Today I went for lunch at BPs. I had the most delicious buffalo chicken sandwich. I never steer away from it and try anything else, it’s just too good. It’s a very large sandwich and I usually eat the whole thing. I just can’t stop eating it. But afterward I hurt and immediately regretted my impulsive decision. Today I ate only half of it and boxed the other half.
Today I also met Hank. Well Hank is his street name he says. His real name is Henry. I met him walking home from school. He stopped me and asked for a quarter. I did my usual, “Sorry I have no money” but we continued to talk. He told me he’s a lone ranger, originally from Battleford. Between his slurred speech and drooling he also told me he’s 57 and I also heard the word “hungry” somewhere in there. Perfect, I thought! I have half a sandwich. I gave it to him and he seemed excited. But he told me not to worry about him because he’s a survivor. He went to a Residential School, been through two divorces and traveled all over alone. When I asked if he had kids he immediately broke down and cried, telling me he had a son but the police found him frozen just outside of Saskatoon ten years ago. My heart sank. I asked him if I could pray for him and he tried to brush me off, saying he was fine. But he never left. He then let me pray for him and in the middle of the School Division parking lot, as people walked past, I prayed for him. We kissed and hugged and talked some more and said good-bye a hundred times but never seemed to be able to leave.
Half of what is mine is yours.
John was speaking to a crowd, and after he called them all vipers, they asked, “What should we do then?” John answered, “The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same.” (Luke 3:11)
People interpret this many ways. But I say, if you have a whole buffalo chicken sandwich, half of it doesn’t belong to you.
(Many thanks to Jason VanBinsbergen for passing this wonderful story along to us. Canada rocks.)
My friend (and once-upon-a-time roomate on the road) Craig Spinks produces some wonderful video work, designed for small group discussions, message illustrations, etc. This one was so much about Doable Evangelism that I asked permission to share it here. Enjoy…and visit Craig’s site, Recycle Your Faith, to buy a few videos for your group!
I thought this week’s post by April said something really important about one of our simple, spiritual practices we call “noticing”…so I wanted to post part of it here on the Ordinary Attempts page as a reminder that noticing is a transformational practice, both for us and those we notice. Read the whole article by clicking on the link in the byline.
“Imagine living in a place (a nursing home) where you are ignored or not understood. People assume that you don’t think because you can’t communicate, but imagine that once a month a group of people come along and they look down into your eyes and they notice you. They notice that you are in there still thinking, still understanding in whatever capacity that you are able. They notice it and in noticing, they are giving you hope that it could happen again. Suddenly, those fifteen minutes become so much more important than the icecream social that you enjoyed the day before. Love doesn’t come by shoving a cup of ice cream into someone’s hands. It comes from the spirit.
Our ministry (to seniors) isn’t anything special other than that we are there and that we notice. In noticing, we are more aware of what’s going on inside the eyes of those we greet. Anyone can do the music, the prayer, and the message, but not everyone notices. Not everyone makes that exchange that gives hope to those who thought they were invisible. We humans need each other. We need to be needed and noticed.
If you haven’t noticed anyone in a long time, then you have been asleep. You have allowed unimportant trivial matters to rob you of one of life’s greatest secrets. You have the hope that others need, but you have to take notice first. You have to look into the eyes, see the soul, and make the exchange. No one can do it for you, and if you aren’t doing it, you are missing out on one of life’s beautiful and unique mysteries.”
