ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (ANS) -- Having a relationship with the Lord turns ordinary days into extraordinary ones.

That’s what Joy Junction Homeless Shelter Resident Services Supervisor Joseph Taylor found, when a few days ago he was sitting on his back porch spending some precious quiet time with the Lord.

Joseph said the Lord gave him the words, “A Call to Prayer,” and a vision of a cross full of people in need.

Scheduled to teach the Wednesday evening service at Joy Junction that day, Joseph immediately realized that the Lord wanted to do something very special. With that in mind, he began to further pray and meditate on what the Lord had given him. A few minutes later he saw a cross filled with ribbons and bookmarks containing the names of loved ones around the world in need of prayer.

Joseph was very excited as he saw the evening service begin to take a form he hadn’t ever envisioned.

A little while later, Joseph called Joy Junction Senior Resident Services Supervisor Lisa Woodward and asked her to have the 10 foot cross we have stationed outside the doors of our main building brought inside to the area where we held services. The reason being, Joseph explained, was because the Lord wanted to give a special gift to those who would be attending the upcoming evening service.

Joseph’s preparations continued. He went to the dollar store and bought several yards of ribbon. Joseph remembered that there were already a number of sheets of bright florescent card stock at Joy Junction.

Joseph enlisted help, and his volunteers cut and punched holes in the ribbon and card stock. They then more than 50 finishing nails into the cross on which the prayer requests could be hung.

As the day continued, Joseph said he became more and more excited about the upcoming evening service.

Joseph said, “The Lord had filled me with a gift I could not wait to share with all who would receive it.”

Continuing the preparations, Joseph said, “We put a table just inside the main entrance and filled it with Bibles, blank ribbons, and bookmarks. We placed the cross a few feet away.”

Now almost ready, Joseph said he recruited a handful of shelter residents to assist him during the service.

Joseph said, “I explained that they were to offer a Bible to anyone who didn’t have one, and then ask everyone to fill out a ribbon or a book mark with the name or names of anyone they believed needed prayer.”

Joseph explained that those needing prayer could be family members, or anyone in need who the Lord had placed on their hearts.

As residents began arriving, they looked at the cross and table in fascination. Joseph said, “The Bibles began to disappear from the table just as the cross became colorfully full of hope for those in need.”

Joseph began a teaching on prayer. He reminded everyone there about the number of times prayer is mentioned in the Bible and how much the Lord wants to answer our prayers. All we have to do is ask. He told the attentive congregation that prayer is nothing more than a simple communication with our loving Heavenly Father, and telling Him our deepest and most heartfelt needs.

In the closing moments of the service Joseph asked those who wanted to come to the Cross, and take as many bookmarks or ribbons as they wanted.

He said, “I asked everyone to put the prayer requests in their Bibles, and pray for that need each morning (or whenever) they opened their Bibles to read.”

Joseph said there was a quiet undercurrent of spiritual excitement that special evening. He said that a number of people didn’t want to wait to pray but wanted to spend time with their Heavenly Father right then.

He said, “The overwhelming Spirit of prayer captured many at the cross, and tearful cleansing prayers went up right there as many asked for prayer.”

Joseph left work a few hours later his heart warmed and encouraged by the goodness of the Lord. He said, “I rested well that night, knowing so many were touched by the Lord and through prayer many more would be reached. God is so good in the way He takes such simple acts and makes such a profound impact on the lives of so many.”

However, as Joseph drifted contentedly to sleep that night basking in the love of His Heavenly Father He wondered when the Lord would speak to him again in such a manner.

“Well,” he reflected, “that’s up to Him.”

My Take

I so appreciate Joseph’s sensitivity to the Lord, and His willingness to be obedient to Him that special evening. We won’t know its full effects until we meet Our Lord in Heaven.

While Joy Junction is known for meeting physical needs, the most important thing we can do for our residents is to tell them about the love of Jesus Christ and offer them the hope that comes from having a relationship with Him.
 

Jeremy Reynalds is a freelance writer and the founder and CEO of Joy Junction, New Mexico's largest emergency homeless shelter, http://www.joyjunction.org He has a master's degree in communication from the University of New Mexico, and a Ph.D. in intercultural education from Biola University in Los Angeles. His newest book is "The Face of Homelessness." Additional details are available at http://www.HomelessBook.com. Reynalds' latest book is "We All Need a Little Help." It was released on October 3 2008. He lives in Albuquerque, New Mexico. For more information contact: Jeremy Reynalds at jeremyreynalds@comcast.net. Tel: (505) 400-7145.