"Bryan Stallings sat in the store he managed, lost in thought. It wasn’t the phone business that preoccupied his mind. He and Amy had only been married 4 years and had enough on their plate already—two careers, six kids from two divorces, negotiating a Brady Bunch lifestyle. How can we take on anything else, Lord? Bryan prayed silently.
Yet he and Amy agreed they had to do something. They had
both tried to start ministry initiatives at the Missouri church they attended t the feeling they got was that their lives had been too
messy for ministry, and it was best left for the professionals. They
could volunteer at the info counter or serve in other ways, but real
ministry required degrees and expertise. Nobody specifically said
those words, but they got the message.That’s when it started. They had volunteered a few years earlier to serve Thanksgiving dinner for Branson’s working poor. As
Thanksgiving approached and they couldn’t find the ministry that
organized the dinner, Bryan felt a prompting. You serve the dinner.
It was that distinct Holy Spirit nudging he had begun to recognize
since starting to follow Christ five years earlier.
Bryan and his family responded and catered a turkey dinner that
fifty people attended, but they didn’t expect the ambush of their
hearts as they personally encountered the plight of the working
poor. The overwhelming gratitude people showed them, mixed
with the painful stories of families scraping by to feed their kids,
caught them by surprise. These people lived unnoticed by society,
living in run-down motels and doing seasonal work in the Branson
entertainment industry.
That day at the phone company, Bryan called Amy and both decided they had to do more. The family made sack lunches for those fifty families and delivered them that week to the motels. The next few weeks, over and over they’d hear, “Thank you so much! You know, the family in room 224 could sure use this right now too.” With that simple step of faith in obedience to God’s Spirit, Bryan, Amy, and their girls soon found themselves making 150 sack lunches a week as word spread.
Bryan’s family found it very gratifying not only to meet physical needs, but also as they befriended these forgotten people, they found God doing something in their own hearts—growing them spiritually. The word spread, and more meals were needed. Bryan and Amy began to recruit others to join them, and after a year, Jesus had multiplied that first sack lunch like the fish and loaves into 11,000 lunches assembled and delivered with love by the many volunteers they had recruited." John Burke from the Mud and the Mastetpiece
I know you are probably tired of hearing me tell you that you need to get this book but you do! This is
one of many stories John tells of the risks people take to Love the forgotten. Following Jesus' example and words! We had a chance to meet this amazing couple and some if their team last year at Vault in Las Vegas. It's amazing to hear some of their stories of how Gods love is changing lives and it all started with a feeling, a dream. Their ministry is called "Jesus was Homeless." Check them out sometime!
Their story is not much different than ours. It all started with, "We have to do something!" Will you partner with us? We need your help. There is so much that needs to be done and we can't do it alone! If you would like to get involved with ReMerge, email us at remerge@hotmail.com. We would love to hear from you!
That day at the phone company, Bryan called Amy and both decided they had to do more. The family made sack lunches for those fifty families and delivered them that week to the motels. The next few weeks, over and over they’d hear, “Thank you so much! You know, the family in room 224 could sure use this right now too.” With that simple step of faith in obedience to God’s Spirit, Bryan, Amy, and their girls soon found themselves making 150 sack lunches a week as word spread.
Bryan’s family found it very gratifying not only to meet physical needs, but also as they befriended these forgotten people, they found God doing something in their own hearts—growing them spiritually. The word spread, and more meals were needed. Bryan and Amy began to recruit others to join them, and after a year, Jesus had multiplied that first sack lunch like the fish and loaves into 11,000 lunches assembled and delivered with love by the many volunteers they had recruited." John Burke from the Mud and the Mastetpiece
I know you are probably tired of hearing me tell you that you need to get this book but you do! This is
one of many stories John tells of the risks people take to Love the forgotten. Following Jesus' example and words! We had a chance to meet this amazing couple and some if their team last year at Vault in Las Vegas. It's amazing to hear some of their stories of how Gods love is changing lives and it all started with a feeling, a dream. Their ministry is called "Jesus was Homeless." Check them out sometime!
Their story is not much different than ours. It all started with, "We have to do something!" Will you partner with us? We need your help. There is so much that needs to be done and we can't do it alone! If you would like to get involved with ReMerge, email us at remerge@hotmail.com. We would love to hear from you!
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