Divine Appointment

Being back in Camp Atterbury (demobilization) has created new opportunities to share the gospel message and love of Jesus Christ. I pray constantly for the Lord to place receptive people in my path and yesterday was one of those days as He provided me a divine appointment. Just about an hour before this divine appointment I had met another Army chaplain from FT Knox while doing laundry. We spent the next hour talking about ministry challenges we had experienced, but little did I know where this conversation would take me. We both decided to get haircuts so we walked to the Barber Shop and sat down to wait. During this time, there was only one barber working until a female barber walked in to start her day. Her name was Ashley (same as my wife). This encounter reminds me of just how impactful a conversation can be in a public setting. As my new chaplain friend and I continued our conversation, it turned to the topic of church and the importance of a relationship with Jesus Christ, which everyone sitting nearby was overhearing, to include Ashley as she cut hair. When it was my turn to get a haircut, Ashley and I began the typical barber shop conversation of family and news. Ashley told me she was a single mom, serving as both father and mother and was considering enrolling her 6 year old son in Big Brother, Big Sisters. She mentioned that at some point her son would be asking where his dad was, since all of the other boys on his football team had dads who came to practice. I sensed my window of opportunity had arrived to ask her about church. She mentioned she was looking and that she grew up in a Southern Baptist church. I told her there was no better place to build quality relationships or find a Big Brother/ Mentor for her son than church. She told me that she had overheard my conversation about Jesus and church and it was making her think and reflect. Since I only had one dollar for a tip so I told her I would return with more after lunch. I picked her up a Subway gift card and wrote her a short note, to include the simple message of the gospel inside the gift card envelope. I also located a Southern Baptist church in Columbus, IN with a contemporary worship style, since that was the kind of worship she said she preferred. When I returned to the Barber Shop, she was overwhelmed with the gift card, but what she read on the back brought tears to her eyes. I wrote Terrace Lake Community Church. Ashley lives on the same road as the church. Only God could have provided this divine appointment and I am grateful He did. I shared the gospel with Ashley, showed her Christ like love, and pointed her to a church where she can find fellowship and the discipleship she and every Christian so desperately needs.

 
Nothing feels better than being used by the Lord!

 
Say a pray for Ashley and her son.