For the last few months, I've been actively looking for opportunities to be Jesus to people that are hurting. So far I've gotten a couple and got another one today. Betsy and I were driving home from a pretty intense training conference on inner healing. It was amazing, but left both of us pretty spent. When I stopped to get gas, Betsy noticed a guy eyeballing us...he kind of drove up next to us and was staring at us. He was in his mid 40's with glasses. His car had the rear driver-side window broken and was fixed poorly. After I noticed him looking at me I walked over to him and he asked me, "Sorry to bother you, but can you pump my gas for me? I can't do it". I was a bit confused (because I wasn't really paying attention) but agreed. He had a ton of difficulty getting his car positioned correctly so that he was close enough for me to pump for him. Then I noticed that his left hand was lying limply in his lap. He had no use of it at all. My heart immediately went out to him. Even though I talk about it all the time, I wasn't thinking about praying for healing right then...I found myself on the brink of tears for this guy though. Here he was, handing 40 bucks to a guy who hasn't shaved in a week so that I could pre-pay for his gas. Totally vulnerable. Dependent on strangers. I pumped his gas, bought him a bottle of water and a pack of cigarettes. He asked me to unwrap the cigarettes and open the bottle of water because he couldn't do it with only one hand. I had to take his wallet from him and put his change back into it. He told me to get myself something and I told him, "Sir, I love Jesus and I'm always looking to share his love with others. Just consider my kindness as a way of Jesus loving on you." He said ok, and I finished up helping him out. Before he left I asked his name. "It's Mike". I said, "where you headed Mike?" and he said, "I'm going to Vegas." I asked him if I could pray for him before he headed out. There was a long pause...probably only 10 seconds or so, but it seemed a lot longer, but eventually he said, "Why not. Can't hurt." I prayed a blessing over Mike ( less then 10 seconds) and went to leave. As he was driving away, Mike said, "Thanks, this has been a really hard trip for me and that was the nicest thing anyone's done for me in a long time." I got back in my car and we both drove away. Total interaction time around 7 minutes.
I left and thought...man, I should have prayed for his healing...I could have offered him more, I could have, I should have, I didn't...blah blah blah. This is where we can get into trouble sometimes. Just listen and obey. If I was God, I would have healed Mike's hand, converted him, helped him quit smoking, talked him out of going on to Vegas and helped him plug into a church all before I left the gas station. Our heavenly Father knows more about our needs then we ever could. Mike just needed a little encouragement and a reminder that Jesus loves him. ALL of us can do that.
"Father, would you give each one of us an opportunity to show your love to someone who doesn't know you this week. Guide our thoughts and words so that we can make you famous with the people you bring into our lives."
Go for it people.
Monday, June 14, 2010
Monday, April 5, 2010
Learning to be a good son
I was wrestling with my boy the other day...and God revealed some things to me. I thought I'd share. While we were wrestling, Jaden jumped on my couch and started running on it. He can't stand on our furniture...so I told him to get down. 2 minutes later he was doing it again. He got a swat and we went back to wrestling. 2 minutes later he was doing it again. He got another swat...and I sat him down and asked him if he understood that what he was doing was wrong. He said he understood and that he wouldn't do it anymore...we went back to wrestling. 2 minutes later he was standing on my couch again.
He got another swat on an already tender thigh, and he cried this time. I held him and told him that I loved him, but that he needed to obey me. Even in the midst of his tears, he asked if we could still wrestle. That's when God started revealing His heart to me. He told me that I'm a lot like Jaden sometimes. I love being with my Abba, but I want to do things MY way, not his. He loves me and continues to be with me, but he doesn't let me stay in the same place. He gently, but firmly guides me back to His path. Sometimes we miss the "firmly" part of that. After a while if we keep heading the wrong way, that gentle but firm direction starts to chafe and hurt. Then my response is to go to Him and ask why he's allowing me to go through so much pain....see where I'm going?
Jaden dried his tears and we wrestled on. No more jumping on the couch.
As we live our lives according to the statutes and precepts that God lays out for us we can experience so much more of the fullness that He has for us. He doesn't stop loving us, He doesn't stop hanging out with us, but in his kindness, he leads us into a radical life change.
Go willingly.
