What Is The Church?

It is more than a building of bricks and mortar;
    Much more than a gathering of people with similar interests.
        It is not a stagnant pool of ideas;
            Nor is it a wasteland void of intelligence.

The Church is a living organism.  
          In constant change while remaining rooted on one solid foundation:
   

Jesus Christ 

  










Just as Christ was hated, so people hate the church.

It is seen as an organized group of hypocritical, weak-minded, non-thinkers who use religion as a crutch to mystically explain the galaxy and justify the outcome of their existence.


While sitting in service on a recent Sunday morning, I began to look at those around me --

I saw the Brave - 
    Who have recently lost a baby
          And still are serving children in the nursery.

I saw the Strong -
     Who have seen marriages crumble
          And take time to feed a young widow.

I saw Professionals - 
     Who gave up careers to share Jesus
          And love people more than comfort.

I saw the Aged - 
     With achy bodies and facing the twilight of life
          And greet others with a smile and hug and words to encourage.

I saw hurting women, doubting men, struggling teens, questioning husbands, tired moms, weary travelers and seeking students.

I was surrounded by the broken, the struggling and the lost.    
There was sin and illness and pain;  anger issues, workaholics and recovering addicts.

And it was the most beautiful thing I have ever witnessed.

The church is not a refuge for the perfect from a fallen world.

It is a sanctuary for the struggling, striving, growing, forgiven followers of Christ.

It is a way-station for the weary travelers on life's road.

It is an emergency ward for those who are wounded both physically, emotionally and spiritually.

It is a school for those yearning to walk closer with God.

It is a place where Truth is tempered with Grace and Mercy.

Where hands are held and tears are shed and joys are shared.

Yes, the church is  full of hypocrites and sinners.

     But so much more ------

It is HOPE !

The Church is not perfect because it is filled with people.

People battling the hurt of a fallen world.

Imperfect people who need the HOPE of Jesus Christ.

May we be brave to be perfectly imperfect and love those around us with Christ's perfect love.  May we serve those in our community - at work, our neighbors and in our church.

How can you show Christ's love to the Church?

How can you serve those in the Church?

The Power of Encourgament

By Kim Beach

Who doesn't like a surprise party?

Well, evidently I don't. I've been the recipient of two surprise parties in my lifetime and both times I was so determined to stay home that I almost missed my own celebrations.     

Recently some of my dear girlfriends dressed as Pirates - in honor of my favorite movies -  and threw me a Surprise Birthday / Encouragement Party. There was sushi and pirate booty, pirate punch, cannonball meatballs and even a Pirate Ship chocolate cake! The wackiness was great, the laughter healing and I'm so glad they were able to get me to my own party!

Their gifts to me that evening were simple & yet extravagant.

Their time.

Their attention.

Their love.

Then each person took time to share with me either a scripture or word that God had shown them I needed to hear; they shared what I had meant to them in their lives.

It was awesome and humbling. 

This season of our life has been long and hard and weary. There are days that getting dressed is a major victory. These ladies have stood with me, prayed for me and stood in the gap when I could no longer pray at all.

As they shared words like Determined and Listen and scriptures from Psalm 20, a balm was poured over my soul and freshness awakened within me.

New Strength ~ New Peace ~ New Energy!

Everyone needs Encouragement now and then. It doesn't have to be a Pirate Party - a card to your neighbor, an email to a friend, a text to your spouse - those words mean so much.  

Your words of love and truth can bring life and hope to a hurting heart. 

Who needs to your Words of Encouragement?  

Ask the Lord to show you - in the grocery store, in your workplace, at school,

in your own home - who needs to hear words that

bring life!

Are You Invoiced?

By Tawna Wilkinson

Putt-sing around my house a few months ago, I was wrestling with a dogging question: Should I or should I not help an individual with a genuine need, which in this case happens to be close to me? When I heard: “Bear one another’s burdens…” And…“for each one shall bear his own load.” (Galatians 6.2, 5)
 

A familiar frustration rose in my spirit, for in times past I had grappled, without resolution, with these exact phrases and specific words.

“Lord,” I said. “In one breath You command us to bear another’s burden, and in the next You seem to contradict commanding the exact opposite. I don’t know what to do or how to be.”

“I know,” He replied. “Look into it.”

So I dropped what I was involved with, went to my Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, and looked up the words and phrases I felt Him emphasize.

