Glimpses of His Kingdom...

Sometimes God graciously allows you to see glimpses of His Kingdom unfolding right before your eyes.  Tonight He was incredibly gracious.

As I gathered together with my new church family to walk around our neighborhood, praying for the people that surround our college campus, I couldn't help but notice His Kingdom unfolding.  I saw it in the faces of 8-10 teens that showed up to pray for their community because they love Jesus and want others to love him too.  I saw it as a 4 year old offered to be the first one to pray over a house of a neighbor whose name was unknown.  I saw it as one of our senior high boys prayed over our house thanking God that we were here.   I saw it as a mother prayed for our neighbor who is soon to be a new mom in just a few weeks who I am not even sure knows who Jesus is.  I saw it as our groups that had scattered, gathered back together and shared stories of how God had used a short 40 minutes to enlarge our perspective of why we are here.  And it...was...awesome.

The glimpses didn't stop at the prayer walk either.  Tonight happened to be the night where the summer ministries teams for Eastern Nazarene College had invited friends and family to gather and experience various forms of worship throughout the campus.  Two of my former youth group kids happen to be on those teams.

I saw his Kingdom unfold as Krystal, a teen whose life had been transformed by Jesus while in our youth ministry, invited us to experience prayer stations and for the first time, she led me and my family to experience Christ the way we had led her so many times. Wow.  Not sure there are words of this Youth Pastor's heart.

I saw his Kingdom unfold as I held my 3 year old up to "paint" what he thought about God...he loves that he watches over me.

I saw his Kingdom unfold as a student who I just met prayed prayed words over me that resounded in my heart in a way that only God could have placed them there.

And then I saw his Kingdom unfold as we closed out the night worshipping the one who called us to this life so long ago.  The ones leading us in worship included Bubba, another former teen whose life had been transformed by Jesus.  As I watched Biruk clap, sway, and try to figure out what was happening, it hit me.  The teens we had invested in once were now investing in my kid and giving him a glimpse into the Kingdom of God.

This Youth Pastor's heart...it is full.

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