For God so loved the world, that He gave…

Guest blog by Billy Palmer

I grew up in the Catholic church.  My parents were regular church-goers, and I especially remember the post-service cookies, juice and socializing after worship.  I also distinctly remember my parents reaching into their pockets and leaving a few dollars in the collection plate each week.  They would give me a dollar during collection time and I would add it to the plate with them.  I understood the total amount we were giving was not much.  In fact, I knew it was less than what we paid for breakfast at McDonald's right before church.  However, it was something, and it taught me an important lesson that I continue to this day.

Giving is a fundamental aspect of our Christian journey.  It is our chance to reflect a small amount of gratitude for the incalculable blessings He gives us on a daily basis.  The Bible offers us guidance on the spirit of giving.  "Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver" (2 Corinthians 9:7).  This emphasizes that our giving should come from a place of joy and willingness, rather than obligation.

While the Old Testament established a system of tithing, the New Testament focuses more on the attitude behind giving.  Jesus praised the widow who gave all:  "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put more into the treasury than all the others.  They all gave out of their wealth; but she, out of her poverty, put in everything – all she had to live on" (Mark 12:43-44).  This story illustrates how the value of our giving is not measured by the amount, but by the willingness and love behind it.

A dad and his son were shopping at the grocery store.  The dad gave his little boy some money and told him he could go buy anything he wanted.  The kid’s eyes grew wild with excitement and he immediately ran to the candy isle and picked out 10 candy bars.  They went to checkout and the boy quickly and happily handed over the money.  While they were heading out the dad asked if he could have one of the candy bars.  With a devious grin his son said, “NO, they’re mine,” and he skipped off ahead.

Jokes and short stories offer us fun and easy ways to remember life’s lessons.  Allow just for a moment a bit of a more abrasive perspective:  the clothes you are wearing right now – whether bought or stolen – were provided to you from God-given abilities and skills.  The food you are going to eat today – whether from the garden or from McDonald's – is provided to you through gifts of God-given talent.  Remember that even your ability to give comes from Him.

“He who did not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all – how will He not also, along with Him, graciously give us all things?”  Romans 8:32

“But since you excel in everything – in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you – see that you also excel in this grace of giving.  I am not commanding you, but I want to test the sincerity of your love by comparing it with the earnestness of others.  For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.”  2 Corinthians 8:7-9

Every life is a gift from God

Nora and Xavier   

The casket was small and white, adorned with a floral display. This graveside service was my first and there were only a few in attendance: the grandmother, the uncle (a young boy), the eleven-year-old mother of the stillborn infant, and a couple of others.

The mom had been living in a maternity home, intending to give up her child for adoption. Her social worker told me she cried as she packed her belongings which included her coloring book and crayons. I did not know the circumstances surrounding her pregnancy. I only knew that a precious child was dead and there was a lot of pain and suffering.

Not all pregnancies turn out in ways that result in rejoicing, but all children have value. I did not know the family but was blessed to bring dignity and recognition of the child’s value to God at this moment of unfathomable grief.

“Before I formed you in the womb I knew you, before you were born, I set you apart…” Jeremiah 1:5 (NIV)

Nora was eighteen, unmarried, and five and a half months pregnant when an ultrasound revealed that her child had limb deformities. Medical professionals encouraged her to get an abortion but, when she felt the baby move, that became out of the question.

The extent of disfigurement was unknown, and the doctors anticipated brain damage and internal deformities. But other than missing the lower part of his arms and legs, Xavier was born strong and healthy and grew up to graduate from college, have a job, drive an adaptive car and own his own home. When Nora saw first him, she said, “I just wanted to protect him.”

Must children be flawless to be wanted and loved? In 1982, a baby was born in Indiana with Down Syndrome and a disconnected esophagus. The parents refused to authorize the surgery and allowed the baby to starve to death. It took him six days to die.

Two young men in our congregation, Angel and Alex have Down Syndrome. They are well loved and give love as well, and they are most definitely wanted. One parent of a down syndrome child, who had four other typically abled children, told me that it was this little girl who taught him what it meant to love a child unconditionally.

I know some mothers who would die for their child and some who would not. Tim Tebow’s mother was experiencing a difficult pregnancy and was encouraged by the doctors to have an abortion because her health was at risk and the baby was expected to be stillborn or severely disabled. She carried that baby and well you know the rest.

