The Power of a Half Hour by Tommy Barnett

Author:Tommy Barnett [Barnett, Tommy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 978-0-307-73185-2
Publisher: The Doubleday Religious Publishing Group
Published: 2013-12-17T05:00:00+00:00

THIRTY-MINUTE BLESSINGS

I think one of the most important life principles a person can learn is the fact that God blesses us so that we can bless others.17 One of the surprises that comes from that lifestyle is the joy of knowing that you have made someone else’s life better. It’s hard to bless others when your attitude is wrong, but it’s just as hard to have a bad attitude when you are busy blessing people.

That is one of the things I try to encourage my staff to do.

One of my long-time associates, Sharon Henning, talks about how my regular encouragement to take advantage of half hours has led her to plan her daily schedule with an eye toward identifying available half hours and making the most of that free time. Sometimes she’ll head to the mountain to pray; other times she gets on the phone to assist individuals in need; on other occasions she heads over to the senior-care center to help the staff there. Once you get the mind-set that your time is a resource that can bless others, blessing others becomes a wonderful habit.

Sometimes blessing others has life-or-death implications. At the church in Los Angeles, a woman named Maria benefitted from the Dream Center’s Adopt-a-Block program. Every Saturday our teams visit their designated neighborhood blocks, doing whatever needs to be done to lend a helping hand, to provide much-needed food and clothing, and most of all, to share the love of Jesus Christ. Sometimes they mow lawns, paint, or repair appliances. But building relationships and inviting the neighbors to church is Adopt-a-Block’s first priority.

Maria was a very quiet person. Although the Dream Center team visited her every week, she rarely said much about herself. She was always polite, but it wasn’t often that anyone saw her smile, and even then her eyes never seemed to lose their sadness. The team learned that she was a single mother from Central America, and it was evident that she and her two children lived in poverty.

After several months Maria finally found the courage to attend a church service, and on that first visit she went forward and received Jesus Christ as her Savior. Everyone who knew her was ecstatic.

From that time on, visits with her were warmer and less awkward, but still Maria never lost her shyness and reserve.

One Saturday when the team knocked at Maria’s door, nobody answered. They persisted for several minutes, until finally a neighbor appeared. The woman walked over with an uncertain expression on her face. “Haven’t you heard?” she asked. “Maria was killed yesterday.”

“Killed? What do you mean?” The Adopt-a-Block team members looked at each other in horror.

The neighbor nodded mutely but seemed reluctant to tell them more. Just then another more talkative neighbor arrived and recounted the terrible story. Maria’s boyfriend had become angry with her and had pushed her in front of a moving car. She died instantly.

Maria’s mother came from New York to Los Angeles for the funeral, and the Dream Center provided the facilities, food, and volunteer help necessary to make the occasion as pleasant as possible.

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