An Answer To Prayer

I saw the red light flashing on the phone; I had voice mail.  I picked up the hand held receiver and began to scroll through the call display to see if I recognized who may have left a message, but I did not.  I asked Kim if she knew who had called and left the message, to which she replied, " Oh ya, I forgot to tell you. Have a listen, you will never guess who it was."  And she was right, I would have never guessed.    

When I checked my message it was from Tim, one of the guys from the Beer Store.  He had not been out for a few weeks so it was nice to hear from him.  As it turns out, he had not been out to Beer Store Church because he got a job at a local restaurant in the city.  

Getting a job had been Tim's prayer request since we first met him.  He had worked at getting a resume, worked to distribute it, and then waited.  It seemed that there was no one hiring for kitchen work and so he collected bottles each week, came for a sandwich and coffee and we prayed.  Finally, after months and months, someone called and he was hired.  

Tim had called and left a message to thank  us for the coffee and sandwiches which helped him get through many weeks, and to thank us for praying because "every little bit helped." 

Update Tuesday - Two Groups

I once heard a colleague say that there are always two groups we need to be mindful of as we seek to serve in our communities, those we serve directly and those who are watching how we serve.  I was reminded of this fact this past Monday as we met for Beer Store Church. 

We were meeting as we usually do, outside of the Beer Store, serving those who have been out for hours, making their way through the cool damp streets collecting recyclables to return for deposit.  It was wet and cold and so the group was made up of mostly the regulars who, week in and week out, work the streets for money.  We had grabbed a coffee, had a sandwich and cookies and just finished gathering for our prayer time when I looked up to see one of the friends of our ministry, coming over to say hello.  This is the same neighbour who, a few months ago, was so taken by what we were doing that she called the newspaper and had them come and do a story about our Monday morning group.  We have seen her a few times since then, and she always makes sure to stop, say hello, and see how things are going.  This week, however,  when she came over we did more than just make small talk.  She shared with us about a friend who is searching and searching for a community to call her spiritual home.  It provided the opportunity for us tho share in a bit more depth about who we are, how we do things and why we think we are here in the city.  She also shared a bit about her own personal spiritual journey.  Acknowledging that coming into any church, whether it be a church building or a living room, can be intimidating I suggested that perhaps we should all meet together face to face over coffee to get to know one another a bit better and to go from there.  I am hopeful and excited for this upcoming conversation.

So again, I was reminded about the two groups, those we serve directly and those who watch how we serve.  If we are sincere in our serving, and if we are intentional about working for the good of our communities, it should have an affect on those Kingdom Seekers (to borrow a phrase Kingdom Matrix by Jeff Christopherson) - those with eternity in their heart,  searching for their connection to the eternal and who respond to impulses of truth when they see them.