What in God's name are we doing?

Brothers and sisters, I’m here to preach the Gospel of Jesus Christ today. So let’s get out your Bibles and follow along. But first a few words about today’s topic.

There is sweet satisfaction in the Gospels. Forgiveness is something we all need and knowing that a heaven awaits us, though a matter of faith, is something we can truly look forward to.

So why is it, my friends, that so many of us are tormented? Why is it that we are constantly at war with our neighbors who don’t agree with us? I’ve been spending a lot of time in the “Bible Belt” lately and everyone goes to church. Yet I see little of the love of Christ. The point of this entire message is right here at the beginning. The things we are doing in Christ’s name are poisoning us: physically, emotionally and spiritually. And so my topic for today is:

What in God’s name are we doing?

Now some of us have a collection of Bibles that we rarely look at. That includes me sometimes. But today I’m going red letter only. What does that mean? Some Bibles print in red lettering what Jesus actually said. So we’re going to enter the Red Zone. In football parlance, the red zone is the most important area of the football field. If you get within 20 yards of your opponents goal, you should be able to score. Those teams that do are the ones that win championships. Those that don’t may play the game, but like many of us fall far short of our goals. 

Let’s look at what type of a man Jesus was. He made it clear that the people who were low in society were high in God’s kingdom. Turn to Matthew, Chapter Five, also known as the beatitudes. 

In verse three he says if you are poor in spirit, you are blessed. It does NOT say if you are poor, you get the kingdom of heaven. I am poor in spirit. I have doubts at times. I look around at the hypocrites in the church and say if these so-called leaders are so great, who am I?

Blessed are those in pain, the mourners. And blessed are the meek, not the loudmouths who proclaim the Gospel and rip to shreds those who disagree. And blessed are the merciful and the peacemakers. 

And then he gets to where the heart of the matter is today in verses 11 and 12. “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of me." 

Let’s look at this very, very carefully. Many say this is about people who advocate Christ. But ‘because of me” has a double meaning there. How about those who are persecuted by those who advocate Christ? How many times have fundamentalists torn Catholics to shreds? And why? Because of what they believe Jesus says is slightly different. And what is the result? Ask the Irish how extreme this can get.

And then there are those who are so-called “sinners” who have no place in the church. How about those who are divorced, for example? Or those who give in to extramarital sex?  In verse 31, Jesus clearly says if you divorce for any reason, you are committing adultery. And he says it in every Gospel. And what have men, and women for that matter done with the verse? Some have become brutal to their spouse, beating them both physically and emotionally. And then the men say that the women must obey them -- without realizing they must obey Christ. For this verse has no good without a closer look at Jesus actions.

Now let’s move over to chapter four of John’s gospel. This chapter is often called “the woman at the well.” Jesus travels to Samaria. At that time, Samaritans were considered the dregs of society by the “righteous.” He asks a Samaritan woman for some water. He asks for her husband and when the woman says she doesn’t have one, he tells her she is correct. She has had five husbands and is living with another man she is not married to. He talks about the time when Samaritans will be equals with the Jews and uses her to spread the news about him throughout the town. He uses a woman – some would call her a whore – to bring news of salvation to an entire area.

How would we Christians greet such a woman today? Would she be welcome in our churches? She certainly would be feared. Because we are so wrapped up in other’s sins, we don’t look at ourselves.  Back in Matthew Chapter Seven, Jesus says not to Judge others, lest we be judged in the same way. He goes on to say we should not take the speck out of someone’s eye when we hypocrites have beams in our eyes. 

And what did Jesus do when he encountered and adulteress? In the eighth chapter of John’s gospel, the priests drag a woman who was caught in the act up to Jesus. They tell him the law calls for her to be stoned to death. And they demand to know what Jesus thinks they should do. He bends over and writes something in the sand. And then he tells them he agrees with the law. And he told them to go ahead and stone the woman. But, the first stone should be thrown by someone without sin. One by one, the priests turn away until there is no one left but the woman. Let’s look at the dialogue between the two starting with verse ten:
Jesus straightened up and asked her: “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?”
“No one sir,” she said.
“Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now, and leave your life of sin.”

And yet we continue to condemn others, and our judgments of them have resulted in us being judged. There are extreme fools, filled with hate, visiting the funerals of those who have fallen in combat. They say it is God’s judgment for their sins. And the entire nation not only condemns their actions, but also condemns the entire faith. Our Holy War with Islam runs much along the same lines. We have warred with innocents because of the extremists, and we are suffering their wrath. It is a never-ending cycle of hate. 

But what does Jesus have to say about this? Let’s go to Luke, Chapter Three, Verse 27:

“ But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn the other one to him also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. Do to others as you would have them do to you.”

