Tornado Relief

All these recent earthquakes and seismic activities have made me reflect on this past Spring here in Oklahoma.  It was eventful and terrible to put it simply.  A great friend of mine, Nick Napoli, put together this video of FBC's relief efforts the day after the May 2011 tornado outbreak.

It truly is amazing what a community can do when they work together.

I love dogs

My wife and I have a 1 1/2 year old, 90 lb., hilarious black lab.  She brings us joy in so many ways.  She easily forgets, forgives, is ridiculously loyal, and comforts us when we are sad.  I love our dog.

It is interesting to me how people get so carried away with loving our pets.  Sure sometimes (maybe most times) they make better companions than people, but would we ever truly put an animal companion above a human?  A human being who is made in the very image of God?

Well, we did.  Yesterday 75% of Norman said they want to spend $3 million to build a better shelter for animals.

I guess my real question is can a Christian really vote to pass a $3 million bond to create a better and bigger facility for animals in Norman while nearly 700 human beings are without homes?

When I drive south on I-35 from OKC and see the billboard that says "living on the streets is a lonely place" and there's a black and white picture of a dog (a German Shepherd I think) laying down on cement I want to say, "yes, living on the streets is a lonely place for my friends Roger, Paul, Dennis, Josh, Robin, Eleanor, Adam, Mike, Gary, Richard, Kayla, ...".  I could introduce you to 200 people that I know who would be incredibly thankful for a $3 million bond for a new shelter.

But would a shelter like that pass as unanimously?

Good Samaritan Style

A few months ago one of our ministry workers came running in the office saying that a man was lying in our West covered stairwell.  She didn't know if he was alive or dead, conscious or unconscious.  I was called to the scene, opened the door to the outside steps, and approached the extremely thin man checking for signs of life.  

He awoke in a fluster and said, "Hey Joey."  I was taken aback because at first I did not recognize him.  Through the haze of inebriation he explained that he attends our Sunday Lunch every week.

I found myself feeling extreme compassion for this individual.  He stays in a tent within a wooded area of the city and he is a slave to the substance of alcohol.  In his drunken stupor he found his way to our church, a place where I think he subconsciously knew he would be safe.  

Instead of calling the police (which would have gotten him nowhere but deeper in debt with fines he cannot pay) I sat with him, gave him crackers and water to sober him up, and one of our secretaries came out with a first aid kit to dress the gash on his forehead.  After our secretary left, he and I had a candid conversation about his addiction, his current life situation, and the truth of Jesus' gospel that calls us to a life of freedom and love.  I told him how important he was.

By sitting with him I hoped to show that he was not forgotten in society.  By giving him food and water and dressing his wounds we hoped to show we care for his physical situation (a new earth).  And by speaking the Truth in his life I hoped to remind him of who he is as a child of God (a new heaven).

We cannot separate the physical and spiritual needs of this world.  Jesus never did, so why should we?

Revelation 21:1  "Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea existed no longer."

Fundraiser, Raising Funds, Fund Raising

"Money makes the world go round."
I think it was the Dalai Lama who said that...maybe not.
All my life I have fought the urge to earn money because I saw how it corrupted people.
I saw money holding people captive in enormous houses.
I saw money numbing people to the injustices all around them with the promise of comfort.
I saw money make people do crazy things such as marry the wrong person and ruin family relationships.

But there came a time in my life when I realized money wasn't doing any of these things.  It is actually a form of idolatry that consumes people to a point of willing slavery.  I know now money is a tool.  Not that money is any less dangerous, because it is completely and life threateningly dangerous.  However, God uses it to make great things happen in this world.  He uses it as a agent of freedom when it was intended as a mechanism of bondage.

I am growing a beard and raising money for a great cause.
Consider showing that something you've been given (and could potentially ruin you) can be given away freely because you are not its slave.  Give to the United Way and support my stubble.

Click here to DONATE a few bucks

Let these walls fall

On a rainy day a few months ago...come to think of it...it might have been longer because "raining" is not something we've had a lot of lately.  So, on a rainy day in 2009...

