Where Should I Scatter?

My youngest boy is 7 today. I can't believe he's seven years old. Wasn't he born just a couple of years ago? How can he be 7!?!? I still think of him as my baby boy a lot of the time. I know, I know, I gotta quit that one of these days. Maybe when he's 18. In all seriousness, Max is a true joy and I am so honored and blessed to be his dad. Nobody makes me laugh like Max. He's also a hard worker and has a very caring, Christian heart. Just like his mom. Happy Birthday to Max!

My heel hurts. Lately, I've had a pretty bad pain in my left heel, especially when I wake up in the morning. It's hard to even walk on it then. How many times have I had a pain like this that hurts in the morning and goes away as the day continues? Lots. It's never been the heel before though. The pain does subside when walking, but if I put pressure on it, I can feel it. When I run, it hurts a little at first but then goes away. I didn't do a long run this past weekend b/c of it. I am trying to give it some time to get better, but hate to let up on too much running. I'm finally starting to get my running back where I want it. But I hope it heels soon. Ha! You knew that was coming.

So this past Saturday, I experienced something truly wonderful. It was one of those days that I won't forget for many reasons, not the least of which in how it strengthened my spiritual life. So I'd like to share it. There is a wonderful man at our church that has recently begun organizing a group called FaithWorks. It is simply offering volunteer work for someone that has a need. There have been several "FaithWork" days here in the last several months, but I've never been able to participate due to conflicts. Saturday, I had a conflict, but my loving wife took care of it for me so I could get involved for the first time. The plan was to meet in Murfreesboro at a church family's house to assist with their landscaping. Their home had been completely destroyed by a 2009 tornado and they have struggled a lot with getting their new house built (Insurance, etc. uggggh!) Landscaping, needless to say, was way down on their to-do list so it was decided to help them out with this service day. A simple email was sent asking for any volunteers to assist. I had no idea what to expect, but I honestly thought maybe 20 people would be there. There were over 70 people there!! Men, women, and children. Our job was to sod their entire yard and to plant bushes/flowers all around the front and sides of the house. We got it all done in around 3 hours. The yard was completely transformed quicker than you could imagine. The dedication everyone gave and the sheer speed of everyone's work was simply amazing. It was probably a "you had to be there to understand it" kind of thing, but I'll just say it was wonderful. It was God at work and I was so proud of my church, my friends, my brothers and sisters. It definitely made me want to do more things just like that as it gave me a spiritual boost.

That leads me to my question above. Where should I scatter? Our Summer Series speaker last Wednesday spoke on the parable of the Sower. It was a great lesson and one of his points was that the sower had little regard for where he spread the seed. He spread it everywhere. He spread it on good ground, rocky ground, traveled ground, etc. He just scattered seed not caring where it went. We are called to do the same. We need to be scattering God's Word and His message ALL OVER. We don't need to just pick those people we are comfortable talking to. We need to get out of our comfort zone and share with all types of people. Mark 16:15 says preach to "every creature" or "all creation". It doesn't say to just talk to those you know or like. We are often told to spread God's Word every day in our workplace. My excuse has always been (and still is sometimes) that I work at a Christian school and I work part-time at our church. Who in the world do I need to spread God's Word to? Everyone I work with is a Christian and a believer in Jesus Christ. Many of them are even further along in their spiritual life that me. So who do I scatter my seed to? That's a real issue for me.

I'm simply sharing today that I want to do more. I want to lead and serve and help and teach and bring others to God. I want to tell the wonderful story of Jesus to other people and how God has changed my life, especially in the recent months. But I struggle with how to do that. I don't want to get in a routine of just doing what I'm doing. I don't want to be satisfied with my life just because basically I'm a good person and a good example. That's not enough! I want to take it a step further and make a difference. I want to be like Jesus. I want to scatter my seed somewhere I've never scattered before. I am so impressed and slightly jealous of my brother who started these FaithWorks days. That is scattering seed and being the servant we are called to be. I'm thrilled to be a part, but I want to do more. My prayer to God today is that he give me more opportunities to serve, more chances to tell others about Him. This is what we are all called to do and I confess I need God's help to lead me in that direction.

You may choose to ask God the same. Where is He leading you? What is He calling you to do? Are you listening....answering....following?

I'm asking myself these same questions.

I love Griffin and I love God.

Keep runnin'. The PRIZE awaits. (Php. 3:14)

-Albert