Feb 1, 2012
He Leadeth Me
By Robin Khoury
I love old timey hymns, and He Leadeth Me was always one of my favorites. It is even one of the few songs that I can bang out on the piano. Yesterday the good Lord led me so clearly that I had to share it with you!
This story really begins about eight years ago when I joined Metropolitan Baptist Church. As we became active, we got to know the missionaries that our church supports. One of these people is Helen Williams.
Helen works with inner city kids. I have thought about Helen so many times throughout the years. I have asked her about her summer day camp. I interviewed her for a podcast one time. Strangely enough, I never followed through on any of my thoughts about her ministry or got myself downtown to help. It was sort of like a bucket list item: Someday, I’m Going To Do That.
Fast forward nine years. God has led me into ministry myself, working with children of incarcerated parents. I had taken a volunteer position leading the children’s ministry at a church for people incarcerated in community release centers.
Helen had ordered some salvation workbooks and baptism storybooks from Little Light Press, my micro publishing outfit. As we were visiting in her office, I asked her what type of special training she took to prepare her to work with children in poverty. She told me about Christian Community Development Association which holds annual seminars in Chicago. She said that she had been trying to get a “seminar buddy” for years to share expenses.
Once again, I filed this under Someday, I’m Going To Do That.
Fast forward two months. My children’s ministry leadership position got complicated and God led me to resign. I went to see my mentor and prayer partner, Carol Cutler, to talk things over. We held hands and prayed for God to clearly lead me to the next step. While we prayed, my phone buzzed in my purse.
As soon as I left Carol’s I checked my phone. It was Helen. “I just wanted to get your email so that I could send you the latest newsletter from CCDA,” she said. I thought it was funny that she called at the very moment we were praying.
When I got home, I read the CCDA newsletter online about the upcoming conference in Chicago. I took note of the keynote speaker’s name, Dr. John Perkins. Yes, Someday, I’m Going To Do That.
Four days later I went to a new Bible study at Carol’s house. She had nearly insisted that I come, because the focus is leadership. I basked in the story about how God developed Moses and prepared him for each new task. I was on a spiritual high that didn’t go away when I got home.
While soaking in the tub that night I finished the book I was reading, (Leadership is Dead, How Influence is Revising It, by Jeremie Kubicek). Right before I met Mr. Sandman I picked up my ipad and started searching for my next read. (I had made a New Year’s Resolution to read a book a week, and that doesn’t leave a lot of time for waffling between titles.) I had heard about a book called, When Giving Hurts. I thought it was a Ruby Payne book.
I finally found it on Amazon. It was actually called When Helping Hurts,How to Alleviate Poverty Without Hurting the Poor and Yourself. The authors are Steve Corbett and Brian Fikkert. It had lots of reviews, so I read five or six. They were so good that within a few seconds I had downloaded and was reading the preface in my pitch black room with my snoring husband by my side. I promised myself I would put it away right after I read the intro.
“Yes, this is going to be really good,” I thought as I turned the pages. I came to the end of the introduction and it was signed by Dr. John Perkins, Founder and Director of Christian Community Development Association.
He leadeth me! O blessed thought! O words with heavenly comfort fraught! What-e’re I do,where-e’re I be, still ’tis God’s hand that leadeth me!
{ 1 comment }
