A taste of heaven….
I always love opportunities to gather with others who love Jesus and love His Word and love to praise and worship. It’s one of the reasons I love my church. But this weekend – ohhhhh – my heart is full to overflowing.
For months and months I have worked with many many women on just such an opportunity. We prayed and planned and prayed some more. And after hours and hours, days and days, weeks and weeks of watching ladies….. and men….. put out so much of themselves, through their gifts and talents, their resources and time, everything was in place. One last gathering Friday night to pray – one more time for God to pour out His Spirit…. and that is EXACTLY what HE did!!!!
Around 215 women from 22 churches came together with a common hunger….. for more of Jesus. I for one, left full. The worship was beautiful as we were led by two wonderful teams, by Mary Jo Nestor from CC South Orlando and Alexandria Kohler from CC St Petersburg. The weekend opened with my Pastor’s wife, Holly Robinson from CC Palm Harbor challenging each of us to ask and expect much from our God. Teamed with Wendy Hodges from CC St Pete, along with our special guest, Cheryl Brodersen from CC Costa Mesa – well – I will just say – we were blessed, we were fed, we were challenged and we were encouraged.
For me — once again, as so often is the case, I sat in the BEST SEAT IN THE HOUSE!!!! I was the one person that knew just how FULLY God had shown His faithfulness. I knew EXACTLY how HE had brought all the threads together to create a wonderful beautiful masterpiece of a weekend. I do so love the chair He has allowed me to sit in for all these years.
Randy returned from Haiti on Friday, had a great week and was here for our long day Saturday. Our men served these women with such love, gentleness and joy that it is with MUCH boasting in Christ that I say… they are my brothers!!!
I had the blessing of having dinner with Cheryl last night – something I must say I was really looking forward to. Besides being Pastor Chuck Smith’s daughter, and having come and shared with us all and blessing our socks off, she has also already done a similar journey to that which is getting closer by the day for me. She has left her home, her church, her ministry, her family, she has left all that she has known and she has gone across the ocean to a different land, a different culture, a different people. She was understanding and she was encouraging, and I have to say – I needed to hear her words.
All this and then a wonderful time of teaching, worship and fellowship in our Sunday service today — and I will tell you that I am feeling “it” hard, really hard tonight…. the feelings that just seem to linger as I think about my next few months and actually taking that step…. deep deep breathe…..
Oh – did I tell you about sitting with all THREE of my daughters this weekend? Did I tell you about my Kasi introducing Cheryl with a sweetness and sense of humor that just made you smile? Did I tell you about standing next to my newest daughter, Elizabeth, watching her with her eyes closed as she worshiped our Lord? Did I tell you about watching my husband, as he and the team of men served communion, I watched him pause, looking up the middle aisle to the podium and wiping away tears as our other daughter, Rachel shared a testimony of recalling that moment of faith for the first time.
I serve an incredibly faithful loving and LIVING God — and once again — it’s as I remember and am surrounded by HIS FAITHFULNESS from my yesterdays that makes me take that breath and look to tomorrow with an expectation of a continued show of HIMSELF and HIS GLORY that is beyond anything I can think or imagine!!!!
I will stand in His Truth and I will NOT BE MOVED!!!!!
The Change of Seasons 