Sharing Christ and praying with a drunk man in Mexico.


Recently at the missions conference we held, I was tremendously encouraged by a young man, who on the last night of the event, came and sat down next to me. He struck up conversation, but it was not small talk. It was not even discussion about the upcoming trips.

His concern, the question on his heart, surprised me. It surprised me because of how selfless it was in nature.

He said something like, "How do you get refilled? You are always giving, always pouring into others, how do you get spiritually recharged?"

I can tell you that I work with some of the most incredible students in the US. They are very deep spiritually, and hunger for more. They are the aroma of Christ to me, much of the time. They empty themselves for His sake, and count on Him for refilling.

However, this is a struggle point for many.

"Empty" is often the time when the most intense struggles begin. There is a tendency to let down, and just want to put it in cruise control. Spilling into the lives of others, while very rewarding, is taxing. It takes something out of you, and there is great need at that point to get alone with Christ and be fed. If you don't, the enemy often finds inroads, or a playground that is enticing to you, when at other times it wouldn't be.

If he cannot impact you with leisure, he often attacks with difficulty. He will do anything to distract you from the incredible things God has done.

Whitney led a DiscipleNow group this past weekend. She had junior girls. Whitney has much to give and much wisdom. She truly has a lot going on.

She was so excited about her weekend and all the Lord had done in and among her group of students.

At the conclusion, when all was over and she was ready to go, her car wouldn't start. It didn't turn out to be a simple solution either. Not only was the battery dead, but there were/are other issues as well.

Fortunately, some friends from church came to her rescue. Even in this, she saw the Lord at work. One friend bought her a new battery. Another, drove out to the country where her car was idle, to find out what was wrong, and make it work again, at least until it can be fixed.

While she ended up spending the better part of the rest of her Sunday trying to get this resolved, she went through times of frustration and anguish. She very clearly saw the Lord at work, but there is still a wound from which there can be the need to lash out at the inequity of it all.

Where does one go to refill after this? How do you keep your focus true and your heart above reproach in this situation?

The answer is not complicated. For those who are walking closely with the Lord, it is apparent. You run to Him. You flee to His presence. You open His Word and get on your face, where it is just you and Him. He brings the restoration, the mending of the wound, the refilling.

Seldom do I get asked such a significant question by anyone. Truly, most of us are celebrating the moments or concerned with our own issues. To have a student take the time to make sure I was okay, was so encouraging!

He gets it. Christ in Him, brought what was needed to a tired and weary traveler! His cool drink of water, quenches my thirst, still.

dad