Share where the Holy Spirit has been at work this week.
Merry – A big thank you to everyone at Westside for donating to the Thanksgiving food collection. Mil gracias to Bonnie Becker for making it all happen.
Pastor Brett – Yes, thank you Bonnie and thank you to the RAoK Team for coordinating that. I was able to stop by yesterday, as well, and drop some things off. There was quite a lot and I think Laura Cosgrove has some pictures that we might try to circulate on Facebook or something of all the food that was set out in the back family room at church. So, well done folks!
Kat – Last night heading into work, I was not in a very good mood. I was really grumpy; I didn’t want to go to work. It’s been a long stretch and it was my last night. I knew my attitude wasn’t in the right place. As I was walking in I was just feeling it. I was a little early so I ran up to the chapel to say a quick prayer before my shift, I don’t usually get to do that, and see if maybe I could turn the night around because, I was really not there. I went up to the meeting at the start of my shift; we were pretty busy. I don’t really know why or where, nothing happened in particular, but everything was going good; my patients were all for the most part really nice. It ended up being a really good night, which is a blessing right now. At the end of the shift we did a shout out huddle where we do a round robin and say what we’re thankful for, or a person in the group that we’re thankful for helping us. Three of the people shouted me out saying – Kat, you seemed in a little bit of a funk at the beginning of the shift which is abnormal for you; I don’t know what changed but you were so awesome last night and your energy & your spirit just helped us get through the night and made the night part of what it was so, thank you. So, Power of Prayer, man. I asked God to help me and he gave me the nudge I needed. So, little bit of a God Moment last night.
Jan – I want to mention that I have made a list of all the promises of the Lord to the seed of the righteous. This morning I found one that I have never seen before. This one is in Psalm 22: 30-31 in the Living Bible. It says – “Our children too shall serve Him for they shall hear from us about the wonders of the Lord. Generations yet unborn shall hear of all the miracles He has done for us.” And in the Life Applications Bible it said – “Unborn generations are depending on our faithfulness.” Kat – I say Amen to your sharing. I have been there and you will get through it. For 22 years I worked in the hospital on the night shift & I did those kind of shifts like you did, Kat. You can do it; it was a blessing to hear that you went to the chapel. Do you know what that says to your coworkers? Because, they can see a difference in you, sister; you make a tremendous difference for all that are ahead of you. All the patients that you see and all the coworkers that you influence; the doctors are not above your influence either. I’ve had many doctors that have asked me after I had been nursing for years and years - what do you think, Jan? And I would give them my two cents. But many times they wouldn’t ask and I would say – Whatever you think, doctor, whatever you think. And then they would go ahead and do it my way. Anyway, it’s interesting the way we can influence; we must be faithful & we must get back together! We must have those church doors open again, folks, we must! And I’m praying for you pastor that you will take heart and you will stand and put out that rod and the doors are going to open, just like The Red Sea. God Bless all of you, I miss you terribly!
Paige – So blessed to not be working this morning so I could get a dose of Jan.
Michele – I’m not so sure this is a God Sighting, but it’s something that is pretty close. It’s been such a difficult year and there’s been so much strife. Where I sit in my living room right now and look out, I see the trees and I see the birds and that sort of thing. You see the calmness of the world that God tries to put in front of us. I think & hope that everybody listening here and everybody in our congregation takes the time in this difficult time we’re going through to stand back and smell the roses. To take a look around, to look out that window and see what’s been given to us; try to use that to help strengthen us & to make our lives what God wants our lives to be. A comparison is like driving in LA. You get on that freeway and it’s like people want to suck you into the speed and suck you into the ugliness. In this world today we have to be so careful because, it’s real easy to get sucked into the challenges and the ugliness. There is so much goodness out there but it gets buried. So, I just hope that everybody that’s listening and everybody in our congregation takes that minute to look out that window and see the way I think God wants it to be for us.
Pastor Brett – Thank you Michelle for that profound moment. I will be your second witness to that. I was outside yesterday and looking up at the blue sky just in wonder and struck by a moment of peace as well.
Laura – I was at the Target checkout line this morning behind an elderly gentleman who didn’t speak much English and he struggled to communicate and didn’t have enough on his SNAP card to pay for his purchases. The transaction took a very long time and the clerk kept apologizing to me. I took the opportunity to be patient and pray for the man and the clerks trying to assist him. I realized in hindsight that I should have offered to pay for the rest of his purchase, but I will remember next time.
