Invited to the Cross

In Acts chapters 3 and 4, we find that Peter and John had preached the gospel at the temple, and Peter had been the conduit through which God had healed a blind man. In the 4th chapter, beginning in verse 10, we can read Peter's words...
10 let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole.
11 This is the 'stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.'
12 Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved."

The passage goes on to say:
13 Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated and untrained men, they marveled. And they realized that they had been with Jesus.

Bernie and Dee Ann Tackitt are a couple in Lubbock, Texas, who have opened up their front yard as a refuge for prayer, marked by a large cross that Bernie constructed last year. A recent Faithwire article spotlighted the Tackitts and their desire to serve the Lord.  It states:

But that cross is not just for decoration; it’s a place where community members are invited to post their written prayers to the Lord.

Bernie told KCBD-TV he came up with the idea last year.

“I thought, ‘I’m going to make a cross because I want everybody to know I’m — at this point in humanity, I’m going, ‘We need to pick a team,'” he said. “And I want everybody [to] know I’m with team Jesus.”

The cross has picked up coverage in local media, as people use it to post their requests to God. And Dee Ann, known for praying with strangers at the store and wherever else she goes, said there’s also a special bench at the home where people are welcome to sit and engage the Lord.

The KCBD Television article quotes Bernie, regarding his wife's propensity to pray: “She has a habit of finding people who need prayers. I mean, we could be in Big Lots or anywhere, and I’m looking over there, ‘where’s my, where’s my wife?’ And I’m looking at, she’s praying with somebody. We’ll be out in the parking lot, she’s praying with somebody..." She says: “People in church, they know who Jesus is. That’s why they’re there. And that’s why we like going out into the street and that’s why we have dedicated our home as the house of prayer for the nations..."

And, in addition to praying in various places in the community, they invite people to their home, to sit at their "Bible bench," and to pray at their "prayer porch."

Dee Ann says, "If you need to just sit down, have some quiet time with the Lord, come sit on my bench, talk to the Lord. Put that prayer on that cross and you know what, your prayer will be covered every day..."

The Tackitts' story can remind us of the blessings of simple obedience.  Their desire is to pray for people and to help them draw closer to the Lord.  They opened up the front of their home in order to point people to Jesus.  We can be challenged to think about how we are opening ourselves up to God in order to show them the love of the Lord.

Because the opportunities are abounding.  We can recognize that there are numerous needs that people have - whether it's a need for salvation, for someone to fill the void in his or her life.  Or a physical need that they or someone they know have.  People are looking for peace these days, and can experience it at the foot of the cross - that Tackitts' cross can remind onlookers of what the Lord has done for them.  We are called and empowered to be inviting to those who need to experience the presence of the Lord.