My first day as a high school teacher in the inner city was RATHER OVERWHELMING.
It was a blur of brief introductions. And a long list of rules and procedures.
The principal, dean of students and science department head made sure that I knew WHERE TO GO and WHAT TO DO. One teacher took me aside and whispered “get to know the head custodian, you will want to make him your best friend.”
When I asked why, he flatly said “trust me, he runs this place”.
It was the only statement I remember from that day 20 years ago.
I took HIS ADVICE. So, I got to know Jesse. He knew all the teachers. Personally. And he knew almost all of the kids. Anything that went on at the school, Jesse knew about it. Jesse was CONNECTED and INVOLVED. He was the boots on the ground. Jesse had the ALL of the KEYS to every door. He could open anything that was locked. His cart was filled with every tool and cleaner under the sun. He tightened screws on broken chairs. Replaced burned out bulbs. Painted over well-marked walls. Stopped incessantly dripping sinks. Scooped up innumerable messes ranging from vomit to piles of trash. I saw ultimate transformation. Every day.
I asked him questions about what he did.
Pretty much everyone else ignored him.
I saw MANY things that he did and never got credit or mentioned for.
I really wanted to know what made him tick. He took pride in the school.
And it showed by his work. I asked him one day what “fueled his fire”, he said
“This place LOOKS the way it does, because of me”.
Forgive us God, that We the Church have allowed the communities that we live in “LOOK” the way they do, because of our DISCONNECTED and NON INVOLVED mindset. And so our impact is seldom felt in schools, business, government, media, military and even our own families.
Forgive us God, that We the Church see serving Jesus as a long list of rules and procedures. Our history of lasting serving commitments has become a blur of brief introductions. And makes the concept of serving outside of our comfort zone seem RATHER OVERWHELMING.
Forgive us God, that We the Church see the MANY things that YOU do, and never give YOU credit or glory for it. We forget to mention You. And You only.
Isaiah 42:8, Galatians 1:10
Maybe We forgot that Master Custodian Jesus is whispering in our ears “get to KNOW me, I want to be your best friend”. And we haven’t taken HIS ADVICE.
Maybe We forgot that Master Custodian Jesus has the ALL of the KEYS.
He can open anything that is locked up. To every door in our life.
Not just the door to salvation. The door of Hope. The door of Joy.
The door of Peace. The door of Faith. The door of Transformation.
Jesus paints over your well-marked walls of despair with His blood.
Jesus stops the incessant sound of dripping doubts about your future.
Jesus scoops up the vomit you spill over your fearful and innumerable circumstances and wipes it clean.
Don’t be like pretty much everyone else and ignore Him.
Ask Him questions. He wants you to know what makes Him tick.
Take pride in His word. Read it and do it. Psalm 119:105
Because you are His boots on the ground.
He will give you access to His cart, filled with His tools to use to heal others.
Help Him, by His power, to replace the burned out bulbs of destiny in others lives.
Help Him, by His strength, to tighten the screws on others broken dreams.
He said you could. And that you would do even more than He did. John 14:12
His Holy Spirit fuels your fire.
He will make sure you know WHERE TO GO and WHAT TO DO.
And you will be a Custodian of His Revelation. Ephesians 1:17
You will see ultimate transformation. Every day.
PRAISE: Our business is in the process of being “resurrected”! We have gotten in some new projects. We specifically asked God to “surprise” us. And He has!
And He gets the glory!!!
PRAY: Please continue to pray for our staff that I call “the band of survivors”. We need to have these new projects be grand slams. We need to be efficient and productive meeting all deadlines.
PRAY: As we start to get new projects in, that God would provide us with the right new hires to do the work.
PRAY: Craig will be flying to New York and Washington, DC next week to meet with some of these new clients. Pray for successful meetings.
PRAY: While Craig is in New York, next Friday he will be on FOX Business News live. He will be on the Neil Cavuto show. He is looking forward to meeting him in person, as well as his staff. Pray for divine appointments.
Any questions or comments? Email me at shellynotw@gmail.com.
