every once in a while, here at the church, there is a phone call from someone who wants money. As I have not been in ministry for years and years, I don't have a crazy amount of experience with this, but I do have some...
today, a guy called the church, actually I think he's been calling the church a few times in the past week trying to get ahold of someone. Turns out the week he got ahold of us, Gavin was nearest to the phone, and he was "the man" on campus. So this guy, Darryl, he had a story, was it true I don't know, but it was a story. As Gavin told me the story, it seemed very well rehearsed...however, you can never judge for sure if a story is for real or not...
That was not the point. As Gavin was telling me the story, we both kind of had this realization that as a follower of Jesus (never mind the fact that we are pastors), we are called to give. We are not God, and we don't know the human heart. We don't know if Darryl was for real or not... but when someone asks something of you, you need to be willing to give.
Turned out Darryl was homeless, jobless, penniless, and had a plethora of illnesses... When we met him, he said "Sir, I feel like job." What he wanted from us was a night at a local hotel so he could rest. He said he was going to be getting a social assistance cheque on thursday, and would be on his way then.
After Gav and I talked to the manager of the hotel for almost 45minutes, trying to understand his side of the story (as this guy had been there a couple weeks), we finally came to the decision to put him up for one more night...
It's sometimes hard to discern exactly what a person really needs... sometimes it's better to start with what we have to give... what we do know about Jesus is that he was a giver...he helped people, they did not always deserve it.
Gavin stepped up and payed the bill for this guy to stay one more night, and also paid the unpaid previous balance from the night before...Kudos to you Gav. that is godliness.
This is ministry. haniging out with the derelicts, discerning things, seeking wisdom. I wouldn't trade it for the world.
Gav even said he'd do this stuff for free he loved it so much...but that's off the record. I don't want him to be calling me up at the church saying he needs me to cover another night at the Palomino Plains Motel anytime soon.
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Our role as grace-servers is a pleasure and a pain in the ass. It was good to have a co-server. You ma' dawg, Fruitsy.
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