally to the “I think I’ll keep him… he has turned out ok” days. I went through many stages with Margie but I loved her through each one… in fact my love grew through each one. She taught me the long lasting element of faithfulness which she exhibited in her life. She taught me love for grandchildren through the sparkle in her eyes and the tenacious mama saber-tooth tiger protection sphere she placed around her grandchildren. She stayed with us several years due to poor health and memory issues. We laughed and cried together, but I think we knew we really loved each other. I still miss her even today.

There is a group of other ladies who cared for me and expressed a mother’s care in their daily living. In this group were my aunts, church school teachers, some of my school teachers, college professors, and members of churches I served, all of whom lived exemplary lives before me and through their living taught me valuable lessons on how to care for and love others, how to carry myself and be a man of God and family. There is an old African Proverb that says: “It takes a village to raise a child.” I benefited greatly from being in the midst of this village. Thank you ladies for sharing your life and faith with me over all these years. I will forever be thankful for you and the gifts you gave me.

Whether you birthed a child or not… if you cared for a child, expressed the life of Christ in the love for a child, you are an example of what a mother was intended to be. Thank you for all the love given admist all the pain that may have been given by people who did not know that you really were a mom in your living. Many recognize you as mom. They may not call you that, but when they search for a word to describe what you mean to them they say: “Mom.”

Happy Mother’s Day!!!

Grace and Peace
Steve

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Some of you know I dabble in ancestry for my family. It is interesting, addicting, and totally frustrating. There are days I can’t put it down and work into the early hours of the morning trying to find just one more tidbit of information about that illusive person. There are other days when I want to throw the whole thing in the corner and forget about it all. Days when it matters and other days when I’m not so sure any of this really matters… after all what will it change if I find more information on ancestors that I never knew or don’t remember knowing… Does it really matter?

There is one man… my great grandfather…William Henry Moore… whom I cannot get beyond. The “original” William H. Moore came from out west. He was born in Montgomery County, Virginia on March 10, 1868. He seems to hide behind a tree for several years. An article appearing in the Stuart paper (submitted by Helen Moore Gwynn) says he was thought to be a runaway – living with a Padgett family in Stuart or boarded out to a family. From then he doesn’t reappear until he is getting married to Mary Elizabeth Goad in Stuart, Va on the 20th of March 1889. In the 1900 census he is living in Stuart, Va, but by 1920 the census reveals him living in the Dan River area of Virginia. 1930 finds him in Madison, NC living there until his death on February 07, 1944. He seems to be a rather talented person. In one census he was a teamster. In another a grocer, and in several a farmer and/or mill worker (I imagine at the old Washington Mills plant in Mayodan). Seems like most people, even children, worked in that place.

The curious thing is that his mother, Margaret is the only parent whose name is ever given and it’s only on the 1889 wedding license. There is never a mention of William Henry’s father. William has brothers named Ben and John and a sister named Louise. His children are: James Thomas, Minnie Rose, Sarah Alice, Edna, Andrew Taylor (all born in Patrick Co. Va.) Even curiouser is that on his death certificate in the place where it asks for the parents names, we see in large printed writing the words “NOT KNOWN.” The curious thing is that his son, Andrew Taylor Moore is the one giving this information. I can’t comprehend a son, this son – a very responsible man,  not knowing his grandparent’s names… especially on a legal document.

I finish every session with the same question… “Where are you William Henry Moore… and Whose Your Daddy?” I think this dad is the key to getting our ancestry line across the Atlantic to England. I know the Moores are from England and his dad just may be the one on the boat. I am not sure why getting our ancestry back to England seems so important to me. Could it be that I have heard the old stories circulating for years that our family was landowners and royalty in England. Shortly after the turn of the century (the last one) a letter arrived informing us that a will from a Moore’s ancestor was to be probated. Our family could not get over there to handle it but a local lawyer, who found out about this, volunteered to handle it for us since he was making a trip to England anyway. Returning back in the states we were informed that there was nothing left in the estate for our family. Nothing more was said and the matter was forgotten. But the lawyer built a huge house in town not long after returning from England. Just sounds intriguing to me?

Have you ever dreamed that somewhere in your past was a rich, wealthy or notable person whose life, fortune or fame could benefit your family today and relieve any hardship. Wouldn’t that be great? Almost sounds like winning the lottery.

Well, even though it would be wonderful to win the lottery – think of all the good we could do? But more importantly it would be very nice to find my great grandfather, his dad and mom and what that might mean to finding out a little more about our family history. They say that we stop doing ancestry when our family tree produces a king or and horse thief. Well, I haven’t found either nor am I looking for them. But I am seeking to find my history… my roots.

The real family history… the one of real significance is one I already know. I am a child of God through the love of God and the grace of Jesus Christ. I belong to the family of God because I have a Father who loves me so much he reestablished bonds of the family and opened the gates to all of God’s children. I hope you know, as you search for your ancestors, that you have a family that includes all kinds of people from all kinds of places. We are all brothers and sisters… we are family.

