I've had a series of events the past few days that have really made me stop and think. It is one of those moments where I'm like... "there you are Lord". God really does orchestrate our days. Isn't it awesome that we have a God that cares about toothpaste, baby fawns and Miss Peaches.
Divine Appointments
Thursday July 31
Place: Arby's Restaurant- Brevard, NC
Time: 1:15
After having set up the Operation Christmas Child display at the local Dollar Tree in Brevard, my OCC Area Coordinator and his wife and Emily head over to Arby's for lunch. Jim is buying! We order our food and while at the soda fountain are approached by an elderly gentleman. He saw our OCC shirts and wanted to share about his own OCC work in Northern Florida. What an encouragement- we had the opportunity to share what God is doing here through local Dollar Trees.
Thursday July 31
Place: The Apple Mill- Bat Cave, NC
Time: 3:48
On our way home - through the woods - Emily and I come upon the Apple Mill and it is open! In all my trips through their I have never saw the store open- in fact I thought it was just an old building. Emily decides we should stop so in we go. We find a barrage of local crafts, antique toys and even a few noticeable Dollar Tree items (with a 300% mark up!). Emily finds a cool pair of earrings (guitar pics) and I find a local attraction that I thought didn't exist. Where else can you buy a Bat House at?
Friday August 1
Place: The Dollar Tree- Asheville, NC
Time: 12:00
Yes- we are back at the Dollar Trees again! Emily and I are getting good at these. We are having way to much fun labeling and building Shoe box displays. Before leaving the manager asks me why the stores out west aren't participating in the OCC drive. I explain that I tried to make contact with their Regional Manager but hadn't gotten a call back. The manager then says- well my wife manages one of the stores- let's give her a call. Within a five minute span we have nearly doubled our area of donation and collection for OCC. Praise the Lord!
Friday August 1
Place: TGIF Restaurant- Asheville, NC
Time: 2:35
I treat Emily to dinner for all of her help for the past few days. She has been such a trooper and has been an encouragment to me! As we sit looking at our menu, I make small talk with our waitress. Before me stands a late middle aged black woman in a regular TGIF uniform- however there was nothing regular about this woman. On her head she wore a straw hat and her face was a smile that really didn't look like a smile- but if you saw it coming your way- you knew it was one. I ask her how she is doing today and she remarks, "I am sensational!" with a smile and a short brief bow. "My name is Miss Peaches and I will be your server today...." She rolls off a long well rehearsed list of specials and soups and then begins to take a closer look at a button on my shirt. I had been wearing an OCC button all morning on our trip to the Dollar Stores and Tourist, but honestly I felt like Miss Peaches was the first on to read it.
"What is OCC?" I smiled and began to share about the ministry. Miss Peaches has not ever heard of it. She shares that she is new to the area (only here three weeks) and would love to learn more about it because she and her children generally take two children off the Angel Tree where they are from. I smile and promise to bring her a brochure back in from my car (I'll carry them in my purse from now on!). We go ahead and order, wait on our food and even eat- all while Miss Peaches cares for each of our needs. When it comes time to pay- I prepare to give her my card and she begins to talk a little more about herself. She shares she has 11 children, 14 grandchildren, and 7 of her children live at home.
I am astounded at first. It leads Emily and I into an interesting discussion for the last few minutes of our stay as we await my card. To me her situation sounds like a dream come true. Who wouldn't want the Brady Bunch experience. A house full of boys and girls, laughter and tears. Emily sees it differently though.
When I reach my car I find the promised brochure and begin heading back into the restaurant. It is on my journey back that it hits me. She has 11 children, she waits tables at TGIF, she still takes the time each Christmas to think of at least 2 children who are not as fortunate as her own, and most importantly, she still smiles each day and shares her joy with others in her work. As I go back in and give Miss Peaches her brochure- I look a little bit more closely. Yep- there He is... there's a little bit of Jesus in her heart.
