April 12, 2010

Saturday night, Melody and I went to dinner with Steve & Camie Bellah to “Camps” at Greenhorn Creek. We thoroughly enjoyed the food, the friendship, the laughter, and the…music!  Larry Henderson plays and sings on Saturday nights there.  I’ve wanted to go to support him and to enjoy his music, but I usually don’t stay out late on the night before worship services – I guess I am getting too old to do too much before Sundays.

Larry has become a friend, more like a brother, over the years of sharing ministry.  He has a very tender heart for the Lord and is really surrendered to Him for change, growth & maturity.  Larry always has a story about how he stepped out of his comfort zone to share his faith with someone.  He always has a word about how meaningful his morning devotional with his wife and Jesus was.  He is forever responding to the needs of his neighbors by taking them food or taking them to the hospital, whatever the need may be!  Larry would play every week at church with a servant’s heart if we scheduled him.  And he is always there on Sunday mornings before me…that’s around 6:15 AM!  I get several emails a week from him thanking me and affirming me for something – but in every way, what I’ve done pales in comparison to how high he has set the bar.

As you can tell, I really respect my friend, Larry!  So, I shouldn’t have been surprised by him at Camps.  Larry is like a traveling jukebox of pop songs from the last three decades…you name it, he can play it and sing it…never missing a word or a chord.  But as he has started becoming a follower of Christ, his repertoire has exploded with worship & praise songs.  Wouldn’t you know it, right there on the dance floor in Camps, right by the bar, as people are eating $50-a-meal dinners, Larry is singing worship songs to Jesus…unashamed, boldly, from his heart and in tune!  Talk about being salt & light!

Here is what Larry reminded me of – when we start becoming a follower of Christ, we will find ourselves presented with opportunities to be the hands and feet of Christ and privileged to meet the needs of people with hearts of compassion.  It might be through an act of kindness or it might be through a worship song on a dance floor…God only knows where that opportunity will be or who our actions affect, but we all need to know that it is time to… “START”!

Pastor Michael