Black Sheep

Page 8 | www.BlackSheepHDFC.org Silverback took pictures for her while she was on the bike and then when she got off, we all prayed for her. As we were ge ng ready to say our goodbyes, another set of ladies got out of their car and asked if they could take a group picture for us... we graciously thanked them and I turned to walk away. I quickly turned back around (because I had headed to the wrong bike) and when I did, I saw everyone huddled around a lady who flew in from Houston to be with her son. How did we know this? Because the Temecula Black Sheep made themselves available without hesita on! Instead of walking away a er the "photo shoot" they boldly made a connec on... and so quickly that the wind didn't even have me to shi ! Opportuni es arise every second... which means, God calls us to serve more o en than we think He does. The difference between one moment and the next is how available we make ourselves. I admit, I was cold! I was red and I was hur ng! I was ready to get back to the hotel and I was being selfish. Availability means sacrifice. It means to walk in faithfulness to God. It means that if you really want to be used by God, you will be faithful to the calling He has on your life... because God is faithful. During that "prayer huddle", I felt no cold. I felt no pain. There was no being red. But there was pain being felt by a mama whose heart was hur ng because her son is going thru one of the hardest things of life and she was feeling the helplessness. There was nothing we could do for her except to pray and for that mama, that was everything. So in that prayer huddle, in that boldness, in that availability, there were the hands and feet of God loving on a woman whose heart was breaking for her boy. There was love! There was healing! There was joy being restored. Because of someone's availability. I'm making myself willing to be available. Thank-you Lord for showing me that I wasn't being faithful with what li le I was given. Thank you Temecula Valley for your willingness to be available... at every turn. You showed me that there is success in boldness. Because when we are bold in our calling, we make me to make ourselves available. Had these guys not taken the me to make themselves available, we would have never known what she was going through and she would have never felt the hands and feet of God that day. "I heard the voice of the Lord, saying: "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" Then I said, "Here am I! Send me." (Isaiah 6:8) By Rick Warren Editor's Note: Are you a good communicator? How are you when it comes to listening? There's a reason why God gave us 2 ears, 2 eyes and only 1 mouth. Becoming a Better Listener Pastor Rick Warren (Saddleback Church) has some good ps for becoming a be er listener – and being a good listener is a tool Black Sheep really need to master! 1. Withhold judgment and cri cism from the start. Don't evaluate un l you've heard and comprehended it all. I'll admit that this isn't natural. When someone else is talking and you hear something you disagree with, you're tempted to say, "Time out! Stop right there! Let's deal with this." And you never get any further. But you need to hear the person out. Proverbs 18:13 says, "To answer before listening—that is folly and shame" (NIV). 2. Keep calm. Don't become defensive. The Bible says in Proverbs 19:11, "A person's wisdom yields pa ence; it is to one's glory to overlook an offense" (NIV). If you're pa ent, you're wise. You need to be pa ent with people who are less mature and those who misjudge. You need to remain calm. 3. Be an ac ve listener. You become a good listener by asking crea ve ques ons. Proverbs 20:5 says, "The purposes of a person's heart are deep waters, but one who has insight draws them out" (NIV). This verse says the real meaning of people is down inside of them. A person of understanding will be able to draw others out with ques ons. 4. Paraphrase and summarize. To be a good listener you must be able to tell a person what they've just told you before you talk about what you need to talk about. Before you share your side of the story, you need to let the other person know you understand where he or she is coming from. Paraphrase what they've said back to them. www.BlackSheepHDFC.org (951) 677-1407 Facebook.com/BSHDFC twitter.com/BSHDFC1999

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