| Spiritual Fiction posted August 6, 2008 |
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A loving friend. Under 1300 words
Come As You Are
by redrider6612
Kristy grabbed her purse and keys and pulled the door open, brought up short at the sight of her neighbor, Ian, standing there with his hand raised to knock. He smiled uncertainly and dropped his arm.
“Hi,” she said with a smile.
“Hi. It’s eight-thirty and you said I could—“
Her smile broadened. She had dreamed of this day. “Really? Oh, Ian, that’s awesome! C’mon, let’s go.”
Suddenly overwhelmed with uncertainty, he snagged her arm as she turned to lock her door. “Are you sure?”
Her heart contracted in sympathy at the worry on his face. “Positive. It’s cool, Ian, really. You’re gonna love it. Trust me.”
“I do…that’s why I’m here. Am I dressed okay?” he asked, fidgeting with his shirt collar.
“Absolutely. I told you, it’s totally come as you are.”
Twenty-five minutes later, Ian slouched in the back row of folding chairs in the high school gym. Next to him Kristy was fairly humming with excitement as the praise band played the opening stanza of “East to West”. He had to admit, they were pretty good, and the lead singer had a decent voice. He joined in the clapping when the song was over, and then the lead singer urged everyone to greet those around them. Kristy introduced him to at least a dozen people and each of them smiled and welcomed him warmly. Everyone remained standing as the female lead began singing “Redeemer”.
As the applause faded and everyone took a seat, a middle-aged man in faded jeans and a navy polo shirt walked to the front and turned to face the congregation. He wore a relaxed, warm smile, and the knot in Ian’s gut loosened.
“Good morning, I’m Pastor Mark.” Everyone murmured good morning and he started talking like he was having a conversation with an old and dear friend. Ian wondered when the sermon was going to start, but he was enjoying what the guy was saying so much, it wasn’t until he mentioned a passage from the Bible that he realized this was the sermon. Sitting forward with a rapt expression, Ian drank in every word.
After the last song was sung and the pastor dismissed them with a blessing, Ian rose with everyone else. Kristy grinned up at him expectantly.
“That was really great,” Ian said sincerely.
“Oh, I’m so glad. I knew you’d enjoy it. Come on, I want you to meet Pastor Mark.”
The knot in his gut tightened again as she took his hand and led him over to the information table where the pastor was talking to a young couple with a baby. When they walked away, Kristy pulled him forward.
“Pastor Mark, I’d like you to meet my neighbor and good friend, Ian Walters.”
The pastor smiled and offered his hand. “Nice to meet you, Ian.”
Ian accepted the handshake, suddenly unaccountably nervous. “I’m gay,” he blurted.
The man didn’t even blink. “I’m a recovering alcoholic.”
Struck speechless, Ian looked from Pastor Mark to Kristy and back again. He’d never met a clergyman who was willing to admit such a thing.
Pastor Mark went on. “Everyone falls short of God’s perfection. That’s why we all need His forgiveness.”
“Oh…uh, so there isn’t some kind of…rule against gays in your church?”
“If we started barring sinners from our church, we wouldn’t have anybody but hypocrites, now would we?”
“Are you saying you accept homosexuality?”
“We hate the sin, we love the sinner. Like Jesus did, we do our best to meet people where they are in their faith journey.”
Ian didn’t know what to say. He had been prepared to defend his sexual preference. Faced with warmth and acceptance, he was at a loss.
Pastor Mark smiled again. “I hope you’ll come again soon.” He turned to Kristy. “I’m sure you’d love that, wouldn’t you, Kristy?”
She beamed. “Sure, anytime. Come on, Ian, let’s go get some coffee. I have some more people I’d like you to meet.”
“It was nice to meet you,” Ian stammered, remembering his manners.
“Same here,” Pastor Mark said before turning to a boy who had run up to him.
Kristy led him to a table in the snack bar area and introduced him to her friends. Time flew as they all sipped coffee and munched on doughnuts. They were all very warm and welcoming, and Ian relaxed as the group chatted about school and work, family and mutual acquaintances. He should have felt like an outsider, but they all went out of their way to include him, asking friendly questions and sharing tidbits of information about themselves with him.
The car ride home was quiet. Kristy turned the radio on low to a contemporary Christian station. She knew he was struggling with reconciling the morning’s experiences with what he knew about organized religion. As she parked at their apartment complex he finally turned to look at her.
“Were they for real?” He was frowning.
