Malcolm Burleigh, National Director of Intercultural Ministries spoke yesterday at the weekly chapel service at the Assemblies of God National Leadership and Resource Center. Click the link below to be forever changed by his powerful sermon.
Archive for May, 2012
The Ripple Effect
“The ripple effect of your life is enormous – give your life to something that matters.”
–Isaac Smith
Sundays usually prove to be days of inspirational bliss for me. Seeing God’s people take time out of their lives to worship gives me goosebumps as my whole being floods with his overwhelming presence. I love spending that time with Jesus.
This week was no exception. We had a guest speaker at church who talked about our lives as the body, the building and the bride of Christ. Towards the end of his sermon, he told a story of a little old woman who lived in a small farm town around the turn of the century. She devoutly attended the only church in town, giving her life to Jesus with every fiber of her being.
Slowly, people began losing interest. Each week, the congregation grew more and more sparse as the business of life consumed the citizens of the small town. Soon the church doors were closed for official services indefinitely. The little old woman refused to give up that easily. In spite of the lack of fellowship, she continued attending the abandoned church by herself Sunday after Sunday for the next year.
One Sunday on her way to church, the woman ran into a boy in the streets outside the building. After sharing the Gospel with the young boy, they prayed together and he accepted Jesus into his heart. The two became quick friends as the woman poured her heart and soul into his young life.
Another year passed and the town remained spiritually lifeless. The woman and the young boy spent every Sunday together reading their Bibles and praying that God would draw people into the church. They began meeting in the middle of the week as well, yearning for God to send his Spirit to their town.
A year later, their prayers were answered. A pastor was passing through the area and noticed the little building standing in the center of town. He asked some of the townsfolk about it and they directed him to the home of the little old woman. Overcome with joy, the woman accepted the pastor’s offer to preach the following Sunday. Over the next several weeks as the pastor continued to preach, curiosity flooded the town and the congregation began to grow. People’s lives were being changed and prayers were being answered.
This story may seem insignificant if I stop there. But we are far from the end. The little boy in the story felt a calling to ministry after everything that happened to him in those few short years. As he grew up, he pursued that calling and was entrusted to shepherd a congregation in a neighboring town. During his years as a pastor, he had the opportunity to share Christ with another young boy. This boy grew up and shared Christ with his son, who grew up and shared Christ with his son, who grew up and became the pastor of a church with one of the largest congregations in South Dakota.
Because one woman didn’t give up when everyone else had walked away, innumerable lives were changed. As she sat in that church building virtually alone, she couldn’t even have imagined the kind of ripple effect her devotion would have.
Our lives have the ability to transcend time and space, both for good and bad. So I must pose a few questions: What are you living for? Is it worth giving your life to? Are you leaving a legacy to be admired and praised? Do people know you love Jesus or is your faith hidden beneath layers of fear, compromise and worldly pursuits?
God made you on purpose. He has a plan for your life. No matter where you are or where you’ve been, it’s never too late to embrace the life God has in store for you. He’s waiting for you. What are you waiting for?
An Important Announcement from Mike and Linds
We are going to be walking across the country in a month.
Yes, you read that right. We’re almost exactly one month away from starting our walk across the country. Around the first part of June, we’ll start with our feet in the water in San Francisco, California and begin making our way along the American Discovery Trail until we hit the Atlantic Ocean on the coast of Delaware.
We’ve started preparing and gathering some of our gear (once it’s all compiled we’ll be listing it out on the site) and we’ve been mentally preparing as much as possible. For me (Mike), it means multi-hour cram sessions reading survival handbooks. For Lindsie, it means putting up with me telling her every detail about how to avoid bears and how to use mirrors to signal for help in an emergency situation. The good thing is I know she’s loving every second of it (obviously).
Anyway, we’ll have more details soon, but we wanted to share the news and let people know it’s almost time. We’re readily accepting any and all prayers, advice, and general encouragement you feel like giving. There’s definitely a LOT we are still getting squared away, but we’ve already gotten a few sponsors and we’re getting more excited by the day. Minute even.
Feel free to leave a comment of support, any advice you might have about walking across the country, or anything else you want to share. We’ll have more updates coming soon and we hope you’ll follow along. Should be an adventure.
