Coming out of a weekend whose bookends were the 300+ mile motorcycle trip to our hometown and back, I find myself still exhausted. Yet, I got up and went to work today, then went to visit a friend's daughter in the hospital. We spent the weekend with a lot of the people we love. However, we also missed a lot of the people we love who were down in LA.
It seemed to be a never-ending line of questions back in Georgia about what we planned 'to do' now. Simple, we are going to keep on doing what we are doing. Every day of our lives is an opportunity for ministry. This is true for anyone and everyone. The opportunities are there, but will you take advantage of them? Some people have the misconception that to minister, one must be staff on the payroll of some church. This could not be farther from the truth. We are ALL called to go make disciples, to go into the highways and hedges to compel people to come. Every time we encounter someone, we have the opportunity to impact them positively or negatively. Do we have to 'take them down the Roman Road'? Of course not, but we do have the opportunity to allow them to see something in us that is different. Different in a way that makes them want to know what or WHO it is that makes a difference in our lives. I am a firm believer, and many have heard me say this for years, 'People don't want or need us to play Rambo the Prophet'. In essence, they don't need us to beat them over the head with a Bible or shove Jesus down their throats. What they need is to know we care and are real. In our daily lives, Chas and I attempt to be real in all that we say and do. We are ever-mindful of the opportunities we have. Do we succeed? Yes, often. Do we fail? Yes, often. Do we strive to be consistent? Yes, operative word there, is STRIVE. We live each day of opportunities and strive to make a positive impact on the lives of those we encounter. We are, however, only human and that very fact alone means we will not always succeed. We will keep on traveling down this road, taking each day we are given, attempting to make a positive impact on the lives of those whose paths we cross.
My challenge to you is simply this: Live each day letting people know that you care and being real that you might make positive impacts on the lives of those you encounter.
It seemed to be a never-ending line of questions back in Georgia about what we planned 'to do' now. Simple, we are going to keep on doing what we are doing. Every day of our lives is an opportunity for ministry. This is true for anyone and everyone. The opportunities are there, but will you take advantage of them? Some people have the misconception that to minister, one must be staff on the payroll of some church. This could not be farther from the truth. We are ALL called to go make disciples, to go into the highways and hedges to compel people to come. Every time we encounter someone, we have the opportunity to impact them positively or negatively. Do we have to 'take them down the Roman Road'? Of course not, but we do have the opportunity to allow them to see something in us that is different. Different in a way that makes them want to know what or WHO it is that makes a difference in our lives. I am a firm believer, and many have heard me say this for years, 'People don't want or need us to play Rambo the Prophet'. In essence, they don't need us to beat them over the head with a Bible or shove Jesus down their throats. What they need is to know we care and are real. In our daily lives, Chas and I attempt to be real in all that we say and do. We are ever-mindful of the opportunities we have. Do we succeed? Yes, often. Do we fail? Yes, often. Do we strive to be consistent? Yes, operative word there, is STRIVE. We live each day of opportunities and strive to make a positive impact on the lives of those we encounter. We are, however, only human and that very fact alone means we will not always succeed. We will keep on traveling down this road, taking each day we are given, attempting to make a positive impact on the lives of those whose paths we cross.
My challenge to you is simply this: Live each day letting people know that you care and being real that you might make positive impacts on the lives of those you encounter.