She gave a wry smile. “Not what you expected, was it?”
“Not by a long shot. But would they have been that nice if they knew I was gay?”
Kristy nodded slowly. “Even then. You aren’t the first gay person to come to our church.”
“Really? Do they still go there?”
“Yeah. Remember Kyle?”
Ian searched his memory. He had met so many people…”Wasn’t he the skinny dude next to Corinne?”
“Good memory. He’s been a member for almost two years now.”
“He’s gay?”
“He was.”
“But…they were holding hands!”
Kristy nodded, waiting for him to come to his own conclusions.
Anger rose in him. “So you guys, what…deprogram gays?”
She sighed. “No, Ian. Kyle chose to change on his own. I’m sure he’d share his story with you if you asked him.”
Folding his arms in a classic defensive pose, he glared at her. “Now I know why you’ve been after me to go to your church. You hate gays.”
“Wrong. We welcome everyone that comes to our church, no matter what. We leave it to God to change their hearts.” She paused to let her words sink in. He continued to stare out the car window, so she touched his arm. The pain in his eyes when he finally turned his head to look at her brought a lump to her throat.
“I care for you,” she said gently. “I want to share the most important thing in my life with you—my faith.”
“If you care about me, then you’ll accept me for who I am. Being gay is a part of me that isn’t going to change,” he said, his lips in a thin line.
Kristy said a quick prayer, asking God for the right words. When she felt able, she spoke from the heart. “I do care about you. You are always in my prayers. I hope you will come to church with me again, but I’m not going to pressure you. Just know that you’re always welcome to join me on Sundays.”
Ian searched her eyes for a long moment, looking for any sign of ulterior motive. All he saw was concern and caring. “Fair enough,” he said finally. He reached for the door handle. He stopped at the touch of her hand on his arm.
“If you ever need someone to talk to, I’m a good listener.”
He raised a brow.
“No preaching, I promise,” she said quickly, raising a hand as though taking an oath.
“I’ll hold you to that,” he said, only halfway teasing. “You’re a good friend, Kristy.”
“I want to be, Ian.” With God’s help, I will be, she added silently.
Kristy grabbed her purse and keys and pulled the door open, brought up short at the sight of her neighbor, Ian, standing there with his hand raised to knock. He smiled uncertainly and dropped his arm.
“Hi,” she said with a smile.
“Hi. It’s eight-thirty and you said I could—“
Her smile broadened. She had dreamed of this day. “Really? Oh, Ian, that’s awesome! C’mon, let’s go.”
Suddenly overwhelmed with uncertainty, he snagged her arm as she turned to lock her door. “Are you sure?”
Her heart contracted in sympathy at the worry on his face. “Positive. It’s cool, Ian, really. You’re gonna love it. Trust me.”
“I do…that’s why I’m here. Am I dressed okay?” he asked, fidgeting with his shirt collar.
“Absolutely. I told you, it’s totally come as you are.”
Twenty-five minutes later, Ian slouched in the back row of folding chairs in the high school gym. Next to him Kristy was fairly humming with excitement as the praise band played the opening stanza of “East to West”. He had to admit, they were pretty good, and the lead singer had a decent voice. He joined in the clapping when the song was over, and then the lead singer urged everyone to greet those around them. Kristy introduced him to at least a dozen people and each of them smiled and welcomed him warmly. Everyone remained standing as the female lead began singing “Redeemer”.
As the applause faded and everyone took a seat, a middle-aged man in faded jeans and a navy polo shirt walked to the front and turned to face the congregation. He wore a relaxed, warm smile, and the knot in Ian’s gut loosened.
“Good morning, I’m Pastor Mark.” Everyone murmured good morning and he started talking like he was having a conversation with an old and dear friend. Ian wondered when the sermon was going to start, but he was enjoying what the guy was saying so much, it wasn’t until he mentioned a passage from the Bible that he realized this was the sermon. Sitting forward with a rapt expression, Ian drank in every word.
After the last song was sung and the pastor dismissed them with a blessing, Ian rose with everyone else. Kristy grinned up at him expectantly.
“That was really great,” Ian said sincerely.
“Oh, I’m so glad. I knew you’d enjoy it. Come on, I want you to meet Pastor Mark.”
The knot in his gut tightened again as she took his hand and led him over to the information table where the pastor was talking to a young couple with a baby. When they walked away, Kristy pulled him forward.
