If there is one thing that consistently happens when you step out in faith and begin to serve God, it’s divine appointments.

I think back on the Yard Teams I led in June, and how one of the last homes we approached was a couple’s home – they were renting and the landlord had just a couple days before advised them that if they didn’t immediately clean up the yard they would be evicted.

They had a lawnmower, but it was broken, and both of them were working so they had not had time to deal with the problem.

Then we showed up.

Flash forward to yesterday. I am going out by myself, to canvas about 8 square blocks of North Delta to line up some yards for my team, rained out last weekend, to serve. After getting a lot of no answers (whether they were home or not I may never know) and a few “no” answers, I was wondering if I would be able to line up enough homes for the teams. I had already caught myself trying to do this on my own strength – the first house I went up to I sounded (to my own ears) like a blithering idiot and was not at all surprised they turned me down. I then spent the next hundred feet or so walking to the next house praying about Moses. See, I remember from Phil’s Exodus series (check out gethope.ca to listen to it) that when God spoke to Moses out ofthe burning bush, he wanted Moses to go alone to Pharoah. Moses felt that he had a speech problem and couldn’t communicate effectively as God’s messenger – not realizing that when the Lord of the Universe says “do it” he is going to make sure it goes the way he wants it! When God allowed Aaron to accompany Moses, it was a concession, but God’s desire was that Moses would allow his God to be his strength.

So, my conclusion was that God wanted me to go in my own strength, and allow him to speak through me. So I prayed that God would give me the words even though I knew in my own words I would screw it up.

Of course the next house said yes.

Ok, done with that prayer digression.

Back on topic. Divine appointments. So I go up the block and go out to the main road, 112th. I find a house halfway down that looks a little shaggy so I knock. This time I have been praying. I was worried about how I would present, and how I would overcome objections – all the typical sales stuff. Then this older East Indian lady opens the door and just says yes. I am like, that was too easy.

We come back an hour later and her husband comes out, with a friend of his. His friend is a Christian, from Edmonton, who goes to a church called “New Hope Community Church” – almost the same name as ours. They tell me the story – the couple had just moved to this house a few weeks before. Their old house had a landlord who took care of the yard. They had no equipment at all, and had only been in Canada for 5 years so this whole yard thing was completely new to them. He asked me for advice on what kind of lawnmower to buy. We got to talking some more and he had been to church while in school in Bombay. He was very interested in why we were doing this. I shared with him that Jesus had done so much for me in my life, I felt it was important to show my love for him by serving and loving the people that Jesus loves. What an opportunity! They asked me for more information on where and when we met as a church and said they would be out to church on Sunday! What an amazing time!

You just gotta do it. God takes care of the rest.