Encouragement!!!

I rejoice in the Lord for he is good and worthy of my praise. He is my encourager and he makes my life full of joy and lifts me up when I need it most. I have three examples of how God encouraged me this past month. He makes me realize it is good to be me(even the most outgoing people still have a voice in the back of their heads that say man I feel like a loser and not important) because he made me just the way I am even though I screw up and I don’t always do the right things he can still use us to effect other people. But the best is when he uses the most unlikely of folks to encourage us.
A) My neighbor. I was having a hard time with the idea of people thinking I am churchy. Churchy meaning in a negative sense. Funny in my heart of hearts I thought it is good to serve God and share him with others. I guess I can be a bit much for those who don’t have the same opinion about God and Jesus Christ salvation. I try to be sensitive about religion and peoples spirituality. But I can’t be quiet about Christ saving grace and love for us.
I was coming home from my old testament class and I was all jazzed up about what I just learned. My neighbor sitting in a chair chillin on his patio smoking a cigarette, wearing a Hawaiian shirt with khaki shorts, and just enjoying the evening greets me. I start sharing with him all these great things I have learned that night. He looks at me in a way that made me in my insecure way say oh man I am being too churchy for him. SO I am blunt and I say that to him. He smiles and say now hold on there Amy. Do you know any salespeople? Yes I say. Well let’s think about that for a minute. In the most tender voice you have ever heard he says, “Good sales people keep the product in their homes, tell everyone they know about their product and the reason why it is so good for them, they use the product so it will be seen in the sales persons life and people will recognize it really works. Amy that is how I see you and Jason. You have a found a product that is so good you can’t help but let people who mean a lot to you and those who you don’t even know about Jesus. I can’t help but respect that. My broken heart that worried I was too churchy was healed at the very moment and I was encouraged and I continue to share Christ with others by Gods word and by my life. God uses the most unlikely people to speak to you.
B) The second person was an old friend from back home. This couple was in our small group at Riverbluff. They are such a great couple and they really have a serving heart for the church and their family. They were friends that I knew pretty well. The fear of coming back to your old church is that no one cares that you have come back to visit and the ministry you did while you were there really didn’t matter or make a difference. We come back to Riverbluff on Sunday and the first person to greet me back was Kevin King. He smiled and gave me a big hug making me feel welcomed back. Just when I was feeling like will anyone remember us, did we really matter in this church, Satan making me feel not important and insecure, God lifts me up by the Kings. When I got back from the weekend in Springfield, I had a note from Kimbe saying, “I was telling Kevin how much I missed having y'all around. I know we didn't get to hang out that much, but every time I'm around you I just feel good. You're a very encouraging person with an awesome energy! I just need you to be around when I'm just having those pitiful days, ya know!!.” God used those words to encourage me and I was so touched by her words. I thanked God for old friends and family that know our past and I thank God for the new friends that see us changed by God here in Texas.
C) The last way but not the least knocked me off my feet. I am working at the housing office trying to stay awake. We have been traveling every weekend I am headed out this weekend again this time for my brother’s wedding. So I stayed up late last night, prayed on the way to work today that God would sustain me through this day and that I can stay my perky self even though inside I just want people to go away because I can’t even keep my mind straight much less be nice to them(can you tell my sinful nature pouring out of me LOL). Again God encouraged me. I was unloading paper when I look up from the paper and see Ms. Merrie Lewis smiling at me. She is a gal I run into all over campus. She is the first to say Hey how are you…Have a nice day…God bless you. God uses her different times in my life like an angle to bless me. I have never had someone I am not that close to surprise me like she does. One day it was a bag of skittles(aka a bag of smiles). Another day a sweet card. But today it tops all. She was standing there with a chai latte from Starbucks made just the way I liked. I couldn’t believe it. How did you know Mary I asked and she had investigated with my hubbie how I like my Starbucks. Then she went and got one and brought me one at work. I was surprised. She told me out of the blue how much she appreciates me and how I make a big difference at the seminary and to all the students. God loves you and we appreciate you. WOW! Then she leaves and I sit here and type like a mad women because I am overwhelmed with the way God used people to show his love for me.
I hope this e-mail encourages those who read it. My hope is people will learn that through God we get really great joys in our lives. We just have to start off with the right attitude to see the great things he does and to praise him for it. I told my youth gals. When you wake up in the morning, don’t let your tootsies touch the floor without thanking God for this new day he has given you and that you ask God to join you as you make your way through the day. Starting your day with that kind of Christ like attitude affects everything I do.