Remix

I wrote this in late 2006, and this weekend, Heidi and I had an experience that reminded me of it, so I thought I would share. We continue to pray and look for Spirit-initiated opportunities such as these.
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"This is really an understatement, but tonight was a wild night. I have mentioned a little about my two wonderful children, and tonight, one of them was in full force. Newsflash: MY SON DOES NOT LIKE HIS CAR SEAT!
There just isn’t a lot of room when the family piles into the 2003 Nissan Xterra. Mom, Sister, and Brother all sit in the back, and lonely ‘ole dad assumes the ship’s controls. At least I get to control the stereo. Because of the scarcity of room in the Xterra, Mom and Dad thought it wise to begin a search for a potential new vehicle. This is an ‘on again, off again’ search that began 6 weeks ago. Tonight, the search took us 25 miles southwest of home.

Did I mention that my son does not like his car seat? I didn’t want to include too many paragraphs before telling you that again. What does this mean? Usually, it means that he screams from the moment he is placed inside his car seat to the moment he is removed from its blood-thirsty clutches. I am pretty sure the phrase ‘AAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!’ would describe it best. I can’t fault the guy though. If you placed me in this box, pinned me down, and strapped me in using this uncomfortable and intimidating buckle that ran between my legs, I’d be a little wigged out, too. Also, what can I say? At least the boy has a good, healthy set of lungs. As we were driving around trying to look at a few vehicles, tensions were running high and patience was running low as Mom, Dad, and Sister took turns attempting to soothe our beautiful baby; however, each of us ended up staring into the face of a wild-eyed, red-faced mini me wondering when the next chance to get out and walk around would present itself.

I’m not sure if it was the screaming, the cold weather, or the fact that we were on a semi-tight schedule, but it seemed that every stop light we approached saw us coming and upon making eye contact with us quickly and without hesitancy proceeded to red. I’m surprised I remember one specific red light in the sea of never ending stops that we made; however, one does stand out. We stopped at this red light where on the right was a bank and on the left was the marquee of a local church. This marquee was extra nice, because not only did it have the standard manual lettering, but it also had the scrolling digital type. Fancy. The standard manual letters read something about a ‘casual dress’ worship service, and the ‘regular’ worship service, but the red digital letters caught my eye. The lettering scrolled across the sign displaying, “Make a joyful noise unto the LORD, all ye lands.” At this moment, my son was doing his best to match the sound of an airplane taking off with his screams, and I couldn’t help but muster a smirk. The King James was a nice touch, too.

Here’s a shocker. The other day I was running late. It was a Wednesday morning, because I volunteer for a few hours at Harvest House, a fantastic, local emergency benevolence agency, every Wednesday, and as usually, I was behind. My daughter was already in school, and my wife takes our son with her to work, and they were already gone. After a quick shower, I had run into the bedroom to get dressed. I was returning to the bathroom to squirt two quick shots of cologne on my neck when the home phone rang, and I make sure to inform you that it was the home phone for a specific reason.

On a very rare occasion, you will find me answering the home phone, and I want to make sure to emphasize the word ‘rare’ in this sentence. I just don’t do it. To be honest, I’m really not sure why, but don’t get me wrong. I do realize that it’s pretty quirky. Part of it is probably because I don’t really want to have a home phone. My cell phone has unlimited minutes for making and receiving calls, and my wife doesn’t use her cell phone all that much, so couldn’t we get by without a home phone? Also, our city has just installed a city-wide wireless network, so I know I don’t need a home phone for Internet service anymore. Another reason I don’t answer it is probably because we don’t have caller ID on our home phone. At least with my cell phone, I’m not surprised by the voice I hear on the other line. Finally, those who know me and want to get a hold of me know to call my cell phone, so if the home phone is ringing, it is probably not for me anyway.

So, I’m a few steps away from the bathroom door and the home phone rings. Actually, I thought about answering it, but I quickly smothered those thoughts remembering that I was already late, and did not want to waste one more minute especially if that meant talking on the home phone. Our answering machine picked up, and the caller began to speak. It was a lady that I had not heard from in a long time. Her name was Angela (no it wasn't but you get the idea), and her granddaughters were in my youth group years ago. She mentioned that she had met someone whom she wanted to refer to me and the new church I was a part of because this person lived near me. Okay, I made the mental note to call her back as soon as I had the opportunity which would probably be over lunch.

