Qualifying For Success

Missional living is definitely a buzz-phrase that is anywhere you look these days. the concept that we are obligated to categorize churches, missional, has for eternity been different to me. please, shouldnt all places of worship be missional in their very essence? Shouldnt a church, at its very nature, desire to connect their culture and community with the gospel as a missionary would in a another country? Isnt that what the churches is commanded to do in the sending out by Jesus in Matthew 28:19? Our own local area needs this kind of church. Austin churches is slowly gravitating to what Christ instructed in the Bible.

The Son of God gives the challenge in Acts 1:8 saying, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” Acts 1:8 personifies this concept as, right before Jesus Christ ascends to Heaven, He sends the disciples on a story that would begin right in their individual community. He begins with their hometown of Jerusalem, and then broadens the call to the outer parts of the world.

As disciples of Jesus, we are not moved to social clubs, but to be missional followers of Jesus who are aggressively going out and meeting people right where they are with the story of Christ. We have observed this throughout history: God moved Abraham on a mission to move from his home and his people and go to the city that God would show him (Gen. 12:1), God urges Moses on a mission to rescue an enslaved people and lead them to relationship with God (Exodus 3:8-10), God moved Jesus on a exploration to earth to restore all things to Himself through the blood of Christ (Colossians 1:20). And now God is sending the church on a mission to engage neighborhoods, cities, peoples, and even nations with the gospel(Matt. 28:19 Mark 6:7 Luke 10:1 John 20:21 Acts 1:8). If we abandon this motivation and continue to treat the churches like a closed off country club ” demanding that people resolve their act, pay their deposit, and come to our building God will continue His journey without us.

Matthew 22.39 “And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.”

Mrs. Kelly, a dear departed neighbor, was a woman who really practiced what the above scripture reads. She was a quiet-spoken humble woman of God. I met her and her husband when I first moved back to the neighborhood in 1987. Both of them enjoyed their yard, especially all the flowers and shrubbery they had planted over the years.

Christmas morning, 1989, was especially beautiful here in south Georgia. It had snowed, and the ground was covered. All the water pipes in my mobile home were frozen, so I went next door to my sister’s house to take a bath. No one was home; they had went to Mama’s for Christmas dinner. I was supposed to meet my family there. I finished my bath, put on some warm clothes, and went out the door. Across the road at the Kelly’s was an ambulance. I went over there; Mr. Kelly had taken sick. He and his family had celebrated both his birthday and Christmas. Before he died, I had the privilege of praying the last prayer for him. He finished celebrating Christmas in Heaven.

After this, Mrs. Kelly and I developed a deep friendship. She had two granddaughters she was raising and she worked full-time despite her handicap. She had contracted polio when she was a youngster. She still cut her own grass and worked in her yard.

The other neighbors and I would keep a close watch on her to see if we could be of assistance. If a big pecan limb fell in her yard, some of us neighbors would see it was cleaned up. Mrs. Kelly had a strong faith in God and she took her problems to the Lord, and He would help her. Jesus particularly loved and cared for widows.

She always appreciated her neighbors and would say, “Thank God for my good neighbors.” I remembered one time I carried her a mess of butternut squash, and she cooked me one of the best pies I’ve ever tasted. She baked it out of love…that’s what made it so good!

In the year 2002 I noticed she was becoming frail and losing weight. She told me she was tired and wanted to rest. In a few months, she found out she had cancer, but she still didn’t let that defeat her. After a few weeks in the hospital, she came back to her beautiful house where she wanted to be.

In early July, 2002, I dreamed I went over to see her. I looked in her bedroom, but she was not there. I awoke from the dream and said, “Lord, you are about to bring Mrs. Kelly home, aren’t you?” The Lord replied, “Yes, her work on earth is about completed.”

I began to cry for her. A few days later, I went over to her house and had a good visit with her. She said, “Irvin, I want you to say the last prayer for me.” A few days later, she went on to be with the Lord. At her gravesite, I had the privilege of praying the last prayer for her.”

She was a virtuous woman. One of strong character graced by her humble, compassionate spirit. Every time I look at her house and see the flowers blooming, I thank the Lord I was her neighbor, and she was a part of my life.

Psalm 116.15 “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints.”

