Chosen To Go

 The title of this post reflects the praise of my heart as God has repeatedly demonstrated its truth in my life. Jesus is always faithful! As David expressed in Psalm 18:30, God’s ways are perfect. In fact, that personal knowledge opened the door for one of the first opportunities to share my testimony in Awake Cafe.  As I mentioned in my first blog post, people regularly look at me funny when they hear about my move to Detroit. Such was the case when one of our regular customers learned I had just relocated from Florida. He bluntly, yet kindly, told me I was crazy and said God must have sent me. Accurate conclusion. So, I shared about the Lord’s guidance. Even though I don’t understand how all the details of my call are going to work out, I trust my Shepherd. He does all things well!  That particular encounter did not revolve around the Gospel specifically, but I was so happy to tell about God’s faithfulness! I recall the following words of a well-known song: “On the wit...

It is hard to believe I have almost reached the one-week mark of living in Detroit. Various people have asked me what I have done this week, so I aim to share that here.  On Monday and Tuesday, I simply settled into my place and learned the joys of spending large amounts of money to fill my refrigerator for the first time. 😄 The rest is boring details that would be a waste of my time and yours.  I spent a few hours on Wednesday organizing a recently installed bookshelf in the cafe. I really enjoyed categorizing by topic, especially knowing the purpose of the collection is to connect customers with good literature, both religious and recreational. Many of the books will be given away to interested readers. In fact, later in the week, I overheard one of the cafe employees sharing a Bible with a man. What a joy to be in the background of a process through which truth reaches hungry hearts!  Here is a picture of the shelf to give an idea of the setting. Some of the main cate...

Yesterday, I arrived at my new home in Detroit, Michigan. What a joy to know it’s the center of God’s will! There have definitely been unexpected challenges in the moving process, but God’s grace is greater. I have enjoyed His peace in a real way. I often experience feelings of panic when I first wake up in the morning; yet, my heart calms when I remember to Whom I belong. The unknowns pale before the character of my faithful God.  Jesus once again gave me some opportunities to speak for Him before landing at my official location of ministry. For instance, Pastor Strawn asked me to teach youth service a few times at my home church in Florida. The first lesson dealt with the worldview question, “What is a human being?” I focused  primarily on the value of being made in the image of God. Discussion with the young people was encouraging. We talked about how our value does not depend on how others treat us, personal accomplishments, etc. Moreover, our worth never changes because i...