I’m Melissa, and most of the communications you receive from Lord’s Gym Ministries come from me. I’m incredibly grateful to serve here as Communications Coordinator. I truly love the work, but what I love even more is the mission behind it.
I love that we GO to people in need. We don’t wait for people to come to us. We meet them where they are and try to demonstrate the love of God in tangible, everyday ways.
I’ve worked at Lord’s Gym Ministries for seven years now, and I can honestly say I’m inspired every single day. Of course, there are moments when you witness what many would call “big miracles” — someone instantly delivered from addiction, a dramatic life transformation, or a powerful testimony of redemption. Those moments are beautiful, and they absolutely happen.
But over the years, I’ve realized something else:
Some of the most meaningful miracles are the quiet, ordinary rescues.
A volunteer showing up faithfully week after week.
A child finally passing a difficult test at school.
A mentor listening patiently to a teenager who just needs someone to care.
A warm meal shared with someone who feels invisible.
A homeless person being seen, welcomed, and fed with dignity.
These moments may not seem spectacular from the outside, but I’ve come to believe they are often some of the clearest evidence of God’s love at work.
There’s a story a pastor shared often when I was younger that has stayed with me all these years.
A man was drowning in the ocean. Another man came by in a boat, reaching out his hand and shouting, “Grab on!”
But the drowning man replied, “No, God is going to rescue me.”
So the man in the boat rowed away.
Later, a helicopter flew overhead and lowered a ladder down to him. Again, the drowning man refused help.
“No,” he said, “God will rescue me.”
The man eventually drowned.
When he got to heaven, he asked God, “Why didn’t You save me?”
And God replied, “I sent you a boat and a helicopter.”
I think about that story often while serving at Lord’s Gym Ministries.
Sometimes we wait for rescue to look dramatic and unmistakable. We expect giant moments, instant change, or overwhelming signs from heaven. But many times, God’s help comes through ordinary people simply willing to show up.
A tutor.
A coach.
A mentor.
A volunteer.
A listening ear.
A warm cup of coffee.
A consistent presence.
Since being at Lord’s Gym Ministries, I’ve learned not to discount the ordinary rescues. I’ve learned that faithfulness matters. Presence matters. Small acts of kindness matter.
Because sometimes the ordinary ways we show up for people become the very ways we show them Jesus.
And maybe, more often than we realize, we are the boat, the ladder, or the helping hand God is sending to someone in need.