Apparently stripping the floors is more important to caring for the inmates than ... oh ... ministry they really enjoy and look forward to ... but it ain't happening today.
Floor wax is more important.
Now to put floor wax down in the Oceanside Nursing Home all the inmates ... who pay to be there ... are vacated the premises.
They are rolled outside in the hot weather with no ocean breeze.
The militant faction refuse to go ... knowing they've paid damn good money to stay cool ... remain inside the Air Conditioner lobby ... looking at us on the other side of the glass doors.
"We want you to play!" we hear their muted voices say from the outside.
I flash the "Peace Sign."
They flash it back and grin.
Being a loving person is hard enough.
Being a ministering loving person, doing it for free is harder.
Love being rejected is hardest of all.
We are one broke Church.
The only thing we have to give is ourselves which is what we do.
Because there's nothing else to give.
But we do it cheerfully and the inmates sing, laugh clap, shake tambourines and ... are crying on the other side of the door as we load up our gear.
"And if any place will not welcome you or listen to you, leave that place and shake the dust off your feet as a testimony against them" (Mark 6:11).
We wish it was that easy.
Love never is.
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