Barney Wiget's Blog, page 2

What’s a “Samerican”?

“Once, when Jesus brought his disciples into Samaritan territory, he challenged their age-old prejudice. He told them, ‘Open your eyes,’ so they would be able to see a great spiritual harvest among these loathed people.

Later, when framing the socio-geographical extent of their mission, he included Samaria along with Jerusalem, Judea, and the ends of the earth.

“Everything about their history and their theology had predisposed them to see Samaritans in a certain light. Eventually, they learned to love these marginalized people and anyone else to whom they were blinded, including tax collectors and sinners of all sorts.

“Are we modern followers of Jesus any less stubborn when we can’t or won’t value people from other cultures? Alejandro Mandes refers today’s Samaritans as ‘Samericans.’  They don’t look or talk like we do. They have different customs than ours, and they live in neighborhoods we don’t choose to visit. Jesus adamantly challenges us to seeothers as divinely loved image bearers and to ‘open our eyes’ to anyone we judge as unworthy of our consideration and love.

We must also envision the harvest God is bringing to America from other parts of the world. We’re so accustomed to sending missionaries to other countries, God is sending them here, a ready harvest for the gospel. ‘How foolish it is, then, for Christians to sour this opportunity for the gospel by putting up barriers against newcomers!’”

[This is an excerpt from my recently published book called: Missional, Merciful, Worshipful Christians and Their Churches: A Study of Luke Chapter Ten.

I really think you’ll like it. Maybe some of your friends too! It would be ideal for a group Bible study or book club.

All the profits go to YWAM (Youth with a Mission) in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco. My friends there do great work and need the money more than I do to pay their balloon payment by next year or lose their building.

I’m offering it as a “Pay What You Can” eBook. If you can’t pay anything, it’s yours for free. If you can afford $10, $50, $500, or more, go for it. You’ll be helping people help others in a place that needs it bad (or is that “good”?)!

Please give what you can to YWAM SF and let them know you got the book.

Don’t forget to tell your friends!

What Would Jesus Do?

When Jesus told his story of a principled Samaritan, it no doubt scandalized Jewish sensibilities. Any self-respecting Jew would have expected the Samaritan to kick the Jew while he was down. The last thing they would have anticipated or hoped to hear was that he had enough compassion on him to lend him a hand and pay for his hotel bill! The pariah gives aid to the pitiable.

Moreover, he flouts cultural norms by even touching the Jewish man, going as far as to tend to his wounds. Likewise, we show how similar we are to Jesus by finding someone who’s hurting and serving them, especially if they’re our natural enemies.

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Can you relate to this? It’s an excerpt from my book that recently hit the market. It’s called Missional, Merciful, Worshipful Christians and Their Churches: A Study of Luke Chapter Ten. Sinceall the proceeds go to YWAM San Francisco to pay down their mortgage in the Tenderloin you’ll be able to get the eBook on a “Pay What You Can” basis. These people at YWAM are some of the best Good Samaritans I know!

The more of you purchasing the book and telling your friends about it, the greater the chance of them keeping their property and doing the great work they do there.

Maybe plan to use it to host a Bible study or book club! If you do, let me know, and I’ll supply some interactive questions for your group to help with your discussions. “Ask and you shall receive…”

Lambs Among Wolves

Too many Christians are, as they say, “seldom right but never in doubt.” They may have a commanding appearance, but their mudslinging stump-speech testimonies don’t win many people to Christ. “The American cultural proclivity to reject authority and put down opponents,” says Elliot Clarke, “has bled into the church, staining all our attempts to win a hearing for the gospel.”

Remember, we’re “lambs among wolves.” And lambs don’t pick on wolves. They leave that up to their Shepherd if he so chooses. In the meantime, it’s our privilege to sit gratefully at their table, eat what they serve, and invite them to feast at Jesus’ banqueting table where everyone is welcome.

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Does this excerpt from my newest book, Missional, Merciful, Worshipful Christians and Their Churches: A Study of Luke Chapter Ten, sound like something you’d like to know more about? Now you can!

