RIPPLE EFFECT

Photo by Perri Rosheger

Have you ever watched the ripples in the water?  

Each move we make starts a ripple effect.  

The ripple effect we have in someones life can 

be good or it can be bad.  That ripple that is 

created can motivate them to move forward with 

their service to God or it can cause them to 

loose hope.

Once again I ponder on the life of Dale Dozier who 

seemed to never waste one opportunity to share

Jesus Christ with others.  He would always have 

a track he wrote in his pocket and share with others

what his Jesus meant to him.  He didn't share what

Christ meant to Billy Graham.  He didn't tell what 

had happened in Louie Giglio's life.  He shared

what was going on in his own life.  He wanted

his life to have a ripple effect on the people 

he knew; and I am here to tell you that it did.

There were times that Dale said that things were 

not going so well.  There were times he would 

get upset about the decisions people made 

with their lives, and there were times his 

heart was broken and heavy for things going 

on in and around him.  He was true to himself

and he was true to His God.  

Once we served together in the same church

when a young man came in view of a call

and he was far from being a pastor and I 

watched emotion after emotion run through 

Dale.  We began to pray that God would 

take control of the situation as it looked

as if they would call this man to be the 

pastor and we felt the outcome could

be one of great turmoil.  As things turned 

out there was one vote that kept the young

man from serving as the pastor.  Another

young man come in view of a call and he 

was a leader and you could tell he was a true

man of God.  They called him to the church

with I believe 100% vote and he has been
there for ten years and the church
has been healthy.  Was Dale wrong for being
angry or upset?  No, because he had a
protective spirit for the whole flock 

and he could see some would be wounded.

Because of his honesty and truth about life it 

caused ripple effects in other people's lives.

I must stop and tell a funny story about

something he once told me in the ministry.

He had a lady in the church that her husband 

was coming home drunk and beating her up.

She became so angry and tired of it that one

night he came in and she was ready.  He began

to beat on her and she pulled a gun and shot 

him in the hip.  This changed the man.  He began

to treat this woman with more respect for about 

ten years and after about ten years he began to 

do the same thing.  She went to Dale with this 

situation for advise.  He said, "well seems like a 

bullet in the hip worked so well the first time, 

and you know the man does have two hips."

Even things like this in Dale's life helped me 

to see that we are all human and sometimes 

we humans can be selfish, ungodly and flat

out ridiculous at times and sometimes

it takes drastic measures for us to get

shaken back into reality.

I have had many struggles lately myself

and I begin to tell myself that I am not

worthy to be digging a well for people

to drink from because my attitude hasn't 

been correct lately.  But then I am reminded 

that even along the way in Abraham's life 

as he dug wells that there were people

that would rise up against him and try to 

take his well that he dug away from 

him.  There were people that came 

along and destroyed some of the wells

that he dug.  There were many obstacles 

that he faced while digging the wells and 

if he came up against an obstacle to big 

or couldn't conquer the foe that was trying

to rob him of that well, he would just 

move along and dig a new well.  As people

traveled all throughout the land they found

water to drink because Abraham never stopped

digging wells.  

When we are challenged with an obstacle we tend 

to just throw in the towel and give up.  How very

foolish that would be.  So as Dale often reminded

me that it will be a fight to the very last round, keep 

digging wells because someone somewhere is 

thirsty and needs refreshed.   Dale Dozier prayed 

for Steve and I every night before he went to sleep

and sometimes I wonder how many other people

do the same thing and they are the very reason

we are able to keep making ripples in the water

of these tiny wells springing up.  

For Dale who dug many wells I pray there will be

people who go behind him and do as Isaac did

and dig those wells again that were taken away

by the enemy or covered up.  There are some

wells in those past churches he preached at

and there are some wells in his family.  There 

are some wells in friends lives that the enemy

came along and plugged that we pray

can be opened back up and flowing because

of the way this man lived his life. 

 And Isaac digged again the wells of water, 

which they had digged in the days of Abraham 

his father; for the Philistines had stopped them after 

the death of Abraham: and he called their names 

after the names by which his father had called them.

And Isaac’s servants digged in the valley, 

and found there a well of springing water.

And the herdmen of Gerar did strive with Isaac’s 

herdmen, saying, The water is ours: and he 

called the name of the well Esek; because they 

strove with him.  And they digged another well, 

and strove for that also: and he called the 

name of it Sitnah.  And he removed from thence, 

and digged another well; and for that they 

strove not: and he called the name of it Rehoboth; 

and he said, For now the LORD hath made room 

for us, and we shall be fruitful in the land.

And he went up from thence to Beersheba.

And the LORD appeared unto him the same night, 

and said, I am the God of Abraham thy father: fear not, 

for I am with thee, and will bless thee, and multiply 

thy seed for my servant Abraham’s sake.

And he builded an altar there, and called upon the 

name of the LORD, and pitched his tent there: 

and there Isaac’s servants digged a well.

Genesis 26:18-25

If this blog has been a blessing to you please take the time to drop us an e-mail and let us know at EnduringTheJourney@comcast.net