Before I left for volleyball last night my wife asked me twice if I had my $5 with me and while I thought little of it, I decided to grab it at the last minute. On the drive back my gas light turned on so I stopped to refuel. Immediately upon getting out of the car another car pulled up with the window down and it was a man asking for $1.50... He had a very long and detailed reason but the net was he was returning from his 4th tour in Iraq and needed to go pick up his daughter on the other side of the Pocahontas Toll Road which he only had $1.25. He also needed to get back but he was only concerned about getting there. I knew that God could provide both his needs then and there. Please pray for this man as he was visible relieved and grateful when I gave him the $5 I had been given only hours before. Pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to work in his life and in his family's lives. Praise God for showing me that He is ever present and that He can work through me when I least expect it!
Kelly Lucas writes... I have been praying all week about how the Lord would like me to share my "talent". Yesterday before leaving to run errands I felt prompted to put the money in my pocket and I prayed once again "Lord show me."
I stopped at Martin's to pick up a few items and to deposit Michael's umpiring check into his savings. One of the bank tellers and I have started a relationship and have several things in common. She has a 14 year old boy and she is the "caregiver" for both her mom and dad. Her mom with Alzheimer's lives with her. I also was the "caregiver" of my dad for many years before he died - he had Parkinson's Disease and dementia. So we always find connection and I feel the desire to encourage her through her many trials with her mom and dad. Yesterday she seemed pretty chipper in spite of not having had enough sleep because her mom is up all night. She is a single mom and has it difficult. I felt the Lord leading me to give her the $5. I put the $5 in a bank envelope and wrote on the envelope that I am praying for her and that Jesus loves her. I asked her if she had had lunch and she said "no" and gave her the envelope. She was very touched and smiled - I shared Psalm 34:4, "I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears." She asked me if I would write that down on the envelope also. We discussed the trial of no sleep and caring for her parents and son. I told her that she wasn't alone that the Lord is walking right beside her. As I left the counter I felt as if I had just experienced a worship service.
Lord, may you be glorified in all that I do. In Jesus Name, Amen.
Terri Vaile writes... I have prayed about who to share the $5.00 with and share Christ in the process. Last Sunday, when you presented this idea to us, I immediately thought of my assistant and friend at work, Diana. Well, this morning, after giving her the $5.00 gift and sharing with her, I found out that she is also a believer! (I knew there was something about her…)
I’m not the only Parkway member who has crossed her path. A couple of weeks ago, we had an off-site meeting at the Richmond Aloft Hotel. Diana had made the arrangements for us which included the reservation of a conference room there and had been in touch with their manager. She had raved about how kind he was and that he had offered to let us use the conference room at no charge, etc. So we arrive at the Aloft that Monday afternoon and the manager walks over and looks at me and says, you go to Parkway Baptist Church don’t you? I said, “Yes!” So we talked for a few minutes…and Diana just listened. (I cannot think of his name right now. He and his family have gone there for 8 years!) Anyway, Diana has only worked with me since early March and in that time has been touched by two believers who happen to be Parkway members. As of this morning, add to that the $5.00 gift from Parkway! After I handed her the money, she looked at me with tears in her eyes and said, “You don’t know this about me, but I’m a very strong Christian and I thank you. I really needed this.” She was very grateful and asked me to thank my Pastor. So, thank you!
Thank you for your heart and vision for our church, God’s people…both believers and unbelievers.
I have taken the talent Parkway provided and added additional talents to acquire pocket testaments - Book of John with the plan of salvation. These gifts will be shared with our Richmond mission during our 4th Saturday when we share 'food' for the body and soul. I have some specific folks that will be receiving the gift. I will also be carrying copies for those appointments that God directs. May God's Word and His Love be shared with those in need of a Savior!
Shawn Corocran writes... My five-year-old son was delighted to open the envelope he received in church and find $5 in it! We quickly explained to him that we were to use the money to help others, which he accepted without a fuss. Later that week, we went to the store and we each picked out $5 worth of toiletries to donate to our Feeding Ministry. On Sunday he helped me carry in the items to put in the donation box. He was very glad to help!
Terry Parent writes... I work at weight watchers meetings part-time. This week a woman came back after not being at the meeting for quite some time. She proceeded to tell me she is now only working part-time and that her husband was still out of work. She felt she needed to come back to weight watchers as she needed to do something for herself and the weight was really getting her down.
She was checking out some of our products and questioned the price. She thought about and thought she shouldn't buy anything for herself.
