Have you ever had a week where everything seemed to come together? You have been praying and you feel – Wow, now that was an answer to prayer? That was my week!
Over the last couple of months I have been praying for a clear understanding of where God was leading us with the Bean. I wanted to know what role we should have and how we should be reaching out into the community. This has been a consistent prayer at my Bible Study for the last couple of months. Last week we began our study of Paul’s letters. As I read 1 Thessalonians the following verse jumped off the page for me:
Brothers and sisters, we urge you to warn those who are lazy, Encourage those who are timid. Take tender care of those who are weak. Be patient with everyone. 1 Thessalonians 5:14
As I look back over the last couple years I can clearly see how we have carried out Paul’s charge to the Thessalonians. On Sunday, Greg came up to me after church and wanted to thank us for helping to put him back on the road to a relationship with God. I hardly recognized him. He was beaming! He was pretty messed up a couple months ago – homeless and on a constant high. He said he couldn’t remember the last two years. This was the first time he could clearly think and had hope for the future. Over the last six months, several of us talked to him about where he was and where he was going. He’s been sober for two months and is off the streets in a rehab center. He made a special trip to Sanctuary to say thanks.
I can see where the Lord is using the Bean to reach out to the people of Greenwood using each of us to touch people and encourage them on their walk. Over the last couple weeks the Lord has brought numerous people by to tell update me on their walk and show me how we have touched their lives. The Bean has changed their lives and given people hope. They want to know when we will be open again. They miss the blend of the loving – caring baristas, the coffee, and the atmosphere.
The bottom line is I can see the Lord moving. I can see him working through myself and the staff. I can see Him making a difference in the lives of people who were lost and now have been found. I want to encourage you to come be part of the Lord’s work. Invest in the people of Greenwood and you will be changed forever!
Bob Jackson