Phenomenal Intolerance

She walked slumped over. Constantly leaning forward, her gait was unsure and her steps fragile. The obvious ravages of chronic pain was having it's perfect way in the way only pain can disrupt and disturb the simplest of tasks - like walking.

Like most people, regardless of issue, she was alone in a crowded room. It's not that people who are in observation of the obvious are uncaring or without feeling when confronted with the pain of another. Their reluctance is in the simplicity of not knowing what to do or say. So nothing is said ... and worse yet, done.

In any case, there she was. Out in public view, reminding passersby that all in life is not perfect. Being reminded they didn't know what to say or do last time, they scurry along to shop, to worship, to pray to fellowship - to love and be loved.

There was one though. There is always one.

One person in the crowd who having long ago breached their boiling point, is no longer able to tolerate the chronic and unchecked of life. There is always one who having reached this point of personal crisis has tooled themselves sufficiently to impact, to make a dent in the perfection of trouble.

I'm glad it was the jail breaking, rule ignoring, death defying, whip making, stereotype jacking, hope refreshing Jesus who happened to be there that day. Shining brightly in His divine intolerance.

Of course, the rule making, stereotype establishing, unwhipped and jailer robbing hopeless were angry - they're always angry. Hope deferred always makes the heart sick.

The single act of Jesus' addressing this women's condition through a miraculous, instantaneous healing in the temple that day stirred the pot the wrong way and He became vilified for not waiting for a more appropriate time and day.

My brothers and sisters if you're going to be intolerant, be intolerant in a ground breaking, risk taking, backlash rendering phenomenal kind of way. Be so intolerant to the injustices around you that you disturb even your best of friends.

Be the one.

Rise above the normal responses of ignoring the pain in you or around you simply because you know no other response. Cultivate the kind of response laid out so simply by your great example; Jesus.

I was that woman. Slumped and leaning forward. Walking, stumbling and painfully grinding out each step. Until one day, toiling under the weight of perfectly poor choices that had turned into the reality of harsh consequence - I had my own encounter with the divinely intolerant Jesus.

You were that woman. You may be that woman right now.

You can be straight to the crooked around you!

Here's today's question: 'Are you ready for the divinly intolerant Jesus?'

Making a dent,
Dan

The Culture of Things

Recently here in Toledo, and on the air waves of WSPD AM 1370, radio talk show host Brian Wilson said some extremely inappropriate remarks regarding Toledo Public School students while in the process of indicting the School system itself.

Here's what he said; "Certainly teaching little monkeys to peel bananas and so on and them learning to do it correctly on cue does not mean that they've learned everything except a funny parlor trick."

The monkey reference of course has outraged more than a few citizens in that no one prefers to have their children referenced as animals. Of course, the reference in the African American community means even more and is therefor more troubling.

Monkey's have long been a common racial references against the African American citizen. So of course there has been outrage and calls for apologies from Mr. Wilson and all manner of speech regarding boycotts of WSPD and so on.

Should there be outrage?

Certainly!

An elected official conducting a sidewalk meeting in her district in Tucson Arizona was critically wounded by an armed assailant a few weeks ago. The gunman left 6 dead and 15 wounded including Representative Gabby Giffords before being apprehended by others. Among the dead was a 9 year old girl.

Since then there has been much discourse through national and local media outlets regarding the tone of political rhetoric in the United States. The political 'right' is indicting the political 'left' for being too soft and the 'left' is indicting the 'right' for being to hard. The phrase vitriolic speech has been used again and again - by everyone about everyone.

Should there be outrage?

Certainly!

"Sticks and stones will break my bones but words will never harm me." I sure wish this were a true statement - but it's not. In thirty years of service within the human condition I've not seen it.

I've not seen this statement true in the countless lives sitting across the table from me and I've not seen it personally. As a matter of fact, there have been times being the recipient of a tongue lashing I would have preferred the stick.

Words are very powerful. With words we can shape the destiny of our children, paint landscapes of imagination so vivid they become realities and with words we can forge new horizons of thought provoked innovation.

In the month of January two great orators are often remembered. Men who spoke in such a way that pricked the conscience of their generation - so powerful were the words they used, we remember them and point back to them to this very day.

