Noemi Roman is the Bible worker of the Visalia Seventh-day Adventist church and she is also working with our team to plant our new campus/church The Ark. Yesterday she was out inviting community people to The Ark’s Cookout, a connecting event this Sunday. The following is the story of an encounter she had with a lady by the name of Victoria:
Last night my sister and I while knocking on doors inviting people to the new church, knocked on a door of a lady who was on the phone. Not wanting to bother her, I was about to just leave the flyer on the door, but before I could pull it from my hand, she motioned for me to open the door and come inside. By the time we were through the front door, she had us two cold Pepsi’s and a apple apple juice (for Isaiah) in our hands motioning for us to sit down on the sofa. As we talked she told us that she needed to be saved and was scared she was lost. She questioned what was different about our church and said that even though we were nice, she probably wouldn’t attend because she felt like such a sinner, and had no knowledge of God. All she knew of Him was from what she had seen from The Passion of the Christ, she told us that if any of that was true and if He was willing to endure all that for us then she really wanted to be saved. We told her that God loved her and that it was by Grace alone, through faith, to the Glory of God alone that we are saved. Yvonne was so loving to her and asked her if she had ever considered bible studies. Her answer was no, because she felt embarrassed because she hadn’t read the bible and didn’t think she could understand it. She explained that her life had been spent making bad choices and that if we only knew, it would make us think different of her. WOW! I told her that God loved her and despite OUR failure, His love continues and will always continue. She looked at us so puzzled and said she had never heard such things. I thought how could someone not know that God loves them? God loves us so much and yet the Devil tries to blind people into not seeing who God really is~ A loving compassionate Father who at the thought of not spending eternity with us, jumped off a throne and land on cross just to save us and show us how much He values us. Giving up His life shows us our value. I praised God that she had seen The Passion of the Christ, that if that was the only knowledge she had of Him, PTL because that is the Gospel! (Despite some of the different portrayals of Christ in the movie vs bible).
As we were leaving she walked us out and I felt impressed to ask her if I could pray with her. Her eyes began to fill with tears and she asked if we could go back inside just the two of us. We went to her room and I grabbed her hand and prayed for her, I asked God to pour His Spirit on her and show her that He died to save especially her, that her name Victoria is engraved in the palm of His hands and that despite whom she sees, God sees a beautiful daughter whom He loves. I poured out my heart because I wanted her to know that she was loved and that we weren’t there by chance, God had led us to her house specifically. She cried the entire prayer. As I was leaving she hugged me and asked what she could bring on Sunday.
God is so good and meeting Victoria yesterday reminded me just how much God loves us. I left so blessed and so encouraged. There are so many people out in this world that don’t really know who God really is and how much He loves them. Thank you God for leading us to Victoria yesterday. Our group knocked on over 100 other doors and personally invited each of them. Please keep this Sunday’s event in prayer, pray for the last 200 invitations that were personally asked to come in prayer.
Here are some random thoughts on Facebook, why I love it, and why I hate it!
Let us start with the LOVE list:
Okay now things I hate about Facebook:
What about you? Do you love or hate Facebook?
I’ve learned more about God’s love for His children from my two sons than from anything else I have experienced in my life!
Here is what I have learned: (a lot of these are what I have learned from my oldest, because he is 2 going on 3 and Landon is 10 months:)).
1. Grace comes easy to God. I’ve already forgiven Dayton before he says sorry.
2. God’s discipline is done in love. I can honestly say there is only one time that I disciplined Dayton in anger, otherwise my discipline has genuinely come from a loving place.
3. God’s discipline helps me grow as an individual. Christina and I have seen changes in our son in the positive through discipline.
4.God is obsessed with saving me/humanity (His children). I know this because lately the greatest thing on my mind and in my prayers is, “please Jesus help me to raise my boys to love You!” I am desirous above all other things that my children will be in the Kingdom of Heaven with their Creator & Savior.
5. God’s love is limitless. I love fully both my boys and I want more children because although I never knew before I could love this much, I know that no matter how many children I have I will still have enough love to give.
6. God sees His children as beautiful. I am sure my kids aren’t the most beautiful kids that exist in the world (though pretty close:)), but to me I see the handsomest young boys ever created.
7. God’s love is not influenced by my actions. Landon cried for almost 2 hours straight the other night…never once did my love waver!
