Faith & Works

FAITH & WORKS

Monday:

Susie, Missy's sister, created a daily devotional like journal for each day we are on the road. This day's entry, like all the others, perfectly fit with what The Lord is doing in us, through us and for us.

James 2:14-24

When I heard that this was our scripture reading, I got super excited. This is our first official go- do- random- acts -of -kindness day, to see what comes up and to whom we minister God's love!

We arrived in the Birmingham area, Trussville (which I immediately began calling TRUSTVILLE in my mind), and checked in early. We had a short travel day from Atlanta and wanted to get out there and do whatever it was that God opened for us. “We can go to the Mall or we can go to downtown Birmingham, but we can't do both,” Lesa said. “You choose.” Mary, Missy and I sat in the car as Lesa checked us in. God had another teachable moment for me.

In my heart I wanted to go into the shopping district but I thought to myself that this is selfish or it would seem self centered, of course the greater good and need would be in downtown. It would turn out, however, quite the contrary.

The downtown area was not bustling like Atlanta. It was not like Norfolk, with tons or restaurants and shops and people walking about. It looked more like a financial district with offices, railroad, auto body shops, automotive repair garages and other industrial businesses. We parked on a bridge and walked several blocks down hill to get lunch and see what came up.

 There were beautiful old buildings with ornate detail and rustic old painted signs, cool old doorways,

 brick roads and a discarded umbrella next to the the Red Cross Building in the alley. You will have to look on Mary's Instagram for that picture. It is awesome.

 We saw a 60 year old Coca Cola machine that still worked and a beautiful wrought iron gate which held us back from an interesting courtyard filled with sculpture and patio furniture. According to a man who just happened to walk out a door next to this place at the same time we wondered about it, that it belongs to a world renown iron artist, Brad Morton, who had cast many sculptures, including A Nun, at St Vincent's hospital.

The only people we saw in this area were working.

We joked around with the cafeteria workers as we made it down the line at the restaurant we found but other than that, there was nothing to do in downtown Birmingham except take a few photos and head back out. We went to scope out the location of the restaurant we had an appointment with a minister and his wife later that evening to make sure we could find it and then went to The Galleria several more miles down the road. The Galleria is a huge mall with two parking garages. We parked in the garage next to Sears. We did not know what would come up at the mall. We were not there to go shopping shopping. We were “shopping” for treasures!

We had not gotten out of the garage before we found a huge need. I walked by a car with a hood up, a young man sitting in the driver seat on a cell phone. I was stuck on the cowboy boots thing and women needs. Lesa did not walk by. “ Do you need a jump?” Bo said yes and he did not have any jumper cables. “We'll go buy you some. This is Sears.”

Bo worked there and showed us where we could find them. He was in shock and in awe. His mother had been telling him he is blessed and highly favored. I learned this after I had told him the same thing seconds before. We got the cables, and jumped his car, but not before another Sears co-worker, Derek, came to help. I engaged him in conversation, asking about him, drawing him out with leading questions. Turns out, he needed prayer for direction. I heard the word,”SERVANT.” I asked more questions. A church goer doing service in an area that is not his passion, I probed further. He desires to work in the basketball ministry at church. His current schedule is unstable and will not allow for it now. So I prayed more for a stable schedule or open doors for God to make it available for him to volunteer and serve in the area of his passion. Then I joined the others to pray for Bo. “PASTOR.” I asked if he was considering being a pastor. Turns out he had been. As a college student pursiung civil engineering and real estate, I perceived there may be tension between Pastoring and the marketplace. I encouraged him that they were not mutually exclusive, that the marketplace needs pastors as well. Turns out his passion is going back into his hometown, the most poverty stricken city in Alabama. He wants to shift the atmosphere ethere and transform the city and the people to break the poverty spirit of that town using real estate, and ownership.

After the battery charged we followed Bo to the Sears Automotive shop to buy him a new battery. We hung out with him and fellowshipped together for over an hour in the wait room. It was marvelous to see God touch Bo in this way.

As our time to spend treasure hunting was now over, we left the mall and made our way over to Lifeway Christian bookstore to get a greeting card for the couple we were meeting for dinner that night. I suggested we get a car sticker in preparation for the tornado ravaged cities that reads,”Clergy.” I found a Pastor sticker and a Clergy card that hangs from the rear view mirror. At the check out line, a Christian woman stood patiently as the clerk had computer problems. The system was down and would not accept a debit or credit card. Lesa said, "I have cash. I will pay for her stuff.” The lady's response was short at first. “Oh no you won't!”When we insisted that this is the reason for our being there, she relented her stand and accepted with thanksgiving. “I can't wait to get to Bible study to tell everyone!”

We made our way back to the restaurant where we would be meeting Ralph and Deborah. These two saints put their lives on the line and togo where the Lord leads. They left everything 6 months ago to come to Alabama from California. The church position they were coming to did not work out as they anticipated. We came just at the right time, with the right word to encourage and bless this beautiful couple. We became instant friends and over dinner, they spoke revelations of God's love, grace and rest.

One particular topic Ralph shared especially spoke directly to my heart. “It is Christ IN you, the hope of glory. God, in Christ, is IN YOU. Since Christ is in you, then when you touch another person, in reality, they are being touched by The Lord himself. How did things transform for the people who Jesus touched? When I touch someone, its with the delibrate intention that they are being touched by the Lord himself. I don't worry about whether they are healed or not, receive results right away or not. I know they have been touched by God and God is working things out for them.” He also shared part of the scriptures from James that began our adventure: Faith without works is dead.

It was our turn to speak into their lives. We encouraged them that the gifts and word in them were exactly what the body of Christ needs, and what we needed. That the mission trip would not be the same because of the words they spoke. That the revelations of grace, rest and love and the touch of Christ now has altered they way I would do ministry from that point forward. I welcomed them to come to Virginia. “We need your ministry in Virginia. If not coming to stay, come for vacation and come see what God is doing in our area." 

Lesa also did what she does so well, and encouraged them to dream and make their vision plain and write it out, without limits of time or money. “If you could do anything, if you had all the money and time you needed, what would you do?” She recommended they write it out separately and then come together and discuss it and tweek it together and see what God unfolds for them during the process. 

As we got up to leave, Ralph took us, one by one and prophesied words that echoed words others spoke only one day before. (For me he said that all night he saw a Railroad crossing sign over me. That I was for a long time stuck at the tracks, waiting for a train to come along and the train never came. He said he saw that I had been hindered up to that point. He said that God has removed what was stopping me. That He would continue to work in that area of transformation which had begun recently (human connection on a deep, deep level). For the first time in my life, I felt like I was gently touched by Jesus. My heart melted. It was more tender and kind and loving than my father's touch ever had been, as sweet as those touches were. I long to transfer that kind of touch to people, not just a powerful touch with Light and electricity and healing, but gentleness and kindness and love and joy and peace and rest as well. I never knew that it was possible to be touched in this way.

The card was given, with a surprise hidden inside and we parted ways. I hope we will see these remarkable missionaries again. And we saw God answered Missy's prayers for the first several people we meet to minister to and bless would "be easy and received well." And they were. God be praised. We returned to the hotel to worship, praise and pray and receive Communion. What a fabulous day.