God showed up and God showed off!

This October, I will be celebrating seven years of ministry at Amberlea.  It has been a rich and precious time.

Over these years God has shown up in powerful ways.  There is one example that I would like to share with you.

 About four years ago, Amberlea was in a substantial financial crunch.  It was all the Session could think and talk about. We were unable to pay the basic bills on time, and staff were having to put off receiving pay cheques until the bank account replenished. The approved budget was not being met and the expenses were being cut but still there was a shortfall.  Not only was it a stressful time, it was hugely distracting. Money has a way of doing that.

It was decided by Session that it was time to let the congregation know the financial situation. So on this particular Sunday, an announcement was made, with a Powerpoint slideshow so everyone knew we were serious ;) revealing that were $8,250.00 short.  The number remained on the screen during the announcement like a bitter reminder.  The announcement was made and it was not spoken of again that morning. 

 At the end of the service, I went into my office to drop off my stuff and was followed by one of the elders.

 “Mona, can we talk?” I really wanted to say no, because I didn’t want to hear what this loving and very concerned elder had to say, but I didn’t.

 “Of course,” and I motioned for the elder to have a seat.

 After shutting the office door, the elder sat down and began, “I think before we start another month with this deficit we need to consider making some drastic changes.” 

 I knew where this was going, and it would be the logical next step but something inside me cried, “No. Have faith. Wait on God!”

 “I understand what you are saying but cutting staff or hours is out of the question. We are doing God’s work and I know in my heart that God is going to provide. Please hold off on this conversation, we only just informed the congregation.  Give them an opportunity to respond to….”  

 Before I finished my sentence, there was a knock at my door.  I looked at the elder, who nodded affirmingly to answer.

 At my door stood a couple.  They had left the church immediately after the service and then returned, “Sorry to interrupt, but this is rather important, can we speak with you a minute?”

 At this request the elder got up and left the office, the couple sat down.  I sat across from them wondering what had happened.

 “Is everything ok?”  

 “Yes, everything is fine, we wanted to give you this”, handing me a cheque for $250. I looked at it quickly and turned it over and placed it on my lap. They went on,  “We were driving home and both felt so convicted to respond to the announcement. We hope that helps.  Amberlea is doing such amazing work and we don’t want the money situation to distract you from what God is calling you to do.”

 I was moved.

 “Thank you soooo much for your generosity and your faithfulness.  I was just saying how we need to have faith regarding this current financial situation.”

 We chatted some more, caught up on children and life and then I hugged them both, before they walked to the door.

 As I got up to follow them out I turned over the cheque and stopped dead in my tracks. 

 “Oh”, I said. I think it came out as a squeal.

 They turned to look at me.

 “This cheque is for the full amount of our deficit, the amount we put up on the screen!”  When I glanced at it earlier I misread the 8 for a dollar sign. “Oh, my, thank you, thank you!”

 I lunged toward them to give them another hug, tears begging to be released.

 “We were wondering why you didn’t respond that way earlier!” she said. We all laughed, apologizing that I really should be wearing reading glasses.

 They made their way out the door.

 Through the glass window of the Admins office , I saw the Elder speaking with the counters.  I calmly handed the cheque to the elder and said, “God at work”.  If I had a mic I would have dropped it.  Jaws hit the floor and God was praised!  

 It is utterly brilliant to watch God show up and show off!

 Thank God for the obedience, faithfulness and generosity of that couple and of so many of you. And because of countless examples like that, we as a Session, and as a church understand that we must be responsible but more importantly, together, we must be FAITHFUL.  

 Together we are stronger.

Together being faithful is easier.

Together we can faithfully be who God is calling us to be!

Called to care

I’ll be honest, some seasons are better than others. I am not speaking of Winter, Spring, Summer or Fall, although I do have a favourite. I am speaking of the seasons of life.

There are times in life when I wake up each morning feeling refreshed, and ready to take on the day. I feel excited, empowered and energized to tackle whatever the world throws at me. At times like this I feel wonderfully connected to God. I love those seasons of life.  

However, there are other times when none of that is true. I wake up and rather than feeling refreshed, I feel depleted. Instead of feeling excited about what the day may hold, I feel sad or even anxious. God does not feel close during those times.

Years ago I experienced a season like that. A difficult situation had me feeling sad, insecure and alone. I cried out but I couldn’t hear God. God was silent. In my humble opinion, God didn’t seem to care. I knew in my head that God was near but I couldn’t feel God anywhere. And not sensing God made me question everything, even my faith. My natural inclination was to take my despair and hide. I rationalized that no one wanted to see an unhappy Mona.  Moreover, no one knew what to do with an unhappy Mona, except for three Godly people.

Over 30 years ago Brian and I attended a small group. We faithfully participated for many years and it gave such richness to our lives. As is with life, over the years our small group changed, members came and went, but one couple remained a constant. Together we did life. We prayed together. We poured over God’s word together. We shared the joys and the sorrows, and walked alongside one another through it all, heart and soul.

During my season of experiencing God’s silence it was this couple, along with Brian, who reminded me that every circumstance can be viewed through the lens of God’s truth:  

“And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.” (Matthew 28:20)

They encouraged me and told me that I was not crazy, or worse yet unfaithful, for feeling as I did. They reminded me that throughout Scripture even the most faithful experienced seasons of spiritual loneliness. They reminded me that even the faithful are not immune to painful experiences that life can bring. They also reminded me of God’s powerful promise, that God is with us through and amid the storms:

“When you go through deep waters, I will be with you. When you go through rivers of difficulty, you will not drown.” Isaiah 43:2 (NLT)  

What an amazing promise!  It is a promise that no matter what, no matter how we feel, we can take confidence in God’s promise to be with us.

The beautiful revelation for me was that God can be found in His people.  People who are called to care.

I am so grateful that we went to a small group all those years ago and formed a life long friendship with God’s own. 

I am grateful for Godly caring friends who are with me, heart and soul.

The stone.

As I was tidying up my desk today I found a stone tucked in behind the lamp. I picked it up, held it in my hands and recalled instantly its source.

During an amazing trip to Israel with some members of Amberlea, we found ourselves at the ancient temple steps in Jerusalem.

Our guide Aharon was phenomenal. He not only gave us the historical account of each place we visited but he was able to give us the biblical reference as well. His ability to provide context breathed new life and meaning into the scriptures.

During our many days with him he would say, “Jesus would likely have been here.”  Or “Jesus may have walked here”, or “there is a high probability that…”, but on this day, at the temple steps, it was different.

As we sat on the steps listening attentively to our history lesson, Aharon said, “Look behind you. See that door?  That was the only way into the temple.  See that door just to the left? That was the only way out of the temple.”  He paused briefly and said, emphatically, “Jesus walked on these steps.”

No doubt at all.  No likely, may have or probably. 

“Jesus walked on these steps.”

His words rushed through me like electricity and I found myself wanting not just my butt and feet on the steps but my entire body.  “Jesus walked on these steps!” 

I am sure there is a picture of me somewhere lying on the steps, soaking in the warmth of the sun and the magnitude of that moment, with the words, “Jesus walked on these steps,” repeating in my head.

The picture above are the hands of, my little family, Brian, Emily, Tyler and me.  Our hands touching the steps that were walked upon by our Lord, Jesus. Jesus, who loves me so much. It was there that I found a loose stone and discreetly placed it in my pocket.  

Today, doing a simple chore of cleaning my desk, brought to my mind a precious memory and an awesome truth. 

I pray that today as you go about your day, doing life as you normally would, that you would be reminded that you too are loved by an amazing God.  

Join us this Sunday as we begin a new sermon series entitled, Called.