While reading Colossians 3 this morning, I couldn’t stop thinking about the Foo Fighters.

In what is probably my favorite Foo Fighters song, “Best of You”, Dave Grohl asks a brilliant question, “Is someone getting the best of you?”

Ah, that Dave Grohl really knows how to ask a great question! Those of you who know me well are fully aware of the fact that I am a sucker for all things Foo. There is just something about Grohl and the Foo Fighters that my inner being can’t resist. Most likely it’s the distortion…or the heavy pounding on the drums. Whatever it is that draws me to the Foo, when I hear a Foo Fighters song, I simply stop and listen.

So, while reading Colossians 3, I paused to listen to “Best of You”. The energy of the music really gets me going. The passion of Grohl’s vocals grasps my attention. And, the depth of the lyrics…especially the question, “is someone getting the best of you” makes me think.

My favorite point of the song is when Grohl sings:
Has someone taken your faith?
Its real, the pain you feel
The life, the love you’d die to heal
The hope that starts the broken hearts
You trust, you must confess
Is someone getting the best, the best, the best, the best of you?

The question is a great one. Is someone getting the best of you? We could take this in a couple of ways.

One way of looking at this would be to ask if someone is simply draining the life out of us…getting our best to the point where we are at the end of our rope. You know, the people who inflict pain, cause us to lose hope and faith, the people who break our hearts…If that is so, there are things that we need to do in order to “fix” that.

Now, of course, as a pastor…my mind always goes to the question of, “is God getting the best of you?” It’s a great question. One that we all need to spend some time pondering…and then adjusting our lifestyle that God will indeed get our best.

However, I think we need to ask this question in all areas of our lives.

Is my spouse/partner getting the best of me?
Are my children getting the best of me?
Are my co-workers getting the best of me?
Are my friends getting the best of me?
Am I giving my best or what’s leftover?
Am I giving my best or am I simply going through the motions…doing enough to simply get by?

“Whatever you do, whether in speech or action, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus and give thanks to God the Father through him.” ~Colossians 3:17

I believe if we are doing all things in the “name of the Lord Jesus”, that will help us strive to give our best. If we love our spouse/partner “in the name of the Lord Jesus”, he/she will get our best. If we interact and love our children “in the name of the Lord Jesus”, they will get our best. If we work “in the name of the Lord Jesus”, our employers and our colleagues will get our best. If we are present and available to our friends “in the name of the Lord Jesus”, they will get our best.

So, who is getting the best of you?

“Whatever you do, do it from the heart for the Lord and not for people.” ~Colossians 3:23

So, today is the day when we are to do one of two things:

1. Boycott Chick-Fil-A
2. Support Chick-Fil-A

All of this is a result of Dan Cathy’s comments on gay marriage.

Not that you asked, but here’s my two cents…

I think the whole thing simply misses the point.

In calling for a boycott of Chick-Fil-A, people have just given rise to Chick-Fil-A supporters (a.k.a. mostly conservative, evangelical, fundamentalist Christians). Gay marriage opponents now have a cause to stand behind…deep fried chicken patties served on a bun with a pickle and waffle fries. Had there not been the call for a boycott, most of the folks standing in line at Chick-Fil-A today would not have even been aware of Cathy’s comments and would have been chowing down on a Whopper at Burger King instead.

In calling for people to rally around Chick-Fil-A, gay marriage opponents are most likely creating a deeper division between the two sides. It’s hard to convince someone that you truly love him/her if you are going out of your way to support someone who has hurt him/her.

What Cathy said was insensitive and probably inappropriate. However, he has a right to believe and think those things. A business has the right to be a conservative Christian business that makes decisions and supports various organizations that are consistent with their values. It doesn’t make it “right”, but they do have that freedom.

The boycott will not change the practices and beliefs of Chick-Fil-A. In fact, it will probably convince company executives that they are doing the “right” thing. The outpouring of support for Chick-Fil-A will not demonstrate love to our gay brothers and sisters.

I’m pretty sure Jesus was known for saying, “By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another” (John 13:35), and not “They will know you are my disciples by your waffle fries.”

Now, some will say, “We are simply loving our gay brothers and sisters by letting them know they are wrong.” Really? It’s just one of those, “I love you, but I hate you” kind of comments. Maybe someone should tell you to “put down the greasy chicken and fries because I love you and I don’t want you to be a glutton.”

The bottom line is this…As a Christian, I am called to love God and my neighbor. I’m not sure participating in a boycott or Mike Huckabee’s Chick-Fil-A Appreciation Day is really consistent with either of those two greatest commandments.

So, no, I won’t eat at Chick-Fil-A today. And, no, I won’t stand outside holding a sign pointing out the obvious. Instead, I’ll go home and eat some leftovers. Then, tomorrow, I’ll go to Chick-Fil-A and use up some of my coupons for free food. Seriously, we have at least 5 coupons for free meals at Chick-Fil-A.

But I say to you that hear, Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who abuse you.   If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you?   For even sinners love those who love them.   And if you do good to those who do good to you, what credit is that to you?  For even sinners do the same. Luke 6:27-32

The other day, a young man walked into the church looking for help. He spoke to our Communications Coordinator, who asked if I would speak to him. She explained a little bit about his situation to me and I agreed to take some time to have a conversation with the young man.

We sat down, did the basic introductions, and I asked him, “How can we (the church) help you today?” 

