Testing of Faith

Good morning son! Sorry I'm late but guess you'd best get use to it. We went to church this morning. It's been a long time.We celebrated communion. It was right. Dad paused briefly asking me if it was open communion. As you know, some believe you have to be a member of a church to partake of communion. I believe God commands us to participate in remembrance of his death and resurrection, as does dad, so participate we did. We didn't get struck by lightening so guess it was okay. 

 It felt good to be in God's house once again. The pastor preached a wonderful sermon. We were in Isaiah 40 and I Peter 1; faith and knowing we can trust God. He also spoke in great lengths of being aware what scripture says the future

holds. I told dad later, this is probably the first church in the last 20 years that we have been in where we actually used our Bibles during the service. Unless dad has been preaching of course! It was as though I had been taken back in time to being a young one at First Baptist and Pastor Kraft was preaching/teaching. My first Bible is loaded with notations and markings as I would follow his words and he would instruct us to make a notation here, underline this, add this. I haven't done that in years. Growing up I could go back through those notations as I was rereading that piece of scripture and follow it all the way through because of the notes. 

It's been a rarely quiet week here but the fire in California continues to raise it's ugly head and jeopardizing the lives and homes of many. We would have had to leave the area with you. You wouldn't have been able to breathe. The air is filed with smoke. I pray for those with breathing

problems because it has to be terrible for them. The fire fighters have to be struggling for strength and the more tired they become the more likely for error. The heat has to be unbearable. It has always amazed me that they put their lives on the line for people they don't even know every day. Ron and Diane have gone back home but the smoke is awful. Hope Ron is able to stay home for awhile and not go back to work in the heat and smoke! But, knowing your Uncle Ron, I would doubt it.

Dad and I have been praying for a friend's youth pastor also. The young man has been diagnosed with an advanced brain tumor. To those of you joining in on Aaron and my conversation today please say a prayer for this young man. His name is Dane.

As our lives have been touched with cancer we understand some of the fear and anxiety this family must be feeling at this recent news for their family. Pray that they continue to seek God's strength and healing. Only God knows the outcome and believe me, it's best that way. But, the journey is shared by all and faith and strength are tools we need to pray they continue to call on and use. They need all the support, in many forms, that we can give.

It was difficult enough to go through the journey with you. Today at church their prayer list contained the names of three children under 6 who have cancer. How they must need support, love and faith. How would a parent cope with a child of 6 dealing with what you had to go through. I cannot imagine. May God grant them grace and peace. I still have your t-shirts you gave me so I could make teddy bears for kids with cancer. This will be a great start for the Joy Bears.

There is so much hurt and pain in the world it's difficult to know where to start. But, if you don't start someone who needs help will go without. Here's to getting re-started. Thank you Lord for the opportunity. May I continue to be your servant and always with a joyful heart. 

Having said this, I disobeyed the prompting of the Holy Spirit this morning. When the offering plate came around I knew very clearly that the Holy Spirit was directing me to put all that I had, thirty-four cents, into the offering plate. It was an open plate rather than an offering bag. I was embarrassed to lay the thirty-four cents into the plate even though I KNEW I should. After all, who's going to miss thirty-four cents and what could it do. I twas only thirty-four cents after all. God clearly assured me that there was a need and he would multiply the thirty-four cents and fulfill the need. I failed the test. I know God can do what he assured me He would do but my own personal discomfort of being embarrassed may have caused someone else harm. I pray that God touched someone else and their faith was greater than mine and that no one suffers because of my lack of faith this week. If you see tears in God's eyes this morning, it's your mother who caused them. I pray that I will not fail again.

Until next week, be Aaron, love mom