Angel Unaware Pt. 3

Angels? Pt. 3
Scripture: Hebrews 13:2: “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares”.

A duffel bag full of knives, sharp chisels and crude home made tools didn’t appear to be the kind of things people carry with them on the road. Could this guy be an escaped psycho-path or a chisel murderer or something. Frank told me he uses these tools to carve wood. Hmmm, so he reached into his duffel bag and pulled out a beautiful piece of pine that had been carved into two separate but interlocking hearts.

Frank told me that pine was a softer wood and easier to work with. I began to look more closely at Frank’s tools and each one seemed to have a character all of it’s on. One in particular caught my eye. It appeared to be a small, thin chisel, about 6 inches in length with a very sharp curved point. But the handle appeared to be made out of ebony with two quarter inch thick pieces of copper, wrapping itself around the top and bottom of the ebony anchoring it to the chisel. I thought, “simply beautiful”.

Frank pulled a few other carvings out of his bag, a spoon made out of maple, and an unfinished work made out of mahogany. Oh well, so much for my first chisel murderer sleeping under my roof. Everyone retired and all of us awaken early the next morning. While getting dressed I prayed a silent prayer and told that Lord that if Frank wanted to go to church with us this morning instead catching his next ride to Virginia, then let him initiate the conversation. Our early Sunday mornings were like Grand Central Station. Everyone fighting for the next chance to grace the bathroom, only to discover by the time it’s your turn we should have been on the road five minutes ago.

Hence, the mad dash to the car, seatbelts, and like a bat out of …, hmmm, like a dove descending on a june bug, we were on our way. : ) Frank simply observed the frantic pace of our household, and was very careful not to get in anyone’s way. As we neared the entrance ramp to the Western Ky Parkway, I told Frank he was in our prayers and to be careful as he traveled the highway. Frank said, “hey Rev., mind if I go to church with you this morning”. Smiling to myself, I said…”Great”! We arrived at church, customarily five minutes after the hour to start. Hurried in, jumped in my robe, the rest of the family headed for the choir loft, and Frank sat up front on the first row. All of our visitors filled out the visitor cards.

When it came time for the announcements, the church secretary, Mrs. Jones, read the visitor cards and all the visitors stood. When she got to Frank’s card, she hesitated, and instead of reading where the visitor was from and the remaining information, she simply said, “ It’s good to have Mr. Frank Baker with us this morning” and Frank stood up and smiled. At the close of service I asked Mrs. Jones why didn’t she read all the information on Frank’s card. Mrs. Jones handed me the card, and on the line where it asked for his address, he wrote, earth, and on the line where it asked for his home, he wrote, heaven.

I just chuckled and dismissed the whole thing as cool. After church we ate dinner with Robert and Jan Thompson family. Dinner was always great and all the children went outside to play afterwards. While watching the children playing from inside the house I told Frank my thoughts on the message our guest speaker preached during the morning worship. I told him I thought he could have emphasized certain points in his message more. And Frank said “Rev., you can only run, what cha brung”. I said, “huh”. Frank said yeah, he can only run what he brung. He can only preach or talk about what he knows. I said “Ohhh, I guess you’re right”. He said “nope, I’m not right, I’m Frank”.

I began to tell Frank about a member in my church that would always get mad at me and not speak to me, for no apparent reason. I told Frank I didn’t understand her. Frank told me “Rev., God didn’t call you to understand folk but to love folk. He said “heck, I don’t even understand myself most of the time, how can I honestly understand somebody else”. He said “I don’t know what folk have been through, and I don’t have to know or understand. I just have to love them”. I thought for a brief moment and said “ you know Frank, you’re right”. To which Frank replied, “I’m not right…I’m Frank”. We finished watching the children playing and as the evening drew to a close I told Frank he could spend another night in my home and I’ll be glad to take him back to the highway in the morning. Frank accepted and we all headed back to Madisonville.

It was late when we got home and everyone went to bed except for Frank and I. I sat down with Frank in the basement and he began to tell me a little about himself. He told me that when he is hitch hiking from one state to another he would often leave the road when he sees a church steeple from a distance to get some refreshment. But when he gets to the church he finds the doors locked and no one to offer any assistance. Frank said it reminds him so often of a story about Jesus and the fig tree. Frank said when Jesus and his disciples needed some refreshment after a long day, they saw a fig tree in the distance. When they got to the tree, there were no figs on the tree.

