22 January 08 - 10:48
Burst Into Bloom
Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. James 5:16
It doesn’t matter how many years I’ve been cruising the streets with an awesome team, reaching out to others, learning from others, sharing laughter and tears; each week is still amazing and miraculous. Sometimes the miracle is seen in the people we meet and sometimes comes in the form of a repentant heart of a team member. Tonight we stopped to visit a gentleman we meet a few weeks ago. The night we first met him he was cold, hungry and new to the neighborhood. He told us where he lived and a few days later Cindy and I went to visit him at his apartment. It was a tiny sparsely furnished apartment in the basement of the complex. I think we caught him at a bad time and he said a few words about his brother that bothered Cindy. When we stopped to visit tonight Cindy didn’t want to see him so she and Greer went to a neighbor’s apartment and Bonnie and I visited with him. The door to his apartment was open and after a few minutes I could see Cindy and Greer standing in the hallway and I asked them to come in. This gentleman then asked if he could share some of his poetry with us. What beautiful poems about God’s love! The words this man spoke were amazing and had us in tears. They really touched Cindy because she then asked this man if he would forgive her for having harsh feelings toward him. Cindy is so childlike in her ways, always willing to be open and honest. When she told him why she was upset with him he opened up and shared how he has been feeling convicted about speaking harshly about his brother and just last week called to reconcile with him. I so often stand in awe of how beautifully the Lord works through this precious lady and because of her openness, love and transparency she touches people for Christ in ways that are truly humbling. Then joy breaks forth as Cindy does what only Cindy can do, which is take off her coat, roll up her sleeves and show the marks of a life redeemed.
The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the LORD, the splendor of our God. Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; say to those with fearful hearts, "Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you." Isaiah 35:1-5
Two men standing on the street corner one walks away and the other stands there; drinking from his brown paper bag. “Hello, we are from Abide Ministries and we have lunch bags and prayer to offer you, are you interested?” Brown paper bag says yes so we ask if he would also like a hat and gloves. The guy walking away hears the offer, comes back and cautiously approaches the van. We explain a little more about who we are and why we are out on the streets. There is no mistaking that Christ has taken over this encounter as you witness the change taking place in this man. Over and over again we are privileged to see parched and barren people start to bloom when you pray for them. They are clothed in trepidation, fear written boldly upon their faces, you take their hands, they start to soften, you speak the words of hope and a future and they bloom like flowers in springtime. Only Christ can transform and we can only give thanks for His allowing us to witness the desert come alive!
Have a blessed week,
Donna
"Blessed shalt thou be when thou comest in, and blessed shalt thou be when thou goest out." Deut.28:6No comments
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