How do you know where God would have you serve?

We are surrounded by lost and needy people...on every level. It can overwhelm the person of good will. Where do we start? How do we meet all these needs? How do we choose who to help?
First, we must remember that Jesus did not help everyone in Palestine. He didn't raise all the dead people in Bethany's local cemetary. Only Lazarus. And He didn't return life to every child that died in Israel. Only Jarius' daughter and the widow's son. With all those needs around Him, and with the eternal power of the One and Only Son of God, why didn't He just fix everything? He could have...but He didn't.
Seeing a need is not the invitation to get involved. It is where God is at work, in the midst of these needs, that we should get involved. God isn't working on every person, every place, all the time. He is at work in the lives of specific people, at certain places, at any give time. If we are close enough to Him -- where He has our ear -- He will reveal where He is at work and invite us join in.
It's not up to us to choose where and when we'll serve! And frankly, that's a relief.
"Lord, show me where YOU are at work today and invite me to join in."

In Every Life a Little Rain Must Fall

I could wax philosophical and compare these days of rain with life in general. You know, there are days of sunshine, rain, even days that are partly cloudy with intermitent rays of sunshine coming through. Days and days of rain tend to get tiring. Right?

Well, the truth is, the sun is shining full bore in all its glory! People leaving DFW in a plane will rise above the bleak clouds and see the sun as bright as ever. Whether we see it on the ground or not, the sun is still up there -- somewhere -- shining as usual.

In our darkest days (I'm talking about life now) there is a God that is still reigning, ruling and shining in heaven. He is still worthy of praise and glory. Nothing about His character or substance has changed at all. Like the sun, He is above our storm maintaining His place in the universe and in heaven.

Yes, in every life a little (or a lot) rain must fall. But thank God this is not our end. These rainy days will end, and so will this life. This life will give way to an eternal life in the presence of God. "It will be worth it all, when we see Jesus; it will be worth it all, when we see Him."

Hang in there. The rain does stop...eventually.

Story Time with 'Mr. D"

The following article, written by Khindra Kent, that should appear soon in our local paper:

Dr. Darril Deaton is the Lead Pastor at Grace Fellowship Church but once a month “Mr. D” comes to Helen Edwards Early Childhood Center to visit with the students. He brings with him value building stories and fun characters that really hit home with the kindergarteners he speaks to. “The students love seeing Mr. D. They look forward to his visits and really gain valuable life lessons from the stories he tells,” said Mrs. Kent.

“He is a positive male role model that the children can look up to,” added Mrs. Havas. Mrs. Dawson commented, “I love how the stories are interactive. He always has a repeated word or phrase in the story so the children can participate.”

The stories he tells cannot be found in any book. Mr. D tells stories that he creates on his own about characters the kids can relate to, like Mean Margie who doesn’t have any friends because she bullies everyone and Billy who doesn’t like the rules. His story telling style keeps the students involved, and when the tale has been spun and it’s time for him to go the children have learned a priceless lesson.

Before coming to the school, Mr. D asks the teachers what kind of lesson they need. A suggestion from Mrs. Gillenwater to have a lesson about the student’s need to always be first inspired ‘Me First Mikey’. Me First Mikey always insisted on being first at everything, but soon he realized that he had no friends because he didn’t share or take turns. Mikey was lonely so he changed his ways and started saying ‘You First’. Mikey made many new friends and realized that being nice to others was much more fun than being first at everything.

So if you ever hear a kindergartener from Helen Edwards talk about Tattletale Timmy, Lazy Larry, Friendly Freddie or Super Sally you will know that Mr. D has been spinning another yarn that perhaps has made an impact on their life in a positive way.