Charisa Stories

Month: April 2006

  • “Confessions of a Bad Christian” – How about a reality check instead of show?

    Just when I think they cannot come up with another ridiculous idea for a reality show they come up with another ridiculous idea for a reality show. I did a little research and found over 100 shows that could be called “reality” tv. There is actually a show called Reality Wrap-up on VH1 that summarizes all of the intellectual genius of these shows so that you don’t have to watch. What a blessing that is! For example, what if you missed the latest round of Date Plate, the show that pits two culinary Casanovas in a competition to win the stomach and heart of a beautiful bachelorette? The Food Network describes the riveting drama of this show.

    They work within a budget — and against a clock — each cooking a special meal for a woman they’ve never met. The most delicious part is that the bachelors can see and learn about the bachelorette through a video greeting card, while she knows nothing about the men trying to woo her — except for their cooking skills of course! She chooses her Romeo based solely on the meal he makes for her — a truly tasty twist on dating television.


    Okay, I confess. I won the heart of the stunning Mrs. Burchett with a lovely presentation of my reknowned dish that I dubbed “aide d’hamburger.” Less sophisticated gastronomes might call it Hamburger Helper but you wouldn’t get a girl like I did.

    You likely know many of the reality shows. American Idol is the gold standard. Others are familiar such as The Amazing Race, The Biggest Loser, The Apprentice, Survivor, et al. But you might have missed a couple. Have you seen the latest episode, for example, of Filthy Rich Cattle Drive? The premise is that spoiled rich kids are thrown into a City Slickers like experience. Here is, honest to goodness, a real description of the first episode that aired on the E! network.


    The adventure begins. The group, after arriving via private jet, is escorted to a pair of pickup trucks. After being divided into a Red Team and a Black Team, the gang engages in hot-rock massages, horse wrangling and cow-rectum checking. Don’t miss this one!


    I have never been more grateful to report anything in my life as I am to let you know that I missed that episode and the next seven as well. The primary reason I passed on celebrity cowboy wannabes arriving by private jet and having uncomfortable bovine interaction is contained in the subtitle of the show. Filthy Rich Cattle Drive – Cows don’t care who your Daddy is!”  Bottom line – neither do I.


    Spiritual themes are now working their way into the mix as well. The premise of God or the Girl revolves around four men who, for reasons known only to them, allow A&E to record their decision about joining the priesthood. The press release describes the show.


    They’re bright, All-American guys with ambition to spare, hilarious friends and family, even girls they might want to marry. But beneath the surface, they are in turmoil trying to decide whether they’re being called in an entirely different direction. GOD OR THE GIRL captures the tension, terror, and triumph of Joe, Mike, Steve, and Dan, four 20-something men at the most important crossroads of their lives, as, over the course of this series, they decide whether or not to enroll in the seminary and become Roman Catholic priests, or to find the love of a woman and settle down with a family.


    Excuse me. The terror of deciding between the priesthood and a family? That must be a either a very rough parish and/or a very mean girlfriend.

    The irony of reality tv is the lack of reality. Reality is not found on shows like these. Reality is found in everyday life. I would love to see Christians (present company included) become totally committed to reality living for Christ. The sad truth is that most of us are not doing a really good job of living out the challenge from the gospel of Luke. The parable talks about servants being ready for the master to return. If they do not do what is expected they will be punished because they had been given much responsibility.


    From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.


    The practical reality is that we (Christians in America) have been given so much compared to most of the world. I fear that we are falling far short of what can even reasonably be asked. Ron Sider (author of Scandal of the Evangelical Conscience) is a guy that I would rather avoid because he makes me uncomfortable with that darn truth thing. He was quoted about our cultural materalism in Christianity Today.


    Materialism continues to be an incredible scandal. The average church member [from across the denominations] today gives about 2.6 percent of his or her income—a quarter of a tithe—to the church. Evangelicals used to be quite a lot better [in giving] than mainline denominations. But their giving has declined every year for several decades, and they’re now getting very close to the norm. The average evangelical giving is about 4.2 percent—about two-fifths of a tithe.


