May 11, 2008

kingdom vs. candles

In the previous "Drop it Like a Tot" post I responded to a comment that had been made, and in my response I created a little scenario. It might be a good idea if you go read that really quick, and then come back and read the rest of this. So go ahead :)

Welcome back. So, Lindsay and I have been attending SSCC for the past couple of months while we wait to see where God is going to land us. I've been friends with the youth pastors for a while now, and I met with their senior pastor last year to talk about partnering with him on some amazing stuff they've put together.

All that to say: my scenario came to life today. After a sweet morning of worship, the pastor Mark said:
"We usually give the moms of SSCC a nice candle or some flowers as a gift on Mother's Day. But... candles melt, and flowers eventually wilt, so we thought that we would do something that would last a little longer, and would reflect the hearts of our moms. So... we decided to buy beds for the women and children living at The House of Refuge, because right now many of them have to sleep on the floor. We thought that you guys might appreciate that more than a candle, so we bought the beds on your behalf, using the money that we would have used for your candles or flowers."
Linds had read my little scenario, and so we both looked at each other as he was talking and made faces like, "Are you kidding me??" I hate seeing Lindsay cry... except in moments like this, when the tears are from an overwhelming sense of joy. It was awesome.

And tonight, about 70 moms and 140 children are sleeping in beds, and not on the hard floor, because the Kingdom of God is alive and well.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

that's a beautiful thing...
hey, thanks for the text a few days back. i posted something that i'd love to get your thoughts on. hope all is well bro.

steve carter

ktjane said...

hey, ryan, that is a beautiful story! i just had the honor of going to malawi with sscc & saw first-hand the beauty of christ they are sharing with our brothers and sisters around the world. it's breathtaking to see jesus at work, and so encouraging to see that he is changing minds. the gimmicks do seem to work, but i see them doing damage and turning off plenty of people, too.

Ryan Guard said...

Hey Katie, thanks for the comment! I'm glad you landed at SSCC... I wish I had an extra $4500 laying around so I could head to Malawi with Kerry and his crew next month.