Since kids came along, I don't have the opportunity to preach very often. Oddly enough, preaching is something I enjoy doing. So when Mike offered the opportunity, I didn't hesitate. What I forgot when I readily agreed to preach was the fact that I would have to prepare the message while corralling children all week. Suffice it to say by Wednesday of that week, I was regretting having said, "yes".
For those of you who are moms, you know how difficult it is to gather your thoughts into "higher" planes when you are cleaning up food off the floor and your children are jumping all over you. To top things off, my dear husband is a pastor which means he is gone the majority of the time, leaving me to parent alone most of the day. As you can imagine, my frame of mind was not in the place to craft thoughts that would inspire others in their faith journey.
One of the things that helped me get through that week was the knowledge and experience of how God has held me in the past. The preaching experience for me is like jumping off a cliff. Once I speak that first word, there is no turning back. I am all in, for better or worse. The beautiful reality of taking the leap is seeing how God shows up, catches me, and leads me through the experience. I've leaped enough times to know that He will show up. Every time.
So as the weekend rolled around, I found myself with great peace. I diligently used the time that was available during the week to prepare, and I trusted God to fill in the gaps that remained. When I stood up to speak, I knew God was there. The words that refused to come earlier that morning when I was practicing were now flowing effortlessly through my lips. I felt confident about what the Lord was going to do. It's difficult to explain how it feels to live in a moment where God's presence is literally carrying you from sentence to sentence. It is a dance of trust, a profoundly intimate experience that is hard to put into words.
After the message, there was a man that came up to me with much emotion in his face. He was visiting from out of state. As he started to talk, words seemed to evade him. After a few moments, he simply told me that God ministered to him during the message. He said he wanted to put his words in writing and send me a letter so that I could understand the deep significance of what took place in his heart during the sermon. I cried with him because I experienced the same grace that touched his heart. What a humbling experience this was for me.
The Parable of the Prodigal Son is a masterfully told story of the gospel message. God's love and grace toward the lost son and the elder brother is profound. The call to action in this parable is significant, a call that if ignored causes a terrible gap in the Kingdom of God. If you have about 35 minutes and want to listen to the sermon I preached, I have included a link here.
This story is changing my life in more ways that I can share here. I hope that as you listen, the Lord will speak to your heart and challenge you to reach out to the lost among us. I thank God that He has thousands of ways to minister to His people. He uses well seasoned pastors as well as stressed out mommas. What a gracious God!
Blessings!
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