Grand Rapids |
| Posted by Administrator (admin) on Sep 26 2006 at 8:19 PM |
Hello again fam, This last weekend was full of surprises and challenges
to deal with. I found out once again how much I am not like Jesus. You
gota love those times when the Lord allows a situation in your life
intended to build character and test your faith, and your response is to
pitch a fit. Friday, I found myself in the middle of Chicago O'Hare
airport having a complete temper tantrum over the negligence of United
Airlines and the fact that I missed my connection to Grand Rapids. After
the airline attendant offered to call security for me, I excused myself
and went to the rental car counter to see if I could rent a one-way car
to just drive the rest of the way. There I met two businessmen that was
trying to do the same thing so I offered to let them ride with me. They
accepted and better yet, they had their business pay for the car and
they drove me. As we were doing all the dealings and going through the
hour-long process of getting a car they expressed their desires to just
stay there for the night and get drunk. They were freely throwing around
their profanities and making their character quite obvious. The whole
time I am thinking how they are really setting themselves up because I
know that my identity as a Son of God is going to be revealed. Well, the
time came just as we were exiting the rental car parking lot. The driver
simply said "So, what do you do for a living?" I answered, "I am a
pastor" The drivers response was a classic, he simply said "Ah S#$% !",
the passengers was absolute white faced silence. The air in the car was
now more like a mortuary now and I had to chuckle. I knew we had about
four hours to spend together and these guys were terrified. After a
short while we started talking about whatever we could find to break the
ice. A couple hours latter we were having a great time just cutting up
visiting. The whole time I was praying for these men and waiting on what
God wanted to do. Pretty soon I noticed a shift in the conversation and
these men that have worked closely together for five years began to
really talk. I listened as they began to open up details of their lives
to each other. They were learning about each other's beliefs and
personal things that have gone on within their families. They were
communicating on a deeper level than they ever had and allowed the walls
to begin to come down. I could see how the presence of the Holy Spirit
was giving life to their conversation. This developed into a beautiful
conversation between the three of us about what it means to be a
Christian. They even were giving me things to talk about in church the
following morning. What God showed me through this is first of all, the
whole time I was throwing a fit over the change of plans, he was trying
to get me to these men who in great need of his encouragement. Secondly,
he showed me how much power there was in just being who you are and
letting the people around you deal with it. Although I missed the event
that night, Wiley Peterson did the opening prayer and Brooks got the
Bible study going. This is another great reminded that God doesn't need
us, he wants us.
Leslie and I are back in sync as how to maintain a healthy family and
stay obedient to what we have been asked to do in ministry We had a
great time in church Sat. and the following is a letter from one family
who attended. Thank you for your support and encouragement.. In the
service of the King, Todd and Leslie
Dear Todd,
>>We don't know if you remember us, but we just wanted to send a quick
note to
>>thank you again for taking the time out of your hectic schedule to
listen to
>>us and pray with/and for us after the outreach service on Saturday
held in
>>the Van Andel Arena in Grand Rapids.
>>
>>This past couple of years has been really challenging for us as a family
>>"without a church" and having the opportunity to attend an outreach
service
>>meant so very much to all of us.
>>
>>Again, your "timely" arrival in Grand Rapids to be able to witness
for the
>>Lord was simply ordained to be what was right for us and exactly what
we needed
>> to hear. Thank you for helping us to reach a place we'd been unable to
>>arrive at for so long on our own. The Lord Jesus is definitely
working through
>>you and all of those who are dedicated to serving Him in everything
you do
>>with your Outreach Worship Service.
>>
>>Your words of encouragement meant a great deal to us. And whether you
knew
>>it or not, touched our daughter's heart in a way that allowed us, as a
>>family, to communicate about things we'd left unspoken. It was
wonderful how much
>>it inspired her to open up and speak to us about things that had been
>>troubling her nine year old heart.
>>
>>So, with much gratitude and appreciation for your work in reaching
out to
>>those in need...May God Richly Bless You and Your Family Always!!
>>And may you all in this ministry realize just how important what you
do is
>>to so many. It is our sincere wish and prayer that you continue with
this
>>special service during the PBR event weekends...because it truly is
the best
>>part of the overall PBR experience.
>>
>>Love and Prayers....God Bless,
>>
>>St. Joseph, MI
