Delighting in Interruptions

I have to say that I do not do well with interruptions...especially when those interruptions immobilize you from the errands you have to do to keep your household running.  Grocery shopping, post office, bank, Target, etc...  Our car battery died and my husband had to take my car to work.  So I called AAA to ensure that the problem would be solved, and I would be back in business. 

A tired alternator was the culprit, and the man from AAA said that he knew a good mechanic that he could refer us to.  I thanked him and said that my brother is a Black hawk helicopter mechanic and does all of our repairs.  He said that his brother was an Apache crew chief before he retired from the military.  He mentioned that he was in the military as well and that he retired when he was injured after having been shot off of a Hummer in Iraq. 

Instantly, I had a platform to ask him about his thoughts on God.  He said that God would not be interested in someone like him and went back to talking about my car.  "David was a man after God's own heart, and was a soldier who was praised for killing his ten thousands,"  I said to him.  I told him it would be easy to receive Christ into his heart.  And with conviction in his voice he said that God would not accept someone like him.  I continued to press him, and he finally told me why...

During his deployment in Iraq, he was forced to choose between taking the life of an 8 year old girl who was armed with a mortar, or losing his own life.  

"Only Christ could remove the guilt that you feel," I told him, and reassured him of Christ's love for him.  I gave him the address of our church and let him know that he could always find an open door and a listening ear.  I said goodbye to him and with a heavy heart, went back to my day.  Having a car that wouldn't start was not much of an interruption after all. 

Holiday Shopping - Part 2

I did it again!  I shared at the cash register, but this experience was completely different than the previous.  I was in Office Depot buying paper and I was in line with one person ahead and two people behind.  The man at the register casually joked with the man ahead of me about being careful with the product he was buying or he could end up electrocuted.  I made a comment about not fearing death because I am pretty confident about where I am going.  The cashier chimed in with a scripture, the man ahead of me agreed and the woman behind me also made a comment indicating that she was a believer. 

On the way out of the store, the gentleman who was ahead of me admitted to having a desire to know Christ deeper.  I encouraged him to take the time to spend reading the bible more regularly and assured him that the Lord will surely give him more of a passion.  Then we prayed and parted ways.

The Dreaded News

I have often wondered what this day would be like.  I've feared and I've fretted and could never predict the painful ache that would resonate in my heart.  My father's doctor emailed me.  He is on vacation and will not be in the office until the 27th.  Judging from the results of the blood tests that were taken today, he suspects that my father's leukemia is back. 

It is perplexing, but the feeling that I am exhibiting is not fear, like I have felt since learning about his diagnosis,  but peace...

Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus...Philippians 4:6-7

This peace in my heart is evidence of a God that loves me and is concerned with the details of my life.  It is evidence that there is a God and His word is true.
I know this means that my time with my father is short.  We have had a year since he first went to the doctor and received the diagnosis, and it has been such a blessed time spent with him. 
Pray for me, that I will continue to have this peace, and that I will be able to delight in these moments that I have with my Daddy. 

Holiday Shopping

In my effort to bring up the topic of Jesus Christ with those that I interact with on my shopping excursions, I tend to feel that my conversation gets a little forced.  After all, the entire transaction does not take more than 5 minutes.  An extremely service-oriented, Leonard, helped me in the express checkout this evening.  We started talking about the extended holiday hours, which led to what his holiday traditions are, which led to me asking him if he will be going to church this year.  He quickly answered that he was agnostic.  He also told me that as a child he attended Christian church with his aunt.  And just before I could ask the next question, another customer came behind me and it was time for me to take my bag and head out to my car.

Oh, but I would have loved to ask him about his experience as a child and what may have led to his discontinuance of seeking the Lord.  I would have loved to tell him that Jesus loves him, even though he is not searching and remind him of those everlasting arms that he could always run into.  Lord, I pray that Leonard would think deep into his past and remember those times of church.  I pray that those seeds planted by his aunt may continue to be tended by others.   

Oversized Glasses, Outlandish Hairstyles and Back-up Dancers

I put so much garlic in my dinner last night that it is oozing from my body this morning.  I guess I was trying a little too hard while making dinner for my friend who I have know since the eighth grade.  We were laughing so hard as we recounted memories of ourselves with over sized glasses and outlandish hairstyles.  We caught up on all our friends and family.  Who she still sees, who I still see, what our siblings are up to... 


Ever since I could remember, her brother and sister were constantly being whisked away to dance class.  It paid off for her brother, as he has gone on tour after tour as a back-up dancer.  He has danced with Brittany Spears, Aaron Carter, and several other popstars.  His latest tour is with a Latin pop artist who has been touring all over the United States. 



Stacey's brother is on the far left.



Over the last few months, Stacey has felt the Lord prompting her to have a talk with her brother about his lifestyle and his need for Jesus.  After waking from a terrible dream about him, she wrote him a heartfelt letter that was definitely guided by the Lord.  To her surprise, he was responsive and will be coming to church with her this Wednesday night. 

After hearing Stacey's story, it made me think that the Lord wants to use us in the lives of those we know and love in a mighty way.  If we are open and receptive to his prompting, He could be moving us that way as well.  My prayer for him is that he would see something that attracts him to seek Christ and that it would leave him unsettled as he returns to finish out the tour.