    Six percent of the “born-again” people tithe; nine percent of evangelicals do. Our income has gone up fabulously over the last 30-plus years. The average household income now in the U.S. is $42,000-plus. If the average American Christian tithed, we’d have another $143 billion.


    Imagine what organizations like World Vision or Samaritan’s Purse and countless others could do with 143 billion dollars! Imagine how that could impact the reality of suffering souls in Darfur. Katrina victims that are still displaced. Children that need medicine and food and hope. Single Moms struggling to make families work. Orphans of the Aids epidemic in Africa. And millions of souls living in hopelessness and darkness that could use a little love and a lot of light in their lives.


    The reality is that you and I would scarcely miss that new car, outfit, or whatever material thing we somehow believe we simply must have this week. There will be an accounting some day. And that is reality.

     

  • “Confessions of a Bad Christian” – Wouldn’t take nothin’ for the journey now

    Regular readers of these humble ramblings know one thing for sure. My brain is not wired according to factory specs. So it was no surprise to me that some synapses randomly crossed and I couldn’t get a gospel song out of my mind that I had not heard in, oh, forty years. That is the curse of a mind that can’t remember a security ATM pin number but knows every word to the Mr. Ed theme song.


    I suppose the trigger for digging this gospel tune out of my musty brain storage unit was thinking about the journey that Joni and I begin in earnest this Friday. Somehow that brought to mind a gospel song that was a favorite in my house growing up. I had a rather unusual spiritual environment as a youngster. My parents were not regular church goers but they loved southern gospel music. We would go to concerts in the big city of Columbus, Ohio featuring groups like the Blackwood Brothers, the Stamps, the Speer Family, the Happy Goodmans, and others. I had forgotten that little slice of family history until this song perniciously implanted in my brain. The song was called “I wouldn’t take nothin’ for my journey now” and I can still remember the lyrics.


    Well, I started out travelin’ for the Lord many years ago,
    I’ve had a lot of heartache, I’ve met a lot of grief and woe.
    But when I would stumble, then I would humble down,
    And there I would say I wouldn’t take nothing for my journey now.


    Well, I wouldn’t take nothin’ for my journey now,
    Gotta make it to heaven somehow,
    Though the Devil tempt me & he tries to turn me around,
    He’s offered everything that’s got a name,
    All the wealth I want & the worldly fame,
    If I could, still I wouldn’t take nothing for my journey now.


    There’s nothing in the world that’ll ever take the place of God’s love.
    Silver & gold couldn’t buy a mighty touch from above.
    When my soul needs healin’ I begin to feelin’ His power,
    I can say thank the Lord, I wouldn’t take nothing for my journey now.


    If I could, still I wouldn’t take nothing for my journey now


    I write this one day before Joni begins chemotherapy for her breast cancer. We have talked about the journey ahead. We know it will be difficult. When we first found out about her cancer I quoted John Piper’s article called “Don’t Waste Your Cancer”. Here is an excerpt from that blog.


    “It will not do to say that God only uses our cancer but does not design it. What God permits, he permits for a reason. And that reason is his design. If God foresees molecular developments becoming cancer, he can stop it or not. If he does not, he has a purpose. Since he is infinitely wise, it is right to call this purpose a design. Satan is real and causes many pleasures and pains. But he is not ultimate.”


    We believe there is a reason for this journey we are on. We are praying that He will be glorified through this process. I would be less than honest if I said there is never a time when I wish the journey was easier or could be altered. I would have chosen to pass on the heartache, grief, and woe the song writer described above. There was a time when the wealth and fame were at the top rungs of my ladder of desire. But those heartaches, the grief, and the realization about what matters have molded me into who I am today. My journey toward being more like Jesus has a long way to go. Joni and I are ready for the next part of our journey together. We are, to be honest, a little frightened as we prepare to battle the giant. But we are steadfast in one thing. We wouldn’t take nothin’ for our journey now. We are going to make it somehow. And that somehow will involve the love of His people and a mighty touch from above…


    Then Jesus said, “Come to me, all of you who are weary and carry heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you. Let me teach you, because I am humble and gentle, and you will find rest for your souls.Matt 11  NLT 



     

  • “Confessions of a Bad Christian” – What Would Jesus Say?