To my chagrin, in both instances, the definition of bear was exactly what I thought: “to remove, lift, endure, sustain, receive, etc.” However, I was surprised to find where its meaning was derived….from the base of the Greek word basis which means “to walk; a pace (‘base’) i.e. (by implication) the foot.”

Immediately a picture came of two people walking side by side, one was carrying a large burden while the other, walking in pace, was helping alleviate some of its weight, but was not taking the burden from them.

Intrigued, I dove into the definition of load, and was even more startled at its meaning: “an invoice (as part of freight) i.e. (fig.) a task or service.”

“Wow, Lord…an invoice?”

“Yes, an invoice. I assign to each an invoice; a task; a service to join with Me. If I have not invoiced you to walk side by side with another, yet you choose to, you are in fact sabotaging their relational footing with Me. And, by carrying all, or some, of another’s burden I did not invoice harms our walk as well. Be watchful, child. Do not disrupt your, or another’s, relationship with Me by carrying what has not been invoiced you.”

Sweet release washed over me shedding light on my present situation, as well as evaporating that unresolved and dogging question. For I had many times, out of guilt, shame, or condemnation, whether self-inflicted or imposed by others, helped carry, or carried all of another’s burden never invoiced me. And the results were damaging to the cadence of each relationship.

So, when another’s need arises, I am now inclined to stop and ask, “Have you invoiced me to come along side, Holy Spirit? Or is this theirs to join with You, alone? 

Messy Stalls Equal Life

By Jill Palmer

Just when you think God couldn't speak to you in a more hilarious way ... 

BAM. He speaks through poo. 

Poop, waste, manure. Yep. He spoke a word to me through this very delicate subject.

I was going through another rough day/week/month/experience. It's hard to pinpoint exactly what I was going through when He spoke this but I know it was during a prayer time with the staff of our church and I was asking God about the messes. The messes in my own life, in my family, in my church. Messes in general just seemed to be popping up everywhere and He spoke so clearly to me and gave me hope and peace in the midst.

My conversation with Him went something like this:

God, why are there so many struggles and messes? What are we supposed to do about them? How can we avoid them? It stinks! 

Imagine a farm filled with animals. Do you see the mess?

Ew. Yes. Lots of animals. Lots of mess.

How do you suppose you can avoid the mess?

Well...you can't unless you stop feeding them. If you stop feeding them they'll stop pooping. Then there will be no mess to clean up.

And what happens if you stop feeding the animals?

They die.

Yes. They'll die. Messes are a part of life and messes are an indicator of life. Every living thing that I have created makes a mess. Everything has waste. If you stop feeding yourself, your family or your church, the truth is there will be no more messes but they will also die. To avoid mess means to avoid life and that's not why I have put you here. You can embrace the mess and see it as a sign that someone is being fed and is growing or you can fear it and avoid it. Life is happening and I am excited about that. Your job is help clean up the mess and continue to feed those around you with the Truth I have placed in your heart. 

Not too long after God and I had our little "chat," I was told about a Proverb that talked about this very thing. And not too long after that, I ran across it while I was doing my devotions. God really can speak through anything! And I love that He spoke to me and then confirmed it in His Word. My Spirit soared and laughed as I read these words:

Life in general is messy. Life in a community, a herd, a church - whatever you want to call it - is messy. Mess comes as people grow and learn new ways of relating to others. Mess comes as old wounds get reopened and we respond. Mess comes when we learn to be vulnerable and navigate safe new places and people. Messes just happen.

Poop happens.

And it's okay. As the Proverb says, without oxen the stable is clean, but the ox is needed for a large harvest. The people and the poo/mess they/we bring (mine very much included!) is necessary for life and growth and a large harvest.

I'm choosing to embrace the mess, yes even embrace the poo and the messy stalls. As God has so gently shared with me, it equals life, and life in Christ is what I desire for myself and others.

How do you respond to the mess in your life? Can you see it as a sign of life instead? How has God spoken to you in an unusual way?

You Are the One Jesus Loves

By Tiffany Bleger

I used to really dislike the Apostle John. 

There. I said it. 

I feel like lightning may come down at any moment. 

But I truly didn't. I struggled with his personality and character in the bible. I couldn't even stand to read the book of John more than the once a year prescribed by my reading plan. And, according to some Christians I know, that admission alone is cause to question my salvation. But I honestly didn't. 

