As Christie and I continue to discover Tennessee and our new “culture”, we have embarked on a journey into my favorite time of year … Fall! This year, we are enjoying opportunities to meet new people in various towns throughout the Tennessee Valley and Northeast Georgia. Not only do I have the privilege of accompanying Christie, the speaker, but I get to join her as Author & Encourager at various Arts & Craft Festivals. Although I probably won’t blog nearly as often as my talented wife, I did notice a very important event that is often overlooked, while greeting attendees of a festival in Niota, TN.
How often do we see someone in need of an encouraging word, then tell them we will pray for them … maybe later or maybe never? You may have noticed a picture I posted on our Facebook page, Saturday 9/10, of a brief prayer meeting inside our “Hope Knows Your Name” tent at the festival. After meeting a lady who stopped by our tent, Christie joined hands with her, and our close ministry friend, Shannon Wright (who also is an author and speaker). As Christie prayed, it gave me a great sense of the importance of being ready “in season and out of season” (2 Timothy 4) to minister. It would have been very easy to wish the lady well and send her on her way, but instead, Christie took the time to pray with her, right then, right in the midst of people passing by, and taking the risk of losing craft and book sales. You can probably tell I am obviously proud of that moment, but I hope it also encourages you to take time to stop whatever you are doing, no matter how “important” it is, to stop and pray for someone in need at that very moment. And as far as I was concerned, the beautiful hand-made flower arrangements and her “Hope Knows Your Name” books seemed rather unimportant compared to the meaningful ministry moments we encountered at our first Festival in Niota!
Doing Life Together Everyday 