It is first Friday here and much like last month, it is raining and the heavens are groaning with thunder. Maybe that's a spiritual metaphor. Maybe not. I went out tonight, like I did last first Friday and this time I was prepared. Lord, what ever you have - bring it. So I went out fully expecting something big and amnazing to happen, just like last time. But God, being so much smarter then me, had something else planned - He worked in small, subtle ways - ways that if I would have blinked, I would missed them.
After a very rough day of painting, I went out to see what the local galleries had to offer on this first Friday in hope of being inspired. Nada. Clever, well done stuff, but sole-less. Some even vile and quite offensive. One piece was so defiling, I won't even bother to explain it. Another work was an alter that had a row of candles and a knee bench to worship a collection of old encyclopedias. Like I said, clever but.... So I asked the artist what he thought the effect would be if he used bibles instead if of encyclopedias and he seemed very interested in the idea. God did a small thing.
I gave up on the idea that roaming the streets and getting soaked in search of even one uplifting work of art and I went off to the Lost Bar to dry off and to see if God had a big thing planned there. Nope. Small things...Like... A man I know from the local coffee shop asked if we could meet and chat later in the week; I met some new people and had a chance to step out of my shy comfort zone and talk about my art, I saw a woman who I had prayed for and her continence has totally changed from the last time we met. She was depressed, without hope and feeling useless then. Tonight she was happy and on the mend. Yea God! And most importantly, this time I was not alone. I sent out a text asking for covering and I felt it.
It's around midnight now and that's early for me. I am just really waking up now so I will spend some time praying for a deeper understanding of God's small miracles that change to course of our lives.
So as I am typing this last bit, God is saying go back to the Lost Bar and after a few "really, now?" I went back. I mean, who am I to say no to God. So I sat at a table with a woman I sort of knew and struck up a conversation with a guy friend of her's. The long and short of the chat was he was an ex Catholic, ex atheist, who now believes in "something", but not a deity and certainly not religion. I told him that the single most thing that kills faith is religion and PTL, that got his attention. The rest of our talk was easy. He was in a place of searching; he was hungry and God was at work in him. I left him with the thought: " How can you believe and/or not believe in something that you haven't explored? And wouldn't it be a good idea to go to the Circle of Hope ( he is friends with many peeps who go there} and see what the conversation is really about. The good news is that he agreed and said he would think about going. Yea God!
So, thank you Poppa for allowing me to partner with you in this big thing.
As always, please forgive any typos :). Editing kills it for me.
The scripture of the day was brought to my attention by my awesome wife and I have to share it with you. For me, it so explains why God has you here:
Four Horns and Four Craftsmen
Then I looked up, and there before me were four horns. I asked the angel who was speaking to me, “What are these?”He answered me, “These are the horns that scattered Judah, Israel and Jerusalem. Then the Lord showed me four craftsmen. I asked, “What are these coming to do?”
He
answered, “These are the horns that scattered Judah so that no one
could raise their head, but the craftsmen have come to terrify them and
throw down these horns of the nations who lifted up their horns against the land of Judah to scatter its people.”
-Zechariah 1:18-21
Love you all!
