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Remember Me?

2/10/2015

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Some time ago, as I was waiting for my car to be worked on, a framed message titled “Remember Me?” caught my attention. My guess was that it was put in place by the management as a reminder to all the employees. It read: “I’m the fellow who goes into a restaurant, or department store, or gas station and waits patiently while you ignore me to chit chat or whatever you do besides take care of me. Yes, you might say I am a patient person. But do you know who else I am? I’m the fellow who doesn’t come back. You spend a lot of time and money to get me into your store. When I was there the first time all you had to do was show me a little courtesy or give me a little service and I could have been a regular customer.”

As I read that, I thought about all the people who serve the public who need to read that and take it to heart. Then I thought, they aren’t the only ones who need to read that message. So, on the spot I wrote a few more lines:

“I’m the fellow who comes into your church building and stands at the back, looking for a place to sit with no one volunteering to help me. I’m the fellow who patiently waits for someone to introduce himself or offer some polite conversation. I am also the fellow who makes his way quietly to the exit at the close of the service passing members enjoying their visits with each other. I’m the fellow who leaves with no complaint. I’m the fellow who will never come back.“

Everyone says we are a friendly congregation, that we like to meet and greet and make people feel at home. But is that true of every first time stranger who enters our doors or only of the people we know and look forward to seeing each Sunday? It is unfortunately true that many churches are friendly….but only to people they already know. The real need is to be friendly to the person who enters for the first time. Many people come to church only because their lives are so painful that they are now ready to try anything, including religion. What a shame it would be if their visit to us was met by indifference and silence on our part.

Remember the stranger, the first-timer, the person you’ve never met, Don’t ever let him leave without a hearty welcome from you. Only God knows what doors that my open.

 



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What I Learned From A Traffic Accident

2/4/2015

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One morning I happened to be driving in the right hand lane when one of those huge earth hauling trucks was attempting a right turn from the center lane. His huge tire did a number on my right front fender before he was able to stop. I won’t go into all the details except to say neither of us was cited by the policeman who took the report. To be honest about it I probably should have been aware of what he was trying to do and shouldn’t have pulled into that right lane. In other words, I was probably at fault because of inattention (don’t tell my insurance agent I said that!) Yielding to popular stereotypes I pictured this burly truck driver chewing me out and saying “I cant turn this thing on a dime, you know!”  Well, he was burly, and he was also confident that he wasn’t at fault, but he didn’t chew me out. Instead, before he left the scene he said “I’m sorry about your truck.”  That took all the wind out of my sails. I hadn’t expected any gentleness or compassion from a driver of one of those monster rigs. The entire scene was changed by his gentle attitude.

I got to thinking about Jesus’ frequent words on gentleness. You know, all those things Christians are maligned for believing; “Turn the other cheek,” “Do good to those who mistreat you,” etc. We often find ourselves thinking that such conduct just isn’t practical in a modern world. So Christians are just as quick to lose their tempers and jockey for an emotional position as anyone else. But it struck me that my stereotype of this man was wrong. His attitude disarmed me and made civil discourse possible. If this works for truck drivers, I thought, why won’t it work for everyone? The truth is, it will. Oh, it won’t always make you come out a “winner.”  Neither will it always disarm the situation and turn everyone into gentle people. Butt its presence does really amazing things. Not the least of those things is what it will  do for your reputation. And whether you want to admit it or not your reputation is important. It tells people who you are. Maybe I should put it like this: it tells people whose you are. Jesus thought that was one of the most important things we could communicate to people, because if we are going to be successful in introducing people to the One who made a difference in us they must first see a difference in us. Happy motoring!

 

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    Bud Downs

    Senior Pastor of Cactus Christian Fellowship

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2401 E. Cactus Road, Phoenix, AZ 85032  
  • About Us
    • Mission Statement
    • Staff
    • Elders
    • Weekly Newsletter >
      • Offering & Attendance
    • Church Directory
    • Bible Reading Plans
    • Contact Us
  • Ministries
    • Cactus Care
    • Pastoral Care
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    • Men's Ministry
    • Women's Ministry
    • Teens
    • Small Groups >
      • Tuesday
      • Wednesday
      • Thursday
    • Service Opportunities
  • 9am Bible Classes
    • Adults
    • Teens
    • K - 6th grade
    • Nursery
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