I spent all day Friday hanging out with my friend Russel. Part of that day was making some deliveries to various food pantries scattered out around Houston. On Friday's fare, Russel had been given 2 pallets, yes pallets, of blue cheese dressing, a pallat of Chrox bleach, and most of a pallat of tall kitchen bags and those disposoable plastic tupperware looking bowls.
At each stop the people working the pantries were completely grateful. For me I could not help but notice the people groups at each stop. The first appeared to be ex-cons, finding meager employment at a thrift store. The second was a mixed bag of elderly men. From the looks of them I categorized them into homeless, substance abusing types. The third stop was a group of prim and proper religious types. I asked the gentleman helping us unload if he was the pastor to which he replied, "Oh no, I am THE deacon." The next stop was a pantry tucked into a middle class white neighborhood.
For me, all I noticed was the people groups. That, and of course the ridiculous amount of blue cheese dressing we were unloading. But to Russel it was a surprise that I was focusing on the people groups, that I had a category for everyone. I guess he is so far down the path with God that he only sees God's children, and has become blind to the circumstances of various folks. All of which led us to a memory of a trip Russel and I made together to Argentina.
It was there God showed me for the first time that keys to the kingdom of God are often hid in people we find offensive. That if we will get past the offense, take some time to discover the person, then God will give us a key that will unlock a treasure. I see the very same lesson being played out again on our deliveries.
Joesph saw the lesson first hand with his wife - pregnant and he was not the father. What could be more offensive? And yet look at the treasure that came from that.
Stop categorizing and just deliver the blessing. That is what the Holy Spirit was saying to me.
Russel was saying, "You may not think you need blue cheese dressing, but if God says you are going to have it, then you are going to have it in abundance."
There was a second very important lesson in the day. Russel's ministry at its peak, before God told him to whined it down, was delivering 25000 pounds of food per week. In his whineding it down he has given away 4 panel vans, connected his distributing food pantries direct to his sources, and he looks forward to tomorrow, even though he has no idea what tomorrow will bring. He is 100% completely dependent on God.
At one point I said, "Looks like God made you a food pantry planter." (As apposed to a church planter.) To which he replied, "No, I am not a food pantry planter." I just do want God tells me, and that is what He had me doing.
I cannot wait to see what God has him do next. It was also a beautiful example of something Jim Spivey says all the time. Russel not only knows who he is, but he also knows Whose he is. Thank you Russel for the inspiration, for the discipleship. And thank you for the case of blue cheese dressing.
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