As we draw toward the end of the month; there is a lot of things that I've learned with all the phone calls we've made.
I learned that there are a lot of people who truly need Jesus, and are desperately seeking for Him; and I've also learned that sin really does permeate our society. If you believe in perfect people; try calling the population of your town, and then let me know what you think!
As I drew near to the end of my final list Saturday morning; I remember I was finishing up with Old 64 which is right near my home. All month, the majority of the sheets had many numbers that had been disconnected, but it seemed none were that way on Old 64. As we were calling; my wife whispered over to me, "Honey, I'm not hitting on much." It did seem that as we were winding down, that we ran into many who were not interested. But I leaned back in my swivel chair and glanced over at Marianne and said, "We've got to finish...the last call might just be the one that needs us.
There are many who have asked me; why are you making such a big effort to reach Tarboro? Some have even said, "You won't have a church if you put them through a month of phone calling! There were times this past month that I nearly believed them. I remember seeing the last name on the last page, and I said to myself, The devil is going to make sure I don't finish this list.
Well, not a single number was disconnected on that one page! And I ran into a few very sweet people; but there were a bunch of them who were very harsh and disrespectful on that road; unlike I had experienced the whole month.
The closer I got to that last name; the uglier the voices on the other side of the phone became. There were times I almost felt like calling them back and saying, "How can you be so harsh? Don't you have a conscience?" The time finally came when I got to that last call. A lady answered the phone and I went through my word track that I said nearly 5,000 times this month, and she said, "Sir, I'm just the cleaning lady here. The man of the house is gone, you'll have to call him back." The Holy Spirit whispered, "This is the last call, Mike; maybe you should ask if she's interested and let her give you her address."
So I said, "Ma'am, would you be interested in receiving information about Community Appreciation Day?"
"Um, sir, I'm going to let you talk to the man of the house about that."
Well...it was worth a try. So I hung up the phone and prayed and said, "Okay, Lord, now it's your turn to make your presence known...we've done all we can to make that clear and possible...we've taken away the stones of hindrance, now it's time for you to raise the dead."
About an hour later; the phone rang, and it was the man! The LAST CALL! I let him know why I was calling, and he said, "Yes! Please send me the information!" I suppose only time will tell if my efforts to make the last call were worth it....well....they always are of course. But I couldn't help but think of that verse that says, "And be not weary in well doing, for in due season ye shall reap if ye faint not. We didn't quit until we made the last call! That's a promise! And I'm claiming it. I want to thank all of those who have prayed for us during this month. It has been a journey...and perhaps the longest October of my life...but I thank you for making a difference with your prayers...and if you helped us at all with calls...THANK YOU! Many of you offered to do that. You are truly a blessing to New Grace Baptist Church. My friends...be sure to labor until THE LAST CALL. Fan the Flame until THE LAST TRUMP! Jesus is coming soon. I can't wait to meet Him!
As we draw toward the end of the month; there is a lot of things that I've learned with all the phone calls we've made.
I learned that there are a lot of people who truly need Jesus, and are desperately seeking for Him; and I've also learned that sin really does permeate our society. If you believe in perfect people; try calling the population of your town, and then let me know what you think!
As I drew near to the end of my final list Saturday morning; I remember I was finishing up with Old 64 which is right near my home. All month, the majority of the sheets had many numbers that had been disconnected, but it seemed none were that way on Old 64. As we were calling; my wife whispered over to me, "Honey, I'm not hitting on much." It did seem that as we were winding down, that we ran into many who were not interested. But I leaned back in my swivel chair and glanced over at Marianne and said, "We've got to finish...the last call might just be the one that needs us.
There are many who have asked me; why are you making such a big effort to reach Tarboro? Some have even said, "You won't have a church if you put them through a month of phone calling! There were times this past month that I nearly believed them. I remember seeing the last name on the last page, and I said to myself, The devil is going to make sure I don't finish this list.
Well, not a single number was disconnected on that one page! And I ran into a few very sweet people; but there were a bunch of them who were very harsh and disrespectful on that road; unlike I had experienced the whole month.
The closer I got to that last name; the uglier the voices on the other side of the phone became. There were times I almost felt like calling them back and saying, "How can you be so harsh? Don't you have a conscience?" The time finally came when I got to that last call. A lady answered the phone and I went through my word track that I said nearly 5,000 times this month, and she said, "Sir, I'm just the cleaning lady here. The man of the house is gone, you'll have to call him back." The Holy Spirit whispered, "This is the last call, Mike; maybe you should ask if she's interested and let her give you her address."
So I said, "Ma'am, would you be interested in receiving information about Community Appreciation Day?"
"Um, sir, I'm going to let you talk to the man of the house about that."
Well...it was worth a try. So I hung up the phone and prayed and said, "Okay, Lord, now it's your turn to make your presence known...we've done all we can to make that clear and possible...we've taken away the stones of hindrance, now it's time for you to raise the dead."
About an hour later; the phone rang, and it was the man! The LAST CALL! I let him know why I was calling, and he said, "Yes! Please send me the information!" I suppose only time will tell if my efforts to make the last call were worth it....well....they always are of course. But I couldn't help but think of that verse that says, "And be not weary in well doing, for in due season ye shall reap if ye faint not. We didn't quit until we made the last call! That's a promise! And I'm claiming it. I want to thank all of those who have prayed for us during this month. It has been a journey...and perhaps the longest October of my life...but I thank you for making a difference with your prayers...and if you helped us at all with calls...THANK YOU! Many of you offered to do that. You are truly a blessing to New Grace Baptist Church. My friends...be sure to labor until THE LAST CALL. Fan the Flame until THE LAST TRUMP! Jesus is coming soon. I can't wait to meet Him!