A note from Andy Olson...

Just under three years ago I did my first POC  (Pastor on Call) day here at Belmont Church. I always enjoy my turn in the rotation because you never know who or what situation is going to come through the doors. Of course, after pastoring in Nashville’s inner-city for seven years prior to coming to Belmont, my POC days on occasion also afford me the opportunity to see some of my old inner-city friends.

Typically our POC calls are men and women who are in need of food and clothing. We keep a small file on them to see when they were last here, who attended them and what service was provided. This morning my second POC call was a man named “Johnnie”.  When our front desk person extraordinaire Leslie gave me Johnnies card I noticed that my name was on his card, dated back to the summer of 2008. I also noticed that on that day almost three years ago I had written down that Johnnie was my first official POC call ever at Belmont Church. I had even put an asterisk next to my chicken scratch. It seems that it was an important moment to me.

So today when Johnnie and I sat down to talk it soon became apparent that Johnnies story today was almost verbatim to what I had written down during our first conversation almost three years prior. Johnnie had the same family issues, the same personal struggles and the same need for a size 14 ½ shoe. Three years ago I notated on Johnnie’s card that, “Way cool! We actually had a pair of size 14 ½ shoes available in the pantry!”

Johnnie showed me his current shoes, the souls were torn off and his feet and socks were wet from being out in last night’s storms.  Johnnie said to me, “Man, don’t worry about the shoes, there’s never any shoes in my size available…” I had a feeling there would be and in fact there was.

Again, “Way cool! We actually had a pair of size 14 ½ shoes available in the pantry!” A pair of New Balance hiking boots to be exact.  Perfect. I set Johnnie up with the boots, some socks, a sweatshirt, raincoat and some food. We talked awhile longer, we prayed together, and then out he went into the void.

A couple of thoughts quickly came to my mind as I watched Johnnie walk away. One, that our Father is abolutely amazing. Johnnie was correct in his assumption, clothing pantries very rarely have size 14 ½ shoes…and yet, here three years apart, God was still providing for Johnnie. Johnnie may not necessarily be walking with Jesus, but Jesus is walking with Johnnie, and I suspect that Jesus will keep providing that size 14 ½ calling card until Johnnie gets a revelation…

The other thing that came to my mind was that Johnnie’s story had not changed at all in three years time. I am by no means whatsoever judging him. Johnnie has it tough. A convicted felon with little to no family support, no community, no encouragers, no shoulders to rest upon – it’s tough to move up from those circumstances.

I found myself asking, “Is my story the same too? Has anything about me changed in the last three years besides
the expansion of my waist line?  Am I still growing, in the Spirit? Am I still pressing on? Am I still pressing into Jesus? Is my faith flourishing or languishing? Am I still seeking personal transformation? Have I been willing to receive correction? Have I learned to forgive? Have I learned how to love? Have I back away from challenges or faced them in the strength of the Spirit? Have I taken the time to study the Word? Am I still the same person that Johnnie met three years ago?”

I think those are fair questions for all of us to ask. We can have all of our material needs met, and most of us can choose those materials; we can choose what kind of shoes we want, and our size is always available. To the world we can give off the appearance of having it together, but still be spiritually bankrupt.

Maybe we know that our spiritual account needs some investments, or maybe we have nary a clue because we’ve become accustomed to living off credit…

If I continue to live and feed off yesterday’s revelation and yesterday’s spiritual triumphs… if I no longer feel the need to continue to learn afresh from the Word of God…if I shun the community God has graciously placed me in…then I will slowly and sadly discover that I am experiencing spiritual atrophy.

Sadly, my view will be of my own  two shuffling feet and not of the vast experiential eternal Kingdom of God that lies right before me. Sadder still, my life won’t be portraying Jesus, the living, vibrant, radiant, redeeming King of the Universe.

We are His children and children are born to grow…