For most of my Christian life (i am only a 21 year old Christian, hehehe) i have interacted with a lot of evangelists. I am inspired and humbled by these men and women. They take it upon their heart to carry the gospel to wherever the Lord leads them.
I am inspired because of how driven most of them are. They have a passion to spread the Word of Christ, and that is an awesome thing. I am humbled because, while i love the Lord with all my heart, i just do not have that drive to be out there. Where i do seem to have a passion though is in support of those who are out there. To serve these people, to lift them up in prayer, to try and provide in some way financially, etc. In the military, at least in the Army, it takes seven people in the "rear" to support one soldier on the front line.
While i served in Army (both on active duty and in the National Guard) i was proud of the fact i was a "combat arms" soldier. I would digress if i went into the why i enjoyed being the "tip of the spear", but i was also aware of the need for those seven other men and women "behind" me. The soldier patrolling cannot safely complete his mission unless he has adequate supplies of ammunition and food. If he cannot safely get to and from his area of operations. Communication gear is crucial.
Now, the ratio may not be the same in regards to evangelism, but nevertheless, support people are just as crucial in the on going ministries of the church, but locally and internationally. Just like actors get all the attention when it comes to being on the screen, and soldiers are looked up to when the are shown "meeting the enemy", etc. they cannot do what they do without the people who are unseen. Even if God is not calling you to be out front there is a just-as-vital-mission for you to be a part of. Maybe it is in prayer, maybe it is in going out to collect materials for them to take out with them. What i am trying to say is that your gift may be just as important as theirs. Get involved!
It has been many a week since i last placed finger to keyboard and put up a blog post on a meme that i started without prompting (that is to say it is not unique, but that i had started my thread without knowing about the others yet) -
Music Monday.
I know of only one other who does this as a result of this blog, and that would be Alise. She on the other hand, has been VERY faithful in putting up her offerings. She also does a GREAT job of expounding upon WHY she has chossen a particular song for the week. I highly encourage you to visit "
Big Mama's Blog" to see what i mean.
For a few weeks now i have been hearing a new song from Third Day titled "Lift Up Your Face". Typical when you hear the word 'salvation' the imagery is usually of someone coming to Christ for the first time. But the past few months have been pretty... severe for lack of a better word coming to mind. For me this song was an affirmation to my heart that nothing of this world is forever, and my Lord will one day bring me home and i will be delivered. The dichotomy of bring saved in the now, and not yet.
Lift up your face
Lift up your face
Salvation is calling
Salvation is calling (your name)
You have fallen so far now
You don’t even know how
You are going to survive
But just over the horizon
A new light is shining
Breaking through the darkest night
Love is coming and it’s calling out your name
You feel like your life is fading
You’re tired of waiting
For your moment to arrive
But tomorrow will bring
A song that you can sing
And your hope is gonna rise
Love is coming and it’s calling out your name
Do you hear him calling
Can you hear him calling
He’s calling out your name
He’s calling our your name
Just over the horizon
A new light is shining
Salvation is on its way
I will wrap up this posting with an observation. I am either not eating as much, or restaurant portions have gotten WAY bigger. It has been a long time since i have been able to go out to eat, order an appetizer a main course (or entree) AND a dessert... and lately it can only be one of the three.
Recently we took LONG SHANKS out to eat for his birthday. This time my beloved and i got smart, we ordered only one entree and split it. With the family sharing the appetizer, me splitting the meal with my beloved, i actually ordered a dessert. Why was i pushing my luck you ask? Because someone has come up with dessert-shooters! That's right, mini desserts served in what resemble shot glasses.
Small, less expensive than the full size counter parts, and just enough to cleanse the pallet. It is probably a win fall for the restaurants as well because i know the profit margin (labor aside) has got to be much larger for these little delectable treats. Perfect end to the meal. I was full, but not uncomfortably so. Since we are not old enough to qualify for the senior citizen discounts and portion sizes yet, i am pretty sure the Mrs. and i will be splitting our meals a lot more often... and it has nothing to do with the saving money part.
