Eleventh Hour, Eleventh Day of the Eleventh Month

This next Sunday, November 11, 2007 is Veteran’s Day and since I am a veteran, I felt compelled and thought it appropriate to post something on the subject. I know that many churches will take time to honor and recognize our veterans. In the November 8, 2007 issue of the Dallas Morning News there was an article about the number of veterans who were homeless. It caught my attention so I thought that I might share some of the information with you.

The article stated that 1 in 4 homeless in this country are veterans. In 2006 nearly a half a million veterans spent some time homeless. There are 50,000 in California alone, the most of any state. The lowest state was Vermont with 30. In Texas less than one percent of Texas, veterans were homeless in 2005 according to the Veterans Administration.

It is not only older veterans or the often stereotyped Vietnam veterans, who are homeless there is a growing number from the conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan. The Veterans Administration has identified 1500 homeless Veterans from current wars. “Over all 45% of participants of VA’s homeless programs have a diagnosable mental illness and more than 3 out of 4 have substance abuse problems, while 35 % have both.” The VA spends $265 million annually on homeless-specific programs and about $1.5 billion for all health care cost for homeless veterans.

The eleventh hour, the eleventh day of the eleventh month was set aside as Armistice Day (later renamed Veterans Day) following World War I (the “war to end all wars” as it was called). We now know that the designation “to end all wars” was an overly optimistic view of the future of mankind. The simple fact that one would refer to it, as the First World War is proof of this point, since if there is first then there must be at least a second. The Treaty of Versailles (the peace treaty that ended this war) itself led to bitterness and hatred, which in fact contributed to the next world war. “Wars and rumors of wars” have existed since the beginning of human history. Current wars are frequently a result of or continuation of a previous one.

We honor and memorialize our fallen veterans, as I believe we should. Yet, what of the survivors? The ones who must deal with “survivor’s guilt, “post traumatic stress” and substance abuse as well as addiction. What, if anything, do we owe these men and women? More important for me, how should the Christian community respond to this segment of our society (the homeless in general and veterans in specific)?

As a veteran I am thankful for the public recognition in our assemblies. Which is much better than the public humiliation many of my brothers endured during the Vietnam era. However, as a veteran, the article referenced above and the current condition of so many of my “brother’s in arms” troubles me. I am, however, even more troubled by the seeming lack of attention by Christendom in general to such a large number of “lost and troubled souls.” I do not only mean veterans.

I do not want to appear judgmental, because I know that even “a cup of cold water” given in the name of Jesus is a blessing and will be rewarded. We design, promote and implement church programs to collect food on Thanksgiving and give gifts baskets at Christmas. Yet, I wonder what about the other ten months of the year?

It seems to me that if we really wanted to be more like Jesus. Then maybe we should be investing more of our time and money in those whom society marginalizes. What are we doing the other 300 days of the year? I realize that there is a limit to what we can do. I recognize that we cannot help everyone. I would urge us not to use what we cannot do as an excuse not to do what we can. I cannot help but wonder what it says about the Christian community when we spend most of our resources (time, money and effort) on ourselves to the neglect of the “down trodden and oppressed.”

I imagine a Jesus who would be visiting the homeless. I picture a Christ who would be reaching out to the outcast, castaways and cast offs of our culture. I am sure that I could be wrong but, as I read the Gospels that is the Jesus I see. Is this not what it really means to be a Cruciform Community? When we reach down to the broken, are we not then truly that Transformed and Therapeutic Tribe of Abraham? Do our actions reflect the Redemptive, Radical and Real Reign of God (kingdom of God) in our hearts?

This year on Veteran’s Day (the eleventh hour, the eleventh day of the eleventh month), I will as usual reflect upon my fallen brothers, and I will not forget the survivors. It is my desire that we would also seek ways to invest some time and resources in the survivors and especially those who exist on the “ragged edge” of life.

Just some things to think about along the way. See you all a little farther on down the road.

