Bread of Life Adventures week of 2/9/15

We started a ministry of going out into the community around the church on Mondays to give away bread and pray for everyone God puts in our path.  We pray before we go, pray while driving, pray with people living around the church, and have a prayer meeting back at the church afterwards.  It has become one of the most exciting days of the week for me.  (And I dare you to go with us and tell me if it wasn't one of the most exciting adventures you've gone on in some time!)  Every Monday noon to about 4pm (you can go for as long as you want as we are just around the corner from the church at all times.)  Ok, enough inviting you to join....Here is the adventures from this week.

3 weeks ago we gave bread to a family and prayed for them in their driveway.  This past Sunday Amanda prayed to receive Christ during the service.  After AWANA's at church we visited with her boyfriend about Christ and were able to comfort him in a real tragedy that he had been through that stood as a barrier between him and the Lord.  God so softened his heart that he wept all the way to work on Monday and came to the men's bible study on Tuesday night.

While Laurie was praying at one house with the family the little dog was barking so much you could barely hear the prayer.  I began praying for the dog to be silenced and he went silent and didn't bark again!

We were able to pray with several people that surprised us how open they were to being prayed for.

We got to share the gospel with two young men that were working on surveying for a house being sold.  We gave the bread and Jesus as they visited with us for 20 minutes or so as we were able to really talk to them about how to build trust in their relationships and ultimately trust in Christ.

We ended back at the church in prayer, but during the prayer time I felt an urgency to leave and go home.  It was awkward to leave during praying together, so I hesitated.  I sensed again the Lord impressing on me an urgency to go home.  I left and headed towards home when a wreck occurred right in front of me on Hardin Store Rd.  I sensed the Lord wanted me to pray for the lady that rolled her truck, but was unharmed.  I told her I was a minister and felt the Lord wanted me to pray for her.  She immediately asked my name, I told her, she then asked what was the name of the church, I told her, she then almost snapped at me asking where it was located, I told her, then she grabbed my arm and fell to me saying, "I've been looking for a church home!!"  I prayed for her and she broke down in tears thanking me for praying.  Her name is Stacey Spalding (guess on spelling).  She literally rolled her truck in the ditch and easily could have been killed based on the damage to the truck, but she almost didn't have a mark on her from the wreck.  I thought later sometimes God has to turn our worlds upside down in order to get our attention.  Her's literally was turned upside down.  I think mine was too!

Weapons left unused in defeat

An old post that I never published.  enjoy

I had more people that appeared to be really far from the Lord have great conversations about taking steps to seek the Lord this week than I have ever before.  With everyone of them promising to come to church this past Sunday, only to see none of them come.  I had such a wonderful time Sunday hearing from Oddie and spending enjoyable time visiting and eating lunch with visitors and church family as we celebrated Memorial Day barbecue together.  But I couldn't help but be a little disappointed that none of the people I had invited had joined in the celebration that day.  I shared with my brother Brian and he had showed up at someones house to give them a ride to church, only to be turned down at the door.That spurred my brother and I to take another look at the situation.  We were talking with people that were squarely in the devil's grasp.

 Ephesians 6:12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the powers, against the world forces of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of wickedness in the heavenly places.

I was confronted by the reality that my burden to share the incredible riches of Christ, my longing to see people come to know Christ personally as their savior, was not equally matched with a willingness to bathe these individuals in prayer.  It revealed that I really had my confidence in the convincing words that "I" had spoken, that the persuasion that "I" had used to get them to agree to come to church.  My brother saw the same in his encounter.

I have not given up and God works things out in His own timetable, but I am gripped by the reality that I am trying to wage battle in the spiritual realm for men's souls, and I leave the greatest weapon relatively unused during the battle.  May God break me of such self reliance and self confidence and replace it with an utter dependence on Him and a God confidence that drives me to Him more and more.  That I might have the distinct joy of seeing those perishing in sin and destruction be snatched out of the flames.

This funny picture is funny, but only makes my thinking that my persuasive words were weapons of war that much more lame.  Let us learn to pray like we are doing battle on our knees.  Read this week that a lady in a muslim community that was seeing many convert to Christianity was seeking to train each new believer to be a prayer intercessor.  Let us do the same.