Listen and Follow | Previous Challenge Entry

how it works

TITLE: Listen and Follow | Previous Challenge Entry
By John Esposito
05/30/14
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Joseph got voted off the island twice. Once by his brothers and once by his master’s wife, but God had the final vote and Joseph got to stay one more time. Genesis 41 is the story about Pharaoh’s dream and how he had Joseph brought before him to interpret it for him. Joseph told Pharaoh that there was going to be a famine. And once Pharaoh heard this he placed Joseph in charge of all of Egypt. During the seven years of abundance Joseph began to collect wheat and grain and stored it so they would have it to get through the seven year famine that was coming.

Pharaoh said to Joseph, “I had a dream, and no one can interpret it. But I have heard it said of you that when you hear a dream you can interpret it.” Now here’s the awesome part about all of this, “I cannot do it,” Joseph replied to Pharaoh, “but God will give Pharaoh the answer he desires.” - Genesis 41:15-16.

In 2008 when the economy crashed, I worked at a local lumber yard and the Lord told me to start collecting scrap lumber. I had no idea why, but I did as I was told. After a while I had all these piles of wood that I didn’t know what to do with.

So I prayed, Lord please guide on what to do with this wood you wanted me to collect. A couple minutes later my branch manager came up to me and handed me my paycheck. On the outside of the envelope there is always a quote from someone who has left they’re mark on history. The quote that day was from Henry Ford and it said, “If you chop your own wood, it will warm you twice.”

On my way to rotate some stock I stopped to listen to the news on the radio. The newscaster announced that the cost of electricity and oil was going jump so high that he didn’t know how people were going to be able heat their homes that winter. Well I did, and I started storing the wood behind our church, free for the taking to anyone in the community that needed help keeping warm. The response was overwhelming. Every week I would go to add to the pile and every week the pile would be gone.

Just like Joseph and Pharaoh, I listen and followed the instructions from the Lord. They stored up wheat so everyone could eat during the famine. I stored up firewood so everyone could stay warm during the harsh winter. A free firewood ministry, how simple is that.

Last year my youth group built a shed closer to the church in a spot where it wouldn’t get buried by the snow plow. And every time I went to fill the shed with wood there would be something in the box. Once there was a bag of Tupperware, one time there a variety of candles in there, and one time there was some small branches for kindling wood. This was very cool to see; people were taking and now giving back. Then one night I went to fill the shed and there were two bags of canned goods and three bags of children’s clothes.

I had just witnessed a simple gesture from God turn into a mission, which then became a ministry. All I could think about at that time was Matthew 25:35-36 “For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.”

Part of me wishes it would also say “I was cold and you kept me warm” Then I thought about Matthew 25:40 which says “Truly I tell you, what ever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.”

Then I began to cry and fell to my knees thanking God for letting me be part of this community and part of his ministry. As I opened my eyes and looked into the night sky, all of the stars above me were sparkling and twinkling. It was like watching all the angels in heaven singing and dancing as they we’re celebrating Jesus carving another notch into his truth stick.

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