    A local church is doing an interesting sermon series involving what Jesus would say to various celebrities. The signboard asks the question, What would Jesus say to….


    Paris Hilton.
    Bono.
    Tom Cruise.
    Terrell Owens.


    I wondered what I would say to each of those famous or infamous people. In my fantasy world I would say something like this…


    Paris Hilton – Look up the definition of shame.
    Terrell Owens – It is your job to catch passes. Just do your job. I don’t dance in the middle of the room when I do my job well (thank God).
    Tom Cruise – You might want to rethink the medication thing.
    Bono – You rock.


    In the real world I would likely not say any of those things except maybe the “you rock” to Bono. But I was wondering if what Jesus would say to a celebrity is the right question to ask. I am pretty good at figuring out what Jesus would say to others. I have an amazing ability to hear a sermon and wonder if Congregant A is hearing this? Or to shake my head and think, “Man does Congregant B need to hear that!”

    But the question I need to be asking is what Jesus would say to Dave. That is where I get less comfortable and a bit more reserved. My fantasy conversation with Jesus happens (surprise) at Starbucks. The first question would be be WWJO. What would Jesus order? After we answered that I imagined the conversation would go something like this…


    Jesus: I have missed spending time with you recently.
    Dave: I have been really busy with work and traveling.
    Jesus: I understand. But you know the shepherd knows when his sheep wander off for awhile. 
    Dave: Yeah. Sorry.
    Jesus: I was glad you came to me with your fear and hurt about Joni’s cancer.
    Dave: I don’t know how I could have handled that without you.
    Jesus: I am there for you. I am there even when there is not a crisis.
    Dave: I know. I forget that sometimes. I get so busy with stupid stuff that I forget to pray and spend time in the Bible.
    Jesus: I was just wondering something.
    Dave: What?
    Jesus: Did you find time to spend with your fantasy baseball team roster today?
    Dave: Do you need a refill?
    Jesus: Nice try. You make time for what is important to you. I want to be as important to you as you are to me.
    Dave: Why do you put up with me?
    Jesus: Because I love you. And I always will.


    So maybe my imaginary conversation with Jesus would not go quite like that. I think that conversation would change how I go about my daily routines. I believe that conversation would alter how I view others. And I believe my talk with Jesus would energize my walk with Him.


    So the next question is simple. Why isn’t that already happening on a consistent basis? I have His words and teachings to study. I have the presence of the Holy Spirit in my life. I have other followers of Jesus to share the journey with each day.

    So what would Jesus say to me? I think He would say something very simple and yet profound enough to challenge me for the rest of my days. Here is a little medley of the message I think He would have for me (and you).


    “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will make you fishers of men.”  Matt 4:19


     But Jesus told him, “Follow me….   Matt 8:22


     “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. Matt 9:9


    “If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me.  Matt 16:24


    Then come, follow me.”   Matt 19:21


    Finding Philip, he said to him, “Follow me.”   John 1:43


     Whoever serves me must follow me;   John 12:26


     Jesus answered, “If I want him to remain alive until I return, what is that to you? You must follow me.”   John 21:22


    In the immortal words of Forrest Gump…”I’m not a smart man”. But like Forrest I have a keen sense of the obvious. I have surmised (brilliantly) that Jesus would say to follow Him. The rest of it we will figure out together.


     


     


     


     


     

  • “Confessions of a Bad Christian” – Not euphemistic about the future?

    It seems the number one rule of our enlightened culture is to not offend anyone. The corollary to that rule is to not clearly communicate whenever humanly possible.  John Leo wrote a great piece at Townhall.com about the avalanche of euphemisms that are overtaking actual communication. In this world a plane crash becomes, to the airlines, a “Hull loss.”  


    New Orleans police rejected the term “looting” after Katrina, but they conceded “the possibility of appropriation of non-essential items from businesses.” I don’t think too many cared if water, baby food, clothing, and groceries were taken for desperate families. DVD players and HDTV’s are another issue. Exhibit A is survival…exhibit B is looting.  


