You just never know where or when God will show up and use you for something good.

Tuesday my friend and mentor John Bradshaw and I were at Starbucks. As we talked “church stuff,” we sat at a corner table away from everyone so that we could have some privacy. Please understand, occasionally pastors need to vent, complain, cry, critique, and otherwise gripe to one another. This was one of those times. We kept our voices down and tried to be as inconspicuous as possible.

All through the conversation, however, I noticed a woman glancing our way. At first, I thought she was a CPC member whose face I didn’t recognize and name I couldn’t remember (I’m terrible at names!). But she never smiled or waved or acknowledged me when we would occasionally make eye contact. So, I decided she was either a complete stranger trying to listen in on a private conversation or she was a former CPC member who didn’t like me much. In either case, I really didn’t want to talk with her.

When John and I ended our conversation we bowed in prayer. It was one of those long prayers. . . in a restaurant. . . the kind other people notice. When we finally said “Amen,” raised our heads, and opened our eyes, that woman who had been watching us was standing at our table!

I don’t know how long she had been there. I don’t know what she heard in our prayer. But the evesdropper had now invaded our space!

As we looked up at her perplexed, she said, “I’m sorry, but as you two talked I couldn’t help but hear words like ‘church’ and ‘pastor’. I really feel awkward, and I debated the whole time you were talking about whether or not I should do this, but when I saw you two praying I decided I needed to come over. . . . Would you pray for me?”

She sat down and told us about her granddaughter who was born prematurely. This grandmother had just received a phone call saying the doctors were about to remove the respirator and they didn’t know if the infant would breath on her own or not.

John and I each prayed with her. We offered to visit the family, but she declined. . . . It was obvious she wanted prayer but she didn’t want anything else we had to offer (perhaps that’s just my cynical side coming out).

In the end, she left feeling better. A seed was planted. She wasn’t ready for “church” but she was ready to reach out to God. . . . and God was already reaching out to her.

Man! Stuff like that never gets old!

I have a new friend I’d like you to pray for. She is a mall rat.

She is 17 years old, has a lip ring, and is somewhat simple minded. She has a sweet, gentle spirit. She begs me for free smoothies everytime I see her. She has been in her 20-something sister’s care since her sister was old enough to leave foster care. They were placed in foster care after being abused by their real parents. Her mother once kicked her hard enough while wearing boots to break a bone in her back. She hangs out at the mall for hours at a time while she waits on her sister to get off work.

She has touched my heart.

Please pray that she’ll come to know Christ. Pray that God will open a door for me to share Jesus with her.

Also, let me know if you are aware of a place that might hire her for an entry level job. It needs to be a backroom type of job but I think she would be an honest, hard worker.

Just read this great article about Chrisitans and politics. I loved it so much that I thought I’d share it with you.

First Word: Leading the Charge

Posted on September 16, 2008
Filed Under Cameron Strang |

| Reprinted from the Sept./Oct. issue of RELEVANT
For more politics coverage, visit our politics page

Let’s get this out of the way up front: I’m not a politically motivated person. Which is why I felt a tad out of place meeting with Barack Obama this summer. And talking to John McCain. And doing countless interviews about the faith and shifting political views of our generation.

Yet I have unwittingly found myself thrust into the political arena, a place where people are vehemently passionate about their ideologies and platforms. It’s an entire industry built around being right and proving your opponent wrong, and winning at any cost. It’s a continual power struggle and—from my humble vantage point—seems a bit flawed.

I’m someone who tries to think independently and objectively, rather than simply follow what the pundits tell me to think. Because of that, I’ve realized I cannot fully embrace either political party. Both sides of the aisle have some great ideas and goals. But both also have areas where they simply get it wrong.

I know the power of politics and the importance of the process in our world. But I also know that, historically, real, lasting change has started first at the grassroots level long before it was ever legislated. Cultural mindshifts influence Washington, not the other way around.
Many Christians traditionally have voted Republican because of their justifiable conviction to protect the lives of the unborn. Now, many younger Christians are voting Democrat because of their justifiable desire to see our nation, the most prosperous in the world, address issues of poverty, global aid and the environment.

The problem is, many Christians vote these convictions, but that’s largely where their personal involvement in the issues stops. Are the government leaders we vote for meant to do our job for us?

If God has given you a heart for the poor, or to see a reduction in the number of abortions, or to promote peace, or to help the sick, or to stand for strong moral values, or to be a better steward of the environment, then your personal focus needs to be on that—whether or not the President shares your same values.

The Bible reminds us to pray for our leaders, but it also talks about praying for those who persecute us. Though I can’t foresee any situation where this would be the case, what if one day every value Christians stand for, even religious freedom itself, was legislatively removed? Christians in China and many other parts of the world face this reality every day. Would it change us?

Dare I say, it might actually spur the Body of Christ here into greater action. Could it be that the loss of religious freedoms would ultimately be the best thing for American Christians because it would cause us to stand on our own feet rather than relying on the government to legislate our faith and values for us?

