Hey! Wait for Me!
Laz Alba/ International President
One of my favorite TV shows to
watch is "I Love Lucy." No matter
the time or day, as soon as I stumble
across an episode in syndication, I
must stop and watch the whole
thing. I think one of the reasons I
enjoy watching "I Love Lucy" is
because Desi Arnaz reminds me so
much of my own dad. Like Desi,
my dad is Cuban, has a funny accent
and was a band leader and singer for
many years. My dad even looked
like Desi when he was younger.
One of my all-time favorite episodes was "Lucy Goes To
The Hospital." In this episode, Lucy is pregnant and she is
due to go into labor at any time. Ricky, Fred, and Ethel
decide to rehearse what each of them will do when the
time actually arrives to take Lucy to the hospital. Ethel
will call the doctor; Fred will get Lucy's suitcase and
Ricky will get Lucy's coat and escort her out of their
apartment.
After two dress rehearsals, Ricky, Fred, and Ethel are
content with their efficient and calm performances and sit
down to wait for the moment to come. A few seconds go
by and Lucy enters the living room and says, "Ricky, this
is it!" What ensues is all out chaos and probably the
funniest 2-3 minutes you'll watch on TV! It's pure
comedy gold! At one point, Ricky, Fred, and Ethel all run
out of the apartment leaving Lucy behind all alone. Lucy
then says, "Hey, wait for me!" It's so hilarious and ironic
that Desi, Fred, and Ethel all leave the most important
person behind in this scenario, Lucy! Just like Ricky, Fred
and Ethel forget Lucy, in ministry, we too can do the very
same thing; forget the most important person, and that is
Jesus himself.
Our ministry is so fun, but can also be hard work. As
Black Sheep, we plan and go on rides, host and attend
chapter breakfasts, sit in on numerous meetings, cook
burgers at our local dealership, do hospital visits, feed the
homeless, set up a booth or boot shine chair at an event,
etc. Ministry keeps us busy and that's a good thing, but in
the busyness of ministry, if we're not careful, we can
forget Jesus himself; "The Christ" in HDFC.
I believe the key to our effectiveness and fruitfulness as a
ministry is ensuring that Jesus is first in all that we do. We
serve and love Him because He first loved us (1 John
4:19). Of course, our goal in ministry is to share the
Gospel and see lives transformed by Jesus, but the primary
reason we serve is for Jesus Himself. Let's not lose sight
of why we do what we do!
In the second chapter of the Book of Revelation, Jesus is
basically saying that very same thing to the Ephesian
church. The Ephesians were doing many good things, but
they lost sight of the reason why. It's okay to plan, but
don't forget that Jesus establishes our steps (Proverbs
16:9). Let's not neglect to seek the Lord in prayer and ask
Him to establish our steps for our ministry. Let's make
certain that Jesus is always the One leading us in all we do
in our chapters and regions! Half way through our
program or event, we don't want to hear Him saying,
"Hey, wait for me!" I love you all! Laz. a
Was your spouse less than
thrilled by their Valentine's Day
gift from you this year?
You tried so hard to find just the
right thing that would make their
special day just perfect... but you
failed miserably! L
We're so sorry! We hope that
you will do better next year and
so your BSHDFC officers have
shared with you some ideas that
did NOT go over in 2023 in hopes
that you won't be a bone head
again next year. Good luck!
