My Sweet Spot

I know, I know, I just get so busy I forget about this blog thing. I guess I haven't gotten serious enough to be disciplined about it, to make it priority. I really don't know that I often have that much worth saying.

But, a good lesson today. I am in Cajamarca with a team from GS. When I come here I try to just be like everyone else, just a servant. The Peruvians hold pastors in high regard so it's hard to be a nobody. Yesterday, the pastor at the main church mentioned that a little church up in the mountains was struggling. He wanted some of our group to go up to encourage them and asked if I would preach there (he said a "white man" in the pulpit would encourage them - guess that qualified me).

I agreed to do it, only to find out later that he also wanted someone from our group to speak in the main church this morning. My flesh immediately said, "Send someone else to this tiny mountain church and you speak at the bigger church." Fortunately, I have come to be pretty perceptive at recognizing the voice of my flesh. I have never spoken at the main church and was tempted to be jealous, but I knew without a doubt that God wanted me to go encourage these villagers.

The journey was difficult. I'm o.k. driving on mt. roads but riding in a van is altogether different. Long story short, we get there and there are six of us, eight Peruvians who went up from Cajamarca with us, and six people from this little church. They had once been 50 until there were some difficulties that caused them to close the doors months ago. My flesh began to rear it's ugly head again, "All this for six people? I don't feel like even being here. This won't work." I remembered this was the assignment God gave me today. We had a wonderful time together - the message was simply about the work God calls every church to do. It was incredible to worship and share the word with believers a world away from us (in distance and experience). At the end of the message we got to pray over two men who decided to step up and lead. We got to see the commitment of the people from the main church in Cajamarca who are going to go up weekly to help (that will mean getting on a bus at 2:00 a.m. every Sunday). It was an awesome and convicting moment to see such commitment by people who firmly believe God has called them to reach that village.

Bottom line for me: I was exactly where God wanted me today. Much as I love preaching at GS, even that could not have been as fulfilling as being in a tiny little church with dirt floors challenging six simple people who simply love Jesus; I'm so glad I went where He sent - nothing like being in the sweet spot.