The Rich Poor Man

Something happened at the grocery store today that caught my attention and made me think.

As I got in line to pay for my groceries, I found myself standing behind two patrons from very different worlds. More then likely they came into the store with very different ideas of what they would purchase, very different economic means of doing so, and very different places they would return to after their shopping was complete.

The man directly in front of me was obviously homeless, probably an alcoholic and/or drug attic, and possibly mentally ill in some way. He was dressed in very worn and tattered clothes, and probably hadn’t bathed in months. He had one bottle of cheap wine and two beers in his basket to purchase.

The lady in front of him was a very elegantly dressed upper-class French woman. She probably had over $150 worth of items to purchase.

While the cashier was scanning her many items I watched her continually stare at the homeless man behind her. It seemed as though she was scared of becoming dirty or somehow infected with something herself, simply by being in close proximity with this homeless man. I could only imagine what awful thoughts must have been going through her mind.

After all of her items had been scanned she handed her credit card to the cashier, only for it to be rejected. She did not have enough cash to pay for the items and so she asked the cashier to try her credit card again. The cashier called the manager who took the card into his office to possibly (my assumption) call the credit card company to check on the cards status.

While this was happening the cashier went ahead and scanned the homeless mans bottle of cheap wine and his two beers. He paid for it with the change that he had in his hand and left.

The elegantly dressed upper-class French woman watched this man leave the store and mumbled something as he left. A look of relief came across her face, for what I assume was the fact that she no longer had to be standing so close to an unclean person. Seconds later the store manager returned to let her know that he could not accept her credit card. The very elegantly dressed woman left the store with nothing.

It was then that I began to think…

How difficult it is for the rich to enter the Kingdom of God, but how simple it is for the poor to walk through the pearly gates.

How difficult it is for the saint who considers himself or herself to be a decent and Godly person to acknowledge his or her very real need for God’s grace and guidance in his or her life, but how very simple it is for the broken-down, beaten up and downtrodden sinner to cling to God, for he or she knows no other way.

Where does God dwell? Who is He near? In what types of people and what sorts of places will we find God if we are to truly search?

I tend to believe that He is often times found in the people and places in which we see in passing, but then very quickly turn a blind eye towards.

I noticed the homeless man for the first time when he was standing at the other end of the aisle I was on, in front of the alcohol, counting his change.

I gave him a glance, turned, and walked the other way…

Matthew Pascal

Trying to remember that His name is always Blessed.

I find it quite easy to be excited about serving God, following Him, giving my life to Him, etc. while attending a nice Christian conference or retreat, and having one of those mountaintop experiences that we all seem to love. I also find it easy and joyful to follow Him when things are going the way that I (admittedly in my fallen state) would choose for them to go. When my personal life, financially stability, love life, etc. are all going according to my liking and choosing, I find it easy to excitedly follow God.

It is in these times that I begin to wonder if that small, light colored, #1 New York Times bestseller book that talks about “enlarging our territories” might actually be saying some things that I agree with.

But what about when it seems like nothing is going according to my plan? What about the times when I am watching my mom die, or loosing a friend to an early death? What about the times when I am not in a carefree place financially? What about in the times when “ministry” is seemingly not moving forward? What about in the times when I’m hurt because a romantic relationship isn’t working out and I’m having to watch another guy get the girl I like? In these times will I still choose to say, as Job did, “blessed be the name of the LORD?”

Will the young mother who has just lost her child to a preventable disease, simply because she didn’t have the money needed to purchase medicine say, “blessed be the name of the LORD?” Will the single woman on the mission field, who seemingly has no prospects of a husband say, “blessed be the name of the LORD?” Will the teenage children of a mother who died from a brain tumor say, “blessed be the name of the LORD?” Will the parents of a child who committed suicide say, “blessed be the name of the LORD?” Will the wife of a husband who was unfaithful to her say, “blessed be the name of the LORD?”

Will I choose to say this today in the midst of hurt and pain that arise from personal circumstances? Will I choose to say this knowing that in my own life “the LORD gave, and the LORD has taken away?”

Father, help me to say and believe that Your name is blessed in the midst of painful and trying situations. Help me to believe and to trust in Your ultimate sovereignty. Help each of us to follow You when life does not seem fair, when we don’t understand why things are happening the way they are happening and when the walls seem to be tumbling down all around us.

