Heart Hope by Olga

The phone message was from one of the young girls in our church. She needed to talk. The only problem is that I was just making a quick Wal-Mart stop before heading to church to perform my job for the Recalibrate Conference. So my message back to her was she could either meet me at church that evening or we could get together anytime the next night. Now it is confession time-- I had just finished my Quarter Pounder with cheese and was exiting the store, I ran smack dab into the girl who needed to talk. I took that as a direct God intervention to my plans--a Divine appointment. We went back into McDonalds and spent the next hour talking and praying for my young friend. As I sat there, I knew that if God had planned this appointment, He would have someone else who could step in and help with the job that I was supposed to be doing at church. How often do I miss blessings like the one I experienced at Wal-Mart by not listening when God is trying to change my plans? Lord...

Thanksgiving was over and Black Friday sales had been successfully attended, so when we woke up on Saturday to a cold, gray, gloomy morning, Billy thought it would be the perfect time for a puzzle. The closet held an unopened puzzle that had been purchased for another day like this one. With 1,000 pieces, the kids quickly lost interest and went off to snuggle on the couch to watch a video while Billy and I dove into the colorful box flipping over all of the pieces while setting aside the edges to get us started. The edges went together fairly quickly setting the parameters for the rest of the pieces. There was only one exception--the bottom center piece of bricks was nowhere to be found. We figured that it would show up as we progressed. Piece by piece the puzzle began to take shape. Cars were put together; the grand stand filled with people was in place. Pieces that seemed like they were missing found a place and one by one the gaping holes were united with by linking intert...

It was the last snow of the season. In the high country, the roads were covered with several inches of the fresh white powder we had grown tired of over the long months of winter, but God had a purpose in that snowfall. A young couple had been in a fight, just one of many in recent days. Words had been said that were hurtful and cutting. The woman left the house and when she returned, regretted some of the things that had been said. Her boyfriend was no where to be found and that worried her for some uncanny reason. It nagged at her so much that she was compelled to go next door and ask her neighbor if he would go and look for the missing boyfriend.  The young man agreed, not knowing exactly where to start, but as he slid behind the steering wheel he began to take twists and turns through the desolate mountain roads. As he followed a set of lone tracks in the fresh snow until he realized that the previous driver had turned off the main road onto a hidden trail.  He decided ...

Who would ever pray “God interrupt me today?” It might seem to be ludicrous according to the world’s standards since we all have our agendas and the things we want to accomplish. Anything that is not on our “to do” list is usually met with resistance. However, when we begin to look at the interruptions as divine appointments we can enjoy the ministry opportunities that God puts in our path.  This morning when I prayed, “God interrupt me today” I wasn’t a lunatic, but instead was anxious to see what God has planned for our day. My Friday morning began like many of them do, starting off slow, but when people realized that it was the end of the week they began bombarding me with all of the things they had forgotten about earlier in the week.  Things got a bit overwhelming so when my phone rang and a friend asked if I wanted to take a quick walk around the lake, I jumped at the opportunity to get away from my desk for a few minutes and enjoy the beautiful day. Even though thi...

This morning I went to Starbucks in anticipation of meeting with a ministry leader from a particular church in the area regarding an upcoming event. I knew I should have confirmed the meeting since we both had very busy weekends with Christmas programs at our respective churches, but I hadn’t….maybe she would remember anyway. Arriving early to the crowded coffee shop I stepped into the line not knowing what surprises were awaiting me. The man in front of me was easily recognizable. Most people in the area have encountered him at one time or another since he is the “official greeter” at the Vail Valley Medical Center, Richard Norris. He insisted that I go ahead of him and although I protested thinking that he had much more important things to be doing I relented and allowed him to bless me. Then he continued the blessing by telling the store clerk that he would be buying my chai tea latte with skim milk. Once again I objected, but he for a second time was convinced to allow him to be t...