I have had a wonderful day today. Spent some time with a new friend I will tell you about later in this entry, and saw blue sky here in Vancouver for the first time since coming here!
Yes, the rain stopped for awhile today and the sun came out! The temperature rose a little...for a little while. Tomorrow is more rain....well after all we are in the Pacific Northwest!
Let me tell you about my new friend... his name is Dave and his picture (standing with me) is below. Dave walked up to the table at breakfast and asked to join us. Brad, a teammate from Arkansas, was having breakfast with me as I worked on the morning's blog entry, and Dave realized we were Christians. Dave is a Christian too, and actually ministered as a youth pastor for a number of years in the state of Illinois. We had a great time at breakfast talking about the world, American politics and Christians, the Olympics, and Vancouver. Not only was it just good fellowship, it reminded me of the power of relationships in the Kingdom of God. When we teach that our relationship with God is all about how we get blessed, we miss that the Kingdom exists in relationships. That is to say, that relationships are the foundation and the structure of the Kingdom. Everything comes by...and exists within... relationships. What we have physically, financially, emotionally, and spiritually comes through our relationships. The real blessings of life come as and through our relationships within the kingdom. Spending about 1 hour with Dave this morning was a great blessing, which I enjoyed thoroughly and because of that bond of family that comes from being part of the Kingdom, I know that the time, and the presence of Dave here, was a small present from the God I worship and serve. I have always stated that if we will open our eyes and our hearts we will see that God gives us little gifts of people along our path... they are some of the greatest gifts of the Kingdom. Dave has a facebook page that tells you more about him...and Dave, when you read this please go to the bottom and by commenting on this page you can leave you facebook address so that other can check it out!
Part of the reason I bring this up is to also say that our ministry here is about relationships... All AMI chaplains begin to minister by first forming some relationship with the individuals they are meeting, and talking with. The sharing of our faith happens...within the relationships we form with those we meet here. It is what makes this ministry so powerful and fruitful.
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