Michelle DeRusha

Every Day Faith. Faith Every Day.

serving

Simple Service Isn’t Always Measureable {but that doesn’t mean it’s not important}

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Recently my boss told those of us on his communications team about a meeting he’d had with a potential donor – someone who has the means to give significant funding to support our organization’s human services work in the community. After glancing at the brochure she’d been handed, the donor slid it back across the table to my boss. “I don’t really need to hear about how you serve,” she said. “I need to hear about how you solve.”

I get it. We like to see “measurable outcomes.” We like statistics and percentages that prove the organization we support is doing what it says it’s doing. We want to know not just how an organization is meeting people’s basic human needs, but how it’s helping to solve the bigger problems that prompted them to seek help in the first place.

We also like success stories: the recovered addict who is now clean and sober and gainfully employed, helping others as a substance abuse counselor; the former gang member who’s getting straight As at the local community college; the homeless couple who are now earning a viable income, have moved into a house of their own and are on the road to financial stability. These are the stories featured in annual reports and donor newsletters, the stories that make the local news.

For the record, I understand the donor’s point, and I absolutely believe non-profit organizations should be held accountable as responsible stewards of the money they are given. That said, in looking at the example Jesus offered his disciples and followers, I wonder if we are missing the bigger picture when our definition of success is based so narrowly on “measurable outcomes.”

“For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat,” Jesus said. “I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me…Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me” (Matthew 25:35-36, 40).

Jesus, it turns out, isn’t much interested in measurable outcomes. His expectations of us are pretty simple: he asks that we meet the needs of those who are suffering with compassion and care. His desire is not so much that we fix those who are “broken” or even that we help them transform themselves into something “better,” but simply that we come alongside those in need, embracing them with love, offering them companionship and community and treating them with the dignity they deserve as our fellow brothers and sisters.

A hot, nutritious meal.

A winter jacket and a warm knit hat.

A safe place to sleep.

A listening ear, a kind word, a prayer, a gentle touch.

These simple, most basic acts of service won’t be mentioned on the evening news or in an annual report. The people on the receiving end of these small kindnesses won’t likely be considered “success stories” – at least in the way our culture defines “success.” Sometimes we might even wonder whether these basic services and small gestures are really enough. And yet, regardless of whether or not it solves problems or produces measureable outcomes, loving and caring for our brothers and sisters in these simple ways is, at least according to Jesus, some of the most important work we can do.

This post first ran in the Lincoln Journal Star on October 13, 2018.

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Don’t forget to sign up for my special audio series, Practicing Presence: Preparing Our Hearts, Minds & Souls for the Holidays. The first episode in the five-part series goes out in less than a week (Sunday, October 28), so sign up today. Thanksgiving is a one month from tomorrow, with Christmas right on its heels, so it’s not too soon to start thinking about how we can be more present to our loved ones, to our own selves and to God this season.

How to Chase a Different Kind of Great

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“Everyone is chasing status, but serving the vulnerable is wide open in every field.” — Andy Crouch

I’m intimately familiar with chasing status. As an author, I’ve spent countless hours strategizing how to sell more books, attract more readers, build my platform, gain more social media shares, and rub shoulders with influential people.

I could tell you that this emphasis on networking and platform is an integral part of my job as a writer, and that would be partially true. But that’s not the whole story. The truth is, I like the status that comes with being a published author. I like the recognition. I like being known. I chase status because I want status.

I’ve been chasing status for a long time, and here’s what I’ve learned after years of hot pursuit: the chase never ends.

No matter how much we achieve, status is ephemeral. We will always want more – whether it’s better book sales, a more prestigious job title, a higher salary, a bigger house, a more expensive car, or a fancier purse. Chasing status is a race we will never win.

This is a lesson that’s taken me a long time to learn, and truthfully, on most days, I’m still learning it.

In his interview, Andy Crouch noted that when we focus our tunnel-vision solely on being the biggest, the best, and the most successful, we lose the opportunity to use our gifts to benefit others rather than ourselves. So many of us it seems, myself included, are wildly spinning our wheels in a fruitless attempt to Become Someone Important. Yet in doing so, we leave in our wakes a vast expanse of potential to make a real difference.