8. Jesus would have died even if it was for just me and no one else. I would lay down my life in a heartbeat for either one of my boys.
Thank you God for helping me to know more about you through my two sons, so that I may love you more in my life!
Hey Y’all–
Right now my blog is called “Chad Stuart’s Prose”. I feel like I want a new blog name.
Help me name my blog! Send me your suggestions.
Thanks,
Chad
So driving to my Coaching Network yesterday I was pondering the reality that I believe the time is coming when as a Seventh-day Adventist Minister will have to work for free…or at least only at the level my basic needs are provided for. I can’t really lay out for you all the reasons I feel that day is coming, I just believe it is.
Then during our Coaching Network during our Pressure Points time, one pastor discussed providing all his team with cell phones and paying for their bill. There was immediate push back on this issue. The leaders of the Network and other sage folk in the Coaching group showed several ways and examples of how this then becomes an area of entitlement. Where people think they “should” have their phone paid for by the church and become disgruntled if this “privilege”, which they have come to believe is their “right” is taken away or not available to them anymore.
That entire discussion and what I was thinking about on the way to the Network had me pondering on the way home from the Network, how we that work for the church or a religious organization need to be very careful about the condition of our hearts in regards to the “privileges” we have in working for the Kingdom of God. I believe too often our hearts may go astray and begin to see it as our “right” to have insurance, retirement, a salary, our phones paid for, assistance with schooling. None of these in fact our “rights” though, these are simply “privileges” and if they were all to leave us tomorrow if our hearts are in the right place it shouldn’t change at all the way we feel about doing ministry!
This past year the pastors in my conference received a 3% pay cut. Now no one likes to get a pay cut, but as I heard different discussion around the proverbial “water cooler” it made me wonder, “If this is how these folk feel about a 3 % cut, what is going to happen on the day we get a 100% cut?”
The question I believe all who work in ministry must ask ourselves is, “Would I still give all my life for ministry? Would I be broke for the sake of ministry if all the “privileges” were taken away? Do I work for the “privileges” or for the PRIVILEGE of being a full time servant of the Most High God?!” If we wouldn’t be doing what we are doing on the day we will no longer get a pay check, or our cell phones paid for, or insurance, or retirement, or school assistance, then I think it may be time for folk to find a new job! The full time ministry is a LIFE CALLING, not a job!
Just a few thoughts!
So today was a mixed bag…there was one really awesome thing…I am in a coaching network for the next 6 or so months and today I attended my first session and learned a TON! Otherwise the day was kinda rough…
Since I had to drive all the way to the Milpitas I was up a little before 5 a.m., as was Christina since she is a crazy light sleeper and actually the one that came around to my side of the bed to turn off my alarm :). The best thing would have been for us to be able to get up and get ready quietly and peacefully, but well before they were supposed to be up both boys were up and ready to vie for our attention.
Then I drove 3+ hours to the Coaching Network. Again I learned a ton and had a great time. But my stomach hurt most the day and the only pizza they ordered was covered in meat, guess I forgot to tell them I am a vegetarian.
On the way home I got stuck in some traffic. And while in traffic suddenly had to go to the bathroom very badly! That was rough!
Driving home I listened to the Mavericks vs Heat game. I am not a Heat fan at all yet I lost the signal when the Heat were up 15…I was bothered that I had listened to that whole game and then the Heat were just going to blow them out. Oops…I guess after my signal died the Mavs went on a crazy run and won the game, of course I missed it…my trip home took about 4 or so hours.
Oh and I forgot to mention probably the most frustrating thing of the day…while I was standing in the shower trying to wake-up…the water running over my head, reminded me of the water running into our pool…
Yep, I had decided the evening before to add a little water to our pool…only problem is I never turned off the hose…so our backyard was flooded, that is a nice waste of water and going to be a pretty bill.
I guess today was just an average day…mixed…full of some frustrating things and some highlights…
But as I get ready for bed…the day becomes great because I am thinking of four things:
1. God loves me and has forgiven my sins
2. My wife is healthy and happy
3. My two 1/2 year old looks like an angel while he sleeps
4. My 9 almost 10 month old was just crying and self soothed himself back to sleep without us having to go back in there
Those four individuals really make up the primary good in my life and so every day ends well because I am with them:
God, Christina, Dayton, & Landon.
May tomorrow be just as blessed!