$20,000, Shoes, Tim Tebow and homeschooling. ??? Wondering, “What in the world could this post be about?”
Well wonder no more!
We’ve been raising funds at our church to purchase a mission house in Texas to plant a church in an area where there are no churches reaching people with the Gospel of Jesus Christ. As of Sunday, we were $20,000 short of our $80,000 goal that we must meet by 2/14/12. Well, not anymore!
I had a man call me yesterday morning and say, “Pastor, I sent you an email earlier, but it bounced back to me and didn’t go through. My wife and I were going to give $5,000 for the work of the Mission House. So, my wife said to me, ’Must be the Lord, honey. Why don’t you just do the whole thing and be done with.’ So, pastor, that’s what we’re doing. You don’t have to think any more about the Mission House funds. It’s done!”
Can you say: “Hallelujah!” I can! Oh my! God has provided again! Isn’t it so true that it seems the answers come when almost all hope is lost? I know Mary and Martha felt this way about the death of their brother Lazarus. But, Jesus is always right on time! Thank you Jesus!
Ok…now for the shoes. Katy, and Kandace (my 17 and 13-year-old daughters) and my wife, Pam just got back from New York.
(You might remember this “blessing” from my last post.) Well, Katy had a marvelous revelation while at Carnegie Hall. She wrote a blog post yesterday called, “The Shoes in Carnegie Hall.” Here’s an excerpt:
While I was sitting on the Carnegie Hall stage during rehearsal. I looked down at my feet while I was waiting for my turn to sing and something hit my like a ton of bricks as I looked at my shoes. They were one of my favorite pair of shoes. They are just plain black shoes with a strap. I love to wear them. I wear them a lot, because they work for comfort and look nice too. But it hit me that I had worn them in Ethiopia. In fact, I wore them to the most rural village we went to… Mount Geleye. They had walked on the ground of some of the most extreme poverty in the world.
I looked up and saw where I was then. Carnegie Hall’s golden glow almost became a blur as I looked back down. Those shoes had gone from the two most opposite places. From the depths of Africa to the most famous and beautiful Hall in the world. God spoke to me the simple words, “And so you go. You have shared Me with the Ethiopians and you will share Me with those here tonight. And, you are to share Me with everyone in between.” Just as my shoes had seen the two extremes, so had I. God told me that He sees them both and all between. Even my little town of Wilkesboro. He told me to be used wherever I am. Everywhere.
Beautiful are the feet of those that bring the good news, says Romans 10:15. I choked up as I remembered the persecuted in Africa and then as I thought of the many confused city people who rush through the bright streets of NYC and then of everyone in between.
It may sound crazy but, my shoes reminded me to go. Go. Go. Go to my church and use my gift there. Go to Mexico and serve there. Go to Africa and serve there. Go to NYC and serve there. Go where Jesus says. For now I’m at home and I’m determined not to get down because the excitement is over. It has only begun. God has stamped my heart with a mission. I am to make Him known through my actions, words I write, music I play and sing and the smile on my face. I won’t let Him down. Will you? Will you? He has so much planned and it starts with a, “Yes, Lord. Use me.” Click here for the entire post…
Here’s another awesome thought. Tim Tebow. Rick Reilly, a writer for ESPN brought me to tears. Here’s an excerpt from his article, “I Believe in Tim Tebow”:
This whole thing makes no football sense, of course. Most NFL players hardly talk to teammates before a game, much less visit with the sick and dying.
Isn’t that a huge distraction?
“Just the opposite,” Tebow says. “It’s by far the best thing I do to get myself ready. Here you are, about to play a game that the world says is the most important thing in the world. Win and they praise you. Lose and they crush you. And here I have a chance to talk to the coolest, most courageous people. It puts it all into perspective. The game doesn’t really matter. I mean, I’ll give 100 percent of my heart to win it, but in the end, the thing I most want to do is not win championships or make a lot of money, it’s to invest in people’s lives, to make a difference.”
So that’s it. I’ve given up giving up on him. I’m a 100 percent believer. Not in his arm. Not in his skills. I believe in his heart, his there-will-definitely-be-a-pony-under-the-tree optimism, the way his love pours into people, right up to their eyeballs, until they believe they can master the hopeless comeback, too.
Remember the QB who lost his leg, Jacob Rainey? He got his prosthetic leg a few weeks ago, and he wants to play high school football next season. Yes, tackle football. He’d be the first to do that on an above-the-knee amputation.
Hmmm. Wonder where he got that crazy idea? ”Tim told me to keep fighting, no matter what,” Rainey says. “I am.” Click here for the inspiring article. Have a tissue ready.
Want a hero for your kid? There ya go!
By the way, Tim Tebow was homeschooled all the way through High School until entering college at the University of Florida, where he won the Heisman his Sophomore year. (Not bad for a homeschooler, huh?)
Speaking of homeschooling. If you want to see an absolutely hilarious look at the “7 Lies About Homeschooling,” take a look at this short video. You’ll need tissues again, but this time in hysterical laughter. This is a must watch, especially for homeschoolers.
Well, there you have it. $20,000, Shoes, Tim Tebow and homeschooling…all wrapped together! Hope you enjoyed! 
