About 20 years ago, not too long after the Lord came into my life, the Lord asked me to open a Christian bookstore for Him. It was shocking to me, because I didn't know much about Him or Christian books. I had however spent that 20 years before that as a retail manager. Anyway, He provided some absolutely incredible sign to back up what He was saying. The signs He gave me were more incredible that the fleece story in the Bible, but that is not what I am writing about. What I want to talk about is the incredible people I got to meet at that store.
It was a very small and very slow Christian bookstore. That was all I could afford and cover. So I didn't meet any big famous Christians - not even one. Yet I meet Christians like you just can find any place.
One of the more interesting was a poor man that many didn't think much of at all. The Lord however had me meet him in front of the store the first three times he came in, as if he was the mayor of the town coming to visit. By what the Lord had me do I would have to conclude that God thought him the most prestigious man in the county. He was poor and often looking for a place to stay. He was short of stature, which is of no importance. He was not very smart, but none of us are compared to the Lord. He was a black man, which again is of no importance to the story.
Let me tell you what is important to know about Him. He had a bicycle that he pedaled around the surrounding town, and as he pedaled around the town he would raise one arm in the sky and bless the land as he went. In a way it was awesome. In a way it was sad. He wanted a motorcycle but didn't have the money or means to get that. Never-the-less he got himself a motorcycle helmet and put Christian stickers all over it. Oh, and how he loved to talk about the Lord and praise Him. I'm sure people laughed at him at times, but he was a very nice man and it was my very great pleasure to get to know him for a time in my life.
Then there was this short very heavy short lady who loved the Lord. She also loved book so she often came by the store and we would talk. She was so heavy she almost never had a job, not that she wouldn't work, but who would hire her. Never-the-less the Lord took care of her in the most amazing ways. I still know her about 20 years later. God literally had some one give her a mobile home to live in. Recently it suffered some storm damage and the Lord again came through and the Lord told someone to fix it for her at no cost. I have seen the Lord heal her with miracles at least three times in the 20 years I have known her. Some Christians don't think God still does miracles, she just seems to live in them.
Then there was the wondering prophet. He had some problems but knowing the Lord was not one of them. He heard the Lord so well it amazed many. He also seem to operate with a lot of power from the Lord. I remember a day when a lady came into the store about thirty minutes before closing. He prayed for her and she was out cold - just wiped out on the floor. She came to right before closing, which made me happy, but he prayed for again and again she was out cold. Somehow I knew it was going to happen. I shouldn't have been worrying about closing on-time. Twenty minutes later she came to again, and I was think 'ok I'm out of here', but again he prayed for her and out she went. When she finally came to again she was saying something about hearing about that happening but had never experienced it. Well, now she had and I got to go home. Still, it was always interesting when the wondering prophet came by the store.
Then there was a young pastor in town that would come by the store a lot. He wasn't hardly a pastor at all actually. He loved studying and speaking to people, but he was poor and had never gone for any formal ministry school training. Mostly he helped minister at a homeless feeding ministry that one of the churches in town ran. He was fun to talk to and we became kind of friends. He lead someone to the Lord one day at the store and that man cried out a large puddle of tears on the floor of the store - and there were others stories from the store with him.
Then there was a homeless lady that was living next to the store in the corner of the shopping complex when the lease began. A pastor I knew who came by the store when I was opening up talked to her about the Lord and things improved in her life for a season. She would often come by the store and make it a happy place. The Lord gave me a word for her one day, saying that He would have her off the streets in a month. Sure enough about three weeks later a friend she had known from high school asked her to move in with her. At one point her son came by and accepted the Lord into his life. It had kind of a sad ending though. I only had the store for a couple of years and shortly after I closed the store I heard she that she was back on the streets and had died.
Oh, I only had a small slow Christian bookstore and that for only a couple of years. Never-the-less I meet soooo many interesting people and got to see the Lord do sooo much in those couple of years. The few account above are just a very few of them.
It was a very small and very slow Christian bookstore. That was all I could afford and cover. So I didn't meet any big famous Christians - not even one. Yet I meet Christians like you just can find any place.
One of the more interesting was a poor man that many didn't think much of at all. The Lord however had me meet him in front of the store the first three times he came in, as if he was the mayor of the town coming to visit. By what the Lord had me do I would have to conclude that God thought him the most prestigious man in the county. He was poor and often looking for a place to stay. He was short of stature, which is of no importance. He was not very smart, but none of us are compared to the Lord. He was a black man, which again is of no importance to the story.
Let me tell you what is important to know about Him. He had a bicycle that he pedaled around the surrounding town, and as he pedaled around the town he would raise one arm in the sky and bless the land as he went. In a way it was awesome. In a way it was sad. He wanted a motorcycle but didn't have the money or means to get that. Never-the-less he got himself a motorcycle helmet and put Christian stickers all over it. Oh, and how he loved to talk about the Lord and praise Him. I'm sure people laughed at him at times, but he was a very nice man and it was my very great pleasure to get to know him for a time in my life.
Then there was this short very heavy short lady who loved the Lord. She also loved book so she often came by the store and we would talk. She was so heavy she almost never had a job, not that she wouldn't work, but who would hire her. Never-the-less the Lord took care of her in the most amazing ways. I still know her about 20 years later. God literally had some one give her a mobile home to live in. Recently it suffered some storm damage and the Lord again came through and the Lord told someone to fix it for her at no cost. I have seen the Lord heal her with miracles at least three times in the 20 years I have known her. Some Christians don't think God still does miracles, she just seems to live in them.
Then there was the wondering prophet. He had some problems but knowing the Lord was not one of them. He heard the Lord so well it amazed many. He also seem to operate with a lot of power from the Lord. I remember a day when a lady came into the store about thirty minutes before closing. He prayed for her and she was out cold - just wiped out on the floor. She came to right before closing, which made me happy, but he prayed for again and again she was out cold. Somehow I knew it was going to happen. I shouldn't have been worrying about closing on-time. Twenty minutes later she came to again, and I was think 'ok I'm out of here', but again he prayed for her and out she went. When she finally came to again she was saying something about hearing about that happening but had never experienced it. Well, now she had and I got to go home. Still, it was always interesting when the wondering prophet came by the store.
Then there was a young pastor in town that would come by the store a lot. He wasn't hardly a pastor at all actually. He loved studying and speaking to people, but he was poor and had never gone for any formal ministry school training. Mostly he helped minister at a homeless feeding ministry that one of the churches in town ran. He was fun to talk to and we became kind of friends. He lead someone to the Lord one day at the store and that man cried out a large puddle of tears on the floor of the store - and there were others stories from the store with him.
Then there was a homeless lady that was living next to the store in the corner of the shopping complex when the lease began. A pastor I knew who came by the store when I was opening up talked to her about the Lord and things improved in her life for a season. She would often come by the store and make it a happy place. The Lord gave me a word for her one day, saying that He would have her off the streets in a month. Sure enough about three weeks later a friend she had known from high school asked her to move in with her. At one point her son came by and accepted the Lord into his life. It had kind of a sad ending though. I only had the store for a couple of years and shortly after I closed the store I heard she that she was back on the streets and had died.
Oh, I only had a small slow Christian bookstore and that for only a couple of years. Never-the-less I meet soooo many interesting people and got to see the Lord do sooo much in those couple of years. The few account above are just a very few of them.
