I recently had the privilege of hearing Rudy Rasmus, pastor of St. John’s United Methodist Church Downtown in Houston, Texas.  In 1992 Rudy was assigned to St. Johns.  There were nine members.  Seventeen years later the church has 9000 members with over 3000 of those being homeless or formerly homeless.  The church is known for its innovation, its community redevelopment and its healing and recovery ministries.  It has become a place of social and spiritual healing.  Rudy is an urban entrepreneur, a modern-day prophet and an authentic voice for a socially conscious faith that takes both word and witness seriously. Rudy addressed our annual conference using as his text the story of the paralytic at the Pool of Bethesda.  The man had been lying there beside the pool for years, unable to move fast enough to make it into the pool which was believed to possess healing powers.  When the water moved, healing power was believed to be present and available.  But the man had been there year after year, watching people come and go, hoping for healing but hindered by a handicap.  As people came and went, dipping their feet in the water, wading in and splashing around, they would see him there by the pool, many offering a hand out, no one offering a hand up.   Rudy then commented that far too often churches can seem like religious spas that focus on keeping people tanned and tuned out to the needs around them.  Moreover, he said, pastors run the risk of becoming pool pimps, simply peddling a cozy and comfortable climate for people’s personal enjoyment and fulfillment, expecting little more than payment of pool dues.  I found myself reflecting on his words throughout the rest of the week, and doing my best to convince myself that his words did not apply to me nor to my congregation.  Then on Monday morning, as I pulled into the parking lot at the church, I found myself face to face with the church yard filled with… pools…pools that had been set up for one of our summer children’s programs.  But… pools none-the-less.  And I found myself wondering …just a coincidence?  Or God’s way of saying pay attention?