Pastor Rob Wright
Pastor Rob is also the author of 2 books; INSIDE ATTICA-RIOT TO REVIVAL, and HOPE, MORE THAN JUST HANGING ON.
Welcome!
"The Bum Story"
It was a beautiful, sunny Sunday morning. As the derelict awoke next to the garbage cans in the abandoned alley, he took a good look at himself; he was a mess. His old, tattered suit was full of large holes, and several newspapers were wrapped around his shoes. He hadn’t shaved in months, and his hair was stiff with the dirt of the ground. As the man began to stand however, something caught his eye – a shiny, white cross on a church steeple several blocks away. “I’m sick of the way I’m living,” he said to himself. “Today I’m going to start my life over again, and I know that Lord will forgive me!” He got up, brushed himself off, and started walking toward the bright cross. As he walked closer to the church, he heard the bells ringing and became excited with the thought of a new life in Christ. His heart pounded as he saw the big stained-glass windows and heard the organ’s soft tones. His steps grew faster as he saw the fancy cars and the beautiful women with their fine furs escorted by men in expensive suits. As he began to walk up the large, luxurious steps leading up to the church, two ushers stopped him and suddenly pushed him down the stairs. Surprised, the man picked himself back up, and again, started up the stairs. Once more, the same ushers threw him back down and shouted, “Get out of here you rotten, stinking bum! Go back to the ghetto where you belong!” After several more failed attempts to enter the church, the man grew frustrated and impatient and eventually gave up. He turned away and walked back toward the ghetto. With his shoulders slumped and tears in his eyes, he began to cry in distress to God. “Why Lord, why?!” he screamed. “They just wouldn’t even let me in that church, Lord! Why wouldn’t they let me in?!” Suddenly, he felt the presence of the Holy Spirit, and a voice said, “Don’t worry son, I can’t get in there either.”
The church I am talking about in this story is the church in our hearts! Our churches are not showcases for Saints, but hospitals for sick sinners! As Christians, we must love those who are lost and reach out to them in love – with the Jesus type of love. Jesus said in John 6:37 that “all who the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me, I will never drive away.