Martin Luther King Jr. for his many speeches on justice for all regardless of color, which sparked a revolution and John Fitzgerald Kennedy for his inauguration speech that challenged a generation to do for their country.

Words are also an explanation. Words explain our culture and our belief system.

Words are powerful.

That's why, for me it's always amusing when those who speak perhaps out of turn or in a way that is harmful back-peddle when challenged or found out. It's amusing to think that a person can speak words- any words, and claim those same words have no meaning or have no power.

I always say; 'Brother, you can't talk yourself out of something you behaved yourself into.'

Jesus said as it is recorded in Matthew 12:36,37; "I can guarantee that on judgment day people will have to give an account of every careless word they say. By your words you will be declared innocent, or by your words you will be declared guilty."

All I'm saying is; words are powerful.

Here's today's question; 'What will you shape, paint, forge or explain today with your words?'

Each day God gives us new canvas. Clean, pristine and yearning for creation the new day sits there and stares at us waiting for our next move.

My prayer is that we who follow God will set aside paralysis born of indecision or fear and with careful word evoke innovation, shape the framework of hope for our generation and explain ourselves to a generation who is at watch.

Making a dent,
Dan

Move along folks ...

It was watching the Wizard of Oz as a child that first grabbed my attention to the reality that life is more than it seems and certainly more than some want it to seem. I watched with interest as the 'wizard' said; "pay no attention to that man behind the curtain! The Great Oz has spoken!"

It's a good lesson at any age; there may be more than you see.

In marketing, some would believe that its not important to change people's minds about a product or idea but rather to change the truth about a product or idea. It works of course. By the way, for the discriminating thinker - yes, changing the truth is what most of us call a lie.

You've seen this in movies for example as a crowd gathers around some catastrophic mess on the sidewalk and authorities begin to rope off the area and say something like; move along folks, there's nothing to see here.'

Recently, I was approached by a gentlemen riding a bike who having successfully flagged me down in a parking lot, said he had just ran out of gas and would I help with a few bucks. Perhaps he hadn't thought this whole thing out properly.

The two images didn't match. The gas I get and the bike I get, but often folks don't carry bikes in their cars for gas emergencies - apparently the guy behind the curtain pulled a lever when he should have pushed a button.

But oh yes, carefully slowing the shutter speed of sight - there he is. Behind the carefully woven tapestry that has taken years to manufacture is someone who is desperate to appear larger than he is.

There's a lot of desperation associated with operating behind the curtain. Including the desperation to stop and the desperation to be known - truly known for who you really are.

I often say to the guests at Cherry Street; 'You can't talk yourself out of something you've behaved yourself into.'

Most people we encounter of course are wizards. Each one demanding in their own way for you to 'pay no attention to the man behind the curtain - the wizard has spoken!'

It's tiring you know. People are exhausted.

Even folks who are excited about their charade slip from time to time as you catch a glimpse of the who and the what. Quickly the cover up begins as they pull more levers and push more buttons to distract you from what or who you saw.

Moses struggled with this when he wore a veil to cover his face not so others wouldn't be blinded by his God-given glow, but rather so they couldn't see his glow was fading.

That's most of us though. Each one behind our own curtains pulling the levers and pushing the buttons that direct the image we project. It's our own way of saying; move along folks, there's nothing to see here.

But there is something to see - the question is, are we willing to see? More importantly have we taken the tedious steps necessary to ready ourselves to see?

From the day Jesus died on the cross to this very day, God is in the business of curtain ripping. He clearly determined on that day there no longer would be a separation between His great ability to heal the masses and the masses great need of Him.

And so Jesus came - the Great Curtain Ripper Himself.

This is why so many are in love with Jesus but don't like Him. We love the whole idea that He accepts us where we are but don't like Him because He threatens our carefully woven existence - our curtain.

We tell Him; 'move along Jesus, there's nothing to see here.'

Here's today's question; 'Are you ready for exposure?'

Your exposure:
You first. Allow the Great Curtain Ripper Jesus Christ to expose you. Ask Him to remove the carefully woven tapestry that disallows others to see you - the real you. The you Jesus loves. Acknowledge you were a button pushing, lever pulling wizard before you accepted Him and you've not lost your wizard ways. Ask Him to expose you - you'll be amazed by grace in new ways.

