Rachels Ripplle Effect

I got home late tonight from shooting Arena racing. It's an indoor racing league that a friend of mine has the contract for. Heinvited me along to have some fun shooting a sport I've never shot before. It was fun, and I'm glad I got to hang out with him and some other friends.
I thought before I went to bed I'd check e-mail. I found I had a care pages update on Rachel. (the young woman I wrote about in the previous blog)Care pages is this really nice site put on by the hospital where family can update about a patients status.
Tonight Rachels husband wrote the update and it was very well done. He spoke of what Rachel meant to him and how he was crying out to God to fully heal her. He thanksed and begged the City Life community and family to have a day of prayer and fasting on Monday. He acknowledged the power in numbers crying out to God.
I never knew Rachel and Pete on a personal level. I've said Hi to them when I attended there but never had an opportunity to talk or share their story with them. What I did notice was their ability to love and be loved by their friends. That is why people were buying them Angel food when Pete had lost his job. Those kinds of stories I have shared with others about what the Kingdom of heaven looks like.
Rachel alsways had this pleasent smile on her face as she sang and worshipped on the praise team. I remember those kinds of things about her. Now as she lays struggling to stay alive in the ICU I will join Pete in praying for her and her extended City Life family.
I have had other people around my life that I never knew but they have had an impact on my life. Just like Rachel.
I guess we really don't know what kind of effect we are having on people that we don't even know. I'ts kinda scary when I think about it.
Although tonight after racing we went to a bar to get some snacks and watch the racing video that was shot. I purposely ordered and drank a beer in front of my friend who is not a follower of Jesus. He full well knows that I am. I want him to know that I do not judge him and that I am not some prude that has to abide by some set of man made rules. I want to establish a friendship with him that some day he feels comfortable with sharing his story with me. Who knows maybe I can have a ripple effect on his life!
Well need to get to bed! Have to drive to BH for church in the morining.
I need to sell a house!
Grace and Peace,
Randy

Strange Thanksgiving

Well it's Friday night after Thanksgiving. I am kicked back watching a Deadliest Catch Marathon and deciding it's about time I blogged. It's been quite a while since I blogged. But here goes.
It's been a strange Thanksgiving. Our family has been through alot of junk lately and it gets tiring after a while. I'de sure like a ciggarrette! Heck we didn't even have turkey for lunch. We had Lasagna per Michaels request.
Here is a list of what's been on our plate lately.
1. Deb had her Gullbladder out. (hopefully the soource of her pain) (besides me :)
2. My mom was diagnosed with ALS (Lou Gerrigs) nasty disease.
3. Debs sister just had brain surgery. ( everything went well)
4. Good friend callled and asked for prayer for his daughter who fell out of a moving car and fractured her skull. In ICU praying for a miracle.
5. Recieved a prayer letter from our former church letting us know of a young woman in the church that had complications after surgery and is hanging on for life.

This is the short list. Funny thing is....I'm really still thankful for so much. I'm most thankful for Jesus coming to earth. I'm thankful that I finally learned to put skin on Jesus and realize that he was the perfect example to us. He was fully human but still able to have an impact on our world.(That's encouraging!)

I think I'll top this weekend off by executing a new Idea I had tonight. I'm going to take twenty one dollar bills and find all the Salvation Army bell ringers. Give them a buck and let them tell me their stories. I'm just kinda wierd like that. Anything for a good story.
Live the adventure!
Randy