Paul said in 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 “…I have voluntarily become a servant to any and all in order to reach a wide range of people: religious, nonreligious, meticulous moralists, loose-living immoralists, the defeated, the demoralized—whoever.  I didn’t take on their way of life.  I kept my bearings in Christ—but I entered their world and tried to experience things from their point of view.  I’ve become just about every sort of servant there is in my attempts to lead those I meet into a God-saved life.  I did all this because of the Message.  I didn’t just want to talk about it, I wanted to be in on it!”  The Message
      I can’t even begin to compare myself to the Apostle Paul, but when I read this quote from First Corinthians, I thought, wow, that’s exactly what I’ve been trying to do with the call God has on my life.

hurricane Katrina.  Joining a relief team headed for Gulfport, MS, we helped transport and distribute food and water to folks who had lost just about everything in the storm.
      The amazing part is we wouldn’t have even been available to help had our schedule not been cut short this summer.  We were in Sturgis, SD, when we received word that my dad had died.  A WWII vet, he and mom had been married 62 years.  We flew home to be there in time for the funeral.  A friend drove our truck and trailer for us.  Our plan was to stay home long enough to help Mom take care of any details and make sure she would be alright.  Your cards, flowers, phone calls and words of support were extremely helpful.  About the time we were thinking of hitting the road again, Katrina struck.

was incredible. With no water, fuel or electricity available we took everything needed to be totally self-contained.  There were Army MP’s everywhere, but very little going on in the way of relief when we arrived.  Cars were abandoned wherever they ran out of gas.   People who made it to gas stations waited in long lines for fuel trucks to make deliveries.
      As we drove around and through debris and downed power lines, people would come from blocks away to line up for whatever we had to distribute.  Some didn’t need anything, but knew of other folks who did.  They would direct us to their homes and then help deliver food and water.
      Paul’s challenge to “enter their world and experience it from their point of view” is still good advice to reach the lost.  Your world may not include bikers and hurricane victims, but have you become a servant to those around you?  Don’t just talk about it, be in on it!