Last summer a team from Bethel Church in Redding, CA, led by a guy named Kevin Dedmon came and held a three day training and equipping conference at our church in little Glen Carbon, IL. This conference changed the way I thought about things and taught me a new way to share Jesus with people in my community. If you can't go to Redding, which from here is apparently a 3 different plane trip, Kevin has a book called Treasure Hunt that is awesome and explains everything they taught us.
One of the "exercises" that we learned during the conference - I don't want to give all the secrets of the book away but...
We would pray and then just write down the first things that popped into our heads, like red shirt or black baseball cap, heart problems, Starbucks, broken arm, just whatever popped into our heads, no matter how ridiculous it sounded. Then we split up into teams of 4 and left the church and went out wherever our list lead us. After several failed attempts we ended up at a grocery store two towns away. We walk in and see a lady in a purple dress - which is on the list. The butterflies in my stomach were insane as we nervously walked around the store trying to figure out how to approach her - we were "Jesus Stalkers"! In the end we did talk to her - so our creepy factor diminished greatly!
I've said all this to say that my friend from the bike trail, the guy with the leg brace, yep, I am Jesus Stalking him. I prayed that I would run into him on the bike trail again today. I did. :O) Even though he hasn't let me pray with him yet, I know that God is building a bridge between us. When I pull in the lot where I park my car and I see his truck parked there, my heart skips a beat and my spirit jumps for joy. I cannot wait until the day when that leg brace is left on the side of that bike trail!
We pulled in at the same time and chatted for a minute. I didn't bring up praying for his knee. It didn't matter. I know that God is working on him and he is God's problem, I just have to be ready and available for the day when he is ready to see God work a miracle in his life.
God's greatest desire I believe is for His church, His bride, to be united as one. Regardless of the denomination and for His children to be able to walk in all the things that Christ's blood paid for. The great question my Pastor always asks: What is salvation to you?
Wow. This is very interesting. I am going to have to take a look at this book!
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