In his book, Conspiracy of Kindness, Steve Sjogren tells the story of Joe Delaney and his eight-year-old son, Jared. As they were pitching a baseball in the backyard, Jared asked his dad, “Dad, is there a God?” 

Joe responded, “I’m not really qualified to answer that question, son. I only went to church a time or two when I was a kid.” After a few more tosses of the ball, Jared ran into the house. When he came out, he had a balloon from the circus and a filing card. “What are you doing?” Joe asked. “I’m writing a letter to God.” 

In his elementary handwriting, the boy penned, “Dear God, if you are real and if you are there, send people who know you to Dad and me.” He attached the card to the balloon and released it. Two days later, Joe and Jared pulled into a church’s free car wash. Joe rolled down his window and asked, “How much.” “It’s free,” he was told, “We just want to show God’s love in a practical way.” Joe asked, “Are you guys Christian?” 

“Yeah, we’re Christians.” “Are you the kind of Christians who believe in God?” “Yes, we’re that kind of Christians.” Joe smiled and said, “I guess you’re the answer to one of the strangest prayers God has ever received.”

God used a local church’s car wash, not only to answer a little boy’s unusual prayer, but also to lead a whole family to faith in Christ. An act of selfless love, unsolicited kindness, undeserved help whether it is a car wash, a pecan pie or a few dollars in a time of need is all God needs to get some people’s attention.

God wants us to be an inside-out church. An inside-out church takes all the love, fellowship and joy of the Lord outside our walls to the community. In fact, being an inside-out church is a biblical mandate. Let’s obey this mandate!