Stories from all over our city & beyond

I gave the ornament to my step daughter telling her it was the greatest gift I could give her. Coincidentally she needed an ornament for her Christmas tree in her new home.

On the Sunday when the messy cross ornaments were given out, I immediately knew who I wanted to give mine to, but I wasn’t sure how to do it. It took me several weeks and prayer to decide to give it as part of a grouping of Christmas gifts and a thoughtful note.

In the note, I thanked my friend for being brave in the past year by being transparent and sharing their “messy” life with me and I explained what the messy cross means to me: hope that God will take my messiness and turn it into something beautiful.

On the day I was able to meet them, they were still at work and having a rough day. I left the gift along with a hug and later received a text that the gift touched them so much they cried.

Thank you for a practical and beautiful tool to get us thinking about creative ways to share the love of Christ.

My friends and I had a Thanksgiving party and invited refugee friends we’ve been building relationships with. We had a time when everyone could share what we are thankful to God for. I got to share a story of a time when God used the message of Romans 8:1-2 to take away my shame and give me joy in Jesus! Then we spent time praying together.

We had a FaceTime conversation with […] former special ed teacher who he LOVED and we loved, about some schooling options for him going forward. Towards the end, I told her that she was literally an answer to prayer because the day before I contacted her, I had had a really hard day due to all of […] challenges, and I had been crying to God, “I need your help… I can’t do this on my own.” He had interrupted my thoughts with “trust me” and I felt more of a peace. The next morning, it occurred to me to reach out to her, and she said she’d love to talk (we hadn’t had a conversation about […] with her since she left his school 1.5 years ago). She had been God’s answer to my prayer for help! She was really touched when I relayed all of this to her, and I told her I was so thankful for her time and help, and I couldn’t imagine what I could do to return the favor and help her, but if she ever needs prayer for anything, I would love to pray for her. I realized after the fact that I should have asked her what I could pray for her about right then, but I will reach back out to her!

My home is a divine platform. My husband is Muslim and my adopted daughter is an atheist. I get to share Jesus with them frequently at home and it is great training for how to talk to people who’s beliefs are vastly different from your own.

I’ve found that the dog park is a great place to meet people and start conversations. This park especially has lots of people who stay for quite a while. I have met other Christians there and heard about their ministries. I met a man who used to be pastor and now is believe all roads lead to God. I also formed a friendship with a young woman who grew up in the Orthodox church but has past church hurt. We have been meeting up and I have gotten to continue our conversations about Jesus and share how sorry I am for her past experience.

Faith Discussion with fellow believer (client co-worker) aligned with Genesis 15 sermon hours earlier. God can handle all doubts!

Had a great conversation at work today! I have a new Muslim coworker (as of last week), and I was talking to him and two of my (nominally Christian) coworkers. Somehow we got on the topic of his halal diet (my coworkers were unfamiliar with it and were asking), and we got into a long discussion about the Bible vs the Quran, how we each pray, what each of our end time prophecies are, how Muslims get to heaven vs how Christians do. My Christian coworkers still seem to think I’m surely “Christian enough” to get to heaven so I was able to re-emphasize how much I actually don’t deserve to go to heaven and that I need Jesus. We even talked about what the Quran says about Jesus vs what the Bible says! This conversation started right before lunch and lasted til we realized it was 1 p.m. and should probably eat something/get to work. Everyone was cool with the conversation and all asking questions. I’m hoping this opens the door to future conversations but am seeking wisdom from God in not overdoing it because I’m so excited about this!

I popped in the grocery store last night for baby carrots. It was late, and the store would be closing soon. When I got to the checkout the cashier was immediately very friendly. I got the impression he really just wanted to talk. For once, I wasn’t in a hurry, and there was no one waiting in line behind me, so I made the conscious decision to settle in, listen, and respond.

His name was […], and he’s originally from Israel. We talked briefly about the war going on both there and Ukraine. He asked me about my family, and was surprised when I said we’d been married 15 years but our daughter was only 2 years old. I told him that we thought we couldn’t have children, but God gave us a miracle. He gave a big smile and said congratulations. He told me about his nephew who is a little over a year old and is teething. As I walked away, he said he hoped that I would bring my daughter next time so he could meet her. It was a really sweet chat, and I only wish I had thought to offer to pray for him before I left.”

Here is the reply I got from the person I had talked to about Jesus and recommended the book Jesus Calling…her father is very depressed and contemplating suicide:

“Good morning Marc,

It was certainly a pleasure meeting you as well. I left our conversation feeling more empowered and determined.

I appreciate you sharing your story and also recommending that book.

My father was receptive and appreciates the encouraging words. He seems to be in better spirits today so I’m hoping it continues.

I will certainly keep you posted!

Stay Encouraged!”