Today I was out running some ministry errands.  I was visiting some of the apartments where we do a summer ministry called GAG NITE to share some information about some upcoming events and to confirm our summer plan dates with the apartment managers.  On my way to one of the complexes I saw a young man who I remembered being a part of our ministry in years past.  He waved and smiled big, I was driving down the road and he was walking so we went in our opposite directions without getting to talk.

When I made my way back down the road, I was looking for him, because I wanted to know what he was up to now a days.  I could not find him, so I went on with the rest of my errands and checking tasks off of my list.  A little later in the afternoon, I was sitting at my desk at Grace Place and I heard some one come in.  It was him – Kendirck!  As a kid, he would never tell us his name, he would always tell us that we could call him “Fifty Cent,” because he liked the rapper by the same name!

We grabbed a sub and a soda and spent some time this afternoon talking, riding around seeing where he lives and how he lives.  He says he made it to the 11th grade, before he dropped out.  We talked about how he could graduate, work and make something of his life.  I shared with him, why I do what I do as a pastor with the Grace Place ministry and he promised to come back, see me and even help out!

It was all a very gentle and sweet reminder to me, that we should never give up or take for granted any task or activity.  People are God’s creation and every person matters.  Our job is to love one another, serve one another and give glory to God.  I am thankful that many years ago, I met a kid nicked-name “Fifty Cent!”  I am thankful that today we talked man to man and I am hopeful that the ministry that we shared with him as a kid and the ministry that we share with him as a man will make a real difference in his life!

I know that then and now, we as a church in being faithful and obedient are bringing glory to God and I will just have to learn to trust God with the rest of it!

May these words of my mouth and this meditation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, LORD, my Rock and my Redeemer.  Psalm 19:14

Words are powerful! With them we build or destroy, praise or curse, succeed or fail!  All of us are guilty of allowing the wrong words to come out of our mouths.  This is why the above prayer is so important!

James 3:4-6 says:   4 Look at the ships also, though they are so great and are driven by strong winds, are still directed by a very small rudder wherever the inclination of the pilot desires.  5 So also the tongue is a small part of the body, and yet it boasts of great things See how great a forest is set aflame by such a small fire!  6 And the tongue is a fire, the very world of iniquity; the tongue is set among our members as that which defiles the entire body, and sets on fire the course of our life, and is set on fire by hell.

The tongue is powerful. Even though it is small, it has the power to direct and guide our big ole lives.  This is why the prayer in Psalms is so important.  We need God’s help in controlling and guiding the words of our mouths.  And God offers His help, through the surrendered and yielded meditations of our hearts.

Our goal is simple – let our words and heart be pleasing to God and everything else will fall into place.  We are responsible for our words and our heart, so we need to stop worrying about and judging everybody else!  If we listen to our words and look into our hearts, then we will find more than enough to keep us busy.