Setting our sights so narrowly on reaching whatever it is we’ve deemed The One Big Thing means we often miss the wide-open field of less glamorous but no less important work available to us.

This kind of opportunity likely won’t result in being known or recognized or famous, but as Martin Luther King, Jr., observed, there is the opportunity for a different kind of greatness here.

Last week, as part of my work for The Salvation Army, I had the opportunity to interview Daniel, a recovering crack cocaine addict who is eight months sober, on the road back to physical and mental health, and, having recently completed training, about to begin volunteering as a peer support counselor. As we chatted, the mix of perseverance, strength, and humility I heard in Daniel’s voice touched me deeply.

Writing part-time for The Salvation Army isn’t glamorous work. The story I wrote about Daniel, for example, will be included in a newsletter that will be mailed to fewer than 800 people, and I suspect far fewer than that will actually read the article. That work won’t impact book sales, help me build my platform, or earn me any name recognition. There’s no status in this kind of writing. And yet, talking with Daniel and writing his story was some of the most gratifying work I’ve ever done.

A couple of Sundays ago in church I listened to a soloist sing “Go Light Your World.” It was Senior Sunday, the day we bless the graduating high school seniors and send them off, and I teared up as I thought about the potential of each of these young men and women to impact the world.

The truth is, though, the ability to make a difference has no age limit. Each one of us, no matter how young or old, has the potential to carry our candle, to “run to the darkness, seek out the helpless, confused and torn,” as the song goes. Each one of us has been blessed with gifts we can use not just to increase our own status, but to serve those in need around us.

Reaching out to the Daniels in your world and the organizations that serve them with your God-given gifts won’t make you famous. It won’t earn you a lot of money or accolades or notoriety. It won’t make you “successful” by modern-day standards. But this I know for sure: it will offer you the opportunity for a different but no less beautiful kind of greatness, the kind of greatness that will bless you unexpectedly beyond measure.

How to Offer Grace in a Homeless World

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I met Jim as he was trudging up the hill on South Street, a black trash bag slung over one shoulder. He stopped me as I jogged past and asked if there was a Laundromat close by.

“I’m homeless. This is all I own and I’ve got to wash it,” he said, dropping his trash bag onto the sidewalk, where it puddled at our feet.

He introduced himself. We shook hands beneath the elm tree.

A pastor at a church downtown had given Jim five dollars to do his laundry. “But not until he’d made me tell him my life story, and I mean my whole life story,” Jim added, shaking his head. “I’m not doing that again.”

I knew why that pastor had asked for Jim’s life story before he handed over the five dollars, because it’s what I’d been thinking, too. I wanted to know Jim’s story, not only because I was curious, but also because I, too, was leery of being duped. I wanted to make sure Jim was legit, that he deserved my handout and wasn’t some con artist or addict looking for a quick buck.

Part of me, a big part of me, wanted to be sure Jim was worthy of my grace…

…I’m over at the lovely Emily Wierenga’s place today (have you read Emily’s memoir, Atlas Girl? Five stars, people, five stars!). Will you join me over there for the rest of this story? 

 

When More Is Not Enough {and a giveaway!}

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I’ve known Amy Sullivan a good long while now, and though I’ve never met her in person (is it weird to say that’s on my bucket list?), I admire her, respect her and downright love her. Amy’s heart for giving is incredible. What’s more, she doesn’t just think about giving and serving; she doesn’t just write about giving and serving; she does it. And Amy does something else that’s both challenging and at the same time hugely inspiring and encouraging: she gets her family involved, too.

So Amy’s gone and written a book – because she clearly doesn’t have enough on her plate as an educator, mother, wife and God-servant extraordinaire, right? I sat down one afternoon and read When More is Not Enough – How to Stop Giving Your Kids What They Want and Give Them What They Need in a single sitting , and I have to tell you, this book is good, friends — really, really good! Amy is funny, authentic and so, so relatable. She gives you the whole story of what it’s like to begin to change the culture in her household from “me, me, me” to a more serving focus, and it’s not always pretty or perfect. You’ll laugh at her foibles, you’ll nod along with her frustrations and challenges, but most importantly, you’ll come away with an invigorated passion for serving and giving, along with concrete, hands-on suggestions for how to gently and but definitively change the culture in your own household.

