The number of people who recently attended the Franklin Graham Crusade in Amarillo was significant, but the number of people who stood for salvation was phenomenal! The personal interaction that I was blessed to have with people who had a connection with Grace Church followed the event. Because they had mentioned having some connection to Grace, I received an email with over 50 names. I called each of these people, but one name stood out—more on that in a minute.
Thursdays have been busy at Grace Church! We have the women's Bible study, our church prayer meeting, and recently we started a grief class called GriefShare. A few Thursdays ago, I was standing at the coffee bar trying to catch up on some of my calls from the Franklin Graham Crusade, and a lady that I had never met before came up to me to introduce herself. Her name was Stacy, and Gordon Schroeder was her uncle! Gordan Schroeder was the godliest man I've ever known - he was the one who hired me in 1980 to be a Youth Pastor here in Amarillo, Texas!
Stacy was at Grace Church on this particular Thursday for the grief class. She had recently lost her husband. I was able to pray with her and get to know the niece of one of my heroes.
The very next day, I was working through my Franklin Graham phone numbers again. I came to a name that stood out – "Stacy." It made me pause because of the recent interaction with another Stacy. This Stacy wasn't available, so I left a message. Three hours later, I received a call from someone my phone indicated was connected to my Twitter account. I didn't know who it was, but I quickly learned "Stacy" was returning my call from earlier. I began talking as if we had never met, but somewhere in the conversation, I realized I was talking to the same Stacy I had met the day before!
What an incredible gift from God! He took me on a round trip of my life as a pastor in Amarillo! The niece of my pastor and mentor attended a Franklin Graham Crusade, stood up, and wrote Grace Church down! She was also attending a Grief class at Grace Church and also followed my tweets on Twitter.
It's a great reminder to keep doing the work that God puts in front of you. Keep pouring the oil like the widow in 2 Kings. The oil won't run out, but you have to keep looking for more vessels. Crusades, Twitter, Bible studies, prayer meetings, friends, families, neighbors...I pray that you just keep pouring the oil! You never know how the Lord is working and intertwining His work in the lives of others!
"And let us not grow weary while doing good, for in due season we shall reap if we do not lose heart." – Galatians 6:9
Blessings to you,
Pastor Bill
P.S. Don't forget the Fall Festival tonight (10/27)! There will not be a regular service, but lots of fun opportunities to pour out the love of Jesus to people!