Dr. Charles W. Ferguson

30 Jesus replied, “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and he fell among robbers, who stripped him and beat him and departed, leaving him half dead. 31 Now by chance a priest was going down that road, and when he saw him he passed by on the other side. 32 So likewise a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came to where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion. 34 He went to him and bound up his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he set him on his own animal and brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 And the next day he took out two denarii[a] and gave them to the innkeeper, saying, ‘Take care of him, and whatever more you spend, I will repay you when I come back.’ 36 Which of these three, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the man who fell among the robbers?” 37 He said, “The one who showed him mercy.” And Jesus said to him, “You go, and do likewise.”–Luke 10:30-37

The most difficult part of having a nonstop, thought producing brain is reading what people say in all forms of communication. I promise you that I don’t go looking for material when it comes to writing outside of sermons, lectures, and book projects. It seems to me that nonsense comes to my doorstep.

I am like any reasonable human being. I enjoy absolute silliness. I like to laugh. Crying is a necessary release. What I don’t like is people using platforms to spout off their brand of truth knowing full well it is a bunch of foolishness. Furthermore, it is an insult to the intelligence and decency of people to bombard our minds with the most trivial forms of ignorance.

The one common thread that I see in many posts and interactions is the invoking of the presence and person of God in every discussion. Politics, religious practices, personal theologies, eating habits, everything–God is being subject to false claims of advocating for every single perspective. Don’t you know that it is wrong to make a claim on behalf of an unwilling party?

At the core of everything that I am seeing, one telling truth continues to come to the surface. People have left their humanity at the door. I am constantly struck by how easy it is for people to completely forget that we are human beings. We are individuals that are constantly challenged to address our emotions, thoughts, and perspectives. We are beings that are supposed to have the capacity to deal with issues in a civilized manner.

Beyond that, I am finding more people who claim discipleship of Jesus Christ losing their grip on the principles and foundation of what Christ taught. Imagine reading or listening to people who walk with Jesus constantly berate the humanity of any person based solely on the labels they carry. That doesn’t make sense. Consider that the same people are attempting to hold people in the midst of shame that was never generated by the message of Christ. Imagine your skin being weaponized, your sexuality assulted, your reproductive rights judged, authority chosen over your innocence in the name of a perpetuating an idea that has no rooting in the love of God.

Sadly, you don’t have to imagine it….

Jesus was asked once about the issue of a neighbor. Imagine that. We need a definition for a neighbor. This gentleman got the answer about how to gain eternal life, but still wanted to make sure that his living on earth was tight. So Jesus did Jesus things. He used a story.

The story of the Good Samaritan addresses the response of the individual from a group of people historically maligned by others (i.e. nobody walked through the land of half-breed Jews because they did not see them as Jews; sound familiar) taking care of a hurting broken person passed over by religious elite (priest and levite). The emphasis is that whoever is in need, condition that can be aided, or in physical proximity is your neighbor.

What the Samaritan did and what Jesus commands us to do is act according to what is right and not our own preference. Right. Preference. If I had $20 million in the bank, I would prefer to travel without any cares. Yet, I have bills to pay. The right thing is paying my bills. I have differing views on how that government is run, so I may not want to be in the room with others who don’t think like me. But if I want to make change, I need to find common ground and work to make a better day.

Doing the right thing seems so overrated. People are willing to engage in the suffering of others to obtain what benefits their personal existence. People are ready to substitute serving God truly for temporary benefit. All of this rejection and self-serving attitude reigns due to the desensitized nature of the current climate. I can’t continue to live or function in a world that will constantly dismiss one another.

More than ever, we need people who will produce the energy and resources necessary to be the physical hands and feet of Christ. We have seen and witnessed enough people with the energy to pass over and around people. That take no type of work. How many of us will take the time to help someone with no restrictions, label, or issues as the deterient? How many of us will make up are mind to live and love like Jesus and address people at their root humanity?

Which of you, do you think, proved to be a neighbor to the person who fell among the troubled climate? Will you say, I am the one showed mercy? If so, continue.

