Opportunities...

So often in life we miss them. Opportunities. They come and present themselves out of nowhere and sometimes we hit a few of them but often times we miss them. We dont even see them. We dont notice them and walk right on by. Life is busy and we are so focused on what it is we have to do in our lives that we miss taking the time to notice things.
God in all your business and the place where you are today, is this a place that God can use you? I bet for some its about wanting to be used because I think that if God wanted to use you in whatever place in life you are at today - he would. The question is, do you want to be used by God?

Last night at LOL I was speaking on Compassion - and in that topic I showed a small video clip on Ted "The Golden Voice" Williams. If you dont know him, he made the news a few months back because he was homeless and his voice didn't even come close to what you were looking at. It was golden ....and such a voice to be on radio it was just amazing but life has him down. On the streets, abusing drugs and alcohol - a reporter going about in life give him $20 and talk with him. For 2 weeks he walked around feeling this voice so he went back and took his flip camera. Speaking to this broken man and capturing his voice on his camera - he gave this man hope in his story. News catches it, Dr. Phil has him, job offers, rehab and a reunited get together with his ageing mom. The odds of this happening has got to be way higher than hitting the lottery which sometimes the odds add up to 1 in 270 Million. I think thats pretty slim dont you?
So in my talk about compassion - I think the students really caught onto the fact that unless you can see your own brokenness, there is no way you can see someone Else's. Jesus saw our brokenness and related to it. He felt it and it broke his heart and in doing so - when we can understand and see brokenness in our own self we can then see it in others.
Compassion - that is what its like when you go on a mission trip. You go to serve others. You go to make a difference and to bring hope and smiles.
Just last night, with tears in her eyes, Carol spoke about a missed opportunity. A man at the gas station, probably on his last dime needing a few bucks for gas to make it to the next stop - asked Carol for a few bucks. Out of work probably - hurting in his world at the moment and not knowing the rest of his story. It really had Carol hurt as she said I missed an opportunity for Christ with this man. Like so many us we walk right on by and dont even notice and when the chance does come ... do we step in faith to help. To be like Christ and serve someone.

Carol, there will be more opportunities. God will make sure of that and because you missed it last night - it hurts and that lesson will pay for itself in the near future when God sends someone else in your path. This time, with margin and a WANT to serve someone, You will. You will step up big time and just serve them because God has that seed of compassion growing in you and you accept it.

I want to share Acts 8:26-35 - Later Gods angel spoke to Philip:"At noon today I want you to walk over to that desolate road that goes from Jerusalem down to Gaza." He got up and went. He met an Ethiopian coming down the road. The eunich had been on a pilgrimage to Jerusalem and was returning to Ethiopia, where he was minister in charge of all the finances of Candace, queen of Ethiopians. He was riding in a chariot and reading the prophet Isaiah. The spirit told Philip, "Climb into that chariot." Running up alongside, Philip heard the eunuch reading Isaiah and asked, "Do you understand what you're reading?" He answered, "How can I without some help?" and invited Philip into the chariot with him. The passage he was reading was this:

As sheep led to a slaughter, and quiet as a lamb being sheared, He was silent, saying nothing. He was mocked and put down, never got a fair trial. But who now can count his kin, since he's been taken from the earth?

The eunich said, "Tell me, who is the prophet talking about: himself or some other?" Philip grabbed his chance. Using this passage as his text, he preached Jesus to him.

This is so much like a mission trip. There is a purpose in this meeting. Christianity is not a religion but a life style and so much of us living for Christ is like living on a mission. People come into our lives and we cross paths with so many people each day. Are we doing the things to show others Christ in our lives? I bet for most of us, people dont even know we follow Christ because we don't show it. Just as Philip was going about his day, doing his thing, God prompted him to step up and get into the chariot. There he shared with this man Christ. He got to serve him what this man was needing. Today, we have that chance almost every single day. A tank of gas here, a smile while picking up the pizza, a conversation telling the Lowes Foods lady how her day was going. Those are the details to much bigger things in being used by God that lead to huge things.
Working with students , they have walls and they have this fake facade on that their life is happy but just looking a little deeper into them, they are often hurting and sad. I think about Thirst Camp this summer and a Jamaica trip planned.
Who on this trip is going to want to be used by God and then let him? Last summer I had 2 close students go the entire week and had it on their heart that its not that great. This is hard work, I wish I didnt come. I dont feel it this year.... they missed a week of God using them in powerful ways. It has been proven that you take a student or anyone for that matter and get them away, out of routine and away from the noise so you can focus them - you can then really speak to them. God can really touch a heart and use them. Those are special God sighting moments and teachable moments as leaders that you might never get again until they are back at this place. God alerted Philip and in his eagerness to take advantage to be used by God he RUNS to meet the Ethiopian in the carriage.
We may not need to do a lot of running but we do need to keep our eyes, our ears and our hearts open to those promptings.
Students are tough to break into with so many having outside shells hard as bricks. They have learned through middle school how to keep from getting hurt. Its during these mission trips that they finally break down and let their walls down. Its then they cant pretend to be something they are not. There you can share your own experiences, strengths and weaknesses in life. Your faith comes to life because its real and they are listening because they are relating to it. You dont have to have all the correct Bible verses for every thing that takes place....and much like putting together a place to bring students to this place - a place where their guard is down and real things can take place in their hearts.... you witness God doing something in those hearts.

Being ready is first and foremost about being available. God will work out the when and where. Not to worry. Your job is to simply be ready to share your story. Your story often times doesn't have to have words. They show up in your actions.
God told Philip, "Go over there." he didn't tell Philip what would happen or even what to say.

Our lives are a mission trip - "Go over there" and do what God has in your heart to do. Opportunities.... will you grab a few and keep your heart, eyes and ears open to them? Be like Philip today and be ready for something to happen. Because it will......

Serving Christ the best way I know how,
Lonnie~