This was a great weekend!!!
Jesus doesn’t have to, but he continually offers us proof that he is and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.
Since we started going down to Can Alley, he’s provided 27 sleeping bags, countless hats and gloves.
Last week we were blessed by our friends at Shalom and by our fellow Gideons, so we were able to give out coats, sweaters, boots, gloves, hats, scarves, socks, toiletries and blankets as well as potatoes and hope.
We’re already seeing fruit. Bill and Dan are both in rehab, motivated by the hope that Jesus is bringing to Can Alley, and Fele, who has been reading his New Testament faithfully, is being reunited with his wife.
We’ve been hearing a lot of messages this week about giving everything for Jesus. That at the end of the day we should be like a squashed out tube of toothpaste. It’s great to serve that way when you serve a supernatural God. Even after we’ve given everything away Jesus’ hand never empties, he just keeps breaking those loaves. Sunday morning after giving everything away on Saturday, we were blessed again with toiletries and sweaters from Changing Lives AG and restocked our “thrift store”.
I don’t think I’ll ever lose the wonder of watching those hands refill.
I think the reason I have so much wonder is that I never really knew. To me God was an abstract concept and a list of rules. I had heard that I should have a personal relationship with Jesus, but I had no idea how to go about it. According to the people I asked it had something to do with getting up at 5 am and reading for an hour, praying, telling people about Jesus and going to church.
So, I read Brett Favre’s autobiography (not sure if he’s really published one), write to his fan club, tell people what a great football player he is and dedicate my Sunday’s to cheering him on, and bam! Me and Brett have ourselves a lovely personal relationship, right? Hmmm. Does Wisconsin have a stalker law?
I think the starting point in my personal relationship with Jesus was recognizing that he is. He is a real person – capable of having relationships. I think we often approach Christianity as though we’re following the teachings of a long dead prophet instead of serving a living friend, lover, hero. When we pray sometimes we spin our little prayer wheel hoping that fate works in our favor instead of talking to a cherished companion.
I’m hoping that someday I’ll be able to effectively communicate this idea with more depth than; “Hey! Jesus is a real person! He’s a supernatural God! He loves you and wants to live at your house! He wants to change your life!”
Love Jodi.