From Sampler to Sower

I was back in my old stomping grounds in Illinois last weekend. And it was nice to be back.  I spent my first seven years of ministry in Decatur, in the very heart of Illinois.  Prior to that I spent three years at Olivet Nazarene University in Bourbonnais earning on my undergraduate degree in ministry.  Ten years creates some strong connections with a state.

Chicago's 50,000 Watt Blowtorch

During those years I fell in love with talk radio. It was before the age of iPods and podcasts.  It was before I discovered the beauty of audiobooks.  Talk radio was the easiest way to keep my mind engaged when doing otherwise mindless tasks.  Yes, I fell in love with talk radio.

I’m not talking about the bile and vitriol of nationally syndicated programs like Limbaugh, Colmes and Schlessinger (at least those were the big names back then).  I’m talking about local talk. Don Wade and Roma in the morning, Roe Conn and Garry Meier during the afternoon drive, and especially Jay Marvin‘s late nights – the local lineup back in the day for Chicago’s “50,000 watt blowtorch” WLS 890 AM.

Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich

During my recent return to the state I left seven years ago, I was thrilled to discover that WLS hasn’t gone the way of so much talk radio, trading local talk for the glitz, glamor and low production costs of syndicated blather.  (Or at least, not completely.  I did run into a rebroadcast of Sean Hannity’s show around 7 pm) and quickly fired the iPod back up.)  Roe Conn wasn’t on air that Friday but his spot was being filled by another local voice and even better, they then rebroadcast that morning’s 40-some minute Don Wade and Roma interview with embattled Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich whose impeachment trial on corruption charges is slated to begin today.

Now, while I myself may be a bit of a political junkie, and I am known to twitter about politics from time to time, I don’t intend this to be a political blog.  I normally wouldn’t write about this interview here.  But one part of the interview in particular caught my attention.

Blagojevich went on WLS Friday morning to take his case to the people of Illinois, explaining why his legal strategy for his impeachment trial is to skip Springfield altogether and instead appeal to New York City.

Yes, you read that right.

The Governor claims he will not appear in his own defense, at least not at the Capitol.  He may, however, appear on Good Morning America and The View.

The interview itself was filled with laughably surreal moments. Like when he argued that when he allegedly tried to sell Obama’s Senate seat or blocked the distribution of funds approved by the state legislature for a children’s hospital until the hospital’s executives ponied up some funds of their own for the governor’s campaign fund he was actually acting in the best interest of the people of Illinois.  (After all, he argues, all Illinois politics are corrupt and the only way he can do the work of the people is to ensure he has enough campaign funds that he can afford to offend some of his supporters.)

Or take his recurring theme from the interview that the entire impeachment proceedings are actually a conspiracy between the Republicans and the Democrats in the Illinois legislature (though mainly those from his own Democratic party) to get him out of the way so they can raise income taxes.  Convict me at my impeachment trial, says Blagojevich, and watch them pass a 66% increase in state income taxes come spring.

Or best yet, there is my favorite moment when the Governor praises his legal team led by legendary defense lawyer Ed Genson, whom Blagojevich says he considers a 21st century Clarence Darrow or F. Lee Bailey.  Of course that was a few hours before Genson quit Blagojevich’s defense team saying “I never require a client to do what I say but I do require them to at least listen to what I say.”

All of this led Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) to call the Governor “delusional” (clarifying of course that this is a political, not a psychiatric diagnosis).  Democratic Mayor of Chicago also chimed in calling the governor (and I quote) “Coo-coo.”

But normally none of this would merit mention here on this blog.  What caught this Youth Ministry blogger’s attention were these comments:

There are several elements to an experience like this that’s painful and very unfortunate and sad.  The silence of some of your friends, the silence of political allies who the day before all this came down which we call our personal Pearl Harbor day, were just in your office asking for things and you know, enjoying the benefits of what the governor can do for them and then these things happen and of course I’m deeply hurt by some friends who perhaps may have done certain things. . . .

