Clay in the Hands

Monday and Tuesday of this week, I had the pleasure and privilege of giving a tour.  There were 8 ministers from our area that loaded up in a van and drove 6 hours to El Paso on Monday morning.  We went so that churches in our area could get to know a minister in Clint, just east of El Paso, and hear his vision for their church and the surrounding area.

That was the focus of the trip.

But yesterday morning, on our way out of town, we decided to stop by another ministry just a little further east in Fabens, Texas.  A church has a dormitory there where mission groups can stay at ridiculously affordable rates when they go to the are to do mission work.  We wanted these leaders to see where they might stay if their churches were to decide to take a group back to the area to work.

But another thing this church in Fabens sponsors is a ministry called Crossing Borders.  This is a ministry that provides food staples to pastors who live their lives ministering just across the border in Mexico.

For 11 years, this ministry has been dedicated to serving those pastors.  But over time it has expanded to not only providing food for the pastors and their families, but also giving enough food to them that they can go back and give food to people in their congregations as well.

Every Tuesday morning, a team of volunteers gather in the church fellowship area and begin bagging rice and beans as well as other groceries.  Then, throughout the morning, pastors make the trek across the border to pick up their allotment.  At 10:00 am, one of the pastors will lead a Bible study for the workers and any one else from the community who would like to attend.

This goes on every week.  As we watched this process happening and listened to the two saintly ladies who serve as domestic missionaries in this ministry, it became clear to me.

So often, we in our churches, talk about doing ministry.  We pray about it.  We organize it.  And occasionally we may actually do something – an event or an emphasis.  But as I watched the work going on right in front of me and realized the number of lives this ministry would touch, what kept running through my mind was “they are actually doing it.”  One of the gentlemen on the trip, as we climbed back in the van to come home said it best, “They are getting it done.”

It wasn’t flashy.  There weren’t any media personnel there taking pictures or doing interviews.  This is just a simple ministry that gathers every Tuesday morning – and has for 11 years – to meet the needs of people.

God has called us all to do our part – regardless of how simple or menial it may seem.

Stay faithful to that calling today!

(If you want to learn more about Crossing Borders Ministries, you can check them out here.)

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You know how we pastor types can be – always looking for the cutting edge ideas and surfing the web for cool church websites.  When we have the opportunity to visit another church we do so like spies in a foreign land, taking notes on how we are greeted and how the service is conducted.  Mind you, we don’t do this in an adversarial role – we just like to see what other churches do and glean ideas.  We watch the people to see how they interact with others – both their guests and their family members.  It can often be very enlightening.

So let me tell you about one of the most awesome churches i have ever encountered.

I had the opportunity last night to observe over 100 people from this particular church, open their doors and invite the community to a fully prepared, fully served, fully free, sit-down Thanksgiving dinner.

Places were set for 400 guests.  The food was prepared all day in anticipation of the event.

When the doors opened, I watched countless servants welcome and seat the guests.  Others were immediately at the tables getting tea or water for the guests.

Behind the scenes there were two service lines making plates that were then handed to a crowd of servers who carried the plates with a welcoming smile to the guests.  As the folks finished their meals, there were literally teams of people to bus the tables and make sure the guests had what they needed.

I was blown away by not only the number of folks who committed their time to serve but also by the attitudes with which they worked.  Rarely does a pastor get to see such service in action – it was amazing and a true gift from God.

I am always looking for sources of inspiration and illustrations I can use in my writing and speaking.  I was truly blessed to be able to observe and witness such an outpouring of God’s love by so many believers at one time in one place.

But the most humbling thing about this experience was that it occurred at our church.  This act was carried out by the people God has allowed me to serve and I got the opportunity to literally watch God at work.

It was a picture of an awesome church serving an amazing God!

I am so blessed!

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