The Agenda

I just remembered this story as I read Mark 11:24.

I invited a guest speaker to the Jericho Road Sunday night bible study to inform the boys about finances. As you may know, this can be an issue for many addicts. The study was a success (despite ending with one of the men trying to figure out how to launder money!!!) I helped pack up, thanked the speaker, jumped in my truck and headed home. As I pulled into my driveway I panicked as I realized I had left my agenda at the community centre where we hold our bible study. I panicked because it has my 'life' in it, you know, all of my keys, work van key, keys to all the addiction houses and each room, church keys and office keys!!!!

AAAAAHHHHHHGGGGGG!!!!!!

That alone is reason to panic, but no, I also had restaurant gift certificates, $50 cash, debit cards, a memory stick and basically every scheduled appointment I have, plus all my notes I take.

So on the ride back I did what every Christian would do, PRAY!!!! Lord, if I... No, Lord if it was possible.... No. Lord...... Well I'm sure you know what I mean.

As I returned to the community center I looked in the room where we had been, and nothing. My heart sank! I went and asked the front counter staff. Nothing. My heart sank further. I searched the property. Nothing. Oh my poor heart sank!!!

I was faced with the consequences of having all my eggs in one basket, if you know what I mean.

The next morning as I did my devotions I read Mark 11. As I read verse 24, hope filled my heart, "Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours. "
Well, I thought as my heart did a somersault, obviously God is going to send me back my agenda today! YaaaaaaHHHH!!!!

I waited for that phone call all day. I even went back to the scene of the crime and searched through all the garbage cans on the property, looked in the lost and found and informed the staff what had happened. Nothing. Tuesday night rolls around and I thought, how could God not send me my agenda? What about Mark 11:24? I guess God has another plan and a better purpose for my book. So I figured I better replace the agenda so I can keep track of my appointments and try to replace my keys the best I can. I made phone calls and explained the lost keys, canceled the debit cards and bought a new $10 dollar agenda.

I began life with my new agenda.

Thursday morning I get a call. The man on the other end said he was calling from some security corporation, asked my name and something about my portfolio. I stopped him and said I wasn't interested. He asked again about my portfolio and if I had lost any keys.

What?????? I realized he was talking about my agenda. I asked where he was calling from because the call was from an area code I didn't recognize. He replied Toronto. Toronto?? The man asked if he could mail it to the address he found on my business card. I said sure. That was the end of our conversation.

HUH? how did it get to T.O.? Who was the guy? What just happened?

3 days later my agenda arrived wrapped in brown paper with no return address. Everything was in it except the $50. Wow, God did answer my prayer. He taught me in that instance that I need to have blind faith. Faith. Faith that he knows what he is doing and that he wants to bless me. He taught me that He works things out in his time. I am learning to trust and wait for God to move before I run off a hit a wall.

Mark 11:24 PRAY IT!!!!!!!!

Therefore I tell you, whatever you ask for in prayer, believe that you have received it, and it will be yours."

AMEN

God is faithful

Facilitating a discipleship house can be exasperating on the best of days. Not only do I look after our D-house at Jericho Road but fill and over see our transition houses, interviews, one on ones, manage interns and daily problem solving around our ministry. Please don't feel sorry for me, for God has blessed me with a 'disability' called a.d.h.d........ I find it easy to do a lot of things at once, all day long!!!!

Where I have a hard time is when I am attacked by the people that seem to be on our side.....you know, the side that wants to see addicts recover and come to know Christ. At the beginning of last month we only had 2 beds filled at the D-house and some other opening at some of the houses, which is a financial burden on the ministry. Some of the attacks sounded like this: 'It's because of your strict rules, like no smoking', 'you don't understand jail guys', 'you don't help guys effectively' and 'obviously God's not in this 'cause you got no guys in the house'. Just to mention a few, you get the point. So in my head goes the battle of questions. Should we close up the d-house? Should I make this house more user-friendly? Should we compromise our beliefs on smoking? Am I just getting in God's way?

Rant over. A couple of week ago I sat down with the director and brainstormed how we could fill our beds. The first idea I had was pray. Let's pray. These are God houses, he knows what he is doing. I learned that in Sunday school. The answer was always Jesus and a close second was pray!!! Next was an idea to design an information package of what we do and have to offer along with flyers of the D-house and our Transition houses that we could give to drop in's, detox, shelters and churches. Great ideas and we got underway creating and designing.

Yesterday our info pack and flyers were finally done and look great!!!!! (Thanks Vikki)

In the mean time God was busy. As of yesterday all our homes are full and I have a waiting list of 4 men to get into the Transition houses. The D-house is full - of 'jail' guys except for one of them. Two of them have come by plane! One from Labrador and the newest one this weekend from St. John's!!!

I KNOW!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

God is Faithful. The enemy will always attack, tear down and discredit. My encouragement is to pray and yes be proactive. What I am learning is to trust God. He does know what he is doing and to stay in the boat where he is. I must be patient as I walk with Him. I must not swerve to the right or to the left. Thank you Jesus.