Category: stories

Many, many years ago a man of God, who once had been a simple shepherd who loved to sing and write music, penned these words: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from your presence or take your Holy Spirit from me. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and grant me a willing spirit to sustain me.”

Around twenty-five years ago, another man of God, who once had been a simple hippie who loved to sing and write music, put David’s words to a different tune. Listeners sensed deep passion in Keith Green’s voice as he prayed for God to bring about what no man can do. “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence, O Lord, take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation and renew a right spirit within me.”

A couple of Sundays ago, in a church in a squatter camp in Windhoek, Namibia, five African worship leaders sang the words of Psalm 51 to Keith Green’s melody. It was beautiful music, but as we all joined in worship, I knew the prayer was the need of my heart. Who but God can melt a heart of stone? Who but God can renew the spirit within? Who but God can create something fresh? And who but God can give His Holy Spirit?

Thanks for your prayers for our trip. I seemed to gain strength each day and the last seven days, I would say I was 100%. I think sometimes I should just move to another country, but the truth is that God supplies His children with exactly what they need no matter where they are. And, somehow, He lets our prayers be a part of His mysterious work.

“How lovely is your dwelling place, O Lord Almighty! My soul yearns, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God.” Psalm 84:1-2

I asked our guest to share a few thoughts. Here are her unedited words. (You’ll notice, she’s a better writer than I am…)

Greetings,

My name is Geneva Simpson and my son Israel and I are homeless. But please save your pity, all Christians share my plight. This life is merely a rest stop; the Kingdom of Heaven is our only true home. Jesus didn’t have a worldly dwelling place and as His followers we’re ‘urban campers’ also… but who in their right mind would leave the stability of home and family to wander the earth homeless in pursuit of an unseen force?

“When Jesus saw the crowd around him, he gave orders to cross to the other side of the lake. Then a teacher of the law came to him and said, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” Jesus replied, “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.” (Mat 8:19-20)

It has been five years since I’ve accepted Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.  Once upon a time, I was a Muslim employed as an administrative assistant for a college president. A co-worker shared a few scriptures with me and extended an invitation to a ‘come as you are’ worship service. I only agreed to go to silence her persistent pleas, but secretly I loathed Christians and had no real intentions of ever stepping foot inside the woman’s church. I knew my soul was malnourished; I hungered for something but couldn’t determine what it was. Yet, I still stubbornly refused the spiritual food my friend offered me.

Unbeknownst to me, at the time, my benefactor prayed the Lord would pierce my hardened heart. We met for lunch one afternoon and she delivered the painful prognosis very bluntly. The unrepentant sinner, that I was, faced an eternity in hell without salvation. Sadly, I would not partake of the Lord’s bounty in the hereafter. Then this mighty woman of God openly prayed for me, without trepidation, in a crowded Chinese restaurant! I knew, at that moment, my life would never be the same…

Several months after my baptism, I converted my pastor’s more weighty sermons to a few reader-friendly newsletters. ‘Scribed in the Spirit’ was well received; consequently, there was talk I might become editor of a larger publication. I truly felt blessed; what higher honor is there than to use ones spiritual gifts to glorify the Body of Christ. I was convinced I’d stumbled upon my true purpose. My entire being became enmeshed in evangelical literature and the 9-5 got less and less. It was clear, at least to me, I could no longer serve two masters. I quit my job confident the church would support me. I couldn’t have been more wrong; there was no safety net beneath me, and I fell hard. I was scorned and criticized for leaving a very good job and in such a poor economy, no less. Unsympathetic friends and family rebuked me and watched on as my life unraveled at the seams…

I have truly embarked upon the road less traveled. When you’re out on a limb, with no earthly means of support, one must depend on the Lord for basic survival. God is so real to me. I can not honor Him with soulless worship and whiny ‘why me’ prayers. Both my life and my son’s well being hang in the balance. Naturally, having a child out of wedlock has raised the stakes considerably, but my faith must see us through this season of transition.

