Be wise in the way you act toward outsiders; make the most of every opportunity. Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone. -Colossians 4:5-6

Next week I’m getting ready to do something I’ve never really done before. I’ll join with others from St. Paul’s in working at different home sites in a service project we’re calling Follow the Leader. Now I have done projects like this before, but here’s what’s new to me; one of the families we’ll be serving came to my attention in the most random way possible.

A garage sale led Ashley Offermann (a St. Paul’s member) to meet Matt. Matt’s name got dropped in a Facebook post as someone needing help with a home project. And now Matt and I are Facebook buddies (and real life buddies) and he just wished me a happy 28th birthday. Crazy how God works sometimes, isn’t it?

What blows me away is how this series of seemingly ordinary, non-important interactions have led Matt, me, and our church to start to spin a web of relationship building and life together that I never would have predicted or placed in my day planner. And to be honest, I thinks it’s utterly amazing and awesome.

It’s really a great picture of what the Church is meant to be. It was never established with the intent of becoming a time and a place for everyone to meet up at- at least, not as an ends unto itself. The Church truly is a living, moving, breathing body of believers that travels around the countryside meeting various folks like Matt and hitting them where they’re at with the radical love of Christ.

I’ll never forget one of our first interactions…

Me: …so we just want to come by and see if we can help finish your deck and wheelchair ramp; we’re looking to serve as a church youth group and we’d love to help!

Matt: Alright…I kind of feel weird about this. Like, what’s the catch? What do you want from us?

Me: Oh no, it’s not like that; seriously we’re just looking to give back to people in the community. We just want to help- it’s what God calls us to do as Christians.

Matt: Oh…well okay then!

I love this raw encounter with Gospel-filled love. No catch. No fine print. Just passing along what God’s brought to us.

I don’t know what’s going to happen after we’re done with this project. If I’ll ever see Matt or his family again, if they’ll maybe one day find themselves walking through our doors. It’s not my job to know; but it is my job to make the most of the chance I’m given. So I’m going to do just that…and Mike Smith is going to capture us on camera for you 🙂

And we’ll see where God takes it.

Enjoying the Journey,

Pastor Doug