One True Story

What's the first thing you do when you move to a new place, perhaps a different city or another state?

Right - I had to find replacements for all the services I'd enjoyed in my previous living place.

Doctor & Dentist

Grocery & Pharmacy

Hair Salon - and this is where the story gets interesting.

Everyone knows that the main event in any hair salon are the stories that are shared.  Stylist to client, client to stylist, stylist to stylist and so on.  I can't imagine sitting in a stylists chair and not asking about their life or answering questions about my own.  I'm sure that happens, but I'm guessing not very often.

I saw a salon that had a very bright and colorful sign at the roadside.  Okay, so how do you pick a new hairdresser when you don't know anyone in town yet?  I liked the name, I liked the colors and it was convenient, right on my way to and from my new job.

I dropped in one afternoon, met a very nice woman and made an appointment to have my hair cut.
For the next year or so I went fairly regularly and the woman, who turned out to be the shop owner, cut my hair, sometimes the same style, and sometimes we experimented. But every time we talked.

I asked about her life.  I asked about her family.  I listened as she shared about her husband and the ups and downs of family life.  I listened as she spoke about her concerns for her children and raising them well, making good decisions for them and choosing the best course of action in any given situation.

Through it all, I offered my thoughts and opinions.  I shared biblical principle's with her on a regular basis, though I seldom actually quoted the bible.  I shared wisdom from Proverbs and Psalms, encouraged her in every way I possibly could and shared stories from my own life that exampled some of the things I was sharing with her.

Until the day when we'd gotten comfortable with each other and had established an easy friendship that included a sense of trust.  She had some serious questions about a few serious matters occurring in her life.  I made it clear the serious answers were found in Jesus, She listened attentively.  She didn't feel comfortable accepting an invitation to church.  Shortly after that, I was moving on once more to continue the ministry work I was called to do.  On my last visit to her shop, I brought with me a bible, where I had inscribed a message of hope on the inside.

Several years went by and once in while, I thought about her and prayed for her.  Then we had occasion to visit the area again, as we'd been invited by my husbands childhood friend to visit a new church he was involved in planting.

As we worshiped in song that morning, I kept thinking to myself that I knew the woman sitting in the front pew, glorifying God with passion and sincerity.  All through the service I admit I was slightly distracted, trying to place where I knew her from.

When the service had concluded, our friend asked us to come to the front and meet his new Pastor, which we were glad to do.  We shook hands and praised God at this new and needed work to bring the Gospel message to this town.  And then I turned around.

A woman glowing in the love of Christ stood waiting, a blue bible in her hand.  She smiled and said "Do you remember me?  I read the Bible you gave me!"  It was my dear hairdresser, holding the Bible I'd given her as a gift before I left, opened to the inscription I'd written:

"You were right," she told me, "all the answers I needed were in here."  I cried as we hugged and caught up with each other.

Seemingly insignificant acts committed in the love of Christ transform people dead in trespasses and sins to new creations with Eternal Life in Christ Jesus.

THAT IS HOW GOD WORKS!  

*This is a true story!

WITNESSES

Just as the Lord called out specific prophets in the Old Testament to live out examples of His truth, showing by their actions His heart, so has He called His people today to do the same.

Isaiah at one point was called by the Lord to live naked and barefoot for three years, as a sign to Egypt and Ethiopia.  (Isaiah 20: 1-6)

THREE YEARS.

ONE MAN.

NAKED.

BAREFOOT.

We read that like it was nothing.  Stop.  Think.  Meditate.  Consider.  Ponder.

For three years - or one thousand and ninety five days (1095) Isaiah lived his daily life NAKED.  Buttocks out for all to see.  Genitalia exposed to any who choose to look.  Do you think he was so different from you or I that he didn't experience embarrassment?

One thousand and ninety five days BAREFOOT.  Every where he went.  No sandals.  In the heat, in the cold, on the rocks - nothing to protect the tender bottom of his feet from harm.

And when asked, and I'll bet lots of people asked, his answer was "God told me to."

How many of us would do such a thing?  Faithfully, day in and day out, for three years?  We would convince ourselves that God doesn't want us to be "uncomfortable".

I know, because there have been plenty of times I've convinced myself of that very thought.  Surely God doesn't me to be so uncomfortable!  I can only thank God I was willing to submit to the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit convicted my heart of my selfishness.

