Bulletin Articles

Outstretched Hands – a short story on evangelism

This free church bulletin article was written by Brian Humek from Irving, TX. You are free to use this in church bulletins, church emails and on church websites. No credit needs to be given. Simply clicking one of the books on our suggested reading list will help more free content to be placed on this site. Donate your own bulletin article here.

I stretched out my hands all day long to stubborn people. They chose to go the wrong direction. They followed their own plans. – Isaiah 65:2 (GWT)

Last Thanksgiving I was at L.D. Bell High School in Hurst, TX playing football with about 25 Albanian-Americans. Now that’s a hyphenation one doesn’t come across too often. The passes, curse words and insults were flying. About one third of the men on the field owned pizzerias around the Dallas-Ft. Worth area.

Outstretched Hands (Mike Ditka in 1960 at University of Pittsburgh)

Football is a great way to make friends and if you have a friend, the next logical thing to do is to share your secret to everlasting life with them.

My friend Steve and his two sons had invited me to play at their family football game, probably because they had never seen me in action. My mission in life was explained to me by God on that wet chilly morning, not audibly, but visibly. I was taught that mission is life. God allowed me to get out of my comfort zone, otherwise known as “Brian’s Box.”

During my time in ministry, I’ve had an uncanny knack of straying/staying away from people with rough edges. Last Thanksgiving, I rubbed shoulders with, got smashed in the mouth by and had a wonderful time with those same rough edged people. Not the best football player in the world or even on my block, God gifted me with an outstanding 30 yard one-handed reception near the goal line that gave me instant credibility with those that didn’t know me. My left arm was extended as far as it could go, my hands outstretched. I think an instant replay would have shown my feet were in the air. The ball hit my hand and I guided it downward and hugged it as I smashed to the ground. Although, I wished my little boy could have seen my great catch, I was a bit relieved he didn’t hear the obscenity filled compliments aimed my way.

My desire to protect my son from filthy language, bad attitudes or bad behaviors, has kept me, at times, from reaching into certain lives (the line between overprotection/common sense is very fine). Those are lives that God wants me to reach. There is a world of people among us that we conveniently brush by as we rush to be the first congregation to visit the well groomed family that just moved to the neighborhood and may be looking for a new church home. We want to reach the truly unchurched, but do our actions match our words? Are we hanging around people that speak and act in ways that might possibly shock us? Does being “salt and light” mean never spending time with people with rough edges? Is that what Jesus did? There may be people just next door that are heading in the wrong direction and following their own plans. So think about it, where does God want to use you as his outstretched hands? And never forget, we Christians have a lot of rough edges ourselves. If you don’t believe that, just follow me home sometime.

This Thanksgiving, I was back at the football field. Before the game, I went to McDonalds with Isa (Steve’s brother) and his son for coffee as we waited for Steve and the others to show up. The game began late and I only played with them for about an hour, but it was still enough time to make some good defensive plays and get hammered to the ground (clipping they said). My bride says the blood might even wash out of my jeans.

Related posts:

They Messed It Up On Page Three!
I once heard a wise preacher talk about Adam and Eve. He said they had the whole world in their hands, or in other words they had everything they would ever need and “they messed it all up on page thr...
The King of Iran
I’m sure that you know people who don’t believe in, love or worship God. My first thought when I encounter such people, and I do so every day, isn’t how God will use them to accomplish his purposes he...
He Has Overcome the World
Jesus said, “I have overcome the world.” My question today, what has the “world” thrown at you lately? Cancer? A cheating spouse? A job dismissal? A computer that crashes every day? A child that finds...
Spiritual Growth - Free Church Bulletin Article
I can lecture you all day about the importance of staying spiritually active but I think you know that already. My plea is that you keep a record of your spiritual activity. Keep a prayer journal. Kee...
Healing Through Listening
“I could feel her listening with all her heart … and it felt good.” That may be a paraphrase but those or similar words came from the main character in the movie “Because of Winn-Dixie.” Listening is ...
What We Say Really Matters
God gave us good hearts. If we understand that truth, the logical conclusion is that we should speak good words, encouraging words, helpful words and words that demonstrate Christ’s love in our life. ...
Miracles - Free Church Website Content
There are many miracles in the Bible. Let us consider the following: creation, the parting of the Red Sea, the flood, the raising of Lazarus, the blind receiving sight, Jesus walking on water, and his...
Fifty Degrees in the Dining Room - Bulletin Article
Christians lack faith sometimes. In our society, we have things far easier than when Christianity originated nearly 2000 years ago. Because of the apparent ease in our lives, we find it more difficult...

Comments

comments


TIps to help your church grow
can be found within the pages of
Purple Ducks.

.

Get New Content Each Month in Your Inbox

Subscribe

Name
Email Address*
 
Unsubscribe Your Email