God Was At The Beach Last Sunday!

Do you remember the last time you were at a Worship Service and something powerful happened? Something that caught the attention of everybody, not just your own personal moment...

I may be walking on quicksand saying this, but truthfully I do not witness those kind of moments in church services often. Why is that? Last Sunday was the exception. God was at the beach. He was not on vacation like many of us, but working at our service, Worship at the Water. The message was about reaching out to people, like Jesus did with the leper in Matthew 8: 1-3. The sermon was titled 'Just A Touch'.

A couple of homeless men with a dog stopped by our beach service. They did not have a cardboard sign announcing they were homeless. Their appearance was a major clue. They looked tired, dirty, and one of them was still intoxicated from the night before.

During the closing song, God nudged me to give their dog water. The pit bull enjoyed the cold drink and I met his owner, Chris. I listened to his story and offered to pray with him. As I began to pray, Robert, the intoxicated one, joined us. He was sobbing. Ruth, the pastor, gave Robert her Bible. He was gently rubbing his hands across the Bible trying to wipe the sand from the cover. He held it close, like it was his new found treasure. He kept saying through his quivering voice, "She gave me her Bible. Can you believe she did that?'' He was so proud of that Bible. I will never forget that moment. It made me think about how I see my Bible. Do I treasure His words to me every day? Do I sometimes let dust collect? Chris reached inside his pocket to show me a coin with a picture of Jesus on one side and the Last Supper on the other. It was his reminder that Jesus was with him. To be honest, I was floored how much Robert and Chris had to say about the Lord.

I prayed with them. Tears poured from all of our eyes. Two or more were gathered in His name and let me tell you ...He was in the midst of that sand! I have been blogging about cardboard signs, the homeless, and the question of who is our neighbor over the past couple of weeks. Those things keep crossing my mind. God was stirring my heart for what He had planned. Two days prior to this service, I was asked to be the speaker this fall for a charity fundraiser for the homeless. I realized God was preparing me for that message before I was asked.

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works , which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10 I found myself speechless before Him. (I think that is a good thing. He does too! :) 'Be still and know that He is God' was the proper response.

I would love to hear powerful moments of the Spirit's work in your church service. Have you seen His Spirit touch someone lately? Step out in Faith today and see the power of God operating in your life.

"B" His Girl