Vicious People

There have been some vicious people in the world.  Vicious people have killed millions I i  of people and destroyed nations. People can be vicious, especially church folks. 

There was a tall frail lady in one of our churches that always had to comment on my size when I made a church visit.  I know that I am larger than the average person, especially tall frail ladies.  After about the third or fourth time, or it could have been on a Sunday that I really did not want to accept insults, I smarted back to her.  She said, “You are too big, you need to lose weight.”  For a minute, I thought I was at the doctor’s office.  He always says that I need to lose weight.

I smarted back to her by saying, “Listen you remind me of my Honda Civic with a little four-cylinder engine.  It is cheap on gas, but I am like the big eight-cylinder in my pickup oioh ok I’m sorry but pop l BC job.  I am bigger and stronger than you are and I require more fuel to get around than you do.

When I have lost weight, there are those vicious little ladies, both church and extended family that crush our spirits.  I am feeling proud to have lost fifteen pounds and they say, “Whew, you shore have gotten fat.”  Us fat people got feelings!

As long as we go along and contribute to their fulfillment and pleasure, they tolerate us.  Watch out if you get in their way.  I try to know God’s love and purpose.  Without that assurance, facing vicious people can be a hopeless and terrifying experience.

It has been a long time but I received a vicious letter.  No, it was not directed at me, but to me.  I learned a long time ago to see who sent or wrote the letter before I read it.  A preacher friend told me a long time ago that upon receiving vicious mail, check to see who wrote the letter.  If it is not signed, tear it up immediately.  He said you won’t have the temptation to read it if you destroy it.  His reasoning was that if the perpetrator was a coward if he or she did not sign it.  He said if a letter is not signed, I do not read it.  I have lived by that principle for years.

Seeing that the letter and packet of material was defamatory to the character of a co-laborer in Christ and was not signed, I promptly sealed the package and disposed of it.  I had a pretty good feeling who sent it and what they were trying to do the ministry of a Godly man.

As the devil would have it, I was in revival the week I penned the article.  After preaching Monday night, I received a card in the mail.  I noticed that there was no return address and a note on the back of the envelope.  It was an odd message, but I got the jest of it.  It said I need to preach Jesus.  The title of Monday night’s message is “A Pink Note from God” from Psalm 46.  It is a personal testimony of God presence in one of the darkest hours of my life.  It was when our house burned in 2012.

Monday night I received some of the best compliments for the same sermon that I have ever received.

The front of the card had “A Note from, the words had been marked out with a black marker, God above the black mark, and “Pink” placed with an arrow between “A Note.”

Inside the card was a bunch of Scripture verses.  I looked for a signature, finding none I tore the card into little bitty pieces.  Shoot! The whole sermon was about God being our refuge, our strength, and very present in times of trouble.

However, the damage had been done.  Whoever penned the note was vicious.  Satan and his vicious agent were trying to stop revival.  My first thought was I would like to punch Satan’s agent right in the mouth, but I figured it was a little old lady.  I am a pastor I gotta have thick skin.  Then I thought, and I felt sorry for the one that Satan used.  I think in his or her feeble mind that they were being an agent of light, not darkness.

 

Dr. Andy Westmoreland, former president of Samford University makes these suggestions for dealing with vicious people.

 

Boldly Resist:  Then answered one of the lawyers, and said unto him, Master, thus saying thou reproaches us also.  And he said, Woe unto you also, ye lawyers! for ye lade men with burdens grievous to be borne, and ye yourselves touch not the burdens with one of your fingers. Luke 11:45-46

 

Negotiate:  Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison.  Matthew 5:25

 

Turn the other cheek: But I say unto you, That ye resist not evil: but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also. Matthew 5:38

 

Since I did not know the vicious person, I turned the other cheek.  It still stings a little bit!

The defamation of my so called pastor friend that I destroyed, turned on me years later.  Turned out he was vivious toward me himself.  I turned the other cheek and it stung too. 

