Day #14 - "But For The Grace Of God ..." (Montgomery, Al)

Friday April 16th

The good night of sleep made all the difference. I am feeling much better today. And the day is not even over but has been really full and so I am writing the “daily blog” now, as I won’t have time tonight.

Well the day started off with a great breakfast meeting. My friend wants to give $10k towards the ECMC vision. I mean that is just so awesome. And he will also try to connect me to other folks he knows. Then I made several connections in preparation for my last leg of the journey in the Atlanta area. I then had a great telephone meeting with another “friend of Sequoia” who believes in me and in the ECMC vision. We had talked in the past of starting the daily (5 days / week) 2-minute Faith FM Radio spot. Well NOW could not be the more appropriate timing for exposure.

So I need your help – what should we call this daily 2-minute radio ministry? – “North to Canada”? Maybe you can give me suggestions? But it needs to be catchy and ring a bell here in Southern USA for this ministry in Eastern Canada.

Then I joined the last school assembly that Ken Freeman was speaking at. (for reminder ref Ken Freeman – see Day #11 & Day #12). This school was an “alternate school” – meaning a school for kids “on their last chance to attend school”. If they can’t learn disciple at this school, then it’s out on the streets. So you can imagine a little bit what kind of school it maybe. Ken spoke about his 9 step-fathers; major abuse from his alcoholic mother; seeing his 5 year-old sister raped by one of her mom’s boyfriend; then living a messed-up life with drugs, alcohol, stealing, prison – you name it. He should be dead today. “But For The Grace Of God …”

Ken made a decision that changed his life – he accepted Jesus at the age of 16. You’ve seen the movie “The Blind Side”? You need too if you haven’t. Anyways, like in the movie, yes a crazy family (crazy in a good way) took Ken into their home. For the first time he was loved and lived with a real family. Jesus changed his messed-up life and gave him a message. Now he speaks to 1000s upon 1000s of students and folks and sees many many surrender their lives to the reality of Jesus.

Yes – only God can bring about good out of a real messy situation. Oh “But For The Grace Of God”! But in another story that is too fresh to see it that way, Brian, another friend of mine, had to go to a funeral yesterday – to his cousin’s 2 year-old little girl. A car in the neighborhood ran over her and killed her. The parents are devastated. Brian sang the song at the funeral that Steven Curtis Chapman composed after his little girl was killed the same way – song “Heaven Is the Place Of A Little Girl”.

It’s too fresh – but one day God will use that incredible pain in their lives in order to help someone else. God is using the pain in Ken Freeman’s life. How are you letting God use your pain? I know I am!

Off to the Friday Night Service I go …