I’m happy to announce that all the profits from your purchase of the book go to YWAM (Youth with a Mission) in San Francisco. I was up there in the Tenderloin in YWAM’s facility last weekend sharing Jesus with some of God’s most broken beloveds. Let’s help YWAM pay off their buildings so they can continue with the good work they’re doing. I’m giving all the proceeds from my eBook to their capital campaign on a “Pay What You Can” basis. If you can’t pay anything, it’s yours for free. If you can afford $10, $50, $500, or more, please go for it!

And if you’re in the Santa Cruz area, I’d love to see you this Saturday. Directors of YWAM in Boulder Creek, Chris and Cary Solima, will also be sharing.

Francis #2

I recently mentioned my friend Francis, an older man with a long unkempt white beard, soiled and sweat-stained clothes, worn tennis shoes, and an odor that lasted in your mind longer than you wished. Though he is limited in social skills and displays some mental health issues, Francis reads five or six newspapers a day in the library, possesses a wide range of knowledge of the world, and most importantly is a believer in Jesus.

Francis’ mother was a university president, and when she died, left him enough money to travel the world. When the funds ran out, he lived on the street for a few decades until a mutual friend helped him secure a tiny state-funded apartment in San Francisco.

I remember one Christmas season when Francis had been ordered out of Union Square Plaza because of his appearance. He never hurt a fly in his life, but since his looks didn’t go with the downtown business section décor, they asked him to go back to where he came from. When I asked him about it, he wasn’t particularly hurt or angry about the incident. He was used to it.

His name and the name of the city is after another homeless Jesus-lover. Ironic, wouldn’t you say?

Anyway, I was hurt and a bit angry myself but I didn’t let it show. I just scooped him up and took him back to the Square, figuring that if we were together, he wouldn’t stand out so much. We ended up having a great time watching the ice skaters, taking photos of each other under the eighty-six feet tall Christmas tree, and enjoying hot chocolate before going “home,” which for me was my third story apartment across from Dolores Park. His was a spot where he’d stashed his sleeping bag on a sidewalk alcove on Powell Street.

I’ve since lost touch with Francis, but I have nothing but love in my heart for my friend. And if I’m not mistaken, he felt the same about me and pretty much everyone else he’s met since.

It’s image-bearing people like Francis that the YWAMers in San Franciso’s Tenderloin neighborhood serve every day. You may or may not be able to do what they do where they do it, but you can support their work financially and get a great book on Luke 10 at the same time! Here’s how…

Go to barneywiget.com, then click on “Latest Book”… Fill in the boxes and click on “Receive Download Link”… Click on “Book Download Instructions.pdf”… Follow those instructions and get your book! And please click on “DONATE WHAT YOU CAN HERE.”

PS, No, Francis is not in the photo. And yes, I am holding a banana while preaching. Don’t bother looking “bananas” up in your concordance. They’re not mentioned. Can’t remember, but I must’ve had some good reason for using it as a prop. Maybe I was just hungry?

Francis

No, not the “Saint.” Come to think of it, maybe he is a saint.

My friend Francis was living in doorways or behind dumpsters when we first met in San Francisco’s Tenderloin; a gentle and sober soul with a demeanor belied by his wild appearance. His riotous silver hair was as unwashed and unkempt as his beard and his many-layered and soiled wardrobe. Educated and highly intelligent, as are many of our street friends, Francis has some disabilities. He’s a genuinely amiable guy who spent his days hoofing it from one free food distribution outreach to another.

Ours were no formal mentoring meet ups. It’s more like we would run into each other in a park near where he’s slept the night before and we would take up where we last left off talking about Jesus and the Bible. He has a long way to go but he seems to gradually digest God’s love for him, like the pizza outreach we used to do on Saturday nights, one slice at a time.

I’m happy to report that Francis is now semi-comfortably housed and since I moved away, we’ve lost touch. But the Lord hasn’t lost touch with him.

The team at YWAM San Francisco serves folks like Francis every day of the year. If you’d like to help them help others and can’t get there personally, you can support their work financially and get a really good book at the same time. Here’s how…

I might be biased about the quality of the book. I wrote it. It’s based on the three stories contained in Luke 10, and as you can see from the cover, it promotes a lifestyle of being missional, merciful, and worshipful.

