Seldom have I see a book written as a short story or a mini-novel that presents such a concise and precise presentation of the Gospel in story form in a manner becoming the Anabaptist tradition of not merely making converts, but rather, enabling seekers to become empowered and transformed disciples of Jesus Christ. And the clincher in this short encounter of Nick with Andy, is that its setting is in a real and functioning Christian community, and urban at that, never mind the struggling main character, Nick, at the end of his rope without hope!
I propose it is this book’s emphasis on “discipleship in community” as what distinguishes typical evangelical outreach oriented events such as crusades or men’s events, from the three basic tenants of Anabaptism as presented in Harold S Bender’s landmark documented presentation to the American Society of History in 1942 and later published as “The Anabaptist Vision.” These three tenants are (1.) discipleship for transformation-page 18, (2.)voluntary church membership based on true conversion with a commitment to holy living-page 26; and (3.) the ethic of love and nonresistance as applied to all human relationships – page 30. Please understand me to say loud and clear I believe both methodologies are needed to work in tandem to achieve meaningful church growth.
“How Can Anyone Say God Is Good” was written by Gary Miller, who was raised in CA and today lives with his wife Patty and family in the Pacific Northwest. Gary works with the poor in developing countries and directs the SALT international programs for Christian Aid Ministries. This program offers business and spiritual teaching to those living in chronic poverty, provides small loans, sets up village savings groups, and assists them in learning how to use their God-given resources to become sustainable.
Below is my summary of the 78 page story which is italicized. Immediately after, is a must read, the “Author’s Journey” preparing him for the writing of this story. Contact me if you desire a free copy of the book and join me in its distribution.
Nick is a white male, three years out of college, a computer techie grad, under-employed as a letter carrier at the post office who after a big fight with Jessica, his live-in of 2 years, finds a note explaining she had quite enough and has moved out and of all things, has moved in with his best friend Eric, with whom she had been developing a relationship for the past several months. To top it off, she took their savings and the rent was already two months past due and he was about to be evicted.
As children, he and his sister had been taken to church each Sunday by his mother, taught to pray, and he still remembered some of the verses and songs from Sunday School, all the while his father chose to stay home and watch TV.
But that all abruptly changed when Nick, then twelve, and his sister came home from school one day and found the house locked and a note from their mom saying she was starting a new life running off with a man from church and they’d not seen her again. Presently, he has no relationship with either his father or sister and was truly, all alone; even his two best friends, had now shut him out. He was left alone with no money, and now about to be evicted from his apartment strewn with empty beer bottles and pizza boxes. Nick also drank too much and he knew it.
The evening following Jessica’s departure, while carrying his bike upstairs to be safely placed in the apartment, the rear wheel got caught on the railing somehow wrenched from his grip and tumbled down the stairs messing up some spokes and a brake cable. This would require a visit to Andy at his bicycle shop the next morning who turns out to be a major player in Nick’s messed up and lonely life for the next weeks as detailed for you in this 78 page mini-novel.
This Andy is a real mystery to Nick, in that frequently there are people engaged in deeply personal conversations with Andy when he delivers his barrage of first class mail from all over the US. And then there is always all this food appearing, which Andy frequently shares with his visitors, saying they just can’t eat it all. But the one big negative about this mysterious Andy, is that he is so winsomely religious; not at all the “in your face you’re going to hell” type, for Nick has witnessed frequently in-depth counseling conversations, and even actual prayers being offered with a client in the shop.
The one thing that really irks Nick no end though is the big sign over Andy’s desk that says “God is Good!” Nick has experienced considerable relationship pain in his short life, but he did well in his classes at the university and now knows first-hand that belief in a supreme being may sound wonderful to many simple minded people, but when life gets difficult, a fictitious god won’t solve real problem’s in real people’s lives. In fact, Nick has been down right rude to Andy on several occasions ridiculing him for his religious crutch for people who couldn’t handle reality. And Andy would never show any anger; he’d just listen and frequently even tend to agree with Nick’s observations.
And besides all that, Andy spoke of his church over on Fifth St but Nick never could find it. He knew the area well since he delivered mail in the neighborhood and there is no church on Fifth St. And then, there was the thing about his back rent mysteriously being paid, and how Andy loaned him his own bike when Nick’s was in for repairs. And where was his wife anyway? Nick was so confused. Never had he ever met anyone quite like Andy, so generous and loving to so many.
