I am a Friend of God!

For almost a week I have had yet ANOTHER bout of allergy symptoms that were making me miserable: Itchy eyes and neck, swelling, headache, weakness, sore throat. None of the meds I tried gave me any relief. I've been dealing with this off and on since last spring, but this was the longest it lasted at one time. I had a kennalog shot a few months ago which brought some temporary relief, but this time it seemed I had even more symptoms. The sore throat part began to worry me, as that was something new. No, my hubby doesn't beat me. This is what I look like when it's at it's worst:

I had a very busy week and just could not stop to even try to take care of myself. By Sunday morning, I was having second thoughts about going to church. In fact, I got in my chair and decided I would watch our early service as it is streamed live over the internet. I hooked the speakers up and told my hubby I was going to stay home. He went upstairs to get himself ready for the second service, as he had a commitment to help with the new members class during the third hour.

As soon as I started watching the service, I was filled with a desire to "be there". We had missed being in our home church every Sunday in September because of being out of town. I hated to miss another Sunday. It was then I distinctly "heard" God say, "Go, get your healing!"

I knew I had to move fast. It is a half hour's drive and hubby was about ready to leave. I had to get dressed, comb my hair, and put some makeup on. I did it all in about 10 minutes, and we were out the door. We got there in plenty of time for the second service. Nothing unusual happened. I really can't even remember what songs we sang or what the sermon was about. (sorry Pastor Jim!)

After the service, I needed to wait out the next hour while hubby did his thing with the new member class. I grabbed a cup of coffee and headed for a chair in the atrium. Two ladies I know were nearby, also passing some time. I didn't feel like talking, but really had no choice.

After about half an hour, they left, and I moved to another location in front of a window where the sun was beaming in. By now my throat was raw from talking, and I felt pretty weak all over. I covered my eyes with my hand, and was looking at the floor, so that no one coming by would engage me in any conversation. That's when I saw two big black shoes walking toward my direction. I peaked up to see that it was one of our pastors. Surely he wasn't coming over to talk to me, so I just kept on staring at the floor with my hand shielding my eyes. The shoes kept coming...

I looked up and gave him a smile. He came right over to me and being a large man, knelt down on the floor beside the couch where I was sitting so he could look me in the eye. "Are you alright?" So I told him about how I'd been feeling all week long and how miserable I was. Right there he prayed for me to The Great Physician. I knew I was going to get better. I focused on the thought that I needed to exercise my faith as I remembered the words that God had whispered to me a few hours earlier.

I rested a while on Sunday afternoon, then we went to a friend's house for a simple birthday gathering. We came home, went to bed, got up, and this morning, went through our usual routine. It was exactly 24 hours after the pastor's prayer for me that I realized how good I was feeling. No sore throat, no other symptoms. I looked in the mirror at my neck, where the day before I had scratched it so hard it bled. I could see it was healing. I sent my "praise" off to the church in a quick e-mail, and then I thanked my Heavenly Father for being mindful of me.

Take five minutes to listen to this song and remind yourself that God calls you friend!

my friends are on their way to Haiti!

Tony and Jan Iannetta, close friends of ours, are on their way to Haiti today with this year's mission team from our church, The Hudson Community Chapel . Our local newspaper, The Akron Beacon Journal, has published a front page story about it. I hope you have a minute to read the article and see the photos. The story also highlights Ezekiel Isaac, a 19 year old Haitian who is living with Tony and Jan while he goes to college at the University of Akron. They are paying all of his expenses. He is a wonderful young man who wants to go back to Haiti after he gets his education to serve his people in his country.

Please pray for our team! For their safety, for their effectiveness both in their social mission and also in their mission to spread the Gospel, and for their health. Pray also for the team's families who are left at home, that things will go well for them while their family members are away.

The team had some weather-related delays trying to get out of the country, but they remained flexible, knowing that God is in control of it all. During their delay, they met members of the US military who were on their way back to Iraq and Afghanistan, and they were able to pray with them. They also were able to tell many people about the mission to Haiti, and strangers gave them money!

I can't wait to hear their stories when the team gets back from this short term mission trip. God bless you, Tony and Jan, and all the 2010 team!

"...go and make disciples of all nations, baptising them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age."

~Matthew 28:19-20, ESV~

read about random acts of kindness!

I previously wrote about our church's goal of "gifting" 5000 people in our area through random acts of kindness of our members this Christmas season. (Previous post.)

I just wanted to point out that you can read about some of these on our church's website. The stories will keep coming in, so check back now and then! Go to www.hudsonchapel.org and click on the yellow "you've been gifted" tab when it comes up.

I have been so blessed to participate in this kind of giving this Christmas season, as well as doing a Christmas Jar. Read about that here.