Saturday August 2
Place: The Dollar Tree- Asheville, NC
Time: 11:00
Yep-I'm back at the Dollar Tree. On Friday the Manager ask if I would come out for a few hours on Saturday. I really hadn't planned to- but I didn't have any plans... so I take him up on the offer. It is a different audience. I come in at 10:00, set up a table and await the crowds. The place is dead for the first 45 minutes. I get the chance to talk quite a bit to the cashier, who shared he was Jewish... so we had an interesting time. Anyway, the crowd does pick up as the day goes on. I get the chance to give lots of materials away. I stick stickers on children as they parade in and out of the store. Then comes this rather "rough" looking gentleman into the store. He is alone and seems to be on a mission. At first I am even hestiant to stop him, however I ask if I might give him a brochure. He turns to me and instead of gruffly shrugging me off (it has happened before) he takes the brochure. As I said, he is on a mission here... to the ice cream machine. He goes to the ice cream machine and I begin to talk to him about the weather. He smiles, talks and then continues his purusal of the cooler. After a few minutes though- he abandons the idea and then begins to look at the brochure in his hand. "So what is this?" he asks. I excitedly launch into my explaination of the OCC ministry and show him one of the sample boxes I have on the table. He seems interested, and continues to read the pamplet. Suddenly another lady comes through the door, and I quickly intercept her and strike up a discussion. Next think I know, my "rough" looking gentlemen has disappeared. This new lady smiles though- she is a regular shoe box packer. I share our Dollar Tree partnership with her and ask her if she will share the partnership with her church. We talk of other things for quite a while and then suddenly- the gruff gentleman- complete with dirty nails and calloused hands- emerges from a nearby isle holding up toothbrushes. "Can you use these?" he asks. I laugh and smile, "Yes!" and at this point the lady I had just been talking with starts sharing more box items with him. She show him the complete list in the brochure, and then he heads back down the isle from which he had just came. I smile at the lady and she then takes her leave while I continue to man the door while occasionally stopping shoppers as they would enter or exit. In fact I was so busy that I didn't even notice the return of my rough gentleman. There he is- with an entire back of items that he places in my hands: toothbrushes, toothpaste, soaps. I thank Him so much and shake His hand. He suddenly gets this goofy smile on his face- and then leaves the store. He didn't even buy anything else. Hmm... I'm suddenly remembering a verse about "entertaining angels unaware". At least for me he was an angel for a few minutes. How unlikely that a scruffly looking little man- would be the most generous customer (and most encouraging) of the day.
Saturday August 2
Place: Tri-City Baptist Church- Hickory, NC
Time: 7:30ish
I'm back in Hickory for week two of Matt Stockman's talk at FreedomWorship. I almost hadn't come. Holly wasn't able to make it, the drive is a 45 minute one... gas is outrageous, and then there are a band of showers (heavy showers!) throughout the area. I really about convinced myself not to go- but then I remember something. Matt had us hold up our hands and promise to come back the following week. It seems silly- and was a little funny at the moment, but I remembered that. God had done something special for me last week, and so even though I would have to go alone, I wanted to keep my promise and go again. I wasn't dissappointed. The talk was amazing. There are some times in your life when some things are just 'relevant'. I'm 27 years old, but I am still searching for the intersection of the "world's greatest needs and my hearts desire" in my life- all within the framework of God's will for me. There were so many aspects of the talk that applied to my life- however oddly enough, the part I found most applicable, were those things that prevent us from reaching the intersections in our life. That is another blog entirely though- what happened that was so awesome for me was that after the talk, which was amazing, the Lord Jesus just seemed to step down into that place and hug my neck. There was this song that had been plaguing me for weeks- they had sang it one night at the Well and I had googled, ituned and so on - trying to find it, to no avail. Well don't you love how the Lord works. All the sudden, there it was. The song I thought I had totally made up! It was amazing. That song brought me right before the throne and right into His arms. I told Holly later that I probably would have embarrassed her- because all I could do was cry. God knew how special that song was, and it was like balm for my soul after the discussion we had just had. God loves all the little things in my life- like my crazy desires to work for an evangelist and my obsession with a "Holy, Holy, Holy" song! If you wanna check out the song- it is The Revelation Song. Love it!