Right before my son and I crossed paths with Dana and Susan, I received the word – Lord increase our faith. (Luke 17:5) I stayed up all night praying – I’d maxed out two credit cards at extended stay hotels. I only had enough for one more night in a substandard motel and didn’t know where we’d end up after that.  Israel slept soundly in blissful ignorance as I lay crumpled on the floor in utter torment. “Where will we go Lord?” I cried out. I can almost feel Christ’s anguish during his prayer vigil the night before His arrest. “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me; yet not my will, but yours be done.” (Luke 22:42)

Truly the Spirit can and will endure anything – oh – but the flesh…

Only a tortured and crucified Savior can understand the soul-gut wrenching agony I’ve experienced along this long and lonely faith walk. But the joy – the peace is indescribable. I can only say the moment Dana loaded us and all our earthly possessions (a white knapsack and my laptop) in his car that glorious day, a sublime calm enveloped me. The Lord said He would never leave my side and I believed Him…

To this very hour we go hungry and thirsty, we are in rags, we are brutally treated, we are homeless. We work hard with our own hands. When we are cursed, we bless; when we are persecuted, we endure it, when we are slandered, we answer kindly. Up to this moment we have become the scum of the earth, the refuse of the world. (1 Cor. 4:11-13)

I have a theory about the way God answers our frequent appeals to be molded into the image of Jesus. The conversation goes something like this:

God: “So you really want to become like my Son?”
Me: “Yes, Lord, you know I do.”
Lord: “You know the Scripture says that although he was a Son, Jesus learned obedience through the things He suffered.”
Me: “Yes, but I’ve always had a hard time understanding that verse. I thought Jesus was perfect.”
Lord: “He was perfect… and he was made perfect. (see Heb 5:7-10) You are declared righteous by His completed work and if you’re going to be like Him, you must walk as He did… in reverent submission. You were saved by grace through your faith in Jesus and you are called to live by faith… obeying my Word to you… and depending on my grace.”
Me: “Yes sir.” (Isn’t it great that the God of all Creation is willing to talk so plainly to His children?!)

Over quite a few days, His implied instruction from Matthew 25 was simple: “When I was a stranger, you invited Me in… whatever you did for the least of these my brethren, you did for Me.” Recently, a fellow teacher and I ran across a young lady and her two-year-old boy as we were leaving chapel. If it had been on the way to chapel, I would have had a good excuse to keep walking since I was on my way to an important duty. But this was after chapel, and the excuse of rushing to lunch probably does not impress God quite as much as going to worship. My friend, who had entered into a caring inquiry, had a class, so I hesitantly agreed to help the lady. She had been given some numbers of ministries in our county that serve the needs of the poor, but every call I made was in vain. “No room at the inn,” was getting old. As it was getting dangerously close to the end of my lunch hour, I was trying to figure out what to do. The lady was very humble and I couldn’t find any reason to blame her for her circumstance. Even if she could be blamed, a cute little boy sat in a stroller with big eyes. I asked her the boy’s name and when she replied, “Israel,” I thought, “Oh, brother.”

It is in such times that the voice of the Lord becomes intrusive… making me wonder whether we really want to hear God’s voice or not. For though He constantly tells us He loves us, He also says, “Those who love Me, obey Me.”

Lord: “Are you going to take care of the stranger or not?”
Me: “Well… what do you want me to do?”
Lord: “What do you think I want you to do? I’ve given you a house, haven’t I? I’ve given you food, haven’t I? I’ve loved you and saved you, haven’t I? You’ve said you wanted to be like Jesus… so show her love… not with empty words, but with action.”

My wife, Susan, is a lot more moldable than I am, so when I called and told her the situation, she quickly said she would come pick them up. So for a little over three weeks, Geneva and Israel have lived with us. Her story is one she needs to tell one day (maybe I’ll get her to write the next journey), but for now, we are all receiving God’s blessing. She has a place to stay and we have a little bigger family. Brothers and sisters in Christ have extended love and fellowship. Of course, three-year-old John, who towers over the two-year-old of a different color, has been the best neighbor. He calls him “little brother” (I’m not sure he can pronounce ‘Israel’).

And I’ve reached another theory: Even when I obey… it is by God’s grace and not by my own goodness. He is even in charge of the opportunities… How I need Jesus.

“So do not throw away your confidence; it will be richly rewarded. You need to persevere so that when you have done the will of God, you will receive what he has promised. For in just a very little while, ‘He who is coming will come and not delay. But my righteous one will live by faith. And if he shrinks back, I will not be pleased with him.’ But we are not of those who shrink back and are destroyed, but of those who believe and are saved.” Hebrews 10:35-39

“Keep on loving each other as brothers. Do not forget to entertain strangers, for by so doing some people have entertained angels without knowing it. Remember those in prison as if you were their fellow prisoners, and those who are mistreated as if you yourselves were suffering.” Hebrews 13:1-3

“Yes officers… the silver is his. Jean, why didn’t you take the candlesticks? I told you they were yours too.” The policemen were perplexed as they held Jean Valjean with a bag of silverware and silver plates. They were confident they had captured a thief in the French town, but the bishop said they were mistaken as he handed the big man the candlesticks. Indeed Jean Valjean, who had just spent nineteen years in prison, was a guilty man. He had stolen from the good bishop, but this extra act of kindness caused a hardened man to spend the rest of his life trying to show similar mercy to others. Victor Hugo’s novel “Les Miserables” was written in 1862 but has touched countless hearts with the powerful message of redemption.