    Our educational system is a leader in the growing field of doublespeak. Self-esteem has become the Holy Grail of many education leaders. Leo’s column cited such gems as…


    A number of schools have eliminated “F” as a mark, and “suboptimal outcome” means failure. 


    How much better would I have felt about myself in high school if I had just realized my bombing of Calculus was merely a “suboptimal outcome’?  


    In Britain members of the Professional Association of Teachers suggested that schools drop the word fail. The teachers wanted to use “deferred success”. 


    This will be invaluable to me in future communication with the lovely Mrs.Burchett.  


    “Dave, did you clean out the garage?”


    “Honey, I am anticipating success on a deferred schedule.”


    “Where did you hide the BS flag?” 


    In this not so brave new world “mandatory discontinued attendance” (suspension) and “post instructional behavioral adjustment period” (detention) are in actual usage.  
     
    I experienced “non-voluntary aerobic training” (running laps) for a little basketball disciplinary issue in high school as well.  


    In Britain, the Church of England suggests that the words “living in sin” should be banished and replaced by a “covenanted relationship.”  
     
    Actually I also disdain the term “living in sin” for couples who are not married. Why? Because I am am capable of sin every single day of my life. We can have a discussion about the biblical perspective for a healthy relationship with couples who are living together. But the reality of my life is best expressed by Paul in this letter to Timothy. 


    The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus.  Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.  I Timothy 1  NIV 


    I recently wrote a post called Your Rules, My Rules.  


    When you gossip it is sin….


    When I gossip it is “sharing.” 


    When you stand up for a belief you are stubborn and rigid…


    When I do I have the strength of my convictions.  


    When you make a mistake you are an immature Christian…


    When I screw-up I am going through a “difficult time”. 


    You are selfish…


    When I act selfishly I am looking out for myself because no one else will. 


    When you miss church you are letting down the fellowship…


    When I miss it is because of my difficult week that you can’t even begin to understand. 


    When you don’t work at a church function you are lazy…


    When I don’t volunteer it is because I can’t possibly take on another thing (sighhhh) 


    When you take initiative you are self-centered…


    When I take charge I am following God’s direction.  


    When you get angry you have a terrible attitude…


    When I get ticked off I am “filled with righteous indignation”…or something.  


    Perhaps you are experiencing a bit of “deferred success” in your Christian journey. Maybe some of your relationships with other Christians are having a “suboptimal outcome” at this point in time. May I encourage you to have the courage to call a spade a spade and not an agricultural soil displacement implement. Sin is sin. And there is an answer to that in 1 John, chapter 4. 


    God showed how much he loved us by sending his only Son into the world so that we might have eternal life through him. This is real love. It is not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as a sacrifice to take away our sins



    G.K.Chesterton once responded to a series of articles on ‘What’s Wrong with the World’ with this pithy little comment. 


    “Dear Sir: Regarding your article ‘What’s Wrong with the World?’  
     
    I am.  
     
    Yours truly, G. K. Chesterton.” 


    So you feel like your actions don’t matter? Polish writer Stanislaw Jerzy once stated that “No snowflake in an avalanche ever feels responsible.” I am accountable for my actions and how I represent Christ everyday. Don’t allow the temptation of clever euphemisms to disguise truth.  

  • “Confessions of a Bad Christian” – I am a rock?

    Earlier this month I received the most meaningful birthday present of my life. When you get to be my age birthdays are kind of like unspoken prayer requests. You are aware they are there but you don’t want to make them public.  


    But my family still insists on acknowledging the march of time on my birthday. So the morning of April 6th dawned and my wife gave me a lovely card. And then she presented her gift. 


    She gave me a rock. She handed it to me, smart alecks. It was not delivered up side of the head. I have to admit that I looked a bit quizzically at the gift. I looked at her and tried to think of the right thing to say.  


    “Hey, it is just the color I was looking for! And what a cool shape. Thanks!” 


    But my wife spared me by asking the logical question. “Do you know why I am giving you a rock?”


    “Tell me.” I replied gratefully.


    “Because you have been my rock through all of this.” 