August 2
Place: Target parking Lot- Hickory, NC
Time: 8:05
So Holly had backed out on seeing Matt with me this week... so after the service I make my way over the Family Christian. I wanted to see what they had on the $5.00 rack. As I get out of my car and turn around I spot a familiar face coming my way... Holly! She had spent the evening hanging out with family and then headed to Target. Well... don't you love how the Lord works... we happen to both be at the same parking lot at the same time. Well at that moment both of our evenings changed. We go into Family Christian together to look around and then take our leave and head to Cold Stone for ice cream. I was still coming off a high from the discussion- so it was awesome to have someone to digest and talk things through with. So we spent the next hour loitering over ice cream and sharing our hopes, dreams and dissapointments. It was awesome- and made me realize how much I miss Holly. I'll have to hang out in Target parking lots more. Isn't it awesome though- how much God loves me? He knew what I didn't even know that I needed.
Only two more divine appointments... I promise!
Sunday August 3
Place: Old Fort Mountain, somewhere along I-40 in West Bound traffic (going up)
Time: 8:50
I'm in the car on my way to church. I'm so excited because with the help of google and itunes I have now identified the "Holy, Holy, Holy" song and I now have it in my CD player. I'm going up the mountain and come around a curve and see something that breaks my heart. In the middle of the road lies a baby fawn. It is so young, it still has it spots. It is scrunched up in the road, and its still form lead me to believe that it is dead. Tears automatically spring to my eyes. It is such a beautiful creature. I look at it as I go by and then glance in my rearview mirror as I drive away. To my surprise the deer climbs to its feet and then wobbily runs to the median in the middle. I suddenly begin to cry. It is alive and now it is going to be killed! My car is in the middle lane and there is a car by my side on the right. In the split second that I watch it wobble away- I do nothing but cry. I continue driving on- and then wish I had tried to stop. The poor baby- it is now huddled in the middle of the roadway. The median is too high for it to jump. I spend the next few minutes two confused in though over what to do that I do nothing. I finally pick up the phone and call... my mom. I am crying and I explain what I saw. My mom tells me that I could turn around and go back, but by this time I am at the Black Mountain exit. I am going to be too late. The crucial time has passed. I continue on to church, but I cry for the next 20 miles (Biltmore is far away from my house!) and pray for the baby deer. Yes it is an animal, but it is one of God's creations. I am shaken by the event- and it continues to plague me, all morning. That afternoon on my way home, I look all the way down the mountain at the other lane of traffic. What am I looking for? Sadly.. I am looking for a body. The curves and traffic do not allow me a full view, so I go to the bottom of the mountain and drive back up... looking for a dead body. How morbid and sad is that... Can I tell you though- I never found one. That little deer was a divine appointment for me that morning. How many times have I allowed the friends and family in my life experiencing stress, grief, disspointment- how many times have I been caught up in the "what do I dos?" while doing nothing. I pray that the Lord preserved the life of that little deer, but you know what, my friends and family deserve the same prayers and consideration. Would that I would react initally in a way that puts others and their needs before mine, without thought or worry for the right or wrong way of taking care of it. I suppose the little deer was an object lesson for me. It shouldn't take 3-4 miles for me to convince myself to stop. Lord help me be the kind of person that would immediately brake for the needs of my friends and family.
August 3
Place: Biltmore Baptist- First Sunday- Terrace Hall
Time: 11:00
Free people free people. Think about that for a moment. No- it isn't referring to freeze tag, it is referring to a way of life. It is referring to a truth of life. It is referring to the ministry of Jason English. Jason has taken it as his personal responsibility to do something to help free the slaves of the world. His ministry works through a small orphanage in Ethiopia, but you know what- it is doing something. How many of us- think about doing something. We talk about doing something. We even encourage others who are doing it. This is doing it. It is based on the truth that Free People can and should Free the People who are slaves in this world. Think on that for a moment and you will get a blessing. Ever had a brother shackled by the bonds of sin? Ever had a family member plagued by depression? Ever had a friend who struggled with self worth or self esteem? Free people Free people... it is our obligation. Will you keep your hope buried inside of you? Will you hide your light under a bushel? Free people, free people. Christ has freed us, and we are to help bring His hope and love to a lost and dying world. I loved it. Free people, Free people. What an idea. What a God!
Wanna hear something really cool though- the idea does fit into the idea of freeze tag. Guess what... free people free people.
Enough divine appointments for today. Isn't it awesome though to track the hand of God throughout your day and your life. I don't pretend to know the mysteries or even the ways of the Lord, but I do eagerly rejoice and share in the evidence that He does appear in our daily lives. I love you Lord.