Others exposure:
Now you're ready. Because you've surrendered your cover up, you're now ready to see without hesitation what and who lies behind the curtain of others. They will see the true you and have new found or first found grace for what they too have carefully hidden from sight. They will see God and it will be amazing - for you and for them.

Making a dent,
Dan

The Rose

My Mom passed away earlier this year.

Strained, seemingly from the beginning, I can't remember a time ever truly being connected with my mother. She was in every way a stranger to me. Without a vital maternal connection, I learned early in life that no one was worthy of my trust and as a result lived terribly disfigured emotionally through most of my twenty somethings.

It has been my wife of 32 years who through the tumultuous ride with a husband who could achieve almost anything professionally and yet very little relationally, saw me through to better days. Her stubborn example of trust in God and how that transformed her to trust others has been a powerful lesson learned - again and again.

Crystal often has jovially remarked; 'Dan, you would have killed most women by now!' She's right of course about how incredibly perfect she's been for the wound I carried.

The mother that was being memorialized by her friends was not the mother I knew. They spoke of her loving ways and one after another would laud her fidelity towards those in her life. 'She would give you the shirt off her back' one person said.

Like I said; a stranger.

Each of her children, there are six of us, received a rose in her memory as we were seated. It struck me as odd that the rose in my hand had thorns. Serious long thorns. My immediate mental response was how careless the person was who came up with this genius idea.

But God. Those two words when used together, contrast what you know against Who He is.

On the front seat of the sanctuary and in the midst of people extolling the life of my mother He spoke. As if sitting next to me and leaning over into my ear He explained the rose.

He talked to me how I only knew my mother during the thorn part of her life while others knew her during the blossoming years. In that seat. At that moment. God created an intersection for me to choose.

David said to the Lord in Psalm 131; 'I do not concern myself with great matters, nor with things too profound for me.'

The rose was all I needed that day to lay at rest the years of thorn and to embrace that on a day in which I was not present and without my permission; my mom blossomed.

With His observation complete God rested His case. He left me there as quietly as He arrived. Would I know my mother from a different place and though a stranger to me, certainly and obviously - not a stranger to others, would I allow her to be more than a thorn?

A few days from now. Toledo will set aside an evening to honor the unhoused who died this past year. Once again, I've been asked to say a few words on behalf of those who passed away.

I think about the thorns in their lives and the thorns potentially they've been to others and how they blossomed apart from family or loved ones - which will be the essence of my few shared moments with those who gather next week.

Here's today's question; 'What about you?'

Are you blossoming where once there were thorns? Do the folks who knew you as thorns have the opportunity to understand the eventuality associated with migrating with God?

Becuase eventually there will be a rose.

Too many people who are referred to as a late bloomer carry with them a quiet guilt for the years of thorn. Don't be that person.

Perhaps your story parallels mine today. What about you? Find a moment with God and let Him lean into your ear. Allow Him to reconcile the balance - He will.

He did for me - the very day my mom became a rose.

Making a dent.
Dan

The Smooth Surface of Wrong Things

Dan's note:
This is a continuing thought from the last entry.

As a young man I blew through more than my fair share of cars. And as a person who grew up and graduated High School in the 70's, I was a freak about muscle cars in particular. With rare exception, if the car was between 69 and 72 I was in love.

Camaro's, Chevelle's, Mustangs, SuperBea's to GTO's - man what a time to for fast! However, my all time favorite car to this day - hands down, is the 55 Chevy. Properly restored and with the right equipment it's a head turner for most anyone.

When you have the privilege of actually standing beside a restored master piece like a muscle car, you'll be drawn to the attention the owner has given to meticulous detail. Of course there is one thing that will capture your attention above all else - the finish.

Bending down just enough to look from front to back and with your hand running ever so slowly across the surface as though your finger tips have eyes, you'll pay careful attention to how perfect the surface is. Of course the smoother the surface, the more impressed you are.

The smoother and perfect the surface is, the less distracted you are. Simply put, the owner of the vehicle has not given you any reason to be distracted or disturbed in what he's given you to observe.