And unfortunately, most of us in our culture of separation and individualism, seldom do. But down thru history for the past 2000 plus years, there are persons just like Andy who hopefully exist in your community, who believe and practice daily God is Good, and that He desires you experience spiritually more than becoming merely a convert, but like Nick did, to experience Christ in being discipled in community among believers who live their lives in simple loving obedience faithfully sharing with and loving their neighbors as family. It is our hope and prayer that this short story provides you or someone you may know, with exactly the desired “dose” of “loving hope” to brighten your/their day. For you will soon see when reading the story about Nick, how can anyone really not say, That Our God is Good?
Contact me for a free copy of Gary Miller’s book “How Can Anyone Say God is Good?” merlin.erb@gmail.com or text / voice 330465-2565. These books are available from CAM for $1.00 ea. in quantities of 50 or more. Join me in using them as tracts as you are nudged by Holy Spirit to share your hope. Imagine offering hope and community to 50 seekers for less than you and your spouse spend twice eating at your favorite buffet. Purely Perspective!
The Author’s Journey as written by Gary Miller (pages 79-88)
Although the characters in the story How Can Anyone Say God is Good are fictitious, the doubts express by Nick are not. Many people who are honestly seeking truth are asking similar questions. All of us are aware that things are not right in our world. An inner voice tells us something is seriously wrong, and we find ourselves asking questions like, Why can’t people get along? Why are human relationships so difficult.? Why does poverty still exist?
Governments and aid organizations have poured billions of dollars into humanitarian aid, yet hunger continues. And what about politics? I have heard people ask why modern, educated, democratic nations can’t even come up with good candidates at election time.
In light of all the scientific advances man has made, why do we still have ethnic cleansings, cruel dictators, school bullying, and mass shootings? Why do a few have so much wealth and the masses so little? Are we really able to map human DNA, travel in space, and produce a vast array of amazing electronic gadgets, yet still not feed all the children?
These things trouble us. Surely things could be better. All the pain and the inequalities we see should not exist. This leads us to the questions Nick struggled with; how can anyone believe that God is all powerful and good if he’s in control of this mess?
I don’t know if you’ve struggled with this question or not, but I have. I was raised in a Christian home and taught that the Bible is true. Yet, deep down inside, I wrestled with many questions. Where did this world come from? Is it possible, in spite of what the Bible teaches, that our universe came into being by some cosmic collision? Could it be that my existence is just the result of some freak molecular accident?
Or, if, as the Bible teaches, God actually exists, how could he be loving and still allow evil to wreak havoc? As a young man this perplexed me. Today I look at this question from a different perspective. My work takes me into impoverished developing countries, and I spent time with people who live in abject poverty. I work with children being raised in deplorable conditions. Many live in a cycle of poverty that seems almost impossible to reverse. There are open sewers, no clean water, and little hope of meaningful change. Disease, famine, and natural disasters plague them constantly. How can a loving God see all this and allow it to continue? Doesn’t he care about the human misery?
I have wrestled with all these questions, yet have chosen to believe. I have come to trust in a living God who is all powerful. That doesn’t mean his path to faith has been easy.
As I have searched for a logical answer to the question of origin, I have found evolution to be woefully inadequate. If evolution is powerful and miraculous enough to convert pond scum into the incredible complexity of life we observe around us, by now it should have easily resolved lesser issues like world poverty, human relationships, or harsh dictators. Those are simple issues compared to developing something as complex as the human eye. And further, evolution never even attempts to answer the large question of where that original pond came from? Who put it there?
Why don’t we hear more regarding this real and critical question of origin? The answer seems obvious and points to a reality that many don’t want to discuss. As I observe the complexity of this amazing world we live in, I cannot escape seeing evidence for a Designer. If there is an effect, there must first be a cause.
I have also come to believe that this Ultimate Designer loves humanity. And while I’m not a scientist I have used the scientific method to come to this conclusion. My choice to believe is based on observation. Let me share what I have observed.
From childhood I have been surrounded by individuals who profess to be followers of Jesus Christ. Church life for me has been very similar to what Andy and Teresa experienced with the little group on Fifth Street. I have seen huge financial bills paid anonymously, groups of young people singing to those who are suffering, and people finding gifts of food in their kitchens. I have experienced free assistance on home-improvement projects, felt an arm around my shoulder while dealing with extreme disappointment, and found nameless envelopes stuffed with cash during difficult times. These people are not perfect, but they really want to be like Jesus Christ. They see the teachings of Jesus not simply as hard sayings intended to show us how bad we are, but as God’s original intent for our world. God wants us to love, share, and care for each other. He desires a world where people are concerned about the hurting, and his church today is to be a demonstration of his desires for the world. If our entire world were like the people I have been surrounded with, it would be a beautiful place.
