Ministry Stories

Roger

Early in our marriage, Grace and I regularly sought out interaction with strangers in an effort to introduce them to Jesus. On one of our outings, we met a man named Roger. Roger loved to talk about the Lord, but there was something from his past which he never really talked about that made him feel like he was alienated from Jesus with no hope of reconciliation. Every time we would talk, he would come right up to the point of surrendering himself to the rule of Christ and then he would back away. One night, Grace and I were sleeping around 2:00 AM when the phone rang. It was Roger. “I need to get baptized right now!” At the end of October, the river was getting pretty cold; but we got up, packed some towels, picked Roger up and baptized him in the river. “Let us not grow weary in well-doing…” What would have happened if Grace and I stopped visiting Roger after the first ten times? We would not have had that early morning adventure!

Manuel and Leanne

On another evening, Grace and I were driving around, looking for our next encounter. We saw a family grilling in their front yard; so we parked and walked up to their picket fence. The man invited us in, so we came. Manuel and his girlfriend Leann and several children were all having a relaxing evening. We started to talk about Jesus and Manuel was very polite, but not very interested. After we began to feel that we were mostly just being tolerated, we excused ourselves and went back home. The next night we were out again and felt like we should follow up with this family. When we knocked on the front door, nobody answered for a few minutes. Then the seven-year-old girl opened the door. We asked if Manuel or Leanne were home. She said, “Don’t you know what happened?” Because we didn’t, she continued. “Last night, they were out driving and went off the road; they are both in the hospital. Mom just broke her ankle and will be home soon, but Manuel is in the hospital at Washington Regional” (an hour and a half away). So we went to visit Manuel. When we walked into his hospital room, his face lit up. After a few minutes of conversation with Manuel, I asked him if he would like to surrender his life to the lordship of Jesus. He said yes. I prayed a brief prayer and then Manuel excitedly said, “I saw him! He was here! I saw Jesus!” That’s one of those things you don’t forget.

Betty

One year, a lady visited Berryville Christian Fellowship. The pastor’s wife got into a long conversation with her and found that her name was Betty and that she was dying of lung cancer. After a couple of weeks of praying for Betty at our weekly prayer meeting, the pastor’s wife approached me to say that she had planned on visiting Betty that week but was just not able to make it happen and would I please go and see her. I agreed. I was cautioned that Betty’s strength would not last long and to aim at no more than a fifteen minute visit. When I got to Betty’s house, I let myself in the front door so she would not have to get up. After reminding her who I was, I began to share some Bible verses with her. Time flew by. Suddenly, I realized that I had been there for forty-five minutes and that Betty looked pretty drained. I said, “Betty, I can see that you are getting tired. I should leave so you can rest.” Right as I got back to her front door, she said, “Wait!” I stopped and turned half way around so I could see her face. She said, “Are you an angel?” I smiled and said that I was not.

Since that day, I have wondered if I gave Betty the right answer or not. Our word “angel” comes from the Greek “angelos” which means messenger. I am one of God’s messengers and I was granted to minister His comfort to Betty that day. I know, there is a different order of creature who does messenger service for the King. It was to those creatures that she was referring. So as you consider your own life, ask yourself the question, “Am I a messenger for God?” Are you an angel?

A Perfect Storm

Amanda and Brad were married by a witch. Darkness seemed always to be hovering around the edges of their lives, intruding itself into the center unexpectedly. Their two children were a handful, but did not seem to be extraordinarily disturbed. Then their young daughter started telling her mother about some very specific instances of sexual abuse; Amanda couldn’t believe that it was true. Her instinct was to justify her husband and chalk it all up to another of her daughter’s lies. But she was not lying. When the department of human services became involved, the children were placed in foster care and their father was placed in jail. At the trial, the parental rights of Amanda and Brad were terminated, the children were put up for adoption and their father was given a fifty year prison sentence.

In despair, Amanda turned to alcohol. After one of her binges, a male friend began taking care of her. This was the segue to her second marriage, with Colin. Amanda and Colin have a son and a daughter together. The darkness has not left them alone. Colin has a problem with paranoia, always suspecting that his life is in danger and that his wife is unfaithful. Amanda can’t control her spending habits and often spends time with bad influences.

Grace and I spent a year doing weekly counseling with this couple, but nothing seemed to improve.

When we were first getting to know Amanda and Brad, we also came to know a single mother who lived in the same apartment complex–lets call her Stacy. Stacy has epilepsy and was raising a son who is about the same age as our oldest. When she could not stay in her apartment any more, she moved into one of the rooms in our house. Stacy lived with us for a year and a half; then, she moved in with a boyfriend and had four more children.

Fast forward eighteen years. Stacy lost the house her parents left to her because she could not pay the mortgage with her disability check. At the same time, Amanda had to spend a few weeks in jail because she tried to do a drug deal so that she could afford to have the air conditioning repaired in their trailer. Colin desperately needed an adult to stay at home while he went to work; therefore Stacy moved into one of their bedrooms.

During this time, Stacy lost parental rights for her children. What a terrible heartache! She has begun attending church with us. Then Amanda was allowed to come home. Now she is also attending church. These lives continue to be those my wife and I minister to as they continue to discover how to follow Christ.

Processing

It is easy to feel along the way like the fruit of our lives does not amount to much. My expectation is that as I minister the word of God that people will catch a glimpse of Jesus and be transformed by that vision from one degree of glory to another. So, there are days when I feel like I am a failure. After all of this investment, why are these lives still such a wreck?

I was reminded a couple of weeks ago about Jesus’s end-time commendation of the righteous. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ (Matt.25:34-36). Jesus did not say, ‘When I was lost in darkness, you preached the word of life and I believed.’

In His earthly ministry, Jesus was constantly demonstrating who He is by healing sickness and casting out dark spirits. His commendation is reserved for those who will likewise demonstrate to the world what kind of Messiah He is. Our sacrificial acts, not our gospel proclamation, are those things that position us for His praise. (Don’t get me wrong: I never intend to stop proclaiming the gospel; but take courage if you are one who has been doing good and not seeing the fruit. Jesus has taken note of you too).