Yeah, there it is again. Jesus goes on to say it matters very little about loving those who love you, or doing good to those who do good to you. He says when you lend money; don’t do so expecting to be repaid. 

That’s some radical stuff isn’t it? If you did that, you might become an outcast in your own church.  But in the kingdom of God, you would be honored. 

Let me share a little something from my own life. The ex had a problem with the neighbors one day. And though our children remained best friends, the adults rarely spoke to one another except in harshness. At that time, I had a minivan. And our neighbors had cut down a tree and cut up the branches so the garbage men would pick them up. But for more than a month, the tree remained on the curb. One day, I was going to the town dump to get some free compost. This is the same place where fallen trees went. I told the neighbors I was going there and asked if they would mind if I took the tree over? They looked at me with something of a dumbfounded look and agreed. I hauled the wood away and after that, relations eased considerably. 

It wasn’t much. It was simply a good deed. But imagine if everyone did some small deed like that to someone who they were having problems with? Would our nation be plagued with so much internal rage? 

In Matthew, Chapter 23, Jesus preaches about the religious leaders of that day. He calls them hypocrites, snakes, and says they are condemned to hell. He ends with the following words: “For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord’ “

And so I say to you so-called Christian leaders who preach the gospel of politics and vengeance while telling your followers to expect Jesus’ return at any moment. Not bloody likely.

Now go back to the Bibles you thump at sinners and learn what it really tells you to do.

Can I get an amen?

Bureaucracy Strikes Again, And Again

Since I was in second grade and taking instructions for my first communion, I began to suspect the unpardonable sin they talked about was bureaucracy. Of course, I have now lost all suspicions and take it for gospel.

Those who know me and read this and my website know that I have had some troubles with my trailer since arriving in Georgia. First, the unit got trapped in about two feet of soft southern mud and had to be towed out. Then, rattled by the incident, I swiped the utility stand as I pulled into my campsite, doing some minor damage to the trailer.

I did not realize at the time that towing the rig out of the mud had furthered some water damage to the floor. It is now sagging and I worry about it collapsing. I learned the floor is made out of particleboard instead of plywood.  Why? I haven’t a clue. Particleboard warps far more quickly. The trailer is supposed to be “ultralite” and particleboard is also much heavier than plywood.

Top, the path where my trailer got stuck in the mud. Bottom, damage to the front storage door. 

Geico, my insurance company, sent an adjustor out to review the damage. And of course the water damage is not covered. The adjustor offered me about $3,000 to have the damage repaired. His estimate for parts, however, was less than $200. I made a decision to have him send the check to the bank to pay down the loan and I would do the repairs myself, which have been mostly done.

In the meantime, I went to a local RV dealer to order replacement parts. I spotted a used trailer that was far superior, though eight years older, to my present home.  He visited my campsite and said he would take my current unit and $3,500 for the one he had.

Now that was earlier this week. I had been in contact with my bank since December 30 trying to discuss my options. We stopped talking when a blizzard hit Long Island and I hadn’t heard from them since. I have been leaving messages all week, even e-mailing the department manager, without getting my calls returned.

In the meantime, Geico did not yet send the bank the check. I called the adjustor and he told me I would have to call Geico. After talking to five different people at Geico, they transferred me to the adjustor’s office. And, of course, I got a voice mail instead of a human. I was rather vexed and after some screaming, I got a call back the next day and eventually the check was sent to the bank as of today.

In the meantime, I reached the bank and talked to someone who was not handling my application. In essence, the deal was they would probably approve the loan, pending receipt of the check from Geico.

And today, I went to pick up the final part for repair and to make a deposit on the unit. The RV dealer called and said the part was ready around 10 a.m. I was at the dentist and told them I would be there after my workout at the Y, around 3 p.m.

I went into the dealer and said, “ What paperwork do I need for the bank to buy the trailer?” And I learned it was sold only a couple of hours before.

And so, because the insurance company didn’t send the check on time and the person handling the application didn’t return my calls, I lost the trailer.

Naturally, I am pissed. And I intend to read the riot act to the bank tomorrow.

But the fact is, I put the trailer issue in God’s hands the night before. About a quarter century ago, I was trying to get back to college but hadn’t enough money. A woman in a 12-step program told me “if it was meant to be, it will happen.” And since then, when I’ve become rather resigned to that philosophy when things tend to drive me crazy. In letting go, I also let go of a few concerns about the trailer I wanted to buy. The main issue was it was a 2003 model. Things like water heaters are destined to break down. And while the trailer had far more living space, it had less storage space. So it wasn’t meant to be.

In the meantime, the bank will tell me next week how much I can be financed on an RV after they get the check. Perhaps something better is in the future, or nothing at all? Maybe it’s time to get off the road and settle down?

But bureaucracy is still the unpardonable sin.

Amazing Amazon

“Work is a necessary evil to be avoided.”

