I had some nice time with the Lord before lunch today. As I was singing and thinking of how I've experience some times of wonderful worship with the body of Christ, I was excited to think of how that's what Heaven will be like--except infinitely better. What an incredible thought.

This afternoon I was looking at some photos from the field and thought of the stories behind some of the various ones. I looked into the faces of desperation--men and women whose eyes told the despair they felt. A despair none but the living God can take away! On the other side, imagine with me the joy someone experiences when they hear for the first time of a loving God and Jesus who saves--after having spent their lives in bondage to angry, unresponsive deities. This, too, was reflected in many of the photos. Pictures of men and women earnestly worshipping Almighty God, their faces uplifted toward Him. It brought back memories of my experience in India--how the way they worshipped, you would think it was only them (each individual person, for instance) and Jesus in the small, concrete one-room church. I had never seen worship quite like that! Amazing.

It is my heart's desire that ALL come to know and worship the true and living God. That ALL experience the joy of a relationship with Him. So often I think of my grandmother who still needs Jesus. And tonight I got to witness to the cashier at a nearby drugstore. I had to stop by after prayer meeting to pick up a cassette tape for when I record an interview with a staff member. He remarked that every time I come in there, I'm always joyful. I said, "Praise the Lord" and told him it wasn't me, but the Lord--that I am a Christian and have a relationship with Jesus, and I would like everyone to know Him. I asked him if he knows Jesus. He said he does. (I find many people around here will say that to you when asked, but it's hard to say for sure whether they truly do.) I asked if he had trusted in Jesus to save him. He said he had a long time ago. (But it didn't sound like he considers it a part of his everyday life now? Hard to say positively...) I told him that Jesus is always there for us to come to him. Please stand in the gap in prayer for this young man. I hope I wasn't too bold in my witnessing. My desire (as well as for each time I witness to anyone) is that the Lord would filter out anything that was not of Him--and that this individual would just see Jesus and would think about the short conversation we had, in view of eternity.