Car-Jacked at Camp

"And My God will meet all your needs according to His glorious riches in Christ Jesus." (Philippians 4:19)

He just doesn't always tell you how He is going to do it.


For example, this past week, my wife, Jackie and I were at Pineywoods Camp in Woodlake, TX for a week of Power Plus Youth Camp. I was serving as a shepherd (Bible teacher) for 12th graders and Jackie was serving as camp nurse. In our nine years at Power Plus Camp, we have developed a great relationship with the camp manager, Eric Small and his staff, as well as with the leader of Power Plus Ministries, Steve Boyd.

I had replaced a rear tire a year ago, and I had just replaced my front tires on my Mustang about two months ago. I thought my right rear tire was OK but last week realized that it, too, was in desperate need of replacement. Unfortunately, we didn't have the expendable monies to buy a new tire. We were going to drive Jackie's car instead of mine to camp, but our daughter needed to borrow one of our cars. So I decided we could make the trip in my Mustang, so that our daughter could have Jackie's car.

I had preached at a church on the Sunday before leaving for camp, and was to receive an honorarium from them. I planned to use it to replace the tire before we left for camp on Monday morning, but they were going to mail me the check. So, we packed the car and headed to Pineywoods on a wing and a prayer. I just knew I would be changing a tire sometime on this trip. Yet, we arrived at camp, safe and sound. We parked the car along in front of the medical station for the week. We didn't tell anyone about the tire situation, so what happened next came as a real surprise.

On Thursday morning as I was returning to our rooom from the morning worship, I saw my Mustang on jacks. Someone had taken the rear right tire. I couldn't believe it. It couldn't have been thieves, because they took worse tire of the lot. I had an idea who the "tire angels" were that jacked with my car, but it was a shock to see my car on jacks.

A couple hours later, Jackie caught on camera, the "tire angels" as they returned to the scene of the crime. It was Eric Small, the camp manager, and members of his staff, Steve, Will, Banjo and Joe who replaced the tire on my car. When I confronted them, they simply said, "It was just our way of letting you know we love you and we wanted to do something for you and Jackie to bless you." They would not let me pay them back, it was their gift to me and Jackie.

What a blessing that was to Jackie and me. It reminded us afresh and anew that God will go to extremes to show you and me that He will take care of you if we would just trust Him.

Thanks again, Eric, Will, Steve, Banjo and Joe for "Living to Serve and Serving to Live."

"Christians are like Manure..."

"Christians are like manure: spread them out and they help everything grow better, but keep them in one big pile and they stink horribly." (Crazy Love by Francis Chan)

That's a great description, isn't it. God's intention for us as believers and churches are to be "the light of the world (Matt. 5:14);" "the salt of the earth, Matt.5:13);" "ambassadors for Christ (2 Cor. 5:20);" and "His witnesses in Jerusalem, Judea, Samaria and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8)." We are to be the fertilizer that brings the presence and transforming power of God's love into our families, communities and the world in which we live.

When we as believers become self-centered in our approach to spiritual growth, self-indulgent with our service and preoccupied with personal agendas, we miss God's intent for his people. We are on the planet, so that God can reveal Himself to the world, in and through us. We are to be world changers. We are to spread the Good News of Jesus Christ throughout the world.

"But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God that you may declare the praises of Him who called you out of darkness and into His wonderful light." (1 Peter 2:9)

In my nearly forty years of ministry, I have observed that in churches where people are reaching out through ministries, and baptisms are occurring on a regular basis, and the church as a whole is committed to reaching the world through mission endeavors, financially and through personal participation, there are very few problems in the church. But churches who choose to focus their programs and ministries on meeting the needs of the church members over the needs of the lost, begin to stink with the stagnation that comes from selfishness, dissension, faithlessness and lack of love.

So, what kind of manure are you? The kind that just sits in a pile and stinks or the kind that is spread around and makes things grow? If I am going to be compared to manure, I sure don't want to be the kind that stinks. What about you?