I have seen changed lives. I have watched selfish men and women place their faith in Jesus Christ and become totally transformed. I’ve seen this locally, but also in many places around the globe. I think about a husband and wife in Bangladesh who recently found Jesus. In their community she had a reputation as an obnoxious quarrelsome woman. She came to faith in Jesus, and a few months later her husband began inquiring. This couple lives in an area where believing in Jesus means risking martyrdom, so people wondered why he would choose to become a Christian.
His response was simple “Before my wife decided to follow this Jesus, she was selfish and difficult to get along with. Now she is loving and completely changed. I have looked at my life, and I am very self-centered and can be hard to get along with. I just want this Jesus who made such a drastic change in her life to be in my life as well!“
He simply saw something powerful enough to transform, and he wanted it so badly he was willing to risk persecution. This is why I have come to love the Bible, the message of salvation through Jesus Christ, and the power he provides to those who believe.
These are just a few examples of things I have observed in the lives of those who have chosen to follow Jesus in daily life. There are still many things I don’t understand. Yet I have seen enough to know that God is at work in our world, and, as the Bible tells us, God will make things right in the end.
Several years ago I was riding a bus through the city of Manila in the Philippines. Manila is one of the densest populations in the world, and a large portion of the city is a slum. The traffic crawled, and took most of the day to get to my destination. So for hours I sat looking out at extreme poverty slowly passing by the window: rusty tin shacks, dirty half-clad children, domestic violence, and horrendous living conditions. After a couple hours of this, I suddenly became aware that I had tears running down my cheeks. This was so terribly wrong! Why is so much of the world like this?
As I wiped the tears, another profound question struck me: Why does this bother me? What is it that tells me there is a problem with this picture? If we are just cosmic accidents, freaks of some explosion, why does pain and suffering in fellow humans concern us? If there is no Creator, no absolute standard of right and wrong, and no ultimate truth, why are we troubled?
The answer was both obvious and comforting. Compassion for others spoke to me, not of some strange cosmic coincidence, but of being created by a compassionate Creator. Internal empathy reminds me that I am more than the result of colliding molecules. The Bible tells us that God created us in his image. And I found great comfort in realizing that if creation isn’t content with how things are, it’s because of a Creator who isn’t either.
Yet I want to be very clear. Though I have chosen to believe in and follow God, I still have many questions, and there are many things I do not understand. I have lived close to people who have endured chronic pain for many years. I don’t understand why God doesn’t just heal them. I don’t know why bad things happen to good people. I don’t understand why some extremely poor countries repeatedly get hit with hurricanes, tsunamis, and crop failure. Nor do I understand why God created pleasure or why he is so extravagant with sunsets.
I can’t comprehend why God has allowed the face of Christianity to become so marred – why he allows professing Christians to bear his name and claim they are all following a loving Jesus while promoting violence, bombing, and military aggression. How can people claim to follow Jesus without following him?
But I also see things that give me great hope. Things that increase my faith in God. I have observed blessing coming from suffering. I have seen God work redemptively in situations that look like tragedies. I have seen many followers of Jesus choose to live in extremely difficult and dangerous places around the globe in order to help others. The power of Jesus Christ within has empowered them to walk away from safe, middle-class America, motivated by a desire to bless the less fortunate. I have watched believers here in the United States bring aged parents into their homes during their final years, knowing that caring for them will greatly curtail their personal liberties and social lives. The list could go on.
In short, I have seen God working in the lives of others and felt his love and power transforming mine. And I’ve observed and experienced enough of his redemptive power to trust him for what I cannot understand. Some situations still seem so wrong, but I live in confidence that the Bible is true. And a day is coming when all these wrongs will be made right, when evil will be overcome by good, and when those who follow Jesus now will live forever with him in peace.
But there are still many things I don’t understand. But I have seen enough that in spite of my questions, I have become one who openly proclaims, ”God is good!” Pages 79-88.
Blessings as YOU GO FORTH this coming Memorial Day Weekend. Plant a memory worthy of recall! Merlin