Frank said it’s the same thing when you see a church steeple from a distance, and you get there for some relief, some refreshment, and there are no people at the foot of the cross, no people around the church. Frank said I watched your children playing today while we were at the Thompson’s house. And as they played they were having so much fun. But when they started to keep score they started arguing and getting mad with one another. So long as they didn’t keep score they had fun, but the fun stopped after they started keeping score because…No one, wanted, to lose. Frank said, wouldn’t life be great if we didn’t keep score. I said “yeah, you’re right”. To which Frank replied, I’m not right, I’m” to which I interrupted him and said “yeah, I know, you’re Frank”. He just smiled.

But now looking back I believe Frank was trying to tell me that he did not want to receive credit for the tidbits of wisdom he was sharing with me, and when I told him he was right, I was giving him credit for something he didn’t want credit for. Frank was being humble. Frank showed me the correct way to hold a knife when carving, and to always cut away from my body. I took a few swipes and then retired to bed, but before I could say good night Frank looked at me and said “ The things you see are in disguise, Changing right before your eyes, and while you watch the ones you do, the ones you don’t, are watching you”. I stood there, thought about it, and in my thoughts I said…”you’re right’.

The next day I dropped Frank off where the Pennyrile Parkway and Western Ky. Parkway meet. I gave him a hug and thanked him for blessing my life. He just smiled and told me he was going to tell others about my vision for ministry. As I left him on the highway I felt as though I was leaving a brother behind. God had truly blessed my life with a kind soul. But it wasn’t till a month later, it was revealed to me, who Frank REALLY was…: ) Be Blessed

Angel Unaware Pt. 2

Angels? Pt. 2
Scripture: Hebrews 13:2: “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares”.

Have you ever really thought what an angel; one of God’s holy ambassadors from the heaven would actually look like. Long hair, short hair, jeans and a tee shirt or a shark skin suit, sandals, Nikes, or best dressed shoes, tall or short, walking or driving, flying, hmmm? Now, I honestly never gave it much thought. After all, during the days of Abraham angels appeared walking among the people dressed in everyday attire. They ate, drank, and held casual conversations. Hmmm, let me introduce you to the angel I picked up on the side of the road.

Of course at the time I didn’t know he was an angel. He appeared to be just another stranger in need of assistance. It was a full moon on a Saturday night and I was on my way home from Princeton Kentucky where I had spent much of the day with the members of a small Christian Methodist Episcopal church I was pastoring in 1992. As I got onto the entrance ramp to the Western Ky. Parkway, my headlights reflected what appeared to be the image of a man lying a few feet from the road. His head was neatly resting on a small duffel bag and I thought to myself, “that looked like a person lying there”. So, I slowly backed the car up, let my window down, and what do ya know, there was a guy lying there as though he had just checked in to a Holiday Inn.

I almost felt I was being rude waking him and asking if he needed a ride. Well, I asked, and he raised his head as though he had just awakened from a peaceful nap and said, “Sure”. Now I’ve picked up lots of hitchhiker’s over the years but I’ve never had to wake them up to see if they needed a ride. He had shoulder length sandy brown hair. He stood about five feet four inches tall, and appeared to weigh no more than 110 pounds soaking wet. He was dressed in blue jeans and a tee shirt, and a pair of well-worn no name tennis shoes. He picked up his duffel bag and got in the car.

I introduced myself to him as Rev. GoLightly, pastor of the Spillman Chapel CME church in Princeton, (I said proudly), and he told me his name was…Frank. I asked Frank where he was headed and he told me Virginia. Well, I laughed out loud and told him I wasn’t going to Virginia, but I would be glad to take him to a 24 hour truck stop in Morton's Gap where he could catch another ride, or at least have a cup of coffee before he got on the road again. He said, “Sure”. I began to tell Frank about my ministry and then he began to tell me how good his Father in heaven was.

I thought to myself, “Wow this guy knows the Lord”. Now, its not often I pick someone up and they began talking so openly about the goodness of God. Yet, Frank’s conversation about God was not as though he was talking about some distant entity that sat on a throne somewhere in heaven. It was as though he was talking about someone that traveled the road with him daily. Someone he knew on a personal and intimate basis. When he said the word father, it was as if he was really saying…Dad.