I purchased a few things and quietly gave her the bag with a note.."Jesus love you and so do I:
Carolyn Blackwell writes... My name is Carolyn Blackwell and I would like to share with you what I did with my $5.00. I added to it and sent the money to Renaid and Ray Almgren. They went on a mission trip to Nazareth. They were celebrating The Global Day of Prayer and the event was held at Golden Crown Hotel in Nazareth.
Ray and Renaid were given the responsibility of praying with each of the Arab and Messianic leaders who would be speaking during the event. Local news reports said there were between 600 and 700 in attendance.
They stated the presence of God was released like they have never felt before and whatever happens in Israel affects the rest of the world. They are thankful for the opportunity to teach and pray. Everyday they had been in a different Arab Christian churches in the region around Galilee.
It amazes me that they have accomplished so much and help in bring all these different people together in prayer and rejoice in our Lord and Savior.
I would like to add that Renaid and Ray are Heather Martelli's in-laws, Tony's mother and step-dad.
Thank you for the opportunity to share my feelings with the church.
Amanda Edwards writes... Back in May I took the challenge to Be the Church and go out and share the love of Parkway and our love of Christ. i couldn't decide what I wanted to do with the $5, all I knew is I didnt want to just buy lunch for the person behind me (we do that everyday at chick-fil-a) I wanted to do something different and something that would touch the heart of someone who needed it. So one day I was at work when one of my coworkers came in and was upset and crying. Almost two years ago she and her husband had to give up there home and move in with her husbands parents who had been sick and getting sicker everyday. She had been having a hard time with all that, but on this day she was telling me they had just found out her brother had cancer and didnt have long to live. So for days I watched her come to work and not say anything to anyone, I could just see the hurt and pain she was going through (my heart was breaking for her). So I decided that she was what I wanted my challenge to be. I went and got her a real sweet inspirational card, then I bought her a necklace of a purple butterfly that had a message with it that said: This pretty butterfly reminds us everyday that life and all it beauty is special in every way!! Then I got a magnet that said: Just thought you might need a hug!!! I made a CD with alot of the songs we sing in church but the one I told her to listen to was "Thats What Faith Can Do" That song is one I listen to when I start to lose my faith. But I also wanted her to know why she was getting all of this so I wrote her a letter and told her to read it before she looked in the bag. The letter said: I wanted to take a moment to explain to you why I'm giving you this gift... About two weeks ago , the pastor at Parkway Baptist Church told us as we were leaving they would be giving out $5 bills and he dared everybody to take one and share the love of Parkway and our love of Christ with someone who we believe needs to see that they are not alone. If we could use that $5 to put a smile on someone's face, put joy in their soul, happiness in their voice and love in their heart, even if just for a moment, then that would be $5 well spent. I chose you because I know all that you have been going through with mom, dad and now your brother and you deserve a moment of happiness. I want you to know that I love you, Parkway Baptist loves you, but most importantly God loves you. We will keep you in our prayers, but always remember God has a plan. She got up and gave me a hug and said thank you then walked away. I then thought I must have offended her somehow. At the end of the day I was sitting down eating my lunch when she came over and gave me another hug and told she was very touched by this and that she will never forget it. She had a smile on her face for the 1st time in a very long time. That night she sent me a text mesage that said: Hey girl I'm sitting here crying, just wanted to tell you how special you are and how you did bring a BIG smile to my face today. Thank you for your love, I am glad God brought us together and I hope we have many years of friendship in our future. I appreciate you!! I never knew how much something as little as a few dollars could mean to someone else, but the joy I got from seeing that smile on Berta's face well it was priceless. I want to thank Pastor Brian and Parkway for letting me be a part of the "Be the Church Challenge", It touched me in ways I can't explain.
John Braun writes... In receiving the $5 and the direction to "be the church", my first thought was fear of losing the $5. Financial prowess is not my gift. I prayed for God to direct how to use the $5 to further His kingdom, on monday I found a letter from Needle's eye ministries. It stated that 3 anonymous donors would match first time donors, 3X for each dollar donated up to $100. God answered prayer to His glory, and my fear of not being a good steward was replaced by faith. Needle's Eye has a mission of connecting Christ with the business community. Mac and I attended a training from them last year to equip us to start a careers in transition ministry.
