All Kinds of Kindnesses

Was in Bowman, North Dakota the other day.  We had cycled an easy 50-mile day and now I had some calls out to churches to request the use of their church to sleep in to keep us from the contrary wind and rain as well as the heat.

One pastor told me, "Let me ask my elders first to see if you can stay; I'll call you right back."  Thanks, I replied.  The call-back never came.  Another minister was quick to inform me that they're "not set up for that sort of thing."  I'm thinking, "what's to set up?  Two guys pedaling through town just need a piece of floor to sleep on."  I even played my ordained UMC card.  Now I knew what it was like to be on the other end--being in need, but denied help.  Being treated like a leper because we offer nothing of benefit to the church program.

My last call of desperation went out to Pastor Dave at the Seventh Day Adventist church.  "I'm new in town--just been here three weeks," he said.  "Okay with me, but let me check with my elders."   Not ten minutes had passed and Pastor Dave was back on the phone.  "The elders want to put you up in a motel, but they're not keen on you staying in the church."  Then he added, "can I come over and meet you?"  So we met at a coffee shop on Main and began to talk about Jesus and the Kingdom of God.  It was clear that Pastor Dave had a heart for God and wanted to help.  At the end of our conversation I asked how we could pray for him in his new pastoral assignment.  "Please pray that I'll be able to lead this congregation to be church outside the church and to do ministry in the community."  So the espresso bar turned into a holy place as we began to pray for each other.  In the end we found other arrangements, but in the process, we met another brother who truly has a heart for people

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