Nicole

A friend was born today. She came to our church with her sister, and they ended up bringing her entire family. She was having trouble- she had trouble the whole time she was with us. But she was trying to do what was right.
Jordan was our first out-of-wedlock birth while I was pastor. He’s just about Stephen’s age. We just loved them. We became part of their lives, and they of ours.
Over time, Nicole continued to make rough choices- we tried to keep in touch, but, like others, she drifted out.
Then one night I got a call from her sister. She was missing. That Sunday they found her body. He was never convicted. Their family, fragmented before that, was torn in hard ways over that. None of them are in our church today- I pray that they are in the faith.
So today I pray for those who have been in and out of my life. And I pray that I will say and do the right things to prevent her end from becoming theirs. I pray that Christ’s light in my life will not only illuminate, but change.
Are you being light where you are? Is your life enough like Christ that others will not just be drawn in, but be changed? Are you making disciples, or simply showing up?