Blessed by the Saints

I was greatly blessed yesterday by the Saints. Oh, the New Orleans Saints beat the St. Louis Cardinals and that was cool; but it’s not what I’m talking about. I spent the day being blessed by the saints of God. Early in the morning I drove to Baton Rouge with Saint Joe, whose testimony and fresh excitement about his life with Jesus is a great blessing. Then I boarded a bus with over 40 saints and road to Angola. Just being in the presence of excited, happy saints was a blessing. We toured Angola. One highlight was being led in prayer by a saint who has been incarcerated for (I believe he said) 37 years; but whose joy in being a saint of God was contagious and inspiring. Then we moved into the death chamber where just days ago Gerald Bordelon died, executed for killing his 12 year old step daughter.  In that room, the saint who was Gerald’s family’s pastor and now serves as chaplain at the State Penitentiary, tearfully shared the details of his part in the execution and the “rest of the story” of the family tragedy surrounding Courtney Leblanc’s murder. The presence of God in the execution chamber was too real to deny or for me to every forget.
Back home I watched the first half of the Saints game as Jessica prepared for work and I held my precious great grand child. For the second half I took Kaydence to Rayne and watched the game with her and her grandmother. The game was fine, but watching Kaydence and her grandmother saint enjoy each other was awesome.
This morning as I write this I have one ear listening for my grand daughter Samantha, who spent the night with us, to stir. When she wakes, we will go to our traditional breakfast time at Mel’s Diner, another day starting with a highlight. We’ll go to church and join Allison and Martha, more time with more saints.

In the movie, As Good as it Gets, the Jack Nicholson character tells the Helen Hunt character, “You make me want to be a better man.” That’s what I get out of spending time with the great saints in my life, whether it’s my wife who brought me to the Lord, an aged angola inmate, an inspiring tearful minister, Kairos members or treasured family, young and old. They all make me want to be a better man.

OC tells us today: ” God gets me into a relationship with Himself whereby I understand His call, then I do things out of sheer love for Him on my own account.” In other words, by being in His presence, I want to be a better man. I want to do things for Him. Time with Him is precious but somehow I experience Him in a more real way in the time I spend with His saints. His presence is manifested through His saints. In their presence, I want to do more; I want to be a better man. 

I will likely end the day at church, attending the first night of Extraordinary. I have the book and audio book and could get the information from those sources; but I would miss the time with saints.

Cowboys, Vikings and Satan, Beware of Saints.

Be blessed.
Nick