Maybe the most important blog I have ever posted

This morning I have been thinking of Jesus’ parable referred to as The Good Samaritan. Jesus answers the question of an “expert in the law” (Luke 10:25) who asked the Lord what he needed to do to inherit eternal life. Jesus asked him what the law said and the law expert recited what Jesus had said in Matthew 22:35-40. In that passage Jesus is asked, what is the ‘Greatest Commandment’ and Jesus had said to love the Lord your God with all that you are and the second commandment much like the first was to love your neighbor as yourself. Jesus tells him he is right so then he asks the Lord “Who is my neighbor?” (Luke 10:28)

It is in this context that Jesus tells the parable of The Good Samaritan. You probably know the story but just in case … A man was travelling from Jerusalem to Jericho when he was robbed, beaten, and left in a ditch on the side of the road. A priest walking by saw him and moved to the other side of the road to ignore him. Jesus said a Levite (a priest’s helper) responded the same way. But then Jesus says a Samaritan, one of the despised “half-breed” Jews who had intermarried with pagan Gentiles, walked up, saw the man, bandaged his wounds, put him on his donkey, and took him to an inn where he paid the innkeeper to take care of the man. He told the innkeeper if what he gave him was not enough to cover the expenses, the next time he passed through he would pay him the rest. Jesus then asked the law expert which of the three he thought was a neighbor to the man who was in the ditch. The law expert responded “The one who had mercy on him.” Jesus then said, “Go and do likewise.”

Why am I reflecting on this today? I think for a couple of reasons: 

1. When life is good for us, it is easy for us to be like the priest or Levite and see people whose life is in the ditch, only to cross the road and avoid them.
2. At times the wheels come off of all of this wagon we call life and our life ends up in the ditch … this is one of those times for me.

In all honesty there have been times, too many as matter of fact, where I have been the priest or the Levite. It is easy to stand in judgment of those whose life becomes derailed: “Well that is what he gets, he knew better than to travel this road alone. There has to be some great sin in his life or he would not have ended up in the ditch in the first place.” Today I am learning that the view from the ditch is different from the view from the road. There is a lot of pain in the ditch. There are the wounded in the ditch. There is dirt in the ditch. I am learning once you have been in a ditch you cannot help but think back on all the times you acted in judgment about those people who experienced life in the ditch. In all honesty, mercy looks different from the ditch. It gives you a completely new perspective. You think back over all the times you walked past someone in the ditch because you thought you were just too busy, not the right person, or you would catch them on the way back, you did not have the right words, or you thought they deserved the ditch. When you are in the ditch, you remember all the inadequate, inappropriate, or perhaps even harsh words you spoke to someone in the very same ditch you now find yourself.

In a previous blog, I referenced “decisions” I have made and am making that people did not or will not agree with. The first of those decisions was to leave Eastwood for a secular job. “How can you leave the call of God on your life? A man of God would never or should never do that!” Well, that is not the only decision I have made that people will take issue with; more decisions will become known in the days ahead. “Brother Tom, that is kind of cryptic. What do you mean other decisions? What have you done?” The easy thing to do would be to spend your time talking about what “great sin” caused my life to end up in the ditch. Can I ask you to spend more time talking to the One who can pull me from the ditch than you do talking to others about why I am in the ditch?

Some will conclude, “Well, everything he preached was a lie!” Nothing could be further from the truth. I preached the truth as best I knew and tried to preach the full counsel of God’s Word. Here is the problem though … no man can live completely the full counsel of God’s Word. So will there be a disconnect of sorts for some of you as you try to understand? Absolutely! However, please know I believe everything that I preached, but I am also human and not immune to poor decisions and sin.

In the days ahead, some of you may feel the need to “preach” to me about the error of my ways. Please don’t! If you feel the need to blast me on my social media page, I will simply block you. Instead, if you cannot get past the urge to take issue with me on my social media account, or if you feel like you can no longer have fellowship with me, I would ask you simply to unfriend me. Hear once again the words of our Lord: “‘Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of the robbers?’ The expert in the law replied, ‘The one who had mercy on him.’ Jesus told him, ‘Go and do likewise.’” (Luke 10:36-37)

What you go through when you change careers.

Since I am not the last person to change jobs and career paths, I thought I would write a little about the things I have learned through this process. First, let me admit that “change” can be a four-letter word if we allow it to be. Sure, there are perks like a clean desk and a clean slate but there is also some fears about changing. Over the past 12 months things happened that caused me to consider a change in careers. However, there were a few fears that held me back. 

