Luv is a Verb

Back in the day there was a man
Who stepped out of Heaven and he walked the land
He delivered to the people an eternal choice
With a heart full of luv and the truth in His voice
Gave up His life so that we may live
How much more luv could the Son of God give?
Here is the example that we oughtta be matchin
'Cause luv is a word that requires some action

--dcTalk, “Luv is a Verb”

It’s one o’clock in the morning; I can’t sleep, and I don’t know why. Maybe it’s the fact that I slept ‘til noon yesterday, or the Dr. Pepper I drank right before bed. Maybe it’s the deep question that keeps rolling around relentlessly in my head:

When somebody sneezes, do atheists say “God bless you”?

Kidding. Actually, I prayed before going to bed tonight that God would give me a few words for this blog. Then I found myself staring at the ceiling, unable to sleep, all kinds of thoughts tumbling around in my head. Thinking maybe it wasn’t a coincidence, I fired up my computer, and now I’m sitting here wondering how in the world I’m gonna put my thoughts into a comprehensible format.

Actually, this is the thought currently coalescing in my head:

There is no influence in the absence of one’s presence.

Disclaimer
If I failed to make the following blog coherent (as it is now almost three a.m., and I'm finally sleepy), remember that you have to forgive me because you're a Christian (as my mentor once pointed out after stepping on my toes about something).

My (Hopefully Coherent) Explanation of the Above Thought
In his book, a.k.a “Lost”: Discovering Ways to Reconnect with the People God Misses Most, Jim Henderson tells the reaction of a Christian guy who learned that a Gay and Lesbian organization had just been formed on his college campus. While the other Christians formed a protest against the group, the guy bought a pizza and delivered it to the group's first meeting. He then went on to tell the amazed bunch of people that he would do so every time he got a chance.

I remember feeling very discomfitted when I read that. It was kind of a touchy situation, and I didn't immediately approve of what that guy did. I’m sure that he was hotly accused of being in support of that organization, but really, as I was to later conclude, there’s no law somewhere that says one’s presence indicates one’s support of another’s action, just a support of that person, period.

I learned this lesson for myself several weeks ago. In the past five months, I've traveled down to southwest Mississippi three times to assist in the hurricane relief effort. Rick, the guy overseeing the base of operation where I go, is both my friend and my (new) pastor, and I consider the permanent volunteers down there my family. When Rick prayed for the sister of a lady who attends a local Baptist church there, and she was instantly healed of diabetes and a detached retina, he was invited by the church’s pastor to team up with them for ministry to the community.

He accepted, and for a long time, I questioned Rick’s wisdom in doing so. It couldn’t have been more unconventional. Our beliefs couldn’t be more different. The goals of our ministry and the agenda of that church seemed worlds apart. How, I wondered, could two walk together lest they be in agreement?

It wasn’t until New Year’s Eve found me on my knees praying for a bunch of Baptists as they cried out to God that I realized why Rick had been so adamant that we get together with these people: He just wanted them to know how much they were loved, by him and by God.

I understand why we have denominational divides. I understand why Baptists and Pentecostals don’t attend church together. I understand why the two think they shouldn’t mix. I understand most A/Ps don’t have and aren’t given the freedom to walk into a Baptist church and pray for the people there and vice versa.

The rare and precious opportunity I was afforded to just that taught me a lesson I’ll never forget, the gift of our presence to the world. Love isn't some abstract emotion that we can convey from a distance. Like dcTalk says so well, love is a verb, demonstrated by a visible, hands-on action. If an action must be carried out, that means our presence is required. Wanna love the lost? Wanna be an influence on the Baptists, the Presbyterians, the Mennonites? You don’t have to agree with ‘em. Just go hang out with ‘em.

Thanks for teaching me that, Rick.

Questions, comments, concerns? Please feel free to E-mail me!