Sin Will Do It Every Time

Several years ago, I received a card that informed me that I won one of several gifts.  The gifts included a brand-new ford Bronco, a big screen TV, $2000 cash, or a two-week vacation on the Caribbean.  All I had to do was call a toll-free number to receive my new gift.  So, I did.

You will never guess what happened!  I won!  I gave them the number on the card and the voice on the other end said, “Congratulations Mr. Hopper, you won the New Ford Bronco.”  He wanted to know my name and address and the information was in the mail.  It would be the information on the Bronco.  He wanted to know the nearest airport where he could send tickets for my wife and me to exotic Las Vegas and be part of giant celebration they were doing in my honor.

All kinds of visions danced in my head.  I had never won anything.  I needed a car.  I could not believe that Bobby’s ship finally came.  I said, “To heck with that rich uncle and his box of money.”  I had a new Bronco.

All the excitement was the best thing that could have happened to the Hopper family.  Then, the voice on the other end of the line asked, “Mr. Hopper are you acquainted with New Lifestyle vitamins?”  He said the gifts were part of a promotional for the vitamins.  He said that it would be great if I actually used them.  I did not know about them, so he asked if I would purchase some.  Me being the man of integrity I am, I decided that I would buy some.  I asked him how many I needed to buy.  He said a year’s supply.  I said okay, how much?  He said $650.  That was a lot of money for me working for minimum wage at the University of Montevallo.  To tell you the truth it was more than I made in a month.  I weighed the cost and said $650 is a small price to pay for a brand-New Ford Bronco.  I gave him my master card number and he said that he would send me a 30mm camera to take the family’s picture to send him to him to use in the promotional.

Before the camera and vitamins arrived, the voice from Las Vegas called.  The charming and persuading voice on the other end said that since I won the New Ford Bronco, the committee wanted me to purchase another year’s supply.  I smelled a rat.  Suddenly I had long ears and went Hee Haw.  I told that charming voice on the other end a flat and very less charming no.  Shortly I received my cheap 30mm camera, a year’s supply of vitamins, a book of coupons for all the film I would ever need for the camera, and an envelope.  I thought I finally got the plane tickets to fly to Las Vegas.  What I got was two tickets to the Caribbean.

I called Las Vegas and the representative told me in order to be eligible for the Bronco I would have to buy more vitamins.  I was not about to buy any more.  Suddenly, I had this sick feeling.  They snookered me.  I bought a bill of goods and an idea for $650, but I did have two cruise tickets.  I contacted a travel agent only to find that they were not worth very much.  They were actually a two for one cruise.  I never wanted to go on the cruise anyway.  I wanted my Bronco.

I called Las Vegas and told them I did not want the vitamins.  They were not any good and I wanted to do an Elvis and “Return to sender.”  They told me they could not accept the vitamins back for fear of tampering.  They did tell me I could exchange my cruise for another gift.  I told them they could exchange it for a Bronco, but I settled for a $650 answering machine.

Not long after this film-flam, I read an article in the Area Magazine, the rural electric cooperative mail-out.  They told of several people who had been snookered.  The article said beware, but they already got me.  The article said to contact the better business bureau or state attorney general. 

I called Las Vegas again.  This fat boy from Alabama acted like Slim from South Alabama in the Jim Croce song.  I called to get my money back or I was calling the better business bureau and the Alabama Attorney General.  I got $190 dollars back, an answering machine, a 30 mm camera, coupons for film, and vitamins.  I never got the Bronco, but I did learn some valuable lessons.

 

Romans 7: 14-17.  For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin.   For that which I do I allow not: for what I would, that do I not; but what I hate, that do I.   If then I do that which I would not, I consent unto the law that it is good.  Now then it is no more I that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me.

 

Paul says that he was sold on sin.  That means that he was sold an idea, but he got something he really did not want.  I know the feeling Brother Paul.