Instant pudding...Instant Tea...Instant me...????

It was a dark and rainy night... - Oops, that's another story.

Ah yes, it was a sunny Sunday afternoon - perfect for commencement exercises. Our church is the parent organisation for a small Christian school. Each year since we arrived here to pastor the church, I've helped the administrator to get things ready. Usually I'm tucked down in the kitchen, receiving and setting out the food for the reception afterwards.

This year, I helped Ella Mae by making corsages as well since I used to work in a flower shop. No problem. But I should have known something was up when she came to me a week before and asked me to sing because she didn't have any students who wanted to do it. No problem. I sing in church. I can handle this too.

Sunday afternoon, all the graduates lined up in the foyer to march into the sanctuary, but Ella Mae was pacing in front of the door. Where was the speaker, she wondered? Uh-oh. Five minutes passed, ten...still no speaker.

She asked several people she knew if they could fill in on a moments notice. Sorry no takers. That's when she turned to me and said, "Well, it's either you or me - and they've heard me all year."

It was 1:55. No time for note gathering. Not even any time to panic. Okay Lord - this is an exercise in trust! "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Right?
Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. 2 Timothy 4:2

I've never thought of myself as being "instant" anything. I have to take days to prepare each time I speak somewhere, and even then I PRAY a lot. My knees start knocking when I get up in front of people and at least til I get started, it is SCARY.

But not yesterday. Yesterday, I had a lesson in God's grace and was able to share and I hope challenge the students to look for opportunities to serve, to prepare for those open doors and to walk through them in God's strength.

Boy! God sure is good!