I am so very guilty of not blogging our activities like I wanted to. Please forgive me …
     

     Deborah and I are getting ready to head more South today. It freezes in Cottonwod AZ at night, and that is difficult on the bus, and us too.

      This story is about me, and a man named Mark that Deborah and I met in Wickenburg AZ. We pulled in to Wickenburg, Saturday the 3rd of November to go to Church in Wickenburg. We stayed in a motel so we could catch up on email, and laundry, and the like. Mark and his wife were living in the room next to us, and mark seemed a little tipsy when we met. What this story is about really is the state of my heart. I really felt kind of put off about Marks comments about the bus, and the scriptures on it everywhere. He said he was offended that the bus had a Star of David on the front, because he was a Christian / Jew. I stated the Jesus was Jewish, and asked him why that offended him. He thought in his state of tipsy-ness,  that the Star of David in the front of the bus, was a Islamic insignia. I was really put off by the whole conversation, and that really testifies as to the state of my heart.

     That Saturday night, we were up all night because of the noise from Marks room next door. People coming, and going. I was grumbling all night long. (Deborah seemed to sleep right through it). The next morning as we were packing up, and getting ready for church (Wickenburg Bible Fellowship), Mark came out of his room, and looked horrible. He asked if he could have a hug. My heart went cold, grumpy-ness was through and through me. Then Mark asked if I could pray for him. The Lord filled me full of compassion (again), and reminded me that I am Mark, except for His Grace. I got out of the bus, we both cried, and I prayed with and for Mark.

As I surrendered my grumpy-ness to the Lord, He just filled me with His Spirit, and the prayers for Mark just came out, and for that I am very grateful. We keep one Bible in reach in Deborah’s backpack for times just like this. It happened to be the Bible that Deborah recovered for me in China with leather, and it had my name, and birthdays in it. Mark didn’t want to keep it because it was obviously a very special Bible, but I told him that he was more special, and we cried some more. Please continue to pray for Mark about his alcoholism, his healing, for he and his wife, and his new walk with the Lord.

     Once again God used the bus to be a tool to point people to Him, and as a vehicle (pun intended) to break up the fallowed ground in my heart. Please continue to Pray for Deborah and I, that our hearts and ears will be attuned to His divine appointments …
Blessings, Craig and Deborah on the road <><