However - if there is one single blemish, one ding, even the tiniest of flaws, your eyes will focus without effort to the spot on the surface that has interrupted smooth. Your appreciation diminished, the memory of the imperfection is well noted.

When I first encountered Bob (not his name) his state ID said he was 27, while everything else about him looked more like 50. He had the familiar smell of the street; the paradox of freshness associated with the great outdoors blended with the pungent aroma of bad decisions.

Bob had the behavior of a well groomed salesman, his clear intent was to relieve me of the burden associated with carrying about an unused dollar.

You've met Bob, he's a lot like the Bob's in your life experience. To me, encountering Bob is just like observing the smooth unblemished surface of a finely restored car.

Bob has the smooth surface of wrong things.

Unchecked poverty. Unchecked illiteracy. Unchecked recidivism. Unchecked homelessness. Unchecked health issues. Unchecked addiction. Unchecked brokenness. Unchecked Family disintegration. Unchecked disenfranchisement of Parents.

Most of these unchecked and nearly pandemic issues have not even a single blemish - they are unchecked! Just like the smooth surface of the finish of a car, without a blemish there is no real reason for anyone to pay attention - no reason to be distracted.

If you think the wrong thing going on with Bob is the blemish - human behavior and the associated historical reality is against you. If the wrong things going on in Bob's life were viewed as a blemish we would pay attention. Our eyes would focus on the blemish. We would roll up our sleeves and as though our fingertips had eyes we would do something about it.

His blemish would be the only thing we would think about and it would be well noted. But my brothers and sisters Bob is not well noted - not by too many of us.

His surface is smooth. The smooth surface of wrong things has conditioned him to capitalize on not really being noticed. His smooth unchecked, without blemish and not a single dent surface allows him to go unnoticed to the point of relative freedom to ask perfect strangers for the imperfect gift of a dollar.

Here's today's question: 'Have I made a dent today in someones smooth surface of wrong things?'

When you step into someones life, you are leaving a blemish, a mark, a dent. That dent will be noticed by others who will add their dent and soon the reality of their life will no longer go unnoticed by even them - which is the point.

Making a dent,
Dan


From last week; "What did He mean:
What did Jesus mean when He said 'the poor you will have with you always?' He was and is mocking you. Jesus did not come to abolish, but to fulfill the law. According to the law, it was a shame to allow there to be poverty at all. His statement in question form to Judas could easily have been; 'Why are there poor among you to begin with Judas?'

What did He mean?

One of my favorite all time movies is; 'The Princess Bride.' Jim Kingsburry a long time friend and missionary, turned me on to this classic years ago.

The movie has a ton of great one liners like;
'stop that rhyming and I mean it!' 'Does anyone want a peanut?'
'have fun storming the castle!'
'maybe he's not using the same wind we are using?'

Among the numerous funny dialogue scenes is the exchange between Vizzini, a Sicilian man of genius and Montoya the Spaniard who was known for his swordsmanship, who together with the giant Fezzik had kidnapped the fiance of prince Humperdink who wanted to blame Guilda, the land across the sea in order to start a war.

There you go, that's about as geeky as I plan on being (for now).

Vizzini kept using the word 'inconceivable' when answering any one's questions regarding whether the three of them would be successful in their kidnapping of the princess. After one of the many times he said 'inconceivable' and having not been questioned about his word usage before, Montoya said; 'That word you keep using, I don't think it means what you think it means.'

On another note.

Long ago in a time of rampant and obvious poverty, a time not so different than our own present realities where the poor are in need of great assistance, there was a women who for the love of a dear and trusted friend used an expensive ointment to wash his feet. The act while a sincere portrayal of gratitude and fidelity was viewed by an observer with a thief's heart, as waste.

And so he protested; 'Why wasn't this ointment sold for three hundred denarii (a years wage) and given to the poor?'

With the fragrance filling the room the woman's friend, who is my friend and your friend as well, said; 'the poor you will always have with you, but you will not always have me. '

What did He mean?

If you are in the work of serving within the river of the human condition, I guarantee you've encountered and pondered this verse which can be found in all four Gospels. Personally, I often have this verse quoted to me when I'm speaking about ending or at least (somebody please) reducing poverty and poverty causing realities like homelessness.

