Life on the Rock

Sunday evening, I preached in the Hispanic service. Before I went into the service, I read something I often read, the last line of Ralph Ellison’s novel, Invisible Man: “who knows but that, on the lower frequencies, I speak for you.” Invisible Man is a powerful novel about being black in a deeply segregated time in America. As the title implies, he is invisible, doesn’t count.

When I got home Melissa told me this about Joseph. I had dropped the boys off and went back to the Hispanic service. After a while, Joseph asked where I was. Melissa said, “Daddy went to work.” Joseph was insistent that I did not and asked where I was. He knows that preaching isn’t work! She told him again that I went to work. Joseph said, “no, he has gone to preach to the invisible people.”

He senses, even at his age, even at The Rock La Roca, that there is some separation. It’s natural, some of it. There are language barriers. Cultural barriers. But we are dedicated to helping them come down.

The Rock/La Roca is a place that will always need money. We have good attendance, but so many of the people have limited economic means. So we’re not the usual church with 300 people on Sundays. But I have a mantra; if you do the right thing, the money and the people show up.

We had proof of that a few weeks ago. We were in a meeting where we were discussing where to come up with the $3600 needed to send some of our kids on a mission trip. In came a group from a church in Illinois with $5000 for some roof repairs. Frees up money to send the youth. You have to count on that, or you should. When you quit needing the miracle, you will think you did it all yourself, and then you’re in real trouble.