The Portion of my Inheritance

I had these great plans and had worked out all the details in my head.

I thought it would be great to ask people to donate 4 or 5 briskets so we could smoke them, shred them up and serve them on buns to the homeless.  

Then I got a phone call from Dwayne. “He told me that someone had given him my name and number and he had something he wanted to talk to me about. He had built himself a big smoker and it was his desire to use it for ministry and did I think that would be something I would be interested in?”

I couldn’t believe the timing~or could I? God’s timing is always perfect!

“Yes! I was definitely interested!” We talked through the details of what we thought would work for the trip to serve the homeless just a couple of weeks away. I told him that I thought 4 or 5 briskets would be enough and he said he thought maybe more like 7-8. We both agreed to talk to our congregation that next Sunday and see how many donations we could get. And that was our plan–however God had plans of His own and people began to give!  

The day before our scheduled trip to serve I began to get calls and text, some of our most dedicated helpers were canceling. Sickness had been plaguing people all over the globe and our people had not been spared. Others had things that came up and I begin to wonder if we would have enough people to do such a big job. I trusted that my Lord would provide, as He always does.

On that morning, we arrived at church and found the kitchen full of supplies for the meal.

And people just started to show up and it was more than had ever made the trip before. I did not count but I am sure it was over thirty people. We ended up needing to use four church vans and five individual vehicles. Our caravan drove down highway 35, journeying together on this ministry that our Lord had blessed so abundantly more than I could have ever imagined.

We ended up having ten briskets and all in all we served well over 200 sandwiches along with chips and drink.

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Dwayne’s state of the art smoker was amazing and not only were we, the workers, and they, the homeless blessed beyond words, Dwayne left that day oozing joy! The Lord had used Dwayne and he was blessed. His hearts desire and his hard work had left him with a gratifying joy that could only come from the Lord.

He is ready to go again!

Isn’t that so like our Lord? He takes our meager little efforts and out of His great goodness and out of His endless storehouse, “is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think.” (Eph. 3:20)

And as for His workers, people from different churches throughout wise county, working together in unity and in love. Our focus was on Him and our efforts were for Him and because our eyes were on Him we were one! And His love poured out of our hearts that day and we were so grateful!

For this reason I bow my knees to the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, from whom the whole family in heaven and earth is named, that He would grant you, according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with might through His Spirit in the inner man, that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith; that you, being rooted and grounded in love, may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the width and length and depth and height–to know the love of Christ which passes knowledge; that you may be filled with all the fullness of God.  Now to Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever.  Amen.  Ephesians 3:14-21