However, like most lessons I've learned along this Christ-following journey, the reasons had far more to do with me than they did with poor John. 

When I became a Christian and began studying the Scriptures, I viewed the world through the lens of self-hatred. I saw absolutely nothing worthy of love in myself. And so, this "beloved disciple" and the "one Jesus loved" seemed arrogant and pretentious when viewed through my tainted lenses. What made him so special? Why did he get to be the one Jesus loved? Did that mean Jesus loved the other disciples less?

John's claims of love confirmed my performance-driven, self-loathing, flawed view of God. In my mind, there was a sliding scale of His love. People like John and King David (check out his deathbed confession in 2 Samuel 23:1) were at the top. Those were the people God truly loved. Those were the people God enjoyed. 

In the middle were most everybody else - the people who seemed to have it all together at church. The people who smiled and prayed and hugged and didn't seem to be faking it. 

Further down were the people who struggled with addictions and sins, but were truly repentant and trying to make an honest go of it. 

Even further were those who didn't love God, who hadn't accepted Him or who had flat-out rejected Him. 

Finally, at the very bottom, was me. I was loved only because the verse says, "For God so loved the world..." If He didn't love me, He would have been a liar. But, beyond that, I could see no reason why He would choose to love me.

But, ever so slowly, God began to change my lenses. He began to show me how He loves me, not because He had to, but because He wants to. He began to remove the self-loathing, the performance-driven fear. For the first time, I began to understand that love. And I began to see John through a new light. 

"The disciple Jesus loved" wasn't arrogant or pretentious, he was filled with a holy confidence. He had looked into the eyes of Jesus and received the love that was never forced. He intimately knew the sacrifice and love that had been poured out for him on Calvary. 

He knew what his identity, his "title" had cost him. 

John chose to describe himself as beloved because that title was precious. It was costly. It was worth honor. 

Do you see where I'm going with this, dear sister? Do you see that this is you? Perhaps you are like I was, drowning in the sea of self-hatred. Are you jealous of those who seem safe on the boat? Do you see the lifeline, the love, being offered to you? And are you willing to let go of those stones, those lies, so that you can hold on to love with everything you have?

You are the one Jesus loves. You are the beloved disciple. You can walk in the same holy confidence as John and David, secure in the knowledge that you are intimately loved and treasured by the Creator of the Universe. But that is not a title anyone else can give you. That is the title you choose for yourself.  

Can you believe this for yourself? What has kept you from knowing how much you are loved?

Relax. He Knows.

By Jill Palmer 

A while back I was homeschooling my oldest and we were working on math. He's always been good at math and has understood it very quickly. While that's great, it has also presented a problem. He's now getting into a kind of math that isn't as easy to understand right away. I believe he will eventually get it and do well, but it will take a little more practice and time. I see his skills and believe in his ability to excel in this.

As we were sitting together going over the problems he had gotten wrong, he was overwhelmed with how many he had messed up. He reacted so strongly to this disappointment in himself that it kind of caught me off guard. I wasn't upset at all that he'd gotten some wrong, nor did I have the expectation - spoken or unspoken - that he shouldn't have any trouble at all.

In fact, I was the opposite. I knew it was difficult and would take some practice to understand. It would also take patience and persistence - as well as good handwriting :) I was fully prepared to be going over many problems with him.

Somehow he didn't believe me though. He was still thinking he should've gotten everything right on the first try. Eventually there were tears and storming off. And I just stared after him in awe, wondering what had just happened.

While I stood there, jaw dropped, I felt the Lord say to me, "Does this seem familiar to you at all?"

As I thought about it it was absolutely familiar. My son was acting like me. And I was feeling how God feels. Boom.

How often has God given me an assignment, a calling, and because I didn't get it right away or succeed in the way I thought I should have been able to, I've stomped off in frustration with disappointment all over my face? Too many times I'm afraid.

And I feel like God has quietly stood watching, thinking "I know she can do this. I know it will be hard but I believe in her ability to accomplish this. It will take some hard work and some perseverance but I know she will excel. Why does she think she has to be perfect right away? I've never condemned her for her set backs, never yelled at her failings. I've only encouraged and trained. Why doesn't she believe me? I am fully prepared to walk through this with her and help her along the way."

I am blown away at how God takes a situation with one of my children and overwhelms me with His heart, His love, His tender kindness towards me. In a way that I can totally relate. He's so patient with me, His often-stubborn, doubting, smart, capable daughter.

