Wow - I would have got my credit card out this morning to just sleep a little more! Kyle is out of school today and I got up - left the house and the place was still quiet! Kyle is usually up on his days off before I go to work but I guess he and Carol were sleeping in - good for them. I am actually a little motivated this morning and getting some stuff done. Had a little sit time with one of my bosses this morning and my friend Shelley called and I got to talk with her a little so that was cool.
Saturday I had the chance to do something I have not done in a long time. I got to piddle in the garage. Something that I like doing since I have TV out there and a cd player - had some worship songs playing and I got the lawn mowers all tuned up, blades changed and oil changed. Me and miss Payton got to hang out with the doors open - it was warm and it was raining and Payton just circled up and slept on the blanket - just as long as she was near her daddy she was fine! I have not had a chance to do that in a long time and it was cool to be able to have some time to do that. Kyle was down at his fort in the rain with some of his other peeps and man were they a mess - muddy, stinky and WET. Great to be boys ....
The last 2 weeks now I have been studying from Acts 4. I bought a DVD a few months ago while searching for what I am to lead our Rock Group in and came across this DVD while flipping through the website from Dr. James McDonald. I have been a big fan of his teaching for a long time now and listen to him almost everyday via iTunes on a podcast. Being Bold for Jesus and I have to say that I usually watch the message first before I even consider it to be used for a rock group study - then I go back and watch it again while taking notes - from there I make my handouts and fill in the discussion time and also add in a music video or something funny.... I mean there is some work that goes into it all - I do love it and pray through this entire time that I myself get something out of the lesson but more importantly that my rock group family gets something from it. Sharing Jesus - Why does it have to be so hard? Why does it have to be so testy and full of fear sometimes? I think that now that I have been walking with the Lord for a few years now, I am more bold in my outwardness (is that a word? - it should be!) about Jesus to others. I think I do take some risk in sharing Jesus with others but that was just not the case in the beginning. I think sometimes I let the opportunity go or a personal invite to church go because I did not want to seem pushy and in their face or afraid to say the wrong thing or worse - not have an answer to a question! - but I am more relaxed about it now even though FAMILY - is my sticky point. I can get fired up in no time when this comes up or I start thinking about a family member who does not know Jesus! Man its so personal for me knowing that Eternity might be a moment away and I have not done enough to encourage their walk with Jesus. I know God is working behind the scenes and we may not see Him nurturing the seed that has been planted but I do have faith in what He is doing even though we may not see any progress at all.
Being Bold for Jesus and along with Unleash this year - has brought forth some fruit in plugging people into our church the last few weeks. I plugged in a fella yesterday into our breakdown ministry that I have seen serving on the sidelines for a few months. I approached him and asked if this is something he loves doing and why not be recognized and plugged in for his serving? We had a good small conversation and was very excited that I had asked him. I had nothing to write on since I needed some contact info to get in touch with him so I did a funny thing - I ripped off a piece of cardboard from a box in one of our ministry trailers. Yes a piece of CARDBOARD!! I handed him a pen and he wrote down his info and we laughed about it. All I had to do was ask and step forward ... and he met me half way. How awesome is that? This guy now has purpose, responsibility and has taken part ownership into our church and his walk with Jesus by serving! Man that just gets me fired up...... Being BOLD for Jesus. We have to be SOLD out in what God is doing in our lives - we have to be 110% IN and let our love and trust in Him show to others.
Loved ones, God is interested in what we do in life but He is more interested in HOW we do it.
Are you being BOLD for Jesus? Are you encouraging others in their walk? Are you showing the practical love of Jesus to others around you by your words, actions and kindness?
Share you story here .... How is God asking you to be BOLD about for Him?
Love you all,
Lonnie~
1 comment:
I think it is harder to reach our family and to be be bold with them concerning the Lord, we WANT it so badly, but yet, they seem the hardest to reach. Sometimes it feels like praying for them is just not enough but it's God's timing, not ours.
I think of my sister being already in Heaven, then I look at the plaque hanging on my wall above my computer, "Our family chain is broken and nothing seems the same; but as God calls us one by one the Chain will link again." Then I think of how quickly my brother died at 43 years old a couple of months ago. I ponder, is he there with her? I think maybe, finally there is peace in his heart, I pray there is. It's so easy to just let the years go on by, death happens too quickly, and we will live again, somewhere, either in Heaven or in Hell. That is what makes me impatient. I start thinking about not wanting anyone of them to go to Hell and I get impatient. But, it's God's timing. We have to do our part, and along with praying for them, letting our light shine for them to see.
The world is full of lost people watching us to see if that is what they want. I pray my light shines even when I don't know I'm being watched, for I know one day I will be gone too, and I want to be in that Chain link, I know for sure my sister is watching for me. What a day that will be.
God says that what we do unto others we do unto Him. It's not just the big stuff, it's all the little stuff that makes a difference too. Read Matthew 25:34-40.
I pray I can be a blessing to someone everyday. My life has been blessed so much already, sometimes I just feel so FULL of blessings like I can't hold anymore, then HE blesses me again.
Praise the Lord forevermore.
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