Reach Out with a Cup of Joe

I read this morning about a church in our listening area that is doing a unique outreach to their community. Lilburn Christian Church has a Drive-Thru Coffee Ministry each Monday morning. What a great way to meet a need and minister at the same time. I wish more churches would come out of their buildings and meet needs in their local community.

As graduate students at Regent University, my wife and I attended Virginia Beach Vineyard Church. We did a lot of common place ministry throughout the area. During afternoon drive-time we stood in the medians and gave out ice cold bottles of water with information on our church on the label. During Christmas, the church rented a store front in the local mall and did baby sitting for parents who wanted to go shopping without having to watch their children at the same time.

These are just a few ideas to serve our mission fields right outside our church doors. Just something to think about

Relating to People

Every month I receive encouragement from John Eldridge, author of the book Wild at Heart. This month's letter dealt with how we deal with people. People make up a large part of our lives. And they are always in some kind of need. Most of the time we just jump in and try to minister without first talking with God and getting a clue on He might already be working in that person's life.

It would be an interesting study to look at the way Jesus related to people. We see in the Gospels that sometimes He stopped right where He was to be with people, and at other times we see Him dodging an encounter. We also see in the Gospels that Jesus was only doing the work He saw His Father doing. He was completely in tune with His Father. What would happen if we began to ask Jesus what He was already doing in the lives of people that come into our lives instead of just running into a situation with no knowledge?

What is it that guides us when it comes to relating with people in our lives? Most of the time I go with whatever my gut is telling me. I run in with speculation, worry, guilt or a sense of obligation. Sometime I go in with a sense of irritation just to get the person out of my life. I neve ask God about the situation and what part (if any) do I play.

More than any other guidance I hear from God is not to do anything more than just give them over to Him. What I find when I do that, it opens up more space in my own life for Him to work and move.