6 He went away from there and came to his hometown, and his disciples followed him. 2 And on the Sabbath he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished, saying, “Where did this man get these things? What is the wisdom given to him? How are such mighty works done by his hands? 3 Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary and brother of James and Joses and Judas and Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they took offense at him. 4 And Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor, except in his hometown and among his relatives and in his own household.” 5 And he could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick people and healed them. 6 And he marveled because of their unbelief.And he went about among the villages teaching.7 And he called the twelve and began to send them out two by two, and gave them authority over the unclean spirits. 8 He charged them to take nothing for their journey except a staff—no bread, no bag, no money in their belts— 9 but to wear sandals and not put on two tunics.[a] 10 And he said to them, “Whenever you enter a house, stay there until you depart from there. 11 And if any place will not receive you and they will not listen to you, when you leave, shake off the dust that is on your feet as a testimony against them.” 12 So they went out and proclaimed that people should repent. 13 And they cast out many demons and anointed with oil many who were sick and healed them. –Mark 6:1-13, ESV

It is one of the greatest challenges of life–change. Change provides so many opportunities to experience a wide range of emotions. It is without a doubt the most difficult set of circumstances to navigate in life. Depending on the situation, change provides excitement for a future without limits. Change can also be a strong reminder that old things are gone.

This week, I am personally experiencing multiple levels of change at one time. I am beginning a second appointment to pastor a local congregation in the city of Columbus–Clair United Methodist Church. On some levels, it was a shock and welcomed opportunity presented by the West Ohio Conference under the leadership of Bishop Gregory Palmer. I am forever grateful for the chance to use my gifts and calling.

However, I have found myself dealing with the unnerving emotions of my own inadequacies. I am to meet the membership of Clair today. I would be less the authentic, real, and honest if I did state that I began feeling nervous. Nervous about my call? No. Nervous about my gifting and skill? No. Nervous about being received? 100% Yes!

I still feel the sting of my past experiences. Wesley Church of Hope has been such a blessing to me and my family in our healing process. Nobody has pressed about anything outrageous. They have allowed me to be husband and father first. That order has made me a better pastor. They have given me support that I didn’t see coming. These past six months have been the easiest time of pastoring I have ever experienced. Along with that, I have been able to just be me.

So why be nervous now? I finally came to a conclusion. I still have dust. Go with me for a moment.

I know that I am growing in grace day by day. It is evident even when I feel like I am going nowhere. I realize that God is still granting new mercies. I know that I am not the same person I was. Yet, I feel the sting of the past days of not being accepted for who I am truly. (I know I just wrote about validation from God in the last post.)

The truth is that I just arrived at the place to be good with myself. No point in lying. I am finally alright with being a nerd at heart. I appreciate being more vocal with my pen or keyboard than my voice. I like that I am a big man with a soft heart. I am cool being petty (Fun, comical petty not petty petty). I have value and worth to the world.

Nevertheless, I realize that I have not always kicked the dust off of my past experiences or roads traveled. I still feel the sting of people thinking my leadership or vision was beneath them. I get angry at the thought of being made to think that I am less than in anyway. I feel that twinge when I hear limitations in their voice. I am reminded of every superficial comment hurled in my direction. It still bring heat to my soul.

Then God impressed the text above on my spirit. I was reminded that Jesus was not accepted everywhere including his hometown. That comforted me some, but it did not change my approach to my own feelings. It is when Jesus taught a simple thing about moving forward that my soul finally got peace.

Jesus told the disciples that they had a mission. This mission would provide the opportunity to change people and environments. The mission would save, heal, and equip. The mission was not about being monetized or anything else. The mission was to advance a promote a Kingdom not of this world within this world.

The mission was so great that Jesus gave a simple mandate to stay focused. If people welcome you/embrace you, you stick around. If you are not welcomed or embraced, don’t waste time proving you belong. Dust your feet and keep moving. When you do that, your moving forward will indict their unwillingness to embrace you (gift, peace, etc).

We can become prisoners of everything that comes our way. We can be imprisoned by opinions, problems, and issues so much that we miss out on being productive and useful in our purpose and mission. I am a living witness of that. We become so consumed with trying to prove to people that we belong in this space that we do not realize that rejection might be the gateway to greater opportunity.

I was not accepted in my “home” (Baptist church). I tried to prove my worth and value to people that did not deserve the time. It took two years to come back to the realization that God called me to Kingdom work not a denomination. God called me to be present and a voice, not to be a doormat or an option. God did not call you to just be a person. God called you to greater. The moment you realize that, you will stop attempting to defend who and what you are to condition unfit to embrace it.

This post is not about arrogance and ego. It is about reminding you that God fools with you. (S/O to my boy Derrick–www.revderrickholmes.com) God wants you and I to remember that we have not be given so much to allow it to be subjected strictly by the opinions of others. We are called to be progressive in thought, process, speech, and actions. The season for worry is over. The new season of opportunity has come.