Samuel Clemens (Mark Twain)

My father was a working man. He drove taxis, owned one of the first White Castles (where he worked 20 hours a day), was a printer and a stripper. Pause – A stripper is a printing job where negatives are stripped together to make a plate. It’s pretty much no more with the advent of computerized publishing.

Anyhow, he urged me to avoid, at all costs, “honest work” – backbreaking labor jobs.  And so, like Mark Twain, I became a writer; not nearly as good, but good enough to earn a living for most of my life.

These days, I write what I damn well feel like. And having avoided “honest work” for decades, I was completely unprepared to endure it in my 66^th year.

For the past few years, I have grown a beard and dressed in red sweatshirts and a Santa hat. This year was different. I became on of Santa’s helpers, so to speak, working for Amazon, the giant on-line retailer. I spent most of November and December at one of the company’s distribution centers in Campbellsville, Kentucky doing very, very “honest work.”

Top: Outside of huge Amazon warehouse in Campbellsville, KY. 

Bottom: Camperforce Logo, which is on Tee shirts and other items Amazon gives it campers.

Amazon, like most retailers, hires extra help for the holidays. They have a special operation in Kentucky, Kansas and Nevada called “Camperforce.” They discovered that full-time RVers are excellent employees who have excellent attendance and are more concerned with the quality of their work than many temps. And so they not only pay you to work for them, but also pay for your campsite at a local RV park.

Going in, I knew it was going to be tough. They said I could be walking ten miles or more during a ten hour shift, never being off your feet except during breaks. There was also a lot of lifting involved. I had been walking three miles daily all summer and I thought I was ready for it.

But Amazon knows its business and they spend a couple of weeks “hardening” you. You spend your first week in a combination of training and then working at your assignment for five hours a day. That is followed by seven hours the next week before hitting the ten-hour/five-day work schedule. And while I was not happy with not earning the money I expected the first two weeks, if they hadn’t done it that way, I probably wouldn’t have made it.

I wound up packing single-item purchases, usually toys and electronics, and it is incredible how Amazon has perfected its work stations. All orders are on computer and as you input the item, it tells you the (usually) correct box size. An automatic packing tape dispenser is at your station and it will provide you with the right amount of tape for the box size the computer calls for. There is also a small printer for packing slips and you place a bar-code sticker on the box and scan it to have it addressed at the next station along the way before being shipped.

This is no small operation. The Campbellsville plant has miles of walkways and several tiers and it will put out more than 200,000 packages in one ten-hour shift. And it’s not even close to being Amazon’s largest distribution center.

Anyhow, we are encouraged to keep moving faster. In my first week, I was doing around 35 to 40 packages per hour. I was up to around 63 on a good day; though as fatigue set in over the course of the prime-time packing activities, I usually did around 55. Many of the people who work here year round can easily do 90 packages per hour. The other day, we had some people from another department help us. The person who worked opposite me was doing 78 packages. I guess the main reason is because they are simply younger and have better endurance than we workampers, most of who are retired. Almost every day, there are contests for packers, with the top ones getting everything from coins for the vending machines to gift certificates. I won some coins and was pleased to get a $5 Kroger gift card. 

By the time we hit mid-December, three weeks after “Black Friday” and “Cyber Monday,” shipping was non-stop. Earlier, we had periods of light activity. But mid-December is when the shipping is at its highest. People are ensuring delivery in time for Christmas and the work just doesn’t end. You end the shift with, seemingly, as much work as you had when you started it. The plant stops running for an hour while the day shift (6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.) leaves and the night shift arrives.

The Camperforce team’s social dynamics also changed. As we began working, breaks and lunches were lively and chatty. But towards the end, everyone was dead tired and we often just stared at one another. There were some days when I just wanted to quit. I was exhausted. But I also wanted to keep my word and kept it up. I did go home a couple of hours early one day because I simply couldn’t stand up any longer. But most of us picked up after we got word when our last day would be. While we were obligated to be available until the 23^rd, the last day for most of us was the 19th. Just after we left, there were major problems with FedEx and UPS and many packages did not arrive in time for Christmas but Amazon had nothing to do with it. 

I had expected to lose weight during this experience. I actually gained a few pounds! It was a result of all the lifting I was doing. I was building back muscles I hadn’t used in years. But it was a very good thing. My left knee has no ACL, the result of a high school sports injury about 50 years before. It is stronger than I can remember. In 2004, I suffered a number of neck, shoulder and arm injuries in an accident that left me quite weak. I am very optimistic about this. I was unable to throw a ball overhead or swim crawl or butterfly strokes without pain. Now I am hopeful I can do so.

But I still agree with ole Sam and I’m going to avoid this type of work for a while, until next holiday season anyhow. I wonder if the same thing happens to Santa?