When we received our envelopes from church with the request that we go "be the Church", we thought and prayed about it all Sunday. The next day we received Lifeway Book store ads, I was browsing through the booklet thinking about Father's Day and other gifts I needed to purchase. Towards the end of the book, there was a picture of camouflage covered Bibles for each branch of the military, the facing page talked about how you could write a note inside the Bible and it would be sent to someone in that branch of the military either home or abroad. The idea sounded great, but I thought they would definitely cost more than the $5 and I really thought the $5 should cover the cost of whatever we did, to teach us what even a small "talent" can do. To my surpise, the next page revealed the Bibles only cost $4.99!! I was so excited and told Ron. We both decided that we should do this. We had strong family connections to the military. That Sunday was my Mother's 88th birthday and her niece, her brother's youngest daughter, had asked to come visit with us for the afternoon. She was passing through from Pennsylvania. We had not seen her in 42 years, since she was 12 and her father had committed suicide. She was trying to reconnect with his family and work through her emotions, finally. We know now he probably suffered from post-traumatic stress syndrom. He had been in Korea and suffered a great deal of physical and mental stress. When the Viet Nam conflict was being reported so graphically over the TV news shows, my uncle went into a great depression and became obsessed with watching the images, which seemed to trigger his suicidal thoughts. So we definitely felt the Lord leading us with the ad for these Bibles. We bought an Air Force, Marine, and added an Army Bible for Mother. We wrote notes inside, letting the receiver know why this was being done, something about our family connections to their branch of the service, and a message of hope in Christ Jesus. We said we and Parkway were praying for them and would continue to do so. We offered our address in case they wanted to know more or just wanted someone to pray for them specifically. Our grandson was there that Sunday and said he used his $5 to buy lunch for a couple friends at school. He was hesitant on saying why he was doing it for them, but at least the action of doing something for someone else made him start thinking about his mission. We want to thank our wonderful staff for their leadership and pray this will just be a starting point for all of us to remember to increse our "talents" for sharing Christ with others. May God receive the glory, Brenda & Ron Niedermayer
Anonymous... I was able to share with my home healthcare nurse who is Jewish about Jesus the ultimate blood sacrifice. She could not take gifts, but had in mind a shut-in man who would take the gift. He rarely gets out of his home. He went to McDonalds and got out of the house. He was very thankful.
Tanner (age 10) writes... I gave the money to a boy my age from the inner city who doesn’t have that much. His school was going to Kings Dominion and he needed spending money.
Anonymous... Last Sunday I was coming out of 7-11. This single mom and her 4 year old were coming in. They had just got out of church. The little boy was asking for a slurpee and the mom did not have the money. Our God blessed her with the $5. Amen!
Nikolaisen Family/Wanda Hawkins write... Our family had $30 from church and we took it and matched it with $30 so we had $60 total that we went and donated to “Children’s Hospital”.
Jay and Ginny Hackleman We saw an active duty Air Force Airman (in uniform) at Cracker Barrel with his family. As we left we gave him a $20 bill and said “God bless you and what you are doing – enjoy your meal”. He appeared surprised, smiled and said “Thank you”.
The Clarke family writes... We gave all our money ($25) doubled to a janitor at my school, whose house burned down with everything in it. Nobody got hurt, but she only had what she was wearing. We gave her some clothes and things she could use.
Marty Woods writes... The golf facility at which I practice and play recently promoted a young fellow from retail counter work to head greens keeper. One day he asked my why there were so many complaints about slow green speeds and what I thought. I said it did not matter what anybody thinks, what matters is the measurable speed, which should be determined by a stimp meter. I explained to him how they work and how he would use them. I decided that I would use my talent to buy this young man a stimp meter and then witness to him. To my chagrin, the cheapest ones I could find were about $100. I decided to make one. I bought all the required supplies and used materials I had on hand to construct one for a little more than $5. I presented it to him, showed him how to use it coached him on how to recognize changing conditions that would influence stimp meter readings. He and the rest of the staff were very appreciative -- the manager even gave me an $80 playing card. I then witnessed to this young man, and told him about Parkway. I was very pleased to hear that even though several years ago he had fallen away from the Lord, he now faithfully attends Open Door Baptist Church. In fact, he does work with the sound ministry. So even though this exercise did not bring this man to the Lord, perhaps a seed was set for other who work or patronize the facility.
Susan Watts writes... Thank you for reminding us as a church about the opportunity we have here in America to witness (that we don't have to travel long distances, many need the Lord right here). I ordered some tracts from Lifeway ("Your Story...How Will it Turn Out") and have been using them in monetary ways to reach people with the message of Jesus Christ. Last week we went to Yard Sales--I made a point to "find" something at the Yard Sale that I "needed", no matter how small, purchase the item; and along with paying them, I told them I had something I wanted to give them, handed them a tract and said "Jesus is the way". I did not get a bad response from any of them--in fact at one place the husband and wife immediately got together to look at it. You can tell a lot about people and where they are coming from by what they are selling at a yard sale. One place had items that had an occult leaning--she still took the tract with interest. No one refused it--and when you think about it, people having a yard sale often have large blocks of time to just sit while they are waiting for people to come to the yard sale--so there is time to read a good gospel message.
