Playing Frisbee with Jesus

I ran into a friend today who was with one of his developmentally disabled clients, a guy we'll call Alex. Alex kept saying over and over again, "Want to play frisbee? Want to play frisbee? Want to play frisbee?". He has pretty severe OCD among a suite of other serious mental issues. But when I said that I didn't have a frisbee, Alex took off his hat to use as a frisbee. And we "played frisbee" for a few minutes, throwing his hat back and forth.

He was just bursting with joy! Huge grin on his face! Alex was so happy and also super intent on the simple game.  It seemed to be a sacred time for him.  

My friend said that Alex will be talking about this for days. And in a strange way, I got a huge joy out of it too. As if God were present, enjoying the action, thrilling in the joy as much or more so than Alex. In a manner that is difficult to explain I felt that I was playing frisbee with Jesus.

This is another "chicken suit for the soul" moment. Using the lowly, seemingly useless stuff of the earth for a blessing in somebody's life. In this case a knit hat that became a frisbee.  

The calculus of God's kingdom is not the same of this world's. Because today I experienced this equation:

2 minutes + 1 hat = HUGE joy

We have so much stuff, are often overwhelmed with blessing, that we commonly loose sight of the value of the things around us. We tend to focus on what we don't have and so always walk around with a deep sense of need.  Who knew that chucking a hat a few times would purchase days of joy for somebody?  And not just Alex. But me too. And I sensed that Jesus was present and smiling big.   

Jesus taught that even giving a simple cup of water can have eternal value (Matt 25:34-46).  Is throwing a frisbee hat much different?  And what else can be used for God's glory?  But lately I'm thinking that perhaps that's even the wrong question. Maybe the right question is, which tiny speck or insignificant morsel of his creation can't be used for God's glory?

How much do we need to remember that the Almighty God of the Universe powerfully uses the perishable stuff of the earth for blessing, and some of that blessing will last for an eternity!  Even the very little stuff we do have, or stuff that is everywhere and all around us always,  can be multiplied by the Creator a thousand  fold.  Loaves and fishes style.

At Pastor Grant's suggestion I've been reading Jean-Pierre de Caussade who teaches that God is ever present in each moment (his book "The Sacrament of the Present Moment" is a game changer). But I also get the sense that God is also always at the ready to partner with us as we use even the simple things of this earth to magnify His glory and bless others way beyond the typical earthly value. 

So was I playing frisbee with Jesus?  Perhaps. If so, why not hacky sack with the Holy Spirit? Or flag football with our heavenly Father?  Mark Driscoll, Pastor of Mars Hill, talks about eating chicken wings to the Glory of God.  And why not?  I think Driscoll is exactly right about that.

So let everything we do, in word or deed, all be done in the name of the Lord Jesus (Colossians 3:17).

Have you ever had a similar experience?  Ever seen something simple used for great purposes? Ever seen God use something ordinary in an extraordinary way?  Do tell!

A Visit with Dori

A few days ago I heard that the office cleaning lady who used to take care of my work place was in the hospital. A friend called to give me the news and so I thought, admittedly with a tinge of stupid pride, that I could visit her and give her some degree of comfort. She's 84 and had a serious heart failure, and I didn't know what to expect.

When I got to the hospital today she didn't know who I was immediately, but then when I told her where I worked, her eyes lit up, she sat upright in the bed, dragging tubes and wires from her skin and bones arms.

She knew who I was from my desk that she cleaned for years. How many times did I pass her in the hallway at work, I'd be polite but never took the time to get to know her or move deeper than "Howzitgoing?" in our short conversations. But when I told her what desk I was in she said, "Oh, you're the one who had the divorce!" Yes, that's me I confirmed. She told me she knew something was wrong in my life because my desk changed. And at 79 years old, cleaning an office, she started praying for me. I had no idea. For years she's prayed for me and my son. For years. Through one of the darkest periods of my life, Dori has been praying for me. In the isolation of her room, she bent to her knees before God, for me when I was laid flat with my world upside down.

I was able to share with her today that my life is so blessed now, that I've emerged from darkness to become a guy so thankful for God's countless blessings in my life. Dori pumped her fist in the air, shocking me with her energy and praise to Jesus. Her wrinkled, shrunken face just beamed and burst in a huge toothy grin.

I asked her about her life. And that's when I learned that the "cleaning lady" is a towering hero of the faith. She's travelled the world 4 times over, smuggled Bibles into countries hostile to the faith, prayed with hundreds of souls to be saved, spent decades in the mission field, often a great personal risk. My jaw dropped. The "cleaning lady" is a saint. And in the work or her hands, dusting, vacuuming, emptying trash she was still in the mission field, serving Jesus, being a huge blessing, praying for me.

I went to the hospital thinking I might bless somebody, but walked away so blessed. I went to serve Dori, but she served me.

I'm pulling away some powerful lessons from my visit with Dori:

Serve God where you are with what you have to those around you.
God takes a life dedicated to Jesus and uses her powerfully no matter if it is in a remote region of the world risking her life, or cleaning a desk, or suffering from stroke in a hospital bed.

Dedicated prayer done anonymously has huge kingdom impact.
Pray for people that may never know the hours you spend on bended knee before the Father. I'm sure there will be a massive crowd that welcomes Dori into the kingdom, those she's brought before the Father in faithful fervent prayer, without any immediate reward or thanks.

In your worst circumstances God can use you the best.
Dori was literally a bag of bones, eyes fogged, teeth rotting, skin gaunt, face worn and stricken. But God was still using her powerfully in that hospital room. She said, "Well, I guess that since I can't go out to help people, God is bringing people to me so I can help them." Wow. She had every reason to be depressed and discouraged. But she was full of joy, serving the Jesus she deeply loves.

I'm amazed at Dori in a hospital bed, very sick, and poor, but still on mission. And then I'm challenged about how I'm using my health, my youth, my time, and my abundance to bless, serve and pray for others others.

How about you? Is there a Dori in your life? A living hero of the faith? Somebody you've discovered that's secretly been praying for you for years? Who will you be a Dori to?