"Who Cares?"

“Who Cares?”

During my pastoral days I talked with a man who was going through some serious struggles with his family and business which, in turn, was affecting his spiritual life. In speaking with him I asked what his greatest need was and without hesitation he answered, “I just want someone to care.” I realized then how important it is for people to know that others are sensitive to their hurts and needs and the responsibility we have as members of the body of Christ to care for each other (“Carry each other’s burdens and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.”—Galatians 6:2).

The man mentioned above had asked, “Who cares?” and had responded, “No one!” Humanly this was probably more commonplace than we’d like to admit. But it wasn’t entirely true because the Scripture says, “…(God) cares for you.” (1 Peter 5:7). Too often, however, we leave caring with the Lord and forget that He sometimes cares for people through people—those like us who willingly put ourselves in His hands to be used as His instruments in ministering to others.

The early church was a caring community, bound together by love and sympathetic with each other’s needs and struggles. It wasn’t perfect in this effort (witness Ananias and Sapphira in Acts 5) but it recognized the duty each had to the others and fulfilled it to a high degree. This is one of the major factors in its growth and strength as described in Acts.

In one of the churches we served we adopted as a year’s theme “Our Best for Him” based on 1 Corinthians 10:31 (“…Whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God.”). One way in which this can be done is by giving our best to His people. In reply to a hypothetical question in Matthew 25:37-39 Jesus said, “…Whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.” (Verse 40). Our obligation is clear.

Who cares? Let’s pray that we’ll be able to say (and show by our actions), “We do!”

Blessings!

Jim McMillan

"Stuck in Park?"

“Stuck in Park?”

 

I spent my first year in South Carolina as a chaplain trainee in a local hospital. One day while making my rounds I encountered a colleague who was seated at a unit’s desk documenting completed visits. He was still pastoring an area church and as we talked he expressed frustration at the congregation’s lack of willingness to step out by faith into ministry (the attitude was, “We’ll sit here and wait for God to lead us.”). I found myself telling him, “You can’t steer a car that’s stuck in park.” He looked at me, didn’t say a word, opened his notebook, grabbed a pen, and wrote it down. He later shared this with his people with apparently little or no effect as he resigned from his church about a year later.

As I’ve sought God’s leading during my lifetime I have to admit (to my shame) that I’ve sometimes expected God to tell me what I was to do while waiting around and contributing next to nothing to His work. But He rebuked me through His Word with accounts of how He called people to serve Him. I then realized that I couldn’t think of anyone who wasn’t already busy before being summoned to service. Moses was caring for his father-in-law’s sheep when God appeared to him in the burning bush (Exodus 3); Elisha was plowing a field when he was appointed as Elijah’s successor (1 Kings 19); Saul was persecuting Jesus’ followers when he met Him on the Damascus Road (Acts 9). A few years later Paul (Saul’s new name) tried to go to several places before God opened the door to Macedonia (Acts 16:6-10). None of these great heroes of faith was stuck in park—can we afford to be?

Pastor Rick Warren has observed that God usually calls us according to our S.H.A.P.E., an acronym for Spiritual gifting, Heart, Abilities, Personality, and Experiences. And the best way to discover what He wants from us is to start doing something growing out of these criteria—in other words, get out of Park and into Drive. Then we’re on the highway to productivity and blessing.

Ladies and gentlemen, let’s start our engines, shift out of Park, and “…move on.” (Exodus 14:15).

Blessings!

Jim McMillan

"Gargani Cups"

“Gargani Cups”

 

A term that has become part of the McMillan family vocabulary is “Gargani Cup.” It’s named in honor of my late aunt, Vivian Gargani. Aunt Viv had a habit of serving half or two-thirds filled cups of coffee and tea (why we never knew) and one day someone made a comment about a “Gargani Cup” and the designation stuck. So if I make such a reference you’ll know why and won’t think I’m nuts (well, maybe)!

While this illustrated the lighter side of family life which we need it also shows that we’re all known for something. It may not be as far-reaching as the Monroe Doctrine, Marshall Plan, or “I Have a Dream” speech, but in our own circles of influence we can all make an impact through our “Gargani Cups.” People in Scripture had their names associated with various qualities as well. Some were positive (such as Joses who was given a nickname to reflect his encouraging spirit—we know him better as Barnabas, meaning “Son of Encouragement”—see Acts 4:36) while others not so much (Simon the Sorcerer’s activity in Acts 8 gave rise to the term “simony” to describe buying and selling spiritual favors). People are looking at us as well—what are they seeing? Remember Solomon’s words: “A good name is more desirable than great riches; to be esteemed is better than silver or gold.” (Proverbs 22:1).

What’s your “Gargani Cup”? What’s mine? Does it reflect what God wants you and me to be before Him and His world? If not, we must ask Him to shape our lives so they show who we are in Christ and make Him look good.

 

Blessings!

Jim McMillan

"Always on Time"

“Always on Time”

 

Some years ago one of our New Hampshire church’s elders went on a missions’ trip to a closed country with several others from our area. Much prayer went into this effort because they were carrying Bibles and a significant amount of money to assist the national believers and, if found, they were likely to be detained and their “cargo” confiscated. As the group approached the customs station they noticed that a TV was tuned into a soccer game in which the national squad was playing. The immigration officers were so engrossed in the action that they waved the team through with little or no examination. Coincidence? I prefer to think of it as another example of God’s perfect timing.

Almost 30 years ago a Christian counselor told Karen and me, “God’s never late but He’s seldom early.” He said this at a time we were confused about (and in my case questioning) His leading in our lives. In His time He led us to Manchester, NH where we spent the best 20 years of our pastoral ministry. His timely direction was also seen when we transitioned to South Carolina and recently to Florida. In each case God delayed our plans because He had lessons for us to learn before the next stop on our journey.

When I was working at a Christian camp as a teenager in yon times of yore I memorized part of Psalm 37 which I still repeat often. It says, “Trust in the Lord, and do good; so shalt thou dwell in the land, and verily thou shalt be fed. Delight thyself also in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine heart. Commit thy way unto the Lord; trust also in him; and he shall bring it to pass…Rest in the Lord, (and here’s a phrase I sometimes wish wasn’t in the Bible) and wait patiently for him….” (Verses 3-5, 7, KJV, emphasis added). Our instant gratification society doesn’t want to wait for anything. Sadly, we as God’s people can be swept up in this present-day phenomenon and when we are we can fall victim to the effects of “Fools rush in where angels fear to tread.” It’s happened to me—hopefully I’ve learned from these failures.

Incidentally, I began writing these thoughts about a month before completing the article because things just didn’t come together. So I put it aside and (hopefully) waited patiently for God’s timing. My prayer is that we as His people might see that “He’s never late but seldom early”—in other words, He’s always right on time.

Blessings!

Jim McMillan