I’ve heard that only 5 percent of people who attend church regularly actually serve in any way. I’ve read that if every Christian in America actually tithed 10 percent of their income, we would have enough financial resources to wipe out global poverty.

There’s more power lying dormant in pews around the nation than any government could hope to provide, and that’s where our focus should be.

Many Christians want to overturn Roe v. Wade, but I don’t hear nearly as many leading the charge on a national adoption movement. If Roe v. Wade is overturned, where are all of those babies going to end up? Christians should be focused on personal action regardless of legislation, not just waiting for the right number of Supreme Court justices to come along.

I’m not saying don’t vote. Do. Vote your convictions and let your voice be heard—that’s one of the perks of living in a democracy. But don’t let politics breed division, or make you see people in a different light.

If you have a passion for an issue, rather than judging someone who doesn’t share that passion or viewpoint, just go do something about it. Give your life to it. Be the change you want to see.

We need to pray for our leaders and our country, but always remember that our leaders and country do not define us. We are the generation that will shape the direction culture, government and social action will take in the next 50 years. It’s not up to Washington, it’s up to us—and I say it’s time we step up and lead the charge.

But that means with our lives, our finances and our actions every day. Not just Nov. 4.

I’m sorry to say we were unable to take our trip back to Surfside Beach this past Saturday. We had too few folks sign-up to go. We felt like we needed a few more to go so that we could get more work done. Hopefully we’ll reschedule a trip in the future.  

In the meantime, here are a couple of videos about Surfside. The first one is an interview done shortly after the hurricane and the second one we made while on our first trip to the area.

We’ve got another opportunity to connect with God and the world this weekend by returning to Surfside Beach. 

The city has asked us to work with the homes of their elderly citizens. Most (but not all) homes in Surfside are on stilts and were somewhat saved from the title surge. But the stairs leading to these homes were destroyed. We need to rebuild those stairs so people can return home. We also will replace siding, repair roofs, and unboard windows. There also may be some debris to remove. Basically, there is work for everyone and anyone who wants to go and can withstand the heat. 

Here are some details to know:

1. We’ll leave CPC parking lot at 6:00 AM Saturday.
2. We’ll return around 10:00ish Saturday night.
3. The Red Cross will provide us lunch.
4. You’ll be responsible for buying your dinner on the way home.
5. Bring work gloves, mosquito repellent, a hat, sunscreen, and a change of clothes for the return trip (that last one is not necessary, but your fellow passengers might appreciate it!)
6. Bring tools such as hammers and saws if you have them. A chain saw or two would be helpful.
7. Call the church office (992-4567) or email me (dan@christpointchurch.com) to let me know you’re coming so we can arrange transportation.

This is a one-day trip. To come means you take one day from your already over-crowded schedule. But that one day may make a huge difference in the lives of a few people.

Guess who was the first person to get hurt?

Yep. It was me.

I stepped on a nail. It went straight through my shoe and sunk into my foot.

The volunteer Fire Department/EMT was across the street so I hobbled over to let them take a look. As I sat on the back of the ambulance the tech held up my foot so the doc could look at it. She said to the doctor, “Look at that toe!”

The doctor said, “I know. He’s got nice feet.”

No one has ever said that to me — especially a guy.

Interesting.

The following is an excerpt from a post written by John Bradshaw, pastor at Oso Creek Fellowship. In it he gives a few more details about the work Christ Point, Oso Creek, and Yorktown Baptist will be doing as we serve victims of Hurricane Ike.

Monday we will go to Surfside Beach to do some clean up for city workers who have been working around the clock and had no opportunity to care for their own homes/families.

The director of the Gulf Coast Baptist Association has connected us with the City of Surfside and tells us that there is an incredible amount of work to do.

Most of us going on Monday will be coming back late Monday night . . . but there is housing for anyone who would want to go and stay for a few – or several – more days.

Please let me know by Sunday morning if you have any interest in going with us on Monday! You can respond to this post or call the church office (992-4567).

But don’t worry if you can’t make this trip, there will be others to follow.

Today I met with Heidi Hovda. Heidi is the interim director of the Corpus Christi Downtown Management District. She serves on numerous community boards and civic organizations.

As I’ve talked with several community leaders and civic volunteers about how Christ Point can best serve Corpus Christi, virtually every one of them have told me I needed to talk with Heidi.

And after talking with her, all I can say is, “WOW!”

Heidi is a tornado of energy and ideas. No wonder she’s such a powerful influence in our community. You can check out a few things about her on the web here.

She and I spent about an hour talking about the needs of Corpus Christi and where Christ Point and other churches can step in and serve the community. She gave me countless ideas, contacts, and opportunities.

I came away fired up and ready to make Corpus Christi a better place.

One of the reasons I was fired up was that, without realizing it, Heidi reminded me that no civic organization, not tax incentive, no government grant, no community project can do what you and I can do. We are the Body of Christ. We are the world’s greatest hope. We are the salt and light of the world. We are the light that can’t be extinguished. We are the church of Christ.