About the Author

preacher, author, neighbor

I am a Christian. I believe in Christ, not because I have any proof that Christ is the son of God, but because I want to believe. I believe that the teachings that are ascribed to Christ would, if everyone followed them to the best of their ability, make this a far better world. I further believe that this country, The United States Of America, is the greatest country in the world and it is so in part because it has tried to base it’s morals and ethics on and has tried to follow Christian ethics. I am not, however, a bible thumping Christian, an evangelistic Christian or even a regular church going Christian. I am not trying to convert the world or even my neighbors to Christianity. I don’t care if a person is a Christian, a Jew, a Muslim, an Atheist, etc. as long as the person is a good person and cares about other people.

Just don’t tell me that I can’t celebrate Christmas, don’t tell me that I can’t say merry Christmas, don’t tell me that a Christmas tree is a “holiday” tree, don’t tell me that December 25 is no longer Christmas Day but is instead now a no name holiday, dont tell me that if I say merry Christmas other people will be insulted, don’t tell me that my children can’t have a Christmas pagent in school because other children may feel insulted or left out (School is not and can not always be all inclusive for everyone, otherwise there would be no chess club because not every child plays chess, no sports teams because not every child plays or even likes sports, no drama club because not every child wants to act, no memorial day because not every child want’s to honor our fallen soldiers, no labor day because not every child wants to honor unions, no Thanksgiving because not every child wants to give thanks, no pledge of allegiance because not every child wants to honor this country, etc.). This is not a country of worker bees or ants, we are a country of individuals with different backgrounds and different beliefs. The majority of the people in this country are, however, Christians and the majority of the people in this country weather you like it or not do celebrate Christmas.

According to the U.S Government under United States Code section 5-6103, December 25 is a legal holiday and that legal holiday is named Christmas. Most states also denote December 25 as “Christmas”. We all know that Christ was not actually born on December 25 but that is the date that this government and the majority of Christian churches have chosen to use. Additionally, not all people who celebrate Christmas believe in Christ, many people celebrate it as just a holiday that happens to be called Christmas. I’ve been to numerous Christmas parties where many of the guests were not Christians. No one ever called them Holiday parties and as far as I know no one was ever upset that the party was called a Christmas party.

I’m not insulted if someone wishes me happy Chanukah or happy Kwanza so why should anyone be insulted if I say merry Christmas. It seems to me that the only people that complain about Christmas are certain Atheists and the people that have designated themselves as “political correctness police”. Well. in this country you people have the right to state your thoughts but please stop trying to force your way of thinking on everyone else. Leave us alone. Get your own holiday, leave us ours.

I celebrate Christmas and I would probably celebrate Christmas even if I didn’t believe in Christ. After all it’s a wonderful holiday, it wishes peace on earth and good will towards all mankind (What other holiday makes that wish.). If you are so insecure in your religion or lack of religion that you feel threatened by my celebration of Christmas then I feel sorry for you. I would also tell you to go jump off a very high bridge into very deep water (Sorry, but I told you that I was not a really good Christian. People that try to push their beliefs on me really irk me.). If you don’t want to celebrate Christmas, don’t. Just don’t tell those of us that do want to that we can’t.

Lastly, leave our schools alone. If you don’t want your children to participate in a christmas pagent then tell them not to participate. Contrary to what you think the other kids will not tease or make fun of them. When I was in elementary school I was an atheist and no one ever made fun of me for not believing in Christ and I never felt left out by not joining in as a charecter in a Christmas play. Of course, even though I was an atheist I still believed, at least for a while, in Santa Clause, I still enjoyed recieving Christmas gifts, I still enjoyed listening to Christmas carolers and I still thought a lighted Christmas tree was beautiful. In fact I thought Christmas time was the best time of the year and I was happy to say merry Christmas. However, maybe I just wasn’t as insecure or as intolarent as you are.

By the way, even though I was an atheist, my family was Protestant and even though they were Protestant we belonged to the local Jewish Community Center and none of us ever felt left out or put upon when most of them celebrated the Jewish holidays. In fact, it was during those years that I developed my high respect for the Jewish people and their religious laws.

Merry Christmas everyone — and Happy New Year!!!

David G. Hallstrom, Sr. is a retired private investigator and currently publishes several internet directories including http://www.resourcesforattorneys.com, a legal and lifestyle resources directory for attorneys, lawyers, and the internet public.