    Suddenly that stone took on the value of a Tiffany diamond to me. Joni’s reference to “all of this” was her diagnosis with breast cancer and our mutual efforts to confront that from a spiritual, emotional, and medical point of view. I have written about her cancer earlier. But to be honest I haven’t felt like a rock. The fact that she felt that way was an enormously touching to me. 


    I guess I had always thought about a “rock” being like the lyrics from the Simon and Garfunkel song… 


    I am shielded in my armor,
    Hiding in my room, safe within my womb.
    I touch no one and no one touches me.


    I am a rock,
    I am an island. 


    And a rock feels no pain;
    And an island never cries. 


    I would guess that many men have been raised in that model. But any man or woman who is truly a “rock” through adversity does feel pain and they openly acknowledge that pain. And they certainly cry. How could I not cry about what my partner and best friend faces in the months ahead? So many people make the comment that they could not handle what Joni and I are experiencing as well as we are handling it. I disagree. I disagree because we said exactly the same thing in the past as we watched others endure adversity with strength and grace. There is one gigantic key to being a rock in a storm. That key is found in the gospel of Matthew. 


    Anyone who listens to my teaching and obeys me is wise, like a person who builds a house on solid rock. Though the rain comes in torrents and the floodwaters rise and the winds beat against that house, it won’t collapse, because it is built on rock. But anyone who hears my teaching and ignores it is foolish, like a person who builds a house on sand. When the rains and floods come and the winds beat against that house, it will fall with a mighty crash.” After Jesus finished speaking, the crowds were amazed at his teaching… 


    If I have displayed any characteristics of value in this trial it is because we decided as a couple to build on the solid rock of God’s Word. We did not know this storm was coming. We did not have time to board up the windows or reinforce the foundation. We had to have our foundation already built on the rock. And it has not collapsed.  


    I value my birthday gift. But I feel like I should regift it to my amazing wife. And then we should both place it on the altar to honor the real “Rock” in this journey…Jesus.

  • “Confessions of a Bad Christian” – Waiters don’t find much left behind


    I came across a fascinating story in USA Today last Friday. The article was entitled CEOs vouch for Waiter Rule: Watch how people treat staff. I was shouting Amen just after reading the title. Writer Del Jones hit the ball out of the park with this one. Christians, lace up your steel toed boots because this could be a toe-stomper. 


    Here is an excerpt from the piece written by Mr. Jones… 


    It’s hard to get a dozen CEOs to agree about anything, but all interviewed agree with the Waiter Rule. They acknowledge that CEOs live in a Lake Wobegon world where every dinner or lunch partner is above average in their deference. How others treat the CEO says nothing, they say. But how others treat the waiter is like a magical window into the soul. 


    Bad Christian comment…I suggest you filter all of these comments through your grid as a follower of Christ. How you are representing Him to those who serve you? 


    The CEO who came up with it, or at least first wrote it down, is Raytheon CEO Bill Swanson. He wrote a booklet of 33 short leadership observations called Swanson’s Unwritten Rules of Management. Raytheon has given away 250,000 of the books.


    Among those 33 rules is only one that Swanson says never fails: “A person who is nice to you but rude to the waiter, or to others, is not a nice person.” 


    Swanson says he first noticed this in the 1970s when he was eating with a man who became “absolutely obnoxious” to a waiter because the restaurant did not stock a particular wine. 


    “Watch out for people who have a situational value system, who can turn the charm on and off depending on the status of the person they are interacting with,” Swanson writes. “Be especially wary of those who are rude to people perceived to be in subordinate roles.” 


    Bad Christian comment… Is there anything more disingenuous than the situational value system? And could there be a more damaging trait for a follower of Christ to demonstrate? James wrote the beta version of the Waiter rule. 


