1996 Red Sea Guy

Red was a really happy, go-lucky kind of guy.  He wasn't a Rhodes scholar but he was a solid, blue collar kind of guy from a long line of blue collar guys.  Interestingly, all I know of his childhood is his home state but that isn't relevant here.  Red went with me on a mission team - one of my first trips too - that was sponsored by several churches.  Eight evangelistic teams of four were recruited to spread out in eight towns to share the Good News of Jesus for ten days.

Day ten found us back in Managua, Nicaragua with the other teams.   Day eleven found us at home.  Another ten days found me being confronted by Red before as he said, "he was going to the church leaders."  Red was sharing with me how a pastor on the trip had shared with him a rumor that I had showered with one of the young female teammates.  Red said, "I know it can't be true but he said he saw you come out of her room with a towel and..."  Something was fishy here, I was angry, indignant and worried for our female teammate.  What would be the cost of a silly rumor to her world and emotions?  She was young, innocent and sensing a call to ministry.  Even though untrue, what could this cost her?

I grabbed Red and asked for an immediate audience with my boss and our pastor.  Red kept the story up but "couldn't reveal the name of the pastors" or even tell us how many of them were talking.   My pastor was awesome - he actually believed me but still pursued the facts.  He kept pressing Red until finally Red blurted out, "Okay.  The pastors didn't talk to me.  I talked to them.  I saw Doug and our other guy teammate coming out of the room and I assumed...it just didn't make me confortable...I was just talking...I...."

It all stopped there.  Red found out that we had been visiting with a whole roomful of people sharing precious candy bars among a group of guy and gal teammates.  Red's only answer to why he concocted this whole story was, "maybe I was possessed." 

I knew I was innocent and I could have managed any damage control and even unjust treatment that might have come from his ridiculous charge.  I could have proven Red wrong and dealt with things - I was a big kid.  However, the idea that Red (a thirty-something-year-old) didn't have the common sense to at least not injur "one of the least of these children" enraged me.  If you want to be a jerk, pick on somebody your own size.  If you want to come after a leader don't use an innocent pawn.  The emotional damage that such an inquisition (even with a false charge) could have caused our young female teammate was unacceptable.   

I looked at Red in that meeting and with the support of my pastor made it abundantly clear that this was not going to happen to a girl in our charge, on our watch, in God's church and that if Red didn't care to stop this insanity for her sake he was going to really be in it.  I don't think I have ever been so direct or so stern to any church member before or since.  But Red was not going to ruin this young woman's life for his own undefined purposes - we would not allow it.

Several things were interesting to me.  Red's guilt for his stupid comments caused him to come talk to me even though he blamed his comments on other pastors.  I learned and have seen time and again, you don't have to keep a search party out looking for people who might gossip about you in ministry - if you keep your head up and walk with God - they will always be found out or find you.

I learned that you cannot undo some untruths without giving the enemy and those that walk with him more opportunity to divide the church and shame God.  I hated that I could never talk to whichever pastors Red talked to.  I just had to trust that they had common sense or that God would prevent them from gossiping.  To have chased each down to tell the true story would have only added wood to Red's fire.  In fact, some of them would have reason to wonder since they never heard Red's comments in the first place.  God is our justification and sometimes he is our only shield.

I learned that the thing people complain most about in you is often the very thing they like least about themself - even when it comes to untruths.  Life has a way of showing what is in our hearts.  If we don't trust ourselves or have some problem, it often comes out in our lives and can be seen clearly through our perspectives, comments, assumptions and frustrations.  Red found himself challenged and charged for the very behavior that he "supposed" of others.

Most importantly I learned that I was exactly the opposite of what Red accused me of.  I saw in real terms that I cared more about the people that I served - that I was responsible to teach - than I cared about myself.  I saw a glimpse of the "protector" that Christ was making me where I would stand up for the innocent and guard the one's I was responsible for without regarding or worrying for my personal cost.  I had joined the other leaders who surrender all honor and claim leaving themselves only justified by Christ knowing that He will defend them but that they are charged to defend and protect those in their charge who are not yet ready or able to take that stand.