Go Out There And Do Something
God has put at burning for service on my heart. It started about 2 years ago when a guy by the name of Geoff Byrne asked me to come to the Prayer Room in Lancaster City. About 2 months later I did and I have been going ever since. I honestly have not felt closer to Jesus than when I have been meeting and praying with the people there. From week to week I might leave feeling great or my heart is aching for someone I just met.
What's the Prayer Room?
A very casual (that might be changing soon) prayer ministry of about 2 dozen people that meets at the 1st Reformed Lutheran Church in Lancaster city. The church sponsors a free community breakfast on Saturday mornings which brings in a wide variety people, some homeless, some with mental problems, some just looking for a free meal. As they come upstairs Geoff or I (we tag team this) ask if they would like to pray. If they want to, we point them in the direction of the room. Once in the room someone greets them and prays with them. My experiences have ranged from someone insisting they pray for me to the heart break of crying with a man whose 4 year old son died the day before (that cut deeply because my son is 4).
Since then I have looked for other opportunities to reach OUT. I highlight OUT because I realized something soon after I started going to the Prayer Room.
There was some "stuff" going on at our church that I was caught up in. It felt like we were feeding on each other if you know what I mean - all this energy being used in the wrong way. Now it wasn't the whole church, just a small group, but it stunk. Not that we are different from any other church with problems. We're all broken. When I started going to the prayer room I was facing OUT of the church and I found I wasn't focusing on the negative stuff at church because I had other things on my mind.
Over the past two years I have been focusing more and more on service outside the church: The Prayer Room, Books for Christ, the GAIN Warehouse, missions trips with the youth, and the latest: Adopt-A-Highway. The church has adopted a 2 mile stretch of highway to pickup trash on a regular basis.
I am constantly thinking about this stuff! God is working on me. I don't hear the quiet voice in my head (well, I have few times), but I have this burning to do something!
I also think of all these cheesy cliches:
- Just Do it!
- Less Talk, More Action
- [fill in the blank]
The traditional church can be a great base of operations with the members going OUT and serving others - not expect the people to come to us.
Ok...I've said enough for now.
What's the Prayer Room?
A very casual (that might be changing soon) prayer ministry of about 2 dozen people that meets at the 1st Reformed Lutheran Church in Lancaster city. The church sponsors a free community breakfast on Saturday mornings which brings in a wide variety people, some homeless, some with mental problems, some just looking for a free meal. As they come upstairs Geoff or I (we tag team this) ask if they would like to pray. If they want to, we point them in the direction of the room. Once in the room someone greets them and prays with them. My experiences have ranged from someone insisting they pray for me to the heart break of crying with a man whose 4 year old son died the day before (that cut deeply because my son is 4).
Since then I have looked for other opportunities to reach OUT. I highlight OUT because I realized something soon after I started going to the Prayer Room.
There was some "stuff" going on at our church that I was caught up in. It felt like we were feeding on each other if you know what I mean - all this energy being used in the wrong way. Now it wasn't the whole church, just a small group, but it stunk. Not that we are different from any other church with problems. We're all broken. When I started going to the prayer room I was facing OUT of the church and I found I wasn't focusing on the negative stuff at church because I had other things on my mind.
Over the past two years I have been focusing more and more on service outside the church: The Prayer Room, Books for Christ, the GAIN Warehouse, missions trips with the youth, and the latest: Adopt-A-Highway. The church has adopted a 2 mile stretch of highway to pickup trash on a regular basis.
I am constantly thinking about this stuff! God is working on me. I don't hear the quiet voice in my head (well, I have few times), but I have this burning to do something!
I also think of all these cheesy cliches:
- Just Do it!
- Less Talk, More Action
- [fill in the blank]
The traditional church can be a great base of operations with the members going OUT and serving others - not expect the people to come to us.
Ok...I've said enough for now.
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