It was quit a day at church. I went with a NyQuil hangover so most of praise & worship I felt like I was having an out of body experience. But as we sang the song "You are Faithful" and I contemplated the whole light thing within me (just so you know I didn't have an issue with the lights - I can worship with our without lights I was just thinking over things) the Lord took me back almost 19 years ago. I thought about what an incredibly broken and desperate place I was in when I came to this church and what an amazing work God has done in me. I thought about what I needed and what my family needed to heal and how God used the McGee family to be an instrument of healing in our lives. Then I thought...I wondered how many desperate, broken people are sitting in the congregation today and how many of them are watching us thinking the things I was thinking 19 years ago.
Then Pastor Ron got up to share and though I was not expecting his announcement, the second he started I knew what was coming and I was not surprised. There are a million things running through my head, but here's one that stood out to me more than anything. When I was that 17 year old girl broken and desperate, Pastor Ron & Norma helped my parents walk me through with Godly council and Bryan and Jennifer befriended me. They loved me, spent time with me, never compromised, but never gave up one me. They were 2 of my best friends in a time when every friend I had ever known abandoned me.
Then I had this thought...today Pastor Ron and Norma did a momentous thing and we watched Pastor Ron's words fulfilled "One day I will sit on the front row and cheer on the next generation". I want to join hands with Pastor Bryan and Jennifer so that they are not alone when broken hurting people come into our church in need of help and I want my kids to join hands with their kids and befriend the hurting broken kids God is bringing in our doors they way they befriended me. So that one day, when it is time for the baton to change hands again, we can be prepared to become the cheerleader and helper to the next generation.
2 comments:
Oh Helen, Thank you for sharing your perspective on the events of this morning. I am so grateful to be knitted together with people like you and Johnny. I feel the same thing in my heart and you put the words to it.
AMEN AMEN!! Let's do this thing!
Post a Comment