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it
was one of those days*
it
was one of those days - nothing was going right. to add insult to
injury, it was one of those days connected to one of those weeks,
entwined in one of those months - I felt like the theme to friends; I
felt the weight of the world on my shoulders - work, bills, family,
friends, traffic, you name it; it felt as if I was carrying it all.
I was in a deep spiritual downspin and emotional crisis - I knew I
needed to talk and to pray with someone, and I needed it now.
it
was one of those days - I found myself on the SE section of town,
heading to the NE section. I knew, no matter which way I traveled
it would take at least an hour to get home. so I decided to take
the rout that would bring me along a route where there were a great many
churches of all sizes and denominations. I figure, I could stop in
at one church and spend someone who would help me through this tough
time in my life.
it
was one of those days - a tuesday about 10:00am and my faith journey was
about to start, and in ways I would nave never figured. as I
traveled, the first 5 churches I stopped at had no one in the building.
at all. they were locked tighter then the local city jail.
and there was no way of contacting anyone, no phone numbers, no pastor's
name - nothing at all. all total, 12 of the churches I tried to
visit were locked tight. of the 20 odd churches (emphasis on
"odd") I tried, only 5 had people in them, and none of them
were willing to help. one women refused to open the door and told
me to "go away." another, told me I could not speak with
a pastor until I told her exactly what the problem was and she would
determine which pastor would best fit my needs - even though none of the
pastors were in at that time (they would call sometime within the next
24-48 hours). one, where a pastor actually was in, told me that he
did not have the time to speak with me because he was working on his
sermon. but if I would come back in a few hours he would see what
he could do for me.
it
was one of those days. when I arrived home, I took out the phone
book and started calling different church in the area - it did not
matter what the church was - I didn't care if it was a "cult"
of a "church" - I needed help, and I was reaching out.
of the 9 churches I called 6 had no answers, and no answering machine.
out of the ones I was able to connect with, only one pastor returned my
call - three days later.
it
was one of those days. I was at the end of my rope, and the church
was nowhere around. I hung-up the phone and went outside and sat
at the pool in my apartment complex. soon, my neighbor came out,
gave me a beer and we sat and talked for several hours. during the
conversation I was able to see the light at the end of a long dark
tunnel. It was one of those day, the day I realized the
intuitional church had no value. It was not that I rejected the
church, it was that the church rejected me.
whenever
I share that story with people in the church I am constantly reminded
that "the failures of the church are because we are human. we
need to remember that people in the church are not perfect, they are
forgiven. we need to remember that the same problems that exists
outside the church, happen inside the church as well." ok,
let's say that is true - I have some some questions:
-
if
there is no difference between the church and the "secular
world" - why get involved with the church?
-
if
the only change in a person who accepts jesus is that they are
forgiven - is it enough?
-
if
we excuse the cruelty inflicted upon us and others in the church as
"simply a human problem" how do we define a
"transformed life in christ?"
if
the world is cruel, the church must be kind; if the world is judgmental,
the church must be forgiving; if the world excludes, the church must
include. we must rid ourselves of our human flesh, and our human
desires, and strive to live in the spirit of christ - a new people in
christ, one that loves and cares with love.
I
believe churches do not care for people is that they have become irrelevant
to the lives of many people and simply functions as an institution of
self perpetuation; it feeds on itself and has become it's own best
listener. notice I did not say, God, Christ or Spirituality are
irrelevant - because they are not. in fact, as a postmodern
thinker I believe jesus has a great deal to share with us and we need to
listen. we, as christians and followers of christ, need to truly
change the direction of the church and strive to help people see that we
truly care, and we truly do love.
by
pastor john o'keefe
John
O’Keefe is the founder of www.ginkworld.net.
John sees a desperate need for the church as a whole to
change and reach a new people for Christ.
He is straightforward, honest and calls it the way it he
sees it. John is a
graduate of Drew and has been a Senior Pastor and Church Planter
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