I am part of a Saturday morning Bible study group, and we are currently studying Experiencing God:Knowing and Doing the Will of God. If you've never been a part of this study, I strongly recommend it!
One of the concepts of this study is that we are not so much called to do God's work, but to allow God to work through us instead. In this way God is the one who is glorified, not us. In order to allow God to work through us, we must first see God at work and then join Him where He is; this is the difficult part. One sure sign that God is at work is when people, more often than not, the unchurched, ask questions about God and/or church.
Last Friday, someone very close to me attended a meeting at the Wesley House. For those of you who aren't members of my church, this is a house that located next door to my church that is owned by the church. Two different people, both unchurched, who attended this particular meeting asked questions about our church. DING, DING, DING, DING, DING!
I can't help but feel that God is at work here in a big way. I believe God wants our church to reach out in service to this group from our community. I'm just not sure how. I believe that right now, it is time to pray and await confirmation of how God wants us to proceed with this particular group. So I ask that you would pray for God to reveal to our church, how He can work through us to reach out to this particular group. Since this is a secular group and not all of its members believe in God, I would also ask that you pray that their hearts might be open to whatever God has in mind for them.
Several years ago a preacher moved to Houston, Texas. Some weeks after he arrived, he had occasion to ride the bus from his home to the downtown area. When he sat down, he discovered that the driver had accidentally given him a quarter too much change.
As he considered what to do, he thought to himself, you better give the quarter back. It would be wrong to keep it. Then he thought, "Oh, forget it, it's only a quarter. Who would worry about this little amount? Anyway, the bus company already gets too much fare; they will never miss it. Accept it as a gift from God and keep quiet."
When his stop came, he paused momentarily at the door, then he handed the quarter to the driver and said, "Here, you gave me too much change."
The driver with a smile, replied, "Aren't you the new preacher in town? I have been thinking lately about going to worship somewhere. I just wanted to see what you would do if I gave you too much change."
When my friend stepped off the bus, he literally grabbed the nearest light pole, and held on, and said, "O God, I almost sold your Son for a quarter."
Our lives are the only Bible some people will ever read, so make sure your life makes the right impact on others.
“For I know the plans I have for you, declares the LORD, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” ~Jeremiah 29:11
I read these words and believe them to be true; I know that God is with me every step of the way. For me, faith is not difficult when things are going your way. But what about the dark times? What about the times you feel alone and abandoned, times when it seems you take two steps back for every step forward. The other day, I became acquainted with a family who exemplifies what living in faith is really about and I'd like to introduce them to you. This is an extremely condensed version of their story:
Tricia Kirschner was born in 1982 and was diagnosed with Cystic Fibrosis (CF) at the age of six months. CF is a terminal, genetically inherited disease that affects the lungs and digestive system. In June of 2004, she and Nate Lawrenson were married. Three years later, Tricia's health had deteriorated and she began the process to determine if she was a possible candidate for a double lung transplant. The day before the process began, Tricia found out she was pregnant. She was able to carry their child for a little over 24 weeks and on January 8, 2008, Gwyneth Rose was born by emergency c-section, weighing in at 1lb. 6oz. On April 12 Tricia was gifted with a new set of lungs during a nine-hour surgery.
The amazing thing about Nate and Tricia is that even though life keeps throwing them curve-balls, their faith in a God who loves them and plans to prosper them and not harm them, who plans to give them hope and a future, remains strong and at the center of their lives. The scripture I used above is the one they use on their sites. If you would like to learn more about the Lawrensons and keep up with the healing processes of Tricia and little Gwyneth Rose, here are links to their web sites
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