Core Scripture: “But how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they have never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? That is why the Scriptures say, ‘How beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring good news!’” (Romans 10:14-15)

Message: I love good news.  Telling my folks we were pregnant with our first.  Calling my dad and excitedly explaining how the Chiefs pulled off a victory he couldn’t watch.  Or how about my brother, Curt, calling me to tell me he was going to be able to attend my wedding in a wheelchair after being critically wounded in Iraq. 

In a world that seems to thrive on bad news, conflict, and pessimism, good news is so refreshing!  Amen?

The other day I was stowing packages at Amazon.  I became lost in my own world as I was listening to Christian music that soothed my soul on my Amazon approved headphones.  You never know what song will come next when you select a Christian music mix, but when Rend Collective’s “Rescuer” began to play, my heart leapt with joy.

The song begins with the lead singer, Chris Llewellyn, talking.  He proclaims, “There is so much bad news in the world right now, but no matter what, we have good news, and that good news has a name, and that name is Jesus Christ.”

I began to wonder … Who needs to hear that good news?  Is God putting anyone in my life who would benefit from hearing it?  Who needs hope?  Who needs the good news of Jesus Christ?

My mind whirled.  Amazon employs a boatload of workers.  Since I began working there in late October, I have been blessed to nourish numerous friendships amongst our crew.  Every day I seem to have the opportunity to have a new conversation with a colleague I haven’t had the opportunity to get to know yet. 

Enter Logan. 

I will never forget the day I first talked to him.  We were both assigned to water spider on the doc.  At 23 years old, Logan was such a young pup.  His whole life ahead of him, I began peppering him with questions to get to know the kid.  I spent the entire morning probing gently into his life, finding out what makes him tick.

I discovered his passion in life: comics.  Logan loves comics!  He was going to create his own Robin costume to attend Comicon in March.  He had been through a few relationships that left deep wounds in his heart.  It felt as if those wounds still needed healing.  They were too fresh.  Too messy.  And as I listened to him talk about his life, I saw more and more a young man clinging to hope of a better life down the road.

We embraced each other’s friendship immediately.  I dubbed him with the fun nickname of Logi Bear.  Not sure where it came from, but it fit.  Come to find out, that was his early childhood family nickname.  Every time I greeted him, his hand would gracefully extend forward, and he would bow.  We exchanged numbers.  He joined our lunch bunch.  Our relationship began to flourish. 

There was a morning last week on my day off when God put it on my heart to pray for my Amazonian friends.  Vaughn.  Warren.  Chase.  Muammar.  Doug.  Mohamed.  Bre.  Jora.  And of course, my dear friend Logi Bear amongst others.  I texted encouragement to those I had numbers for, letting them know they were being prayed for.

Guess who replied almost immediately?  Good old Logi Bear!

Logan and I had not really had a faith conversation, but I soon found out his heart was open to the gospel.  He thanked me for inviting him to our lunch bunch.  It meant a lot to him, and as I drove him home that afternoon from China Buffet, I found out it was the anniversary of his mom’s passing.  I had no clue!  The lunch was a beautiful way to get his mind off the tragedy that was tormenting him. 

Fast forward to a few days ago.  Logan and I met in the aisles late morning as the day was winding down.  I wheeled my cart into place, docking and locking it securely. 

“Logi Bear!” I called out excitedly. 

He shook his head, grinning from ear to ear, more than likely slightly embarrassed of his goofy nickname being proclaimed loudly for all to hear.  But he stopped himself and graciously bowed his Logi Bear bow.  I continued my trek down the aisle to retrieve a few more bags.

“Hey, Clint!” he called out.

“Yes, Logi.  How may I assist you, good sir?” I replied.

He hesitantly came down my aisle and leaned against the shelf, choosing his words carefully.

“I … uh … just wanted to thank you for praying for me,” he began. 

“Sure man!  God put you on my heart the other morning.”

I pulled a bag stuffed full of packages from the shelf, scanned it, and let it fall to the cement below with a resounding thud. 

