What? Me Worry?!

So yesterday was once again a day full of interesting things and happenings. As is always the case it seems. And man was it HOT! I went through a couple of shirts just sorting out the clothing donations and things. And I've had people tell me I should do it the night before, and I've tried that, but by late evening, my sorting place, otherwise known as my garage, is like a sauna. So in the dog days of summer, it's a Sunday morning task. So just to reiterate...it was HOT!!! But I try to keep it in perspective. The ladies and gentlemen we hang out with on Sundays, for the most part, have no air conditioning. They have to suffer in the sweltering heat most days, so a little work in the heat of the day is really a minor thing for me. We lost our home AC a couple of weeks ago. Went out on a Sunday afternoon and it was finally repaired on Wednesday. A few hot days for us to gain a little perspective. There are obviously people who live their summers without air conditioning and we are certainly blessed to be in the situation we find ourselves in. It's all good. Robin told me last night that I get the raw end of the deal. She "gets" to cook in the controlled temperatures of the kitchen. Me? I get to do my Sunday morning activities in the elements of the garage. Hot or cold? Doesn't matter. It really is a blessing. It's so cool to see what God has in store for us on any given week. Some weeks, extraordinary things happen. Others, regular things just sort of happen. But rest assured when we do the work of our Savior, amazing things are bound to happen.

So shortly before we left, Robin was mentioning that we needed to pick a verse. Yep...pick a verse she says. Pick a verse that maybe God had placed on our hearts and share that verse during our prayer time, just before we begin serving our Sunday meal. Well, she had the audacity to mention this, literally right before we were walking out the door. Me, believing this was God's way of telling us to be more intentional about our activities on that corner, I began to try to formulate a way that I could drive the 13.14 miles from our house to our corner and read my bible to grab a verse that would "fit" the things I already had in mind to say before our prayer. How ridiculous does that sound? So as we get in the car and venture off, I realize that I'd left my bible at home. But, sitting right next to me in the passenger seat of my car? Oh yeah. My very own walking, breathing, encyclopedic, biblical reference machine. Christian Laney. That's right. The kid is amazing for his memory abilities. Not if I tell him to do the dishes, or take the trash out. But ask him a verse? Man, this young man is amazing. For many, many other reasons, he's amazing. But if you need a verse? He's your man. He memorized the Book of Acts last year for cryin' out loud! So I ask him to give me a verse. What verse he says? The one God has placed in your mind boy! Bring it! Galatians 1:10 he says. Give it to me my man! "Am I now trying to win the approval of men, or of God? Or am I trying to please men? If I were still trying to please men, I would not be a servant of Christ", He says. And the cool thing about that verse? Well, beyond the obvious. I had planned on reiterating to the guys and gals downtown that they need not thank us for anything on Sunday. They really, really need to thank God. For it is through Him and by His will that anything at all happens on that corner on Sundays. I just wanted to drop that little nugget on them again, as we do from time to time. It seems that they want to give us the thanks that He deserves. We always try to deflect it, and I understand why it happens. If you're hungry, and someone feeds you, in whatever way, the tendency is to thank them. If you are in need and someone fills that need, it whatever way, shape or form, then the tendency is to thank them. But it has to go upward. The thanks have to be to the Almighty. Because there is absolutely no way under His heavens that we could pull off what it is we do every Sunday without His blessing.

So we get downtown and as we pull up, I don't see the normal cars that I'm accustomed to seeing. In fact, I only see one car. Now we park in a No Parking zone every Sunday. Have since the beginning. The police officers that patrol the area don't seem to mind. I mean it's odd, they come by occasionally, see us parked there, and have never said a thing. Weird. So as we pull up yesterday, I realize that we might be on our own as far as serving. I knew a couple of people wouldn't be there. But I've raved recently about all the great help we get from people (and the people that help are simply incredible) and here we are. I think everyone decided to take the day off at once. But you know what? There was no sense of worry on our part. One thing I've learned in this ministry. God will provide. Every single time. He will provide. It maybe just means that the Laney kids will have to buckle in and man a station. Christian on the drink station. Nick building his hot dog bun tower. Erin handing out bread. Sidenote...she wanted to do dessert. Said no one was taking bread. "Mom?? Can't I please hand out sweets?" :) Everyone chipped in. And of course when we least expect it? A fellow named Curtis shows up and introduces himself to me. He runs a local county community services program. One of his subordinates called me a few weeks back and asked if they could send troubled teens or anyone in need of community service hours to help out when needed? Heck yeah! Send them. He said he skipped Sunday school to come down and check it out. So He again had us covered. Always does.

We don't do a message or a sermon on Sundays. We always pray for the blessings God sends us with, and we try to share God’s Word at every opportunity. And there are boatloads of opportunities. But we don't really do a formal message. Not that it won't ever happen, but we'll let Him guide us there. I suppose yesterday was the closest thing you'll see from us in that regard. As we prepared to give thanks for our many blessings, Christian and I stood on a small wall where I normally say the prayer. My man Christian, reference machine that he is, works with me to say the prayer. What an awesome opportunity for a father and son to share the Word and love of Christ together to a pretty captive audience. I explain my deal, telling these great people that without Christ in our lives, none of this is possible. Absolutely none of it. Christian cites a verse for me. We tag team the mini message and God blesses us! What an amazing God we serve. The point of the verse? We serve an amazing Christ! Can't serve man and Christ. Have to pick one or the other. We choose Christ. And in doing so? We are able to serve these wonderful people and hopefully, simply act as a vessel of Christ. The hands and feet, so to speak. As I looked back at the serving table and see Nick with his serving gloves, building a bun tower, I am amazed at the work He is doing in my family. When my kids pray for the "guys downtown", I am amazed at the work he is doing in my family. When my sister and her daughter show up every Sunday to help, I am amazed. That I am able to serve with my mother every single Sunday? Amazing. That I am blessed to serve with my best friend, my confident, my wife every single time we do anything related to this ministry? Amazing. But the most amazing thing to me? That He allows us to serve Him. That He blesses us with a means to hang out on Sundays with some of the most incredible people. When we pulled up and saw that we might not have all the help we normally have? No worries. He's got our backs. Got us covered. Nope. No worries. We are humbly blessed to be servants of Christ. I love Him with all my heart and we are so honored to walk in these steps. It's nice to give a guy a meal, a pair of jeans, a shirt, a pair of shoes. But it is phenomenal to be able to do these things in the name of Christ! Phenomenal! Thanks be to God just doesn't seem to be the right choice of words, but it is what it is, and I don't know how else to say it. No worries. Just thanks.

Peace and have a great and blessed week.

..."it matters to that one"... :)