As we traveled the highway on our way to the Morton's Gap truck stop, I had already decided that I was not going to leave Frank at the truck stop that night, but give him an opportunity to get off the road and get a good nights rest in a bed. As we approached the truck stop instead of exiting, I continued driving towards Madisonville. I told Frank that he was welcomed to stay in my home for the night and again he said…”sure”.

I told Frank I’m always picking up hitchhikers and people in distress and just trying to make sure folk get home safe. When we got into town he asked if we could stop by Arby’s to get a large cup of coffee. And of course I said…”sure”. We picked up the coffee and headed towards my house. Well, Denise, my wife, was use to me bringing strangers to the house, but let me note that I didn’t say she was comfortable with it. And something about Frank made Denise a little uncomfortable. I told her that he sounds like he’s a Christian and after he gets a good night’s rest we’ll drop him back off on the highway on our way to church in the morning.

I introduced Frank to my wife and children and I showed him where the sofa sleeper was in our basement. I told him he was welcomed to use the bathroom and freshen up if he wanted. Frank was very cordial and polite. Denise didn’t take a liking to him right away, but my children thought he was cool. Frank showered and settled in for the evening. I gave Frank something to wear while his clothes were being washed. As Frank and I talked in the basement, he began to smoke…one cigarette…after another. Hmmm, and my wife is a respiratory therapist, I knew right then…THIS IS NOT GOING TO WORK!!!

But Denise said she could handle it for one evening and the smoke never really filtered its way upstairs. As Frank began to tell me a little about his travels, he opened his duffel bag and pulled from the bag a block of wood and large roll of felt. As he unrolled the felt, much to my surprise he had several knives and other peculiar instruments that appeared to be very, very, very, very…sharp. Well, my eyes got as big as little Debbie moon pies, and I asked Frank what he intended to do with those knives…and he said…: - )

Go to PT 3 For the rest of the story…

Be Blessed…Go

Angel Unaware Pt1 of 4

Angels?
Scripture: Hebrews 13:2: “Be not forgetful to entertain strangers: for thereby some have entertained angels unawares”.

Hmmm, have you ever thought about what it would be like to entertain an angel? For many of us the opportunity would be a remote possibility. First, because many of us are not in the habit of entertaining strangers. Shucks, I can still here my own mother’s voice crying out from behind the screen door as I ran towards the play ground as a child, “Son, don’t talk to strangers”. Duh, how do you make friends if you don’t talk to strangers? Oh well, my children will tell you that their father has never met a stranger.

For most of my life I have picked up hitchhikers, and people stranded on the road and assisted them in reaching their destination. I just figured that after several years of being a minister, if the story of the Good Samaritan, (Luke 10: 30-37), was a factual account of a someone aiding a stranger in trouble, then I felt it was my responsibility to allow the words of that story to come alive in my own life. After all, I had preached the message on several occasions, but actually living the message, well, that took a little more effort. After all, what if they tried to rob me, or steal my car, or even threaten me with bodily harm. And some where, in the hollow halls of my conscience, and I can still hear my mother’s voice, “ And don’t pick up strangers…EITHER!

I laugh about it today, but my children will tell you, we pick up everyone and anyone in need of assistance. When my children were smaller, their eyes would scan the highways, just looking for people who’s car’s were broken down, or hitching to the next town and yell “there’s one daddy, they need help, lets get them”. Sometimes we would have to double stack in the back seat and the front seat, (this was before the seat belt law…: ) just to get everyone in the car.

Those in need of assistance were always very gracious, and my children, well, to this day they have never met a stranger. I can recall an occasion in the early 80’s. I was pastoring my third church, in Glasgow Ky. and attending Western Ky. University. It was a forty-minute drive from school to home and I considered the road between Western and Glasgow to be my personal Jericho road. I picked up everyone and anyone that needed a ride or a place to rest for the night.

That’s right, I would take total strangers home with me and they would sleep in the twin bed next to my children. At that time my sons were very small and I would pick one up from his bed and place him in the bed with his brother, then allow the stranger to sleep in the bed next to my children. I remember picking up two young men, in their early 20’s, standing in the rain late one night on I 65, soaking wet, hoping someone would stop and give them a ride. I picked them up, took them to my home for the night. They ate dinner with my family. My wife Denise washed and dried their clothes.