Also, I often share the tract by leaving it with a larger than normal tip at a restaurant. It just takes a reminder such as you issued to get people in the church to remember the Great Commission in their everyday lives. So, thank you once again.
In Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our faith,
Last week I was in Daytona Beach, Fla. I was walking into a McDonalds and observed a man who was holding two dollars. He told me he was hungry and only needed 75 cents to have enough to buy a meal. I gave him five dollars (Talent) from Parkway and told him Jesus loved him and that I believed the Holy Spirit was leading me to share this small gift with him. I shared the love of Christ with this man and could tell that he was really touched. I don't know that I will ever see this man again but I know he experienced the love of Christ through this gift. I am thankful for our God's church at Parkway and for the vision of reaching others for Christ. Who would have thought this "talent" would have touched someone's life all the way down in FLA. God is Good. Thanks to everyone who supported and helped with the Pancake Dinner Last night.
Rick and Kay Holmes write... After seeing a broadcast recently about the needs of the Southside Shelter Workshop in Petersburg, VA, we chose to send our "talents" to help them continue their mission helping special needs friends. God bless, Rick and Kay Holmes
Anonymous... I haven’t found the perfect moment to use my $5, but I believe I was the recipient of one. When the school closed, our ABF class began to meet at our house. We always have coffee made for the folks. On Sunday, June 6, after everyone left we found $5 tucked under the sugar dish. So, we just dropped it in the offering plate with our usual offering.
Since my husband had some “projects” he was working on, we both headed out after church. I went to Jersey Mike’s to get subs for lunch. We always get giants so the next day’s school lunch will have a really good sandwich. So I ordered the 3 giants, paid and headed to the car. That’s when my brain started to function. The total bill was $18 and change…and the subs should have been about $9 each. I pulled out the receipt, expecting to see that the girl had only rung up 2 subs. She had rung all 3, but had rung them as regulars. I have to confess: I debated about going back or going home with my “great deal.” I couldn’t just go home; I had to go back. So I did, and explained that I owed more money. The little cashier got her manager or supervisor to see what to do…and she said to just not worry about it! (They were very busy.)
So, in just a couple of hours, God doubled that $5 for us, and each member of the family got free lunch for Monday! And that’s not even all! For whatever reason, the girl put 4 stamps (not 3) on our sub card. God even worked it so that we got “credit” for every cent of “our” money that we spent on those subs – essentially the equivalent of 2 giants. God is so awesome!
Sally Wells writes... I recently lost my job because the business closed and the owner must declare personal bankruptsy. She is a single mom and is recovering from breast cancer. She was feeling extremely emotional, hopeless, sad and of course, responsible for the loss of her employees' jobs. I decided to add to my "talent" and send her a check. I included a letter on how I have faced trials in my life. I shared the love of Christ and how we can have eternal life and life abundant starting here on earth if we just accept God's free gift of salvation. She responded in a "positive" way and thanked me for the encouragement. She said she would put her future in God's hands. I'm not really sure if she is a Christian, but I gave her the tools and I'm trusting the Holy Spirit to work in her life. Thank you so much for this blessing. This exercise has spurrred me to think how I can incorporate "giving" as a part of my everyday life.
Jaime Llewelyn writes... I have had my $5 in my purse ever since the church gave it to me. I work from home and don't get out much, but was hopeful that I would be able to "give my $5 away to someone in need." Well, this morning I was listening to Postive Hits (89.9 & 90.5) and heard the story of Angelica Nichole Garcia. A 16-year old girl who took her own life on July 17. You can read her story at http://www.fredericksburg.com/News/Web/2010/072010/Angelica-Nichole-Garcia. Her story and the love of Christ moved me to donate. I remembered that my husband and I both still had our $5 so I increased my donation to help out this family. There is still a need and you can find that at this facebook page Donations Angelica Nichole Garcia Funeral Expense
Before I left for volleyball last night my wife asked me twice if I had my $5 with me and while I thought little of it, I decided to grab it at the last minute. On the drive back my gas light turned on so I stopped to refuel. Immediately upon getting out of the car another car pulled up with the window down and it was a man asking for $1.50... He had a very long and detailed reason but the net was he was returning from his 4th tour in Iraq and needed to go pick up his daughter on the other side of the Pocahontas Toll Road which he only had $1.25. He also needed to get back but he was only concerned about getting there. I knew that God could provide both his needs then and there. Please pray for this man as he was visible relieved and grateful when I gave him the $5 I had been given only hours before. Pray that the Holy Spirit will continue to work in his life and in his family's lives. Praise God for showing me that He is ever present and that He can work through me when I least expect it!
