Why aren't we reaching?

Friday after work and stopping at the church shortly I drove onto the Richardson Highway to head home.  Right as I got off the entrance ramp there at 5th ave I saw a man hitch-hiking.  I have picked up hitch-hikers in the past, but not often.  This time was different I felt an urging in my spirit to stop for this man.  I stopped asked where he was headed (down to moose creek) and I drove him to the Bathing Beauty pond right near where I live.  The whole ten miles this man talked, I'm not sure about what because I had the windows down in my car and he wasn't speaking loud enough, but I gathered he was here for work, and was up here from Anchorage longer than he expected so he decided to go visit friends down in Moose Creek.

Well upon getting out the man said to me that I would be in his prayers tonight.  He then said "I really mean it, I believe in that sort of thing."  I replied with he will be in mine and I do too, I'm a pastor.  I don't like to publize that all the time, but I felt it right at the moment.  When I said that the man stopped talking and his jaw just about hit the ground, and for the first time since I picked him up he was speechless.  Now this leads me to a question why was he so speechless.  Aren't we supposed to be helping, supposed to be God's hands and feet here on earth?  If we (as Christians, at the church however you want to call it)  are the body of Christ why is it that when we show compassion and love to people that instead of being accustom to the kind person being a Christian they are surprised?

Jesus took time to talk with people.  He took time to share and love everyone, even the sick, poor and young.  The people that were considered nothing in society Jesus spent the most time with.  Herod only got to see Jesus when he was on trial--not when He was preforming miracles.  Jesus told the story about the Good Samaritan in Luke 10:25-37 and the majority of the church treats the sick and poor like the men before the Samaritan.  We don't have the time.  We have to be somewhere important, but is this always the case, is this really the case the majority of the time.  Why don't we trust in God to protect us against what may happen and let the light of Jesus shine through us.

Casting Crowns has a song: "If We Are the Body" Check it out, then I challenge you to show the Way, show His Love for the downcast and brokenhearted.  Let's be the body of Christ, the way He showed us to be!  Let's touch the untouchable, lets heal the sick, lets give water to the thirsty and feed those who are hungry and offer rides to those who don't have them.  Let's be the body!

Coincedence or the Hand of God.

The more I get to know God, the more I am convinced that nothing, and I mean nothing, happens simply by coincidence.  Romans 8:28 says: "And we know that God causes everything to work together for the good of those who love God and are called according to his purpose for them." (NLT) I have found this true so many different times.  I use a variety of curriculum and resources for my kid's church lessons. I pray before starting each lesson that God would have the kids there who need to hear this lesson, and that He speaks to everyone there--even my adult helpers. I have found on numerous occasions that what God has to speak through that weeks lesson is the very same thing He has been speaking to me for quite awhile and the very same thing that God has given the morning speaker in the adult service.  God knows what He is doing. 

This past Sunday I several kids come up to stating that they wanted to be baptized, but upon further questioning I realized that while they knew they should do it, they didn't understand why it should be done, or the significance of it, and I was pondering teaching a lesson upon baptism so that they might understand it more fully.  Well I started to prepare my lesson this week, from the BGMC curriculum (I do one every 2nd Sunday of the month)  and the True Missionary Story is about a group of people wishing to be baptized!  How cool is that!  This leads me to be able to do a very short explanation of baptism for the kids without having to go into a whole lesson solely on baptism.  God just has a way of working these things out.  And it is not the first time this has happened.  I'm so blessed to be serving a God that knows how to bring it all together.  I just love to serve and follow Him! 

Change

Why is it that as the summer ends we long for winter?  Or as the winter months drag on we long for the kiss of the summer sun.  Is it that we long for change?  For if we do not change, what are we? We long for things to stay the same, but in the same breath we wish they would change.  Change happens, there is nothing we can do to stop it, slow it down, or speed it up.  Change happens.  Some change is much sought after, others is uncomfortable.  We have been changing since our very conception in the womb and will continue to change until the day we die.  This is simply called aging.  Other changes like the weather or seasons come and there is nothing that we can do to stop it.  Other changes come that are caused by others, and this is what fears us the most.  But not all of this type of change is bad.  If others did not change us when we were infants we would still stink!  If others did not push us to change in the educational realm we would be stupid.  If others still did not push us in other areas we would not grow.  Change is a huge part of life, but we fear what that change may bring.

Of the things that change in our life there is one thing that we know God doesn't change, He brings about the change of others.  He is the one true anchor of the universe the Bible says He is the same yesterday, today and forever more, and in times of change it is Him who we must put our trust. Even when the hard times come-especially when the hard times come-we must put our trust in Him to be our constant during our times of change.