Romans 15:32 NLT
Then, by the
will of God, I will be able to come to you with a joyful heart, and we will be
an encouragement to each other.
There are good giants and bad giants. The bad ones are like the dude named Goliath
that young shepherd David took care of with a slingshot and a stone. The good giants are the ones that come in to
our lives and are larger than life. They
stand out and stand tall to help us see further, dream bigger and bring courage
and encouragement our way.
Friday morning a friend was on my mind, and I sent him a text
message that I was thinking about him and praying for him and his family. I hadn’t seen him for some time but have seen
the evidence and impact his work, ministry and his incredible family.
In the coming hours we sent several texts and had a cool
conversation. Yet I didn’t know that we
would end up in the same town and in the same area for at least for a few minutes. What happened next was one of those God
moments and blessed my family and me.
That blessing came in loads, and I believe more will come from this
connection.
One of the giants in my life is Dan Ohlerking. Dan helps lead an organization that we have
been connected with for several years, Children’s
Cup that ministers to AIDS orphans and other children in Africa. I first met Dan through Healing Place Church and their
work with Association of Related Churches
(a church planting group). In the months
after I met Dan I was part of a Men’s Bible Study that Dan led and would get to
know him and his family.
It was Dan’s mom and dad, Dave and Jean Ohlerking, that
helped start our family doing devotions every day. Their impact on our lives is big. I mean really big, and these people have a
very special place in my heart. When I
am around them, I feel like I have been with Jesus.
Ok. So the story goes
on. Our family went to Charlotte for a
last piece of summer get away and back to school shopping trip. It just happened to be on the same weekend
that Dan and one of his coworkers were coming to North Carolina to be with
several churches. After a few texts back
and forth we met at the Starbucks near our hotel. Again, it was like being with Jesus again. We reconnected. We talked about family and ministry. He shared how God is moving in Africa through
their ministry. It was a sweet
time. It ended with Dan praying over my
family.
This man is a giant.
No, he is not Jesus. But wrapped
up in his character, in his heart and in his passion is a boatload of world
impact happening now and positioned to happen even more in the future. He told me about a small community in Africa
where a small business is now feeding the entire town and countryside. All it took was a little creative thinking, some
thinking outside the box and listening to God.
What an honor to see and hear what God is doing half way around the
world, and how awesome is was to reconnect with a friend who once again blew my
socks off.
Who are the giants in your life? Who are the people that stand out and stand
tall helping you live with courage? Who
are you a giant to? I am not trying to
build your ego. I believe God wants to
build His kingdom using the potential and influence that He has put in your
life.
May God give us giants all around us and make us giants so we
can influence others in big ways.
Be on
guard. Stand firm in the faith. Be
courageous. Be strong.
So we have
been greatly encouraged in the
midst of our troubles and suffering, dear brothers and sisters, because you
have remained strong in your
faith.
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