ReplyDeleteKelly Lucas writes...
ReplyDeleteI have been praying all week about how the Lord would like me to share my
"talent". Yesterday before leaving to run errands I felt prompted to put
the money in my pocket and I prayed once again "Lord show me."
I stopped at Martin's to pick up a few items and to deposit Michael's
umpiring check into his savings. One of the bank tellers and I have started
a relationship and have several things in common. She has a 14 year old boy
and she is the "caregiver" for both her mom and dad. Her mom with
Alzheimer's lives with her. I also was the "caregiver" of my dad for many
years before he died - he had Parkinson's Disease and dementia. So we
always find connection and I feel the desire to encourage her through her
many trials with her mom and dad. Yesterday she seemed pretty chipper in
spite of not having had enough sleep because her mom is up all night. She
is a single mom and has it difficult. I felt the Lord leading me to give
her the $5. I put the $5 in a bank envelope and wrote on the envelope that
I am praying for her and that Jesus loves her. I asked her if she had had
lunch and she said "no" and gave her the envelope. She was very touched and
smiled - I shared Psalm 34:4, "I sought the Lord, and he answered me; he
delivered me from all my fears." She asked me if I would write that down on
the envelope also. We discussed the trial of no sleep and caring for her
parents and son. I told her that she wasn't alone that the Lord is walking
right beside her. As I left the counter I felt as if I had just experienced
a worship service.
Lord, may you be glorified in all that I do. In Jesus Name, Amen.
--
Blessings,
Kelly Lucas
Jeremiah 29:11-14
Terri Vaile writes...
ReplyDeleteI have prayed about who to share the $5.00 with and share Christ in the process. Last Sunday, when you presented this idea to us, I immediately thought of my assistant and friend at work, Diana. Well, this morning, after giving her the $5.00 gift and sharing with her, I found out that she is also a believer! (I knew there was something about her…)
I’m not the only Parkway member who has crossed her path. A couple of weeks ago, we had an off-site meeting at the Richmond Aloft Hotel. Diana had made the arrangements for us which included the reservation of a conference room there and had been in touch with their manager. She had raved about how kind he was and that he had offered to let us use the conference room at no charge, etc. So we arrive at the Aloft that Monday afternoon and the manager walks over and looks at me and says, you go to Parkway Baptist Church don’t you? I said, “Yes!” So we talked for a few minutes…and Diana just listened. (I cannot think of his name right now. He and his family have gone there for 8 years!) Anyway, Diana has only worked with me since early March and in that time has been touched by two believers who happen to be Parkway members. As of this morning, add to that the $5.00 gift from Parkway! After I handed her the money, she looked at me with tears in her eyes and said, “You don’t know this about me, but I’m a very strong Christian and I thank you. I really needed this.” She was very grateful and asked me to thank my Pastor. So, thank you!
Thank you for your heart and vision for our church, God’s people…both believers and unbelievers.
Terri
I have taken the talent Parkway provided and added additional talents to acquire pocket testaments - Book of John with the plan of salvation. These gifts will be shared with our Richmond mission during our 4th Saturday when we share 'food' for the body and soul. I have some specific folks that will be receiving the gift. I will also be carrying copies for those appointments that God directs. May God's Word and His Love be shared with those in need of a Savior!
ReplyDeleteShawn Corocran writes...
ReplyDeleteMy five-year-old son was delighted to open the envelope he received in church and find $5 in it! We quickly explained to him that we were to use the money to help others, which he accepted without a fuss. Later that week, we went to the store and we each picked out $5 worth of toiletries to donate to our Feeding Ministry. On Sunday he helped me carry in the items to put in the donation box. He was very glad to help!
Terry Parent writes...
ReplyDeleteI work at weight watchers meetings part-time. This week a woman came back after not being at the meeting for quite some time.
She proceeded to tell me she is now only working part-time and that her husband was still out of work. She felt she needed to come back to weight watchers as she needed to do something for herself and the weight was really getting her down.
She was checking out some of our products and questioned the price. She thought about and thought she shouldn't buy anything for herself.
I purchased a few things and quietly gave her the bag with a note.."Jesus love you and so do I:
Carolyn Blackwell writes...
ReplyDeleteMy name is Carolyn Blackwell and I would like to share with you what I did with my $5.00. I added to it and sent the money to Renaid and Ray Almgren. They went on a mission trip to Nazareth. They were celebrating The Global Day of Prayer and the event was held at Golden Crown Hotel in Nazareth.
