WAITING FOR THE LORD TO WORK

Wow! Was last week busy! Tiring but exciting.

The first thing Monday morning (I don't know how she heard about it so quickly) a reporter from a Birmingham television station called our pastor, asking to come out and do a story about our church property that had just gone on the market. The pastor was on his way out of town for an appointment, so they set up the interview for the next morning.

Then he called me about being in on the interview because I've written quite a bit on the history of the church, its founders and the community. The reporter was interested in the history because of the age of the congregation and our little, white frame building which sets across the road from our large brick facility along the main thoroughfare through the community.

The congregation had decided to put it up for sale because the loan on the new addition that was added to the brick building a few years ago, plus overhead, was eating up our finances. And we needed more money with which to do actual ministry.

The news about the potential sale had created quite a bit of interest in the community and among families who no longer attend church or have moved away. And now the news media had become interested.

On Monday afternoon a reporter from a second major television network in Birmingham called me about doing a story. She'd been unable to reach our pastor and someone had given her my phone number. She wanted to talk to both of us.

When she called, two ladies were at my house to pick up copies of my local history book and stayed to talk history and genealogy. After they left, I began trying to help the reporter reach our pastor, but was unsuccessful.

I had told my pastor and the reporter that I didn't want to be on television, but they could use the church history from my book. I also copied, for both reporters, a couple of articles I'd written with more up-to-date information on the church history.

On Tuesday morning, my pastor came by the house to pick up the information for the reporter who was on her way out with a photographer. I reiterated to him that I didn't want to be on television, especially since my hair looked a mess. I had an appointment that afternoon to get it cut.

I told my daughter what I'd told them about being on television. Then recalled the time about 15 years ago when someone suggested that I have a television reporter come out and do a story about a drama we were doing about the church history for our 90th anniversary celebration. I didn't want to do that, because I knew that as the writer and director, I'd have to be on television. At that time, I was on high doses of prednisone for an acute attack of lupus and was so puffed up from it that I looked like the little cartoon "Dough Boy" from television commercials.

"See, Mom," she said, "If you had done that, it would have probably brought lots of people to the church who would be coming there now to help with finances."

She said it in a teasing manner, but her words spoke to me in a real way.

"And I let my pride get in the way," I said. "Like I'm about to do again."

So, when my pastor called, saying the reporter and photographer wanted to come by my house and talk to me about the church history, I agreed -- messy hair and all.

Then, when he called awhile later, saying the reporter and photographer from the second station were coming out to do a story, and wanted to talk to me, too, I changed my hair appointment to
the next morning and met them at the church.

That evening the stories were on one channel at 5:00 and the other at 9:00 and 10:00. They created some excitement right away, and now we are waiting to see what happens next.

As for the rest of the busy week, there's too much to try to tell it all right here right now. There was annual campmeeting at our state campgrounds for our churches from all across the state; more people calling to order my book and talk history or coming by to pick up books and talk history; trips to doctors' offices and other medical facilities; a birthday dinner for my grandson.....

But the one thing that keeps coming back to me is a remark I made to a reporter, without stopping to think about my answer, when she asked what I think might happen next. "We don't know what the Lord might decide to do," I said.

For, as the Bible tells us, His ways are higher than our ways, and His thoughts higher than our thoughts. (Isaiah 55:9)