Grace and Peace
Steve

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The other day Southeast High School had a Library Fund Raiser at Barnes and Noble here in Greensboro. It was really nice, running from 5:00pm to 8:00pm with a percentage of all proceeds going toward SEHS Library Fund… to help them buy books for the school library. One of the choirs sang beautifully… while the Jazz Band really rocked the house.

I wandered throughout the store which Shirley and I shop at quite a bit. Up and down the isles, retrieving, flipping, through, and replacing books on many shelves. I looked at all the little nicknacks on display and even purchased a few. All the latest and hottest books… ones they are trying their best to get you to purchase were on display near the entrance… almost tripped over them on the way in.

One thing I did think about was the real important question of the evening: “Why are my books only on line with Barnes and Noble and not on their physical shelves?” There are other authors who have several books on the shelves… little known authors like John Grissom, J.K. Rowling, Stephen King, and some guy named Mark Twain… wow what a funny name? I guess these guys are ok to read but I am a local boy… shouldn’t that warrant some consideration ?

I am sure you know that this is all in jest. I envy the talent and skill and imagination of these very famous and successful writers. If I keep working at improving my skills and techniques perhaps in about 30 or 40 years I will be a famous, well-read writer?

As I walked around the computer book section looking for some written help for my ancestry work, I noticed that there is this series of books on everything you ever wanted to know about everything you wanted to know. The series is entitled “(Blank) for Dummies.” Some are funny. Some make you say what? While others you look at and say Really? Amazon Books online has 20 pages of listing the titles of Dummies book titles. Add the words “for Dummies” after each of these: the Bible, iPhone, Running a Bar, Auto Repair, Raising Chickens, Hacking, Facebook, Puppies, iPad, Music Theory, Pit Bulls, Football, Fishing, Christianity, U.S. History, Dad’s Guide to Pregnancy, Gardening, Wine, Bird Watching, etc for many more pages.

There was one that caught my eye… even though I am a dummy at fishing and would love to be able to catch the big one… one book in particular stopped me dead in my tracks: “Mindfulness for Dummies.” It seems to run right along with the Bible for Dummies and Christianity for Dummies. I am afraid that what we are handing out today is the Cliff Notes version of things that really matter – things vital to life and faith – things that call us to a higher plane of living and understanding and loving. And in the process we are losing the deeper meanings of that which is vital. An old college Philosophy professor who was dry as dust and even put a dog to sleep during a summer school class – that wise old professor gave us a quote that has stayed with me since 1977: “If you think you have your philosophy of life all figured out with that philosophical circle complete, watch out cause God is getting ready to let you know that your philosophical circle of life is not big enough to include all God wants to say or do or include”.

It seems these days that the world has gone mad trying to push people out of their circle for reasons that are simply beyond me… like they are immigrants, law breakers, not up to our standards, sick or different than we are. And a host of other reasons. I look at what we are doing and how we are acting and I see the people of Jesus’ days on earth pointing fingers at Jesus because he was different. He healed people on the Sabbath (when they needed healing – didn’t wait for a more suitable or acceptable day). He ate with sinners – people we wouldn’t let in our house – he welcomed people he didn’t know – strangers. He touched the untouchables – the sick lepers – who were spiritually unclean.  He welcomed the Samaritans – the ones our priests and business men leave in the side ditch on the road to church… the office – the ones who worship differently than us. He welcomed the different, the outcast, the ungodly people from whom we would look away. In other words he would welcome anyone, eat with anyone, pray with anyone, walk with anyone, invite anyone, love anyone, and die for anyone.

Several years ago I spoke about the doors, hearts and minds of the church being wide open to welcome anyone and everyone. Someone in the congregation needed clarification and ran up to me after church and said: “Preacher, just how open are these doors?” (meaning, do we let in even those people with whom I don’t agree?) And I answered they are to be wide enough to welcome everyone God wants us to love. I don’t think he liked my answer but it still is the truth… still today.

Our world today needs a crash course in “Mind-fullness for Dummies.” We need to be mindful of all the people God is calling us to love – to love with God’s love – to love with our love. God calls us to welcome the stranger not to send them away. He calls us to care for them – lift them up and not to bring them down and trample them under foot.

Do we really need a book on Christianity for Dummies? I guess we do if we think God has said the last word on Christian belief, faith and action… and that we know all we need to know about how God works and who God loves and welcomes into God’s own heart. How closed off are you? Is your circle complete…finished? If so, Dummy, you need to read: Open Hearts for Dummies. Open Minds for Dummies. Open Doors for Dummies. How to Be Compassionate to ALL People for Dummies. Read and learn. You’ll be glad you did… believe me you will be glad you did.

Grace and Peace
Steve

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