Monthly Archives: February 2021

A cup of warmth; a cup of dignity

A cup of warmth; a cup of dignity.

That’s what I bought him today. It only cost me five bucks and a little bit of time – a small price in comparison to the gift given.

I saw him walking down Main Street, carrying a backpack along with multiple grocery store bags. Instead of holding his groceries, they held his worldly possessions. Freezing temperatures and spitting rain are hostile enemies of the homeless – just more fuel added to an already burgeoning fire of helplessness.

I wondered if he would follow me to the McDonald’s just down the road. Daughter and I were headed there for our usual Monday lunch date. McDonald’s is one of the last stops before the interstate. Perhaps he would venture in before venturing onward.

He did, quickly making his way to the back corner of the restaurant. A look of shame covered his face, his eyes not wanting to meet anyone else’s until they did … meet mine. Before praying at our table, I made my way over to his.

Can I buy you lunch, Sir? What would you like today?

He looked up; his response was humble.

Yes, whatever you’d like to get me.

After nailing him down as to the specifics, I brought a chicken sandwich, fry, and Sprite over to him. I asked him his name, and then I asked him how I could pray for him.

I want to be warm, and I want to be protected.

Accordingly, we prayed together.

As I made my way back to my table, the tears began to fall.

I watched my new friend out of the corner of my eye while he ate. He took off his hat, plugged in his small radio, and for a few minutes, he was warm. He was protected. For a little patch of his day, he belonged somewhere.

Funny how five bucks and a prayer can buy someone so very, very much.

A cup of warmth; a cup of dignity.

As my daughter and I bundled up to leave, I waved good-bye, walked out to my not-yet-paid-for vehicle, turned on its heater, and headed home.

I have so much; Bobby has so seemingly little.

But for a few moments today, we sat together on level ground, talking to the Ground-Leveler, Jesus Christ. At God’s feet and before his throne, life gets simpler … safer.

That’s where I want to live. That’s how I want to live. Giving the warmth and protection of Jesus Christ to others. In Christ, and in him alone, all people re-discover their dignity.

Pay attention to the world around you, friends. There’s a world full of Bobbys waiting for you to take notice. A little time on your hands, a little prayer in your heart, and a little money in your wallet will exponentially move the kingdom of God forward. To the Father’s glory, for his renown, and for his name’s sake give a cup of warmth and a cup of dignity to someone today. In doing so, you bring heaven to earth.

Amen.

amplify their voices

My good friend, Judith, once told me that I was a truth-teller. It remains one of the highest compliments I have ever received.

Generally speaking, I think she was right. I’m not certain at what point “truth-telling” got written into my DNA; a lot of credit goes to my parents. My parents were never afraid of personal exposure, even when it was hard, even when it cost them something. As a child, as a teen, and as an adult, they’ve allowed me to express myself – sometimes to my detriment, sometimes to my gain … as long as it was/is the truth.

In one of the darkest periods of my life, daddy spoke the words that are now firmly etched across my heart…

“Elaine, your sins will never damn you; but your secrets will.”

He’s right. Secret-keeping isn’t for saints; it’s for sinners who are intent on staying that way – blemished, stained, hidden, unforgiven, hopefully forgotten.

Yep, that’s the makings of hell – a whole bunch of blemished, stained, hidden, unforgiven, and, ultimately, forgotten souls.

When souls refuse to tell the truth … refuse to stand on the side of exposure … they risk more than momentary, personal embarrassment; they risk everlasting abandonment from the Father who knit them together in their mother’s wombs.

Maybe that’s why I’m a truth-teller. At an early age, I understood the magnitude of what’s at stake, because from an early age, I’ve had a real relationship with my heavenly Father. He’s always been with me, revealing himself to me along the way and as we go. To lose him would be to lose everything. It just won’t happen.

Jesus in me… me with Jesus … we’re solid. Fixed. Permanent. Established. Life with Truth.

Accordingly, I will not live any other way. And those who choose to live otherwise – those who refuse to bear witness to the truth and who are comfortable with their secrets and remain intent on keeping them?

Well, my tolerance is limited. Why? Because it’s only when truth is revealed that healing and, ultimately, freedom can breathe. Exposure is where that transformational, life-giving journey begins. And who doesn’t want that – healing, freedom, a life-giving journey?

Apparently, a lot of folks.

We’re living in a world steeped in secrets; accordingly, my recent prayer for God to amplify the voices of truth-tellers. To silence the lies; to magnify truth.

Today, one of those truth-tellers released a documentary exposing the lies of our recent national election. He has nothing to gain and everything to lose. A most unlikely voice, silenced by social media, stores that carry his wares, and television outlets, all except one. The millions of dollars he has spent, the countless hours he’s invested, and the team of experts he’s brought to the table have all been for one purpose – to expose the truth behind what happened on November 3, 2020. For those paying attention, well, we know what happened that night. This documentary further proves that knowing.

So here we are – citizens of a country living with a huge lie. In doing so, we have made a mockery of our democracy. I don’t imagine it’s the first time we’ve been fooled; I don’t imagine it will be the last time. But we’re getting closer …

To it being that last time.

The scale on which this deception is predicated is massive – world-wide. Some say the beginning of the end. The last days.

Perhaps.

I don’t know God’s will in the matter as it pertains to our country. What I do know is that He who calls himself “The Way, the Truth, and the Life” cannot abide untruth – those lies we harbor privately or the ones we support publicly.

They will surely damn us in the end.

If these days are the beginning of the end, so be it. These will not be my last days, because I stand on the side of truth with the Truth-Giver. Accordingly, my best days are ahead of me, never behind.

But yours may not be. Your best days may be right now because if you stand on the side of untruth … if you prefer your secrets over your exposure … then you’d better grab hold of whatever pleasure you can get now. A small taste of worldly pleasure is a poor substitute for the eternal gain of heaven. And that is the risk you are taking.

I know these are heavy words; I know that some of you will not appreciate my sprinkling politics in with kingdom talk. I am unbothered by your objection because there’s too much at stake to stay silent, both for our country temporarily and for you eternally. I am nearly fifty-five years old. I’ve stood on the edge of my own mortality more than once, and I may not have the luxury of another day on this earth.

The lies we are content to live with are the chains that will eternally tether us to our tombs … dead in our transgressions with no hope of resurrection. And this, friends, is the gravest reality of them all. This is the greatest truth I can give you. So…

Be a truth-teller – all of it. Even if you don’t like it. Even it costs you something, maybe every worldly gain. At the other end of your exposure is the heart and hands of the One who made you. He will pull you into his light. He will show you the Way home, speak Truth over your secrets, and bring Life to your damaged spirit.

Indeed, secret-keeping isn’t for saints. Truth-telling is. May God amplify his voice therein.

Peace for the journey,

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