Later that night one slept on the couch and the other in the twin next to my sons. The following day we had breakfast and I took them back to I 65 and they were on their way to their destination. In two and a half decades this story has repeated itself over and over again.

Crazy you say. My mom thinks so. And every now and then my wife does too. But, my fear, if I had a fear, would not be what would happen to me or my family if I picked them up, but what would happen to them if I didn’t pick them up. Now, I don’t have guns in my home, I can’t even imagine poking someone with a knife. Someone tried to teach me how to whittle once and I almost lost a finger and an eye! So, what is my defense? LOL, I believe you already know the answer to that. The Good Shepherd.

Everyone knows that it’s the Shepherd’s responsibility to lead the flock, and feed the flock. But sometimes we forget get that it is also the Shepherd’s responsibility to protect the flock. So…I choose to believe, simple faith, simple trust, that My Shepherd will protect me and my family from harm as I try to exemplify His teachings in the Story of the Good Samaritan. And maybe, just maybe, one of those strangers will be…an angel unaware.

Be Blessed

My Call to Preach

First: Get some cookies and milk and take a seat.

For years I was told by the elders in my home church, Brown Memorial CME, that I would be a preacher some day. I was always very active in my local church and I believe I’d held every leadership role as a youth in my church. I never gave preaching much of a thought. I just liked church. My family was pretty religious and everyone in my family knew how to pray...lol.

Heck, my first true encounter with God came when I was about 12 years old and I prayed to God, not the usual bed time prayer, but I prayed to God to keep me from stealing. Yeahhhhhh, that’s right. I was a pretty good theft when I was in my youth, besides…my mom found all this stuff hidden under my bed, in my closet, and STUFFED UNDER THE MATTRESS!!!, and after several, (unsuccessful attempts) TO RELOCATE MY BUTT!!! with a belt one evening, I thought it was time to pray! I prayed a simple prayer and asked God to keep me from stealing. He answered and the desire to steal was gone. Wow! Awesome! I continued in church, and I accepted Christ as my Lord and Savior in my early teens.

I have REDICATED MY LIFE BACK TO GOD MORE TIMES THAN I CAN COUNT (thank God for second (plus) chances)...whew! My love for the Lord was growing and in my late teens (16 - 18 years old) and a local DJ called me a Jesus Freak, and you know, I hadn't thought about it, but he was right, I was and still am a Jesus Freak. I've never dranked, smoked, done any drugs, or even cursed, but I did commit fornication when I was 19 and a sophomore in college, (just keeping it real). If my friends back home were reading this, they would be rolling.lol. Well, I went to Jefferson Community College after high school, which was located in the same town as my church, and I was able to continue to participate as a young adult at my home church. I was always a delegate to all our local, regional, and national church conferences and young people throughout the area knew me. In June 1977, at 24 years old, I was elected to attend a Leadership Training School at Purdue University in Indiana.

One night at one of our evening worship services, with several young people on stage, one of the teenagers started crying, and all of a sudden a minister on stage took the mike and said, “this young man just accepted his call to preach”.

Well, one of the elders from my church ran up to me from the audience and said "DeWayne, tell them you accept your call to preach too", for cryin out loud, (I thought to myself), I wanted to know what this kid was crying about, So I politely told the lady that I couldn't do that because God had not called me to preach. A couple of months ago I recalled another friend at a worship service, just started crying and the next thing I knew, they were announcing he had accepted his call to preach. Well, I wasn't about to lie about something that appeared to be a major personal event. When the conference ended, I returned home and prepared for my Church’s Annual Conference just two weeks away. Unknown to me, God had something instored for me at the conference.

A few days after I got back I asked one of the oldest Preachers in my conference, Rev. Moses Sutton, how he knew he was called to preach. He told me he accepted his call when he was 7 or 8 years old. He said he saw a star move in the shape of a triangle one night and he went in the house and told his grandmother, and he said she sent him back out and told him to look at the star again. Again, the star moved in the shape of a triangle and he went back in and told his grandmother. Again she told him to go back outside and look at the star again and if it moves in a triangle again, God was calling him to preach. Well, once again he went outside and looked up and the same star moved in the shape of a triangle, and he told me he has been preaching ever since. Hmm, well, my annual conference was only a few days away, and on Saturday I stopped by Mr. Stith's Cleaners to pick up some dry cleaning for my mom.

