You never know when you will be an answer to someone’s prayer request

Thanks_hand_heart

This is just so good, I couldn’t possibly keep from sharing this.  Let me start by saying finances for a new start-up church like ours are always tight, but particularly as we near the end of the three-year period for which we tried to raise funds for before coming to Springfield.  I knew going in that the possibility of not getting full paychecks were there, though I prayed that wouldn’t happen.  This past Monday I knew that I was not going to get a paycheck for September until sometime late in October and not a full one at that.  So I prayed that God might put a desire in one of our many supporter’s hearts to give a $1,000 gift to the church…nothing really special about that number as it wouldn’t have alleviated that burden but it would definitely reduce it.  To my disappointment, no checks came.  Return trips on Tuesday and Wednesday to the mailbox yielded similar results.  I wasn’t at the church on Thursday or Friday and so I wasn’t able to check the mail until this morning.  I saw an envelope addressed to Grace Hill with handwriting that was very familiar to me.  I got excited.  As I opened it I wondered if God had answered my prayer after all.  I’m overjoyed to tell you that there was in fact a check for $1,000 and what’s more, the envelope was postmarked…wait for it…Monday!  Turns out I had forgotten about a conversation that I had recently with a dear friend and former co-worker a couple weeks back.  One of the things he had asked was, “if there’s anything we can do to help, let us know.”  I simply responded that we did have some financial needs coming up.  With that, I didn’t hear anything else from him and had forgotten about that conversation…but he didn’t.  God used him to answer our prayers in a profound way.  Isn’t it great to know that God uses us and sends us to be answers to other people’s prayers!  Whether it’s being a friend to someone who had been praying for a friend, or counseling someone who had been praying for counsel, it is thrilling to know that everything we do is ordained by God and is somehow accomplishing His will for your life and the lives of those around you.

You never know when you will be an answer to someone’s prayer request

This is just so good, I couldn’t possibly keep from sharing this.  Let me start by saying finances for a new start-up church like ours are always tight, but particularly as we near the end of the three-year period for which we tried to raise funds for before coming to Springfield.  I knew going in that the possibility of not getting full paychecks were there, though I prayed that wouldn’t happen.  This past Monday I knew that I was not going to get a paycheck for September until sometime late in October and not a full one at that.  So I prayed that God might put a desire in one of our many supporter’s hearts to give a $1,000 gift to the church…nothing really special about that number as it wouldn’t have alleviated that burden but it would definitely reduce it.  To my disappointment, no checks came.  Return trips on Tuesday and Wednesday to the mailbox yielded similar results.  I wasn’t at the church on Thursday or Friday and so I wasn’t able to check the mail until this morning.  I saw an envelope addressed to Grace Hill with handwriting that was very familiar to me.  I got excited.  As I opened it I wondered if God had answered my prayer after all.  I’m overjoyed to tell you that there was in fact a check for $1,000 and what’s more, the envelope was postmarked…wait for it…Monday!  Turns out I had forgotten about a conversation that I had recently with a dear friend and former co-worker a couple weeks back.  One of the things he had asked was, “if there’s anything we can do to help, let us know.”  I simply responded that we did have some financial needs coming up.  With that, I didn’t hear anything else from him and had forgotten about that conversation…but he didn’t.  God used him to answer our prayers in a profound way.  Isn’t it great to know that God uses us and sends us to be answers to other people’s prayers!  Whether it’s being a friend to someone who had been praying for a friend, or counseling someone who had been praying for counsel, it is thrilling to know that everything we do is ordained by God and is somehow accomplishing His will for your life and the lives of those around you.

a good gospel interruption…

Last Sunday after lunch, I decided to go back to the church to do a little clean up after our first worship service in our new building. Normally, I’m at home taking a nap on Sunday afternoon, but I wanted to get a little head start to my shortened work week. After I finished, I began to straighten my office as everything that hadn’t found a home in the building yet was currently piled up on my desk. In the middle of that, I heard a knock on the door. I went outside and there was a young woman, hardly a day over 20, looking somewhat frantic. She began to tell me that she had run out of gas on her way back to Ozark from working at the Life Enhancement Center in Nixa, which happens to be just down the street from our house. Anyway, she wanted to use my phone to call her boyfriend to see if he could bring her some gas. Providentially, he didn’t pick up, so I told her that I would be happy to take her to get some gas. We formed a quick bond as we begin to talk about our kids, she has two boys – her oldest was 2 and her youngest was 4 months old. We laughed about how stubborn and clueless our boys seemed to be. As I filled up her little 2 gallon gas can, she talked about how nice it was that I was willing to help her. She had had a pretty hard week. She had her purse stolen earlier in the week and now she had run out of gas. I told her how sorry I was and then I asked her if it would be okay if I could pay for a full tank of gas for her. It was more than she could take and she said, “I think I’m going to cry.” Then she said, “No one has ever done anything that nice for me ever. My parents wouldn’t have even filled my car up with gas.” She continued to thank me in disbelief that I would help her like this. I think I was in such disbelief that this was the nicest thing someone had ever done for her. We continued to talk about her kids, and I told her that we were planning on doing some special events for families, so that moms and dads could have some along time while we entertain the kids for a few hours once a month. She thought that was a great idea and would be really welcomed. When her car was full she said, “I’m so glad that I ran out of gas where I did.” I told her that many times God orchestrates our life and circumstances in such a way that we are reminded that he knows us, that he is personally involved in our lives, even if it doesn’t feel like it. We exchanged contact information and I told her that I would email her about some upcoming events that she and her kids might be interested in. Still a little teary, she gave me a big and we parted ways. What an amazing privilege to have gotten to spend 15 minutes with Kailei and in that time share the love of Christ in a very tangible way – both in word, but more importantly, in deed. I pray that God will continue to draw Kailei and her boyfriend and their two kids to himself and that Grace Hill might have an opportunity to love on them. I’m always amazed at how often these opportunities come to me, if I would only but listen and respond…grateful that today was one of those days.

