1965- That was the answer that my new friend Paul gave me when I asked him the last time he had been to church. I met Paul in the program, he was an older guy who was down on his luck and he needed a bike to go look for a job. I told him after a meeting that I had one that I would be glad to give him. We arranged to meet at my favorite haunt the Kopper Kitchen , or as us regulars called it, the Kopper Slopper(before I was married I ate there almost every night. The joke was that when I got married they had to lay off one of the cooks). Anyways as we were eating and talking the talk turned to spiritual matters. Paul wanted to know why I would just give him the bike. I explained that I was a Christian and so much had been given to me that it was rather easy to try and give to someone else. Help the next guy as we say in the program. He snapped, I dont believe in that God bull blank. I didnt say much as I could tell he was kind of agitated . He countered, can I still keep the bike? Sure, I said you can believe what you want. Well, for the next hour Paul told me what he did not believe, and all the problems of the church. I barely got a word in edgewise, even though I am not an overly bashful guy. Finally as Paul continued to ramble I commented that he sure knew an awful lot about God and the church for someone who did not believe. I then asked him the question that garnered me the answer 1965. Paul did not quite see the irony that I did. Seeing as this was the mid nineties, it had been a good thirty years since he had graced the doors of a church. Yet, Paul was quite sure what he would find behind the doors. I queried that perhaps it may be time to give Jesus a second look, just to be sure that he didnt miss something . Paul was not much interested in that notion, and we parted ways. I have thought many times about that conversation, and Paul is not so different than many I know . There is a confidence in what the church or Jesus is not despite an unwillingness to take a further deep hard look. Paul was an expert in his own mind , his thinking had not put him in a great place in life. It is like an early sponsor told me, John you need a ton of humility. Not much has changed, other than I practice humility each day by getting on my knees . I figure if you practice enough one is bound to get better at it .
Posted on: Thu, 13 Nov 2014 22:03:49 +0000
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