Let me tell you.  Out of bad things, good things come.  And one of the most gratifying things that Patti and I have experienced since this happened to us has been the outpouring of support from just real ordinary people from all over Illinois and all over the country.  And it’s very interesting when you read some of the things that they write to you. The pattern  of a lot of the letters and notes and thoughts and the sentiments are from people who have a deep sense of religious convictions and faith and a belief in God.  And I have that.

And you can see that people who have  faith in in God and a belief in the values that religion teaches, they have a special appreciation for hardship and for suffering and for struggle.  Perhaps they’ve lived it themselves.  They embrace their religious convictions because it helps them through these difficult times.

And again when you talk about some of those relationships and how things happen in life and how people can let you down and hurt you, I’m not the first person this has happened to.  All you have to do is read the Bible and parts of the Bible are filled with stories like this about how human beings treat each other and how circumstances can change and what people do. But it’s very heartwarming to get these notes and letters of support from people around Illinois and around America who are good decent people who see the truth of things.

(Disclaimer – this is my own transcript of the interview, and given the fact that I am not a transcriptionist, there may be some mistakes.  You can download the interview for yourself here.  The comments in question are in part one of the interview at about 10 minutes, 10 seconds in.)

That’s right folks.  You heard it here first.  (Unless of course you happened to catch the original interview Friday morning.  Or the rebroadcast Friday evening.  Or the endless media coverage of the interview since.) 

What we have here is not an impeachment trial.  It is persecution of Biblical proportions. It’s not the Governor who has let down his constituency.  It is the friends of the Governor who are letting him down.

There’s just one problem with such an interpretation.  The Governor’s problems do not rise to the level of persecution. He’s not being impeached because he’s been fighting on behalf of the little guy, bravely doing his job.  He’s been impeached and is about to be tried because it appears he may just be the most corrupt politician since, well, since George Ryan (also known as Federal Inmate #16627-424 ), Blagojevich’s immediate predecessor as Governor of the grand state of Illinois who subsequently went to jail for corruption in 2006.  I stress the word appears in part because I recognize the current governor has not yet had his day in court and may yet be acquitted.  I also stress the word appears because it may also prove that Blagojevich’s corruption makes Ryan’s look like child play.

And when the Bible, which the governor cites in these remarks, talks about persecution it is pretty clear.  1 Peter 2:19-20 reads:

For it is commendable if a man bears up under the pain of unjust suffering because he is conscious of God. But how is it to your credit if you receive a beating for doing wrong and endure it? But if you suffer for doing good and you endure it, this is commendable before God. (NIV)

Again, fully acknowledging that a trial may completely change the way we look at what is happening to Blagojevich, right now I hardly think what he is going through qualifies as “unjust suffering”.  He’s playing the persecution card after being caught doing what has every appearance of evil, something which the Bible clarifies is of no credit at all.

What does this have to do with Youth Ministry?

It’s easy for criticism to leave youth workers feeling persecuted.  From time to time, people who have no concept of the struggles we face, the schedules we keep or the priorities we have to juggle complain about something we’ve allowed to slip through the cracks and suddenly we find ourselves praying with David that our enemies might become the food of jackals.

The problem is, a lot of times these people aren’t our enemies. Their concerns are not a subtle conspiracy to have either your head or your job.  Rather these are good people with legitimate concerns who want to see you succeed.  OK – that’s not always the case.  But a lot of the times it is.

So instead of claiming persecution and beginning the lamentatious prayers of a martyr, ask yourself some questions:

• Is this concern legitimate? Is the issue they are raising something that I need to give some attention to?  Is there a weakness here that really can be addressed.
• Is this concern something I should be taking care of? Is this really in my area of responsibility or authority?  If not, with whom should these concerns be raised?
• Is this concern something that I have the resources to address? Do you have the time, the energy, the ability, the finances, the influence, etc. to address this issue?  If it is a legitimate concern and you don’t have the resources to address it, how do you get the proper resources?
• Is this concern that someone could help me address? Maybe the answer to some of the resource problems could be to enlist help.  And given the fact that this concerned congregant cared enough to raise the concern, it could be the one best suited to give you help is right there looking you in the eye.

So, next time someone criticizes you, don’t go all Blagojevich on them.  Instead, ask some hard questions so you can face criticism without become a martyr.