Oh, and by the way, Amy’s proceeds from sales of this book will be donated to a non-profit called Transformation Village, in her home state of North Carolina (more about that in the interview below). I know. I told you she was the bee’s knees!

When More is Not EnoughI recently had the opportunity to ask Amy a few questions about her book and her family’s giving and serving philosophy. Enjoy this interview, and then scroll down to watch the book trailer AND register for a chance to win a copy of When More is Not Enough.

Q: If you could suggest one place to start with cultivating a giving/serving family, where would that be? I guess a better way to ask the question is: where do we even begin?

Amy: Easy peasy. Start where you are. Start where you live. The easiest way to begin serving others is by interacting with the community around you.  Getting to know your neighbors, finding out what that woman down the street is passionate about, listening to an 82-year-old’s story, being present. I’m constantly shocked at how many needs surround our family, especially needs of people we know.

Q. Tell us a little bit about the non-profit organization you are donating book proceeds to. Why is it special to you?

Amy: My mother had me when she was barely nineteen. In addition to taking full time classes, my mom worked morning shifts at the university cafeteria, nights as a waitress, and weekends as a tour guide. Plus, she parented. Life was not easy, and I’ve always wanted to help other moms who struggle. The proceeds I make from When More is Not Enough are going to a project in Western North Carolina called Transformation Village. Transformation Village is a housing development my community is rallying to build. Transformation Village will house women who are veterans, single mothers and children, and families in crisis in North Carolina. It’s much different than a shelter in that it will focus on providing more than a meal and some clothes. Instead, Transformation Village will focus on providing a way for people to truly better themselves by offering counseling, mentoring, job training, and additional education.

Q. What’s the most creative service project you’ve done with your family?

Amy: I can take zero credit for our most creative service project. A nail polish stand was the brainchild of our oldest daughter. My husband and I discouraged our girl as she and a friend lined-up rainbow colors on a plastic tablecloth and stationed themselves on a corner in our neighborhood, but cars and walkers just  kept coming.

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Q. Tell us about a family service initiative that completely bombed? {make us feel better!}

Amy: I invited thirty people over to make shoes out of milk cartons and jeans. This was an obvious mistake for those who know me. The milk cartons stunk, the kids traced the wrong patterns, our two pair of dull scissors barely cut, and zero shoes were made. This was clearly a case of me getting sucked into a cool online video with great music, and ignoring the fact that I have zero crafting ability and therefore, it is not possible for me to lead a group of thirty in making shoes.

Q. What do you hope is the one definitive take-away readers will glean from When More is Not Enough?

Amy: Serving others is more than a series of tasks. It’s a way of life. It’s learning to love others the way God loves us.

Amy Sullivan HeadshotFor the past two years, Amy L. Sullivan looked harder, loved stronger, and discovered more by fixing her gaze on something other than the person staring back at her in the mirror. Amy writes for oodles of print and online publications and loves speaking with groups of any size. Connect with her online at AmyLSullivan.com.

{Email readers: please click here and scroll down to the bottom of the post if you’d like to enter the giveaway for a chance to win a copy of When More Is Not Enough}

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Your Yes is Enough

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JacklineandNeema

I remember gazing at the check on my dining room table, my cursive signature tidy in the lower right corner. The night before, my husband Brad and I had decided to sponsor the education of two teenaged Tanzanian girls. I’d dutifully written out the check the next morning, but I stopped just short of sliding the blue slip into an envelope.

I didn’t want to mail the money.

Brad and I had supported local charities sporadically for years – ten dollars for hunger, twenty dollars for new sneakers, an unwrapped Christmas gift, a few checks here and there – but we’d never contributed to an initiative that entailed such a significant monetary commitment.

But as I sat at the dining room table with the pen in my hand, I realized the money itself wasn’t the problem. The hard truth was that I simply didn’t want to spend it on something that seemed so fruitless.  What was the point? I reasoned. Who were these girls, and how would our help make any difference at all? It felt futile, like the tiniest drop.

…I am delighted to be over at Kristen Welch’s place today. Kristen is the author of Rhinestone Jesus, a book that will change you if you read it, guaranteed.  Join me over at her place for my post about saying yes? 

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