265 – It Only Takes One Moment to Change a Life

#faithbites #faithjourney moment

Before we get started, I have to say thank you to my wife Amanda for watching the kids at the festival so I could run the welcome booth. No way I could have done it without her. And now, onto #faithbites.

Last night was the fall festival at my eldest’s school. It’s a chance for teachers, family, friends, students, administrators, to eat food, play games, win prizes, go on jumpy houses and have a great time. This is an event my family looks forward to every year. This year, I wanted to do something different, so we set up a booth to share information about our church. While almost everyone attending the festival attends the school, only a little over half go to the church. I thought this was a moment I could make a difference.

During the first hour, not one person stopped by the booth. And yes, it was right when they walked in. I greeted almost everyone who came in, wished them well and waited. During this time, I was wondering if I made a mistake. Was I not the right person to be at the booth? Should we have not even tried to do that? By the end of the night, I had talked to two families about the church. No one filled out a guest card but the two families seemed to like what we were saying.

Did I waste my time manning the booth instead of running around? Was it a stupid idea? Of course, there are some things we could do better. I was thinking though, what of the other people who walked by and heard me talking? What about the folks who just had a warm welcome to the festival? Maybe that was enough to open their hearts/

Scripture on Sharing the Good News

• “Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, ‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?
  And I said, ‘Here am I. Send me!’”- Isaiah 6:8
• “Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven” – Matthew 5:15-16
• “When you are brought before synagogues, rulers and authorities, do not worry about how you will defend yourselves or what you will say, for the Holy Spirit will teach you at that time what you should say” – Luke 12:11-12

Reflection

The Isaiah verse is one of my favorites. I would not be there if God didn’t want me to be there. I was the right person to share the news. God, here I am…send me. There may not have been hundreds of people who wanted to learn about the church. I do know there were at least two moments when people asked what we were doing and what we were about. My hope is those moments shape their faith live.  Finally, in Luke, I have to remember to get out of my own way. God is here for us and sends the Holy Spirit to give us words. My words are not always correct, but they always come from a good place, God.

While the booth wasn’t a smashing success, who knows what that will bring in the future. Seed now, harvest later.

Charge

Are you hard on yourself when you don’t think you had the impact you should have? Have you thought that maybe, that one moment or one connection, is what God had in mind for you? Think about how to use those moments. What’s better? One good connection or 100 Hi how you doing? In most cases the one connection. Keep putting yourself out there for God.

Lord, help me to be your servant. Help me to think of quality and not quantity. Lord, be with those families I talked to and those around us. Help them to find comfort in your family and your house.