“You know, I might want to talk to you about God.  I think I am starting to believe in Him again.”

Woah.  Deep stuff.  This took some courage for him to come clean about something so profound.

“Sure, man!” I said, stopping my work and walking towards him a bit.  “I would love to talk to you about God.” 

There wasn’t much more than that.  Just a feeler he put out that he was curious.  Open and ready to learn.  I texted him later, asking if he would want to talk over break the next day.  He gladly accepted my invitation.  That next day we sat across from one another in the break room, exploring the topic of Christianity and God. 

I shared the free Bible app, YouVersion, with him.  He agreed that he would be willing to try doing a Bible plan with me sometime.  We both agreed that a Christianity 101 topic might be good to start with.  As I write these words this morning, I am stoked to discover where this newfound relationship will go.  The sky is the limit!

The thirsting for good news is palpable in my dear friend.  What about you?  Who has God placed in your life that is desperate to find hope?  Whose heart is open to hearing the gospel?  With whom will you share Jesus with today?  Sometimes we forget our greatest charge as Christians is to make disciples.

When Jesus sent the disciples out two by two, do you remember what He told them?  Jesus told them to invest in households who received the good news with joy.  If someone rejected them, they were to shake the dust off their feet and move on. 

When I look at Logan, I see a heart yearning to understand who Jesus is.  I see someone scarred by their past, just waiting for the right healing to cleanse them.  Most of all, I see a prime candidate who would greatly benefit from hearing my story.

It was last Sunday morning that I celebrated the 12^th anniversary of my baptism.  I gave my life to Jesus on February 9, 2013.  Best decision of my life.  The interesting thing is that God took the moment where Satan had the tightest grip on me and twisted it for His good.  I realized I could not get through this life without putting Him first.

That story is so special to me.  Logan deserves to hear it, and he will when the time is right.  I feel that time may be coming soon.  Possibly as early as next week.  As I pull him aside to share the difference God made in my life, I hope he will realize the impact Jesus could have on him. 

I wonder if part two of this story might be coming next week?  Stay tuned!

Challenge: What person in your life is ready to hear the good news?  Who is that thirsty soul aching to drink from the well of eternal life?  Pray for that person.  Seek them out.  Have a bold faith conversation about the difference Jesus had made in your life, and proclaim the good news!

Bible study: Journal about or discuss any of the following scripture …

• “For I am not ashamed of this Good News about Christ. It is the power of God at work, saving everyone who believes—the Jew first and also the Gentile.” (Romans 1:16)
• “And Jesus came and said to them, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.  Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.” (Matthew 28:18-20)
• “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16)

Song application: “Rescuer” by Rend Collective

There is good news for the captive
Good news for the shamed
There is good news for the one who walked away
There is good news for the doubter
The one religion failed
For the Good Lord has come to seek and save

He’s our rescuer (hey)
He’s our rescuer (hey)
We are free from sin forevermore
Oh how sweet the sound (hey)
Oh how grace abounds (hey)
We will praise the Lord our rescuer (hey)

Just for fun: Kendrick Lamar recently performed at the Super Bowl halftime show last weekend.  His hit song “Turn the TV Off” is played a lot on the speakers to motivate the flow of work on the doc.  That song was playing as I was water spidering the other day. 

I couldn’t help but wonder … He repeats the line about turning the TV off quite a bit.  And he wrote a whole song about it.  I just want to help the guy.  Kendrick … buddy … pal … There is this thing called a remote control.  It has a button near the top, and it is normally red.  Pressing that button will in fact turn the TV off!

If this fails, you might want to check the batteries in your remote.  Or as a last resort you could go old school and actually walk up to the TV.  There is this ancient method of turning the TV off called pressing the power button.  Depending on your TV, it might be on the side or near the bottom. 

Give it a shot.

Prayer: Lord, open my eyes to the opportunities you put before me to share the gospel with friends I come into contact with at work.  Give me wisdom on what to say, and soften my coworkers’ hearts toward understanding Your Word.  Amen.