First Church Year #15: The Gideons

Yesterday the Gideons showed up at my church.  Actually, not all of them were there.  Only one of them was there.

This reminded me of when I was in the 5th grade at Alpha Elementary in Morristown, TN.  The Gideons were allowed to come into schools then.  Each of us were presented with a New Testament.  I’m not sure where that Testament is today, but I still remember it to this day.

Most of us are most familiar with the Gideons through the Bibles they place in hotel and motel rooms throughout the country.  I wonder how many people have read those Bibles through the years and how many lives have changed because of it.

One of the funnier stories that this particular Gideon told was how one man did not want the Bible presented to him.  He threw it across the street onto the roof of a building.  It struck a man in the head who was contemplating jumping and committing suicide.  He had just asked God to stop him if he didn’t want him to die that day.  That man’s life was dramatically changed and today he works in a ministry.

The thing I like most about the Gideons is their commitment to God’s word and their ministry.  We could all stand to be as dedicated as the Gideons.

Were you ever presented with a New Testament from the Gideons?  Do you know any other stories of what the Gideons have done to further the kingdom of God?

First Church Year #13: Story Edition

This is an odd First Church Year in that I am writing it several days ahead of time. I try to do that will almost all of my posts, but I usually wait until the church week is over for First Church Year. This one is different.

This one is the result of overflow. It’s the because of the excess time I spent at church over the last week preparing and performing in our Easter musical.

There probably hasn’t been one thing that was more valuable in getting to know more people in my new church than working in this performance. I don’t know everyone, but I have a better idea of who several people are now.

How did I get to know these folks?

Obviously, I spent more time with them than I usually can or get to. But it’s deeper than that.

How did I really get to know them?

It was through their stories.

I heard bits and pieces of their stories throughout the week.

Do I know their full story? No. Neither do they know mine. But the stories build something. They build a picture that grows larger and larger. 

And that’s how we come to know God, isn’t it?

We have part of the story in the Old Testament.

We have the rest of the story in the New Testament with Christ.

It’s through these stories that we get the picture of God.

So, when we see and hear the picture of others, we see a faint, incomplete picture of what God does for us in the Bible.

Now, when I got to my church, I have a shared story with more people.

When I go to church, I get more of the story of God through His church.

How was your church week?  Did you listen to people’s stories?  How about the story of God?