So, I have been a horrible blogger. I have truly abandoned all efforts to update in the past 4 weeks, and there is no excuse except that I have literally been out of town for half of this month, and catching up with everything back in Knoxville the other half! So apologies friends and faithful followers - I shall now attempt to resume updating on a reasonably regular basis!
It is Autumn. I capitolized the word, and I'm not sure if that is grammatically correct, but I love the season so much that I felt it needed the recognition of capitolization. The air starts to get crisp at night, but its still warm enough during the day to sit on a blanket in the sunshine and read, or go on the perfect walk with a friend. I have been having some of my meetings with my girls in a park nearby and going on walks - just to enjoy this incredible weather! Everywhere you look trees and bushes are exploding with color. People seem to be drawn outdoors, soaking in the last warm days of the year, and taking time to simply gaze at the beauty.
Autumn is also the season of the harvest. I think its so cool how God tied this idea of harvest to an experience I had at New Staff Field Training a couple of weeks ago. I was on a team of people who were helping launch a new movement (basically a ministry) contextualized for African American students on a university campus in eastern NC. I went in thinking that most of the people we would be talking to would have some sort of Christian background, simply because of my assumptions that most African Americans in the South go to church as a part of their culture. The Lord really showed me that I can't make assumptions about people, though, and that in doing so, I can actually limit Him and even put Him in a box.
While we were working on this campus, a couple of the people on our team began a conversation with a girl who was willing to fill out a survey. When they saw that she answered "yes" to a question about whether she would want to know more about how to know God personally, they asked her more about that, and she told them that she had always wanted to know how to know God, but she had never been told anything about Him or how to know Him! One of the girls on our team met with her the next day, shared the Gospel with her, and she gave her life to Christ in their meeting! She even shared that she'd had friends tell her that they were praying for her, and she always wanted to know what that meant and how she could pray, but didn't know how. I suppose she just never asked anyone, and no one thought to ask her if she knew God, or if she wanted to.
That story just blew my mind! I was sharing it with one of our senior girls the other day, and she reminded me of Jesus' words: "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest." (Luke 10:2). There are people who are ready to be harvested - they don't need any more time or sunlight or water - they just need the Word of life so that they can respond to it! They need to know about Jesus, because they are so ready to say "yes" to Him - but no one is telling them. How many pepole have I told, "I'm praying for you," but have simply never asked, "do you want to know God? Because I can tell you how to know God." How many people are waiting for a question like that - absolutely ready to respond to the news that they can experience forgiveness, love, peace, and freedom?
The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Pray that we would be bold on UT's campus. Pray that we would take the initiative in the power of the Spirit to share the Word of life with people. And pray that the Christians on campus and involved in Crusade would do the same - that "Christ-centered laborers" (as Crusade puts it) would be raised up to reap the harvest that Christ already said was plentiful. I am praying the same for all of you. And as you pray, go on a walk, because it's good for the soul - and how can you ignore the beckoning of such beauty?