Ray and Renaid were given the responsibility of praying with each of the Arab and Messianic leaders who would be speaking during the event. Local news reports said there were between 600 and 700 in attendance.
They stated the presence of God was released like they have never felt before and whatever happens in Israel affects the rest of the world. They are thankful for the opportunity to teach and pray. Everyday they had been in a different Arab Christian churches in the region around Galilee.
It amazes me that they have accomplished so much and help in bring all these different people together in prayer and rejoice in our Lord and Savior.
I would like to add that Renaid and Ray are Heather Martelli's in-laws, Tony's mother and step-dad.
Thank you for the opportunity to share my feelings with the church.
Amanda Edwards writes...
ReplyDeleteBack in May I took the challenge to Be the Church and go out and share the love of Parkway and our love of Christ. i couldn't decide what I wanted to do with the $5, all I knew is I didnt want to just buy lunch for the person behind me (we do that everyday at chick-fil-a) I wanted to do something different and something that would touch the heart of someone who needed it. So one day I was at work when one of my coworkers came in and was upset and crying. Almost two years ago she and her husband had to give up there home and move in with her husbands parents who had been sick and getting sicker everyday. She had been having a hard time with all that, but on this day she was telling me they had just found out her brother had cancer and didnt have long to live. So for days I watched her come to work and not say anything to anyone, I could just see the hurt and pain she was going through (my heart was breaking for her). So I decided that she was what I wanted my challenge to be. I went and got her a real sweet inspirational card, then I bought her a necklace of a purple butterfly that had a message with it that said: This pretty butterfly reminds us everyday that life and all it beauty is special in every way!! Then I got a magnet that said: Just thought you might need a hug!!! I made a CD with alot of the songs we sing in church but the one I told her to listen to was "Thats What Faith Can Do" That song is one I listen to when I start to lose my faith. But I also wanted her to know why she was getting all of this so I wrote her a letter and told her to read it before she looked in the bag. The letter said: I wanted to take a moment to explain to you why I'm giving you this gift... About two weeks ago , the pastor at Parkway Baptist Church told us as we were leaving they would be giving out $5 bills and he dared everybody to take one and share the love of Parkway and our love of Christ with someone who we believe needs to see that they are not alone. If we could use that $5 to put a smile on someone's face, put joy in their soul, happiness in their voice and love in their heart, even if just for a moment, then that would be $5 well spent. I chose you because I know all that you have been going through with mom, dad and now your brother and you deserve a moment of happiness. I want you to know that I love you, Parkway Baptist loves you, but most importantly God loves you. We will keep you in our prayers, but always remember God has a plan. She got up and gave me a hug and said thank you then walked away. I then thought I must have offended her somehow. At the end of the day I was sitting down eating my lunch when she came over and gave me another hug and told she was very touched by this and that she will never forget it. She had a smile on her face for the 1st time in a very long time. That night she sent me a text mesage that said: Hey girl I'm sitting here crying, just wanted to tell you how special you are and how you did bring a BIG smile to my face today. Thank you for your love, I am glad God brought us together and I hope we have many years of friendship in our future. I appreciate you!! I never knew how much something as little as a few dollars could mean to someone else, but the joy I got from seeing that smile on Berta's face well it was priceless. I want to thank Pastor Brian and Parkway for letting me be a part of the "Be the Church Challenge", It touched me in ways I can't explain.
John Braun writes...
ReplyDeleteIn receiving the $5 and the direction to "be the church", my first thought was fear of losing the $5. Financial prowess is not my gift. I prayed for God to direct how to use the $5 to further His kingdom, on monday I found a letter from Needle's eye ministries. It stated that 3 anonymous donors would match first time donors, 3X for each dollar donated up to $100. God answered prayer to His glory, and my fear of not being a good steward was replaced by faith. Needle's Eye has a mission of connecting Christ with the business community. Mac and I attended a training from them last year to equip us to start a careers in transition ministry.
