Core Scripture: “May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirit you may abound in hope.” (Romans 15:13)

Message: The Lord works in mighty ways.  Different ways.  Ways that baffle the mind beyond any human understanding.  He knows things we could only hope to grasp. 

How do you deal with those thoughts?  Do you question them?  Do you cry out to God asking why?  Does His gameplan for your life cause bitterness?  Frustration?  Anger? 

Or do you put blind trust in the path He is carving for you?  Do you realize God is our creator, and He knows what is best?  Do you embrace the different seasons He allows you to endure?  And as you persevere, do you realize He is strengthening you as He walks by your side?

2024 has been a gamechanger for me.  The Lord led me through teaching my 2^nd semester at Osawatomie Middle School to discovering my dream job, teaching in a Christian school, only to have the rug pulled out from under me without any rhyme or reason, leaving me without work, confused and frustrated.

For one week I desperately sent out my resume, applying for different jobs on Indeed and LinkedIn.  It was that Sunday that my wife suggested I apply at Amazon.  Upon completion of the online application, I was set up for an interview the next morning.  8:00 am sharp.

I arrived, resume in hand, preparing myself for questions like How are you qualified for this job?  What strengths do you bring to the team?  I was even prepared to answer What is your biggest weakness?  Oddly, the hour long “interview” consisted only of filling out my I-9 form, taking my ID picture, answering some questions on a computer, and taking a drug test. 

Done.  Hired.  I couldn’t believe my luck.

I had a few weeks to prepare for my new job.  My biggest fear was transitioning to working the midnight shift from 1:20 to 11:50 am.  I ordered my steel-toed sneakers, got as much rest as I could, and was baptized by fire on Sunday, October 27. 

Stumbling into the warehouse, I was powered solely by the caffeine from my midnight coffee.  My training group consisted of 10 people.  As of today, only three of us are left.  Bre, Mohamad, and myself.  The turnover rate at Amazon is rather high.  Some people just can’t cut it. 

I was so green.  I had never worked a warehouse job.  Never endured a midnight shift.  I had no clue how to stow a bag properly or how to water spider efficiently or even how to effectively arrange OVs on a cart to get them ready to ship out.  To be honest, I floundered.

“I saw you that second day, man,” my buddy Mohamad said.  “I thought you were going to quit!”

It reminded me of Peter’s conversation with Jesus in John 6.  Jesus had just fed the five thousand, walked on water, and declared He was the Bread of Life.  Some of His followers considered His teaching confusing.  They left.  They couldn’t hack it.  Jesus turned to his 12 disciples and asked if they were leaving too. 

Peter spoke for the group.

“Lord, to whom would we go?  You have the words that give eternal life. We believe, and we know you are the Holy One of God.” (John 6:68)

That was me.  I felt like Peter.  I shifted my strength from the hazelnut coffee to the Holy Spirit.  I began to embrace this new job, discovering ways to find joy. 

I sought out mentors who cared about me like Steve, soaking in his wisdom.  I found conversations with coworkers during my breaks, breaking free from scrolling my phone.  I joined the foosball gang.  More than anything, I brought a Christian perspective to my colleagues. 

It was the Holy Spirit working inside me.  When others saw the negative, I saw the good.  I lived out Philippians 4:8, finding the good around me and focusing my heart on the beauty of working the midnight shift.  The positive was there.  I just had to see it through God’s perspective. 

I got off work at noon while the normal working folk were grinding until supper.  I got to snuggle my dogs and enjoy a quiet house to myself after shift.  I got to build relationships with colleagues who needed to see the light burning deep in my soul. 

So many memories there.  It has only been a few months, but it seems so much longer.  I have found a home away from home.  I have discovered joy.  Joy comes not from the happenings around you but rather the choice to discover something deeper.  You begin to live out Romans 8:28, knowing that He works EVERYTHIHNG for our good. 

I invited my new friend James to join me for lunch.  We drove down to Jason’s Deli up the road, and I shared my testimony with him.  Such a precious time to give him a glimpse of my new life in Christ!

I befriended my brother from another mother, Vaughn.  He taught me how to water spider on the doc.  We created games, reciting lines from movies we both enjoyed, laughing as we passed each other in the depths of the dark truck beds, putting carts away.

I embraced the opportunity to get to know Mohamad.  We talked one day in the aisles during picking time at the end of our shift.  I shared my faith that I was a Christian and discovered he was Muslim.  Mohamad looked me in the eyes and said he respected my faith and would certainly be a Christian if he weren’t Muslim.

We are long overdue for a lunch following shift.  I exchanged numbers with him to ensure this would happen.

As mentioned above, I joined the foosball gang!  Over our 30-minute lunch—still not sure why they call it “lunch” when the break comes at 5:30 am—we eat for 15 minutes and then duke it out on the foosball table.  Doug, Mohamad, T, Mark, and a few others take turns competing, laughing, and bonding over breaktime.

