Lord Of The Garbage Dump 1/25/2015

Good Morning,

It has been a busy morning in this house thus far. It is snowing a little and the wind is howling outside. Time for prayer and then..... One pot of potato soup is done, a pot of chili is simmering and a pork loin is marinating. All that before my hot cup of Door County White Christmas Coffee.
Our church service last night was finished off with many of us going out to eat at a local diner for fellowship, What fun!

Isaiah 64:6New International Version (NIV)

⁶ All of us have become like one who is unclean,
    and all our righteous acts are like filthy rags;
we all shrivel up like a leaf,
    and like the wind our sins sweep us away.

From time to time I get asked to speak at different church events or men's outings. They must be scraping the bottom of the barrel when they get around to asking me.

What I am recalling is the first time that I was asked to speak about Jesus officially as a speaker . It was to be at in outdoor church service. I was in a small country that is very poor to say the least. I was to speak to people that were invited all week from mountain villages to attend and listen to a "word from God's man". I had just arrived the day before and was told I was speaking 5 hours before the event. Arrgh. I prayed and prayed and then prayed again. The Holy Spirit delivered an outline to speak from. What they did not tell me was that the only way the mayor of the village would allow a public gathering for Christianity was that it had to be held in the town's garbage dump. They kept referring to it as a park. When I got there and saw the dump where I was to speak I was speechless. They had a few light bulbs strung up with wire powered by a generator. There was a sound system that must have arrived to the island from a cruise ship that sunk. Rats were everywhere. My first speaking engagement! Where was the stadium? Where was the stage? Where was the basilica? Also where were the people? What an ego!

Of course you can see that I already had the wrong attitude and needed to be humbled. Reverend Billy Graham's job was still intact. But God was not done pulling me off of my man made throne. It started to drizzle with rain. I immediately went to a self serving pompous prayer. "Oh Lord I fear not the rain at all. If it is your desire let it rain buckets". I prayed this for all that were there (about 12) to hear. Ouch! It rained buckets immediately. I turned to the organizer of this grand event and said,  "well I guess we need to cancel". He replied "no, you just speak after we play some music". By this time the lightening had started to add to my fear of electrocution. That fear started when they handed me a microphone and I was standing under temporary lighting that was arcing overhead.

It was about that time when I knew I blew it. My excitement about wanting to speak for years had overcome waiting on God to ask me to speak, if at all. Now He was asking and it was not the scenario I had pictured in my mind. I prayed silently to be forgiven of my ego and unwillingness to wait on the Lord and just do what He asked whenever he asks. This was to be a mission trip of many firsts.

So the music started, my heart was fresh, my knees were trembling, the rats were staring at me and then I looked to the hills, The trails leading to the village were filled with people coming to the garbage dump to hear some music and hopefully a word from an over-rated egotistical foreign speaker.

Well I gave the message given to me through a translator in the rain. As I spoke I knew the Holy Spirit was taking control and I relaxed. God was in that garbage dump and used a garbage heap to speak.

We gave an invitation to receive Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior. Those who came forward that night were too many to count. I had put myself on a pedestal and placed myself ahead of God. Our Lord reminded me that He is the vine and we are the branches and we do nothing outside of Him. My ego had taken me off of the vine. God showed me that He will gather people where He wants to, and He will only use someone who is humble enough to do what He is told. What a lesson I learned that night.

John 15:5New International Version (NIV)
⁵ “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing.

I often read this prayer to stay humble and remember the garbage dump and what God did that night.

Lord of the compost heap.
You take garbage and turn it into soil, soil good soil, for seeds to take root and grow with wildest increase, flowers to bloom with brilliant beauty.
Take all the garbage of my life Lord of the compost heap, turn it into soil, good soil and then plant seeds to bring forth fruit and beauty in profusion. Joseph Bayly

My self righteous acts of ego and ambitions were filthy rags until the Holy Spirit humbled the owner. Only God could have performed the miracle of the garbage dump though a goofy garbage heap speaker.

Friends, God can use all of us  and He really doesn't need us. We just have to let Him say who, when, where and how.  He chooses to allow us to work with Him and see Him at work. That lesson has proved to be the best one I ever learned.

Have a wonderful day. God bless,
Marty