Bob

"Bowling for Life Skills"

Henri Nouwen the Author, Lecturer and Teacher left Harvard to become a priest at Daybreak, a L'Arche community near Toronto. It is a community of 150 severely handicapped people and 50 assistants. The first thing they asked him to do was help Adam with his morning routine. Nouwen says,

Adam, a twenty-four-old was not able to talk, nor was he able to walk. Adam was not able to dress or undress himself. Even though he followed me with his eyes,it was difficult to know for sure whether or not he actually knew me. He was limited by a body that was misshapen, and he suffered form frequent epileptic seizures. God was speaking to me in a new way through this broken man. Little by little,I discovered affection in myself and came to believe that Adam and I belonged together. To put it simply, Adam silently spoke to me about God and God's friendship in a concrete way. First, he taught me that being is more important than doing, that God wants me to be with him and not do all sorts of things to prove I'm valuable. My life had been doing, doing, doing. I'm a driven person, wanting to do thousands and thousands of things so that I can show-somehow, finally-that I'm worth while. People had said, "Henri, you're okay." but now, here with Adam, I heard, "I don't care what you do, as long as you will be with me." It wasn't easy just to be with Adam. It isn't easy simply to be with a person and not do much. Adam taught me something else: the heart is more important than the mind. When you've come from an academic culture, that's hard to learn. Thinking with the mind, having arguments, discussing, writing, doing-that's what a human being is....When the physical, emotional, intellectual, or moral life commands all the attention, we are in danger of forgetting the primacy of the heart.

On Wednesday afternoon the Middle School Principal called me. I was momentarily taken back by her request. She said, "Bob, would you be interested in going bowling with the "Life Skill" class on Thursday? I surprised myself with how quickly I replied saying, "I would be happy to go with them." I am familiar with these students because I have worked the Special Olympics Basketball skills contest our school had hosted for the last 4 years.

After I hung up the phone I began to think about what I had just volunteered to do. I must admit that I felt some fear and apprehension about what the next day would bring. I couldn't help but wonder what "Life Skills" I might learn that next day.

Promptly at 8:15 two teacher's aids, myself and five Middle School boys loaded up our little yellow school bus and set out on what would be about a two hour journey to Dallas and bowling. One student fell asleep immediately, one just sat and smiled, two sat together and pestered each other, and one(Austin) talked non-stop the entire time. One question Austin asked me stuck with me. He said, "did you preach for a real church?" The immediate non-thinking response was yes. However, I have given his question serious consideration since that time and after further reflection wonder if I might not want to change my answer. The answer, I suppose, depends upon how you define real.

Upon our arrival I set out to help the boys find their teams and bowling lanes. This was a Special Olympics competition and each lane had two high school student volunteers to assist the athletes. As I left my last student at his lane, a young Downs Syndrome boy in a Frisco school T-shirt and holding his teachers hand waved to me. I waved back and smiled. He released his teachers hand and running toward me put his arms around me and hugged me. His teacher shrugged her shoulders and smiled and mouthed the words, "don't ask me." I recalled a line from the movie Forrest Gump. Forrest says, "I am not a smart man, but I know what love is!"

After the Awards Ceremonies one of my students(Lonnie) said, "I want to sit with you on the way home." These two events made my day much brighter. I received much more from this experience than I gave. It occurs to me that maybe this was what Henri Nouwen was trying to say. Sometimes thinking(being smart) gets in the way of the heart (experiencing love). I did not have to do anything, just let him hug me. It has been said that the great thing about a hug is that when you give one, you get one. I did not do anything I was just there.

"Bowling for Life Skills!" Here are a few "Life Skills" I gained:

You don't have to do anything, just be there.

The heart is more important than the mind.

Being real is better than being right.

Love trumps everything.

Just some things to think about along the way. Hope to see you on the road.

Bob

The quote above was taken from pages 44 & 45 Spiritual Direction "Wisdom for the Long walk of faith." Henri Nouwen with Michael J. Christensen and Rebecca J. Laird.