Divine Appointments

I'm happy to have something to blog about. I've been feeling guilty for not blogging daily. Not that there are any rules for blogging, but I feel is is a responsibility that if people are going to take the time to check for new information in a blog, it should be there on some sort of consistent basis. I'll try to do better.

The Harvest Crusade exceeded my expectations to say the least. I was amazed at the number of people in the amphitheater and those outside who couldn't get in. 50,000 in three days! I had no idea that many people could get in the grassy bowl I graduated in some 20+ years ago.

There were a couple of stories I'd like to share with you. One I heard of yesterday. We have an ex-49er football player at our church and he was working as a follow-up counselor. God paired him up with a handful of boys, around the age of 10, who had just given their lives to Christ. As they talked, it was revealed they all played football. Can you imagine a real life pro football player counseling you after you accepted Christ? They must have felt like they died and went to heaven. (Figuratively speaking of course!)

Another divine appointment was when my husband and I were joined by a salesman and the man he invited. The salesman had prayed about who to invite. He had over 6700 customers and this man's time kept coming to mind. He invited him and he said yes. Greg talked to him quite a bit before the concert started and learned a lot about his situation. He lost his wife a year ago, his children were in a variety of living situations, he was on disability but wanted to find work as a janitor. He said he had fallen away from church after some private confessions he shared with his church leadership were used against him. He never trusted clergy again. He was fairly stoic during the concert, but when Greg Laurie started to speak, he leaned intently forward, hanging on every word. We prayed for him silently during the message. When the invitation started, he was starting to sob. He went forward and re-dedicated his life to Christ. Greg prayed with him afterwards.

The coolest part for me was the personal stories of this man and seeing the result of an open heart. It was hearing that boys got counseled by a football star. It was hearing Greg Laurie talk about Travis Starn's life and heart in front of 17,000 people. The crusade made me realize that the neatest things in life are getting connected to people and learning their stories. Exchanging wisdom, helping people get to the next step or level in their walk, watching God do amazing things in their lives. It's not always easy, it's not always clean and tidy, it doesn't always leave you with more energy than when you started. Sometimes it leaves you in tears, exhausted, confused, or hurt. But it's worth it. God designed us to get involved in people's lives, to give a leg up, to help wherever and whenever we can. As I saw Greg ask that gentleman a host of questions, sometimes I wondered 'how can you be so nosy?' But the question should have been, 'how can I care too?'.