Confession time - I have a list of authors that I stalk via the internet. I begin my stalking ways the minute I finish their latest book and I don’t stop until their next offering is in my hands. I always worry they will have caved into the publishers and may have just “phoned in” a book for the cash but I have chosen wisely and they never let me down.
I feel the same way about amazing guest speakers in church. After graduating from bible college I worked full time for a large church in Perth and so I was blessed to hear some of the most influential international speakers on offer.
I vividly remember the first time I heard Sy Rogers speak, I wanted to keep listening to him but I also desperately needed to get down on paper what he was saying. I don’t think I did either task well - I just let his words wash over me instead. Listening to Sy speak is a bit like being hit by a tsunami!
I love words and great stories and Sy was my version of a rock star who provided both in ample amounts. His humanity and humour allowed him to craft his words to hit you right between the eyes.
He was always a polarising character and many Christian’s just didn’t know what to do with him. He had been a flag waving member of the gay community who also identified as a woman. He had even booked himself in for gender reassignment before god tapped him on the shoulder. Because of this history Sy came across as quite flamboyant and many of his mannerisms harked back to his past.
He tells the hysterical story of mistaken identity while speaking at a large church in America. He had just arrived from the airport and so nobody had met him as yet. He took a seat in the front row and got to chatting with the lady next to him. She was married to the senior pastor and her final words to him were ‘I think tonight’s guest speaker will really help you’. He was then introduced from the podium and the wife went chalk white. She cleverly avoided him for the rest of the day.
This link https://youtu.be/jr9tv_LNcxk takes you to a video of my favourite Sy sermon. It’s just the summary of it and I’ve also typed it up below because as you will see and hear - the man packs each sentence full of gold!
Sy died during lockdown in 2020 and I grieved his loss - he was one in a million. I always got the sense that god was just potty about this unusual but beautiful soul. He’s still one of the most articulate and moving speakers I ever had the pleasure to hear.
Four things
Four things I’ve learned about god that every Christian really needs to know but often we have to discover the hard way. So in retrospect I took a look at four things I learned that church culture didn’t really prepare me for with regard to gods character.
We took a look at the fact that god is deliberately mysterious and it can make me crazy sometimes that the great communicator doesn’t seem to communicate more clearly and yet he dares to say “seek me, you’ll find me - if you seek me with all of your heart”. What’s that old quote - you’ll never possess what your unwilling to peruse. Pursuit is the proof of your desire. God wants to be wanted, perused and If you do then you will find the answers, you’ll find him.
And secondly I mentioned that gods ways are not mine says Isaiah 55 but because his ways are higher than mine I find his ways sometimes unpredictable on the ground level and yet he dares to say - you can trust me, I’m good. I guess that is called faith. Faith is confidence in a person’s character especially when it’s under trial and that results in loyalty.
That’s what I want to be, someone loyal after god. On that day I stand before him I want to hear him say ‘well done good and faithful servant. You were messy, you didn’t produce any goodness, I gave you mine and covered up your lack of it but you did stay true. You stayed on track In a world of defilement and distraction. You walked on with me”. Because loyalty says I believe my confidence in that person will one day be vindicated. That’s faith, confidence in god.
And then thirdly I mentioned that god does tend to wear responsibility for everything that happens. Even Jesus on the cross is gods way of saying - I started all of this, I allowed it to go astray and I will personally pay the price to fix it. Not just in the big general sense of humanity but right down to your personal life and mine. I got wounded, I got ripped off and god brought healing and he paid me back. Walk long enough with god to give him opportunities to write more chapters than life might have afforded you quite yet. That is why perseverance matters.
And then fourthly I testified that the biggest thing I learned about god is that he is gracious and kind to me. That is my biggest testimony of all. Not the ministry I have all around the world that I didn’t earn. Not the awesome family I surely don’t deserve. Not that I am no longer a sexual slave though I used to be. All of that is awesome and beyond what I would have ever have imagined but my biggest testimony is that god is gracious to me. He doesn’t treat me like my sins deserve. King David wrote it after committing adultery and murder to cover it up. He went through the fire and god brought him through and god did not abandon David who failed. He brought him through and he speaks to us today, to encourage us not to give up on god who begins the good work. As Philippians chapter one says he will bring you through right?
I also loved this angel story which is funny and moving all at the same time https://youtu.be/piBRPdPiobE
More info in Sy can be found at https://www.forevermissed.com/sy-rogers/about