Ministry is much more than what happens on Sunday mornings. The last few weeks of ministry have been challenging but amazing. I thought I would take some time to share some of my stories from the front lines. Of course, I am not the only one serving at Covenant Grove – so these stories could be multiplied many times over. God is on the move, and it is such a blessing to follow Jesus sacrificially.

Here are some of my ministry stories from the last few weeks:

• A young woman gave her life to Christ in November. She wrote that she had been wrestling with the Lord, and she finally chose to surrender to God’s love.
• My daughter invited six people to the Middle School Overnighter. She is finding her voice for evangelism – and my wife Hannah and I are so happy.
• I have prayed at City Hall and met with our State Representative. I thank God for this chance to be involved in our community.
• There is a young couple in our church who just got married. The woman grew up in church but didn’t have a good experience. The man grew up in a different religion but is interested and has questions. I got to talk with them on Sunday, and we met for coffee, talking about faith and questions for over an hour. It was really exciting.
• God is growing our ethnic diversity, with many of our visitors who are coming. This is a huge answer to prayer, and living out the vision of Revelation 7:9.
• I talked with someone who had a powerful experience at Women’s Retreat. She said, “God set me free. I don’t have to live up to other’s expectations.” She had a huge smile on her face, and she has been helping a co-worker who is struggling.
• I met with a high school student who has been resistant to God. He calls church “religion”, knows it is true, but sees it as boring and irrelevant. We had a breakthrough at our meeting on Sunday, and he realized that Jesus is a Savior, and he needs forgiveness. We need to talk more, but this is a big first step!
• I served at the Gospel Mission with my Life Group last month, and I got to talk with a young man who had been on cocaine for years and estranged from his father. He has been clean for over a month, he has recommitted his life to Jesus, he is in the program at the Gospel Mission, and he has reconnected with his dad. The young man even invited himself to our church!
• I talked with an older man who has been coming to our church for months but just filled out a card this week. He shared much of his life with me on the phone. He has had heartache and hurt, but he has walked with Jesus through it all. He asked some great questions about our church, and feels that this is the right place for him and his grandkids. It was a great call!
• I talked with a young man in his 20s who has made some bad decisions and is going through a lot. He had been into drinking, but has given it up and is now in AA. He has come to our church a couple of times and needs a lot of encouragement. We talked for over 20 minutes, and I got to pray with him. He was on the verge of tears many times in the conversation, and I am praying that he continues to come to church and get plugged in.

There are more and more stories, and these are just some of what God is doing in people’s lives. The mission of our church is, through the power of the Holy Spirit, to transform religious and irreligious people into Fully Devoted Followers of Christ. It is happening!