It's been some time since I've written. It seems the urge comes during times like these. I have a paper due in two days where I still have about 6 of the OT prophetical books to summarize and here I sit. I really do miss journaling. I've had so much happen that I could write a book.
Not long ago we had a seminary fair on campus and as I consider where I would go if the Lord wills, I continue to lean toward The Master's Seminary (http://www.tms.edu/). As I focus on Biblical Exposition here at Moody, I believe my graduate work should be focused on Biblical Counseling. As a pastor I want to be able to preach well and be a shepherd well and while I know much will continue to come with experience, I believe a focus on counseling next would be appropriate. I'm confident now more than ever that God would have me in a pastoral role. While I don't know where or in what capacity, I believe God has continued to affirm this. This morning in our retirement home ministry at Concord Place, it hit me that a women in the small congregation our group has really grown in her walk through the Lord using our ministry. A woman who used to interrupt the preacher and correct the worship team after every service has become a woman who asks us to thank God for all the He provides during prayer time, who helps pick up the hymnbooks after the service, and who told us she shared Christ with someone this past week. She may not be perfect, but neither are we.
A woman who believed God spoke to her through a message I gave felt that she needed to reach out with the gospel to others in her retirement home community and handed out almost 100 tracts in one week. If one woman who can barely move in a wheelchair can do that... what does that say about us? We had the opportunity recently to visit some of the residents in their rooms. Norma was the woman who used the tracts. I love her so much. Her and her roommate Algie are the funniest. Algie was a secretary at Moody for about 40 years. Norma once asked us what we thought of Joel Osteen. She said she just "itches" every time he comes on and she wished he would "just open the Bible and study it." She said Algie needed to exercise or she would just sit there and "get FAT." We've really enjoyed these people. I'll be praying about whether or not God wants me to stay in that ministry next semester. Currently I plan to switch to Student Outreach. I know the leadership will need some help next semester and I really miss being out on the frontlines seeking the lost.
Last night about 9 of us went out to the Chicago Festival of Lights in the usual general area the group goes to witness. I hadn't preached in some time so my voice has been a bit deep today. It was pretty cold, but we still spent about 1 1/2 hours out there. Once Matthew and I started preaching the crowds came. We had plenty of teens listening and even a group from a local church who came over to encourage us. For the first time I was heckled from the balcony of a building. They kept yelling "shut up!" To which I responded that some people will shut up on judgment day because their knees will be bowing and tongues confessing that Jesus Christ is Lord. The hecklers helped further the gospel as they often do because the tracts were flooding out of the hands of the students. Apparently each open air sermon provided opportunities for excellent conversations as well. Matthew is coming along well. I began mentoring him last semester and helping him channel the zeal. I remember the first time he ever stood on a stool and read a passage of Scripture out loud to open up for me... he still had some mild mockers even though he was reading Scripture. God's Word brings many reactions... may it bring a reaction of change in people's hearts. But yeah, it looks like Matthew has found his proper volume, anunciates his words well, and even had an engaging and interesting springboard. He tells stories well. Here's one of the videos from that night. Sorry we didn't get the hecklers on film...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=guOxVwTd1Is
Meanwhile Nick who I've been mentoring when I return home to Texas is following the same path I did a couple years ago. He's started burning copies of Hell's Best Secret and visiting local churches to hand them out to the youth groups and pastors. Nick is still in high school and he often calls me to tell of his evangelistic efforts in the school. I praise God so much for him. Often I wish I was saved back in high school, but in a way... Nick is reaching those I never got a chance to reach. While we're talking about different high schools, I rejoice that God saves people into such legally closed environments to be witnesses for His truth.
The past couple weeks God has also continued to draw me closer to Himself. My devotional life is better than what it was and God has been providing for me. It's been so difficult to have faith. The other day I called my dad who reminded me of a life insurance policy I'd forgotten I had that he suggested I cash out to help pay for school. I'm continuing to pray about that as it seems to have come at just the time I was beginning to get worried about what the future would hold. The numbers currently say that I will run out of money by the end of next semester. This insurance money may be the Lord's provision. As the economy seems to be not doing well and my has to pay the employees with his credit card, I have to trust God that He will provide for my school payments if He wants me to be here. I'll be applying at a couple campus jobs for next semester that pay more than what I'm currently making. We'll see what God does.
Tonight a few of us from my Intro level evangelism and discipleship class did a project. It was a "Servant Evangelism" project. The professor has been better than I expected in that he makes points like he doesn't really like calling the project Servant Evangelism, because the point of it is not necessarily evangelism. On the same note, when we interact with lost people... I can't help but remember Paul's words in 1 Cor. 9:16, "...woe to me if I do not preach the gospel!" As a buddy of mine on campus says, "if we focus on Jesus we will begin to have His heart for the lost." While I'm not promoting legalistic motivations that force us every single time we're within 4 feet of someone to attempt to witness to them, I do think if we're going out to interact with the lost and letting them know in any way that we are Christians... we should not leave Christs' gospel out of our encounter. I must admit it broke my heart to hear that we shouldn't hand out tracts just because we didn't plan to stick around and have a conversation to go along with them. The nature of what we were doing and the places to which we went weren't all good for conversations. I'm just horrified at the thought that at the chance to either share the gospel in some format or not share it at all... that we would choose to not share it at all. I handed out two tracts, but I can't help but wonder how many of those restaurant employees will taste those freshly baked chocolate chip cookies from Moody Bible Institute students and still one day taste spiritual death in a lake of fire. Oh Lord may we see the harvest, get up off the porch, and be the laborers you have called us to be.
