New Life

This is a small glimpse of the beautiful Falls Park in Sioux Falls where the author lives.  It is beautiful but it has not always been that way.  It is short distance from the busyness of the city  of Sioux Falls.  It was a hangout for those who wanted to engage in lifestyles unbefitting the norm of society.  It was filled with trash, it was a "safe" place for the homeless, it was away from the scrutiny of the city people, it was overrun with creatures who were out to scavenge for food.  It was unhealthy and unclean.  Then some people saw the falls as something that could be beautiful.  They saw beyond the unclean elements of the park. They worked diligently to uncover the beauty and pleasure that the park could offer to people.  And it became a beautiful place to behold  the natural beauty of God's  creation.This reminds the author of why she and many others make it a priority of life to reach out to those who do not know Christ.  Recently she had several conversations with an elderly man while working as a Chaplain. He was hostile, he was angry with society in general, he was grieving the loss of his wife, and on and on it went.  I looked at him and thought how much better his last days on this earth would be if he accepted the Love of God.  He was like Falls Park, hidden beauty.  I tried to approach him in that way knowing I could not change his heart as only God can do that.  Still I could encourage him to clear out some of the rubble of his life and make the ground of his heart fertile so it will accept the love of God. We had good conversations and he became more mellow as time went on.  However, as the park people could clean up the park they could not control flowing of the river or alter the rocks that caused the beautiful waterfalls.  I could help the patient with some outer issues but I could not change a heart. It is for such opportunities that I chose the road to ministry.  The author spells this out in more detail in her book, I've Always Been Rich.  The author counts each such encounter as a challenge and she notes that it is only by God's grace that she can have a conversation with patients about their spiritual life.  The book was written to encourage others to take a "risk" with their life, she did not always "do it right" and that is addressed in the book as well.  The books are  for sale at Amazon.com, Barnes and Noble.com and XulonPress.com/bookstore as well as many Christian book stores.  As always you can contact me at mjrevmom6@aol.com. Next week I will have a special Christmas price offer of the book.  Watch for it!