Friday, March 27, 2009

Alright, one more story then it's bed time!

Seriously... You kids would have me tell you stories all night if I let you ;)
(Update: To make more sense of this story, read the one before this one)
This was back in December, Christmas eve to be exact. It was nasty and raw here in Redding, rain, freezing rain, snow, wind - yep it was "winter in Redding" - oh, did I tell you I was walking? no? Well I was, on suffering feet. I have a skin "issue" that sometimes makes walking so very painful - like walking on broken glass in fact - well this night there was the Christmas eve service at church and I was going no matter how bad it hurt - after all Christ suffered for me didn't He? So what's my little discomfort. Well anyway, I walk to church, in the cold, rainy night. I did have on a nice rain suit and coat and water proof boots though so I was dry. After the service I go to Burger King and have a bit to eat, I had taken $40 with me to the service, I gave $20 and was going to give the other one too, but - again His small voice said "wait" - so I had $10 in my pocket. I'm walking downtown by one of the "darker" parts of town, and as I'm coming to the crosswalk, I see a man standing there waiting for the light. I step up to wait for the light and he says "nice suit, looks dry" I look and see that he is standing in a soaked down jacket, a ball cap and tennis shoes... In the freezing rain. He tells me that he camps in the park, but that it was so cold and wet, that he is trying to get up enough money to buy a cup of coffee at the doughnut shop and get in out of it for a while, "How much" I ask, "Buck fourty five" - we are across the street now and under the street light I reach in my pocket and pull out that $10 and hand it to him - and wished him a Merry Christmas and told him Jesus loves you brother - He took me by the shoulder and arm and lifted his face to Heaven and blessed me and praised God, thanking Him for that gift. I told him go, get inside and have a good hot cup of coffee - Coffee!! he said - I'm getting me something to eat! Bless you, he said, you are the first person in years to wish me a Merry Christmas and mean it. I left him as he went, a bit jauntier now, on his way. I walked home on feet that had up to a few minutes before, been in screaming pain, but now were strangly comfortable and painfree.

See, God puts you right where you need to be, right when you need to be there, to do His will.
Abraham entertained The Lord and didn't know it, Jesus said "When you share a cup of water with one who is thirsty, or feed one who is hungry, you do the same for me" :)

Well, that's my stories for tonight. I pray that you enjoyed them, and that maybe, you are a bit better off - maybe there's someone who's waiting for you to "call" ? Maybe He would like to hear from you. Confess with your tongue and believe in your heart that Jesus Christ is God's son and that He came for your sins, and you will be saved :) And that's a great place to be :)

Blessings

God - He is Awesome!!

And He is too :)
Gather round and I'll tell you a story - yellow onions and all...
A while ago, several years - I used to date a gal, not hot and heavy kind of dating, just drives in the country and simple stuff like that. She lives out in the country, used to work at a bank in Palo Cedro. Well after a while we stopped seeing each other, nothing bad, just drifted apart. A little while after that I saw that she now worked for the county, felt odd seeing her there, but it wasn't bad or anything, just odd (now remember this was before I came to Jesus). Years later I saw her crossing the street going to her car and I said hi and we talked for a bit, just two old friends saying hi. Now we get a bit closer to present day, I had just accepted Christ and was riding that initial buzz when I saw her again and we talked, albeit briefly, but I saw around her neck the pentangle of the neo-pagan... We parted, still friendly, but parted. Fast forward to this week - Payday was Tuesday and I have $150 of my check taken from my checking and put into my savings - so there's that money sitting there and I like to spend money :) but every time I looked at something neat or cool, His little voice said "wait" so it sat there. Backstory flash - sideways I guess - for months I have prayed and asked the Lord that He give me His will to do - to bless me - to pour out the old man that I was and fill me with His beautiful and Holy Spirit - all this week I have felt the power and joy of Him in my heart - almost like I was jumping out of my skin - I wanted to just jump and sing and laugh with the power inside me. I know that He is in me - moving me in His Way - Amen! - Flash forward to today - this very afternoon. I am working with a colleague when I get a message that this woman is trying to find me - I go and look for her but she has left. I get her phone number (she works in the same building I do) so I call her. There is a sad and poignant pause on the other end of the phone "Gordon, can I see you? Please?" Sure I say and tell her I'll be out in the hall. Seconds later she is there, eyes barely holding back tears she asks "Gordon, could I please borrow $150?" *WHAM*!!!
"Of course, let's go to the bank"... We walked the few blocks and she just unraveled; tears and crying and sobbing her story - my heart breaking inside me - wanting to hold her and cry with her. We got to the bank - the guy ahead of me went off and left his card in the ATM, BTW ;) I yelled at him and he came running back to get it ;) I took out $160 (from my own account, not his...) (the 150 she wanted and 10 just cause - well just cause that's what the ATM gives is $20's ;) ) On the way back to work, I causally asked if she was still wiccan - she said that she was having real trouble wearing the necklace because it just felt so heavy and it didn't feel right, she asked if I was still a pagan - *cue His loving wonder* I said no, I've been a Christian for a few years and witnessed to her, telling her of His love for her and encouraging her to just "give Him a call, He's been waiting for you".

Now this evening as I was sitting here reading the Scripture, it hit me - God's hands were there years ago - she and I met, got to know each other, went our own ways - our lives - so intwined - yet so different - that decision to have that money taken out of my check (by the way - I had $155 in savings and $35 in checking when she asked) - hadn't spent it - had been praying for His Spirit to move me in His way - and there He was. I pray that He's smiling as big as I am right now, I pray that she's "on the phone" with Him right now...

"Be still and know I'm here - we are not alone"
Friends - I love you all.
Be blessed :)

P.S. Kira, there's a lot we don't know till it's too late, then there's stuff we know but don't do anything about, then there's stuff like this. I love you so much hon, I pray for you, for you and Dawn and Annika - you all are so precious to me.

Anyway - there :)
Love you,
Always,
Dad