Haven't done this in a while!

Ok, so everyone who told me I would never blog regularly: you were right. I was delusional in thinking it would be a great way to keep people informed about my life. So a year and 4 months after my previous post I come back. It's good to remember things. Sometimes I forget amazing things that God has done. I think that's why Scripture so often tells us to remember. Anyway, I have a moment I want to remember. So I thought I'd write it down. And where better to do that than here? So here it is:

It was a Tuesday and it had snowed the previous night and again all day. It stopped just before our neighborhood Bible Club began. So I knew I'd have to go out and shovel afterwards. Some kids were hanging out after Bible Club, which happens all the time. After awhile all but 2 had to go. We knew we had to shovel, and of course after shoveling you need to eat, right? So we made a deal with these 2 boys- I'll call them Carl and Timmy. An 11 year old and 9 year old. We (being me, my roommate, and the couple who lives in the lower of our church's duplex) said that if they helped us shovel our property, we'd help them shovel ours, and we'd have pizza delivered for us to eat when we were done. So we ordered pizza and headed out to shovel. We got everything shoveled by both of our houses, and the 2 other dudes I live with went to pick up the pizza. (Ya, I said delivered, but we had coupons to Pizza Hut and their delivery drivers are scared to come in our neighborhood at night. Stupid.) There's a foreclosed home across the street and I try to shovel the sidewalk in front of it or else people have to trudge through the snow that never gets removed. So I go across the street to do that. Timmy asks me if I want help. I told him that he held up his part of the deal and could help if he wanted to, but would still get pizza if he didn't want to. He ran across to help me. In a couple minutes Carl runs across the street, shouting that he wants to help too. We get done shoveling in front of the abandoned house in no time. Carl and Timmy want to keep going. So we do, we keep shoveling the sidewalk all the way down the street. It was incredible seeing how excited they were just to shovel other people's snow for them. We would have gone back to the other side of the street and continued shoveling, but the pizza came, and we were hungry. But the best part of it all was before the pizza came, when we were about 4 or 5 houses down the street. Timmy says, "These people should be happy that we're shoveling for them. They didn't even do anything for us and we're shoveling their snow!" I probably would have responded with something dumb like, "Ya, they better be grateful. I'm cold and only doing this cuz you 2 want to." But instead the Holy Spirit shuts my mouth, and makes me think a little about what Timmy had just said, and reminds me of how Jesus has "shoveled our snow." I try to make the comparison, "It's kind of like what Jesus did for us. We don't deserve his love or forgiveness, but he still gives it to us." Timmy seemed a little confused. Good thing his older brother was there to clarify. He said, "It's like this: We didn't have to shovel these people's snow. But we are. Jesus didn't have to die for us. But he did." It was silent for a moment. Then they went back to shoveling. No one talked for a few minutes. I felt the Spirit's presence with us, and that moment on a cold snowy sidewalk turned into a holy moment.
Back in the warm house, with pizza, we talked about serving other people and how Jesus came not to be served, but to serve. Praise God that he can use regular things like shoveling snow and pizza to turn our hearts to him and remind us of his love and presence.

Until next time... whenever that may be.