As a "spiritual shaman," I have the distinct honor of being invited into the bits and pieces of what makes up a person's life. Sometimes that life is filled with poverty, divorce, addiction, depression, disease, etc. These are all very difficult and challenging for the human heart to endure and survive. Yet, what makes this invitation special is that people are willing to show me their hurts because of who and what I represent, which frankly is not about me, nor should it be. That's a huge responsibility, and one that I do not take lightly. Over the years, I have had to learn how to do this, and I have not always been so sensitive or empathetic to those who have momentary needs as opposed to those who have invited me in to counsel or pray for their life. People who have momentary needs are often there because of circumstances then and now. How they got into those circumstances or predicament is something that will always amaze me and frustrate me. And yet, I question how people assume that the average church in average city USA, can help them out with their problem(s), even though most churches struggle to understand the task of networking, building discretionary funding budgets, and having the most basic of people power to even listen or talk to them. I have often felt like my hands are tied, even though I may not know if that person's intentions are honest, to which Christ would say, "Who cares if the intentions are honest?"
For example, I have seen people seek my help out for money to pay a bill or rent that day, even though they have known about that bill or rent for five or six weeks. I have met people who are driving around with an empty tank of gas, but by the smell of their clothes or breath, can afford cigarettes or alcohol. I have bought bus tickets for people, taken them to the bus station, watched them get into the bus, only to talk to local police officers later that the people I put on the bus were running from the state because of outstanding warrants. I was obviously told a different story as to why my bus going passengers needed to leave, and so I believed their stories. My experience as taught me that every person has needs. Need for attention, care, love, or hope.
Now, don't get me wrong. I know that living as Christ lives, is to help each other out, pick each other up and try to meet those needs. Unfortunately, I have seen the not so appreciative ways or the deceptive ways that people have used the church as a crutch to get what they need, because they assume the church will give them what they need, no questions asked AND they keep coming back with the greatest hope that one day the church will just give in to their need. The other unhealthy assumption is that people assume that because it's a church, it must have oodles of money, just waiting to be given away to anyone who asks for it. Delusions of grandeur...definitely! Truth be told, most churches cannot prove the assumptions right. Churches are clueless, unable, unwilling, ill staffed, strapped, and ashamed of what kind of help they can offer. What's funny about the Lutheran mindset and their giving, is how Lutheran churches tend to throw money at global issues, hoping that by doing that, those issues will somehow fix themselves.
Most churches I know willingly and somewhat stupidly take care of their own needs of maintenance and arrogance first, and they pretend to care about the poor and hungry around them when it's convenient and safe. These churches spend way too much time in meetings, too much time bickering, too much money on upkeep of the building, too much time lamenting ministries that are dying or are not working as they did 50 years ago, too much time feeding into the status-quo with offering their bland, watered down, deadpan worship services, and too much money paying their emotionally disconnected senior pastor to control and manipulate things to his tastes. Not much of a church if you ask me, but then again some churches are where people go to die, thus becoming a living cemetery.
It's funny, but the most needy people might not be the people that are looking for a tank of gas, a bill paid, or even a handout at the church. Maybe the most needy people in those churches are the parishioners who hold the church back from being what God has dreamed it to be. Maybe the most needy people are the people who refuse to tithe their percentage to the church because they want whatever the church can give them...they want the church to kneel down and kiss their asses because they have the money cards dangling in the open for all to see. Whenever money is involved with anything, politics of money will rear its ugly head. Additionally, there are always going to be those people who want the whole church to see just how much they give, so as to send the message that the church shouldn't fuck with them or refuse their requests, less the sugar coated givers walk away. Who says there are no more Pharisees in Christ's church? I say, let them leave...God does not want your money with those attachments or fingerprints of selfishness on it. I say let the big givers leave and screw up some other church. Oh, and don't let the church door hit your well groomed ass as you stomp out Mr. & Mrs. poopy-pants!
You know, I honestly wish the church could be a place where all people no matter who they are, what their stories are, and how much they need, could help. I wish the church would open its hand wider to the poor, hungry, and homeless around town. I wish the church would meet the most ignored needs in the community and lead the local town or city in making life change for people. The church is and it isn't this way. It helps, but only so far. It wants to reach out, but can't take its hand out of its pocket for fear the feeling of money in the pocket will be forgotten. There is a weird tension between wanting to help people out, and actually having the money, time, and heart to do it. I was just having lunch with a friend of mine today, and he and I were talking about this. His response was interesting. "If you really want to help someone, you have to be willing to see what you may not like, or understand. To really go there, to take it the full distance, the church needs to get that." Great point. When are we going be the church that can BE the body of Jesus who no longer question why we aren't? When are we going to use our resources to make sure people are fed, clothed, employed, and healthy so that people can live out their dreams? When are we going to build the church by building bridges to networking an end the quest for the most basic of needs of living? When are we going to shut our mouths, and let our hands and hearts take up the cause to build a church that meets people's needs without any attachments, without any agenda, without any ego? Now would be a good time to do it. More later...
