Then
times of refreshment will come from the presence of the Lord, and he will again
send you Jesus, your appointed Messiah.
Some places
are just more special than others. You
probably have a few of these that come to mind at various times in your
memories. I love to remember several of
these as well as plan for more.
The encounters
I remember involve a couple different people.
First and
foremost would be time with my God.
Several come to mind and hold very special places in my heart. I learned much in those spots where I go
quiet and heard from God.
Second would
include people who mean much to me. Some
are family. Some are people who poured
in to my life. All are significant.
Now
stand here quietly before the lord as I remind you of all the great things the
lord has done for you and your ancestors.
In the rest of this post I want to share a few of the
places that hold a very special place in my heart.
--- In middle school I spent a few afternoons working
with my one of my teachers who cut grass and did landscaping. I remember some of the conversations about
faith and Christianity.
--- Sometime in the middle of 1985, I think, our youth
group went on a retreat. It was a small
retreat center near a beautiful river.
This was only a few months after Jesus became my Savior. I remember one afternoon sitting near that
river and listening to the voice of God speak quietly in to my spirit.
--- Sitting in the passenger seat of an early 80’s Honda
hatchback and learning how to love and share with others as my youth pastor
poured in to my life is one of the highlights of my youth and helped to shape
my ministry today.
--- My first year of college was one that shaped my
life. It wasn’t an easy year. In the second part of the year I remember
sitting in front row of an Old Testament class and falling in love with part of
the Bible that eluded me for some time.
I can close my eyes and hear those truths still ring in my ears.
--- Not long after moving to Georgia I met a family that
was a great encouragement to me. They
owned a small farm on the edge of town.
It had a meeting room where I remember some great prayer times. It also had a dock on the small pond in the
middle of the property. On that dock was
where I fell in love with the book of Psalms.
Sweet, sweet learning and memories.
--- Early in our years of marriage Julie and I went on
many retreats. Some of those were at
places that didn’t have TV’s in the room.
Several of those nights without the lights on we would talk for what
seemed like hours. I think I got to know
her much better on those special nights.
--- Other retreats have great memories for me too. One pastor about 20 years older than me that
would spend a few days pouring in to pastors.
Several of those times helped me be shaped for ministry and leadership.
I am going to skip a few years, or decades, and bring
this to a close.
--- Right before my mom passed away she was in an
incredible hospice home that had an outdoor chapel (see picture). I remember a few quiet moments and a couple
conversations. That was a very tough
time for me and for our family, but those quiet moments have a very special
place in my heart.
Seek those moments.
Find those special places. Spend
time with God.
Then
Jesus said, “Let’s go off by ourselves to a quiet place and rest awhile.” He
said this because there were so many people coming and going that Jesus and his
apostles didn’t even have time to eat.
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