 

It has been a while since I have written a post. Many things have taken place in my life. Many changes have occurred. I am definitely not the same person I was at the beginning of 2018. In the midst of learning more about myself, I have come to realize some of the root causes of many interpersonal challenges of my life.

During this reflection, I want to begin with a simple question….Have you ever wanted to be accepted?

Have you ever wanted someone somewhere to look at you and say simply, You’re alright with me! for 37 years, I have looked around at different times hoping that someone would simply say those words. Yes, I still deal with the challenges of acceptance. Yes, I love God and know that God loves me. Yes, all people want to be validated in their uniqueness. And yes, people do arrive at certain points of existence to discover that healthy doses of validation are very useful to one’s existence.

At different points of living, I realize why I attached myself to certain people at certain moment. When somebody saw my value (or what eventually was my value to their lives), I held on for dear life. I held on believing that one day that they would pour back into my life when I need it. 90% of the time that type of reciprocal relationship did not develop. When I would arrive at that conclusion, I faced the normal cycle–resentment, anger, hurt, depression, and isolation.

The cycle is a very painful experience. You hate going through it. You despise the feelings from it. You are prepared to do almost anything to get rid of it. You will even sacrifice certain elements of yourself (spiritually, emotionally, personally, etc) just to make the feeling stop. Only you realize that it becomes a spiral effect to your existence.

So what can a person do to get through this testing issue? 

Whether you believe it or not, no simple answers can be given. Some people go to counseling to unpack the problem. Some individuals place a significant amount of energy into their spiritual development. Yet, others choose to find other outlet to process their issues. Nevertheless, I offer some imagery from the Christmas narrative that hit my spirit in an unusual way this morning.

Mary and Joseph followed an order of the government to return to their birthplace. They were to be accounted for tax purposes. The move would give an accurate of account of the assets of the Roman Empire and cause a significant boost in the economic status of all hospitality businesses (hotel, motel, Holiday Inn…). They arrive prepared to pay for their stay, but every place was booked.

One innkeeper saw the condition of Mary and provided a solution. The solution was to allow the couple to stay among dirty animals in a barn like structure. Even though the pregnant condition was significant, birthing a child did not warrant a more sanitary response. So Jesus was born among animals, wrapped in milk cloths, and was placed in a feeding trough.

For all the different ways we attempt to romanticize this scene, the truth is that they were put out back. The Christ was not born in a palace. The heir to physical throne of Israel did not receive the royal treatment he deserved. The basic human value of Mary, Joseph, and Jesus was not readily received. Yet, Jesus was the promise of redemption and the premise for our salvation.

So, what does any of this have to do with acceptance?

1. We must recognize that all people in our environment will not have knowledge of our significance. Most people are not prepared to encounter or embrace our significance to God or the environment. They are not always privileged to the inside information about our lives and purpose. They will treat us according to their basic roots and values.
2. Don’t waste time on making people understand who you are. In the story, you never hear Mary or Joseph announce the importance of this pregnancy to anyone. It is not depicted in the story as a point of urgency or privilege. The more we attempt to push our value toward people who can not receive it, the more weary we become in the process. It takes more energy to teach a brick wall than allowing a revelation to hit a willing, open vessel.
3. God will always provide the right type of validator to encourage your purpose and destiny. Even though the innkeeper did not place greater value on the family, God sent individuals to affirm and confirm the arrival the Lord’s Christ. Hear me today! No matter what temporary individual think of you in a moment, God provides those who see you in your future in spite of your current temporary status. The shepherds came in reverence to the manager. The magi traveled from the east to show respect to the fulfillment of prophecy. The angels sang at his arrival. It is not your current address that makes you. It is the journey and purpose that will define destiny.
4. God will intentionally teach us how to receive our own value through His eyes. I cannot lie to you. This thought is the hardest one to embrace from time to time. We focus so much on what our environment tells us that we can forget that God uniquely designed every aspect of our existence. When we want to spiral out of control, we must remember that we have a design. We are created on purpose, with purpose, for a purpose. We must remember that a humble beginning is not the confirmation of our lot in life. At every stage, God will remind us we are worth it.

When you don’t feel like you’re worth it, remember God gave you a magnificent gift. You are not just special, but you are unique. You are necessary. You are important. You are a gift to the world. The baby we celebrate was the manifestation of salvation before the cross or grave entered the picture. You are the seed that will make impact on the world. Even if no one accepts you today, they will not be able to deny you tomorrow.

Merry Christmas to all…