The Ends of Our Noses

What do you see when you walk out of your church doors? What’s across the street? Next door? Around the block?

I recall Dr. Jim Futral, president of the Mississippi Baptist Convention Board telling our state Baptist paper’s readers that their witness was to reach from the ends of their noses to the ends of the earth.

So what is at the end of our nose? Whatever it is, we may need to look no further for the starting point to reaching our world - our “Jerusalem” hometown - according to Acts 1:8. One local church campus is right across from a city school and a sprawling apartment complex. My home church is across from City Hall and on the corner of the downtown area. Within less than two blocks are retirement communities, the city’s Senior Center and other dwellings. Many congregations are neighbors to hospitals, nursing centers, shopping areas, and housing communities from mobile home parks to expansive subdivisions. God has a vision and a mission for each.

As you seek to obey God’s call to “look on the fields” (John 4:35), will you ask Him to let you see (with spiritual eyes) beyond the physical structures of your surroundings? As you go to worship services or Bible studies, consider taking some time to prayerwalk through the nearby communities and businesses, asking for God’s direction on ministering to those who live or work there. Invite a fellow member to go with you. Do it regularly. Greet people you meet, tell them what you are doing, and ask how you can pray for them. You may step right into a divine appointment the Lord has orchestrated to bring a seeking heart to Him!

You’ll never know unless you “follow your nose”.

Best wishes from Benreading:)

How Do You Spell "Love"?

How do you spell “love”? This doesn’t come across well on the printed page, does it? And is it a trick question, or what? Well, you may have heard the answer I’m looking for, and I’ve certainly seen it fleshed-out this past week. How do you spell “love”? How about T-I-M-E?

I encountered a man with a sharp knife a week ago today and he sliced about a 10-inch gash in me. And several “partners-in-crime” stood by, supporting his actions. Thankfully, he made sure I was unconscious before he laid open my leg and hip joint. Yes, Dr. Drake replaced my damaged hip with a new one, and now I’m one the road to recovery, which I pray will be uneventful. (Did I have you going there for a minute?)

Such events give friends and family an opportunity to demonstrate their compassion as well as God’s love. The gracious acts began days before when I received a lovely card; the sender wanted me to know she was praying for a successful outcome. Calls came in to check on the time. The morning of the operation, as I lay swaddled in the sterile hospital whites waiting for the procedure’s beginning, chaplain Bob Storie, a long-time friend and perfect picture of God’s gentleness and humility, stopped in to pray with my husband and me. During the surgery, friends and family helped while away the hours.

During my four-day hospital stay, many brought gifts, words of encouragement, lively conversation and prayers. Two or three visitors assured me meals would begin arriving at our home in the days to come. Now that I’m home, we’ve enjoyed entrees, veggies, cornbread, homemade soup, and luscious desserts. Friends have stopped by and cards have arrived in the mail.

So “love” can be spelled “T-I-M-E”; all these actions required the doers to put aside things they could have been doing for themselves and invest time (and money) in helping smooth the road to recovery.

Lord, thank you for these selfless acts my friends and family have showered upon me. In future days, if I don’t take advantage of service opportunities you’ve planned for me, please give my memory a gentle nudge.

“Be devoted to one another in brotherly love. Honor one another above yourselves. Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God's people who are in need. Practice hospitality.” (Romans 12:10-13)

Best wishes from lefthandrightbrain:)

Fresh Peaches

(Photo taken at prayer garden at LifeWay Ridgecrest Conference Center)

Edith weighed in at about 85 pounds, and her age probably wasn’t too far below that. She was one of the first energetic seniors I met when I began a two-week volunteer stint at Ridgecrest Baptist Conference Center*. Upon learning that I had arrived by plane, she eagerly volunteered to take me along whenever she drove into town for needed items. Somehow, she learned my name wrong, and occasionally from behind me, I’d hear her calling, “Hey, Betty”, as she scurried to catch up, checking on me and telling me of excursions she had planned.

As schedules for our volunteer responsibilities varied, I wasn’t always able to take advantage of Edith’s transportation offers, but she didn’t forget about me. One afternoon as I walked down the hall to my room, I could see something on the floor by the door. As I approached, I found a huge, luscious fresh peach lying on a napkin. Later that evening, Edith sidled in next to me at dinner. “Betty, did you find the peach I left for you?” she asked, giving my arm a quick squeeze. She and some other volunteers had taken a trip to a nearby farmer’s market, and since the peaches looked so good, she decided to pick up some for her friends. Later that evening, as the copious sweet juice dripped down my chin, I savored the delicious fruit as well as thoughts of my tenderhearted new friend!

“Then the Lord said to him [Moses], ‘What is that in your hand?’” (Exodus 4:2)

“In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (which, when translated, is Dorcas), who was
always doing good and helping the poor.” (Acts 9:36)

A peach - just one peach - but that simple act showed tender love and a desire to share, to brighten another’s day. Acts of kindness, so easy to do; they don’t have to cost much, nor need they be time-consuming to be valued. Even now, when I bite into a succulent, juicy peach, I recall Edith’s act of Christian caring, and pause to pray that I might have that same desire and willingness to serve others. Perhaps the “seeds” of the gospel can be spread through the seeds of some fresh fruit. “What is that in your hand?”

Related scriptures for further study: Galatians 5:22-25, Romans 12:9-13, Matthew 6:1-4, 2 Peter 1:3-8, Galatians 6:9-10

(*The facility is now known as LifeWay Ridgecrest Conference Center. It is nestled in the beautiful Smoky Mountains, not far from Asheville, NC. I wrote these devotional thoughts years ago when I first had the opportunity to experience the divine blessing of volunteering at the Center.)

Best wishes from lefthandrightbrain:)