Wendy F. – That’s a sweet story that’s wonderful role-modeling to all of us, Laura. Thanks for sharing!
Gayellyn – Yesterday, Kari and Stephanie & I got together; we had a chance to make Advent Wreaths together which was really a blessing for all three of us. I came home and I was really concerned that my cats were going to destroy it. They walked all around it but they haven’t touched it yet. So, I’m really hopeful. But, it was a time to be able to spend together around what the season means to us. So, that was my God Sighting.
Sally – 1) Those of us who have taken your course, Brett, it’s been an amazing course – Racial Identity in the Christian World. So, thank you. 2) Dave and I attended a workshop, virtually, put on by a man named Greg Bell. He wrote a couple of books but, the one he wrote that made him famous was called Water the Bamboo. It teaches why you have to be patient and focused and diligent because, a bamboo when you put it in the ground does nothing. You water and water it for 3 years and the giant bamboo does nothing. Then it grows a meter every day for 30 days until it gets to be 90 feet. So, the whole concept is during this time we just have to be patient. We have to tend to everything we know is right and good; look for all the things we are sharing right now – the beauty in the outside, the beauty in other people; time with our family. And we will grow. It just feels like we are stagnant right now. The next thing I will say is in his next book, What’s Going Well?, his whole concept is based on when you say to someone – How are you doing? People tend to go to the negative and go on and on about this and that… However, if you frame it up differently and say – What’s going well? People will have to think of something that is going well in their life. It makes the brain train itself differently about the way it approaches life. So, a couple of good thoughts. This is the other thing he left us with, everyone has to do their FREDS: Fun, Rest, Exercise, Diet; Simplify.
Debbie – It’s interesting, God speaks to me in different ways. I woke up this morning at 4:37; I just looked at the numbers on my alarm clock and then I heard – John 4:37. So, I went to John 4:37 and it’s after the Woman at the Well story. Jesus was being asked by his disciples if he wanted to eat something; he said “My food is to do the will of Him who sent me to finish his work. Don’t you have any saying, it’s still four months until harvest? I tell you, open your eyes and look at fields! They are ripe for the harvest. Even now, the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. Thus the saying – One sows and another reaps is true. I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.” I never connected those two sentences or meanings together. They were worried about Jesus eating and he had just witnessed to them about the gal at the well; he was reaping a harvest and he was sowing a harvest because, she went into the City of Samaria and told them all about Jesus; the whole city came out to meet Jesus. And everyone was saying – now we believe what you say is the messiah; he is the messiah. I was thinking there are so many opportunities we have to sow and so many opportunities we have to reap. It just warmed my heart, Kat, to hear you say that you changed the atmosphere because, we are told to change the atmosphere by bringing Jesus’ light into our workplace. And there’s so many times I’ve gone into work being pretty discouraged and trembling that oh my gosh I’m going to get beat up today. But just by strengthening yourself in the Lord and turning to the Lord you change the atmosphere. Bless you all!
Bonnie – I help at Aloha Church of God Food Pantry; for the last two weeks, Jeff has been coming in. People who are homeless can come once a week to the pantry and get food. His case manager at the Sequoia Mental Health Center in Aloha brought him the first time. The first time he asked me if we had any blankets; it just so happened that we had some donated so I got him a nice warm blanket. He asked me if he could have a Bible so, I got him a Bible; we got him food. And he said – If you find any shoes I could use a pair of 13 or 14 size shoes. So, this week he came back and he said – Do you think I could get another blanket? I gave my blanket away to a guy who needed it. And he also asked me for another Bible. I’m assuming he gave his Bible away too….Here’s an opportunity for all of us to help a guy who has PTSD, night terrors, accidents at night; who has one pair of pants and one pair of underwear. He could use extras…. If anyone is wanting to help, he could use size 13-14 shoes, large or extra-large underwear; size 34 or 36 pants. He said – I’ll take whatever, I got a belt if they are too big, I can just put the belt on. So, this is my God Sighting this week and your sermon reinforced in me that this is an opportunity for us to help him. ….Leave items in Lighthouse or call me and I will come and get it. Yes, we do need donations of blankets…