I told this story before communion on Sunday and was interrupted before finishing. With tears in her eyes someone said, “That story reminds me of myself and I want to thank all of you who have shown me mercy.” Then a man said, “But we only love because we’ve been in the same spot ourselves.” And another said, “That is my story too…” And with tender emotions we realized we are all in the same boat.

We may not have stolen the silver, but we’ve sinned against the kindest Father. We’ve ignored his love, we’ve disregarded his blessings, and we’ve wandered away. “But while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” As we stood guilty, the Innocent gave us the candlesticks… and more. He gave us his life.

So do I follow Jean Valjean’s example and live a life of mercy and love? Do I extend the hand of friendship to the downtrodden? Do I ignore unjust treatment and offer forgiveness? Or do the enemies of mercy and compassion rule my heart: judgment, condemnation, accusation, pride… God tells me what wins, I just need to remember it: “Mercy triumphs over judgment!”

“Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you. Be imitators of God, therefore, as dearly loved children and live a life of love, just as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us as a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.” Ephesians 4:32-5:2

Almost fifteen years ago with two outs in the bottom of the ninth inning, Sid Bream, arguably the slowest member of the Atlanta Braves, stood on second base with his team trailing the Pittsburg Pirates by one run. This was the seventh and deciding game of the National League Championship Series. Terry Pendleton had just scored to cut the Pirate lead to 2-1 and David Justice stood on third. With only ten at-bats the entire season, third-string catcher Francisco Cabrera came to the plate with the bases loaded. He hit a single and leftfielder Barry Bonds, then a Pirate, fielded the ball and threw it to the plate. In what seemed like a slow motion movie, Sid Bream, running as fast as his legs would carry him, slid under the tag. The stadium erupted as the Braves won and went to the World Series. (Oh for the days…)

Last year, our daughter, Kinsey, played on the same softball team as Stephanie Pendleton, one of Terry’s children. At a game last fall I asked Terry about Sid Bream. Back in 1992, our son Taylor, just a six-year-old, was given a baseball signed by all the Braves and I noticed Sid Bream wrote “Rom 5:8” underneath his signature. This Scripture says: “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” “Was Sid Bream a strong Christian?” I asked. Terry, now a coach for the Braves, gave the strongest confirmation one could imagine. “Everyone in baseball knew of Sid’s commitment to Jesus. He not only talked about the Lord, he lived his faith. Sid Bream was the real deal.” Terry went on to share specific stories that demonstrated how Sid let the Light of Christ shine in his life on the ball field and beyond.

I knew about Sid Bream from watching him play and reading about him in the news. I felt sure he was a Christian, but Terry Pendleton could go a step further; he knew him. Sid was his teammate. Terry played third base while Sid played first. Terry traveled with him, ate with him, and hung out with him. Terry saw how Sid reacted in every day situations when the cameras were not rolling and no fans were around. Knowing a person is a little different than knowing about a person.

The apostles used such arguments (with other proofs) to share that Jesus really was the Messiah. “We did not follow cleverly invented stories when we told you about the power and coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. For he received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, ‘This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.’ We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain. And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts.” (II Peter 1:16-19)

To know God… to know Jesus… this is what it is all about. God wants us to know him and he invites us to pursue him. Though he knew it might cost him everything, Paul wanted to know Christ. (See Phil 3:7-16) People throughout the ages have found this to be the only quest that really matters. Jesus called it eternal life… and he is still at work.

“Father, the time has come. Glorify your Son, that your Son may glorify you. For you granted him authority over all people that he might give eternal life to all those you have given him. Now this is eternal life: that they may know you the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent… Righteous Father, though the world does not know you, I know you, and they know that you have sent me. I have made you known to them, and will continue to make you known in order that the love you have for me may be in them and that I myself may be in them.” (John 17:1-3, 25-26)