Tim Clark’s Blog

Today my family celebrated Thanksgiving well in Newberg, Oregon. Newberg is a sleepy little College town about 10 miles outside of the urban area of Portland. It was 12 members of my wife’s family, plus Al.

Al is in his early 50′s and doesn’t have family around, so he hung out with us. Watched some football games. Played with the kids. Listened to some 70′s and 80′s music through itunes on our computer. Feasted with us. He said he was a bit scared to join the family since he didn’t know us all well, but as he left he said he was really glad he came.

And as he was saying goodbye, my son Caleb gave him a hug and said, “I hope you find a home”. You see, Al is homeless. He lives on the streets in Portland. My brother in law got up at 6am to drive out there and pick him up at the shelter he was staying in last night. It’s a long story, but Darrin (my brother in law) had connected with Al over a year ago on the streets of Santa Monica during a Youth Group trip to LA, and ended up helping to get him to Oregon where there were some opportunities that didn’t pan out so well. Long story short—Al is back on the streets.

So Darrin keeps connected with him and invited him to Thanksgiving. When Al walked in he said, “I haven’t smelled that smell in a home for years”. It was a turkey cooking. He let us lift up his very heavy bag—with everything he owns— that he carries around the city all day long. He just hung out. We didn’t ask him a lot of questions. We simply let him be part of the family. Eating, watching football, and chatting. At one point he said (with a tear in his eye) “you have no idea what it’s like to live out there on the streets”, at which I assured him I really did not.

I believe in helping out with the shelters and the soup kitchens; I’ve gone at holiday time before and been a part of a blessing to homeless folks. But as we ate with Al today, through no planning of my own (I didn’t even know he was going to be there) I wondered what it would be like if every Christian family could invite a homeless friend to dinner at Thanksgiving and Christmas. It’s nice, and necessary, to go to where they live to serve them, but it’s a task which still allows me to hide behind a food line; it was authentic to open our home and our lives to Al and be a friend.

We weren’t able to solve any of his problems, and he had to leave to get back to the shelter to make sure he could get a highly sought-after bed on a cold, damp night. But for a few moments, Al had a normal day. It was good for him; it was better for us. We got to be reminded that we are thankful for family we have all the time, not to mention a roof over our head, a stocked refrigerator, cable tv and internet. And I think that when we stop to give a McDonalds gift certificate or an encouraging word to the homeless lady on the side of the freeway onramp where we live, my kids (and me) will see things a little differently.

My wife Deborah wrote the following in our weekly email to our congregation. Though we are taking off today for Oregon to spend Thanksgiving in the crisp fall, it’s a good reminder that the season is not about our circumstance. Enjoy:

You know, being an Oregon girl, this weather is really out of place (or should I say out of season) for me. I know many of you enjoy these nice hot days, but I am ready for my sweaters and scarves and maybe a little rain. It just doesn’t feel like fall. I keep wondering if the calendar is off a month or two. But living in Southern California, I’m always reminded that the Thanksgiving and Christmas seasons have little to do with our circumstances, and a whole lot to do with our hearts. Even though I’m still wearing shorts and flip-flops, I can still be thankful. And even though life may not always hand me the “weather” I was hoping for, I can still take great joy in knowing I have a Savior who came to earth as a baby so that he could grow up and take my place on the cross. If that means I sing “Joy to the World” in 80 degree weather and my kids wear their Santa hats in the pool, then I guess it’s ok. Thanksgiving and Christmas are not stopped by a little heat!

This morning we had a conversation in church about spiritual gifts. I find that often believers either ignore them, abuse them, or misunderstand them. But God tells us that He doesn’t want us to be ingorant about them (1 Corinthians 12:1) …He wants us to understand.

The Bible says there are different kinds of gifts. Many believers embrace the idea that God has given everyone one or more gifts which identify them—it’s what you are good at, what you love to do. I really like that this has been recaptured in the Body because I think that God has gifted everyone and He expects that we will use those gifts for His glory. Beautiful.

But there are also manifestations. These are not things I may feel naturally good at (though any spiritual gift, properly used, is actually supernatural), but special Holy-Spirit given ability to display God’s power and grace in someone’s time of need.

Example: I’m a creative and passionate communicator (preacher/teacher) at heart. I’m also able to lead. And, I tend towards the prophetic. Those are strengths that show up on every spiritual gifts test I’ve ever taken. But I score 0—a big goose egg—on mercy and pastoring. But I’m a pastor! So when you come to me for counseling, I wring my hands before you show up because I have no idea what I’m going to say. I get nervous about trying to help someone with their personal problems ’cause I don’t want to mess anyone up. But I pray for the Holy Spirit’s insight. And you know what? It almost always happens. I’ll meet with you and you might think I’m an awful counselor (see, told you), but at some point God gives me this moment of insight and I ask a question or state something that will help immensely. That is the manifestation of the Spirit at work. I sure know it’s not me.

So the point is, we all have a gift or two that we are supposed to develop. And we all should be open to the supernatural gifts that God wants to manifest through us depending on what is needed at the time. And in both areas, I need to be open for God to work through me.

More on the gifts when I get back to preaching in 2 weeks!