Today, I want to take a quick break from the psalms and share a story that took place yesterday. I was on my way to work and I got a familiar hankering for one of those gas station cappuccinos and a little snack. I decided that I would stop at the gas station close to my house and satisfy the craving. As I was on my way, I was listening to 89.7 which is a Christian radio station in the area. In between songs, they sometimes play snippets of messages from well-known preachers. This time, they were playing a clip from a Chuck Swindoll message. The point Chuck was making was simple. He was saying that as Christians, God wants to use us daily in unexpected ways to impact people for him. This was inspiring to me and increased my sense that yesterday was going to be a good day.

The snippet on the radio was over and in just a minute or two, I showed up at the gas station. I wasn’t expecting anything, but then, after I got my coffee, a guy at the gas station stopped me and asked if I could give him a couple of bucks to help him get some gas. After we made eye contact, he then recognized me and insisted that we knew each other. He then remembered that I was a resident adviser at the College of Charleston and remembered the dorm that I worked in during my junior year of college. His name is Tony and he was a familiar face about 12 years ago.

What are the odds that someone I knew from 12 years ago would be at a gas station in Columbia the moment I decided to swing by? I told Tony that I would help with some gas and he went out to his car. I told the lady at the counter to put $30 in his tank and she thought I was crazy, but I insisted. Tony came back in the store and when I told him the amount I gave him, he didn’t believe it. He was super grateful and we proceeded to chat a little bit. I let him know that I am the campus pastor at Seacoast Columbia and that we are launching at a new building on Christmas Eve. I got his number and after I left the gas station and got to work, I texted him the Christmas Eve information and invited him to come. We then proceeded to have a very interesting conversation through texting. He asked me if I knew the true meaning of the season. I explained to him that it was only because of Jesus that I had any hope in my life. He then affirmed the same thing and wished me a merry Christmas.

So, why do I share all that? I hope you don’t think the purpose is to toot my own horn…definitely not. I just think all of us occasionally need to be reminded of the importance of our availability to God. I felt like God gave me a gentle reminder through the radio and then I got to put the message into action. Are you available for God’s promptings? They will happen and most of the time, they will be completely unexpected. For everyone who has surrendered their life to Christ, we need to understand that we are God’s primary conduit to communicate his love to a broken world. Are you ready?