For example, I have seen people seek my help out for money to pay a bill or rent that day, even though they have known about that bill or rent for five or six weeks. I have met people who are driving around with an empty tank of gas, but by the smell of their clothes or breath, can afford cigarettes or alcohol. I have bought bus tickets for people, taken them to the bus station, watched them get into the bus, only to talk to local police officers later that the people I put on the bus were running from the state because of outstanding warrants. I was obviously told a different story as to why my bus going passengers needed to leave, and so I believed their stories. My experience as taught me that every person has needs. Need for attention, care, love, or hope.
Now, don't get me wrong. I know that living as Christ lives, is to help each other out, pick each other up and try to meet those needs. Unfortunately, I have seen the not so appreciative ways or the deceptive ways that people have used the church as a crutch to get what they need, because they assume the church will give them what they need, no questions asked AND they keep coming back with the greatest hope that one day the church will just give in to their need. The other unhealthy assumption is that people assume that because it's a church, it must have oodles of money, just waiting to be given away to anyone who asks for it. Delusions of grandeur...definitely! Truth be told, most churches cannot prove the assumptions right. Churches are clueless, unable, unwilling, ill staffed, strapped, and ashamed of what kind of help they can offer. What's funny about the Lutheran mindset and their giving, is how Lutheran churches tend to throw money at global issues, hoping that by doing that, those issues will somehow fix themselves.
Most churches I know willingly and somewhat stupidly take care of their own needs of maintenance and arrogance first, and they pretend to care about the poor and hungry around them when it's convenient and safe. These churches spend way too much time in meetings, too much time bickering, too much money on upkeep of the building, too much time lamenting ministries that are dying or are not working as they did 50 years ago, too much time feeding into the status-quo with offering their bland, watered down, deadpan worship services, and too much money paying their emotionally disconnected senior pastor to control and manipulate things to his tastes. Not much of a church if you ask me, but then again some churches are where people go to die, thus becoming a living cemetery.
It's funny, but the most needy people might not be the people that are looking for a tank of gas, a bill paid, or even a handout at the church. Maybe the most needy people in those churches are the parishioners who hold the church back from being what God has dreamed it to be. Maybe the most needy people are the people who refuse to tithe their percentage to the church because they want whatever the church can give them...they want the church to kneel down and kiss their asses because they have the money cards dangling in the open for all to see. Whenever money is involved with anything, politics of money will rear its ugly head. Additionally, there are always going to be those people who want the whole church to see just how much they give, so as to send the message that the church shouldn't fuck with them or refuse their requests, less the sugar coated givers walk away. Who says there are no more Pharisees in Christ's church? I say, let them leave...God does not want your money with those attachments or fingerprints of selfishness on it. I say let the big givers leave and screw up some other church. Oh, and don't let the church door hit your well groomed ass as you stomp out Mr. & Mrs. poopy-pants!
You know, I honestly wish the church could be a place where all people no matter who they are, what their stories are, and how much they need, could help. I wish the church would open its hand wider to the poor, hungry, and homeless around town. I wish the church would meet the most ignored needs in the community and lead the local town or city in making life change for people. The church is and it isn't this way. It helps, but only so far. It wants to reach out, but can't take its hand out of its pocket for fear the feeling of money in the pocket will be forgotten. There is a weird tension between wanting to help people out, and actually having the money, time, and heart to do it. I was just having lunch with a friend of mine today, and he and I were talking about this. His response was interesting. "If you really want to help someone, you have to be willing to see what you may not like, or understand. To really go there, to take it the full distance, the church needs to get that." Great point. When are we going be the church that can BE the body of Jesus who no longer question why we aren't? When are we going to use our resources to make sure people are fed, clothed, employed, and healthy so that people can live out their dreams? When are we going to build the church by building bridges to networking an end the quest for the most basic of needs of living? When are we going to shut our mouths, and let our hands and hearts take up the cause to build a church that meets people's needs without any attachments, without any agenda, without any ego? Now would be a good time to do it. More later...
1 comment:
YES!!! You and I need to go into the exact church you are talking about here and say this (along with a few other things) to the people who are bringing this church down and letting it die!!!
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