The Bald Goat

Here is the definition of the noun audible:

- a change of tactics called by the quarterback when the offense is lined up at the line of scrimmage.

It is an American football term that refers to a very last minute change of plans.

Today, God played quarterback on the God’s Care football team and decided to call an audible. As I wrote in my post on Thursday, we were very excited to be partnering with the IRC in order to hire a refugee from Bhutan. Everything was in order. The employment specialists at the IRC had coordinated the transportation, bought him clothes and filled out the paperwork. And then Monday morning rolls around for the first day of work and…

He never shows up.

I contact the IRC to find out what has happened and something out of the ordinary has taken place. He took another job somewhere else. This is absolutely uncommon and the IRC employment specialists were really upset that this had happened. But there was nothing we could do now except move on with our day. I communicated with the IRC and told them that I was not upset and I would be interested in looking at another refugee that they had on their list.

Before we left the shop this morning, we prayed for the change in plan and for who God might bring to us. We prayed for the man from Bhutan who took another job and asked God to bless him where he would be working. We released all this to God and felt the peace and freedom that comes from trusting completely in Him.

From the day that we met, Lauren, an IRC employment specialist, had wished we could hire a specific young man from the Congo. He just seemed a natural fit except he had already taken a job with PWP, a plastics manufacturing company here in Abilene. The IRC highly discourages moving an employee once he or she has been placed. They need to build up a good employment history and jumping from job to job does not look good.

But this morning, as Lauren was looking for another person to send our way, our friend from the Congo calls the IRC. He is upset and does not know what to do. PWP is moving to a machine based system rather than a human labor based system and employee hours are being cut. He is a good employee and loyal to his employer, but he needs to support his family and needs more than what they are now going to provide.

So a change in jobs is a possibility for him now.

And we have an opening that did not get filled.

1+1=2

It is as simple as that.

We met today and he began working for God’s Care. It is like this change came out of nowhere and yet it is the best plan that could have happened. Lets connectg the dots…

I blogged a while back about my transition into God’s Care and how I believe God has moved me away from the role of Pastor and into the role of priest. My life does not revolve around grass and leaves and plants, but they are the means to an end. My life of ministry is made possible by the work I do mowing lawns. Much like the apostle Paul who traveled making tents in order to support his missionary journeys.

My partner, Brian, also works as a pastor with the Mission church and travels on missionary journeys to Brazil twice a year. Brian is really good at what he does with God’s Care. I would say he is one of the best you could find. But this job is just a job. A way to support his family so that he can do the work God has called him to do.

And this young man who was brought to us today has lived in the Congo, Burundi, and Kenya working as a pastor. He looks for opportunities to reach out and minister to the African people who have resettled here in Abilene. He has a love for God and a calling to be used by God to minister to his sheep. But he knows he has a growing family to support and needs to earn an income.

Brian and I felt as if we were looking in a mirror. All three of us have come from completely different backgrounds and have different people we feel called to love and minister to, but our hearts are identical. 

And God called an audible in the plan to put us together at this time, in this place, for a specific reason.

Thank you Lord for guiding our paths. For closing some doors and opening others. Thank you for loving us so much that you would alter the course of our world in order to intentionally put things together as only you know how to do. May we see your handiwork in times like these and give you praise.