The other day I had to take my wife’s car to a local NTB store to replace a pair of front tires and get an alignment done. While they had her car back, I found myself in a conversation with one of the customer service reps, a guy named Tony. He had commented on how much he liked the body style of my wife’s 2004 Pontiac Grand Prix, how he had owned one of the old 70′s era GPs, and our conversation rolled on from there to other great classic muscle cars of our youth. I could tell Tony was about my age, the way he talked about cars from the 70′s through the early 80′s. In the course of talking, I found out he had been through two divorces, since he referred to “my first ex” and “my second ex”, and the cars he had owned while married to them. Tony has a daughter from one of them, and that too came up in the context of a “cool old Firebird” he had bought her a few years ago. He had a huge love for cars, specifically muscle cars, and shared how his dream would be to own an early 70′s GTO, or better yet, a Judge. I listened as Tony talked on, with no other customers in the store at the time, until he had to take a call. I walked back down the hall to the customer break room, hoping to continue a conversation with him in a few minutes. They finished my wife’s car soon thereafter, and when I returned to check out, Tony had left on break, so I drove off.
I thought about Tony on the way home, and wondered if I had missed an opportunity to share something of my faith with him. I prayed for him, that someone would share Christ with him, and that Tony would someday come to faith in Christ. I asked God, “When I am in a conversation with a person, I would like to be able to give a quick thought-provoking word from You, like Jesus so often did. Not some smart quip, just something to leave them thinking. If nothing else, help me find a way to insert a word of my testimony, what Christ means to me. Father, Help me make the most of these brief encounters with people, for You.”
I’m reminded of Jesus’ discussion with the woman at the well, in John 4. He turned the conversation so easily to the condition of her heart, by simply moving from the water in the well, to His “living water” for the soul. I would love to be able to turn conversations to Christ like that, to leave people a taste of the life and love of Jesus, so they might begin to thirst for more of Him. I guess that is what we all should be about, every day, with those we cross paths with daily.

Life has been a whirlwind since I left Hebron last month. Settling into the "new normal" has been an interesting time. God is bringing so many encouragers across my path, friends from high school and college, from previous ministries I've served, as well as current friends from across town and around the world. It's an unsettling time, seeking God's new path for me, but it's been a precious time as well, being in position to slow down and listen for His "still small voice." I see so many of my peers at my stage of life, that God has radically altered the direction of their lives and work, and sending them off new directions. Sometimes, God uses the accumulated experiences and successes of the past, and multiplies them for many to benefit from. Other times, He completely redirects us to new fields, new opportunities, new horizons, and asks us to jump and trust Him. I'm not sure which way God will lead me, But I keep coming back to this assurance He gave me in His Word, a few weeks ago-
"Now to Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or imagine, according to the power that works within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. Amen." Ephesians 3:20-21
2013 is going to be an amazing year, wherever God leads us. It will be beyond my imagination.