May 8, 2000
TOGETHER:
You can be a stream of blessing to parched people
___The drive southwest of Midland was flat and straight. I turned south off Interstate 20 at Pecos and continued on to Balmorhea, just below Interstate 10. This picturesque little town nestles in the desert flatlands just beneath the Davis Mountains.
___After the dry land that so much needs rain, it was a surprise to see what looked like wetsuits hanging from the balcony of an old motel. And then little bridges across a swift-flowing irrigation canal. Where does all that water come from?
CHARLES WADE
Executive Director
BGCT Executive Board
___Fascinated by the beautiful running water, I drove right past the entrance to Balmorhea State Park. Quickly I turned around and drove into the little park. From these springs come the water that flows north to Balmorhea. In these 20-feet-deep waters of a 1.75-acre pool, people were swimming, diving from a high board and even scuba diving. And 12,000 acres in the dry flatlands have become an oasis because of the water from the springs.
___On up to Fort Davis, the highest town in Texas at an elevation of 5,050 feet, I passed mountain vistas most Texans don't know exist. I stopped and interrupted Pastor Robert Barge as he relaxed in his porch swing drinking iced tea and preparing his soul for Sunday by reading a baseball biography of the Big Train, Walter Johnson. I knew we could be good friends!
___The beauty of the ranch country filled my senses as I drove on to Alpine, where I was to preach the Founder's Day sermon for the good people of First Baptist Church and Pastor Phil McCraw.
___And there on Sunday morning I experienced another oasis moment. The warmth of the people; the happy energy in the singing; the earnest and thoughtful prayers; the gifts of the musicians, including a four-piece brass choir; the joy of the beautiful windows, one with Jesus being baptized in the Jordan, swept over me like a river of blessing. There are springs that flow from deep within the heart of a worshipping church.
___The Sul Ross graduate student sang, "Thank you for giving to the Lord. I am so glad you gave," just before I preached. As she sang, I quietly thanked God he has called me to serve in such a vast state, with such amazingly gifted people. I asked God to become in us all a deep, flowing well from which we can give living water to a dry and thirsty land.
___Jesus said it best of all: "If anyone is thirsty, let him come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me ... streams of living water will flow from within him" (John 7:37-38). Isaiah promised God's people: "The Lord will guide you always; he will satisfy your needs in a sun-scorched land. ... You will be like a ... spring whose waters never fail" (Isaiah 58:11).
___We can be streams of blessing. Read your Bible every day, pray thoughtfully and spontaneously throughout the day, don't neglect meeting together with your church, keep your eyes and ears open to God and you will bring life and joy to those around you. Like the San Solomon Springs that have been for thousands of years a place of life-giving water and refreshing respite for weary travelers, our churches can be God's gift of life and hope to those who come close by. Watch for them. They come by most every Sunday--and sometimes during the week as well. In fact, you never know when you might meet a thirsty stranger.
___Because we are loved, we love ...
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