Help me, and help each of us, to remember and say as Job did, “Naked I came from my mother’s womb, and naked shall I return. The LORD gave and the LORD has taken away; blessed be the name of the LORD.” Job 1:21

Peace,

Me

Committment

I have been thinking lately about the amount of (or lack thereof) commitment that most young people are willing to make these days as they consider going into overseas missions work. I have noticed this as I have been in the process of trying to build a team to work among the Arab Muslim poor in the slums of North Africa for the past few years. Thus far I have been joined by no one.

As I have been meeting with various young people, and have come into contact with many young people who are serving on the missions field, I have noticed that the most common response that they make as to why they are only going to serve for two-to-five years, is because that is all they feel God is calling them to.

Why is this? Does God no longer call people to give their entire lives for His service? Does He not ask us to take up the cross and follow Him for the rest of the time that we have to spend on this earth?

Sometimes it seems as people only think that He asks us to follow Him for a few years, and then we can go back to doing whatever it is that we think we would like to do.

I have begun to wonder lately if when young people choose to go overseas to serve in missions work for only two-to-five years, if they are doing it only for their own self-gratification. I say this because I honestly do not think that we can expect to see the transformation of communities (especially slum communities in the Muslim, Hindu and Buddhist world) in such a short amount of time. And if this is true, then shouldn’t we be willing to give the next 20 years of our lives to the task that is before us?

I have met so many young people on the missions field who tell me that they are there for two or three years, and then after that they will see where “God is leading them next.” To me, this honestly seems like a very selfish way of going into it. It seems like the two years of service are actually nothing more then two years of adventure. Two years of learning another language, experiencing another culture, eating unusual foods, wearing different clothes, etc. It does not seem like it is anything more then going for what they can get out of it.

God however asks for our lives. I believe that He is calling young people to go into overseas missions work with the intention of making it their lifelong work. Not a two-year cross-cultural adventure. That is what graduate students in Anthropology do. Not followers of the One who gave up His rightful place in Heaven to come and live among us on earth, in poverty, only to eventually end up being rejected, beaten, spat upon, and brutally murdered by the very ones He came to save.

He gave His everything and if we are to be His disciples we must do the same.

Let the graduate student in Anthropology take the adventures for a short period of time and then return home to his or her comforts, but let the follower of Christ who is called into overseas missions work go into it with the intention of spending his or her entire life serving those least among us…

Peace,

Matthew Pascal

Thoughts Regarding Community

Over the past few years, I have increasingly become more aware of the importance of Christian community. I see how my personal walk with God suffered due to the lack of community I had. It was a difficult road that I travelled, but through it God was able to teach me, in my stubbornness, the importance and value of living a life together.

Two years ago when I began the journey of trying to live and work among the poor in North Africa, I went in with the idea that community and team where actually hindrances to the work that I wanted to accomplish. I viewed a team as an unnecessary hindrance to ministry due to the fact that it is something that takes a lot of effort and work to keep in smooth operation. I felt like it would be more simple (and effective) to not have to deal with that, and to devote myself in totality to the "ministry."

However, I now see the absolute necessity of being in community with others. I have grown to view Christian community as an extremely important and essential aspect of living the Christian life. Due to this change of heart, I now am willing to put forth the effort and make the sacrifices that are necessary to live and work with others in a healthy way.

If the minister of the Gospel is not living in right communion with God then the ministry is nothing but a futile attempt that will bear no fruit. The minister of the Gospel must make his or her first priority that of being in right relationship with the God who has called him or her into ministry. However, I am increasingly convinced that it is impossible to remain in right relationship with God for a prolonged period of time all on ones own. We must live in community with other brothers and sisters in Christ. We must live a life together.

Christian community however is not a right that we as believers have - it is a privilege. Furthermore it is a privilege that God does not grant to all believers. Throughout the history of the Church we have examples of many a man and woman that have had to live out their faith in seclusion, without the benefit and privilege of Christian community. For those of us from the western world, I believe that we often times view community as a right, which leads to attitudes that are not conducive in us putting forth the effort that is necessary to live a life together.

We need others. I need others. A life lived alone is a perfect way to fall into sinful habits, therefore making our ministry nothing more than an attempt at self glorification.

Peace,

Matthew Pascal