The following post is to give ALL the glory to Jesus....
First, let me give you a little history on me. I am blessed to come from a family where we are all believers in Jesus Christ. Here is my family:
If you're counting, this is 76 people. {Two have gone Home.}
Yes, I'll repeat, we are all believers ~ sinners saved by grace.The little ones who are too young are currently being trained in the ways of the Lord.
Let's go back in time for a minute... Back to the beginning. Back to the mid-1940's.
The setting is Pittsburgh, PA. A traveling pastor sets up a tent and begins a small town revival, preaching the Good News of salvation through Christ.
My great-grandfather, who was raised in the church, drove by & decided to go in. Upon entering he laid his eyes upon the image of the two roads hung up on a wall - the roads .... one toward Heaven, one toward hell ~ something he had never heard before!
That night he accepted Christ into his heart, went home and informed his wife and 3 children they would be going the next night. One of his children being my grandmother. This was the spark that lit a fire in my family that has burned throughout 4 generations and is being spread into the 5th generation of little ones. Because this one man followed the Lord's promptings & began to evangelize, the seed he planted blossomed and has truly moved mountains.
We are a humble, Christian family that has been used to spread the Gospel throughout the world.
*Our family helped start a private Christian school in Palm Beach county that has equipped thousands of young people to impact the world for Christ for over 40 years. This school has sent doctors, lawyers, school teachers & missionaries out into their work force to be a light in a dark world.
*Our family helped plant a church in Palm Beach that ministered to families for over 30 years ~ We supported missionaries, fed the hungry and homeless, trained new believers, began an Overcomers group for addicted individuals and spread the name of Jesus throughout our area.
*When my cousin, a young mother and wife, became sick with cancer, her body began to fail but her faith never wavered. People throughout the world prayed for her and were moved by her trust in Jesus. Though she is not with us anymore, her words are here: {http://kdlgourley.blogspot.com/}
No one could ever begin to measure the ripple effects from these efforts. Only Heaven knows about the little children in Romania & Costa Rica who were ministered to... the lonely soul who found Jesus at a rock concert revival in Boca Raton, FL, the countless believers that were equipped at the school & church who went on their own to begin their own ventures. Are you beginning to see these ripples? They are looking more like Heavenly tsunamis to me.
There is power in the name of Jesus. If you're feeling small in this great, big world I want to encourage you that you are not! God has a purpose for you - right where you are. Are you a stay at home mom? You have hearts to teach right in your own home. They will grow up one day to impact their world for the King of Kings. Are you currently in the workplace? Ask the Lord to lead you to a lonely soul in your office. When you're in your yard on Saturday, begin to beg the Lord that He will send you to your neighbors that do not yet know Him. Ask Him! Ask Him to send you opportunities to share the Gospel... believe me, He will.
We are a family that can count on each other & pray for each other. When we have encountered trials & tribulations, we know that the others are lifting each other up to the throne of Jesus. Go back to the first picture of my family and study each and every face... go ahead... I'll wait a moment.....
Did you look again? We are just one example of what God can do with just one person. That pastor. That simple, humble man traveling through my great-grandfather's town. I'm sure he is in Heaven now with his Saviour and he knows full well what came from his small efforts to expand the Kingdom of Heaven.
Thank you, whoever you are. Save a spot for us.