May our lord and heavenly Father get the glory
John Braun
When we received our envelopes from church with the request that we go "be the Church", we thought and prayed about it all Sunday. The next day we received Lifeway Book store ads, I was browsing through the booklet thinking about Father's Day and other gifts I needed to purchase. Towards the end of the book, there was a picture of camouflage covered Bibles for each branch of the military, the facing page talked about how you could write a note inside the Bible and it would be sent to someone in that branch of the military either home or abroad. The idea sounded great, but I thought they would definitely cost more than the $5 and I really thought the $5 should cover the cost of whatever we did, to teach us what even a small "talent" can do. To my surpise, the next page revealed the Bibles only cost $4.99!! I was so excited and told Ron. We both decided that we should do this. We had strong family connections to the military. That Sunday was my Mother's 88th birthday and her niece, her brother's youngest daughter, had asked to come visit with us for the afternoon. She was passing through from Pennsylvania. We had not seen her in 42 years, since she was 12 and her father had committed suicide. She was trying to reconnect with his family and work through her emotions, finally. We know now he probably suffered from post-traumatic stress syndrom. He had been in Korea and suffered a great deal of physical and mental stress. When the Viet Nam conflict was being reported so graphically over the TV news shows, my uncle went into a great depression and became obsessed with watching the images, which seemed to trigger his suicidal thoughts. So we definitely felt the Lord leading us with the ad for these Bibles. We bought an Air Force, Marine, and added an Army Bible for Mother. We wrote notes inside, letting the receiver know why this was being done, something about our family connections to their branch of the service, and a message of hope in Christ Jesus. We said we and Parkway were praying for them and would continue to do so. We offered our address in case they wanted to know more or just wanted someone to pray for them specifically.
ReplyDeleteOur grandson was there that Sunday and said he used his $5 to buy lunch for a couple friends at school. He was hesitant on saying why he was doing it for them, but at least the action of doing something for someone else made him start thinking about his mission.
We want to thank our wonderful staff for their leadership and pray this will just be a starting point for all of us to remember to increse our "talents" for sharing Christ with others.
May God receive the glory,
Brenda & Ron Niedermayer
Anonymous...
ReplyDeleteI was able to share with my home healthcare nurse who is Jewish about Jesus the ultimate blood sacrifice. She could not take gifts, but had in mind a shut-in man who would take the gift. He rarely gets out of his home. He went to McDonalds and got out of the house. He was very thankful.
Anonymous...
ReplyDeleteI took the $5 that the church gave and added to it to buy an atheist friend a gift.
Tanner (age 10) writes...
ReplyDeleteI gave the money to a boy my age from the inner city who doesn’t have that much. His school was going to Kings Dominion and he needed spending money.
Anonymous...
ReplyDeleteLast Sunday I was coming out of 7-11. This single mom and her 4 year old were coming in. They had just got out of church. The little boy was asking for a slurpee and the mom did not have the money. Our God blessed her with the $5. Amen!
Nikolaisen Family/Wanda Hawkins write...
ReplyDeleteOur family had $30 from church and we took it and matched it with $30 so we had $60 total that we went and donated to “Children’s Hospital”.
Jay and Ginny Hackleman
ReplyDeleteWe saw an active duty Air Force Airman (in uniform) at Cracker Barrel with his family. As we left we gave him a $20 bill and said “God bless you and what you are doing – enjoy your meal”. He appeared surprised, smiled and said “Thank you”.
The Clarke family writes...
ReplyDeleteWe gave all our money ($25) doubled to a janitor at my school, whose house burned down with everything in it. Nobody got hurt, but she only had what she was wearing. We gave her some clothes and things she could use.
Marty Woods writes...
ReplyDeleteThe golf facility at which I practice and play recently promoted a young fellow from retail counter work to head greens keeper. One day he asked my why there were so many complaints about slow green speeds and what I thought. I said it did not matter what anybody thinks, what matters is the measurable speed, which should be determined by a stimp meter. I explained to him how they work and how he would use them. I decided that I would use my talent to buy this young man a stimp meter and then witness to him. To my chagrin, the cheapest ones I could find were about $100. I decided to make one. I bought all the required supplies and used materials I had on hand to construct one for a little more than $5. I presented it to him, showed him how to use it coached him on how to recognize changing conditions that would influence stimp meter readings. He and the rest of the staff were very appreciative -- the manager even gave me an $80 playing card. I then witnessed to this young man, and told him about Parkway. I was very pleased to hear that even though several years ago he had fallen away from the Lord, he now faithfully attends Open Door Baptist Church. In fact, he does work with the sound ministry. So even though this exercise did not bring this man to the Lord, perhaps a seed was set for other who work or patronize the facility.
Your brother in Christ,
Marty Woods
Susan Watts writes...