                            

What Love Had in Mind

By Tawna Wilkinson

                                                   

When the garden has been neglected;

The wonder and beauty let go;

Things meant to flourish begin to die;

Then brambles, suckers and weeds take hold.

This was not the intent of Love.

 It was never what He had in mind.

 His design was for beauty to flourish…replenish; 

For love, light and life to reside.

Remembering the wonder and beauty let go

Brings sadness, discouragement and anger.

Pulling suckers and brambles is sore and tiring,

 But He'll give you strength to stay in there.

Love wants your garden’s beauty restored,

He desires new life again.

The process will be painstaking,

But tender love and care will win.

Restoration is much harder

Than if nothing had been at all.

Things never meant have grown with aggression;

Their roots very deep in the soil.

Your body and mind may grow weary.

There may seem no rest for your soul.

 Every part of your being may even cry out,

 “There’s no ‘re’ in my garden at all!”

                   Ah, but look very closely…no, closer. You’ll see.                      

         Seeds of hope that Love planted; seeds of life He designed;          

They’ve sprung up, never daunted.

It’s what Love had in mind.

Testimony Tuesday - Prayer Changed My Marriage

We had already been married for a year and a half when I finally came to terms with the fact that my husband was an alcoholic. In the beginning he hid it well. When I finally realized why he had such extreme mood swings and could never explain where cash went it was devastating. Later I found out he was drinking at least two pints a day and constantly, literally non-stop, lying to me. Even with in-your-face evidence he would blatantly deny with anger, pity or silence.  To say I had no hope was an extreme understatement.

In the early parts divorce was my favorite word. I came to the conclusion that me controlling him was the only way to fix this. Basically I was under the illusion that I could even control my husband. Big, big, BIG laugh.  

Looking back it literally makes me nauseous at how dark and depressing it was living with this person I didn’t know and in my mind didn’t agree to marry. Anyone that personally knows an alcoholic will understand, they are literally in every way a 100% completely different person. 

God has a way of waiting until you are ready to let go and give it up to him so that he can work and heal. In January of 2014 I got to the point of desperation.  Psalms 107 was my very close and personal friend - “Then they cried to the Lord in their trouble, and he delivered them from their distress.”  

I was ready to let go of my delusional control and allow God to work in our marriage. I now refused to say the d-word… divorce. Only God knows our heart (1 Kings 8:39) and I wasn’t about to give the enemy that power. 

This was just about the time of the church fast and I “happened” to come across Mark 9:14-29 about the boy with the unclean spirit that could only be cast out by prayer and fasting. I knew my husband had evil spirits around him that did not want to let go. It was pretty scary at first until I realized the power of the Holy Spirit and the authority I have being a daughter of the most high, but that’s a whole different story. Needless to say, I wholeheartedly participated in the fast. 

That month was simultaneously the loneliest and most amazingly comforting month of my life. My husband was gone. I told him that I had tried my best to help but that his actions were detrimental to our family and I wouldn’t allow him to scar our children and myself that way. He left.  

At first I was freaking out, how can I take care of this house and these kids with no income, no time, no help? But immediately I felt at peace about my decision. This was a huge comfort from the Holy Spirit because to me in the beginning, and to most people, it seemed as if I was tearing my life apart and hurting my husband. This is where the endurance and perseverance came in. Almost everybody in my life disagreed with me. They thought I was hurting him, they thought I should feel guilty and ashamed of what I was doing. They thought that love means never saying no. As I explained my decision to one of his close family members about me always saving him from the consequences of his drinking and that he would never fully see the consequences of what he was doing until I let him, they curtly replied “But he doesn’t learn from his consequences”.  

A book that I thoroughly enjoyed during this time was called Boundaries by Dr. Henry Cloud. It talks A LOT about addiction and destructive relationships and that the best relationships have good boundaries. Boundaries where you can say no, and yes and respect yourself and others enough to say when enough is enough- I won’t allow you to hurt me anymore. 

He was gone for a month - a month of not knowing where I would find money for the mortgage, the bills, food and also not knowing what he was doing (besides random phone calls late at night). I dove into the arms of God. I HAD NO OTHER CHOICE, I was desperate. I needed this to change. I knew God had plans to sustain and build up our marriage and I fought for it daily. I fasted, I prayed, I read my bible, I cried out. I was so angry and God took it all. He was my rock so much so that I once told my husband “I desperately want your love I truly do, but I don’t need it, I need my God and his love to sustain me.”

