Have you ever been surprised by someone's sudden spontaneity?  What about when that someone is God?  It always amazes me how He can see exactly what I need on several levels, simultaneously without me ever having a clue I had these needs.

   I felt poorly prepared for Sunday School this morning.  I couldn't remember things, I was unfocused.  I only had two girls show up, and they are sisters.  We played the game I planned, did our lesson ("Walking with God through Grief" [part II of 4]).  I then ran to the sound room, turned up the background music, prepped the CD recorder, double checked the video presentation system,  noted my helper wasn't coming.  I bounced around the sound room through out worship, able to settle to the computer once the sermon started.  After service, the CD duplicator couldn't read the 'master' CD, because the type of disk available, so I was unable to copy the disk for people, and got to listen to the grumbling.  Oh, poor me!

   After church, I saw this small young lady I didn't recognize sitting on the wall by the walkway, all by herself.  I thought I had seen her in church, but barely noticed her inside.  To be honestly, I barely noticed her there, either.

   My niece grabbed my hand and told me she needed me to follow her so she could give my DVD back to me (I didn't remember lending it!)  Turns out, the DVD was in her bag. Outside. Sitting by the wall.  And, you guessed it, right beside that lady.  I said hello, and she said hi.  My niece (9) leaped into my arms; my sister seeing this came over to rescue me.  She greeted the lady, and took my niece back to their car.

   I asked the lady if she needed a soda, or bottled water.  She looked at me kind of questioning, so I told her i was the youth leader, and had access to such things.  When she heard me say that, she felt I might be someone she could talk to, and her story came forth.

   Her name is Jessica, and she had recently 'come' from Set Free Ministries (a recovery mission outreach, which ministers to homeless and addicts in a 1 year recovery program).  She said she had been there for 3 weeks (so I don't think she graduated), was clean and sober and battling with CPS (Child Protective Services) to get her kids back.  She was on the edge of tears from the start.

She was scared. She felt alone.  She felt unloved, and powerless. 

    She wanted to go up to the pastor at the invocation, but felt embarrassed to go in front of a group she doesn't know.  (The pastor was a fill-in pastor for while our interim pastor is on duty (A.F. Res.), so he hadn't hung around after church.)  She was waiting for her ride to take her to an area to sell newspaper subscriptions.  God put her on that wall.

   Her back story included Catholic Dad, Paganistic Buddhist Mom (Tarot Reader). Muslim 'abusive' husband. Someone (thanks God!) told me she was still denying personal responsibility, but that wasn't what she needed to deal with today.

   She was not looking for money.  She was not seeking a 'boyfriend' relationship.  She wanted to know if her questions were OK.  She felt angry, didn't know where to point that anger, so she pointed it at God.  God was there to answer her.  It wasn't my words that came out, it was His.

   He told her He KNEW what it was like to lose your child, because we had killed His.  He told her he knew what it was to long for your kids, and to fight to get them back, because He does that for us (His children) every hour of each day.  He told her where to find power: in Him.  He told her where to find comfort: in His Word. 

   God also talked to me, at the same time.  He said "I'm in this young lady.  I didn't ask you to simply read a lesson from a publisher!  My message would be just as effective if the pastor shouted from behind a tree-stump as through a microphone! I want you to SEE EVERYONE!  I am THERE!  They NEED Me, and I've chosen people to go to them through people. Like YOU.  I just need you to be awake and looking for where I am active.  I will do the work, you just need to be willing!"

   I tell you what, there was no way I was feeling "Poor me" after that. 

 PLEASE pray for Jessica, and her whole family.  God still has a lot to do there.

Please pray for me, because, apparently, God still has a lot of work to do HERE on me.

God bless you.

Tags: Middle JD Audio Video Service

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