All the profits of which go directly to paying down YWAM’a mortgage and helping them with operating costs. I’m offering it on a “PAY WHAT YOU CAN” basis. That means if you can’t pay anything, it’s yours for free. But if you can afford $10, $50, $500, or more, go for it. You’ll be helping people help others in a very difficult place.

To get the book, begin at barneywiget.com, then click on “Latest Book”… Fill in the boxes and click on “Receive Download Link”… Click on “Book Download Instructions.pdf”… Follow those instructions and get your book! And please click on “DONATE WHAT YOU CAN HERE.”

What’s YWAM, and why is Barney donating the profits from his new book to them?

Glad you asked. YWAM (Youth With A Mission) in San Francisco is a ministry with which I’ve been involved in one way or another for many years. Their facilities are located smack dab in the middle of one of the City’s oldest and most challenging neighborhoods, the Tenderloin.

I’ve been going to the “TL,” which spans 32 city blocks, with 30,000 people both housed and unhoused for over thirty years––preaching, leading worship, handing out food and clothing, and simply opening my heart to the most broken people I’ve ever had the privilege of knowing. It’s there that I first fell in love with people that sleep on sidewalks and doorways. (“Sleep” is not exactly the right word for it.) People of all shapes and sizes, colors and cultures. Most have issues with substance abuse and/or are suffering with mental health issues or any number of social anxieties. Some do their best to follow Jesus and others, poisoned by abuse or abandonment, have no room in their hearts for God. Not yet anyway. All live in poverty and loneliness. I’m proud to call many there my friends.

In some of the next posts I’ll tell you a few stories of some of these friends of mine. For now, allow me to mention some of the good work of YWAM SF, which, in order to keep their property, has to come up with a large balloon payment before the end of this year. They’re busy serving over 1000 people a month with a food pantry, life skills training, neighborhood discipleship, showers, recovery programs, Bible Studies, street evangelism, block parties, street cleaning, and more. “It is in this neighborhood,’ they say, “that God has placed us – to love our neighbors, to care for the vulnerable, and to embody his kingdom.” In short, they need to be located where they are in order to be able to help the most vulnerable as much as they do.

You can help them with that by purchasing my book on Luke 10, all the profits of which go directly to paying down that mortgage and helping them with operating costs. (In essence, the book is a biblical explanation of why they do what they do day in and day out.)

I’m offering it on a “PAY WHAT YOU CAN” basis. That means if you can’t pay anything, it’s yours for free. But if you can afford $10, $50, $500, or more, go for it. You’ll be helping people help others in a place that needs it bad (or is that “good”?)!

To get the book, begin at barneywiget.com, then click on “Latest Book”… Fill in the boxes and click on “Receive Download Link”… Click on “Book Download Instructions.pdf”… Follow those instructions and get your book! And please click on “DONATE WHAT YOU CAN HERE.”

Now you can see “around the corner!”

HOW TO DOWNLOAD the book:

Begin at barneywiget.com and click on “Latest Book”… Fill in the boxes and click on “Receive Download Link”… Then click on “Book Download Instructions.pdf”… Follow those instructions and get your book!

And please go to the YWAM SF donation page and give what you can to their Capitol Campaign and/or their other ministries. In the “Comments” box, please say something like: “I got Barney Wiget’s book.”

Come If You Can!

If you’re in the Bay Area on the 25th, hope to see you there!

IT’S HERE!

It’s finally here! My book is published and ready to be devoured. 

Wait, you can’t see it? That’s probably because it’s an eBook! The reasons abound. One is to limit the massive clear cutting of trees it would take. Plus, think of all the space on your bookshelf you’ll be reserving for tchotchkes!

It’s called

Missional, Merciful, Worshipful Christians and Their Churches: A Study of Luke Chapter Ten

The title might be long but the book isn’t. I’ve been told it’s pretty good and could very well help a lot of people, not to mention their churches and leaders. I’m particularly excited about giving all the proceeds away to YWAM (Youth with a Mission) in the Tenderloin neighborhood of San Francisco. It’s a ministry with whom I’ve been associated for many years and have a number of friends there. They do great work and need the money more than I do to pay down their mortgage by November. (See the link in Comments.)

I’m offering the book on a “Pay What You Can” basis. If you can’t pay anything, it’s yours for free. If you can afford $10, $50, $500, or more, go for it. You’ll be helping people help others in a place that needs it big time!