• Loyalty to your employer – 14+ years with Eastwood was a lot to walk away from
• The thought you are what you do – My identity for 28+ years was tied to the title “pastor”. When one’s self-worth is connected to their identity in their role at work, change feels like you are looking at a stranger in the mirror. 
• Will I like a new job – You will never know unless you give it a shot. 
• Fear of failure – We often chalk up our accomplishments to luck or being in the right place at the right time. What I had to do was make a list of skills I currently possessed and utilized in my role as a pastor and determine which of those were transferable to the marketplace. Then in reading job descriptions try to find something that allowed me to leverage those skills I possessed. 
• Can I really find a job – I think this is a fear that folk’s fall into the longer they have been in one profession. For me it was, “Okay you have a BA in Religion and a Masters of Divinity in Theology … what can you do with that?” I found that employers are much more interested in past performance than they are what type of degree you possess.

Once I started here at Missouri S&T, there were a few lessons I learned that I think are worth sharing, especially for those considering a change. 

1. Do not be afraid to ask questions – as the “new kid” on the block realize you are not supposed to know everything. As you ask, then listen and absorb. I had to remember, and this was hard for me, that I had two ears and one mouth so I could listen twice as much as I speak. 
2. Do research beforehand – once you have accepted the job, learn as much as you can about the business, those who work there, etc. This will help calm your nerves because you will go in that 1^st day feeling prepared. 
3. Be friendly and accept the fact there is an office culture already established - If you are entering a well-established team as I was, remember there is an already formed culture. People understand that there are roles, personalities, reputations, hierarchies (whether spoken or not) being played out, and as the new kid you will have to learn these all on your own. They likely will not tell you this because most of them are unwritten and many are oblivious to the fact they even exist.
4. Personalize your space – Once I was able to observe what was acceptable for personalizing the work space it wasn’t until I brought in my collection of Starbucks cups, Bobby Bowden autographed football, and a few things from Asia did I really feel at home.
5. Be yourself - When you were hired those making the decision to hire believed you would add something to the team. 

So, if you change careers, as I did, remind yourself that you are going to do a great job; that is why they hired you. Take the job one day at a time, be positive, learn, and be you! You go this … with God’s help of course.

The Tragic Loss of a Students' Life

I live in a 3-story apartment building here in Rolla; thankfully I’m on the first floor. There are 5-6 buildings and they are building more. I don’t know the percentage but I’d say the apartment residents are about 80% students at Missouri S&T where I work. They are kind and courteous and easy to speak to.

Sunday late afternoon I pulled into the complex and noticed there were police officers present, a gathered group of students, and some adults that looked about my age. Since they were parked / standing in front of my stairwell I walked over toward the mailboxes where some female students were standing and told them I live in that stairwell and asked if they knew what was going on.  They told me that a male student on one of the floors above me had evidently died; they had carried him down and put him in the back of the coroner’s truck that was sitting there. The Rolla police were talking to who I later found out where the young man’s parents. The university chancellor was gathered with the male students by the stair well. As I walked toward my apartment the grief was evident on the faces of all. 

I sat in my apartment somewhat stunned at the thought a student that lived above me had died. There hasn’t been an obituary yet and I haven’t heard how the young man died, but that really doesn't matter. Thinking about the loss of his life, two thoughts became very real to me. 

1.    Life as he knew it was over – I used that phrasing on purpose. His physical life, the only life he’d known was now over but his soul lives on. This young man is in eternity in one of only two possible destinations. Based on some of his mother’s social media posts the family seemed very active in the Lutheran Church and I hope he personally knew the hope of the gospel.  

2.    Life is short – James 4:14 refers to our life as a “mist” that quickly vanishes. In Job 14:1, Job says, “Man who is born of a woman is few of days and full of trouble.” When I have to enter my age on a website and watch all of those numbers scroll to get to 1961, I realize how much of life is behind me; life is short!

Question: How much time do you think this young’s parents spent that afternoon mad over something that happened 6 months or 6 years ago? I’m guessing likely not at all. I’m guessing they were consumed with the thought of desiring just a few more minutes to express to their son how much they loved him. 

Life is far too short not to love, laugh, and forgive. We should love today like there’s no tomorrow … because for some there isn’t. We should laugh every day … most of the time at ourselves for the blunders we make. We should forgive easily … anger and hate hurt the vessel they are in far more than the one they are aimed at. 

So here it is in a nutshell:

§ Play your favorite songs loud

§ Give BIG hugs

§ Practice peace

§ See the beauty in every situation

§ Dream big and work to make your dreams come true

§ Don’t worry about the things you have no control over

§ Make time to call loved ones

§ Visit friends and family that are far away. You never know when the last opportunity to do so will pass.

Tom