But we are called to be witnesses of Christ Jesus to this world.  To be His witness is to live as He lived. (Oh that we were actually capable of living as He lived!  Sin free.  Obedient without compromise.  Gracious at every turn.  Generous without question.  Kind without exception.)

Jesus never lived in a mansion, behind locked gates, with servants at His beck and call tending to every unspoken need, because He was a Servant of God and therefore somehow deserving of such luxury.  Instead, He lived among those He was serving and ministering to.  He lived by example, letting people see how He trusted God to meet His every need from big things to small things.

Jesus was a great example of being a real part of the community He was teaching Gods word to.  No setting Himself above or apart from folks.  He lived with them, always ready to stop whatever He was doing to meet a need, pray with someone, share a truth they needed to hear.

When Jesus was teaching His disciples He made it abundantly clear  that the greatest among them would be the SERVANT to all of them.

A true servant of the Lord won't be found "lording" it over others.  They won't be found hiding from  those with great need behind locked gates or in the back of fancy cars driven by others.  They won't be found doing "momentary ministry" only when the camera's are rolling.

Like Mother Teresa, they will be found in the "trenches" with those in need giving encouragement, praying with others, feeding those who are hungry and sharing with them the glorious Gospel that will set them free!  They'll be living their lives, not in momentary ministry, but in ministry mode at all times, keeping their hearts open to others and always looking for the return of Jesus, the King of Kings and Lord of Lords!

We may fail on many occasions.  We may fail on a regular basis.  We may fail daily.

BUT WE MUST NEVER STOP TRYING.  We must never stop asking God to cleanse our hearts of unrighteousness and set our feet on a path of obedience before Him to do His will.

This is practical application of Biblical truth.  Read it (follow along on our reading schedule!)  Think about how it applies to your life.  Then do it.  Love your neighbor.  Feed the hungry.  Visit the sick and those in prison.  As you have opportunity, take it, and watch how God will transform your life and fill it with such JOY as you've never known previously.

We pray for you.  Please remember to pray for us as we, too, attempt to obey and please the Lord our God.

Knocking on Doors

Following the leading of the Holy Spirit in our hearts, we were going door to door and offering to pray for people.  Only one said no and shut the door on us.  Most were very pleasantly surprised and responded positively to the offer, made with no strings attached.  We knocked on the next door and a man answered.  He seemed rather distracted, but invited us in and asked us to sit down.  We made the offer to pray and he accepted, but had some questions he wanted to asked first.

At the end of our impromptu interview, he allowed us to pray for him and his family.  He asked where we gathered on Sunday and we told him along with a welcome to join us anytime he chose.

His children began attending regularly and became part of the church family.  Several times when they were not working he and his wife joined us as well.

As we are a traveling ministry, the time came for us to move on.  Joyfully we bid farewell to our new friends and followed the Lords leading once more to parts unknown.  Several months later we received a phone call from the pastor of that church we'd worked with while in that area.  He asked if we remembered the gentleman on who's door we had knocked who subsequently visited the church.  We said we did.  Then he shared a story that reminded us and encouraged us in the work God has called us to.

Pastor began "Jim (not his real name) called me out of the blue the other day.  He wanted to share a story for me to pass on to you.  He said that day we came to his door and offered to pray for him, he had at that very moment been sitting in his office.  His marriage was falling apart and his business was a mess.  He cried out to God and asked for help.  Right then is when we knocked on his door!"

Since then, with open hearts to the Lord this family has received much healing and deliverance.  If Jim hadn't called Pastor to share with him, we never would have known the impact our little insignificant act of obedience had harvested for the Glory of God Almighty!  We don't always see the result, but God always knows the end He is moving us toward.  Always, it is for not only our good but the good of others as well.

What a mighty, awesome, loving, kind and infinitely creative God we serve!  This story and so many others like it are the reason we have forsaken all to travel where the Holy Spirit leads and share the glorious Gospel of Salvation through Christ Jesus with any and all that we come in contact with.  We don't count souls harvested, we just obey our God and trust in Him with all our hearts, leaving things in His ultra capable hands!

What a joy, what a privilege to serve the Lord and fulfill His purposes in our lives.  Whatever the Lord has called you to in YOUR life, be encouraged that He is there working all things together for good even when you don't see or know the result of it.  Every insignificant act of obedience He turns to SIGNIFICANT GLORY TO HIS WONDERFUL NAME.