Today I went with Anthony to his home church. He had mentioned a few people that I was glad to meet, but the one person that really took me & didn't let go, seriously, was Pastor Reggie. Pastor Reggie is a pastor at a camp in WI so he doesn't get to preach at the church very often, but everybody loves it when he does.
Anthony walks up to Pastor Reggie & they great each other with a hug and telling each other how good it is to see one another & then Anthony promptly introduces me. Yes, I was the mysterious friend this morning that some thought I was his girlfriend, others didn't have a clue, & we joked that I was his wife. We thought the last one would really throw people for a surprise loop since he hadn't been to church there since last Easter! He introduced me as his teammate, Julia, and Pastor Reggie & I shook hands & then kept shakking hands & still Pastor Reggie didn't let go of my hand & a few minutes later he still didn't let go, but we all kept on talking. At one point in the convo he mentioned to me that he was praying for me & that is why he was still holding on & was going to continue to do so until I told him to stop.
This blew me away. The man had just met me & knew nothing about me, but he was praying for me. He was Jesus with skin on amongst many other people that I met today. Pastor Reggie took my hand as God does in our lives on a constant basis and wouldn't let go. Like I said, it took me a minute to realize what he actually meant since he was carrying on a conversation with Anthony & I at the same time. I didn't want to tell him to stop, prayer is needed & much appreciated always & knowing that a complete stranger was doing it on the spot was so obvious that God was there with us & surrounding & protecting each & every one of us.
After Pastor Reggie let go of my hand & Anthony went on to talk with a few other friends that had approached us, Pastor Reggie turns to me & says, " You have ministry written ALL over you child! I saw it the moment I turned around & saw you walk in. It was like you were leaving little foot prints of Jesus every where you stepped!"
wow! seriously, for somebody to just point out that they see Jesus in your being, wow! I thanked him for the encouragement & prayers & told him he didn't know how much it was needed or it meant. How often in our lives do we stop & pray for somebody we just met on the spot and hold on to them to let them know we're there for them & so is God? Some yall might, but I'm a Lutheran, so you know that's over stepping some sort of boundary right? Ha! Yes, I am breaking out of my Lutheran shell, I have been for a while, but it's been a very slow process & I'm constantly excited to learn what God has in store for all that surrounds me. God is present & real in all of our lives, even if we don't aknowledge it & that takes my breath away.
I hope that yall have people in your life like Pastor Reggie & realize that you are Jesus with skin on too, so use it!
2 comments:
Wow! What an awesome blog. I finally found it!
I love your word pictures. We speaka the same language cuz!
Pastor Reggie sounds awesome!
The kids and I pray every day on our way to school in the morning.
We frequently say please help us to remember to be your hands, smile, etc. I often wonder if we say it so often that it has become trite. After reading your blog, I am convinced that we cant be reminded too often that we are Jesus hands, feet, smile etc.
So glad to hear that he recognized your gifts and willingness to serve our awesome God!
Nothing beats a God high!!!!!!
Stepping out of your Lutheran comfort zone is not easy but exciting. Although, your solid Lutheran base allows you to step out in faith. Wow I am just excited typing all of this cool stuff. I love it when other people feel like I do. I am often misunderstood by friends and family when I get too excited about how awesome our God is.
More power to you cousin.
We continue to lift you up in prayer.
Keep up the good work and thanks for the big smile that is on my face.
We love you
The Heltons
i like that Jesus with skin thing. that's very sweet. :)
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