Oh, don’t forget to tell your friends!

Here’s how you get it… Begin at barneywiget.com, then click on “Latest Book”… Fill in the boxes and click on “Receive Download Link”… Click on “Book Download Instructions.pdf”… Follow those instructions and get your book!And please donate what you can to YWAM SF HERE and let them know you got my book as a bonus.

OK, if you must see what it looks like…

How To Win Fights and Insult Friends Over Politics

Niceness is overrated, especially in times such as these. We’re in a battle against the evil of the other side. It’s us versus them. They’re not just wrong, they’re wicked and demonic. So, roll up your sleeves, get in the ring, and fight for the future of the country and the world. Follow these steps if you’re really in it to win it.

1. First, be willing to “take off the gloves”

Let them know you intend to fight till you win and they lose. Show them at the outset that if they disagree with you, they’re foolish and misinformed. Tear down any lines of communication. Do unto them before they do it to you!

If they disagree with you, it’s just what the Bible warned us about: Persecution. They most likely hate America and God too, so fight the good fight of faith (your version of it).

Civility and humility may have their place, but not in this instance. Remember, Jesus turned over tables and whipped people into submission.

But if you must insist on doing it the Jesus way, see this:

“Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.” Colossians 4:6

2. Deny the existence of nuance on the subject

Nuance is just another word for compromise, and there is no compromise when it comes to your political views. Others are either wrong or not. And don’t forget, they are wrong.

You can’t sling much mud with a narrow brush. The broader the brush the greater volume of mud is slung! So, avoid all suggestions of nuance on the topic and hit them with all the mud you can muster!

But if you must insist on doing it the Jesus way, see this:

To search out a matter is the glory of kings. Proverbs 25:2

3. Flood the zone with alternative facts

Never give them the platform by asking them what they think. It’s a waste of time and a good way to lose the argument.

Formulate what you’re going to say before they finish talking. As soon as they inhale between sentences, jump in and take control of the conversation. This is not an exchange of ideas. It’s about winning the debate. It’s not a two-way street between two people on equal footing. Don’t talk with or to them, but at them. Always keep the upper hand. The loudest voice always wins. They play dirty, so you have to too.

But if you must insist on doing it the Jesus way, see this:

“Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry.” James 1:19

4. Hold the party line at all costs

Smarter people than you drew that line to begin with. No matter what, always be loyal to the party and its leaders. Never express an agreement with the other party. And never never vote for the enemy in that party. You’re either one of us or you’re one of them. There’s no middle ground. If you veer from the party’s platform, you’re a traitor, and dead to us.

But if you must insist on doing it the Jesus way, see this:

When I was a child, I talked like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I put the ways of childhood behind me. 1 Corinthians 13:11

5. Focus on your facts, not their feelings

To use a basketball metaphor, “throw an elbow” once in a while just to let them know you’re not one to be reckoned with. (But don’t get caught.) Even if you have to stretch those facts, it’s legit as the ends justify the means.

But if you must insist on doing it the Jesus way, see this:

Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth. Matthew 5:5

6. Don’t be skittish about calling them what they are

Plastering a label on them and their tribe saves a lot of time and unnecessary talk. Be creative and come up some catchy and condescending name for them and you’re half way there. People hate it when they’re called a derogatory name and it upsets their balance. It puts them in their place and stops them from thinking straight. You know what they say, to the vulgar go the spoils!

But if you must insist on doing it the Jesus way, see this:

With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse human beings, who have been made in God’s likeness.  Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers and sisters, this should not be. James 3:9-10

Here are some others for the truly stubborn followers of the Jesus way:

Galatians 5:22; Matthew 7:34-35; Matthew 7:1; Romans 12:3, 18

Lastly…

“If I have the gift of winning political arguments and can fathom all its mysteries and have complete knowledge of the issues, and if my swagger can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing… Love is patient with those who disagree with me, is kind when debating the issues, it doesn’t boast of being smarter than anyone else. It does not make up degrading names for others, does not wake up every morning looking for a fight, it keeps no record of who ‘won’ the last argument. Love always protects others’ feelings, always thinks the best, always hopes for better, and always perseveres in the way of Jesus.”