However, immediately after the home phone quit ringing, my cell phone began to ring. At this point, I’m starting to get a little flustered. I looked at my phone, and did not recognize the number, so I didn’t answer it either. I do that sometimes, too. I noticed that the caller left a voice message, but continued walking toward the door to my garage. As I opened the door, the home phone rang again! I rolled my eyes, hopped in the car, and violently sped off to Harvest House.

Ministry is amazing. God shows up in marvelous ways. Things happen that can not be explained. Encounters with people take place that leave you without words. The power of God is real, active, and transforming. He is constantly “calling us out of darkness into his wonderful light.” One of the greatest things about working in a new church plant that is focusing on people who do not go to church or haven’t in a good while is just that…the people. God is about his mission in the lives of people, and I’m thankful that he allows me to come along and participate with him. A lot of my time is spent sharing in dinners, phone conversations, and living room talks, and I love it.

However, this particular morning, I was in no mood for the power of God to work though me. Remember, I’m late! About an hour and a half into my day at Harvest House, my cell phone rang again. This time as I scanned the caller ID, I realized it was my wife and I promptly answered the phone. She began by asking me if I had talked to Angela, and I quickly recounted the phone circus I escaped from as I left the house that morning. Well, apparently Angela had called my wife, and stated her need to talk to me with great urgency. So, at the powerful beckoning of my wife, I reluctantly took a 10 minute break and called Angela.

After a couple of rings, Angela picked up on the other line. She thanked me for calling and began to tell me of a new friend she had just met. The last ten years of her friend’s life had been littered with tragedy. He had battled cancer, drug addiction, prison, and the death of his wife. He lived in our area, and Angela wanted me to meet him. So, she put him on the phone! Mike (ummm...not really) introduced himself to me, and we chatted for a few minutes. I told him a little bit about Christ Journey, and before I knew it, Angela was back on the line. She encouraged me to go by Mike’s house later in the week to meet him in person, and she said that the two of them would join our Sunday worship gathering the following weekend, and that was it.

Why does God put up with a person like me? He has shown me his incredible, indescribable, and untamable power time and time again, and I still, either in pride or doubt, do not live expectantly. Instead of getting out of the way and looking for God to show up, usually, he bursts on to the scene, and then says, “Everything is possible for him who believes.”

You see, when I hung up the phone, if I was truly honest with myself and with you, I placed the encounter into a neat and hidden corner of my brain. Okay, I tried to use flowery language to dress it up, but in reality, I forgot. I forgot about the phone call. I forgot about Mike. I forgot that I was supposed to go by his house later in the week. I forgot that Angela and Mike were coming on Sunday.

However, in the midst of my ineptitude, Sunday came, and so did Mike and Angela. Mike was extremely kind and open about his plight in life. He was exuberant about understanding the ways of God, and experiencing the power of community. I was blessed to share in worship, friendship, and conversation with him.

Sometimes in life, we need time to refocus. We need time to remember that life is not about us. It’s not about what we can do, or the talents we have been given. It’s about giving, blessing, sharing, and loving. As one mentor of mine has put it, “we are church for the sake of the world”, and Mike reminded me of that.

The next day, I received a phone call from Angela. Mike wanted to become a disciple of Jesus! Mike wanted to share in the death, burial, and resurrection of Jesus through baptism! Amazing! One minute, we’re uncomfortably talking on the phone, and the next minute, we’re gathered around Mike in a backyard pool praising God for his love and work expressed in Mike.

You know, what I thought was an end was really a beginning. As Mike was ushered into the Kingdom of God, the Holy Spirit began opening doors within the cobwebbed halls of his family. Mike became God’s tour guide sharing with his family about His love, church, and Spirit. God calls and God sends, and Mike was sent into his very own household. As family members began to see hope and life in Mike, they began asking questions about this God. Before we knew it, a house church was launched in Mike’s home, and his mother, grandmother, sister, and others became participants in this emerging community of faith. About a month after the launching of the house church, Mike’s mom expressed her desire to become a follower of Jesus.

From a random phone call to a guy who was too busy to be bothered, God began redeeming an entire household. The people’s response to His redemption is still in process, and sometimes, the journey is tough; however, nothing can separate this family from God’s love as he continues to raise up servants and proclaimers within the household.

Instead of providing you with a report, we thought it more creative and impactful to share this story. As we look back upon 2006, there are many, many similar stories that reflect God’s provision, transformation, and mission in our midst. We are thankful for a God who is truly “with us”, and as we reflect upon his birth in a manger, we find virulent, unending hope. If the Savior of the world can be born in a barn, what can the spirit of God do within us?"