ReplyDeleteThank you for reminding us as a church about the opportunity we have here in America to witness (that we don't have to travel long distances, many need the Lord right here). I ordered some tracts from Lifeway ("Your Story...How Will it Turn Out") and have been using them in monetary ways to reach people with the message of Jesus Christ. Last week we went to Yard Sales--I made a point to "find" something at the Yard Sale that I "needed", no matter how small, purchase the item; and along with paying them, I told them I had something I wanted to give them, handed them a tract and said "Jesus is the way". I did not get a bad response from any of them--in fact at one place the husband and wife immediately got together to look at it. You can tell a lot about people and where they are coming from by what they are selling at a yard sale. One place had items that had an occult leaning--she still took the tract with interest. No one refused it--and when you think about it, people having a yard sale often have large blocks of time to just sit while they are waiting for people to come to the yard sale--so there is time to read a good gospel message.
Also, I often share the tract by leaving it with a larger than normal tip at a restaurant. It just takes a reminder such as you issued to get people in the church to remember the Great Commission in their everyday lives. So, thank you once again.
In Jesus Christ, the author and finisher of our faith,
Susan Watts
Last week I was in Daytona Beach, Fla. I was walking into a McDonalds and observed a man who was holding two dollars. He told me he was hungry and only needed 75 cents to have enough to buy a meal. I gave him five dollars (Talent) from Parkway and told him Jesus loved him and that I believed the Holy Spirit was leading me to share this small gift with him. I shared the love of Christ with this man and could tell that he was really touched. I don't know that I will ever see this man again but I know he experienced the love of Christ through this gift. I am thankful for our God's church at Parkway and for the vision of reaching others for Christ. Who would have thought this "talent" would have touched someone's life all the way down in FLA. God is Good. Thanks to everyone who supported and helped with the Pancake Dinner Last night.
ReplyDeleteGod Bless,
Steve Chumley
Rick and Kay Holmes write...
ReplyDeleteAfter seeing a broadcast recently about the needs of the Southside Shelter Workshop in Petersburg, VA, we chose to send our "talents" to help them continue their mission helping special needs friends.
God bless,
Rick and Kay Holmes
Anonymous...
ReplyDeleteI haven’t found the perfect moment to use my $5, but I believe I was the recipient of one. When the school closed, our ABF class began to meet at our house. We always have coffee made for the folks. On Sunday, June 6, after everyone left we found $5 tucked under the sugar dish. So, we just dropped it in the offering plate with our usual offering.
Since my husband had some “projects” he was working on, we both headed out after church. I went to Jersey Mike’s to get subs for lunch. We always get giants so the next day’s school lunch will have a really good sandwich. So I ordered the 3 giants, paid and headed to the car. That’s when my brain started to function. The total bill was $18 and change…and the subs should have been about $9 each. I pulled out the receipt, expecting to see that the girl had only rung up 2 subs. She had rung all 3, but had rung them as regulars. I have to confess: I debated about going back or going home with my “great deal.” I couldn’t just go home; I had to go back. So I did, and explained that I owed more money. The little cashier got her manager or supervisor to see what to do…and she said to just not worry about it! (They were very busy.)
So, in just a couple of hours, God doubled that $5 for us, and each member of the family got free lunch for Monday! And that’s not even all! For whatever reason, the girl put 4 stamps (not 3) on our sub card. God even worked it so that we got “credit” for every cent of “our” money that we spent on those subs – essentially the equivalent of 2 giants. God is so awesome!
Sally Wells writes...
ReplyDeleteI recently lost my job because the business closed and the owner must declare personal bankruptsy. She is a single mom and is recovering from breast cancer. She was feeling extremely emotional, hopeless, sad and of course, responsible for the loss of her employees' jobs. I decided to add to my "talent" and send her a check. I included a letter on how I have faced trials in my life. I shared the love of Christ and how we can have eternal life and life abundant starting here on earth if we just accept God's free gift of salvation. She responded in a "positive" way and thanked me for the encouragement. She said she would put her future in God's hands. I'm not really sure if she is a Christian, but I gave her the tools and I'm trusting the Holy Spirit to work in her life. Thank you so much for this blessing. This exercise has spurrred me to think how I can incorporate "giving" as a part of my everyday life.
Jaime Llewelyn writes... I have had my $5 in my purse ever since the church gave it to me. I work from home and don't get out much, but was hopeful that I would be able to "give my $5 away to someone in need." Well, this morning I was listening to Postive Hits (89.9 & 90.5) and heard the story of Angelica Nichole Garcia. A 16-year old girl who took her own life on July 17. You can read her story at http://www.fredericksburg.com/News/Web/2010/072010/Angelica-Nichole-Garcia. Her story and the love of Christ moved me to donate. I remembered that my husband and I both still had our $5 so I increased my donation to help out this family. There is still a need and you can find that at this facebook page Donations Angelica Nichole Garcia Funeral Expense
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