With that, the young man went into a very lengthy and passionate description of his home situation and his need for help. 

As I listened, I was able to detect a certain sense of desperation in his voice and his body language. He was troubled. He was in need. It was very clear that his home life is a wreck. 

What struck me was how he was certain that he knew exactly what he needed to help his situation. It was very apparent what he believed he needed and that he wasn’t going to settle for anything short of his desires.

I asked him the question, “Outside of coming into the church today, have you taken any other steps to meet this need?” A question like this helps me determine whether or not a person is truly looking for “help” or a “handout”. Are you at the end of your rope or are you simply looking for a quick fix?

We have to ask questions like this because, too often, there are people who try to scam the church (and other organizations that offer help). When the church is scammed, it becomes more difficult to help those who truly need it…as we sometimes run short of assistance funds. 

However, I have always taken the stance that it is better to err on the side of grace. Therefore, I am more inclined to simple provide some assistance and hope, pray, trust that those receiving will use it wisely and for appropriate uses (to buy food, gas, pay rent/utilities, and not to buy alcohol, drugs, etc). 

I said to the young man, “It’s very apparent that you have decided how to fix your situation. What exactly are you hoping I can do for you today?”

He went into another lengthy and passionate description of how he just needed me to give him a certain amount of money…in cash…and that would fix his problems.

I explained to him how we are able to help those in need. I explained that what he was asking for went outside of our guidelines for assistance. I explained that we could help, but not in the ways he had spelled out. 

At this point, he started to get very upset, raising his voice, and became somewhat aggressive. I patiently listened to his response. 

I then offered him some options for ways our church could assist him. I explained how it was obvious that his home life was not good and that it might be best if he found a way out of that environment. I offered some information on organizations in town that could help with some temporary housing, rental assistance, and so on. That was not a very good option.

I gave an option on how I could help him with some of his expenses, but that I could not and would not give him cash. It wasn’t that I felt he would use the cash for dishonest purposes. We simply have some guidelines and I was sticking to the policy. 

His response was, “Well, basically you’re telling me that you can’t help me. You’re telling me that I’m screwed and I need to go sell my body on the street in order to fix my situation.”

I asked him to slow down for a minute. I reminded him that I had offered to help him, but that I was unable to help him in the way he desired to be helped. I asked him to hear me out and let me help. I said, “I want to help you out. But you have to let me help you.”

I explained how, if he had this serious need, I could help him address those needs in a healthy manner. 

It boiled down to a young man who had already decided what he needed and wasn’t open to hearing other options. 

This experience got me thinking about how, too often, I am certain about what I need…and how unwilling I am to hear other options. I have been that young man. I have said, “No, that won’t do. That won’t fix my problem. What I need is this. Now, either deliver or leave me alone.”

I found myself wondering if we are truly open to letting others help us? Will you let me help you? Will I let you help me? Isn’t that sort of what the body of Christ is supposed to be about? “People helping people…It’s powerful stuff!”

If anyone will not welcome you or listen to your words, leave that home or town and shake the dust off your feet.

~Matthew 10:14

Last Sunday, Pastor Scott talked about the importance for blocking out time for Jesus in our busy, hectic lives. And, he wasn’t really talking about reading the Bible more, praying longer, or signing up for another small group. To me, it seemed that he was urging us to simply put ourselves in an environment where we could just slow down, listen, and embrace the presence of the Holy One. 

The message reminded me of the importance of having a quiet place. When I lived in Elkhart, I would head out to Bonneyville Mill, hike around, and find a quiet place to simple sit and take it all in. When we lived in Muncie, I would head to the “not-so-busy” side of the Prairie Creek Reservoir, hike around, find a nice spot near the water, sit down and simply take it all in. 

Over the last 2+ years that we have lived in Lafayette, I’ve been searching for a nice, quiet place. While there are many beautiful spots in the Greater Lafayette area, I have had a great deal of trouble finding a spot where I felt like I could simply sit and take it all in. That is, until yesterday.

After lunch, I found myself just going stir crazy and needing to get out of the office. So, I got in my car and started driving. While driving around in what seemed like the middle of nowhere, I saw a sign for what appeared to be a nice, quiet place. I pulled in and my car was the only one in the parking area. This was a good sign!

I hiked around the property for a while…and then…there it was…an amazing spot to just sit and take it all in. 

So, I sat and listened to the wind. I listened to the birds and other animals, bugs, creatures making their wonderfully beautiful tunes. I gazed upon the trees, the plants, the flowers, even the weeds, and found myself awestruck by their beauty. 

And, I listened. I sat and listened…in a meditative sense…attempting to clear my mind of my various lists of tasks…in an attempt to connect with that Inner Voice (aka Holy Spirit). 

It was incredibly refreshing. It was exactly what I needed.

It’s in those quiet times, where I simply get away with God, where I find myself refreshed, renewed, and restored. It is in those quiet times where I find myself being strengthened for what I will face in the days to come.

It is in those quiet times where I am reminded of the importance of simply sitting down and listening…not just for God, but also for what people are trying to say.

I’m not going to tell you where my quiet place is…because it’s mine…and I like my privacy. However, I will encourage you to find a quiet place where you can simply sit and take it all in.

 Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed. ~Mark 1:35

Be still, and know that I am God~Psalm 46:10