My Friend Linda

Linda says Karen and I were the first Christians she ever met. I was a youth pastor and she was a 15 year old sophomore. She came to an outreach we called the mud bowl. Linda was a mess so she was the perfect person to introduce to Jesus. She is at my house now. She is on her way to a Muslim country to serve as a missionary. She has been a missionary for almost 20 years and preached to more people than I ever will probably. She has traveled by foot from village to village in India. She has started a Bible school in Malawi, Africa. The list is long and her walk with Jesus has been marked with adventure that has taken her to 30 different countries. But going to bring light to a closed Muslim country has been her dream. This is what she was made for. I have known for a long time the Gospel is powerful. Powerful enough to radically change lives. But it always good to be reminded. Linda is one of my clearest reminders. I wish you all could know her. But the problem is you wouldn't be nearly as impressed as you would be if you knew her when she was 15. I think that is the way it should be. It is the way of the Gospel. The change takes place over time and the further back someone knows you the more they should be impressed at the change. Today you should find someone who just met you and tell them, "I realize I am not very impressive now but I hope we meet in 20 years. You won't believe how much more I will be like Jesus." Just make sure you let Jesus have his way with you and take you everywhere he wants. That seems to be Linda's secret. I think it is something that would work for any of us.