A Dream and A Prayer

A couple of nights ago, I had a dream about a girl I graduated high school with. I was never close to this girl at all, really. I was in the band (band geek) and she was the "feature twirler." Pretty and popular. We were worlds apart. I've seen her from a distance around town here and there, but haven't spoken a word to her since high school. Even then, I can't recall a single conversation I ever had with her.

Point is, this dream came right out of the blue. I've seen her face pop up on my Facebook friend suggestion page, but, since I recently decided not to add anymore people I don't normally associate with to my list of friends, I chose not to send her a request.

Then, night before last, I dreamed about her. She was crying. I didn't know what the circumstances were, but she was worried about her two boys. She would cry and then she would smile, like she was trying to be strong and not show her pain. I woke the following morning thinking that I really needed to send her that friend request, just to connect with her and to tell her that I was praying for her.

I did that this morning. I looked on her profile tonight (which was private until she added me as a friend) and was surprised to find out that she does have two boys and from the posts I read, she is sick and undergoing some kind of treatment. The details were sketchy, but she did mention that she had recently purchased a wig, but her hair hasn't fallen out yet. I can only assume it's cancer.

That just goes to show how anytime someone from our past comes to mind, it may very well be God's way of nudging us into prayer for that person. I will continue to pray for my "friend" even though we remain practically strangers. I feel honored that God chose me to lift her up in prayer.

Crowned

This past Friday night, I went with several girls from our youth group at church to an event called "Crowned."  A young man named Matt Pitt spoke to the girls about purity and conducting themselves as the princesses they are - as daughters of the King of Kings.  He stressed, in his own energetic and comical way, how valuable we are in God's eyes. Something we all need to hear from time to time, no matter how old or young we are. It was a powerful service. I don't think there was a dry eye in the house.

Here are our girls as we were waiting to get into the auditorium. Aren't they beautiful? 

The photo above was taken during a drama they were performing during the service (sorry for the poor photo quality). I wish I had a video to show you.  It was awesome!

And here are the girls with Matt after the service.

Oops, we left out Kyla....

See why the kids love him! 

What amazes me is the tremendous gift Matt Pitt has been given to reach our youth.  He went through a period of his young life with drug and alcohol problems.  His parents found out he had a problem when they visited him in college. They promptly took him home to get help.  Then, one night in their basement, after his parents had come to the conclusion that there wasn't much more they could do to help him, his dad sat him down and gave him an ultimatum.  That very night, in the basement, Matt was led to the Lord by his father.

After that night, Matt began inviting friends to his house, to the basement, so they, too, could experience God the way he had. What began with about four people gathering in his basement worshiping together turned into a huge gathering of hundreds, if not thousands, of youth, moving from church to church to accommodate the growing numbers.

Now, this group meets at The Church of the Highlands in Birmingham, Alabama. The event is known simply as "The Basement." 

Lives are being changed. Droves of kids are being led to Christ and it's all because God has used the life of this one young man. God led Matt from a life of hopeless addiction to a life of ministry. Truly amazing.
 
We should never under estimate our trials because who knows what wonderful things God has planned as a result.

For more information on this wonderful ministry, you can visit their website here.  I've not been to a regular service before, but I plan to go with my kids over the summer. Maybe I'll see you there!

Blessings,