Sunday, July 28, 2013

PEOPLE OF THE TRACKS


In my prior blog  “A tribute to Linda…Life Matters” I shared the true story of two lives that by the worlds standard seemed insignificant and quite ordinary. Shortly after, I received an email from Linda telling me how she and Al enjoyed hearing their story.  What I didn’t know about Linda is that she literally sacrificed her entire life, family and health for the “People of the Tracks”.  This “unknown” woman has lived her life doing extraordinary work in the ordinary of life.   

Do you remember the movie Civil Action starring John Travolta? It was a true story about a water contamination legal case in Woburn, Massachusetts. This is the exact town where Linda has been ministering to the homeless who lived by the train tracks all year round. 

Linda asked me if I could share the story of Captain Tom. He was another one of her homeless friends who always wore a captains hat, which is why he was known in the community as Captain Tom.  

Captain Tom like Al was another tormented soul that sailed the greater part of his life with a liquor bottle in this hand.  He might have started his journey differently than the others at the tracks but he eventually ended up at the same destination. It is told that Captain Tom was a “functioning” alcoholic able to work and be drunk at the same time.  He was familiar with the people of the tracks and lived a life of denial thinking he would never end up at that address.  As time passed his addiction consumed his entire life and he like the others had to dock his boat at the port of the train tracks.

For many years Linda witnessed to Captain Tom never missing an opportunity to tell him about the love of Jesus.  Week after week Linda invited him to church and finally one Sunday he hesitantly came along. The Lord touched Captain Tom and a seed of belief was planted in his heart.  He didn’t change he continued his life of addiction and approximately 15 years after that seed was planted Linda witnessed the fruit of her labor.  


Captain Tom ended up in a wheelchair when one day Linda saw him wheeling himself into the liquor store.  To his surprise Linda went after him and said, “Tom come to church with me the Lord does not want you drinking”.  

Eventually Captain Tom was so sick he lived his remaining years in elderly housing and Linda would visit him frequently. She would tell him how much the Lord loved him and she never quit inviting him to church. Until one day Captain Tom said if you cut my finger nails I will go to church with you. Of course, Linda was happy to fulfill his request.

Sunday came and as he sat in church he wept the entire service. The Pastor turned to him and said,” Sir, are you saved”? He looked at Linda and said, “What is he talking about?” Linda, said “Tom have you accepted Jesus as your Savior”?  That Sunday, Captain Tom received Jesus as his Lord adding his name to the Book of Life like many of the other “people of the track”.

A couple of weeks later Captain Tom was admitted to the hospital and Linda spent hours praying with him and assuring him he had nothing to fear.  As he laid in that hospital bed ready to cross into eternity he tightly held Linda’s hand as she told him about the beautiful journey he was going to embark. That night Linda received a call that Captain Toms soul had sailed across the horizon to be reunited with the many other "people of the track” that came to receive Jesus.

 I pray these stories have deepened your view of the value of a human soul as they have mine. For we serve a merciful God.

  Let’s us remember the words of King David in Psalm 136:

Who remembered us in our lowly state,
     For His mercy endures forever; And rescued us from our enemies,
    For His mercy endures forever; Who gives food to all flesh,
   For His mercy endures forever.
Oh, give thanks to the God of heaven!
    For His mercy endures forever.




Tuesday, July 23, 2013

A tribute to Linda... LIFE MATTERS

 
Have you ever gone down memory lane and wondered about people who have crossed your path? Years ago my husband and I worked for a large church in New England and as you can imagine we met a multitude of people of every walk of life.

In a split second my husbands says,  “I wonder what happened to Al? Al was a local homeless man in our community an alcoholic and to be frank he hardly looked human.  He and many other homeless men and women where brought to our church services on a weekly basis by a precious lady named, Linda.  I can remember thinking Linda herself fragile and sickly seemed to be as needy as those she helped. In spite of her own ailments Linda faithfully week after week brought food and clothes to these souls and she spent her time talking and praying with them. Many times we would be working when Al would walk through the door crying broken and completely overtaken by his addiction.  He didn’t come looking for money he would weep and say Josh, pray for me.

At least 13 years have passed and we were able to get word about Al’s life. He is sober and walking with JESUS. When we heard the news we both cried, saying life matters to GOD. His mercy and loving-kindness extends to all who will embrace it.  Of all the homeless that where brought to our church Al is the only one living.

Praise the Lord for Linda she is one of those anonymous servants that no one will ever know of all the beautiful works she has done for her Lord. I can’t wait for eternity to see the rewards she will receive when she sees the Master face to face. I pray to be in the sidelines gazing upon that great day rejoicing with all the souls that entered the kingdom of heaven because of her faithfulness. 

Life matters to God and like Him we need to be patient  sowing seed into every Al we encounter because as wise King Solomon said in Ecclesiastes 3:11 Yet God has made everything beautiful for its own time. He has planted eternity in the human heart, but even so, people cannot see the whole scope of God's work from beginning to end.

Tuesday, July 16, 2013

TO THE CHURCH AT MARANATHA, FRANKLIN TN


Have you ever read a book where it wasn’t until the fourth or fifth chapter that the story really began? It's the portion of the book that starts to grip you and you don’t want to put it down. There is such beauty contained within the chapter that you read it several times over to assure your heart, mind and every fiber of your being has grasped the gems within its pages. 

Our church Maranatha has taken the endeavor to understand the book of Revelation from a multifaceted perspective. We have learned world history and how it is interwoven with this end time message. We have learned the Greek meaning to significant words in order to understand the context in which Jesus was speaking to the churches. The journey has been nothing but spectacular.


As we reached Revelation chapters 4 and 5 it’s as if the LORD has spoken to us and said “Come up here”, the throne room reality suddenly is becoming our reality. We as a fellowship just like John  have fallen at His feet as dead.  There is this overwhelming sense for many of us as we gaze into the Throne room that nothing else matters, that our desires, our hurts, our impossibilities melt like wax at the Fathers greatness. There is no earthly language that can express the grandeur of our Heavenly Father and what He has done in and through His Son Jesus Christ.  I know of several who have come to me and said my mind cannot comprehend it all; but all I can do is weep. What is happening? I would say the Throne room has caused us to stop and examine ourselves and our response is that of Job:

I have heard of YOU by the hearing ear, but now my eyes see YOU.  Therefore I abhor myself and repent in dust and ashes. Job 42:6

The beauty of repentance knitted with pray is now telling the story of what God has done and will do with us at Maranatha. Yes, HE is calling us back to our first love. There is no other response than to join the living creatures, the 24 elders and sing the new song saying:

You are worthy to take the scroll and to open its seals, because you were slain, and with your blood you purchased for God
persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. You have made them to be a kings and priests to serve our God,and they will reign on the earth. Rev 5:9-10

Thank you Maranatha Fellowship for your endurance and love for the WORD of the LORD.

In Him,
Jeannette