Walter at McDonald's

Most Sunday evenings after church we go eat at the Mac’s just around the corner from the church. Yes I know junk food and all that but as a family we enjoy it and it solves the problem of having to go home at 8-8.30pm and still make something to eat

.

A few Sundays ago we were walking back to the car, after having finished our meal. I just out of courtesy thanked the security guard that was patrolling the area. Allie then got the ‘feeling’ to give him some money to buy a cup of coffee. He thanked us whole heartedly and we continued to walk to our car. As we got to the car he came up to us and just asked if this is our car. We answered  yes and then he said he had been ‘reading’ our car and he had taken all the scriptures down and was going to go and check and see in what context they were written in the bible. Wow, great stuff. We then chatted to each other about our wonderful God and our Saviour Jesus Christ. 

He introduced himself as Walter. He is from the Shona tribe in Zimbabwe. What an amazing man of God he is. We have come to know him better from our visits to Mac’s and he just shines the light of Christ  out to the world. Always helping people and going the extra mile, doing the job that he is doing it is not easy to remain positive. We are blessed to have met him. 

See below our car, Allie likes to stick scriptures on the back window.

Bible Reading by Josh Brown and Day of Fire

Isaiah 28.16

So this is what the Sovereign LORD says: “See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; the one who trusts will never be dismayed.

Ephesians 2:19-22

Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and aliens, but fellow citizens with God’s people and members of God’s household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. And in Him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit.

Cornerstone

All other ground is sinking sand

A doubting maze of desert land

Where darkness rules the heart of man

Till the Son shines light on him

Lord of all show You’re strong

On our knees we fall

Chorus

Be a cornerstone, be a cornerstone

Be the rock, higher than I, be my fortress wall

Be a foundation for all, my cornerstone

The buildings swaying in the wind

The towers crumble down again

This certainly will be the end

Of them not built on Him

You, You are the builder of my heart

You held me together from the start

Chorus

A Tribute To My Friends

I hardly know how to put this tribute down in words ‘cause most of the time God’s grace, mercy and love shown through my friends has been indescribable….

When I accepted Jesus as my Saviour I can’t remember having any real friends. I had colleagues at work, old school acquaintances, ex-army buddies and such like ……but no friends. Oh yes and I was a ‘real friendly’ guy. Then God saw fit to bless me with friends. I soon came to realise that I did not have much of a clue of how to be a friend but God in His infinite wisdom through His Son and His Holy Spirit taught me how to be a friend. So I now have an amazing bunch of people, who accept me for who I am, support me, encourage me and teach me along this walk with our Saviour. Of course I now have the ability to do this for my friends as well. Before Christ came into my life it was just tooooooo much trouble to do any of that.

There is a small group of men who have continued to meet with each other, over a period of eight years, early on every alternative Saturday morning for fellowship and prayer. I am blessed and privileged to be part of this group. The support and encouragement that has come from this group has been incredible. We also hold each other accountable. We are not just ‘nice’ to each other but we tell each other the truth but we speak this truth in love (Ephesians 4:15).

So we have celebrated together, we have wept together , we have disciplined each other, taught each other, loved each other, we have served the body of Christ together and we have been there for each other when our loved ones have died. Oh yes we have also had so much fun together as well.

Now these friends of mine in this small band of men are no soft touches. They are rough and tough and straight talking but these attributes help us all in the group to be real and we learn how to be the husbands, fathers, leaders and men of God that we are called to be.

You see some of my friends in the pic above, most of us from the Saturday group are there and some of our sons as well……that outing was a lot of fun.

Now me and my buddies are far from perfect, we fall and we fail, we do and say the wrong things. What is really incredible is that God has given us each other to be there for one another and to remind us of our incredible Saviour when we forget about the depths of His mercy, grace and love. For that I am eternally grateful beyond what I can say in words…..even if I continued to type out this post for the next fifty years. All I can say is a humble thank you.

PS. You know the friends you have in the body of Christ will be your friends for eternity!!

Friends

Words: Deborah D. Smith
Music: Michael W. Smith

Packing up the dreams God planted
In the fertile soil of you
Can't believe the hopes He's granted
Means a chapter in your life is through
But we'll keep you close as always
It won't even seem you've gone
'Cause our hearts in big and small ways
Will keep the love that keeps us strong

Chorus:

And friends are friends forever
If the Lord's the Lord of them
And a friend will not say never
'Cause the welcome will not end
Though it's hard to let you go
In the Father's hands we know
That a lifetime's not too long to live as friends.

With the faith and love God's given
Springing from the hope we know
We will pray the joy you'll live in
Is the strength that now you show

But we'll keep you close as always
It won't even seem you've gone
'Cause our hearts in big and small ways
Will keep the love that keeps us strong

Chorus: