A God Wink for 2017

It was over a year ago when I was invited to signing day for Clemson football. I had a blast! On that day I reconnected with a very long time friend who I haven’t seen in years…Reggie Pleasant.

Reggie and I were at Clemson together. He played football on the National Championship team when I was a cheerleader. We have that in common but more importantly we both love Jesus and have been called into ministry. He is involved in player relations at Clemson with FCA and so is his beautiful wife Jessica. It was such a fun day catching up after all these years.

Months later Reggie called to see If I would be interested in “chairing” an event to help raise funds for his ministry. As always now I asked him to let me pray about it. At the time I still had Collins’ wedding in front of me. His call came in September which was right before the wedding. About a month ago, around Thanksgiving, Reggie contacted me to see if I could help. I asked him to give me a few more days.

I got focused with God on praying about this. Having never been an MOB…I can honestly say…I didn’t focus in prayer about this until his text in November. Funny thing, as I focused the next day in my long quiet time, the answer came. After reading my Bible and praying, I spent some time reading Mark Batterson’s new book, “Chasing the Lion,” and as God has done before from Mark’s books, He spoke to me.

I would like to give you the passage from his latest book that spoke to me about whether or not I should chair the event and help Reggie. Page 172 of “Chasing the Lion”:

“Some people are destined to play second fiddle, but you can still play “The Devil Went Down to Georgia!” Serving someone else’s dream isn’t less significant than pursuing your own. In my opinion it’s more noble. It’s the dreamer who gets most of the credit at the curtain call. But I wonder if second fiddles will get most of the reward. And ultimately, it’s God who gets all the glory when the final credits roll. “

At that point…God said…BE second fiddle!

So I texted Reggie and said, “I am ALL IN!” From that point on I got busy with my to do list…booking a venue in Columbia for 500 people for March 9, 2017. I called multiple places in Columbia and all were booked. I prayed as I got more “no’s.” I was headed to the gym after my quiet time recently and God used a friend to point me in the right direction. [Funny and a little God wink.]

God used a Clemson friend who called me. We were talking about the National Championship and I said, “Oh by the way, do you know of a place in Columbia for such an event?” She suggested I contact Brookland Baptist Conference Center. I had a wow moment. I was focused on hotels not a church conference center. I immediately called and left a message.

After two days and no call back I drove to the conference center on my way to Clemson for my meeting with Reggie. The ladies in the center were nice but you see, I didn’t have an appointment and I kind of just “pushed my way” into their office. I am sure the look on their faces must have said, “Lady, you don’t have an appointment.”…lol. I explained that I had called earlier and left a message. They had been closed for the holidays which is why I hadn’t heard anything from them.

I briefly told them what I needed. When I mentioned FCA, their whole expression changed. I could see God literally moving. Until then I had been standing in their doorway but when I said “FCA,” they invited me in to sit down without an appointment. The “lady in charge” told me she was on the board of the Lexington FCA. She proceeded to open her laptop and tell me that March 9th was available and typed out a quote as we were talking. I left before she finished putting everything together but she emailed it to me in time for my meeting at 12 that day in Clemson! God is sooo good. The story gets better….

As I sat down with Reggie and Shane Smith, I told them how God had used Mark Battereson’s book to speak to me about saying “yes to chair.” At that moment Reggie pulled out his phone to show me a text he had just received. It was from his friend, who works directly with Mark Batterson, offering to send Mark Batterson’s books to Reggie for the National Championship.

THIS was not a coincidence. It was God’s second confirmation to me of MY HEARING HIM clearly. The timing of the text about the Batterson books was not a coincidence. Let me just go further. After Reggie and I marveled at the FCA “God wink” at the conference center that morning with the conference director and the Mark Batterson story, Reggie proceeded to tell me he had bought Coach Swinney Mark Batterson’s “All IN “ book as a gift. When he took it to Coach Swinney, the coach turned and showed him that he already had the book.

Guess who had given Coach Swinney the book two years ago? ME!!! I can’t say that I know what God is doing all of the time, but I know He is orchestrating many things through multiple believers. HE does cause all things to work for good…..to those who are called according to HIS purpose.

Point of post…When someone asks you to help them with their dream/God call, pray about it….but know…playing second fiddle is GREAT and FUN and where I have SEEN God Show up and Show out in my life.

Side note: as a result of saying yes…I was invited to the TEAM chapel service on GAME DAY OF THE NATTY! GO GOD!

Take a few minutes today to really meditate on I Corinthians 12:14-26 written here for your convenience. What matters most is that God is glorified not my position/part/fiddle in the body of Christ.

“For in fact the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,’ is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,’ is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be?
But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.”

 

 

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