The big news for 2012 was Randy's return to better health. After years of pain without relief, doctors prescribed a medication to help Randy cope with the depressive effects of chronic pain. What doctors learned later was that the medication ALSO provided pain relief for nerve damage. Not only did he experience his first relief in almost eight years, but it was the first medication without adverse effects, some of which had included severe allergic reactions.
With the first pain
relief in nearly eight years, Randy seemed ready to add speaking and traveling back
into his schedule. But God & Essex
County's Jury System had different plans: For eight hours a day, three days a
week from Jan. 3 to April1, Randy was called to serve on the Essex County Grand
Jury, hearing evidence in every felony committed during that period.
We were puzzled, how did this fit with God's
plan and Randy's eagerness to "get out there again"? Little did we know just what God had in mind. While the law prohibits jurors from discussing cases, Randy discovered opportunities to talk about God nearly every day...as well as during cab rides to and from the courthouse. Randy writes "One afternoon, a cab driver mentioned his wife had just been taken to the hospital in serious pain, and he was headed over after dropping me off. I asked if I could pray with him, and he readily accepted. As I began to pray right there in his cab, he quietly cleared his throat to get my attention. In a serious voice he asked 'if it would be all right' if he kept his eyes open during the prayer, since the car was moving. I assured him God would hear us even with his eyes open." Soon cab drivers were bringing their faith questions with them as they picked up and dropped off Randy at the courthouse. In fact, Randy found people eager to hear about God, and in three months "I shared Christ with more people face-to-face than I had in any other period of my life. Once, as an airport limo driver carried me to a meeting, he grilled me on my knowledge of other faiths. I had written the series 'What My Coworkers Believe' and was well-versed in other faiths enough to speak intelligently and respectfully. At the end of our trek, I could see the driver was deeply moved, but only later learned of the abusive way Christians had spoken of his Jewish faith. God protected his heart by enabling me to treat his faith, which he hid from me at first, with respect and dignity, leading to a lengthy discussion of Christianity. " In other words, God used jury duty and other opportunities not only to reach people in the court system, but also to give Randy the chance to renew his love of sharing the Gospel in person as well as in writing. Undercover officers, attorneys, fellow jurors, courthouse workers and cab drivers were just some of the people touched by the knowledge God loved them...and their labors.
On a more somber note, we also were reminded just how broken this world is, watching as every type of major crime, each with its alleged victims and the accused, far too often involving children as direct victims, or as victims of the broken families resulting from this crime.
Coupled with Cheryl's work volunteering at the food pantry and thrift store serving the area's poorest families, these experiences helped us to hear God's call to pay attention to the people right in front of us, and to work to introduce the love of God to even those who believe God and society have discarded interest in helping them.
