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Key Bible Verse: So accept each other just as Christ has accepted you; then God will be glorified (Romans 15:7). Bonus Reading: Romans 15:5-13

There's a role for just about everyone in the body of Christ. Soon after we started New Life Church in the basement of our home, a man came along who offered to help with worship. He was great—passionate, skilled at singing and playing guitar, and sensitive to the Spirit of God.

But this brother was a chain-smoker. He'd often step outside the basement door during the sermon to smoke, then come back in for the closing prayer. His clothes were disheveled, and he couldn't keep a job for more than a few weeks. Often I had to send someone over to his trailer to pick him up. Much to my embarrassment, he'd often beg five or ten dollars off the person giving him the ride.

This man would never have met typical church leadership requirements. But he must have met some of God's requirements. God seemed to bless his ministry. Even though his hair went unwashed and his glasses were broken and held together with a paper clip, this brother had a kind heart toward people, a tenderness before God, and a loving and gentle spirit. Our worship times were anointed, and he was great at leading people in prayer.

—Ted Haggard in Dog Training, Fly Fishing, and Sharing Christ in the 21st Century

My Response: I'll thank God for an offbeat brother, _____, whom God is using.

Thought to Apply: The church is not made up of spiritual giants; only broken men can lead others to the cross.—DAVID BOSCH (South African missiologist)

Adapted from Dog Training, Fly Fishing, and Sharing Christ in the 21st Century (Nelson, 2002) by permission.

Copyright © 2005 by the author or Christianity Today International/Men of Integrity magazine.Click here for reprint information on Men of Integrity.

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Prayer for the Week

Lord Jesus, I tend to cold-shoulder those You reach out to with compassion. Please change my heart.

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