For the Bible tells us so . . .

I didn’t even have to tell him I was a minister. The Bible I was holding did it for me. And I didn’t even deny it when the gentleman asked. I said I was a minister-in-training. But that didn’t even matter. He heard minister and that sat well with him. I was someone who could pray for him and that’s what he wanted – Prayer. I had seen the gentleman on the Bo Henghy, the ferry that would take me to the island where I would spend the day, and noticed him watching me as I talked out the sermon I would deliver later that morning. It so happened he too was riding on the smaller fast ferry to Eleuthera. He wears the title superintendent. He’s in charge of a number of law enforcement districts around Eleuthera. He has about 160 people he’s in charge of and he wanted prayer for his continued safety. I have this thing about taking requests to pray later – I don’t like to do it. If you ask right then, why not do it right then. So I did. Right there on the boat as we prepared to head to Eleuthera. At that moment, I remembered Professor de Souza sharing how we should look for opportunities to share Christ. The funny thing about this is that I really didn’t do anything. My Bible did it for me. It opened the door . . . and I walked in.

PREPARING FOR 11 a.m.

I really didn’t want to sing. I never do, least all by myself. Remants of the proclamation from Sister Lillian telling me in front of the entire second grade class to stop singing with the rest of my classmates, still ring in my ears. She said I was just that bad. I threw the whole class off key. Words do sting and the sting is still being felt some 30 years later. So when the Lord told me that he wanted me to sing again before I went into the message, I was not happy. But I slowly walked over to the pianist and asked her if she knew the song that was ringing in my head. Sanctuary. It is my favorite and it does calm the fears . . . a little. But getting started, gets my pulse to racing and my mouth began to get dry and cakey, like I got cotton balls. But I did it, right there in front of this congregation of Bahamians. And they joined in with me. God really does give us courage to stand when we think that we cannot and like the scriptures say it is in our weakness that he is strong.