While I was waiting, the owner proceeded to tell me the story of the switch blade and the cross. He said that there was a gang leader in the story who felt the call to preach and prayed to God and asked him to answer his prayer and he would stop gang bangin and start preaching. Well, Mr. Stith said he told God he was going to put a handkerchief in the back yard and when he woke up in the morning, he wanted to find the yard filled with dew, but the handkerchief dry as a leaf, and if it was he would preach. According to Mr. Stith, he said when the young man woke up the next morning the back yard was filled with dew and when he walked to the spot in the yard where he dropped the handkerchief, he picked it up and it was dry as a leaf. God answered his prayer and he started preaching. Well, my conference began the following Monday and again I’m a delegate.

Tuesday was youth day, and all the choirs are coming to Louisville, KY for the annual youth choir competition at seven o’clock that night. My church was hosting the conference and my choir was ready to go. All the choirs were assembled in the church, many of my friends from all over the state were there, and my choir was placed right behind the youth speaker for the evening. His name was Maurice Stone and I had met him earlier in the week while my youth department was having a car wash. As Maurice was speaking, he stopped and said that he had met a young man at the church name DeWayne GoLightly and said, he told me when you believe in God you don’t have any thing to worry about, and then he went back into his speech, and then he paused again and said “You know every time you see DeWayne, he always has a smile on his face”, and then he went back into his speech. Well my little sister Deanna was sitting next to me and I told sis, I wished Maurice would just hurry up and finish talking so we could sing. Well, I don’t know why, but I just started to pray a silent prayer to God while I was sitting there.

I said, “Father, for much of my life people have been telling that I’m gonna be a preacher some day, I’m gonna be a preacher, well, I honestly don’t know much about this calling thing, maybe you’ve already called me and I just didn’t know it. Well, I tell you what, if you ever call me, I don’t want to be in the bathroom reading the funny papers or anything like that, I would love to have all my friends around me. I was in the cleaners the other day, and Mr. Stith was telling me the story of the switch blade and the cross, and according to the story, this gang leader felt you were calling him to preach and said if you wanted him to preach, fill the backyard with dew and if the handkerchief he placed in the back yard was dry as a leaf the next day he would preach your gospel. Well dad, he woke up, the yard was filled with dew, and the handkerchief was dry as a leaf and he started preaching.

Well, I’m gonna cast my fleece before you, and I don’t really deserve an answer, but I’m gonna try this because you said to try you. So…if you want me to preach…here’s what I want you to do…that guy speaking, Maurice Stone, has already called my name a few times, but I tell you what, if you want me to preach your gospel… I want to hear him call my name again, but not once, but twice, and not just my first name but my whole name, and with no if, ands, or buts in between my name, and if he does that, then I’ll preach your gospel".

Well, I stopped praying, and opened my eyes and sat there with my youth choir waiting to sing and I continued to listen. About 5 minutes later, Maurice stopped right in the middle of his message, he turned around and pointed up into the choir stand right at me and said (I still get chills) he said “DeWayne GoLightly… Dewayne, stand up. This is a Christian young man”. Then he turned back around and started speaking again, and I was just left standing there, and as I slowly sat back down, tears began to stream down my face, and now I knew why all the others were crying, and I also knew in my heart...God had just called me to preach!.

I told my little sister Deanna sitting next to me, and then I got up out of the choir and found my pastor and told him. Rev. Larkin told me I had two choices, he said I could answer the call and start preaching the gospel right now, or I could wait. I’ll never forget my answer, I told Rev. Larkin if God... with all He has to do... could take the time to call me to preach... then I will answer the call right now.

Rev. Larkin lead me into the sanctuary and found my Bishop, Bishop Murchinson, and told him I had accepted my call to preach and my Bishop, took the mike and told everyone that DeWayne GoLightly has just accepted his call to preach and everyone in the building just got up, and started coming towards the front, three aisles of people, I’ll never forget it as long as I live, and one shook my right hand and another shook my left and someone was hugging me, and... all my friends were there, and I just smiled and thanked God I wasn’t in the bathroom reading the funny paper.