    My dear friends, don’t let public opinion influence how you live out our glorious, Christ-originated faith. If a man enters your church wearing an expensive suit, and a street person wearing rags comes in right after him, and you say to the man in the suit, “Sit here, sir; this is the best seat in the house!” and either ignore the street person or say, “Better sit here in the back row,” haven’t you segregated God’s children and proved that you are judges who can’t be trusted? Listen, dear friends. Isn’t it clear by now that God operates quite differently?  James 2 The Message 


    But don’t we too often do exactly that? The story in USA Today continues… 


    The Waiter Rule also applies to the way people treat hotel maids, mailroom clerks, bellmen and security guards. Au Bon Pain co-founder Ron Shaich, now CEO of Panera Bread, says he was interviewing a candidate for general counsel in St. Louis. She was “sweet” to Shaich but turned “amazingly rude” to someone cleaning the tables, Shaich says. She didn’t get the job. 


    Bad Christian comment….YES. YES. YES. Regular readers of these humble ramblings know that I rarely use the dreaded all caps. But this deserved it. I am sick of people who play the “who are you to judge” card when we are talking about basic civility and manners. If you are uncomfortable telling them they are not living up to Biblical standards how about just lowering the evaluation standard and tell them they are being a jerk by any standard of decency. It is especially important for Christians – and especially those who make a living by being Christian – to be kind and gentle to those who can do nothing for them. I remember thinking how cool I was because I was in a group with a powerful and well known Christian executive. A custodian recognized this man and tried to make conversation. This big time executive blew him off and embarrassed him in front of the group. I will never forget the look in that man’s face. I hope I never forget the look on that man’s face. And I never looked at this powerful leader I had once admired in the same way. Fair? Probably not. But it is honest and it is a reminder of how people are always watching. Being a Christian is like being a parent. Far more is communicated by our actions than our words. And that drives me to my knees.  


    CEOs who blow up at waiters have an ego out of control, says Dave Gould, CEO of Witness Systems. “They’re saying, ‘I’m better. I’m smarter.’ Those people tend not to be collaborative.” 


    Such behavior is an accurate predictor of character because it isn’t easily learned or unlearned but rather speaks to how people were raised, says Siki Giunta, CEO of U.S. technology company Managed Objects, a native of Rome who once worked as a London bartender. “Sitting in the chair of CEO makes me no better of a person than the forklift operator in our plant,” she says. “If you treat the waiter, or a subordinate, like garbage, guess what? Are they going to give it their all? I don’t think so.” 


    If we modeled the Biblical teachings of Jesus in this area our message would be so much more readily received. Instead we too often have the Sunday Morning Massacre of Christians leaving a tract and not a tip. The joke among many wait staff is funny but discouraging. 


    Waiter: What is the difference between a Christian and a canoe?


    Answer: At least a canoe can tip. 


    A little time spent surfing and I had come up with dozens of stories from frustrated waiters and their Christian customers (note to rapid responders…if this doesn’t fit you just relax. I know that not all Christians are bad tippers). Here is a typical waiter rant talking about a fellow waiter. 


    Seems he’d had a big top (sixteen or so) of church-going Christians and they tipped him a piece of paper asking him if he’d been saved. 


    A $90 tab, whiny kids and demanding ****s and for his trouble he got a piece of paper, a piece of paper, essentially, because who the (bleep) is going to see your point of view when instead of honest remuneration (about $18) you give a worthless flap of scold?


    I don’t pretend to be someone who spews chapter and verse but I’m pretty sure “Screw thy server” isn’t anywhere in the Good Book. 


    I can assure this frustrated waiter that screw thy server is not a Biblical concept. Think that is a bitter pagan response? How about this heartfelt plea from a brother in Christ who has witnessed the phenomenon? This is excerpted from a writer named Guy Malone. 


    There was a glorious Christian concert at the Arena tonight. Everybody was blessed… well, except for the waiters working downtown that is. 


    I am both a Christian and a Server at a downtown Nashville restaurant. One of the most personally embarrassing ordeals I ever go through at work is when there is a large, highly publicized Christian event, and “my people” come out en masse to eat. Only because I walked into the break-room during a gripe session and found her in mid-sentence, a fellow server asked me an honest and long-deserved question, “Why are religious people the worst tippers?” 


    It’s true. As a whole, Christians are thought of by restaurant workers to be among the absolute worst tippers of any single identifiable group. Sundays after church, and during events like the one mentioned, Christians go out in large numbers, perhaps unaware of how poorly they are representing the gospel to a very specific and largely “unreached” people group – their servers. This is not a letter from a waiter complaining about how some people tip though; this is a letter from one Christian to others, to inform them of the horrendous damage many of us do to the Christian witness on a regular basis. 


