watching God work

i am so excited!

yesterday i had lunch at one of my favorite local spots. this place decorates their walls with the art of local artists, which is for sale for those who are interested. i noticed yesterday that the walls have gotten a bit bare. they need some more new art. so i asked one of the staff, who i've gotten to know by eating there regularly, what the rules were for selling art. i've got a new friend whose husband is a local painter looking for a way to sell his stuff.

she said there were no rules. if the stuff is tasteful, bring it in.

so i headed to another spot i frequent, where the new friend works whose husband is the artist. i told her that i had found a place where her husband could display his work for sale. this couple is from europe. they know virtually no one. he is a struggling artist and she works 80 hours a week at two jobs to make ends meet. 

still with me?

this woman doesn't drive, so i offered to pick up the artwork, take it to the restaurant and make sure it gets hung in a favorable way. she seemed almost in disbelief - that finally she can get her hubby's work in front of the public, that maybe it will generate some income, that a guy she barely knows would go to the trouble to help. 

two people. two conversations. virtually no effort.

and here's the kicker - i've been praying for these two people!

i sat down a couple weeks ago and thought about people whose paths i cross regularly. i asked God to reveal to me who i should pray for, who i might invite into the full life in Christ that we all know at threshold. these two made the list.

how cool is this!? i love watching God work!

what about you? who's on your list? who are you praying for?

i've asked this question of our elders and our staff just this week, and written down the names they've given me. i want you to know that they are in the game too.

now it's your turn. who are you praying for?

who do you know - or who are you getting to know - who (as best as you can discern) is not experiencing the full life Jesus promised by knowing the love of God in and through the community of a local church.. yet?

or as luke posed the question a couple weeks ago: whose salvation are you getting in the way of?

who are you asking God to save from sin, and bring into his kingdom?

who are you asking God to give the fullness of life in Jesus?

who are you inviting into the fun and excitement and authenticity of the threshold family?

do you have some people in mind? if not, you're behind. Dare You To Move wasn't just a three-week series. it's our full focus as a church. and it's gotta be the top priority of every one of us who claims to be committed to threshold. that's the only way we are going to double the number of people who are enjoying a full Christ-centered life within our family.

if you have identified one or more people, how are you positioning yourself in a way that will allow you to make a comment that witnesses to your faith? how are you getting to know this person in a way that will reveal to them that you are worth trusting, worth listening to. remember that we all need to earn the right to make spiritual comments to people in hopes of seeing life-change within them. and we earn that right, that trust, by offering ourselves up, by listening, by caring, by doing little things for others.

in the next few weeks, we will be offering you some specific opportunities to do just that as a full church family. but day in and day out, as you go about your everyday lives, let me continue to encourage you to get out there. to take risks. to care. to invite.

and at the risk of getting really monotonous - i'm still waiting on some of you to send me the first names of those people. let me pray with you. c'mon!

you're gonna be amazed at what God will do.