No matter, it was a rainy day and an african-american homeless friend and I met at the church to read some scripture together.  We were both a little antsy at that moment so we decided instead of sitting in chairs for half an hour we would walk outside and talk.  That walking turned into a Jericho story.

We decided to walk seven times around the large red brick building we know as First Baptist Church Norman.  And on the seventh trip the ground began to shake and bricks became dislodged and began to fall...just kidding.  Nothing dramatic happened.  We walked around our church praying that the walls of our hearts would crumble.  We hoped for a revival of the Holy Spirit that would begin in us and spread throughout the church as we seek to be a demographically diverse congregation.

Praying that the walls of our lives would crumble to include more people who are hard to love.

A picture I took one Sunday morning out in front of our church.
Matthew 11:28

The old leprechaun with a lot of money

Some people choose to be nomadic.  "Transient" is another word for it.

Last year I had the privilege of booking a train ticket on the Heartland Flyer for a gentleman who is 67 years old, walks with a cane, sleeps at the river, and speaks through an electrolarynx (yeah, that's right, click it to learn more).  He didn't need any money; he could afford the ticket.  He simply needed someone to make the phone call for him to book the trip.  I forgot to mention that this guy had side burns (mutton chops, really) that would put Neil Diamond and Elvis Presley (combined) to shame.

This week the old very short man returned, with his chops, cane, and electrolarynx.  It took me a few seconds to remember him, but I did.  I never forget an electrolarynx.

He needed the same thing, not money for the ticket, but someone to make the phone call to book it.  So I did.  Afterwards I gave him the receipt with his confirmation number on it.  He pulled out his wallet and took out two hundred dollar bills! I did not expect that to happen so (of course) I reached out my hand ready to accept this generous tip for my telephone call skills, only to see him embed the receipt within the bills and tuck them safely back in his wallet.

I said, "Whoa!  You better be careful with all that cash."  To which he proceeded to show me how he would use his cane as a weapon if anyone got too close.  He then said in his robotic voice, "I keep another three hundred in a secret compartment in my cane handle just incase."

I couldn't believe it.  I had never met a real leprechaun before.  But here he was, with his gold stashed secretly away and ready to defend it at all costs.

Maybe there is some spiritual lesson in all of this.  Maybe not...

Does anybody really believe in coincidence?

Just a small story about the way I choose to see the world...

On Sunday afternoon I was leaving the church and walking down the long hallway away from my office.  As I approached the end of the hallway I noticed something bulging up from the carpet.  As I got closer it took on the appearance of money that was folded up.

Seriously, the first thought in my head was "Oh my goodness, someone dropped one of those tacky dollar-bill tracts!"  I wanted to take on the persona of a super hero, my name is Joey and my super power is being able to smell the stench of Christian clichés and cheesiness while being able to eradicate it with a single blow.  So I stood there triumphantly with the wind blowing my cape, fists on my hips, and I said, "Not in my church!"

Then I picked up the money tract and when it was in my hand I realized it really was money and the threat of Christian cheesy propaganda was over.  So, I reassumed my civilian identity and proceeded to decide what to do.

It was only two dollars, surely that's too insignificant of an amount for God himself to have placed it there.

Monday morning came around and a gentleman showed up right on time for his 10am appointment.  I just met this white mid 30's year old homeless male the day before after the church service.  He had walked in to the building as a last resort for his desperate situation not knowing where else to go.  We spoke together for a while and he decided that the best option for his situation was to get back to OKC where he had somewhat of a supportive community.  I said, "Oh, I think God put two dollars on the floor of the church yesterday for you to have.  Combined with this quarter (I had in a drawer of my desk) this will get you on the bus from Norman to OKC."

Responding with sincere gratitude and shock, he smiled, eyes big, and we walked out of the church together.

I don't look for God's workings constantly.  I wonder what miracles I've missed being a part of because of my blindness...