“Pastor Mark, I’d like you to meet my neighbor and good friend, Ian Walters.”
The pastor smiled and offered his hand. “Nice to meet you, Ian.”
Ian accepted the handshake, suddenly unaccountably nervous. “I’m gay,” he blurted.
The man didn’t even blink. “I’m a recovering alcoholic.”
Struck speechless, Ian looked from Pastor Mark to Kristy and back again. He’d never met a clergyman who was willing to admit such a thing.
Pastor Mark went on. “Everyone falls short of God’s perfection. That’s why we all need His forgiveness.”
“Oh…uh, so there isn’t some kind of…rule against gays in your church?”
“If we started barring sinners from our church, we wouldn’t have anybody but hypocrites, now would we?”
“Are you saying you accept homosexuality?”
“We hate the sin, we love the sinner. Like Jesus did, we do our best to meet people where they are in their faith journey.”
Ian didn’t know what to say. He had been prepared to defend his sexual preference. Faced with warmth and acceptance, he was at a loss.
Pastor Mark smiled again. “I hope you’ll come again soon.” He turned to Kristy. “I’m sure you’d love that, wouldn’t you, Kristy?”
She beamed. “Sure, anytime. Come on, Ian, let’s go get some coffee. I have some more people I’d like you to meet.”
“It was nice to meet you,” Ian stammered, remembering his manners.
“Same here,” Pastor Mark said before turning to a boy who had run up to him.
Kristy led him to a table in the snack bar area and introduced him to her friends. Time flew as they all sipped coffee and munched on doughnuts. They were all very warm and welcoming, and Ian relaxed as the group chatted about school and work, family and mutual acquaintances. He should have felt like an outsider, but they all went out of their way to include him, asking friendly questions and sharing tidbits of information about themselves with him.
The car ride home was quiet. Kristy turned the radio on low to a contemporary Christian station. She knew he was struggling with reconciling the morning’s experiences with what he knew about organized religion. As she parked at their apartment complex he finally turned to look at her.
“Were they for real?” He was frowning.
She gave a wry smile. “Not what you expected, was it?”
“Not by a long shot. But would they have been that nice if they knew I was gay?”
Kristy nodded slowly. “Even then. You aren’t the first gay person to come to our church.”
“Really? Do they still go there?”
“Yeah. Remember Kyle?”
Ian searched his memory. He had met so many people…”Wasn’t he the skinny dude next to Corinne?”
“Good memory. He’s been a member for almost two years now.”
“He’s gay?”
“He was.”
“But…they were holding hands!”
Kristy nodded, waiting for him to come to his own conclusions.
Anger rose in him. “So you guys, what…deprogram gays?”
She sighed. “No, Ian. Kyle chose to change on his own. I’m sure he’d share his story with you if you asked him.”
Folding his arms in a classic defensive pose, he glared at her. “Now I know why you’ve been after me to go to your church. You hate gays.”
“Wrong. We welcome everyone that comes to our church, no matter what. We leave it to God to change their hearts.” She paused to let her words sink in. He continued to stare out the car window, so she touched his arm. The pain in his eyes when he finally turned his head to look at her brought a lump to her throat.
“I care for you,” she said gently. “I want to share the most important thing in my life with you—my faith.”
“If you care about me, then you’ll accept me for who I am. Being gay is a part of me that isn’t going to change,” he said, his lips in a thin line.
Kristy said a quick prayer, asking God for the right words. When she felt able, she spoke from the heart. “I do care about you. You are always in my prayers. I hope you will come to church with me again, but I’m not going to pressure you. Just know that you’re always welcome to join me on Sundays.”
Ian searched her eyes for a long moment, looking for any sign of ulterior motive. All he saw was concern and caring. “Fair enough,” he said finally. He reached for the door handle. He stopped at the touch of her hand on his arm.
“If you ever need someone to talk to, I’m a good listener.”
He raised a brow.
“No preaching, I promise,” she said quickly, raising a hand as though taking an oath.
“I’ll hold you to that,” he said, only halfway teasing. “You’re a good friend, Kristy.”
“I want to be, Ian.” With God’s help, I will be, she added silently.
 Recognized |
The skeptics among you might think this church is a complete fabrication, but you would be wrong. The church in the story is a fictionalization of my wonderful church. There are many testimonials of people whose lives have been changed by the loving acceptance found there. If even one person is moved to look for a church like mine, then I will be content. God bless and keep you in His tender loving care.
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