The very day the church fast ended he returned to Durango, sober. He’s been sober for 14 months (a year longer than he’s ever been sober in 10 years)!!!   

There are two very big lessons learned and the first is this: You can’t control anyone but yourself, and even in that you need to solely rely on God. I’m an action person - if I see a need I do something, and praying never seemed like I was doing something about it-SO WRONG. If you want to help someone the very first thing should be prayer, there is no stronger power we have as children of the Most High.   

The second lesson was very harsh for me and that is that just because his sin was more apparent than mine doesn’t mean I don’t have sin. God knew that I needed time too, to dig and scrape inside myself and recognize that I was not part of the solution. It was never my fault that he was an alcoholic but I sure as heck wasn’t helping.

Parenting... it's worth it.

By Jen Kline

At the Marriage dinner Jill shared her heart about marriages and new beginnings and I thought to myself how beautiful it is when we can say something is hard, but it’s worth it. I totally agree with her. And then I think about parenting and being a mom and wife and all the things that come with leading a child into all the intricacies of who God created them to be and I think about the glimpses of who I see with each passing year and I see the same thing that is true about marriage is also true about parenting...it is hard, but it’s so worth it.

I’m thankful for the gift of a child. When Grace (my oldest) was born, my first thought literally was, “I do not deserve this beautiful gift.” (I did not understand my identity in Christ at the time)

My second thought was, “ I did not DO THIS. I was the vessel God used to bring this creative beautiful gift to the world, but I really had no part in it other than carrying her and nurturing her while I ate lots of rice and strawberries and drank orange pop (that's a word for soda in Minnesota). I realized that this gift was so precious to God - He trusted me with her! It was then that I began to realize the true love of God.


After about three weeks of being hunkered down in my house with my precious gift, I decided to venture out with my little brother, Austin, and take her for a walk in our neighborhood. I walked her two blocks down the road in a covered stroller in the horribly muggy month of May in Buffalo, Minnesota! We lived very close to a lake so the mosquitos and bugs were out in full force!

The minute I heard the buzzing little insects flying around her precious skin, I turned around and headed back to the house. The world was just too dangerous for this beautiful gift. I didn’t want her to get hurt. I didn’t want her to experience the things I had experienced. I didn’t want her to be disappointed. I only wanted the best for her. I didn’t realize how hurt I was. I didn’t know my wounds - I just knew I wanted to protect her from all of it. These conditions were too harsh for this precious person. She was too valuable.

As I type this tears are flowing… (I think blogs are really journals disguised as literature ;) So it is in that context (my parenting) that God began me on a journey to understand why I needed him and who I was in him. I needed to understand that so I could show Grace how valuable it was for her. He was showing me why he was valuable and why I needed to receive his love. He felt the exact same way about me that I felt about my daughter. His heart broke when mosquitoes came too close ;) His heart broke when I was sad or disappointed. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for me. It was with those understandings of the preciousness of a child that God began to break my heart, soften it and draw me closer to him.

The Holy Spirit partnered with me the minute my daughter was born. He was there, I heard him. He will not leave or forsake us as we parent. He is close. With every question, he has an answer. With every worry, he’s there to hand it off to. He will do this with us as we position ourselves to hear him. I’m so thankful for that.

It is with this background that I lead our children in riverKIDS and I share my heart with you. I see the preciousness of each child. I see the heart behind each little Garanimals sweatshirt. I look for the beauty in each child that is the image of God. Speaking encouragement to them is my favorite thing to do. Encouraging others to appreciate, see, hear, know and love our kids is my hearts cry. I love letting people know that God builds some amazing things into these people we call kids. We get to slow down, watch for it, talk to them, receive what they have to offer and watch God move. I believe kids are the purest form of his image. If we allow them to be who he created them to be, we will see it.

If we seek him as we parent we will find what we are looking for. The answers will mostly be something he desires to teach us about ourselves (as I’ve learned). The answer will come through the words of the Bible, a beautiful kind loving word, a picture or maybe a gentle breeze.

Matthew 6:33 (MSG) “If God gives such attention to the appearance of wildflowers—most of which are never even seen—don’t you think he’ll attend to you, take pride in you, do his best for you? What I’m trying to do here is to get you to relax, to not be so preoccupied with getting, so you can respond to God’s giving. People who don’t know God and the way he works fuss over these things, but you know both God and how he works. Steep your life in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. Don’t worry about missing out. You’ll find all your everyday human concerns will be met.”

