Dear Cornerstone family,
I’m sitting at table 14 at Chick-fil-A on Hwy 96. This corner booth is serving the dual purpose of lunch spot and makeshift office. My grand plan is to get a little study done in between bites.
What are we eating today, you ask? A spicy chicken sandwich, a kale crunch salad, and a Sunjoy. Just enough flavor to please my taste buds and just enough good-for-you to please my conscience. Lord, bless Chick-fil-A.
Well, look-a-there! It’s my old friend, Joey Smith. Great to get an update on his life, family, and work. Glad I could steal a little advice from him about the current housing market and learn he’s benefitting from the Life at the Corner podcast. Grateful. Lord, bless Joey.
You know what—this kale crunch salad is much better than you’d expect.
Bill from New Jersey just stopped by my table. He saw my Bible and journal open and surmised I was a pastor. Is it really that obvious? He and his wife, Carol, flew down for the Dove Awards. They’ve decided to extend their trip for a few days and volunteer with Samaritan’s Purse for the relief efforts in east TN and west NC. The Lord has his people everywhere. Lord, bless Bill and Carol.
Man, a strawberry milkshake would hit the spot…better stick with the kale crunch.
A grandmother, Michelle, sits down cattycorner to me with her 10-month-old grandson, Cane. Cute kid. She’s “daycare” for him while his mom is at work. Michelle’s husband died nearly two years ago. She misses him. It saddens her to think that Cane will never know his grandfather. “He’s going to need a father figure in his life,” speaking of Cane. Indeed, he is. Everyone is bearing a burden. Lord, bless Michelle and Cane.
“Sir, do you need a refill?”
“As a matter of fact, I do. Sunjoy—half unsweet tea, half diet lemonade, please.
Checked my phone. Good grief, where has the time gone? I close my Bible and journal. I pack up my things and toss my trash. I walk out expressing my appreciation to the friendly staff, “My pleasure!”
As I make my way to the car, I recall a line from Dietrich Bonhoeffer’s Life Together where he says something like, “We must hold our plans loosely and be ready to be interrupted by God.” That’s a good word. The unplanned interruptions of life, especially the ones that include interactions with people, aren’t obstacles to ministry but divine opportunities for ministry.
Table 14 at Chick-fil-A on Hwy 96 proved to be more than a lunch shot and makeshift office. It’s a place where God interrupted me with ministry. And I couldn’t be more thankful.
Your servant,
