Best Holiday Gift Article By Jeff Johnson
By Rev. Dr. Jeffrey A. Johnson
Those who do the Lord’s work are always “on duty,” as exemplified by the recent 25th wedding anniversary getaway of Dr. Jeffrey A. Johnson, American Baptist Home Mission Societies (ABHMS) national coordinator of Evangelism and New Church Planting, and his wife, Karen. After sightseeing at a national historic site, the couple ate at a franchise restaurant, where they received perhaps the best Christmas gift of all—connection with a stranger that yielded the promise of a life transformed in Christ.
Our server didn't have a name on her apron. It simply read “Rising Star.” Affirming my guess that she hadn’t worked at the restaurant long enough to earn a personalized apron, she confided that she is limited to serving at the restaurant only a few days weekly because of another full-time job. When my wife, Karen, asked if we could pray for her as part of our mealtime prayer, she broke into tears, explaining that she and her husband were separated and that she and her young son were struggling to make it on their own. Required to work Thanksgiving week, she was apart from her son during his vacation from school. Although sad, she was grateful for our listening to and praying for her. She came by our table several times to thank us.
End of story? NOT!
The next morning, Karen and I paused to shop on our way to a tourist destination. While wandering through the aisles, I bumped into our server. Amazed, I flagged Karen to join us. Our server told us that she felt great after our encounter the night before and that she had shared with her family about our praying for her. She went as far as to call her ex-husband to tell him that a couple “from out of nowhere” was praying for the family. Karen and our server cried before exchanging contact information. After Karen and I made our purchases, our server caught us on the way out of the store to again share how much the connection meant to her. Another round of tears followed. Our server hugged both of us several times.
End of story? NOT!
As Karen and I drove to the tourist attraction, Karen received this text: “You have changed my thoughts of late. I am going to save your number. What a wonderful blessing God has given me in meeting both of you. It is clear that God cares about my circumstances. He is not a distant, hands-off type. He cares about what I face. God’s silence has not meant that He has abandoned us. God is raising up solutions to my pain, although it may take some time. I found Him this morning in both of you. I want so much to have a closer relationship with God. I pray that I will, and that today is the beginning of a life change.” We replied by asking her to text us each Sunday about specific issues in her life for which we can pray.
End of story? NOT!
Running into our server at the store was more for Karen and me than for our server. The evening before, Karen and I did not immediately act on a prompting from the Lord to do something extra for our server. God provided us with a second chance to obey, and we did so without hesitation. Karen and I are the ones who were blessed.
End of story? NOT!
It is clear that this experience will be ongoing for all involved!
In addition to his role as ABHMS national coordinator of Evangelismand New Church Planting, Dr.Jeffrey A. Johnson is author of “Got Style? Personality-based Evangelism” (Judson Press, 2009).
Categories: General, Ministries, Region Life ~ Date: 12/18/2014