Ministry

Now HarleyDad sometimes watches television on Sunday and he see well-known men and women proclaiming their great ministries. I am not impressed, and I do not think God is much impressed either. In fact, He may not be terribly enthusiastic about how the name of God is bandied about--yea even in this blog. After all, God can speak for Himself.

The reason that I am not impressed is because of Brokerbelle. Brokerbelle has a ministry. Now as I understand ministry, this is the way it goes. God gives you something that you must give to someone else. You did not have this thing or gift yourself. It belongs to God. You are only a trustee. You pass on the benefits of this gift to another. By doing this, God gives you an opportunity to have a small part of his work on earth-but only if you give it away to someone else.

Now, that is the way that ministry works. Further there all all sorts and kinds of gifts. God would probably not give all of his gifts to one child-just as we would not give all of our gifts to one of our children for Christmas. We split them up. Make them share so no one gets too "big a head."

The child does not buy the gifts. To the extent the child shares, the child is like the parent who gave the gift. Now Paul of Tarsus knew about gifts and he wrote about them in various places like in his writings to the Romans and his first writing to the church in Corinth.

Back to Brokerbelle. Many years ago a woman came to Brokerbelle (a woman who did not even particularly like Brokerbelle) and told her that God had said to her as this woman prayed that a woman attending the meeting that night who wore lilac pants would have a ministry to women. Guess who the only woman was that was wearing lilac pants that night was. You got it. It was Brokerbelle. Now I have lived with this woman for 37 years now and she has seen almost everything. But I gotta tell you-she got the ministry. No, she doesn't speak and she doesn't write books--it just happens. And yours truly, HarleyDad, gets a ring-side seat.

Now I thought the ministry was just to women-but it kinda gets loose and and happens to almost anyone. I guess God is no respecter of persons. I have seen her pray for Highway Patrolmen, yardmen, prisoners, and assorted youthful miscreants. Nobody is safe! Notwithstanding this, the ministry is still primarily to women.

Here is how it seems to work. Brokerbelle does her thing. She goes to church, but quite frankly the ministry seems to work almost better at the grocery store, at the hair dresser, at the grocery store. I suspect it is somehow connected to Brokerbelle's credit card-but can not prove it. Ha!

Women wherever they are ultimately want to talk to her about things. Now I don't know what these things are because I am not part of the conversation, and Brokerbelle does not tell me. And I am not sure I want to know either. They come to her after church. Princess Belle and I are always prepared to and happy to wait a little while for these conversations. They most of the time end up being on something spiritual and sometimes there is some prayer-where together they talk to God. Now I can see what is going on in most instances-although I do not hear it. My ministry must be waiting-but the Good Book says that those who wait upon the Lord renew their strength. Well, I suspect, waiting on the gifts of the Lord coming through Brokerbelle can not be a totally lost proposition. So Princess Belle and I are happy to have some down time while God and Brokerbelle go to work.

Well, over the years I have seen her work with alcoholics, work with young girls, work with wounded and hurt women and lots of others. Now I know that there are other great women out there doing God's work and moving in their ministries. But I tell you-try to do this raising four kids. Try to do it when you are fighting a battle with a family member totally in drugs for fifteen years. Try to do it after seeing 4 to 5 child-custody fights for your granddaughter, try to do it when your husband has a 60+ hour week job and travels all over the world and is not a particularly easy person to live with. Now that takes some doing. That must be ministry in overdrive. I ride on a Harley mo-ped. She is on the spritual Road-King.

So when the Sunday morning TV comes on-and I see both male and female ministers talking about all that God does through them, HarleyDad is NOT impressed, not one little bit. HarleyDad is married to one of those people that have the "ministry" and she never took one nickle. She gives money away-instead of pleading for it.

I am reminded of an old World War cartoon by Billy Maudlin, that showed the soldier Willy and his friend sitting in the mud watching a group of new troops come to Europe. Willy says, "Nows there some real troops!" Well, that is the way it is here in the Wilderness. HarleyDad has seen first hand real ministry-So he is not too impressed with those fancy T.V. ministries. He has seen the real thing in Brokerbelle.

Safe Riding !!
HarleyDad