Sunday morning was drizzle-y, drippy and gray.
But inside the rented middle school auditorium warmth and love flowed like a river.
We know God is always with us, but this morning WE KNEW GOD WAS WITH US, in capital letters.
His love overwhelming us and spilling out on one another, the old and the young, the lost and the found, the sick and bound and the well and free.
This is what makes our hearts soar, to see God touch lives and then to see them ignited to reach out to others…like the 40-50 youth from the low income apartments next to the church office that have been showing up on Sunday nights to our new youth outreach these past few weeks. Some of them have been bringing their younger brothers and sisters, even some of their mamas have wandered in. So many of our people wanted to be there to serve them, to love on them, we had to say, “Some of you stay home tonight, we have too much help.” I think that’s the first time in all our years of ministry that we’ve said those words.
All that to say this, seeing changed lives is it’s own reward. But at the close of church this morning our church showed a video of different ones in the congregation thanking the Hubs and I for being their pastors. They gave us gifts as well, for pastor’s appreciation. The gratitude was so meaningful to us. Honestly, there aren’t words adequate to express how it made us feel, for them to speak and show their appreciation was priceless.
It made me want to make God’s heart feel the same way. For my gratitude to rise up to Him and swell His heart with joy the way our hearts felt this morning. To speak and to show my appreciation. To be ever mindful to say, thank You, God.
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I continue to count my thanks
piling up gratitude day by day
in my little green journal.
#1441-#1453
Thank You, God…
-for a day with my granddaughter and reading about Sal and those blueberries, (again!), and her favorite froggie book,(again!), and walking with her in the fall leaves
-for the first frost of fall
-for an evening walk with the Hubs
-for crispy, cold fall air
-for the smell of woodsmoke from the neighbor’s fireplace
-for Your always on time provision
-for crafting and creating
-that nothing is too difficult for You (Genesis 18:14)
-for men from church giving time and hard work to help us with a project at our home
-for house work and hard work and decluttering
-for baby showers and a daughter, 10 years unable to have babies, soon to give birth to miracle baby number two
-for the way my far away grandbabies say “Hi Nana!” just like that, with an exclamation point in their voice every time I call
-for my Hubs and how in a marriage of 35 years you have dry seasons as well as seasons of falling in love all over again, and for being in the latter one
Gratefully yours,
Elizabeth
I love that our Heavenly Father provides abundantly!
ReplyDeleteThe whole post is wonderful, but through it all from the story at the beginning through the wonderful pictures and list of gratitude, there is one line that I loved above all others:
ReplyDeleteIt made me want to make God's heart feel the same way.
My heart swells reading this post and seeing your pictures. From the message about your church and outreach and so much help and love to the news about your daughter about to have another miracle baby. So much richness here; so much of God's goodness.
ReplyDeleteA lovely heartwarming post.
ReplyDelete“Some of you stay home tonight, we have too much help.” Wow, what beautiful words to be able to say. The only thing better would be to have too much help and money for the needy. This post gives me hope. :)
ReplyDeleteSo very, very lovely. I long for our church to experience the with-us God in that way again!
ReplyDelete