Hurricane Harvey and Osteen

The hurricane in Texas, and now Louisiana, has wreaked havoc with torrential, recordbreaking rains, out of control flooding, dramatic rescues and tragic deaths.  I especially feel for those individuals who have already fled their homes years ago when Katrina’s devastation was upon them and resettled in Houston as a “safer place,” only to be reliving the nightmare now.  Sadly, these kinds of natural disasters occur around the world in a variety of ways year after year, and suffering is not unique to Harvey’s victims.

In the midst of it, Joel Osteen has come under attack from lots of directions with the charge that when asked to open his church as a shelter for those needing refuge, the request is said to have been denied.  I have read a portion of a statement officially issued by the church that indicates they have been purchasing and placing mattresses in the building, and that they plan to open it as a refuge once the other shelters are full.  

I find that statement rather interesting, in that the church does not see the need to be among the first to respond to those in need and suffering, but as a refuge of last resort.  I don’t have direct knowledge of any of the charges and controversy, just the bits and pieces I have picked up here and there, but it doesn’t sound good, does it?  

It certainly does not sound like the way Jesus responded to those in need, nor how teaches his followers to respond…but I also acknowledge that there could be more to the story than I know.  In fact, I have read of an interview that he gave indicating that there is another side to it all, and that they have been working with the city since the beginning.  I don’t intend to jump in and rush to judgment with limited information (which seems to happen a LOT on the internet, it seems to me).Since that is not the bandwagon I plan to jump on with this blog, I will leave that investigation to others, while I pursue some lessons that could be relevant for all of us instead.  Don’t misunderstand and assume that it means I approve of the actions that have been claimed against him…I am simply choosing to address a different concern.

I want to focus on a different aspect of this whole discussion. 

Have you noticed how much attention Osteen is getting from the secular media and community is all of this?  News sources that would never give the time of day to the various ministries his church does or the messages Osteen brings on a regular basis (and I’m not saying I agree with everything the man teaches…frankly, I don’t spend the time on his ministry to even find out).  But now, all of a sudden, he is the major focus of attention by people from every walk of life!  Why?

I think there are several reasons.  First, there are people around who despise anything Christian, and like vultures, just wait, watching for any error on the part of any Christian leader so that they can swoop and a pronounce judgment, point out hypocrisy and declare a foul.  These individuals believe that finding fault with fallible Christian people somehow disproves the validity of the Christian faith.  

That, of course, actually demonstrates how little they really understand of the teachings of the Christian faith, because the very core teaching of Christianity is that we are fallible, desperately in need of forgiveness and grace, which is why Jesus died on the cross in the first place.  Committing one’s life to Christ doesn’t mean we no longer fail and make poor choices, it means we are trying to learn a better way, and that we acknowledge our failings and need for forgiveness.  

This vulture type mentality exists not only on a national level, but on a local level as well.  There are individuals in every community who delight in pointing out the faults of the church and seek to undermine its ministries.  There are, sadly, also individuals in every congregation who think their calling is to find fault with their pastors and church leaders, and spend their time watching and waiting, when they would better be served by spending some time before a mirror, taking careful stock of their own shortcomings.

The second thing I want to point out is the underlying assumption that the church and Christians are SUPPOSED to be helping those in need.  

Despite all the maligning Christians have experienced in our secular and often hostile culture in recent years, the message has still gotten through that the church is a place (at least in theory) where people in need can find help and individuals who care.  I have experienced this personally as a pastor, when time and time again, individuals in a community who never step foot inside a church for worship, do not hesitate to turn to the church when they need help with utilities or food; the assumption is that Christians are people who care about the needs of others.  

So when people in your church get discouraged because they think the message isn’t getting through, consider that more may be getting through than you realize.  

One doesn’t hear the media raising any stink about whether scientologists, Mormons or Muslims are doing anything to help down in Texas.  It is Christians who have historically been known as individuals who care about and seek to minister to those in need.  Perhaps the greatest example in recent years would have been Mother Teresa caring for the lowest of the low in Calcutta.  It is the witness of Christians around the globe and throughout history.  Hospitals and colleges exist because Christians cared about the sick and the illiterate, not just their own people.  I visited a poverty stricken country some years ago with a missionary friend of mine, and as we drove, motorcycled and then finally hiked back into the back areas of the country, my friend commented that nobody else cares about these people, that even their own government doesn’t go back to help them. Once there, I saw schools being built, nutrition and job skills being taught, and new Christians seeking to learn what it means to follow Jesus in their context.

The final, and main point I want to raise is this: people are watching.  

If you claim to be a Christian, whether you realize it or not, people are observing your life to see if what you say you believe matches up with how you live your life.  And, as Joel Osteen and his church in Texas are rapidly discovering, actions (or inaction) speaks far louder than words.  Our changed lives, the good deeds are the outward evidence and manifestation of the work God has done within our hearts.  If they are non-existent, or counter to the way Jesus lived and taught, then that should serve as a warning sign causing us to examine whether or not we really have committed our lives to Christ, and what it means to you that you have done so.  But if your life is reflecting well the character of Christ, you are silently teaching people what it means to be a Christian, and when the day comes they need help, or want to know more, they will know that they can turn to you because your faith is genuine.  Perhaps that is the real reason for the outcry against Osteen and his church: people are searching for faith that is genuine, and are disenchanted by the disappointment of times when the evidence of individual lives says otherwise.

