Wednesday, July 12, 2006

A Peak at CSM Nashville

Summer is going by so quickly! It's becoming a normal thing for me to meet amazing people and hear mind boggling stories everyday. I meet walking miracles on a regular basis. It still amazes me that this is my job-- discovering life and listening to people!
Last week we were at Adult Day Services, a ministry that takes care of elderly people during the day while their families are at work. I was touched by the activities coordinator there. She is one of the most upbeat people I have ever met, and she always finds something to laugh about. Her goal there is just to make people happy, and the people there aren't always very responsive to her entertainment, or to a lot of things. Yet she's so persistent in her efforts and she never loses her joy, or her perspective. It's inspiring to see that kind of dedication and its clear that she relies on God to sustain her and fill her with joy.

I've also had the blessing of getting to talk occasionally with a homeless man who goes by the name of Isaac. Every time I talk to Isaac, he is quoting Scripture left and right, and connecting life to the Bible and stories from the Bible to other stories and parables. He's always got 50 million things to share about God and his blessings. Last week he caught me off guard and just asked me to share what God had been delivering me from lately. Surprised at the question, I gave it some thought, but I felt uncomfortable and unsure and I didn't really come up with anything to tell him. In the most gentle, loving way, he reminded me that God is always teaching me things, and just getting to spend time with Him is a blessing. He quoted the verse from 1 Peter 3:15 about always being ready to give an answer for the hope that you have, and we prayed, and he went about his day. But from Isaac's humility, combined with the truth of Scripture, I felt convicted and humbled. I hope I will always have something to say about God's goodness when I'm asked, and I love that I am able to be ministered to by the same people I am serving.

- Sara Kandt, CSM Nashville City Host Summer 2006

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