God makes a way

I suppose that some areas of the country are different than Oklahoma. Go way north and a few inches of snow with wind is not that big of a deal. Go way south and it rarely happens.

We tend to get caught in the middle. So, each winter I hope and even pray that bad weather will not blow in on a Saturday or Sunday AM. I despise cancelling services. So I watch the weather a little closer, trying to pay attention. Oklahoma forecasters are notoriously bad at forecasting snow in advance...but I listen anyway.

Sooooooo.... this week began with the mention of some snow...Wednesday or maybe Christmas Eve. Yeah...right!

It ended up coming in Thursday afternoon. It was drizzle,sleet, then ice, 40 mph winds, and then 8 inches of snow.

Christmas Eve services cancelled. I hated it, but it was the right decision..

What followed was brutal cold, no melting on Christmas day. Okay, we still have Saturday, sunshine, and above freezing temps. Our snow crews worked hard all day to get the snow off the parking lot... but it was too much.

The neighborhoods are in terrible shape ( Oklahoma does not plow neighborhoods). The main road were good..but the parking lots were as bad as the neighborhood streets.

So decision time yesterday afternoon..... Unsafe roads mean unsafe parking which leads to unsafe walking on ice... add to that the fact that some of our most dedicated people are older and it was a change that we could not take.

CANCELLED Sunday Services.

Some churches did not cancel...but it was the right decision for us. (This is a nightmare for a preacher... no one wants to cancel).

So I went up to the church this morning. The parking lot was an ice rink. Good decision.

Only one problem... a man had been planning to come forward this morning to publicly rededicate his life to Christ. I called his Son and told Him about the cancellation. He asked if his dad could come anyway and make his rededication in front of their small group who had agreed to meet at the church one way or another.

How could I say anything but "I will be there?" And so they came. About 30 total people (big small group.) I shared a brief scripture from Acts 16 - the Phillipian Jailer... "What must I do to be saved?" I shared that if people want to come to Christ, or get right with Christ, God will make a way.

One thing I have not shared... the man lives in Grove, about 60 miles away. He drove here this morning . He knew church was cancelled, but he came anyway to be with his son and family. Then when he got there, his son told him, "Charlie and the group are waiting at the church...we are going to do this."

It was a sweet moment as he shared about how much this group meant to him, and how much FCC had meant to him, especially in helping him come back to God.

After a time of confession, we prayed, took communion as a group, and celebrated. He wants to be baptized at his new church in Grove... that will happen next week. His son will baptize Him.

When we were done, I told them, "This is why we (FCC) do what we do." We help others to know, love, serve and share Him.

"Weather" or not, we had church this morning... I know lots of others that did too, some in thier buildings, some in thier homes... and some as families, some as small groups.

I loved it. And after they were all gone, I took a minute and remembered what it was like to minister to 30, 40, 60, or100 people. So many good times... I am blessed to serve a very large church, with awesome people every where. We have a tremendous staff, great elders, and dedicated Christ-followers everywhere. But it these special moments that remind me that Jesus was interested in the one sheep that wandered off. Luke 15:3-7 tells the story. I suspect He would never let a little ice and snow get in the way of finding "the one."

So, cancellation or not, it all worked out great. "One" came home, a small group saw how they could influence someone to come home... and I somehow, by God's grace, got to be there.

Good stuff....

By the way, "they say" it's supposed to snow again on Wednesday. I wonder what God is up to?