Showing posts with label evangelism. Show all posts
Showing posts with label evangelism. Show all posts

Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Help for Hail, or Hell

Our backyard

What started as a quiet, uneventful, family Friday night, quickly turned into a loud, astonishing memorable night with hail dumping from the sky.  It started as "pings" on our windows, but quickly escalated into a loud roar as quarter-sized hail pelted our house, yard, fence, and anything else in its way.

What next?

The girls dashed outside to pick up the pieces of hail.  The camera captured pictures to remember.  Texts with pics sent to amaze family and friends.

The next day, clean up began. Trash cans filled with tree limbs, leaves, and newly planted flowers lined the streets. Broken yard decorations discarded, too.   

What amazed me, roofers prowled the neighborhood for new customers.  The entrance to our housing addition plastered with signs of companies to call for help.

My next door neighbor had a roofer friend over to look as his roof.  He came to our house to give us a free inspection.  Roof totaled.

Two days later, as I walked the streets looking at the debris I noticed something interesting.  Many roofing companies staked their claims, leaving their yard signs behind.  I noticed many houses shared the same company sign.  Why?  They shared their help with their neighbors (like mine did). 

And then God asked me some application questions.  Have you shared the best help your neighbors could ever receive?  Me.  Help, not for their physical belongings, but for their eternal, spiritual life?  Do they understand that you needed help for your sin because you couldn't pay for it yourself or earn your way to heaven?  Do they know I love them so much I provided a way to forgive their sin, too?  Do they know who has "staked" your life? That you belong to Me because you believe Jesus died for your sin?  Will you share?  Or, will you just give temporary help?  Help for hail, or hell?

Friday, December 14, 2012

Senseless Gunman: Did Anyone Tell Him?

Picture by Adrees Latif/Reuters

Horrific news again!  A senseless gunman takes 26 innocent lives, including 20 children in an instant.

How could this happen?  Why?  Questions that will never be answered. 

I cannot imagine the deep, gut turning pain the parents felt at the words, "I'm sorry.  Your child didn't make it."  Holding the lifeless body in their arms with no words, just thoughts.  Overwhelmed with emotions of sorrow, anger, dread. 

As I hear my children laughing downstairs after a long day at school, I'm thankful.  I pray I never have to feel the pain of the parents today, but we never know. 


(About the gunman)
I wonder...
Did anyone tell him about a man,
who never did anything wrong?
Why would someone harm another so innocent?

Fear of a riot,
the crucifixion complete.
Only close friends and family mourned.

Did anyone tell him about a man,
different than anyone else.
He healed, forgave, proving to be God,
yet he died with the criminals.

Fear of a thief,
they guarded the tomb
with soldiers that didn't grieve.

Did anyone tell him about a man,
who died, but didn't stay there?
He rose again, three days later
with power over death and the grave.

Fear of a lost friendship, or other excuse,
believers near him stopped short of opening their mouths.
I wonder if life would be different today, if they had told him about the man.


When I tucked my seven-year-old daughter in tonight.  We prayed for everyone involved.  She said, "I hope the children knew about Jesus."
Who do you need to tell?






Linked with Cornerstone Confessions; Time warp wife