August 19 – “Change of plans”

Yesterday was one of those days at church when God decided to do something different than we all had planned.  And of course his way sure went well.  Amazing how that all works, isn’t it?

I had a teaching all planned and ready to go when Mike, our former youth pastor arrived.  He had been to a weekend men’s retreat at a Catholic church in Santa Fe, and he was very excited about how it had impacted his life.  Almost immediately I felt a familiar stirring within that I have come to recognize as the voice of the Holy Spirit.  It has taken me a while to get to this point, but now when I hear that urge I do my best to follow whatever he urges me to do.  In this case it involved turning over the teaching time to Mike for the day, and giving him the opportunity to share with his church family the experience he had undergone.  There is nothing quite like hearing a fellow believer’s story of his encounters with God.  It is always one of the most encouraging things that can happen.  If nothing else, it offers the hope that if God can connect with someone else, then there is always a chance he could connect with me, too. 

Among the things Mike shared was his conclusion that the reason he has been feeling unsettled in his personal worship was that he hadn’t been involved in a personal ministry.  He said he had been rationalizing and analyzing everything, but not realizing anything.  He didn’t really have a sense of purpose in life because he wasn’t acting in service to God.  That’s a pretty significant discovery for anyone, but especially when you have personally committed your life to ministry.  He is praying now for God to reveal to him a specific area of ministry he can commit to, even if it means a return to youth ministry.  Interestingly enough, another Seasider approached him after church with the possibility of being part of starting up a brand new retreat-type ministry of our own using our retreat center as a site.  We’ll see how that goes. 

One of the things that excites me most and that still amazes our worship pastor Jimmy is how God draws together what he has in mind, even when we have no idea that he is doing it.  All of the songs Jimmy had selected fit perfectly with the message Mike presented, even down to the final song, How Great Thou Art, which was Mike’s personal favorite.  And none of us, Mike included, knew that he would be speaking.  All I could say in response was, “Way to go, God.”

Here is the key verse Mike shared from Luke 12:49: “I have come to bring fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled.”

Father, thank you for speaking to and through Mike.  Make clear to him what ministry you want him to be pursuing.  Amen.