Comes the quick witted response; 'Well Dan, you know Jesus said, the poor you will have with you always.'

I will confess, somewhere between my blood boiling when I hear that sentiment and my heart aching over the ill effects of unchecked poverty I manage to summon the answer; Whatever He meant, I don't think He meant what we think He meant.

News flash: Even reasonable observation would suggest His statement certainly wasn't a blanket insurance policy that covers us for the head on collision we're having with poverty.

Furthermore, I don't think with hundreds of references in the Bible related to poverty and the poor, Jesus was somehow signing our perpetual hall pass when it comes solving, not fixing the systemic and rooted causes of poverty.

I believe we can say with certainty though, His statement about the ever existence of the poor was qualitative, not quantitative. While we may always have people within our community that need food, clothing and shelter (qualitative) does there have to be so many? (quantitative).

Here's today's question: Have you considered what your next decision would entail if you became intolerant of poverty?

Next week's post: The smooth finish of wrong things.

Making a Dent,
Dan

Line of Sight

The movie; The War of the Worlds, released a few years ago with Tom Cruise is a great example of how the smallest of things end up making the most significant impact. A typical Sci-Fy thriller, the movie is about aliens who apparently had been planning the attack for generations, arrived and just started tearing good old planet earth up.

The movie ended abruptly when, also apparently, the alien who was in charge of research for the invasion, failed to note that the earth had microbes that when ingested by the aliens would kill them, thus ending their plans for world domination ... 00ppsies!

It's the smallest of things that build or destroy.

There is an old saying; 'If everything matters, then nothing matters.' There is a lot of truth to this statement when it comes to planning strategies and executing initiatives. Basically the idea here is if everything is a big deal, then you'll never really know when you're confronting a big deal.

Now - this statement is NOT true nor has any place when it comes to people. With people everything matters ... everything.

Last week while driving into the back side of the Cherry Street parking lot, I noticed four people standing down at the end of the block. All of them are people being served by one or more of our ministries. One of the four individuals was Linda (not her real name). Linda is one of the neighborhoods prostitutes (what she does, not who she is) and as I stood and watched, she was clearly 'working' the group of guys she was hanging with.

As is my habit, I began walking down the block toward the four who had already noticed me watching them and they all began to walk to the next block. I called out; "What? No Good Morning Mr. Rogers?" "No, how are you today?" "How is your family?" "Nothing?" "You're just going to walk away and leave me hanging?"

One of the fellows, who I know quite well, Mr. Smith (not his name), stopped and we began to dialogue about his life where he was going not just today, but the next few days and not just about where he was going geographically, but mostly how many 'corners' did he think he had left until something, someone or some bad would befall him.

We also talked about Linda. I asked him if he cared enough about this young lady to not use her - did he care enough about himself. I asked did he realize she is a daughter of our neighborhood like he is a son.

Here's today's question; "What's regularly in your line of sight you've been ignoring?"

Maybe you've not been ignoring it. Maybe you've been watching all along the thing going on in your neighborhood, your family, your friends marriage - your own life. But what to do? What is the right approach? You know somethings not right. You can feel it, taste it - sense it. It's keeping you awake at night. Sometimes it's troubling you so much you can't think through even the smallest of daily routines.

It - whatever it is, has made it into your line of sight.

You're in trouble and you know you're in trouble. To ignore it is starting to become less and less an option. In your prayer and worship life, you know God sees it to - it's in His line of sight ... it's always been in His line of sight. Now you realize that you and God are seeing the same thing at the same time. You begin to feel how disturbed He is by it and you realize it's not the thing distracting you, keeping you awake at night, interrupting your daily routine ... it's God.

Because people matter. Everything people do, matters.

Need help? By attending the next Biblical Rescue Intensive, you'll learn about you and what God says about you in relation to others and the trouble that you're in relative to your line of sight. The questions plaguing you have answers.

July 22-24. To register, email Crystal at somaministries@sbcglobal.net. or my direct email is danrogers@cherrystreetmission.org.

Let's clear up your line of sight,
Dan