Watching God Work in Oswego

I have been a Christ follower for a few years now and God still confounds and inspires me regularly. It happens all the time with group I hang out.  We meet in what I have often heard around town as the “neon” church. You know our building. We are the church under the red neon cross on Wolf road over by Oswego East High School. We are a relatively new campus of Wheatland Salem Church but we have a long history of seeing God’s Spirit move in some really powerful ways.

Since our opening, we have met and added wonderful folks to our tribe. We have seen lives changed and people who lost touch with God get reacquainted. It’s been a great journey. One of the most inspiring stories though came from my interactions with Jonathan Barker.

Jonathan is an amazing young man of 21 years. He is also a friend who is bound to a wheel chair but that does not slow him down. He is a force to be dealt with. His emotional, spiritual and physical growth has been amazing to watch over the last 18 months. He went from a young man wondering about his future, to a man with a plan to go to college and one day, be a pastor. He went from young man challenged by his disease (He has cerebral palsy), to a man who has been re-learning to stand, walk and swim. However, none of those miracles makes me well up every time I hang out with him. It’s his spiritual life. Jonathan has found the Lord and has the gift of prayer. When he prays for you, it absolutely feels like God is on the edge of his seat.  Jonathan has gone to downtown Chicago with our
youth in the rain, sleet and snow to hand out sandwiches, clothing and pray with the homeless. Can you imagine being down on your luck and having a wheel chair bound man ask you if he could pray with you? It simply gives me chills.

Jonathan and I used to meet to pray before Sunday worship but our wheelchair lift died an untimely death. While we don’t have the money to replace it, Jonathan continues to stop by or drive through our small parking lot to pray for all those in Oswegoland and for those who show up for worship. In a world where people are fickle, inpatient and uncaring, Jonathan loves like no one person I have ever met except Jesus. I have never met a man so selfless. He is always asking, praying and following up with those who are hurting. He never complains. He looks for and often sees God’s hand at work in matters big and small.

This past Sunday morning when I told him that people were beginning give to our ramp project, he told me, “God always provides.” I believe him. I’ve seen God at work in Oswego. How about you?