    Ouch. We should be humble and repentant. I believe in the power of the gospel message. And I am sure that many of the stories from above were from people trying to do the right thing and communicate the hope they had discovered. But may I suggest that the “Good News” is best packaged in generosity. Wrapped with kindness. Adorned with patience. And maybe even while leaving a hefty tip. How are you treating those who serve you? Will you be able to hear the words of Matthew 25? 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.’

  • “Confessions of a Bad Christian” – Here’s to you, Mr. Robinson

    April 15th is not my favorite day of the year. Tax day is never fun for a guy who is organizationally challenged. My idea of being prepared is having everything in one box. But I was heartened to find that April 15th is a great day for baseball fans. 


    Jackie Robinson made his major league debut at first base for the Brooklyn Dodgers on that date in 1947. It was a historic and significant day for baseball but maybe more so for our country. You can argue that the American civil rights movement was ignited when Robinson came to bat in Dodger Blue. The journey for Robinson was difficult at best and nearly impossible at worst. 


    Many Dodgers players, mostly Southerners led by Dixie Walker, threatened to walk if forced to play with a black player. That ended when Dodger management let them know in no uncertain terms that they could keep walking to the unemployment line. I often write about the pain that is caused by “bad” or thoughtless Christians. Can you imagine the pain that Robinson felt to have his teammates reject him for only one reason?  


    But one teammate reacted in a way that I wish all serious and thoughtful Christians would emulate. Team captain Pee Wee Reese was an unlikely ally for Robinson. He was born in segregated Louisville, Kentucky, and the odds were that Reese would be a part of the boycott against a black player. But the diminutive Pee Wee Reese proved to be a giant of a man one day in Cincinnati. During infield practice the Redleg players were screaming at Jackie with all of the usual hateful epithets. And then the venom was distributed to Reese. They were yelling things at him like “How can you play with this (epithet)?”, as Jackie stood uncomfortably at first base. Pee Wee went over to him and put his arm around him and smiled. A silence fell over the Reds dugout and the fans witnessing this amazing act of grace, Jackie smiled back. 


    At Reese’s funeral, Joe Black, another Major League Baseball black pioneer, said: “Pee Wee helped make my boyhood dream come true to play in the Majors, the World Series. When Pee Wee reached out to Jackie, all of us in the Negro League smiled and said it was the first time that a White guy had accepted us. When I finally got up to Brooklyn, I went to Pee Wee and said, ‘Black people love you. When you touched Jackie, you touched all of us.’ With Pee Wee, it was No. 1 on his uniform and No. 1 in our hearts.”  


    Robinson later wrote this sentiment to Reese in a book inscription. 


    “Pee Wee whether you are willing to admit what you being just a great guy meant (a great deal) to my career, I want you to know how much I feel it meant. May I take this opportunity to say a great big thanks and I sincerely hope all things you want in life be yours.”  


    We need a lot more Pee Wee Reese’s in the body of Christ. We need men and women who are willing to step up for others when it may not be the best action for personal gain. We need men who are brave enough to look hatred and bigotry in the eye and call it by its name. April 15th was a day that demonstrated the greatness of two men. We need men who have the courage to emulate both Jackie Robinson and Pee Wee Reese in our walk with Jesus. The Apostle Paul had some good advice to accomplish that goal. 


    Live creatively, friends. If someone falls into sin, forgivingly restore him, saving your critical comments for yourself. You might be needing forgiveness before the day’s out. Stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. Share their burdens, and so complete Christ’s law. If you think you are too good for that, you are badly deceived.


        Make a careful exploration of who you are and the work you have been given, and then sink yourself into that. Don’t be impressed with yourself. Don’t compare yourself with others. Each of you must take responsibility for doing the creative best you can with your own life. Gal 6  Msg 


    I want to be willing to stoop down and reach out to those who are oppressed. As I meditate on the gift of grace and redemption I received through the Cross I wonder how I can do anything else.