A Difficult Question With a Non-Alpha Answer
(Previously posted by me elsewhere)
Sometimes I have been asked the question, "What is the most difficult question you've ever been asked, as an Alpha small-group leader, and how did you answer it?"
Now, you may think of difficult questions like, "Why did my husband die of cancer?" or seemingly flippant questions like, "How did Noah get two polar bears on the ark?
But the one that comes to mind was not that kind of question. This was during one of my prison Alpha's a few years back. It came from a Native Canadian - would have been in his late'40's or early 50's I suppose - tall, distinguished, in a warrior sort of way that the prison system had not been able to beat out of him. He could have been a chief in an old western movie. His long salt and pepper hair was pulled back behind his ears and over the collar of his orange jumpsuit. He said this:
Instead, I remembered a story told by Ravi Zaccharias:
I left it at that.
Blessings,
John
Sometimes I have been asked the question, "What is the most difficult question you've ever been asked, as an Alpha small-group leader, and how did you answer it?"
Now, you may think of difficult questions like, "Why did my husband die of cancer?" or seemingly flippant questions like, "How did Noah get two polar bears on the ark?
But the one that comes to mind was not that kind of question. This was during one of my prison Alpha's a few years back. It came from a Native Canadian - would have been in his late'40's or early 50's I suppose - tall, distinguished, in a warrior sort of way that the prison system had not been able to beat out of him. He could have been a chief in an old western movie. His long salt and pepper hair was pulled back behind his ears and over the collar of his orange jumpsuit. He said this:
When my father was a boy he was taken from his home, his village and his people, and sent to a white man's school. They tried to take away his language and his culture and turn him into a little white man. He never recovered from it, nor did my family. The people who did this represented your Jesus. What do you say about that?The question was not intended for discussion. It was directed straight at me. I must admit I didn't give the standard Alpha small group leader answer, "That's interesting. What does anyone else think?"
Instead, I remembered a story told by Ravi Zaccharias:
There was a small village. In that village was a well respected man, loved by all. This man had a very distinctive coat and a very recognizable hat. In fact, you could tell even from a distance when he was coming, because you could see his hat and coat. They would say, "Here comes Mr So-and-so; we can see his hat and coat."
One day a thief stole that coat and hat, put it on and robbed a corner store. Police were called in and all the witnesses said, "It was Mr So-and-so - we recognized his hat and coat." But, of course, it wasn't Mr So-and-so. It was just someone wearing his hat and coat."Many things have been done in Jesus' name," I said - "some of them even well-intentioned. but don't blame Jesus for some of the pain. Sometimes it's just been someone wearing his hat and coat".
I left it at that.
Blessings,
John
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