So if it was you the media was scrutinizing and judging, what would be their declaration based on your life?  

Remember that old saying:  If you were arrested for being a Christian, would there be enough evidence to convict you?  

Are you first on the scene to help people in need, or have you become a refuge of last resort, too?  

In a day of mixed messages, the world is hungry for genuine, meaningful, life-changing, humble faith.  I hope they can find it in YOU!  (and me!!)

Thankfulness

BURGLARY!

Living between two towns while making a long distance move has been difficult, trying, frustrating and sometimes very tedious.  Half of our possessions are in one town, the other half in another, and for months, the same was true of the two of us.  Now that Nola and I are together in our new town, we keep the roads between busy with our share of travels, finishing up home projects, packing, and bringing items with us as we wait for the completion of the remodeling project in our new home, and in preparation for putting our other home on the market.  One day, while we were at the new home, the one we are moving from was burglarized and we had some items stolen, including a few family heirlooms.  

It appears to me that the individuals were drug users, looking for quick cash or medicines they could use, based on the kinds of things they took, the areas they searched and the things they left behind.  I suspect they were very disappointed thieves, since much of the kind of things of interest to them were no longer there--prescriptions, coins or cash, jewelry, precious metal type things…you get the idea.  

My wife and I were appalled and troubled by the meticulous way the thieves had gone through so much of the things in the house, opening boxes packed for moving and leaving the contents strewn on the floor, open drawers and doors with the contents spilled out around, and general evidence of hours spent rummaging through things.  They did get away with some things of value, but not nearly what I suspect they were hoping to find.  

In the midst of our working on inventory for police and insurance, I mentioned to my wife that though this was clearly a troubling event, I did not experience it to be the same degree of trauma as divorce.  

Why?  

Because the individuals, I assume strangers, doing this were troubled folks with an indifferent disregard for others people in their self-serving search for cash for drugs (assuming I am correct).  In contrast, the devastation of divorce was the betrayal by someone known, once loved and trusted, and the loss was not merely material goods, but the dreams and hopes for future plans, as well as an intact home and marriage, along with a dozen other intangible things that gnawed at my soul through that awful experience.  (I realize that for some of my readers, their need to get out of an abusive marriage will mean that their experience of divorce is far different.)

Well, I don’t want to belabor it all, but decided I would like to share with you, my readers, something I shared with my congregation at church today.  As I was wandering around the house, taking photographs, reboxing items and searching through piles, I found my mind wandering to a story I recalled about an earlier believer who had once been robbed.  I thought it was Menno Simons, founder of the Mennonites, but his story was about when some people were destroying his house.  Since I did not have internet at the old home, a friend searched for me, and found the story and quote much as I remembered it, but that it was Matthew Henry instead.  My friend sent it to me in the following format:

Many years ago, Matthew Henry, a well-known Bible scholar, was once robbed of his wallet. Knowing that it was his duty to give thanks in everything, he meditated on this incident and recorded in his diary the following:

Let me be thankful, first, because he never robbed me before; second, because although he took my purse, he did not take my life; third, because although he took all I possessed, it was not much; and fourth, because it was I who was robbed, not I who robbed.

Matthew Henry (1662-1714)
English Non-conformist Bible commentator

While working on the house, I found myself thinking about other things to be thankful for, most of which I shared this morning in worship.  I thought you might find it helpful in some way if I shared those thoughts with you as well.

I am thankful that I had friends and relatives near the old house who saw the damage and were able to help secure the house until I got there.

I am thankful that it did not happen during one of the times my wife was at the house by herself.

I am thankful that neither of us suffered any physical harm.

I am thankful that, although the house was ransacked and rummaged, it was not destructively vandalized.

I am thankful that I have never been in a situation where I felt so desperate that I would consider committing such a crime myself.

I am thankful that I have never experienced the slavery of drugs that would turn a person into such a desperate, self-centered and thoughtless person.

Having just helped serve a breakfast at a nearby homeless shelter, I am thankful that I even have a house and possession that COULD be vandalized or stolen, for many do not.

I am thankful that, although some meaningful things were taken, some of the more sentimental items I have (which are virtually worthless to anyone but me) were not taken or harmed.

I am thankful that I live in a place and time where there is insurance available against such losses, so that the financial loss is mainly in the form of the inevitable deductibles (though, I suppose, some things will be overlooked as we try to discern what was taken).

And I also prayed for the individuals who took the items, because as I wandered around, I saw many scriptures posted around, many symbols of faith, many book titles that beckon toward God, including a communion poster that says, “Jesus of Nazareth requests your presence at a supper to be given in his honor,” which was near the window through which they entered the house.  Who knows whether one of those messages that they encountered over and again will be the very instrument that one day works into their hearts and souls to lead them to repentance and a personal relationship with Christ, resulting in their acceptance into heaven when they die.  

As I recall learning during my divorce, some things in life are more important than others, and really, the things we surround ourselves with are really “just stuff,” not the essence of what matters in life.  

Finally, I would especially add, as I watch the news in the last few days, I find myself having much to be thankful for when I see the devastation so many in Texas are experience from the fury of Hurricane Harvey.  Please join me in prayer for all of Texas, the victims and those that are suffering losses in this time.  In comparison, my wife and I are richly blessed, and have little to complain about.