17 Random Acts of Kindness

My wife, Kat, had surgery on Monday, August 31st.  While sitting in the waiting room at the hospital yesterday two things happened that I want to share.  

First, I was sitting reading a book called, “The Passionate Church” by Mike Breen and Walt Kallestad. Two parts of this book hit me hard and I hope it impacts you as well. In Chapter 9 “Jesus and the Balanced Life” they describe how many churches are two-dimensional. Some churches are good at praying (Upward) and good at caring for the body (Inward), other churches are good at praying and good at reaching out (Outward) to those who do not attend church, and some are good at caring for the body and reaching out to those who do not attend church. In reality the church is to be a three-dimensional church, good at prayer, good at caring for the body and good and reaching out to those who do not attend church. In Chapter 20 “Practicing the Principles of a Vital Life” the authors say this, “Church health is all about life—the body of Christ being an organism rather than an organization. And life gets messy sometimes.

Let me clarify something I did not read 20 chapters of this book in the waiting room. I have this funny way of reading; I go wherever I feel led to read and these where the two chapters I was lead to read during my wait in the waiting room.

Second, after I had read these two chapters I put the book down and picked up "Life Posts" and read a story about a guy who started a website in honor of his grandfather and it was about doing Random Acts of Kindness. I had just finished reading this article as two black men and two black women came and sat close to me. The older black lady was crying about her daughter who was being operated on and who was pregnant and had lost the baby during the operation. Earlier I had noticed three people who in my mind because of their actions and dress were from a church and they happened to be black as well. The four people who sat close to me got up and moved to a different location.

Suddenly a random thought went through my head.  Go pray for them. I looked over at them and thought, “who me”? I then saw the three black church people and I went over and introduced myself. Thinking that they would be more accepted by the woman I asked them if they were from a church and they replied yes. (Okay, I was trying to get out of doing what God’s Holy Spirit was telling me to do.) Then I told them about the woman and her daughter and suggested they might want to go prayer with her. They took one look at her and turned to me and said I think you can do that.

I was stuck. God had said go pray and I had tried to punt and the ball came back into my hands. I got up and walked over and slipped to one knee and introduced myself to the woman. She told me her name was, Loretta, and asked me why I was there. I told her I overheard her conversation about her daughter and I would like to pray with her. I did and after saying amen I got up and she held my hand for a minute or so. As I sat waiting for Kat to come out of surgery I noticed a peace come over Loretta's face and I knew God was comforting her just I had asked.

I share that because I too often look the other way when someone is in need. I am either afraid I will not say the right words or that I will look foolish if I go up to them and offer to help. I want to encourage you to do something for the next 17 weeks: “Do some Random Act of Kindness (RAK)” each Friday. It could be something as simple as praying with someone or even paying for coffee for the person behind you at Starbucks. If you do 17 Random Acts of Kinds the last one will take place Christmas day. I am choosing Friday because it is the last day of most people’s work week and we have the most opportunities to see a person in need while going to work or at work.

If you take me up on this challenge I would like for you come back to REAL Men RoCK blog and share as a comment what happens each Friday you do a Random Act of Kindness. I believe at the end of the 17 weeks many lives will be touched and changed. I know if I would take the effort to do this I will be changed and I will be a living part of the body of Christ and not a member of an organization.

Praying, Caring for the Body and Reaching out to the Hurting is the mission of the church.  If we do these things we will be a healthy church.

Accountability is Encouraging

One of the things I encourage men to do is get into an accountability relationship with another man. In Proverbs 27: 17 God tells us how accountability is important.

Proverbs 27: 17 You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another 

I recently read about a great example of how this works.  I found the story on page 113 of "Stories for a Man's Heart" by Al & Alice Gray.

There's a wonderful story about Jimmy Durante, one of the greatest entertainers of a generation ago.  He was asked to be a part of a show for World War II veterans.  He told them his schedule was very busy and he could afford only a few minutes, but if they wouldn't mind his doing one short monologue and immediately leaving for his next appointment he would come.  Of course, the show's director agreed happily.

But when Jimmy got on stage, something interesting happened.  He went through the short monologue and then stayed.  The applause grew louder and louder and he kept staying.  Pretty soon, he had been on fifteen, twenty, then thirty minutes.  Finally, he took a last bow and left the stage.  Backstage someone stopped him and said, "I thought you had to go after a few minutes. What happened?"

Jimmy answered, "I did have to go, but I can show you the reason I stayed.  You can see for yourself if you'll look on the front row." In the front row ere two men, each had lost an arm in the war. One had lost his right arm and the other had lost his left.  Together, they were able to clap, and that's exactly what they were doing, loudly and cheerfully.

When men hold each other accountable it is like the two men who had lost their arms.  They help each other with what ever issue they are facing.  Jimmy also represents men in accountability because men in accountability stay with each other no matter what is pressing on them.

The men's group (REAL Men RoCK) I attend each week is important to me because I know I have men who are free to ask me how I am doing with the issues I face.  I also know they will stand by me no matter what is going on around us.

I encourage you to find a man or some men and grow in your relationship with them to the point where you trust them to hold you accountable.