Since I didn’t have to be at work until later that day, Alfred and I continued discussing the dream until 9:30. He found it encouraging too. Through our conversation, we established some daily routines:
- As much as possible, begin each day with unhurried time with God
- Talk with Him about who we know we’ll be encountering that day and ask Him to allow us, through His Sprit, to love each person, planned or not, with the same quality of love He loves us
- Be prayerfully intentional about loving and leading our families, especially our wives
- Be deliberate about being present during the moments of the day
- Don’t look past people in order to return to duties
- Continually cast each responsibility and care upon the Lord and trust Him to weed out what’s unnecessary
- Orient our lives from the fact that we’ve been raised with Christ and are, even now, seated in heavenly places with Him
- Find our joy and satisfaction in the Lord, not our circumstances and accomplishments
- See each moment from an eternal perspective, being bold to explain our hope in Christ and to announce the Lord’s great mercy towards us
A Hundred Days Later
As much as I wanted it, the dream on the packages never returned, but the impression it made has grown stronger.
Alfred and I agreed to meet weekly to support each other in our daily routines. We weren’t perfect, but we managed to have unhurried times of solitude with Father God at least five times during most weeks.
We began our times along with God by praising Him, acknowledging His presence, and listening for His guidance. Although we didn’t follow the same Bible reading plan, due to different programs in our churches, we always shared at least one impactful truth from God’s word to uplift each other during our weekly breakfasts.
Aware of whom we might encounter each day, we established a rhythm of morning prayers and spontaneous prayers throughout the day. We sought to remain in Jesus’ love, relying on the Holy Spirit to help us love others with the same depth of love He has for us.
Additionally, we encouraged one another to create margin in our lives for unforeseen chances to show God’s lovingkindness.
We extended grace to each other when we fell short and ended each time in prayer.
Alfred excelled in the practice of being present throughout the day. He endeavored to employ all his senses while performing his duties as an administrative assistant at a large law firm. Whenever someone entered his office space, be it in person or electronically via phone, text, or email, he sought divine guidance on how to fully engage and serve each “customer”. He admitted that initially, it was challenging, and there were times he went half a day without a thought of God. However, he persisted, and during those gaps He thanked God when He was brought again to an awareness of His presence. Then he resolved to concentrate on maintaining his focus on Jesus as often as he could going forward,
I was more irregular in my practice of abiding, but Alfred’s encouragement led me to increasingly and consciously surrender to the Holy Spirit of God within me multiple times a day.
Passing it On
One morning, Alfred couldn’t hide his huge grin as Tammy, our regular waitress, poured our coffee. Tammy must be the finest server in the South. Alfred and I alternate paying for our weekly breakfasts, always leaving her generous tips. As a single mother and now a grandmother, she’s familiar with our routine and usual breakfast bowls, to the extent that, by 6:30 every Wednesday morning, our table was waiting for us and our condiments already laid out.
“Tammy,” Alfred said, as she finished pouring my coffee. “Set us up for four next week.”
“Okay,” she said with a smile. “The usual?”
We both nodded. Occasionally one of us will be enticed to go with chicken fried steak, eggs, grits or hashbrowns and grilled biscuits. But that usually happened when the other was paying.
When Tammy had gone, I asked Alfred what was up with the table for four.
“Apprenticeship,” Alfred began, “What if you wanted to become a bricklayer? And you knew of a master who had been a successful bricklayer for years and years. What would you do first to learn how to follow his path?”
I thought for moment and then replied. “First, I’d want to be with him as much as possible during the workday to watch him, learning to become like him in his brick laying methods.”
“Great answer,” Alfred replied, his grin getting even larger. “Then what?”
“Eventually, I’d begin laying brick on my own doing what he did.”
“Exactly!” Alfred said, as Tammy brought our bowls and refilled our coffee. “And that’s the answer to your question.”
“What question?” I asked as I poured white pepper gravy on my bowl and passed the deliciousness to Alfred.
“Your question of why I asked Tammy to set four places next week,” Alfred answered. “You and I have been intentional about being with Jesus alone and meeting together to talk about our experiences. By the power of the Holy Spirit, we’ve sought to be like Jesus, praying for each other along the way.
“We’ve sought to follow Him as His disciples. I believe the next step in our apprenticeship is to do what He’s taught us to do to others. [2]
“I have a young man I work with who recently decided to believe in Christ’s finished work for his salvation. And I’d like to ask him to join us, if you’re okay with that.”
“Sure,” I answered. “But what about me? Who could I ask?”
“How about your son?”
[1] John 15: 9-12
[2] The concept of apprenticeship is from the book Practicing the Way by John Mark Comer, Copyright 2024 by WaterBrook Publishing.
Joy in the Journey is about the
gladness of God’s nearness in the midst of life’s adventures.
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Nonfiction books by the Author:
Because joy is rooted in God and is eternal, it doesn’t ebb and flow with the waves of circumstances. In fact, as we grow in our understanding of joy, we can even experience it more acutely when life is hard. Why? Because God uses trials to conform us into the image of Christ. With this awareness, which gives us glimpses of God’s greater purposes, we rejoice because of His masterful work to free us from needing anything but Him.
For these reasons, and many others, joy in the Lord is commanded in scripture. It’s not just a good idea, it’s vital to our journey as human beings. Rhythms of Joy
Novels by the Author:
What happens when a professor figures out how to send messages to his younger self to try and avoid the suicide of his best friend? Did he change more than he bargained for? Beyond Time
By finding two undelivered letters in a old shack deep in the woods, Cassie and Daniel unknowing set off a series of events which uncover a plot to wipe out a whole family Hope Remains
Please Check out the Cola City Podcast . Discussions that impact the vision of reaching every man, woman, and child in a city.