Jump Into Spring

NOT COACH!
I repeat, THIS IS NOT COACH!

Ah, it’s that time of year again.  The birds are chirping, the flowers are blooming, love is in the air, and my dadblasted neighbor has taken his 150 decibel motorcycle out of winter storage.  No kidding, the airport has called him complaining about the noise.  Seriously, this “follower of Jesus” thing is fine and everything, but I’m willing to consider breaking a few commandments just to shut up this guy’s bike.  You don’t have to encourage me, but at least you could say you understand.

A few Springs ago, I had an odd encounter with another motorcycle.  While picking up my son at his junior high school, I was approached by one of the teachers – Coach.  Coach is a jovial giant, standing in the mid six foot range whom I’d gotten to know during the school year.  Coach had a problem – his fat hog was dead… I should clarify, his motorcycle wouldn’t start.  As I waited for Junior to bounce out the exit doors, Coach recognized me and asked for the favor of a jump start.  Dejectedly, I turned down Coach’s request, “Sorry Man, I don’t have any jumper cables in my car right now.”  To this day, his response stunned me:

“You’re a pastor and you don’t have jumper cables?”

I have a master’s degree in Ministry.  I remember some of my course work pretty well, but I just can’t find my notes from the day the professor covered which emergency car maintenance items ordained ministers were required to have in their car at all times.  Since Coach is also an assistant basketball coach at a nearby Christian college, I figure he knows what’s expected.

I’m in a quandary here.  What should be required of pastors?  And since pastors are supposed to equip the flock, what is required of ALL followers of Jesus.  Right now, how many of you have jumper cables in your car?  But, I do think Coach is onto something.  Remember the Good Samaritan?  I think loving your neighbor somehow involves being ready to help him… somehow.  Will a word from our Sponsor satisfy?

If anyone wants to sue you and take your shirt, let him have your coat also. (Matthew 5:40)

But I wasn't being sued… How about:

Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you. (Matthew 5:42)

Give to everyone who asks of you, and whoever takes away what is yours, do not demand it back. (Luke 6:30)

Okay, I’m willing to be generous and I guess I would have even given Coach my cables if he just asked to borrow them, but I didn’t have any.  What to do?  What to do?

In fact, I make it a point to always have jumper cables with me always.  On that occasion, my wife was having trouble with her battery and I put my cables in her car so she wouldn’t get stranded.  (Husband points!)  I like being able to help and I’ve given many a disabled vehicle a jump.  When I lived in South Carolina, I would carry around a cooler with ice cold water bottles in it so I could comfort the afflicted during the sweltering summers.  Seriously, Coach, I take this “follower” thing seriously, preacher or not.  Let’s catch a final word from our Sponsor and see what else followers of Jesus need to have at the ready:

Sanctify Christ as Lord in your hearts, always being ready to make a defense to everyone who asks you to give an account for the hope that is in you. (1 Peter 3:15)

There’s a lot there!  The main point is that followers of Jesus live their lives with a rare kind of Hope – the kind the worries of the world cannot extinguish.  And when you have that kind of hope people are going to ask about it.  So always be ready to give the people around you a Jolt of Jesus – jump their sad hearts with the Good News that God has great plans for all of us.  Prepare today to say to someone, “I’m calm in the midst of this pain / sorrow / calamity, because I believe in God’s love for me and His plan for me.  I’m not going to let temporary circumstances steal my joy.”  Say that and you’ll be giving someone a jump that will stay with them for a long, long time!

Well Coach, I may be a sad sack little pastor with no jumper cables, but I still have a brain.  I suggested we get his chopper started the old fashioned way, with a push.  “I never tried that before, but let’s give it a shot.”  (I thought, “You’re a science teacher and you never jump started your motorcycle before?”  Two can play at this game, you know.)  Coach saddled up and Junior and I got behind the rolling half ton of mass and gave it our best.  In ten seconds, I had redeemed myself for failing the pastor test and Coach was off annoying suburbanites seeking a quiet Spring afternoon.

