Nice Speech

Seems lately that every time we show up on our downtown corner, someone mentions those 2 words.  We show up, get set up, prepare to begin serving, I get up on the wall with my lovely assistant Erin, say a few words, make any announcements that need to be made, we join together to honor God with His prayer, I follow up with a short prayer to hopefully ask for God’s blessings on our time and activities and hop off the wall.  And as I’m meandering through the line exchanging greetings and pleasantries, someone invariably tosses out those 2 words.  “Nice speech”.   And for some reason, it always strikes me as odd.  I don’t get on the wall to make a speech.  In fact, if I were to go back to my high school days, a speech is one of the farthest things from my comfort zone that I’d likely find myself in.  Definitely not in my wheelhouse.  Now it seems that I’ve been in front of crowds from time to time, but I’ve never really been comfortable in that role.  I used to play in a band here in town.  Of course that always put me in front of lots of people.  I never really knew how to deal with that.  In fact, we’re getting ready to do a little reunion gig, so to speak.  20 years later, one last blowout.  Stepping back into a world I was sure I’d left behind all those years ago.  But I digress.  There’ll be no speeches in that situation.  So when we started going downtown almost 5 years ago, someone needed to lead a prayer and make any announcements that needed to be made.  For whatever reason, or because I’m a control freak, that fell to me.  What it’s morphed into for me over these years is a chance to share a little about how we all need a lot more of God in our lives and a lot less of us.  I know for a fact that’s true for me.

So when I have the chance to get up there for that 5 or 10 minutes, I try to make it meaningful.  I never really prepare a “speech” ahead of time.  Rarely, and I mean rarely, do I have anything ready to say in advance.  I simply pray that God will give me the words and that I can take that opportunity and absolutely capitalize on the fact that for just a few minutes, we have a captive audience and a chance to share what God’s love means in our lives.  What His unbelievable, undeserved, amazing love is all about.  Now you can’t really do that in 5 or 10 minutes.  I know that.  But I can do my best to make it a “speech” worth something to someone.  And when I step down off the wall and someone mentions those 2 words, “nice speech”, I’m reminded that God may have indeed used that brief time to capture someone’s heart.  If I think about how I used to live, about how I used to speak, about the filth and nonsense that used to flow from my mouth at times (and still does sometimes), I’m amazed that God would even consider using me in a situation like that.  It is so incredibly humbling that I’m usually at a loss for words.  But for that few minutes, He absolutely fills the gap.  I almost always let our friends know that I’m not a pastor and that I’m not going to preach.  And then I turn around and do just that!  But I’d certainly be dishonoring our God if I didn’t.  And I won’t let that happen.  I’ve made and continue to make mistakes in this crazy life.  That happens.  But I’ll always do my best when I get on that wall to make a “nice speech” for the One who has given so much for each of us.

And yesterday, Easter Sunday, I was able to share, albeit very briefly, about a God who loves us so much, he sent his only son to live and die for us in a most barbaric and ugly way.  I cannot, as a father, imagine.  I cannot, as a human, imagine.  But as a guy who’s just trying to navigate through the crazy, sometimes bizarre world we live in, I’ll continue to get on that wall with my beautiful daughter and share.  I’ll continue to attempt to give “nice speeches” because I love doing it in that setting for all the right reasons.

So yesterday we had a great day serving in the Lord’s House.  That open corner in downtown Omaha where we gather to honor a God who loves us more that we could ever possibly imagine in our humanness.  We had great music provided by our friend Dave Paulson.  We had great food provided by our friends from all over.  We had great help provided, again, by our friends from all over.  And there were people there yesterday that I hadn’t seen in what seems like years.  It was honestly like a reunion of friends and family that we hadn’t seen in a long time.  Some of the names didn’t come back to me as quickly as I’d have liked. But man it was good!

Just before we left to go downtown yesterday, I received the following from a friend on Facebook.  It’s from a fellow that we first met on that corner a few years ago. I hope he doesn’t mind me sharing it:

“Heads-up! I just got my Amtrak ticket to return to Massachusetts. I leave EARLY Thursday Morning. I wanted to let you know because I know you've been praying for me for a long time! Thanks for everything the Lord has done through you over the years.
 CHRIST IS RISEN! HE IS RISEN, INDEED!”

Now that to me is a nice speech.  I often wonder if what God does through us makes a difference.  When I get notes like this, I have to think maybe it does.  I know one thing.  Those few words sent by our friend? Well, to me, THAT’S a “nice speech”. :)

They were pleased to do it, and indeed they owe it to them. For if the Gentiles have shared in the Jews' spiritual blessings, they owe it to the Jews to share with them their material blessings.  ~Romans 15:27

Make a difference…it matters.