The story begins more than 40 years ago, when a high school girl decided to begin following the Jesus who would change her life. As a new Christian, she began to think about others. Her thoughts went to her younger brother, who was about as far away from God as she could fathom.
She began to pray for him, regularly. Finally, when she was in college, she invited him—still a high school student—to join her and her boyfriend on a beach retreat with a college ministry in which they were active.
Surprisingly, he said yes. This was 39 years ago. During that weekend with the college ministry, the younger brother became a follower too. Let’s skip ahead.
Over the years, the brother began working in the pro-life arena. Eventually, he landed at a pregnancy center as a director. Then, began working with life-affirming ministries across the country. The sister? She raised four children with her husband, the same boyfriend who reached out to the brother years earlier.
They become active in churches wherever they go. She reaches out to women through Bible Study Fellowship, serving in this ministry for decades. When we pick up the story again, they are in Texas.
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Interestingly, a pregnancy center asks her to serve on its board of directors. She calls the brother, asking, “What would I bring to the table? I’m not a financial guru, it’s not my thing.” He tells her that her insight will be invaluable from her years working with women. She needs to say, “Yes,” he says.
She agrees. Soon, she is finding friends with hearts for the ministry. She brings them to the executive director, who takes these friends on tours of the center. They choose to volunteer, again and again. The sister has found another calling.
But she’s not done. As a board member, she chooses to go to national conferences to learn more. Though she is not post-abortive, she goes to a weekend of healing for women facing this challenge. She keeps learning, taking everything in.
Her next step is to visit pregnancy centers in her area, finding what works, what she can bring back to the team in order to grow their ministry.
One day she makes a visit to a center in a neighboring city. During the conversation with the executive director, she hears the center needs a new building. Something clicks with her. She is reminded that a local church just offered her center, a 3,000 square-foot mobile building but it would not fit on their property. She mentions this, saying that the executive director where she serves has information.
A call is made. The building is still available. Within weeks, the building has a home with a pregnancy center outgrowing its space. It’s perfect. With renovation, this pregnancy center will double its space.
Then the sister finds out that months before she even heard about the building, the recipient ministry had scheduled . . . her brother . . . to speak at their fundraising event. As it turns out, on banquet night they will be raising funds for renovations of the building, the building she talked about with the executive director.
You probably figured this out by now, but I’m the brother. My sister, Deanne, is the pregnancy board member.
Let’s put this in perspective.
In April of 1980 I spoke a strange prayer to God, saying, “God, if you’re real, I want you to change me.” My prayer was the answer to my sister’s prayer. In May of that year I became a follower, like so many of you reading this.
In April of 2019—39 years later—I received the invitation to speak at the fundraising dinner for The Pregnancy Resource Medical Center (PRMC) in Rosenberg, TX. My sister, Deanne, serves on the board of directors at the PHC of West Houston in Katy, TX.
Would I have faith today without my sister’s prayers? Would I be involved in life-affirming work? I don’t know. All I know is, because of her, I get to do what I do.
Would she be on the board of a pregnancy center without our connection? Again, I don’t know. We’ll let the smart people figure that out.
Would Rosenberg’s PRMC have a new building without Deanne being in the right place, at the right time, with the right information fresh in her mind?
A lot of good questions, which theologians can haggle over if they’d like.
All I know is, God is smart. And, He sees the big picture. Someone can tell me this story is all about coincidences, and that’s fine. Have at it.
Tweet This: All I know is, God is smart. And, He sees the big picture.
Albert Einstein, however, is quoted as saying, “There are only two ways to live your life: As if nothing is a miracle, or as though everything is a miracle.”
My sister prayed for me at least three years before receiving her first answer. Today, her faithfulness from yesterday continues to pay dividends. If you need proof, ask Lisa Pearson at the Pregnancy Resource Medical Center in Rosenberg, TX.
Coincidence? Or a miracle nearly 40 years in the making?
I’m no Einstein, but I’m going with, “Miracle.”
