It’s A Love Hate Thing

24Apr08

Is there a part of your life or job that you absolutely love and hate at the same time?  I can honestly say that there is a part of my job that causes me much angst and pain.  And, at the same time, I absolutely love that I get to do it.  A paradox for sure.

I have been entrusted with our 10% fund.  For those who may not know, we take the first 10% of offerings that come in and set it aside to giveaway.  Right off the top, before any bill or salary is paid, we purposely tithe on the money that the community of Crosspointe has entrusted us with.  This money has no other purpose other than to give it away. 

Sometimes we use this money to help churches get started.  That was certainly the case with True North Church in Garner and Velocity Church in Richmond.  It is a very cool thing for our leadership to be able to commit to partnering with others who have similar visions of bringing about life changing relationships with God.  And it is an absolute rush that I can cut them checks to support their mission.

Sometimes we use the money to buy the Haitian Children’s Home a generator because the one they have is beyond repair.  Sometimes we purchase 90 students in Kenya school books so they don’t have to share them any longer and now the school in Cheppema has all books needed for every grade.  That is a rare thing in Kenya.  It is cool for this community that we can be flexible and partner with others with unbudgeted or unexpected items.

Now comes the hate part.  Along with being able to do cool things, I see and hear many stories from hurting people in our own community.  And I hate that they are in that position.  People who are behind in their rent because they just lost their job.  People on the verge of losing a car to repossession because the bread winner of the family has decided to abandon them and take everything, everything that is except for the car payment.  People who have been evacuated to Cary because of hurricane Katrina.  I see them all.  I talk to the all.  I pray with them all.  And because we have purposely committed to helping people where they are, we have been able to handle the vast majority of them.

Why not help them all?  After doing this for the better part of three years, I think I can count on 1 hand the number of times when we did not help someone.  It all comes down to discernment.  Believe it or not, there have been people who have come to us for assistance who use churches in the Triangle as financial gain.  They church shop for help.  Mind you that this is a very small minority, but it does happen.  In these cases I refer them to agencies such as the Durham Rescue Mission or the Raleigh Rescue Mission who are better equipped to handle this.

Where do these people come from?  Sometimes they come right in our own church community.  Sometimes they go to other churches in the community.  Sometimes they don’t believe.  Sometimes they see what kind of community we are and they start coming.  Sometimes they are men but the vast majority are women with small children.  And I get to meet them and hear their story.  And I get to pray with them.  And because of the generosity from the community at Crosspointe, we get to help them.

As we as a community get to fulfil what Jesus said were the two greatest commandments.  Love God.  Love People. 

It all comes down to that.

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