You Just Never Know . . .

how God might be using some little thing you say, or some gesture of kindness in the life of someone else.

Today I was in a store and a person I did not recognize walked up to me with a smile on their face, called me by name and extended their hand. They had been at our Church the past several Sundays. Over the past couple of years they had gone through some very difficult times, but recently someone from our Church listened with empathy to their story and simply invited them to come to one of our services. They’ve been back every Sunday. Later in the day I was greeted by another man whom I had met on the mountain bike trails months ago. He visited the Church this past week.

When you hear stories like that they provide great moments. There’s nothing like knowing God has used you in the life of another person. In moments like those I can’t help but look back on the time when, as a young man, I was hesitant to completely surrender my own life to the Lord. I was sure I wouldn’t have much of a life if I did that! I think now of the scores of moments like those above I have experienced and I realize how rich He has made me.

That’s what we mean when we say God is calling us to give. There’s so much He can use us for if all of our moments are available to Him. There are so many lives besides our own that will be changed. Jesus said, "Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the measure you use, it will be measured to you." ― Luke 6:38

Bob Fox

New Friends

In the middle of January, a group of about 40 people from the junior high ministry went to Prescott for a winter retreat. We called the retreat "Mosaic." As the Junior High Director, I had a vision to see our junior high ministry come together as a community rooted in love. In junior high culture, there are so many social barriers that can leave students disconnected from one another―age, grade, school, gender, popularity, etc. We spent the weekend seeking what true Biblical community could look like.

As the weekend unfolded, I watched as ninth grade students reached out to seventh graders. I saw girls who normally would never interact in school laugh together and choose to sit next to each other. I saw guys from rival schools joking around and throwing snowballs with each other. On the last night, we celebrated communion together. The students had the opportunity to serve one another the bread and cup, and it was beautiful to see students seeking out their peers that they knew they needed to connect with. Students shared with one another their stories; they prayed for one another; they began to see each other with the eyes of Christ.

The true impact of a weekend retreat can only be evaluated after the "spiritual high" wears off and students come back to "real life." I was curious to see if the community that had been built would remain, or if students would slip back into their former ways of putting up social barriers. My prayers were answered the Wednesday night after the retreat as I watched a seventh grade girl read a note written to her by two of our ninth graders. The look of joy spreading across her face as she read their words of friendship and encouragement was emotionally moving. The weekend had become a catalyst for something greater.

Recently, we’ve started a small group Bible study for girls that had no grade requirement. It has been remarkable to see girls who have absolutely nothing in common be united in their relationship with Jesus and their eagerness to understand His Word. They are still in process, still growing in grace. But I am eager to see how Jesus continues to unite the junior high community through His love and grace!

Joel Mayward, Director of Jr High Ministries

Faithful Friends

Yes, I believe in angels. I have seen them in action. They may not have been exactly the Biblical description of angels, but I believe they were still sent by God and definitely seemed like angels to me. This is my story of how these angels left a "mark" on my life and how God used them to bring comfort and joy in a very difficult situation.

Many of you have heard parts of this story. But there is a part that I have not had a chance to share. Two years ago, our youngest daughter Jessica was involved in a very serious car accident. Someone turned in front of her and she ended up slamming head-on into a brick wall while pushing down hard on the brake pedal. At the moment of impact, her foot on the brake literally snapped in half. What followed was an extremely painful hospital stay before and after reconstructive surgery on her foot. As a parent, it is so hard watching your child going through this much pain, trying to bring comfort, and trying to make critical decisions about surgeons and medications, etc.

This is where the angels came in. Their names are Ashleigh and Brittany, Jessica’s church friends. They came to the hospital soon after the accident, and one or both of them stayed by Jessica’s side for hours every single day. They brought their homework and stayed there whether Jessica was awake or asleep. When she would wake up, they would make her smile and laugh, they would keep her involved in what was going on at school and at church, and just be there for her.

They would stay during the day and leave at night when Jessica would have other friends and family come to visit her. When it was time for Jessica to go home, she lived in our family room. And the two angels still came. They brought their homework and hers, would sometimes bring her a smoothie, and study or just hang out on the couch. When the day finally came for her to go back to school, I would take her to school, help her into her wheelchair, and push her into the Red Mt High School Office. They have a secret elevator in there, and I would put her in that elevator and say goodbye. You’ll never guess who was waiting every single day at the other end of that elevator to meet her and push her to all her classes.

Dave and I want to thank everyone who came and spent time with Jessica and helped her and us in so many ways. And we want to thank everyone who prayed for her recovery. There were a couple of her friends who came and sat with us in the surgery waiting room during her surgery and then quietly left when we heard she was out and in recovery. A friend even brought a red rose for us to give to her when she woke up. We are so thankful for each and every one. God was gracious and merciful to all of us and used many people to bring comfort. And we especially want to thank our two angels for following God’s call to just be there.

Linda Lindstrom

On a Journey

God had been stirring in my heart; giving me a new vision and a new desire. The amazing part is that He had been moving in the same way in my husband’s heart as well. Although I couldn’t foresee how any of it would actually work, I began to get excited about what God was doing in mine and my husband’s lives. So, I decided to mention something to Tony Curtisi, the Pastor of Marriage & Family.

That was all it took! The wheels began to turn and this new journey began. Before we knew it and before we even knew if my husband would actually be in town to make it work, we were asked to be part of a leadership team. Together with Tony and his wife, and four other couples we would be challenged to begin a new marriage and family series at RMCC...Strong Families.

Part of our commitment involved a weekend in Scottsdale with the author and creator of the Strong Families series, Dr. John Trent. Well the weekend for leadership training was upon us and for some reason I did not want to go. I had a very negative attitude and was not in the mood to socialize, be friendly or hear positive messages. (Sometimes we let ourselves succumb to negative messages and allow Satan a foothold...well I had allowed him to stand firm in my life for the moment!) My husband made me go...thankfully! And it ended up being a pivotal weekend for me, personally. The weekend was designed to provide training so that we could more effectively lead others, but God had something else in mind. God was pursuing me. God wasn’t letting me go. He wasn’t about to allow Satan to solidify his position in my negative thoughts any longer!

Before I knew it, I was feeling a difference. Our Great and Personal God was tapping on my heart, He was touching my mind, He was embracing me with his Spirit and I was softening! The other couples at the conference were full of energy and were clearly excited to be there to learn how to be servant leaders. The fellowship was infectious. What a privilege...and I was going to pass that up because I had convinced myself that "my life was mediocre and boring and purposeless." (All lies that Satan was speaking and I was believing...)

Then it happened...the very reason I believe God wanted me, Susi, to be at this conference. He wanted to speak TRUTH into my life...and did He ever?!

John Trent began to share a new concept they were working on that they called "The Law of Differences." This concept absolutely knocked me over and resonated with me clearer than anything I had heard in a long time. Basically, it says that everyone has differences and the key is how we respond to each others differences. I am wired differently than my husband. Neither wiring is right or wrong...just different. How I respond to my husband’s differences makes all the difference in the world. I can either value his differences or I can judge them. One response leads to life and the other leads to death. And I realized that I was on the path to death!

I walked away from that weekend determined to change my attitude and change my direction. And God gave me an immediate opportunity to demonstrate what choice I was going to make. I made the right choice...the choice to value my husband’s differences and it most definitely has lead to life! We have since started a new small group with several couples from the church and have begun to journey together after God’s heart for marriages and families! Praise God for faithfully pursuing His children! What a privilege to be a child of God!

Susi Bennett