This day was filled with ministry to the men at the retreat where I was speaking. With brother Bernie riding shotgun, we had a great time of ministry and praying for the guys. I only had to wake him up twice. I’m sure it was due to his missing the car nap the day before. The day had a small snag as Bernie ended up at the Cayucos Tavern playing pool for several hours with some biker dude named Mad Matt. He started a winning streak toward the end and almost missed the afternoon session. Once again, I had to remind him to remember why we were here. "This is serious stuff, try to stay focused."
The next day came early with breakfast at the Sea Shanty where we said goodbye to the guys and headed north hoping to find more prayer opportunities. Bernie loved Cayucos so much that he wanted to tour every hotel in town before we left so he could bring his lovely bride back to stay at one of them. I allowed him to stop at one of them to pick up some info, but I was concerned that mission drift was setting in again as I could see the barracuda rising to the surface. I told him in my most authoritative voice… “Bernie, keep it short, we have work to do.” He bristled and shuffled toward the hotel entrance in his infamous super glide strut, but to my surprise, he was back in a few. As he groaned and moaned, sliding his not so nimble form into the car, he had the nerve to reprimand me about micro-managing him. I briefly reminded him about our mission, and we were on our way again with renewed focus.
As the trip came to an end, I dropped Bernie off at his house in San Ramon and offered a hug and a word of exhortation, “Maybe the next time you can stay a little more focused and I won’t have to micro-manage you. He smiled and mumbled something under his breath about not being able to finish his domino lessons 3 days earlier. Later that night I received a call from an animated Bernie. He and his Bride had gone to dinner and ended up spending three hours ministering and praying with two men they had met at the restaurant. Bernie the barracuda had struck again.
As I lay my head down that night, I reflected on our Great Central Coast Prayer Adventure.
- People rarely say no to offered prayer as long as we don’t ask at an inconvenient or awkward moment.
- If we paid more attention to those around us in our daily lives, we would experience more prayer adventures like these.
- The bridge between us sharing God’s love with others is built with kindness, a little time and trust that God will show up.
- Hey, wait a minute, Bernie prayed for several more people than I did. Maybe if I hadn’t been so busy micro-managing the barracuda, I would have had more chances to pray with people. Looks like we need another trip so I can catch up with him.
Final Thoughts: Nothing like Ministering together forges the bonds of friendship.
"As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace." Ephesians 4:3
Until we meet again on some future path, may all your adventures be meaningful.
People need your generation so deeply. They are playing their part in the great theatre yet, in reality, they are just crying out and wanting to know "yes, you are good, you are ok".