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Saturday, September 22, 2012

Who's Bob Granata?

   The most common question you'll be asked, if you try to raise money for someone in Horry county is,"who is that?" I heard it over and over yesterday as I attempted to sale tickets for Bob Granata. "Who is that", is usually followed by," they ain't from 'round here, is de?" Let me translate that for you if you ain't from Horry county. On second thought, I'd better keep that tweenst us I 'd hate fer people 'round here to get de wrong impression. Seriously, local people have been most generous with only a few exceptions. Thank you. On the other hand, there have been exceptions, and some I have taken serious exceptions to.
    If you are unfamiliar with Bob's story, here's the condensed version. Bob is a mentally challenged volunteer I met at my church. We began attending a weekly small group Bible study together. He was riding a moped until it died. Then he rode his bicycle 7.5 miles one way. (Yeah I know, kinda makes all my excuses for missing church lame too) So our church, with the help of some generous people inside and out, bought Bob a brand new moped.  And he lived happily ever after and we all went to heaven. The end. Only life is no fairytale. Since then, a tree fell on Bob's mobile home, destroying it. For now, Bob is living with my family until our church can help put Bob in a new home. And that's his story, so far. To be fair, it's natural to question anyone you're about to give your money to. So, this isn't a rant.  However, it's unbiblical to use some one's origin to determine your generosity.  When it comes to who we help, do you think God cares about which syllables they stress? Though I can back up the previous statements with many scriptures, I'd rather just answer the question. So who is Bob Grantata?  He is Bicycle Bob, Moped Bob, Homeless Bob, and recently became Zumba Bob. By now, you already know Bob is a mentally challenged church volunteer that rides a moped but he is much more. He is son, a brother, and a father. He is former soldier, a former northerner.( well, we're still kinda working on this one )  He is a gardener and painter. He is a patriot and a voter. He is a powerful worshiper of and witness for Christ. He is a bible reader, bible believer, and a prayer warrior. Some days he is a simple man, some complex, and some days he's a total mystery. Then again, most rock stars are. He is someone that I love, that God loves, and someone you should love.biblical references He is an imperfect man made in the image of an almighty, perfect, and holy God. None of which mattered to The Red Devils motorcycle club that donated money to help Bob.(God can not only supply your needs he can even have the devil deliver it to you at church!) As far as I know, they never asked, "who is Bob?" It was more like, "where is Bob and how can we help?" (The right questions)  To them, he is simply a human being who needed help. Shouldn't Bob be even more to us as brothers and sisters in the faith? Shouldn't we act more like Christ followers than the Red Devils? They showed some of us up. Mother Teresa, might would have said Bob was "Jesus in disguise". To Jesus, Bob may be the "least of these" as if they where Himself. To me, Bob is a friend, guest of honor in my home. He is another one of God's miracles placed into my life, to teach me of His wonderous love. But Jesus asks us today just as he did his disciples, "who do you say that I am?" How you answer that determines the questions you will ask.  Now, if you're still asking," who is Bob Granata?", before you decide if you should help him, then you're asking the wrong question. You need to ask yourself who you are. More importantly, who do you belong to?