Serving

Today I was relaxing at home, something I have needed for a few weeks. Getting work done on our bathrooms. Trying to upgrade to newer fixtures and going from wallpaper to tile…wow. The work is slow but it is beginning to take shape and is now looking like a bath once again. This has brought the scripture to mind to we often ask God for…patience. From my perspective trying to see the work being done from the workers position has been “trying my patience” as the design I picked out required that almost every tile be cut…wow if I had just thought beforehand. This week at church we, as a staff, we put our words into action by serving at three different facilities we have been working with on our local outreach journey. I was serving with several other staff members at the Sterling Thrift Shop located next to the Regal Cinema. We straightened clothes, shoes, records…BTW, saw some “old” 8 track music tapes; made my mind wander back to my work as a narcotics officer with the state police. Dusty, the youth pastor, and I found some old golf clubs and started hitting a waffle ball around the facility…even swung the club and vacuumed some…that’s the truth, got caught on film - Anyway it was very uplifting to serve and do things small that meant a lot. We got thanked almost at every turn for doing, what we thought were small things but meant allot to the regular workers. We all were blessed, made things that we think are huge to us seem rather out of place. For instance, I had a couple in my office this week struggling with a minor conflict in their marriage but was big to them. As I spoke to them it became evident this was a little minor thing (to me) and when they left they like the workers at the thrift shop thanked me several times. God showed me neither had a relationship personally with His Son. I was able to get them to do some homework and prayed the Holy Spirit would accomplish His work; they needed a little vacuuming like the floor at the thrift shop. They also needed a little patience with one another. It does get quite interesting sometimes in my office…one of the ladies often reminds me that I have a front row seat to what God is doing in people’s lives. That very day after she had said that, I received a call of someone struggling with alcohol and was calling on God for help. I was able to get him connected, then a call for help paying their electric bill, then a drop in with a person struggling with his grown kids doing things not pleasing to God and wondering where he had gone wrong…yes, at times I do have a front row seat and I may just share a few of those experiences in future blogs…stay tuned…an if you need a little vacuuming then serve someone who needs a gentle touch…