I hope some of you will share some of the ways your eyes have been opened to look around and see others you've been able to bless with a random act of kindness.

"Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds."

Hebrews 10:24

*graphic courtesy of Penniwig's

A random act of kindness...

Our church has started a tradition at Christmas time called, "You've Been Gifted". We have "business" cards available to pass out to folks we want to gift in restaurants or coffee shops. On one side, the cards say:

"You've Been Gifted. At Hudson Community Chapel we believe the greatest gift that God has given the world is Jesus. This gift for you is our way of sharing the gift of Jesus. We pray you enjoy it."

The other side has our church's website, service times, and location. (www.hudsonchapel.org)

The idea is to do this anonymously by having a waitress bring someone else's bill to you and leaving the church's card with them instead.

Believe me, with over 3000 folks attending our services each weekend, we are really not doing this to scout for new members. (We've had to turn people away for lack of parking spaces, and we have a shuttle service for members willing to park off-site to create more spaces.)

Last year our church received many thank you letters from those who had been gifted by members...and there were all kinds of heart-warming stories. This gesture simply flies in the face of what our world is all about, especially during a frenzied holiday season. People are stopped dead in their tracks to think that a stranger would pick up their bill. It's a random act of kindness that brings a smile to someone's face and softens their heart.

I can't wait for my husband and I to have the opportunity to do this. It will be a lot of fun. Perhaps I'll look for someone to gift who seems all frazzled and stressed out. Maybe a young family with whiney kids. Or perhaps a senior citizen who is alone. Blessing someone in the name of the One who has blessed us so much. Anonymously. Because of love. I can't wait!

Please meet my friend, Amy

Amy is one of my newer, younger friends. I met her through friends who have known Amy all her life. I'm so happy that our paths have crossed, as Amy is one of those rare people we get to know in life who bless us with their sweet spirit and zeal for living.

Amy grew up in a town next door to mine. She's now a graduate student at nearby Kent State University and lives in a dorm there. She has found her passion, children's library science, and is working hard on her master's degree. She's already written her first book and just needs to get it illustrated and published.

As exuberant as she is and as much as she sparkles, Amy has had some challenges in her life that most of us will never know anything about. When she was just very young, she was diagnosed with cerebral palsy. Most of her life she has been in a wheel chair. She will be the first to tell you how fortunate she is to have a loving family who have cared for her needs and challenged her to develop her skills and talents. In fact, Amy's mom is a special education teacher, so she has unique insights and gifts that have undoubtedly helped tremendously.

In the past few years, Amy has been attending our church with our mutual friends, (Hudson Community Chapel, www.hudsonchapel.org). She has chosen, as a young adult, to become a follower of Jesus Christ, and she desired to be baptized now that she has come to a living Christian faith of her own. This event happened on September 20 of this year. Because Amy desires to share with others how God has worked in her life, she was agreeable to my posting her personal testimony, which she gave to a large congregation that day, as well as some pictures.

Amy's testimony:

Hi, my name is Amy Price.

I’m a 24 year old Master’s student at Kent State. I come from one of THE MOST loving families in the world. I haven’t seen the whole world, but anyone who knows us observes the same. My parents were raised in households which practiced opposite faiths. Before having children, they agreed practicing religion would be the choice of the child. Our motto, “Treat others the way I want to be treated!”

I grew up knowing the unconditional love of my family and friends, but still imposing a standard of perfectionism upon myself, I’d think, I know my family loves me, but I don’t know why!

In 2007, I was invited to HCC. I did not know what to expect, but was encouraged remembering a conversation my mom had with me years ago. She told me that as a teacher she sees God in the face of her Special Education students daily. The words of Singer Johnny Diaz became more clear with each visit here to HCC. Johnny reminds us all: “You were made to fill a purpose only you can do! There can never be a more beautiful you!!

After 4 months of attending regularly, I asked to be involved in the Children’s Ministry. One can learn so much through the eyes of a child! Before I started helping, I asked Jesus into my heart; if I tell kids, “Trust GOD NO MATTER WHAT!” I SHOULD KNOW THE SAME JOY!

Since I’ve known Christ, I realize faith is trust and relationship with him, not worry and ritual. I choose to be baptized today to declare publicly, Jesus is my Savior!

Amy reading her testimony during the Sunday morning baptismal service

Just before being baptized, Pastor Paul Wides prays for Amy

Pastor Joe Coffey with Amy after the service

Amy's life long friends, Barbara and Michael Ammirati

You can't take it with you...

