Risky Business

Last week I got some great mail. Lots of people asking questions and looking for advice. This week’s sip from the Master’s cup is perking with fresh brewed reflections on the risks of reaching out.

In one letter, Denise wrote she had been slapped in the face for trying to help an old woman by moving an air-conditioner for her. It’s a long story, but the elderly woman didn’t like the window Denise put it in so she made her move it back several days later. What’s worse is the recipient of Denise’s charity told several people bad things about her. Her friends made it worse by saying she was too gullible. Here’s my response…

Good morning, Denise.

So what's a girl supposed to do when she tries to live out love in a hateful world? These are the perils of being selfless on a selfish planet. It’s the ongoing challenge of being a resident of Heaven, while living here on earth.

The problem is not that you are too nice or that you shouldn’t be helping people and making a difference. The problem is not even that this crazy woman is hatefully using you and accusing you while she is doing it. The problem is that it affects you in a way where you think you are the one messed up and actually pondering drawing back and not getting so involved.

Denise, you are awesome! I don’t know very many moms who would take time out of their busy day, and take their kids to an old woman’s house to see how they could make her more comfortable. Thank you for being like that. I’m just sorry it didn’t turn out like it should of.

There are some simple guidelines you can go by that will keep some of this from happening again, but what's real is there's nothing you can do to keep it from ever happening again.

Welcome to the Kingdom School of Christianity.

Reaching out, believing God for the best, living a supernatural life and making a difference in peoples lives, all involves an ugly four-letter word. R-I-S-K.

If you give your opinion, you risk being criticized, so that’s why I don’t get bothered with hate mail.

If you offer to pray for somebody, you risk not seeing that prayer answered immediately. I’ve decided to pray for people anyway because living a powerless life is not an option for me.

If you go overseas on missions’ trips, you risk untold number of things. My wife Leanna picked up a parasite in Uganda in 1998, which was not properly diagnosed until 2002. It nearly killed her but she has been back to East Africa 5 other times since then. Not only does she risk getting sick but there have been people close to her who told her she's stupid and reckless and even irresponsible for going again.

Those people don’t tell me, because I would firmly plant my first metatarsal upside their Gluteus Maximus. (In the most Christian kind of way, of course.) The prize for taking the risk is Leanna is the one that gets to tell the stories of saving children’s lives and not just hearing about it. The complainers get to be the ones complaining.

And then there is speaking the truth. Not only do you risk making people mad but also you risk really looking stupid. If you look stupid like I do from time to time, its might not be because people are being mean but because you actually said something stupid in the midst of your brilliant recital. If you talk enough and passionately enough your bound to say something less than brilliant. I’ve decided to be a Preacher anyway.

I’ve also decided that if people don’t like it, they can get over their bad self until they can preach better than I can. Ha!

I happen to think God thinks my mess-ups are funny. When my kids were little, if they fell down while learning to step, I ran to them, picked them up, left a red place on their belly from blowing on them and let them walk again. I celebrated the fact they were moving forward. My babies might not of had the approval of other toddlers but they had mine!

I would love to have the approval of people around me but I understand it’s just not going to always happen. However, I am convinced I have my Fathers approval and so do you. When people don’t appreciate your selflessness Denise, I believe God does.

The Book of Hebrews says you are surrounded by a great a cloud of witnesses. You are standing center stage in Heavens Olympic stadium. I encourage you to listen for Heavens cheers over hurtful jeers. Remain a risk taker, a selfless world changer. Be somebody who is convinced you are the good guy and appreciate those who see it. Most of the time, our Father’s business is a risky one.

Contact the Brewer @ www.FreshFromTheBrewer.com

Texans and Christians Have It All

Texans, to the bane of the rest of the insignificant planet, love Texas. Texas is not just a place; it’s an attitude, a culture and an independent spirit that seeps through to the actual real estate.

The philosophical vision of maverick-minded people from all over the world has left its mark on our cities and towns. If you are able to look past the influx of non-indigenous humanity, you can still see hints and outright declarations of mythical Texas.

Way before political correctness. Back before the idea that stating a fact is an attacking posture or vocalizing your belief is somehow disrespectful to others. When what you did mattered more than how you felt, and when your character was more important than the right to do something, Texans were building where the rest of the world was scared too.

Gone to Texas

The collective idea among the founding fathers of our towns seems to have been, “Whatever you need, you can find it in Texas.”

For example, if you’re lonely, you can drive to Friendship, Texas. Feeling down? There’s always Comfort, Texas.

If your wagon is draggin,’ you don’t need an energy drink. Just drive a little northwest of Lubbock to Pep, Texas. If you’re still exhausted, you could land in Energy, Texas.

If you are hungry, you can have a run through Bacon, Oatmeal, Turkey and Sugarland, Texas. You’ll need to top it off with a refreshing sip of Sweetwater, and you still haven’t left our state.

If you’re cold, there’s Blanket, Texas, and if you’re hot, there is Winters, Texas.

You wanna see the world? Don’t leave the state, just drive over to Earth, and have it all. If Paris is your dream, you’ll find it not far from the Red River. You might as well go see London, Rome, Italy, Egypt, China Grove and Athens, Texas, while you’re at it.

Wanna get way…way out there? Take a visit to Venus, Texas, but you’ll want to stay out of the prison over there.

Strange Sightings

If you drive about 20 miles southwest of San Antonio, you can say you have actually seen Bigfoot because there is a town with that name. We also have Tarzan for savages and Kermit and Elmo, Texas, for the kids.

I love the name Gun Barrel City, but hate the name Santa Anna. To me, that’s’ like naming your city Hitler or Stalin. I think the name Muleshoe is cool, but I got a ticket there once. I stopped in the fair city named after me, Troy, and found no wooden horses or monuments to the Brewer. Dimebox is an interesting name for a Texas town, and no doubt there’s a neat story behind it. You see, the attitude of the settlers still speaks to us today.

The mind-set of our pioneers was that you need’nt go anywhere else to get what you need. This goes along with true Christian thinking.

TEXIANITY

Recently, I was asked, really rather accused, of being big-headed when it comes to my theology. I understand that it pegs the cringe meter of some people to hear a Christian say Jesus is the only way. I also know that some Christians have done really ugly things while pointing to Christ. I am sorry for that.

For me, to say that Jesus is the only way is to say, “There is no one else that makes you safe, and there is no one else that is coming back for you.” You and I need not go anywhere else because he is available to both of us right here and right now. Jesus, like Texas, has it all.

You need mercy, compassion, and grace to overcome things? Redemption, salvation? Jesus has it all and freely dishes it out to anybody willing. Need a new beginning and a fresh start? You need not look anywhere else. You want hope and the promise of a future? For Christians, we find that in no better place then in the person of Jesus himself. I love being a Christian even more than I love being a Texan.

Because of Jesus, I am actually a resident of Heaven, temporarily living in Texas.

The town I live in now is called Joshua. It is named by our founding fathers for the Biblical taker of the Promised Land. To me, Joshua is still a place of Promise and in Christ, the promise remains: the best is yet to come.

Contact me at www.FreshFromTheBrewer.com