The Blue Church

He is coming towards me. I have known him for fifteen years now.   He is dressed in traditional inmate attire. I am dressed in casual dress pants and a collared shirt.   He is heading towards his cell block. I am headed home.

When I was young, a toy hit the market which became an instant success. It was called the Rubik’s Cube and it provided endless puzzle solving possibilities. The toy is in the shape of a square with each side possessing many different colored squares. The objective was to twist and turn the cube until each of the sides displayed only one color. It was a daunting task and sometimes when I played it, I gave up in exasperation because just when it seemed as if I was going to solve the puzzle, I ended up with only a 90% solution. At such points,

“My people, hear my teaching; listen to the words of my mouth. ² I will open my mouth with a parable; I will utter hidden things, things from of old— ³ things we have heard and known, things our ancestors have told us. ⁴ We will not hide them from their descendants; we will tell the next generation the praiseworthy deeds of the Lord, his power, and the wonders he has done.

“But if anyone does not provide for his own, and especially for those of his household, he has denied the faith and is worse than an unbeliever.” 1 Timothy 5:8   Wow! Those are some strong words written by the Apostle Paul. “Worse than an unbeliever.” Why would Paul speak in such a manner?

Hi Emma …… I miss you. I am not doing well Emma. I don’t know how to do this without you. Nothing is the same. I don’t seem to care about anything much lately. The shows we used to watch, the places we used to go. I don’t bother with them anymore. I don’t know, it just seems like they were our things and now there is only me, and they don’t fit. It is true what they say sweetheart.

Sometimes when I go to a restaurant, I tuck the tip inside a little booklet which contains the plan of salvation and the Gospel of John. Perhaps this seems foolish, as one might conclude that everyone who receives such a booklet takes the tip and deposits the booklet in the trash. Critics may say, “Rob, you are wasting your money and forcing your religion on others.”

I’m staring at barbed-wire. It looks sharp. It surrounds a building that is very secure. Inside are inmates who are in cells that are very secure. How is it that someone arrives at a point in their life that they are so restricted? Can you imagine being such a person? Consider the prospect of being forcefully taken to where you don’t want to go. You are removed from your loved ones. Your friends. Your comforts. The underlying message? You must pay for how you have harmed us (society) and you are presently not welcome on our streets.

Imagine you are a very wealthy person. You live in a beautiful house. You drive an expensive car. You eat the finest of foods. You want for nothing. Each day you feel content and secure and the most you have to wonder about is what pleasure you will experience next. Then, one day, you decide that you will go to the bank and withdraw all of your funds so that they may be transferred to another financial institution which will give you a higher return. You arrive at the bank and meet with the branch manager.

Recently I enjoyed a trip to Lancaster to see a brother and sister in Christ. It was a beautiful day, the landscape was breathtaking, and the fellowship was sweet. What was also sweet was the delicious ice-cream shop we stopped in to enjoy. While in this quaint little ice-cream shop, I noticed a free Christian devotional booklet that I gladly picked up. Before reading it however, I looked at the listed beliefs of those who wrote the booklet and was surprised to find the following: