Get those guys and gals believing again!

What kinds of stories have inspired you when you were new to the faith?  When life's challenges stimulate fear or anxiety (or doubt) what hymns or psalms have fanned your faith "spark"?  To whom do you turn for encouragement?  Has anybody ever offered you encouragement by their own initiative or did you ask for it?

One of our responsibilities as disciples is to watch for people who are becoming fatigued or frustrated in ministry, and reach out to them with an encouraging word or a compassionate presence.  By doing so, we may literally breath peace and hope and life into them!

From Pastor Randy O'Donnell's Sermon last week: 
                Well the Indians are at it again, and I can't say much as a Pittsburgh Pirate fan, but there is a story about the famed and long retired manager of the Los Angeles Dodgers, Tommy Lasorda.  He told a story about a time when he was still managing in the minor leagues.  In 1971 his team had lost seven straight games.  After their seventh loss, Lasorda stormed into the locker room where the team sat dejectedly with their heads down.  "Hey, get those heads up," he shouted, "Don't ever let me see you act like that again.  Just because you've lost seven games doesn't mean you are not a great team.  The best baseball team of all time was the 1927 Yankees and they lost nine straight games."  Suddenly heads went up and expressions changed. It was a turning point and by the end of the season the team had actually won their division.  A few days after the speech, Lasorda's wife asked him if the 1927 Yankees had really lost nine games in a row.  "How would I know," Lasorda answered, "I just knew I had to get those guys believing again, and it worked."

We know we, at times, need to get believing again, placing our trust and hope in the Savior of the world.  The Bible's accounts and stories of the resurrection were chiefly written to remind us of what God has done in the cross event.  

For reflection:  What story would "get you believing" again?  Do you have a story you could tell to somebody who is discouraged about discipleship that might "get them believing again?"