Something seemingly insignificant made my day yesterday.

My message involved an object lesson in which I cracked open a raw egg and let the yolk drop into a bowl. The idea was that the shell is not the substance.

The same is true of the church (the shell) and the gospel (the substance).

Anyway, given the nature of that object lesson, I had to clean out the bowl after each service so that I could do the object lesson again at the next one. Not an efficient use of eggs, I admit.

As I was racing to the kitchen after the 8:30 service, a woman from our church saw me in the lobby, noticed the bowl in my hand and asked, "Can I clean that up for you?"

I'm not usually one for pastoral privilege, but I needed that reprieve yesterday. So I said, "yes." That allowed me then to focus on a ministry I love best of all: greeting people as they find their seats in the Worship Center.

The woman who washed the bowl out yesterday morning probably thought nothing of it. Just a nice thing to do.

For me, it was a sign of grace. A small action with a big impact.

What small things will you do for others today?

Several times in recent weeks I have been present when people have prayed to give their lives to Christ.

It's been happening in my office or in our Worship Center.

What a privilege to see God extend the invitation and then to have people respond in faith.

But what next? What are the best next steps for someone who has much such a commitment?

I'm not great at that part . . . but I have been trying to put more focus on the follow up. Here's my approach:

1. Make sure they have a good bible -- preferably an NIV Student Bible.

2. Assign the Gospel of John. Twenty-one chapters in twenty-one days.

3. When they finish, have them read it again.

4. Schedule another personal appointment.

5. Connect them with a good small group or Sunday School class.

6. Encourage/insist they put their faith to action by taking part in First Serve.

What else would you add?