I try to mix it up where I sit in the large cafeteria style breakroom.  The Lord has challenged me to learn a new name every day.  But I don’t stop at names.  I ask questions.  I become invested in learning about others.  Not as a project but more in an authentic way that says I care about you.  I want to know you.

These conversations have led to numerous new friendships.  I learned Aaron moved from Texas to take care of his aging parents in Lawrence.  I discovered 21-year-old Ezekiel moved here from Mississippi to find work.  Chris is a former journalism major from KU who enjoys impersonating Sean Connery.  And who can forget the day I finally talked to Dylan, learning he had a degree and had worked in HR before moving to Kansas. 

“Thanks for sending me that shout out,” he told me this week.

You can send a shout out to any Amazon employee on the A to Z app.  As we took a five-minute break from picking, I found out he had worked at Amazon for over a year and only one person had shouted out to him.  Dylan and his buddy Zane worked harder than anyone.  He deserved to know that.  I relished my time with him.

Each new face brought new joy to my heart through conversations.  Ben had moved here from California and was working his way up to management.  Logan had just endured a severe breakup but was deeply moved to tell me about a new relationship he was pursuing.  Tony had an infatuation with comic books involving superheroes.  Warren likes to bust out singing songs from the early 2000’s. 

Philippians 2:3-4 speaks so much truth when Paul says, “Don’t be selfish; don’t try to impress others. Be humble, thinking of others as better than yourselves.  Don’t look out only for your own interests, but take an interest in others, too.”  Translation: Lay aside your selfish desires and invest in others. 

I have been working to soften the heart of a colleague I admire.  His name is Zac.  I see him nearly every day, and when our paths cross, I love striking up conversations about the Chiefs.  But I want to see what drives him.  What is the rest of his story?  Where did he come from?  How did a clean cut 20-something kid like him arrive at Amazon?  His work ethic and actions emit Christian values.  Could there be a connection in that respect awaiting us?

Only time will tell.

I never would have thought I would find joy in my current situation.  I tried explaining that to my Dad last week when he and my Mom invited our family over for dinner. 

“It is almost like I came to Amazon expecting it to be a quick fix to provide income for our family,” I shared with him.  “But now, I am embracing it.  I am wondering if God can use me there.”

I told him a lot of those stories from above.  We talked for a good 45 minutes at the dinner table after the rest of the family made their way into the family room.  It made the old man reassured that I was doing okay. 

I want to encourage you all to rediscover joy as we close off the year.  Enjoy time with your families.  Invest in friendships.  Relish the time off you are blessed with.  Allow the Holy Spirit to assist you to abound in the hope found in our Savior, Jesus Christ.  It is time to celebrate Him. 

Don’t miss any opportunity to share that hope with others.  It may be all someone needs to survive the cold, bleak winter.        

Challenge: Rediscover the joys in your life.  Write them down.  Talk about them.  Pray over them.  Thank God for all the joy He brings to us through Jesus.  But don’t stop there!  It is time to share that joy with others.  Invite someone to Christmas Eve services at your church.  You never know who is just waiting for that invitation.

Bible study: Read the story of Joseph in Genesis 37-50.  Journal or discuss the following questions …

1. Summarize Joseph’s story, focusing on the major events that lead him to reconcile with his family.
2. How did each checkpoint in his story work for the good?
3. How did Joseph keep a positive perspective and roll with the punches thrown at him?
4. What was Joseph’s mindset when he forgave his brothers?
5. What circumstances in your life can be applied to the story of Joseph?

Prayer points: Lift up the following areas to the Lord …

• Praise God for the joy He has put in your life.
• Pray that you can see more of the world around you through the Lord’s perspective.
• Praise God for sending His son to save us!

Just for fun: My buddy Vaughn and I have grown close over the past few weeks over silly connections.  Like the love we share of goofy movies like Adam Sandler in Waterboy.  After exchanging our favorite lines from the movie for an entire shift, I realized that charging down the truck bed like Bobby Boucher trucking the ballcarrier was actually quite fun.  Without further ado, I give you my top five lines from Waterboy. 

• “My Mama says that alligators are ornery because they got all them teeth and no toothbrush.” (Bobby Boucher)
• “There is something wrong with his medulla oblongata!” (Bobby’s professor)
• “No son of mine is gonna play any foos-ball.” (Mama Boucher)
• “Captain Insano shows no mercy.” (Bobby Boucher)
• “Michigan, devastated by injury, experimented with their towel boy at wide receiver.  But the towel boy ran into a laundry list of problems.” (Dan Patrick)

Prayer: Lord, my cup is overflowing with joy!  Help us all celebrate the birth of Jesus, allowing that joy to spill into others.  Amen.