In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Race the Clock.”
So the daily post has given us this assignment today…
Here’s the title of your post: “An Offer I Couldn’t Refuse.”
Set a timer for ten minutes, and write it. Go!
Several years ago I was asked to come and sing for a group of people at a local visiting nurses dayhab unit. I went and sang.
They liked me and so they invited me back. They liked me the second time and so they asked me if I would begin coming once a month. I agreed and went to sing hymns on a monthly basis and did this for two years.
Over the course of those two years my schedule began to fill out exponentially. It was becoming harder and harder to keep the commitment to my monthly hymn-sing at the VNA and so I approached God about it.
“God you know how busy I am.” I complained, “This hymn-sing is nice but I am not seeing any real fruit from it and I just can’t justify continuing when there are so many other more productive pursuits I could be involved in. God I am going to quit after this next concert. But if you want me to stay you will have to do something to make me stay.”
I went to the concert, set up my piano and sang my heart out feeling fully liberated that at the end of the day I would be handing in my walking papers.
We were about three-quarters of the way through my set when suddenly one of the elderly ladies in the room stopped the concert and asked, “Hey you are a pastor right?”
“Yes I am. ” I replied (they had been calling me Pastor J since day one but God chose this day to make it all sink in).
“You know most of us in this room don’t get to go to church anymore.” She said. “Would it be possible for you to bring us communion?”
The activities director blanched a little. But I had to ask, “Is that possible?”
I fully expected an unequivocal “No!”
What I got from her was a, “Let’s vote.”
The vote was taken and everybody wanted communion.
It was an offer I could not refuse. I had my next marching orders from God. Today I have a team of three which brings communion to 35 individuals at this venue. We started another off-campus service with another team two towns away and last month two of us started bringing music to a third day program two miles up the road from the VNA where it all started.
You never know where fruit from ministry is going to pop up!
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Lillie-Put 
This is beautiful! God gave you a little wink wink and now all those people feel closer to God because of you. I love this post!
Thanks for this encouraging word!
Great story. You never can tell where there’s ripples are going to go. I work with the Care Group Ministry at our church where I, too, take communion around to shut-ins and retirement home folks. Coolest thing I’ve ever done. My old friend is 102-year-old Eunice. What a learning experience. And through it God is unexpectedly helping me to get over a real fear of dying. I think I’ve gotten more of a blessing out of it than my “special friends” have.
That seems to be the way it works with ministry in the end, even if in the moment it seems hard.
Great story – i am fascinated that the fruit didn’t show up till you asked God – almost like we can continue doing good stuff, but we should be asking Father for fruit along the way. It is afterall Father who gives the increase to what we plant and water.
Bless you as this blossoms for you.
Ben
THat’s a really good point Ben. I wonder how much fruit has been held up in the ministry God has entrusted to me simply because I was content to try to accomplish it all in my own strength rather than involveing His supernatural power in the work.
I loved the story you shared and now reading your and Ben’s comments, I am even more blessed and excited to ask Him about the fruit of what I am doing! God bless you!
I have been motivated by Ben’s comments as well Deb!
What an inspiring story. Brought tears to my eyes!
I am glad. My hope is it will remind people to invite God into all their work. It is in the invitation that what we do becomes the work of God.
sometimes we won’t find where God wants us to go or know what he wants us to do – until we are willing to move and act in faith – sounds like he had you in the right place all along and that you had the faith to stay! God bless!
What a great post – so happy I read this today! Lately, I’ve been using business as an excuse for a lot of things but what caught my attention was your direct request. I’d forgotten that when in a relationship with God it is possible for such cries of help! Thank you.
I am learning that I can be invol;ved in the business of ministry and still miss the fruit of the harvest. This very nearly happened with this opportunity. What I needed to do and neglected to do was involve God’s supernatural move. What a tragic mistake to make as a minister of the gospel!