DID I SLIGHT YOU, JESUS? I surely didn’t mean to! I look back at the days of this week in retrospect and can recall SO many times how the longing to just sit at Your feet in complete stillness and quietness washed over me until tears welled up. It’s not that I miss YOU … I feel You with me ALL the time. Yet I miss being with You more – more than I am now at this point in my life. I find myself in so many different places, and yet You are there with me in every one of those places … without a doubt! This week saw me celebrating Your resurrection with Your people in Your House on Sunday, and then preparing a specially home-cooked Easter dinner for my husband and me and our mom. It was priceless, actually being at home long enough to do that and to actually sit down in a chair and relax and visit for awhile … and chatting with our family via cell phones as if they were right in the room with us! A taste of heaven! And You were with us! We were so very aware of You! I just didn’t get to sit down at Your feet and listen in complete silence. I was busy all day, and while I dedicated all I did to You to honor You … I longed to just curl up in Your lap and converse longer than we got to! Then Monday morning dawned and my feet hit the floor running, facing a 60-hour work week with long lists stuffed in between work and sleep. As always, I invited You to go with me, and I could tell You were sitting beside me as I drove to work. You walked alongside me as I stepped it up a notch and walked at a near-run pace up and down the aisles and in between fixtures in my department. You went and tapped on a few shoulders and put it in their hearts to come and offer to help me out now and then. I was so aware that You brought them to me that I just had to stop and thank You! You showed me Your favor – over and over and over. And again … I just had to stop and thank You! It was so clear that You were behind every accomplishment I completed … yes, I knew it was YOU! But, my body was in full fast-paced motion, and I just wanted to stop and fall at Your feet and lay my head on Your knees and have You pat me on the back reassuringly. I couldn’t, so I did the next best thing and just visualized it as if it was, and worshipped You with each racing footstep! You kept pace with me and never left me alone – not once, all week long! Then we found ourselves sitting in the hospital waiting room while mom was undergoing knee replacement surgery, and we knew You had walked in there ahead of us! You provided a doctor who loves you and serves you and prays with his patients. You provided friends who came to sit with us while we waited and that blessed our hearts so much! And we were so excited that as mom recovers and gains increased mobility through therapy, she will again be able to walk and move without excruciating pain in her knees! You were definitely there. You were guiding the doctor’s hands; and in those waiting hours - even giving us the added bonus of some rare time to sit in a chair and rest our bodies. We knew You were all throughout that hospital, in so many places at once. So many people needed You, and You did not disappoint them! You showed up and with those nail-scarred hands laid Your special touch on mom and a host of others who had also called on Your Name. You’re incredible, Jesus! Again, I did not find the time or place to pull aside from everything and experience our time in Your inner chambers, but You raced off to work with me again and told me I didn’t have to go alone. The weekend was approaching and the Mother/Daughter Tea was just about here. There were still final plans to implement, final touches to make, final preparations to undertake … and when it felt like time was running out, You ran to help. You stayed up late with me and helped me do everything that needed to be done so we could bless our ladies and remind them how loved and valued they are. You gifted us with a gal who takes this project on almost single-handedly, and then you gave us another special gal who came alongside to fill in the gap! You provided a group of women to come and share a worship concert with us, and we hadn’t even met some of them before! Now, we call them friends! You were there in every tiny detail. You were there in all the time-consuming, hands-on, actual labor – and we loved doing it for Your daughters! How You smoothed the way at every turn! You were there! It’s such a privilege and so much fun to be where You are at – and to get right in the middle of it with You, Jesus! And finally, late on Saturday night when the blog hadn’t been touched … the energy poured in because You knew I needed a refill … and You gave me words to place not just on the pages, but words to encourage the hearts of Your people. You were so present and so close, when I took a break to do laundry, I had to stop and smile at You and say thanks all over again! No, I didn’t mean to slight You, Jesus … and I still want MORE time with You in that place of personal sanctuary with just You and me … but in the meantime, You and I have been inseparable through it all. And I have a feeling You know exactly what’s in my heart. Yes, we’re both looking forward to even MORE time together, but loving the present as we take one day, one moment at a time … together!
IN A NUTSHELL . . .
IN A NUTSHELL . . .
- WOW! Isn’t that an appropriate word to use to describe Easter worship?! God brought His people in the doors until we filled nearly every chair we had, and then He stayed with us and accepted our worship and praise as we celebrated His resurrection! What a glorious time in the life of the church, and in our lives individually! Our time of connection and fellowship was especially sweet as we gathered to enjoy a light Easter breakfast and watch the outdoor enjoyment of the children as they searched for their Easter eggs dotted on the grassy lawn and tucked up in tree branches! We trust that all of you were as blessed as we were!
- OUR HEARTFELT THANKS & APPRECIATION to Hazel for her magnificent catering capabilities in providing the gourmet refreshments for our Mother/Daughter Tea along with everything, and we mean, everything else! All we can say is, we pray that God will pour His divine blessings and favor into your life for blessing the women of Elevation North so richly! Our special thanks to Tina and James for their constant help throughout the entire event … before, during, and after, and for working with the take-home favors, and printing programs and menus! A big thank you to my sweet husband for all his assistance in setting up and taking down – and for being a constant encouragement to us all – comedy and all! You’re the best, honey! Sonya, thank you for coming and sharing the invitation and information about the upcoming Women of Faith conference – and for being our able group leader this year! And to Heirborne … your music was anointed and precious, as were your spirits as you ministered to each one of us! You blessed us immeasurably! May God continue to bless and use you for His glory! What an unforgettable afternoon it was!
- FUN BIRTHDAY WISHES are in order for Lylia, who will be 5 on May 2nd! May Jesus bless you extra good, Lylia!
- LOOKING AHEAD . . .
- THIS SUNDAY, MAY 1ST: 10:00 A.M. – WORSHIP, PRAISE, & COMMUNION … come and participate in every part of honoring our Lord! Pastor Doug will be preaching on “The God of Second Chances” from John chapter 21.
- FOLLOWING WORSHIP, our church family will be making our way to a building that offers an opportunity for a new location for our church. Come and check it out, and let’s pray fervently for God to show us His perfect will in this important matter. We want what HE wants!
- THIS SATURDAY, MAY 7TH: 8:00 A.M. – VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY to do spring clean-up in the yards of senior citizens in Medford – we’ll start the morning with coffee and pastries and finish the project in a few hours! All youth, please call Pastor D if you need a ride! RE: FUEL YOUTH: following the yard project, we will head to the Grand Slam in the Cities for a fun time of games and good food! Let your friends know, too!
- NEXT SUNDAY, MAY 8TH: A SPECIAL MOTHER’S DAY SERVICE to honor our Moms … invite someone to come with you for this powerful message and opportunity for worship and praise to our God above! (Special hint: guys, your wives would LOVE a ticket to Women of Faith for their Mother’s Day gift this year!!! See Debbie for the details!)
- PRAYER OPPORTUNITIES . . .
- THERE IS NEVER A LACK of things to pray for & thanks be to God, He is never lacking in His ability to hear and answer our prayers! Remember your church family this week when you bring your needs before God, & remember to pray in faith believing!
- REMEMBER . . . “The reason some mothers rise above the rest is that they think and pray differently than those around them!” ~ Bruce Wilkinson
Serving Christ Joyfully . . .
Pastor Doug and Debbie
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