Hudson Community Chapel - Hudson, OH www.hudsonchapel.org

It's not often that I walk out of church thinking "I should blog about the sermon". Not because our sermons aren't good--they consistently are! But because today's seemed very relevant especially for folks about my age who are well beyond "middle age" shall we say. But I did have that thought today, and so I'd like to share some of it with you faithful readers.

(Our sermon today was given by a young man who is the Director of Student Ministries, John Coleman. Maybe I was extra touched because John reminded me of our son, Andy, who is 29 and became an ordained pastor this past January. How wonderful to see the faith of our fathers being passed from generation to generation by young adults equipped to faithfully preach the Word.)

A certain ruler asked him (Jesus), "Good teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?" "Why do you call me good?" Jesus answered. "No one is good except God alone. You know the commandments: Do not commit adultery, do not murder, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honor your father and mother." "All these things I have kept since I was a boy," he said. When Jesus heard this, he said to him, "You still lack one thing. Sell everything you have and give it to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me." When he heard this, he became very sad, because he was a man of great wealth. (Luke 18:23 NIV)

Now, I don't believe Jesus was telling this rich man that no one can inherit eternal life unless he sells all his possessions and gives them to the poor. But Jesus knew this man's heart of hearts, as He knows ours. He knew that for this man, all his worldly "stuff" was a hindrance to him clearly understanding what was required of him. His problem wasn't that he was rich...his problem was that he held tightly to all the things in his life that made him feel he had some big advantage. Jesus knew that when this man died, he could not take a single thing with him that had meant so much during his lifetime. And Jesus knew this man gave far too much weight to those things.

Jesus longed for this man, rather, to take an eternal perspective of his life...and understand something He once told another rich fool: "Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; a man's life does not consist in the abundance of his possessions." (Luke 12:15 NIV)

The abundance of possessions. Why is it that we just can never seem to have enough stuff? One thing I have tried to do the older I have gotten is to learn to hold material things a lot more loosely. As I've said before I like nice things. I don't deny that. And often I have replaced nice things with nicer things, if you get my drift. I don't think that is necessarily wrong. But it doesn't hurt to periodically take inventory to check ourselves and see just how tight we are holding on to the material things God's blessings have enabled us to enjoy.

I don't want to make this too long, or wander too far from John's sermon, but especially for those of us who know beyond a doubt that the years of life we may have ahead of us are far fewer than the years behind us, we will be wise to invest in treasure that will last beyond our lifetimes.

"Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moth and rust destroy and where thieves break in and steal. But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moth and rust do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. For where your treasure is there your heart will be also."(Matthew 6:19-21 NIV)

God bless us, everyone!

My "grand" Mother's Day Week - Day Four

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY! The big day arrived and I was feeling so much better! We started the day by going to church (http://www.hudsonchapel.org/).

Andy has become a true southern gentleman since moving to the South, and wears his distinctive bow ties. At least they are "distinctive" up here in the North! ("Is that your son from South Carolina over there, the one with the bow tie?")

Deacon is checking out the murals in the nursery area...

It was one of those glorious sunny and mildly warm days that you wish could last all year long. After church, the guys got busy fixing our lunch.

and minding the kids...

while more family and our friends, the Meybaums, arrived...

And all I had to do was sit around and enjoy them!

Everyone is still laughing about my comment when I sat down to eat the yummy grilled burger & corn on the cob: "so this is what it's like to be a man...you sit down to eat, and food suddenly appears!"

I can't believe I've been a mother for going on 30 years! Seated is Great-Grandma Stager, who has been a mother for 61 years, Ellie & Joanna each for over 3 years, and standing in front of the bookcase is our dear friend, Jennifer, who has been a mother for 5 years now!

In addition to a wonderful "day off" and a fabulous cookout, I received these gifts: A book from Andy, handprints of two of the kids embroidered by Ellie, fruit of the vine from a local winery, as well as the hand made necklace & earrings (by my niece, Sarah), compliments of Sam & Joanna.

This very special dandelion bouquet came from Elylah!

Later in the day, we all visited my mom at her condo...

Happy Mother's Day, Mom!

My special mom has six children (and one in heaven), twelve grandchildren, and seven great-grandchildren (and expecting the 8th any day now!)

I'll not forget this Mother's Day anytime soon! Honestly, I think it may have been the nicest I've ever celebrated. Wonder why that is? Maybe I've finally come to realize what a gift each day is in it's own merits, and deserves to be cherished. But most of all, it's the LOVE that encircled the whole day! Thank you, each and every one of you, for making this day so memorable and special for me. My heart is overflowing with pride and gratitude! Thank you especially for the gift of your time spent with me. I hope you know how much I've loved being your daughter, mom, and grandma. I've had the best job that was ever created, and I'm not at all ready to retire!

Tomorrow: a fun day at the zoo!