I just felt like writing this today.......

I guess thats what I have been thinking about.

"Affect" : to act on; produce an effect or change in , to impress the mind or move the feelings of.
"Effect" : power to produce results; efficacy; force; validity; influence

Okay, so if you know me, then you know that I love God, I love to tell people about God, I love evangelism, and I love knowing that someones life has been changed because of the Gospel. So heres the thing, I recognise that when I take an opportunity to share Gods love with someone it causes an effect in their life, but it causes me to be affected. I'm affected every time I see God move. It does something to me. It does something to my heart.

When you see God move, your heart is moved whether its on your behalf or someone elses. Its amazing that you are given the opportunity to experiance someone elses journey with God. Even if your just there to hear about it, becomes a piece of your journey with God too. Something you can look back on as another example of God to you.

For over a year I have been voulenteering at a small Methodist church on the north side of town. This church was established as a prison ministry church. Every Thursday night men and women from local halfway house/work release status inmates are brought to this church for a service, coffee and doughnuts, and a class. Here is the amazing thing, It basically voulenteer run. I'm the youngest voulenteer, most are 60+ years old. These men and women come faithfully, Sundays and Thursdays. They drive buses and vans to each facility and bring the men and women to the church. They run the service, they teach the classes, they spend time and build relationships with the men and women that come, they spend their time, their energy, their emotions on these people. This is week after week. The pastor of this church gets paid very little, but he has a real heart for the people. He exudes the love of God like noone I have met in a long time. this man is humble, and loving, he is a real example of Jesus.

So I go, this affects me. I am inspired, I am challenged, I am moved.

I teach a class, a 12 step faith based drug and alcohol class. To most this places me in a box. I do "prison ministry" and I teach a drug and alcohol class. See, heres the thing, this is an opportunity for me to involve myself in peoples lives on a weekly basis. I am opening up myself to be affected. I am causing effect in peoples lives. I have been moved so many times in the last year. I don't have huge inspiring stories, but I do have stories. I do know that people have been changed. I know that I have made a difference. I know that just by me being there, I am effecting people, and I am being afected. This is worth it to me.

This is what its all about. Effecting causes affecting. You wont be affected until you start effecting. Every day you have opportunities at your house, with your neighbors, at the grocery store, at church, whereever you are - opportunity after opportunity, after opportunity to effect people.

My thoughts arent original, many things have led me to think about this today, but I have resolved to think about this all the time. I want this idea to be on the front of my brain. I want to effect people. I want people to know that God is real, He loves them, He does stuff for them, He is not dissapointed in them, He is a giver, a miracle worker, a friend, a provider, a hope giver, a future maker, and whatever they need. And I know that the more I do this the more effected I become.

Its time to start effecting, and being affected. People need us!