Grace-based Ministry

A Father recounts the following story[i]:

“When my daughter Abrielle was four she came running down the hall screaming, "I don't want to die! I swallowed a stone!" I immediately determined that nothing was obstructing her throat but she was still in a panic."It's OK, sweetheart. You're not going to die," I said. She thought I didn't understand. "But I swallowed a stone! It was a blue one!" she emphasized, as if I should realize this was a particularly deadly stone.

Apparently, a babysitter, in order to discourage her from putting things in her mouth, told her she could die if she swallowed the wrong things, and to Aby, that included polished stones I'd given her. I assured her she was in no danger; that the stone would come out in the morning when she went "poo poo." She ran to the toilet, "I want it out now!" She was pushing so hard it looked like a blood vessel would burst. She was frightened and desperate.Moments like this test and refine your values. Truth and reason weren't working. So I lied."I know what to do," I said, and I ran to get a spoonful of maple syrup. "Here, swallow this syrup. It will melt the stone." "Will it be gone?" she asked. "Absolutely," I replied. She swallowed the syrup and announced triumphantly, "Daddy melted the stone. I'm not going to die." The emergency was over, but I hated lying to her. Though I worried she would never trust me again, I had to tell her the truth a few weeks later. Today, she's almost nine, and I heard her using the story to tell her sisters that her daddy always takes care of her. Funny, she trusts me even more.”

The Father in this incident stumbled on something deep: ‘Truth is really important, but trust is the ultimate treasure.’

Trust and Grace

At Water Street Rescue Mission, we are asking this question: ‘Is what we are doing, thinking, or saying building or undermining the potential for building trust?’[ii] Our mission to skillfully share the gospel leads us to establish a trust bond with each resident, with conviction of this culminating in ‘a resident trusting God.’[iii] So to effectively share the gospel we must do all we can to encourage this bond of trust with the men, women, and children who come to our door.

But getting someone to trust is not easy. Accordingly we promote this trust by encouraging an atmosphere where grace lives. That is, we motivate others to begin to trust us by always operating in their best interest – which is our practical definition of grace. And this grace is what draws others to a relationship with God.

This culture of grace is neither license nor law. It is a place where both resident and staff member can freely acknowledge their position in this process of becoming more like Jesus. It is a place of safety where weaknesses and failure provide glimpses into the deeper issues of the heart. It is a place of risk where staff members are vulnerable and residents are held accountable to their choices. And it is a place where true heart change occurs not through compulsion or coercion to conform but by the prompting and power of the Holy Spirit.

- Steve Brubaker, Residential Ministries
[i] The Blue Stone and the White Lie, told to me by Brad Hoopes
[ii] See, Christianity Confronts Culture, Marvin Mayers, Zondervan, pp. 32-33.
[iii] Ibid.