Say Yes!

​I just heard from an old church friend from my youth. He wanted me to know that his son, who is a pastor of a church on the west side of Washington state, gave a sermon on legacy. He named my grandfather by name, and my friend wanted me to know. I’d like to share his story:

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Dana Hallin

​Grandpa Harold was a “Christian truck-driving John Wayne”. It didn’t matter that he probably stood 5’ 6” or that he only had an eighth-grade education. He was going to make it to wherever he was heading in his truck, or “don’t come after me because you’ll never get as far as I got!” Oh, did I mention that he loved to tell stories?! The more colorful and filled with embellishments, the better, and he never met a stranger he wasn’t willing to share them with.
 
But most important, in his view, was that he was a Christian. His moral compass was firmly set on the principles of the Gospel, and he was intent on letting the Holy Spirit be his co-pilot as the miles sped by. Ever looking for ways to occupy the time, he often prayed. During one prayer time, he asked God if he could have a “calling” on his life. He was thinking of the story of how God called Billy Graham to ministry. He heard a quiet response, “Use what you have in your hands.” It seemed odd because he was driving a truck, but he tucked the thought away and kept driving.
 
It wasn’t long before the new church he was helping to build, First Assembly of God in Spokane, Washington, was more than an architect’s dream. Once the building was up and completed, they announced from the pulpit the need for volunteers. One position was for the Sunday school bus driver. That quiet nudge to use his hands on a steering wheel quickly became a reality. My grandma, Velma, walked miles of neighborhoods signing up young children to attend, and my grandpa picked them up and dropped them off … for 41 years!  41! Not just 41 years of Sundays, but choir trips, youth group outings, and even senior trips.
 
Ministry can be that simple. It’s just being willing to say “yes” to whatever way God wants to use even the smallest of talents — and then glorifying Him through them. Grandpa Harold picked up kids in a bus … but there wasn’t a single child or adult that climbed his stairs that didn’t get a personal welcome by name, a funny tease, or a word of encouragement, and many of those kids, and then their kids, were introduced to their Faith because he said “yes” to using his driving skills.
 
So, this young pastor stood in a pulpit 60 years later and told the story of Grandpa Harold, the bus driver who brought his dad to church as a young man, that in turn enabled him to grow up in a Christian home and to receive the kind of direction and encouragement he needed to find his calling as a pastor.
 
Let’s practice saying “yes!” You never know where or how God will bless your efforts.
 
In His Name, Dana