Christmas is traditionally a time in which businesses, schools, and other organizations band together to serve the community and care for the needy.  So, accordingly, Catalyst held an event called A Christmas Presence.  However, rather than telling people who/when to serve, we wanted to provide an opportunity in which the Holy Spirit was given more room to move. 

One Sunday, everyone in service was handed an envelope and told to "go be the presence of Christ within our community." Inside the envelope was cash.  Our people were told to spend it on someone in need—in whatever way the Spirit prompted.

The stories were amazing; A family was given money to buy their handicapped son medical equipment, a man who couldn’t afford it himself was given an airline ticket so that he could attend his mother’s funeral, a poor boy was able to pick out brand new clothing, a homeless man received a hot meal.  Undoubtedly, our community was changed. However, the real change occurred within the people of Catalyst.   Although they enjoyed giving to those in need, they LOVED listening for the Holy Spirit’s guidance and playing an active role in His Plan—that’s what everyone was talking about in the weeks to come.

In Francis Chan’s book, Forgotten God, he questions, “Shouldn’t there be a huge difference between the person who has the Spirit of God living inside of him or her and the person who doesn’t?”  Shouldn’t we look different?!?  He jokingly compares it to a person who encounters God and receives a “supernatural ability to play basketball.”  If you heard that person’s story, yet saw no improvement in that person’s athleticism, wouldn’t you question whether the encounter with God really even occurred?!?   In the same way, shouldn’t we, as followers of Jesus, look different throughout our daily lives—even beyond the Christmas season?

Given that we all enjoyed hearing from the Holy Spirit and following His direction so much, isn’t it sad that the Spirit doesn’t prompt us more often?  Then again, maybe He does…but we’re too busy to hear it.  Often, we can become so busy doing the “work” of the church…set-up and tear-down on Sunday, serve in the kids’ ministry, bring a friend to mid-week Connection Group, get to Playbook and 201 class, etc…., that we forget to BE The Church in our daily lives.   

So, that’s my hope for Catalyst in the months to come—that we can all be attentive enough to hear His promptings—to help someone on the side of the street, to say a kind word to someone we normally wouldn’t speak to, to pray for our friends when they come to mind unexpectedly…and that we would simply begin to look different.