He got another swat on an already tender thigh, and he cried this time. I held him and told him that I loved him, but that he needed to obey me. Even in the midst of his tears, he asked if we could still wrestle. That's when God started revealing His heart to me. He told me that I'm a lot like Jaden sometimes. I love being with my Abba, but I want to do things MY way, not his. He loves me and continues to be with me, but he doesn't let me stay in the same place. He gently, but firmly guides me back to His path. Sometimes we miss the "firmly" part of that. After a while if we keep heading the wrong way, that gentle but firm direction starts to chafe and hurt. Then my response is to go to Him and ask why he's allowing me to go through so much pain....see where I'm going?
Jaden dried his tears and we wrestled on. No more jumping on the couch.
As we live our lives according to the statutes and precepts that God lays out for us we can experience so much more of the fullness that He has for us. He doesn't stop loving us, He doesn't stop hanging out with us, but in his kindness, he leads us into a radical life change.
Go willingly.
Monday, March 1, 2010
Come Quickly Jesus
Yesterday we had news that there was another massive earthquake in Chile...weeks after the earthquake that hit in Haiti, devastating the infrastructure there and throwing that already poverty stricken country into chaos. This one in Chile one was WAY more powerful than the one in Haiti. It was felt 2000 miles away in Brazil and is projected to throw a huge Sunami at Hawaii. We are the richest most powerful country in the world and we still haven't recovered from Hurricane Katrina, and that happened almost 5 years ago. I can't imagine the fallout for these other countries.
Destruction, death, families torn apart, homes destroyed. That's not even taking into consideration the increase in crime and chaos that these regions are going to be dealing with for possibly decades to come...
These are just the natural disasters. Anyone that looks for even 5 minutes can see massive social economic problems all around us. Look at our country alone. We're at the very top of the pecking order on the world scale. Here's some of our problems...Health care is in shambles, conservative #'s put orphaned children in the US between 2 and 3 million, 12% of our population lives below the poverty line (2004 #'s. recent recession has increased these). Current unemployment is over 10%.
Throw on top of that complete injustice...1 in 5 (conservative) girls in the US being sexually abused growing up, #1 financier of sex trafficking, #1 producer and consumer of pornography...I think you get the idea here.
The bottom line is that we are in a war. In a war, you help where you can, you fight where you're put...but what you do more than anything else, what you desperately cry out for is the END TO THE WAR.
The cry of my heart when I hear about more earthquakes, staggering statistics detailing worldwide injustice, or social economic collapse is, "Please Abba, come quickly! We need you to come and set things right! Come quickly!!"
We can't answer the "why?" question behind any of this things...No more than a soldier can answer that question in the midst of that battle. What we DO know, is that our heavenly Father Loves us dearly, and he hates our suffering. He hates injustice. He's going to return to set it all right. He is coming.
Come quickly Jesus!!
Destruction, death, families torn apart, homes destroyed. That's not even taking into consideration the increase in crime and chaos that these regions are going to be dealing with for possibly decades to come...
These are just the natural disasters. Anyone that looks for even 5 minutes can see massive social economic problems all around us. Look at our country alone. We're at the very top of the pecking order on the world scale. Here's some of our problems...Health care is in shambles, conservative #'s put orphaned children in the US between 2 and 3 million, 12% of our population lives below the poverty line (2004 #'s. recent recession has increased these). Current unemployment is over 10%.
Throw on top of that complete injustice...1 in 5 (conservative) girls in the US being sexually abused growing up, #1 financier of sex trafficking, #1 producer and consumer of pornography...I think you get the idea here.
The bottom line is that we are in a war. In a war, you help where you can, you fight where you're put...but what you do more than anything else, what you desperately cry out for is the END TO THE WAR.
The cry of my heart when I hear about more earthquakes, staggering statistics detailing worldwide injustice, or social economic collapse is, "Please Abba, come quickly! We need you to come and set things right! Come quickly!!"
We can't answer the "why?" question behind any of this things...No more than a soldier can answer that question in the midst of that battle. What we DO know, is that our heavenly Father Loves us dearly, and he hates our suffering. He hates injustice. He's going to return to set it all right. He is coming.
Come quickly Jesus!!
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