I needed a helper yesterday to install 30 flats of flowers for a regular good paying customer. God led me to a place that houses men struggling with drug and alcohol addictions, and is homeless. I offered $100.00 for 3-4 hours of easy work. I thought I was getting only one, but as we headed to the truck another man caught up to us, and said,” What a wonderful day to work”. I stopped and asked,” are both of you going? I saw a look in the second man as he stopped and said,” I’m sorry, if you need just one then that’s OK. I said,” let me think.” I couldn’t say no. I said, OK I’ll pay each of you $100.00. They were in their late 40s – 50s, a clean appearance with rough edges. I wondered what kind of work they would do. We barely got a block away when one of them mentioned God, and then shortly after the other mentioned Sundays church service. Well don’t you know a door of opportunity flew wide open for me to start sharing? We were on our way to pick up flowers. I said all I could in that short time. Calvin was the quiet one with a very humble disposition. Steve had a very good memory of scriptures.
I knew these men were carrying some heavy loads, and had a hard life struggling to leave it behind. I quickly spoke of no free will, God saving all, Lake of fire, God is responsible, and in charge of everything. Well Steve knew every scripture that applied to the things I was saying. I shared one of my favorite testimonies with them while we were still in my truck. It was my plan to lay everything out and leave them to do the work, but that’s not how it turned out. I’ll get back to that later. Somewhere in our talks I mentioned that I’m not good at quoting scripture, although I’ve read and studied them from front to back, and back to front, that my part of the body seems to be more in my testimonies of which someone always can apply the appropriate scriptures to them. Steve gave me a testimony that was very touching. He was on his way to an AA meeting walking on the road thinking of how they teach that once an alcoholic always one. He was thinking about God and being cursed with his addiction that just didn’t seem right that he was stuck with this mind set. He saw a piece of paper in the tall grass 30-40 feet away that caught his attention. The wind was blowing the opposite direction, but the paper was moving a little at a time in his direction. He thought, is this a message from God. He had been wanting to hear something from God, and just maybe this was it, but what could it be. Finally the paper stopped a few feet in front of him. It was folded up. He picked it up. At that point he withdrew it from his front pocked and held it in front of me to show me what it was. The first word I could see that he saw was Jesus. He said he knew right then that it was the message he had been seeking. He opened it up and the words were in bold print, Jesus Makes All Things New. I knew right then and there that this was an extraordinary day when I saw a look in Steve’s eyes as he said,” he was not an alcoholic, that Jesus was making him new. Calvin commented that he had recently been blessed with new furniture. That’s when I found out he was just visiting the facility, that he had just moved out. I’ll get back to that in a moment.
I bought burgers for lunch, we sat in the court yard and talked more about God. Their interest in the things I was telling them was very refreshing to say the least. Steve wanted something to read. I told them this was not a day of coincidence. They both agreed. We were all having a very blessed day in deed. I went home and printed out 30 pages of LOF for Steve plus 30 more pages of scriptures that pastors despise and will never teach.
The work was finished. I gave each one of them a $100 dollar bill. They thanked me and told me how good of a day it has been for them but I told them not to thank me, this is Gods money and Gods day. The blessing was mine to get to meet and spend a day in fellowship with them and God. I have never seen more grateful men in my life, but I was beyond grateful almost beyond description.
We arrived at the place I picked them up and started again with thanking them when Calvin told me he needed to be dropped off at his apartment.
I gave Steve my card and told him to call me anytime if just to talk and fellowship and that I’ll give him more to read. As I was driving Calvin home he started to talk about God blessing him with the furniture and apartment. We got there. He wanted me to come in to see his new furniture of which he had never had in his life. I walked in to a very small apartment maybe 250 sq. ft. It was nice furniture. He started telling me how he had lived in an abandoned house for 12 years thinking this was all he would ever have, a drug addict, hungry, cold and hot. He finally cried out to God for a new life with hope. He now has disability, shelter with new furniture, food and hopes that he never thought possible. He continued sharing things about his past, and how God has blessed him. I was so choked up that it was hard for me to speak. My last words to him were, “I see with my eyes and heart that God is doing a good work in you, and he will finish it, but be prepared for bumps in the road that will try to bring you down. Call me anytime day or night if things become unbearable. I don’t want to lose touch with you. Never forget where you have been, and see where you are now, always seeking comfort in God. You have the presence of God in your countenance. Cling to it, fight for it.
This mans story tore me up with sorrow and joy in so many ways, I just can’t describe it. Never have I met a man so humble.
The day kept rolling in my thoughts wondering what it was about. I was choked up all the way home. I kept thanking God for the day for it was not an ordinary day for all three of us. My plans to leave them for the day was not in Gods plan. It was my plans to hire one man, spend only $100.00. Two men, $200.00. Three hours of work that was beyond description. What was this day about? I know it wasn’t about just one thing.
I look forward to another day or a phone call from Steve wanting more of Ray’s writings.
Now I want to have more money just to share it with people like Steve and Calvin.
This story is long with some things left out, but you got the most important parts. Not one word through out the day was about anything but God, except for words about work and flowers.
This story isn’t for me to keep to myself. Its for all of us. Its just my part of the body according to Gods will.
A good day to all of you.
Peace
Roy
Author
Topic: A extraordinary day with Calvin and Steve in the presence of God (Read 5957 times)