Hit by a bus.

Have you ever been hit by a bus?

I remember while I was in High School a girl in my class was hit by a bus! Thankfully the speed limit in Bermuda is 35km/hour and I'm pretty sure the bus was pulling out of the bus stop, but still! We were all stunned. Thankfully she fared pretty well, but I remember a school assembly meeting about how her backpack saved her life! We all had our backpacks strapped to our backs afterwards!!! lol. SCARY!!! I was reminded of this while reading earlier this week.

In a few minutes of my crazy role as a new momma I've been able to start a new book. It appears I started it at some point since things in the first few chapters are highlighted and underlined... but I can't remember, so I started again :) It's called "Follow Me" by David Platt.

If you haven't read it, READ IT! It's good... well, it has been good so far.

But in the very first chapter he makes a point that was brought up again in Bible study on Wednesday, youth group on Friday and again in church on Sunday.

So. I think the Lord is teaching me something. Or He just wants me to share :)

"Imagine you and I set up a meeting for lunch at a restaurant, and

you arrive before I do. You wait and wait and wait, but thirty minutes
later, I still haven’t arrived. When I finally show up, completely
out of breath, I say to you, “I’m so sorry I’m late. When I was driving
over here, my car had a flat tire, and I pulled over on the side of
the interstate to fix it. While I was fixing it, I accidentally stepped
into the road, and a Mack truck going about seventy miles per hour
suddenly hit me head-on.

It hurt, but I picked myself up, finished
putting the spare tire on the car, and drove over here.”
If this were the story I shared, you would know I was either
deliberately lying or completely deceived. Why? Because if someone
gets hit by a Mack truck going seventy miles per hour, that
person is going to look very different than he did before!

In light of this, I feel like I’m on pretty safe ground in assuming
that once people truly come face-to-face with Jesus, the God
of the universe in the flesh, and Jesus reaches down into the depth
of their hearts, saves their souls from the clutches of sin, and
transforms their lives to follow him, they are going to look different.
Very different. People who claim to be Christians while
their lives look no different from the rest of the world are clearly
not Christians." Page 17 Follow Me

WOW! We'll let that marinate in your heart for a moment.

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We finally had a night of the week with NOTHING TO DO!!! woohooo. That is, until some of the teen boys from church asked Robersy to lead a Bible Study. (YES. You read that right. These kids are thirsty for some more Jesus!!!) Of course when the girls heard about it, they asked me if we could meet too.

Their excitement excites me! And exhausts me :) But mostly excites me. So we've been going through the book of Ephesians. In the second half of the first chapter Paul talks about how he had heard good reports of the church in Ephesus. Their awesome testimonies had reached Paul! 

Robersy and I sell solar-powered lanterns to groups that come down in order to help families that have little or no electricity. By reaching their physical need, God has opened doors to speak to these families about their spiritual need too. We've been able to use these lanterns as great teaching tools too. So I pulled out a lantern at the Bible study with the girls and explained how the light shines brighter the more time it is placed in the sun.

The same is true with us as Christians. As we spend time with the Lord, our light and testimony shines brighter to those around us. As we "shine" we are given opportunities to share Christ with others!!!

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One of our boys in particular was SUPER excited to meet Don.

At Youth Group on Friday, a few of the GAP students and I ran the games (We rocked it by the way! haha. Musical chairs was a hit!!!) and we had a special guest come and speak to the teens. I'm not a baseball fan (although I'm getting better) but I will say that it was pretty cool to hear Don Gordon, who played professionally in the major leagues for the Toronto Blue Jays and the Cleveland Indians.

I actually used to collect Toronto Blue Jay baseball cards (WHY?! I have no idea.) so I might have one of Mr. Gordon tucked away somewhere. Either way, he doesn't just play great baseball, he is amazing man of God.

He shared about how he got in to all sorts of things when he was young, but then God captured his heart. And guess what... there was a major change in his life!

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On to Sunday. Pastor Nate has been working his way through James. In the second chapter we're reminded that "faith without works is dead." Our pastor did a fantastic job reminding us that it is by GRACE that we are saved... HOWEVER... our faith is followed by obedience (or works). There ought be to be change in our lives!

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Why do I share all of this? 

Because I am saddened to see people of all ages come to the Lord and stay the same. We confuse "freedom in Christ" with being comfortable and so instead of realizing that the freedom we experience in Christ is the power to overcome sin, we stay and enjoy it because, "well God is going to forgive me anyways." Right?

I have been reminded over and over and over this week how there should be a difference when we come to the Lord!!!

That means our walk, our words, our actions, our obedience. In front of the world AND behind closed doors.

Do I look and act like the crowd or does my life reflect the One who died for me?

I may have never been hit by a bus (and I pray I never am!), but I do pray that my life, touched by God himself, might draw others to know Him as Savior.

How about you?