Atheism

I picked up Glenn at the airport last Monday night and we went straight to the church building to meet with some people who needed to talk over some things about their marriage. They were in town, very temporarily, from another state, and we needed to capitalize on the urgency. We had a grandchild with us, too, and we went home and tucked him in. It was midnight. The next day was pretty full, too. I had a zoom meeting at 9 am and another grandchild added to the mix that morning. My neighbor was having a chemo treatment and I really wanted to cook supper for them. When Glenn has been gone, of course, there’s grass to mow and lots of questions and answers from GBN to catch up on. And we were leaving for an appointment in Tennessee at 12:15 pm. “This is insane, “ I thought. “We have to find a different way to live!” 

At some point that day, we got a moment to talk about how his gospel meeting in Oklahoma had gone. I’m glad for that moment. Sometimes, like we all say, “I just need a moment.” When the moment is like this one, I’m pretty much okay, again. 

“Well, I didn’t want to tell you this while I was there,” Glenn began. “I didn’t want you to be frightened.” 

Then he went on. He told me what a great job the family there at the Highland church in Tecumseh, Oklahoma had done with advertising. He said there were yard signs everywhere that advertised the meeting. People were wearing t-shirts with the theme of the meeting highlighted. They had invited and the town knew about the meeting.  The church had, together, planned and executed a 24 hour prayer vigil for the meeting. “But,” he said, “…on the first night there was a man at the entrance of the church driveway holding up signs…trying to dissuade visitors  from attending the meeting.” He went on to describe the very visible place this man had chosen to post his message…”Trust Science—Not the Bible.” Members were stopping to encourage him to just come and listen. Glenn was a little concerned about the influence and intent of this man. One of the advertised hot-button topics was “Five Things about Homosexuality that Cannot be Changed.” Apparently the security team of the congregation was a little “beefed-up” because they kept assuring Glenn that the plan was in place and all possible measures had been taken in case of potential trouble. After all, the members who had stopped to talk with him had passed along that he was upset that Glenn would be giving the Bible’s teaching about homosexuality.

Undaunted and uninterested in hearing the Word, the man was there repeatedly as the meeting progressed. On the second night, Glenn stopped and lowered his driver window to personally meet and invite the man. The man immediately pointed at him and said “You’re Glenn Colley, aren’t you? ”  At this point the man disclosed that he had googled Glenn and had been listening to his teachings on you-tube. (Let me just say here, that, while the ending to the encounters was good, I am glad that I did not know all of this until it was over.) The man was obviously not happy about the teaching of the Word that was occurring each night in that building. 

It was at some point during the weekend when the members of the congregation were assembled in the fellowship hall prior to services for putting together and boxing up their community meals for those in need. The local preacher, Eric, who is bold, yet personable, stopped to engage the protesting man. I believe he had met him previously, and at this juncture the preacher asked the man if he’d just come in…not for worship, not for argumentation, but just to “see what we are about in this community.”  The man walked inside and saw the members of the Highland church putting together one hundred to-go packages with hearty meals for hungry people. 

Unable to hear the word at all and unimpressed by Biblical topics and discussions, this man looked around and said “I’ve not seen anything like this before. This is a great thing you are doing. Could I help with this?” 

The atheist was standing there in the assembly line with the Christians…making meals for those in need. I do not know if this will be the beginning of a great eternal story, but I do know this: 

There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love. We love because he first loved us.

Sometimes it is the love of my family in Christ that casts away my fear. Like the wife who is married to the non-believer in 1 Peter 3…sometimes it’s not the preaching that wins over the potential hearer. Sometimes he is “hearing” the behavior. Sometimes, people have to “hear” the love in the fellowship hall before they hear the lesson from the pulpit. 

I just needed that moment.