a good gospel interruption…

Last Sunday after lunch, I decided to go back to the church to do a little clean up after our first worship service in our new building. Normally, I’m at home taking a nap on Sunday afternoon, but I wanted to get a little head start to my shortened work week. After I finished, I began to straighten my office as everything that hadn’t found a home in the building yet was currently piled up on my desk. In the middle of that, I heard a knock on the door. I went outside and there was a young woman, hardly a day over 20, looking somewhat frantic. She began to tell me that she had run out of gas on her way back to Ozark from working at the Life Enhancement Center in Nixa, which happens to be just down the street from our house. Anyway, she wanted to use my phone to call her boyfriend to see if he could bring her some gas. Providentially, he didn’t pick up, so I told her that I would be happy to take her to get some gas. We formed a quick bond as we begin to talk about our kids, she has two boys – her oldest was 2 and her youngest was 4 months old. We laughed about how stubborn and clueless our boys seemed to be. As I filled up her little 2 gallon gas can, she talked about how nice it was that I was willing to help her. She had had a pretty hard week. She had her purse stolen earlier in the week and now she had run out of gas. I told her how sorry I was and then I asked her if it would be okay if I could pay for a full tank of gas for her. It was more than she could take and she said, “I think I’m going to cry.” Then she said, “No one has ever done anything that nice for me ever. My parents wouldn’t have even filled my car up with gas.” She continued to thank me in disbelief that I would help her like this. I think I was in such disbelief that this was the nicest thing someone had ever done for her. We continued to talk about her kids, and I told her that we were planning on doing some special events for families, so that moms and dads could have some along time while we entertain the kids for a few hours once a month. She thought that was a great idea and would be really welcomed. When her car was full she said, “I’m so glad that I ran out of gas where I did.” I told her that many times God orchestrates our life and circumstances in such a way that we are reminded that he knows us, that he is personally involved in our lives, even if it doesn’t feel like it. We exchanged contact information and I told her that I would email her about some upcoming events that she and her kids might be interested in. Still a little teary, she gave me a big and we parted ways. What an amazing privilege to have gotten to spend 15 minutes with Kailei and in that time share the love of Christ in a very tangible way – both in word, but more importantly, in deed. I pray that God will continue to draw Kailei and her boyfriend and their two kids to himself and that Grace Hill might have an opportunity to love on them. I’m always amazed at how often these opportunities come to me, if I would only but listen and respond…grateful that today was one of those days.

Christians should resemble a fruit-tree, not a Christmas tree!

I thought this quote on the fruit of the Spirit from the late John Stott was incredibly insightful. He writes, “The Christian should resemble a fruit-tree, not a Christmas tree! For the gaudy decorations of a Christmas tree are only *tied* one, whereas fruit *grows* on a fruit-tree. In other words, Christian holiness is not an artificial human accretion (growth process – I had to look that one up!), but a natural process of fruit-bearing by the power of the Holy Spirit.” No wonder my attempts at trying to become more patient or kind or gentle seem to often fail. It’s because I’m trying to tie them on to my life, like Christmas tree decorations. One “shake of the tree” and my decoration (patience, kindness, etc.) falls off. So, let us follow Paul’s encouragement that “if we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” Only the Spirit can truly give us a fruit-bearing life.

Fruit_and_xmas_tree

 

Christian should resemble a fruit-tree, not a Christmas tree!

I thought this quote on the fruit of the Spirit from the late John Stott was incredibly insightful. He writes, “The Christian should resemble a fruit-tree, not a Christmas tree! For the gaudy decorations of a Christmas tree are only *tied* one, whereas fruit *grows* on a fruit-tree. In other words, Christian holiness is not an artificial human accretion (growth process – I had to look that one up!), but a natural process of fruit-bearing by the power of the Holy Spirit.” No wonder my attempts at trying to become more patient or kind or gentle seem to often fail. It’s because I’m trying to tie them on to my life, like Christmas tree decorations. One “shake of the tree” and my decoration (patience, kindness, etc.) falls off. So, let us follow Paul’s encouragement that “if we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.” Only the Spirit can truly give us a fruit-bearing life.