A Divine Appointment! (Prayer Request)

Acts 9:10-15
And there was a certain disciple at Damascus, named Ananias; and to him said the Lord in a vision, Ananias. And he said, Behold, I am here, Lord.
And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the street which is called Straight, and enquire in the house of Judas for one called Saul, of Tarsus: for, behold, he prayeth,
And hath seen in a vision a man named Ananias coming in, and putting his hand on him, that he might receive his sight.
Then Ananias answered, Lord, I have heard by many of this man, how much evil he hath done to thy saints at Jerusalem:
And here he hath authority from the chief priests to bind all that call on thy name.
But the Lord said unto him, Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me, to bear my name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel

I apologize! I took a few days away from blogging, things got real busy and I was a little lazy too! This mornings blog is a little different! I am exposing my heart and asking help in a matter that has me excited and also a little intimidated.

I believe that God has me on a certain path. God controls every detail of my life. He arranges for things to be directly in my path. People, things, provisions, places, appointments, wisdom.... I guess I could go on forever!

Ananias is one of my favorite Bible characters. He was diligently doing God's work. He was not interested in making a name for himself. He was faithful, and that was enough reward.

God has a way of showing up and changing the normal mundane into a supernatural opportunity.

I want to give you a taste of what happened this weekend and then I am going to ask you to pray earnestly for the opportunity I believe is awaiting me at Fort Benning!

This is the fourth year that my Church (Grace Baptist Church, Columbus, Ga, Dr. Jeff Amsbaugh, Pastor) has provided me with the funds to purchase watermelons. We honor the troops by giving them a taste of home on the 4th of July... American Watermelon! We managed to cut up and give away 100 watermelons.

We also use this occasion to give a "whole" Bible (KJV.)This year about 5000 Bibles distributed to the two Chapels.

It was during this weekend that God sent me two Ananias!

We have been praying that somehow the door would open for us to be able to take our "Bible Study" to the 30th Reception Station. This is the in-processing unit for soldiers coming to Fort Benning. Every soldier that is assigned to Fort Benning for basic training will process through this unit. Over 40,000 to 50,000 soldiers will or is projected to process every year. I have felt that this is a very strategic place to be able to freely present the gospel to so many.

This unit is also the place where soldiers that have some minor medical problems or can not pass physical testing are assigned to improve, so they can go forward in their training.

The first Ananias was in the form of a Chaplain Assistant. While we were taking a watermelon to the various units, God allowed us to talk about the current Bible Studies going on in this unit. I learned that there are two studies, and that the current Chaplain was leaving in about 3 weeks!. One for the medical hold, and the other for the Cadre. These take place on Wednesdays. (the best day for us to hold these if given the chance). I asked the question; "is there not a scheduled study for the soldiers that are just processing through?" The Assistant answered; "No, the Chaplain did not want to come back in the evening!" Then a second question was asked. Do you think that they would allow an evening Bible Study? I got a solid yes!

If I am keeping track, this could mean anywhere from 1 to 3 new Bibles studies!

The second Ananias was in the form of the Regimental Chaplain. I had the honor of meeting this man a couple of days ago. He is a friendly man, I believe he sees his career as a direct calling from God. (how refreshing). He came by late in the day. He was very impressed with the things we were doing. He and I got into a conversation, he asked me was there anything that he could do for me! I casually made the comment that I used to do a Bible Study in the reception station, I asked him if he thought there would be any chance for us to get it back. He stated that he would like to have lunch with me this week and we could discuss how he could use us in that capacity.

The Prayer Requests:
I am currently having a hard time with another Chaplain. Would you pray for God to intervene in my heart and or change the players in this situation. It is beginning to hinder the other Bible Studies. This is not a drastic situation, but more of an irritant.

As for the other request. I never dreamed about the possibility of an additional 2 to 3 Bible Studies. I need to be wise, and God needs to provide in many, many ways. I believe that our ministry team is ready, but this is an aggressive schedule! I need so much from God to be able to do what this will require of me. I need to be sure this is God's will for me!

I also know that when we are given this new opportunity more, and more criticism will come. I do not mind being on the radar screen, but prefer to be an U.F.O. so to speak.

The potential of this opportunity is beyond what I could think or dream. I desire to do God's will and feel like I am over my head in this! My heart says Go For It! I just do not want to jump out before God.

More Later!

PLEASE PRAY!