“Children are a gift from the Lord; they are a real blessing”. Psalm 127:3 (GNT)

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The unforgotten

“Can you do a graveside service for my mother?” asked a stranger over the phone.

His mother and father had been members of Baptist Temple during their empty nest years and into their senior adulthood. When his father died, his mom joined a Sunday School class of older widows, who looked after one another.

After a few years, her son moved Mom to an assisted living facility in Dallas, near where he now lived. For over ten years, her Sunday school class sent greeting cards on her birthday and other holidays. He was blessed that Baptist Temple had not forgotten his mother.

She was to be buried next to her husband in San Antonio. Her funeral had been in Dallas, but her family deemed it appropriate that her church, who had not forgotten her, say a few words at her graveside.

It is easy to forget our elderly church members who can no longer attend worship services. Maintaining contact requires conscious effort. Many churches appoint a team to minister to home-bound members and those in assisted living. In smaller churches one or more deacons take on that ministry. Phone calls, greeting cards and the church newsletter maintain the lines of communication.

Not all absentees are elderly. “I used to be very active in my church,” a sharply dressed businesswoman once told me.

She and husband were part of a very active church social group but, when her husband became ill, they were unable to participate in the group’s social activities. As his condition worsened, she stayed at home to care for him. Following his death, her focus became running the family business and church became part of the past.

I am certain that many churches have similar stories. We must do better. Deacons, Bible study teachers, and small group leaders are on the front lines on ministry and, therefore, best positioned to keep watch over the sheep. Moses divided people into groups of ten, giving each group a capable spiritual leader, ensuring the highest quality care. Each person under a church’s ministry ought to have someone who will miss them when they are absent, who will notice when they have a problem, who will walk alongside them when they are hurting and be able to help.

Not all absentees are hurting. One couple, who had stopped attending church and Bible study, weren’t facing troubled times. They had lost interest and found it easier to stay home. Their Bible study class stayed in touch, however, sending them monthly invitations to social events (people are usually not offended by party invitations). After almost a year, the couple showed up at an ice cream social and subsequently returned to church.

Jesus taught us, in the parable of the lost sheep, the importance of even one person. Let no one be forgotten. Phone calls, texts, and emails are free. Not everyone appreciates contact but erring on the side of being annoying to a prickly person, is better than letting a lonely person be forgotten.

Ben finds a home

“We have a bum sleeping on our porch,” said a thrift store volunteer early one morning as the manager walked through the door.

“His name is Ben, and God sent him as a guardian angel to watch over our store at night,” said the thrift store manager.

Ben* had been sleeping under the awning by the front door, next to a shopping cart filled with everything he owned. He had come to the Baptist Temple Food Pantry seeking food. He sat down with a pantry minister who asked questions designed to help get to the roots of why he needed help and help him to develop a plan towards greater independence. It turns out Ben, a veteran, was living on the streets and has disabilities. He probably had benefits available.

Everyone who comes into the pantry sits with a minister to fill out the needed paperwork and match the needs of the client to available resources. More importantly, they offer a listening ear, words of comfort, and prayer in an unhurried atmosphere. Often people who find themselves in grim circumstances feel unwanted and unheard.

After a little research, the minister determined that Ben did have benefits available. But for Ben to receive his benefits, he needed a bank account in which to deposit funds. That required an ID card. Another hurdle.

Once the ID card was acquired, the next hurdle was a mailing address to receive his debit card. So, Baptist Temple became his mailing address, and we diligently awaited the arrival of the plastic card that would lead to housing for Ben. Meanwhile, he slept under the awning.

It took a lot of steps to find housing for Ben. This would have been an overwhelming task to tackle alone. People living on the streets lack the connection of friends and family to help them through tough times. Life can be challenging to navigate alone as problems and setbacks snowball into catastrophe.

Networking is a key element in business success, but it is essential for survival. Baptist Temple stepped in, becoming that network for Ben. Of course, the issue of homelessness is complex, especially when addiction and mental illness come into play, but there are some things we can do to help. Jesus taught us, “Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.” (MT 25:40)

God, grant me the serenity to

Accept the things I cannot change,
Courage to change the things I can,
And wisdom to know the difference.
Reinhold Niebuhr

*Not his real name.

Click here to donate now to support 

our fight against generational poverty.