Clark H Smith

Going Nowhere... With A Purpose

My wife and I have had a theme song since the early days of our marriage – Two of Us Going Nowhere by the Beatles.  We love to just wander.  When we get the chance we’ll point the car in one direction or another and see what’s out there.  A summer ago, we found ourselves in the Blairstown, Missouri business district which featured a closed general store, a GAS-BEER-MINNOWS outlet, and a gun store.  We went to the gun store. 

After shopping a few moments and calculating this was not the day to invest in a 30.06, we sauntered out.  On the way out of the store, the kindly lad who we’d been yacking with said something that I didn't clearly understand.  We got outside and my wife asked me what I heard.  "I don't know," I said, "it almost sounded like he said 'We love you.'"  "That's what I thought I heard", she replied.

I’ve always heard of country hospitality, but I found this Missourian “Aloha” a tad odd.  We were in a gun store for crying out loud, not Precious Moments.  When I hear “I love you” from someone other than my wife or kids, my mind kicks into Skeptical gear.

Made me think of another awkward retail situation.  Back on Dec 15, 2011, I posted the “Attaboy” article.  In it, I mentioned a great fellow, David Griffin.  In the mid-80s, David was an up-and-coming artist in Dallas.  He got the chance to be included in a gallery that showcased his work very well.  Only problem was, the gallery was run by the Moonies (a cult of Christianity rife with theological and financial error).  When I got back in touch with David after 25 years, that gallery was still on his mind:

As a side note I must say to you my involvement with the gallery run by the" Moonies" was a big embarrassment. I guess when you're young, naive and desperate you'll believe almost anything. After I found out I did confront them with it and they just danced around a confession, I pulled out of the gallery that day. You didn't ask I just felt the need to confess my mistake.

So what’s the connection between the gun store in Blairstown and David’s gallery.  Let me tie this up with a couple words from our Sponsor:

Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves; so be shrewd as serpents and innocent as doves.  (Matthew 10:16)

 Flee immorality. (I Corinthians 6:18)

“Therefore, COME OUT FROM THEIR MIDST AND BE SEPARATE,” says the Lord. (II Corinthians 6:17)

Followers of Jesus live in a crazy, mixed up world (with crazy, mixed up people – some of whom are us!).  But we are not to become so mixed in with that world that there is no difference between them and us.  I’m not saying the gun store folks were Moonies or had some ulterior motive, but they sure made my spidey-sense tingle.  David admits he got flim-flammed, and frankly, I love the fact that, to this day, David is still agitated about that brief period of time that he found himself on the shady side of the street.  It says his conscience is in good working order.

Followers of Jesus follow Him toward righteousness.  NO!  I am not saying we put up an 8’ privacy fence and ignore the world.  Read this post and remember that we’re on a mission and we’re going to get our hands dirty – but we don’t have to get our hearts dirty.  Do you know the difference?


Followers of Jesus, even if you’re “going nowhere”, you’re on the mission field.  Like wolves and snakes, keep your eyes open – be shrewd about where you go and how.  Like lambs and doves, be innocent – don’t eat what the wolf eats and don’t sleep where the snake sleeps.  Be separate. 

And if you don’t mind getting your infantry on at a store that has that nice Precious Moments vibe, I can hook you up.

Clark H Smith

Thank You For Your Patience

I recently posted this my Facebook account:

LIFE: the time you spend waiting
for everything to come together just right. 

Sometimes we think we're busy, but more often than not, we're just waiting for all the right pieces to show up.  My goal is to post two Follow Illustrated posts a week.  Lately I've been fortunate to get one up.  I don't want to do this half-way or half-heartedly so I only write when I can.

The first three months of this year have been tumultuous, I'm sure yours have been, too.  I have another "tumult" this week.  Nothing bad, just consuming.  I appreciate all my readers who subscribe or check in regularly.  I hope to have a post later this week and then be more regular moving forward.  "I hope."

You ever feel that way?  Hopeful... if only because that's your last option - to wait and see what turns up?  My most recent sermon touches on that.  It's about Patience.  Maybe you'll get something out of watching the video.  I post the second half first because that's where the meat of the message is.  If you can't watch the whole thing, focus on the best part.

Part 2
Part 1

"If you can't watch the whole thing, focus on the best part."

I just said that.  Good words for living.

Keep following Jesus.

Clark H Smith