li’l’ PoP

“The Lord now chose seventy-two other disciples and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and places he planned to visit.  These were his instructions to them: “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields.  Now go, and remember that I am sending you out as lambs among wolves.  Don’t take any money with you, nor a traveler’s bag, nor an extra pair of sandals. And don’t stop to greet anyone on the road.  “Whenever you enter someone’s home, first say, ‘May God’s peace be on this house.’  If those who live there are peaceful, the blessing will stand; if they are not, the blessing will return to you.”  Luke 10:1-6

The concept of a Person of Peace (PoP) that Luke writes about here is something fairly new to me, but it has rocked my world.  The idea that the Holy Spirit has gone ahead of me to prepare someone’s heart in a way that they will like me, serve me, and be willing to listen to what God might be saying through me is huge.  After studying this, God graciously gave me the opportunity to experience it firsthand.

Meet Dee (name intentionally changed).

We first met Dee when she and her cousin stopped by our house advertising their newly opening dog-walking business (we just so happen to be their only customers).  We gladly let the two tweens take our active dog, Linus, on walks at least once a week.  I’m not sure who walks who, but they all come back happy and thirsty each time.

The next natural step was to invite Dee and her friends to VBS, and they came.  Not only did she come, but she brought along six of her cousins.  After the week of VBS, Dee stopped by regularly to just spend time with me, cuddle Judah, and hang out in our backyard.  Recently, she has begun coming early to Missional Community each week to help me cook and set-up.

In the midst of all these simple opportunities to show Christ’s love to Dee, she brought over her Bible to our house to read with me last week.  After reading the first 15 verses of John, Dee decided to begin following Jesus.  It was obvious, though, by our conversation that this was not her first encounter with God, Scripture, or faith.  Someone has been planting seeds, turning the soil, and encouraging her for quite some time.  This just so happened to be harvest time!  It was also obvious to me that the words coming out of my mouth were not my own.  Evangelism is not my base gifting, but it’s certainly becoming an area of growth and stretching right now.

I love this girl; she has a sweet spirit, an intelligent mind, and a servant’s heart.  God reminded me through her that He’s always been using young people to advance His Kingdom (think David or Mary!).  I can’t wait to see how He uses Dee as she grows in Him.