When you can actually SEE God working

For most of my life, seeing God's hand has involved 20-20 hindsight. You know, living day after day...praying and spending time seeking him...doing my best to "love God, love people, and try not to do anything stupid". Usually, I can look back on things and see how God was working on things that I couldn't imagine. But last night, for the second time in less than a month, I could actually (almost literally) see his hand. Here's how:

I just got back from an amazing, life-changing time in Africa. (I will be posting more about that trip later, so get ready...it was an amazing journey.) During that time, we encountered a community in and around the dumps of a major African city...please check out this amazing write-up on this East African community from my good friend Tamara. There I could see God working to draw me into a passion for his work there. How he did is another subject for another blog.

So...last night. I arrived at our church's monthly Board of Stewards meeting, after almost blowing it off to go to a movie with my sister's family. Yeah, I came that close to missing what the Lord had for me. All the reports last nights were about missions, and then our senior pastor stood up for his remarks. Paraphrasing, he said that in 2011 God wanted us to find one community in town to transform...one that man would say was impossible, so that God would get all the glory. And then he said that we needed to find the same opportunity in some other part of the world. Yeah, he did. He really said that. Or, in the words of Ricky Bobby, "That just happened!"

I was sitting there shaking and fighting back tears...I felt as if God were speaking directly to me: "Donnie, you've got to share your vision for East Africa, to see whether this is where he wants your church to target." So before the meeting was over, I found myself addressing the whole Board about how God is working there and wants to transform that community.

Ok, just so my friends at Frazer know, I am not saying that this is it for my church...there are alot of hurting people in the world and God may point our leadership to a different opportunity. But it is not a coincidence that I return from our trip and find a home church that is looking to change a community somewhere. Even if he chooses another place, I saw him put me exactly where he wanted me at ther exact right time.

I am convinced more than ever that he is going to raise up whatever is needed to accomplish his will in this place that has captured my heart.