In the presence of the Holy

The other day I drove 10 miles to go back 50 years, and I am more the better for having done so. I spent a couple hours in the presence of a Holy Lord, or at least in the presence of my 86-year-old aunt who is as close to Him as anyone I've ever been privileged to be around.

She has served Him since she was a young woman, served Him in Kansas City, served Him in Meridian, Miss., served Him in the Virgin Islands as a missionary, served Him in churches and serves Him today in an assisted living home, taking in persons who need prayer and acknowledge it.

She prayed for me, my ministry, my church for some 15 minutes or so, tears forming and rolling down her deeply ravined face like melted snow roaring down a spring mountain.

It is good to be reminded that we are not all we can be, that we are not the be all and end all to it all, if you know what I mean. I was in the presence of so many wonderful people at the conference I attended, great preachers, theologians, leaders.  Despite the presence of all those powerful and wonderful leaders, I was perhaps moved most by a gentle old lady who loves The Lord like He was sitting there with us in a little 10 by 12 room, one small TV, a recliner, a very small couple chairs.

It led me to reason again about the intricacies of the faith.

A conference of 744 churches and the most powerful man in Methodism today versus one lady who just wants to remember all the lives she helped change by the power of her God.

This morning, I read this devotional: "And this is my prayer: that your love may abound more and more in knowledge and depth of insight,so that you may be able to discern what is best and may be pure and blameless for the day of Christ ..."

I know no one more ready for the day of Christ than my aunt. No one. 

I would hope that one day I could see that I've made a very small impression on the world, but I suspect that will never happen. Other than prison work, I've never seen that kind of change in persons where one day they were non-believers, the next they believed. Conversion, strangely warmed hearts, you call it what it is or might be ... I've not seen that in many persons -- taking myself out of the equation.

But when I listen to the stories of my aunt, I hear of dynamic conversions. 

God works in the way God wants to work, I suspect.