A Blessing...

“Sometimes God has us on a long journey, trudging uphill. We can only see the dirt path with no way to see over the hill to the destination. Perhaps if we saw where we were going, we would be planning what we would do when we got there: where we would visit, sites to see, places to eat. We would completely overlook the journey. We would miss the sites along the way, the sunsets and sunrises, because we would be so consumed with the final arrival.

I challenge you to enjoy the walk you're on, saturate yourself in the experience, remember where you are walking through and encourage other stragglers on the way. Because over that hill is something far more wonderful than you can imagine. This is your journey, your walk, your story, only you can choose how you handle the “lay-overs.” God has never let you down and he's not going to start today.”

That message was written on the inside of a card and left on my car for me to find. On a day where my most earnest prayers were lifted up and trust was getting tougher and tougher, I received this. On a day where I prayed "If success to you God means you want me to be homeless and glorify you that way, I will be homeless. I only want what you want," and I actually meant it... this shows up.

Thank you so much to whoever it was that wrote that on a card and placed it on my car. Thank you for that blessing and encouragement. I can never thank you enough.

Dear Reader,

I hope those words will also speak to your heart and you will click off my blog knowing that God has never let you down and he's NOT going to start today. Make it a priority to remind someone of that today.

"My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." 2 Corinthians 12:9

Apple pies and coffee

I just walked into my room and saw my bed.

I am about to get underneath the covers and sleep soundly in a heated home. I will wake up refreshed tomorrow, ready for what the day brings me. How badly I take that for granted.

Tonight, me and some friends headed out in the bitter cold to hand out clothes, apple pies and coffee to the homeless. I went into it expecting to "feel" something, whether it be self gratification or God's approval. I felt nothing the entire time.

Until I saw my bed.

That's when my heart broke for the men and women we spoke to tonight. They were bundled up on benches preparing for a long night and eagerly took our coffee and apple pies. They were all very thankful and responded in an unusual way when we told them that we just wanted to share God's love. They would say, "I know I am blessed".

Could I say that if I was in their situation?

I was the one who got the blessing tonight, because my eyes were opened a little more to this world that we live in and what my role is while I am here. Why should I feel God's approval when I was just doing what he does for me everyday: showing love.

"This is the story of God: It was not enough to send an angel or prophet or any other, for an issue of love, you must go yourself. And so God came. This is the story of Jesus." - Soul Cravings

Without love, there is no God. Without God, there is no love.

Showing others love is a lifestyle, not a diet.

So thank you to David, Darryl, Gary, Michelle, Tony, James, Dwayne and Marco for blessing me tonight. I pray that you are warm and that you know that God loves you.

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Quick story about Marco: We couldn't tell if he needed help or not and didn't want to ask him if he really didn't. It wasn't until we saw him picking up something off the ground that we decided to move in. He quickly and graciously accepted what we had to offer and then said this:

"I just picked up a penny that was on heads off the ground and then you showed up. I was like...Man, that was QUICK! Usually it takes a while for the good luck!"