The Emmaus Training Incident

What an amazing spring morning here in Kentucky. It sometimes feels spring is just not going to come.  You get some hints of it in February, but it’s also the month when you get the biggest snowfalls.  The day after the tornado hit Menifee County and West Liberty, we were on the ground in Wellington, KY, and it snowed.  That was March 3^rd.  Just demoralizing.  But this morning, it is absolutely beautiful in central Kentucky.  I know my neighbors thought I was crazy because I was walking down the street listening to music and praising God.  It has been made clear to me that the Lord really brought me through a rough season, where I was more stressed out than I thought I was. But He has brought me into a season of renewal: mental, physical, spiritual.

I am still being greatly blessed reading through the Bible. I even liked reading the first 9 chapters of 1 Chronicles.

On Saturday morning, it was great to see the church parking lot full.  Lots going on.  I was there for training for helping lead our next Walk To Emmaus.  Trinity Hill is heavily involved in that movement, and it has paid dividends.  KFitz is doing a great job leading it.  We were previewing the talks we give.  David Hollingsworth and Adam Davis did great. We were just there to preview, but I got a lot out of their talks, some spiritual blessing, hearing what they had to say.

One time, in a prayer meeting at the Rock La Roca, a mission church I pastored on the north side of Lexington, the Holy Spirit fell on us, and we were speaking in tongues. A young woman named Jennifer had one of the interpretations, “you must love them like your own children.”  Every once in a while, that memory comes back up.

And it did at the Emmaus training.  A fellow walked in needing some help.  He was pretty happy to find a church open and full that early.  Jay Whaley and I stepped outside to talk to him, pray with him, and see what we could do.  The fellow really has some issues, some developmental and psychiatric issues.  He needed a little help getting across town, so he was asking for bus fare.  I had to admire his hustle; he said he was asking for prayer, but any other help we could give would just be a little extra.

We prayed for him and gave him some cash.  It was more than the carnal man wanted to part with, but Jennifer’s interpretation of the Spirit’s message so many years ago came back to me.

But I also knew my heart had been tendered by an amazing gift.  Out of the blue, some dear friends contacted me and said they had been particularly blessed, and wanted to share some of that with me.  I told them that I get paid too much already, but if they wanted to bless me, I would use it for training in discipleship and multiplication of disciples and churches.  They sent $5,000.

Thankfulness for my blessings opened my eyes and heart to a man’s needs.  And I thought to ask, what if he were my son and needed help from strangers?