If I want to write about the past, I often refer to the biblical information I find in the book of Acts, which is not a letter but mostly like a travel log. While its purpose is to give the reader a short description of what an early church was like, I will take some literary freedom and say it could refer to what the early people were like. Give me a tad of slack here.

Most folks were not very well organized by our standards and the early church — using the word collectively — seemed to have taken leave of its senses. "Sell everything you have and give away your money to the poor!" Sounds nice, but if we do that, we can't live on love alone, even if we only eat every other day. What Luke is saying, "We all work together and pool what we have so that everyone shares and none go without the daily needs. Then he writes, "Great grace was upon them all." He doesn't mean grace the way we mean it in today's world. We have been taught that grace means God's undeserved favor. Hang on here.

Back then, grace meant that these men and women were attractive and people liked them or perhaps envied them. I like that! Those early church folks had a certain wholesomeness and niceness about them. Whatever it was, most outsiders wanted those, too. Now comes a question.

Do we really like one another? Do we really like being around one another? Do people sense this feeling of abundant grace in us? And here is what I believe. What made this group of people was that there was not a needy person among them. No one in this family had to go begging. No one went hungry. No one went to prison because of debts. No one was arrested or deported because they did not fit the image of being an insider. Take some time to digest this before moving on.

First off, it is not necessary for a community of believers to become poor so that others must bear the responsibility of our inability to manage our possessions. What Luke means is that we are not to withhold anything in a selfish way from someone that has a need that I can help fix. Please do not think that I am leaning in the direction of communism. I mean that I have a responsibility to help in my own way.

We are to share what we have — as best we can — in as much equal measure as we can, so there is plenty to go around.

And before I continue, we are bombarded with a ton of mail wanting a piece of what we have. Send money to Cleveland. Support the cause. The world needs what you got! We can get so overwhelmed that if we are not careful, we may overlook those who may need help the most, our own family.

I will never forget the moment when a man said, "Have you ever heard the silent scream of a family?"

The fact is that so many in every family have heartaches that they can't share and painful burdens that no one else can relieve. How many go unnoticed? Please allow me to expand the idea of a nuclear family to the family of our world. This world family has so many unnoticed or overlooked difficulties.

Our world family is diverse, overcrowded, rich, poor, capable, unable, weak, strong and crying for help. 

I absolutely believe that a functional family is the place — in the midst of crisis and upheaval — where each individual can find hope when there seems to be no hope.

The needy in every family are those who need love, compassion, caring, moral support, a sympathetic ear, inclusion and protection.

If we keep on trying and listening, perhaps we might be able to say, "There is no longer a needy person here."

Then we can say, "Great grace is upon us all!"

Thanks, God!