UnChristian

I apologize for not posting sooner. I mentioned in my last blog that I did some reading while on vacation, and I wrote that I would tell more about what I read in my next blog. Now that I have kept you checking for two weeks; only to be dissappointed again and again, here ya' go. I had been reading a book entitled, UnChristian. A lot of it is filled with statistics from the Barna Group about how different groups of people view Christians. I guess by the title, you probably know how we are viewed.........we are not very Christian in their definition of what a Christian should be like; how we act toward others; how we treat others; how we accept, or don't accept certain people. I know......I know. It doesn't sound like the kind of book that is going to be very encouraging for us, as believers in Jesus Christ, but I have to say......it spoke very loud to me, and I found encouragement from it. Let me explain:
I had been reading one day about how a pretty large percentage of people were questioned about what they thought was missing, or lacking in the personality of a "Christian". Their response was that we (Christians) don't really care so much about the person, as much as we care about "chalking up another one for the Kingdom"(my paraphrase). That hurt at the time. But, the more I thought about it; the more I started looking inside and asking myself.....is this true? How can I know if I am like this statement? Now the surprise.....God must have been reading along with me, because he gave me a chance to experience if I was UnChristian.
A thunder storm came through Hilton Head and knocked out our cable. So I, like any other vacationer would do, called the maintenance office to report it. I let them know that I didn't need them to come and fix this right away. Its late Friday; around 5:30, and I just wanted them to know that it wasn't working, and they may need to get it fixed before the next family comes in and finds it not working. I mean, I have my family with me.......we have books to read, places to go, PS2, and board games. We can survive. 10 minutes later, Hugh shows up at our door.......to fix our cable. I help him move some furniture to get to all the wiring. we both struggle for quite a while, and he determines that the cable box is fried. He doesn't have that piece, and only the cable company can fix it, but he says that he will stay there and wait til they can come.......it may be a few hours. I explain that we are fine; we don't need the cable; he doesn't need to wait. This surprised him. I wasn't the typical visitor he comes in contact with. I asked him why he was working so late on a Friday. He told me that he was wanting to call it a day at 6:00 so he could drive to Columbia, almost 3 hours away, to see his brother in the hospital with cancer. Hugh is the only one in their family with the same blood-type as his brother. He helps to give his brother a little more time here on earth with his family..........Yeah, that's what I was thinking, too. "What are you doing here working on my cable?" I told him to go.....leave.....this is his brother......family comes first. We continued talking as we went outside to his service van. He kept saying, "I have never met anyone like you". I asked if I could pray for him, and his brother, and he gave me the strangest look. I told him that I was a pastor and that I would like to pray with him. So, there at his van.........in the parking lot......in public......we prayed.......and Hugh cried. Then he gave me one of those big, long hugs........saying, "I've never met anyone like you".
May we live and act in such a way that others say, "I've never met anyone like you". May we become more Christ-like. If you read the Bible close enough........you will see that a lot of people "had never met anyone like Him".