And as you do that, your bright-eyed beautiful precious children will watch you walk out the grace and goodness of God in front of them. It won’t be easy, but it will be worth it, I promise.

I Love You, Too

In one of Beth Moore's teachings (I have to give credit where credit is due - I love Beth Moore!) she tells a story (and I'm repeating what I remember of it) of how God was showing His glory to her after a long exhausting trip.  She was on her way home from the airport and in awe of the incredible sunset.  She was worshiping God and giving Him thanks and praise for all He had done at the conference and telling Him how much she loved Him.

And then He stopped her with this verse.

He said you love me because I loved you first.  

He wasn't meaning He didn't love her praise or her thanks or her love, He was just reminding her that it's because of His great love for her that she can love Him back.

I've been so struck by that story.  There are times when I, too, am overwhelmed by my love for God.  It feels like I can't tell Him enough, show Him enough, express just how much He means to me.  And then I'm reminded that essentially I'm saying "I love you, too" because the truth is, He's already said I love you over and over and over.

In every breath I take and beat of my heart.  Every sunrise, sunset, sunshine or rain, laughter with my loved ones and friends, every scripture I read, worship song I sing, every tear I cry, every day I am on this earth - the ultimate gift of His Son.  With all of this and infinitely more He says to me,

"I love you!" 

So I reply back, "I love you, too"

Testimony Tuesday - He loves all of us so much!

I LOVE how our GOD works!!! Did you know that HE cares about seemingly “insignificant” things like winning a basket of “Dog Loot” at a pet expo??? Let me explain…

About three weeks ago…a friend (and neighbor) of mine, who had recently lost her father to an illness, texted me. This friend knows that I am a Christian and a “church-goer”. Up to now, I have never gotten to the point of talking to her about faith. 

Her text went something like this… “Hello Lynn. I was wondering… You go to The River Church right? Would you know if they have a grief group?” I said that I didn’t know, but that I would find out or locate another one for her. I asked if it was for her (knowing she had just lost her dad). She said she had really been struggling with his passing. 

Fast-forward one week… We were texting back and forth and she shared with me that she had confided in her mom, that her faith had really been rattled since losing her dad. She also shared with her mom that it had been years since she has gone to church. This fact really saddened her mom, because my friend has two young kids (ages 10 and 12).

So…I just threw it out there. “Why don’t you join us at church this Sunday at The River Church? We have an amazing pastor, incredible music, and a REALLY AWESOME kid’s church!!!” (Plus their Director of Children’s Ministry is my VERY CRAZY girlfriend Jen!No…I didn’t say that…but sure thought it though!) ;-) 

We went back and forth texting…answering her questions about service times, location, etc. Then she just stopped texting. “Hmmm??? This one is all yours from here GOD” I thought. So off I went to enjoy a Pet Expo that was being held in town that morning. I made my way throughout the expo, putting my name in for EVERY drawing in the building.

I left to head home to celebrate my hubby’s Birthday. I was about a mile away from the expo when I got a call from a gal at the expo…telling me that I had won one of their main “Doggy Loot” basket drawings! I was torn between heading home to my waiting family or going back to the expo.  I had this “strong sense” that I was supposed to go back to the expo to pick up my prize basket. 

I skipped with giddy delight back into the expo…and WHO was standing right there near my basket? It was my girlfriend, whom I was just texting about going to church that Sunday. She said, “I am so sorry…my phone died. Yes! We would love to join you in church this Sunday.” We talked details and I went to retrieve my basket.

As I was walking towards my “winning” basket…I heard the LORD say this: “I had you win this basket so you would come back and run into your friend.” Now THAT is my kinda GOD!!! 

So, in closing my friend and her kiddos came to church with us and she was clearly really moved by the music. She kept commenting on different songs and various voices. As we were walking out of church, she said, “I have NEVER heard music like that in a church before! That was sooo AWESOME!!! Thank you for inviting us…I really enjoyed it!”

So that my story of why GOD cares as much about is children as HE cares about blessing them! I guess our pooch, Bella, ultimately got blessed to by all of the loot in the basket. Like I started saying, “I LOVE how our GOD works!!!”

Feelin' blessed,

Lynn Deary