I should not be surprised by how God redirects my life by taking the focus off of me and putting it on Him.  You would think I would have figured it out by now.  Thick-head, I guess.  Last week was a perfect example of how this plays out in my life.

As I wrote a few weeks ago, I spent a few days in Lexington, Kentucky, passing out 75 free books to Christian bookstore owners.  It was an expensive weekend.  From it, one store owner contacted me and asked if I would come to her three stores in Iowa to do book-signings.  Maybe I can sell a hundred or so books which will help make up for the financial loss of Kentucky, I told myself.

I booked three nights in a motel and drove to Iowa, excited to tell buyers about A Little Faith Lift.  On Wednesday, the first day, I sat at my table for seven hours and sold six books, three to Francine, an employee in the store. As it turned out, I was positioned near the children’s section, so I purchased $85 worth of Christmas presents for my grandkids.  More than I made.  This was not working out as a sound investment opportunity.

The second day, after eight hours, I had sold three books (two more to Francine who worked at that store on Thursdays), and the third day, two books.  And yes, Francine worked there that last day and told everyone who entered the store how great my book was.  They did everything but run through the glass shelves lining the middle of the store when she pointed me out to them.  I might as well have had a plaque hanging around my neck.  “I have Covid.”

Imagine!  Rejected in a Christian bookstore.  Perhaps fodder for a second book?

At any rate, what I witnessed in those three stores blessed me beyond measure.  Each had special needs’ patrons who hung out during the day, receiving love and kindness and one-on-one attention.  I was told ahead of time what to expect, but I had no idea these employees would show the kind of compassion and respect they did.

Melissa was blind, autistic, socially inappropriate and suffered with turrets. She pulled up a chair and sat beside me, and we “visited.”  She, as it turned out, was an expert on dates, especially the day she became a Christian… “July 7, 1995. That’s the day when I asked forgiveness for my sins and knew that Jesus had died on the cross for me. The best day of my life.”

Austin was an “employee” who worked two hours each morning, logging data into his computer with the aid of a personal helper.  John visited the third store two-to-three times a day, each time finding something (usually under $2.00) he wanted to purchase and asking the clerk to “put it on his tab.”  Which she did.

When a young, college student approached the counter, Windy, the owner, spent over 30 minutes with him, encouraging him and praying with him.  Of all the people I met, however, Francine was my favorite.  She was a gap-filler.  Whatever needed to be done, she volunteered.  My first day, she told me about the youth group she would sponsor that night.  “Wanna speak to them tonight,” she asked.  I said that I would love to.  It was a blessing I did not deserve.

Next week, I will share my experience with those teens and that church.