You Never Know What Might Come Back Around - by Tim Jacobs

Today I visited a friend of mine I haven't seen in almost 20 years. We went to Chatsworth High School together, but after we graduated we lost touch until recently when he found me on Facebook.

I was surprised to find out he's living in Phoenix and sure enough, is a pastor. We were originally supposed to meet at a Starbucks near downtown, but he asked me if we could meet at his church building instead. "We just closed on this building and we're trying to get it ready for Sunday."

So I went down to his facility on Van Buren and 7th Ave, a church building that hasn't housed a church in twenty years! There he was, with a crew made up of different ages and backgrounds, all busily working to clean and repair this church that was originally built in the early 1900's. It was an amazing thing to see this friend of mine encouraging the workers, giving them direction on the various projects but doing so with love and grace.

The craziest part about it is that when I knew him in high school he was not a Christian. I had brought him to church with me a few times and shared the Gospel with him, but it nothing really took. So you can imagine my amazement to walk around this church facility that he renovating in what is literally downtown Phoenix.

But here's the best part: As he was introducing me to his fellow laborers, he told them, "This guy is one of the main reasons I'm a Christian and in ministry." I was very humbled by that description, and didn't feel worthy to occupy such an important role in his life.

But he went on to tell me that after high school he spent many years living far away from God, but he never forgot our conversations. After a series of events, he gave his life to Christ and then married a wonderful Christian woman who is expecting their first child together.

The whole ninety minutes we hung out was truly amazing for me. I never would have guessed that my happy-go-lucky friend Jonathan would someday find Jesus and be renovating a building that is literally down the street (just a half-hour east on Van Buren!) from me.

But you never know how God is going to use your words and your example to impact the life of someone else long after you felt you had any impact. So keep planting seeds, and let God bring the increase!