September 24, 2008 at 8:34 pm (Uncategorized)
24-7 is closed on Sundays, but this fact fails to stop people from coming by & knocking on the door…despite the note I stick on the door saying “please Do NOT Disturb”. Sundays are the only days I can get down there & actually get some work done. Admin work. Creative work. Prayer work. About an hour into this Sunday someone walks right in. Thought I locked the front door. A Pastor & his sister drove in from Alabama & wanted to see the place. They promptly ignored the “Go Away” signals I was sending out & solicited conversation that culminated in a request for help from 24-7 for the specific type of ministry they do down in Mobile Alabama. I agreed to take a closer look & see if we could help that visionary Pastor bring some of his justice-bent dreams to fruition. He was a man’s man type, but I watched him bend to ask for help in a very authentic & humble way. It was hard to say no. Alabama, Raleigh, Rock Hill, Athens, Haiti, Luxembourg, Birmingham, Camden. As I watch God stretch this 24-7 into the nation & internations request by request, & partnership by relationship, I sit astonished in wonder at the doors that have opened before us in just a few short months. But no door has filled me with such raw uncensored joy as the door opened to me personally by the local Renovatus. With a simple offered “yes” thrown their way, my long-pioneering sober brow gives way to laughter lines. P.S. Just called & said yes to the AA group that asked if they could meet at 24-7 nightly. When I said yes to them, their leader started an inpromtu worship set over the phone. I can see that he carries his group the way I carry 24-7 & Renovatus. So with less than enough money in the bank to cover 24-7 rent, we take another leap of faith. Only this one catches us already limber & happily stretching across the distance with a well tested God-trust untroubled by the need. A giggle ensues.
