Welcome to another week of our Everyday Jesus link-up. Be sure to link-up below this post, comment on your neighbor’s blog and share with your friends… Because Jesus is everywhere, everyday!
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It is already the middle of January and for a lot of folks. the Christmas/Advent season feels like it happened a bajillion years ago.
And that might be a relief. But for our little Knobloch family, the lessons learned during Advent 2013 have stuck with us. In fact, I wanted to share a few of our Advent Adventures with you today.
If you have been around 7 Days Time very long, you have probably heard about our “Factor of 7” acts of kindness/love in action movement. (If you are new ’round these parts, just click the Factor of 7 link and get caught up.)
In an effort to start making some new family traditions in the holiday season, we decided to kick it up a notch and really dig deep, seeing what God had for us up His Holy sleeves.
First thing first… He called us to fast. (Say that five time fast.) So we were fasting and praying for the 24 days leading up to Christmas. (Our menu: fruits, veggies, beans, oats, brown rice and water. It was not easy. Especially because we are a meat-eating family.) Anywho, during our fast, we felt Him prompting us to give until it hurt.
As if our grumbly stomachs weren’t annoying enough, right?
But as usual, God knew what He was doing. So in obedience to this call, we kicked our Factor of 7 quest into overdrive.
Here’s what went down for our Advent Adventures:
*Buying lunch for three homeless gentlemen. The first Friday of Advent, I took our daughter to her doctor’s appointment for a check-up. My heart broke for the homeless folks on the corner, so on the way out-of-town I swung by Jack in the Box and ordered three meals consisting of two burgers, chicken nuggets, fries and a coffee. I delivered them to their new owners, sharing our trademarked phrase: “What’s your first name and how can we pray for you?” (Even the smell of greasy fast food in my car couldn’t take away my joy!)
*Giving Supply Bags to four homeless folks. The following Sunday, we gathered up stuff throughout our house and put together super-charged homeless supply bags. In these bags we included: Hat, gloves, socks, heavy coat, a jar of peanut butter, jelly, bread, soap, a blanket, granola bars, toothbrush, toothpaste and a Bible. After church on Sunday, we drove around and delivered these jam-packed bags to the people God placed in our path. (These gifts were well-received as it the coldest weekend Washington had seen in the three years.)
Our bags packed for the homeless folks God placed in our path
*A sneak-attack lunch. The next Sunday of Advent, we again felt God tugging on our heartstrings to minister to the homeless. (Sidenote: if you would have asked me a year ago if I would ever have a genuine heart for the homeless, I would have told you no. But I guess God has other plans. Which is crazy awesome!) For this adventure, we simply bought a twelve pack of tacos from Taco Bell and placed it in a homeless guy’s shopping cart when he went inside a building.
*Buying groceries for a stranger. The final Sunday of Advent found me grocery shopping by myself. At this point, I thought we had “done enough” (have we ever?) and didn’t think God was calling us to do anymore. Until I made it to the check out line at the commissary. Suddenly, I remembered a vision I had earlier that morning: I saw a lady with WIC vouchers in front of me. My heart was prompted to buy her groceries. I had forgotten about that vision until it actually happened in the checkout line! I remembered what God had laid on my heart earlier that morning and after quite a bit of convincing and persuasion, this sweet lady allowed me to pick up the remainder of her grocery tab.
Here’s the moral of the story, my friends. I don’t tell these things to toot our own horn. Far from it. Because if it had been solely up to me, I would have held onto our money tight. (New baby, student loans to pay off and still working for Jesus dollars? C’mon.) BUT… God showed up and everything changed. He can show up anytime, anyplace, everyday.
Where have you encountered Christ lately? In what ways can you serve Jesus in 2014? It doesn’t have to be big… just sincere. Link-up below. (And if you don’t have a blog, just leave your response in the comments. Reading via email? Click here to respond.)
I saw Jesus in my car, in the faces of those homeless folks and in the eyes of the lady in the check-out line. And although Advent has come and gone for yet another year, my husband and I don’t want to stop living like this. Encountering Jesus isn’t a seasonal thing… We can find Him everyday, all year-long.
Finding Jesus in the everyday,
“Give away your life; you’ll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity.” ~Luke 6:38 MSG
PS: For the month of January, I am also linking up with Amy, talking about #riskrejection. I don’t know about you, but giving until it hurts to total strangers is quite the risk– but one well worth it!
