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Between the Lines - Winter 2012 Volume 2, Issue 1

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    Between the Lines is a magazine of the Journey, a ministry of Christ ChurchFairview Heights, IL. 2012, Christ Church. mychristchurch.com

    Graphic Design by Justin Aymer

    My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me. I give

    them eternal life, and they shall never perish; no one can snatch them

    out of my hand. My Father who has given them to me, is greater than

    all, no one can snatch them out of my Fathers hand. I and the Father

    are one. John 10:27-30

    Give out, give more, give in . . .

    Our view is nite, our resources limited,our denitions of giving: stunted.Jesus Christ is innite, his resources

    unlimited, his denition of giving:focused on eternity.

    Within the context of John 10, John10:27-30 says that believers in JesusChrist are sheep. We are his sheep.We graze in Gods elds. He knowsus intimately, and we follow him. Hegives us eternal life, and we shall neverperish. No one can snatch us from theFathers hand. Lets just pause andthink on the magnitude of knowingChrist and Christ knowing us. He hasemphatically reassured us that we arecupped in the hollow of the Fathershand. This overwhelms me. Does itreach your inner core too?

    Jesus Christ has given himself to us.We can keep him all to ourselves, orwe can give him away and nd out thatwe have even more to give.

    The world waits with eyes closed,hands out, on tip-toe, excited to receive

    somethinganything. What will wegive? Will it be the Giver of eternal life?Will we give Jesus?

    In between the lines of this issue youwill see the hearts of women who havereceived and given Jesus Christ in

    ways that reect their unique gifts ofthe Spirit and their place in the bodyof Christ. All the ways of giving, with apure heart of love, provide a completepackage for the waiting world.

    Where do you t on the pages of thisissue? Ask God to reveal to you how

    your individual gifts present JesusChrist in ways that lead others toeternal life. Have fun wrapping andwatching the paper being torn away.Eyes of hearts will open (Eph. 1:18),and outstretched hands will receivemore than enough to give away. Andthe circle of Life continues.

    Give out of love, give more of Jesus . .. give in the ways that God created youto give.

    In and with the peace of Christ,

    Dear Reader,

    Mary Ann

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    Between the Lines Winter 2012 Volume 2, Issue 1

    Wed love to know what you think about Between the Lines.E-mail us at [email protected]

    In the next issue: HopeThis Issues Theme: Giving

    Verse of the Season:Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, presseddown, shaken together and running over, will be poured into your lap. For with the

    measure you use, it will be measured to you (Luke 6:38).

    Meet the Contributors

    Mary Ann Turneris the leader of the Journey Team at ChristChurch. A former elementary school teacher, she is the wife of Mark,mother of two grown children, and grandmother to one preciouslittle boy. She enjoys great conversations, hiking with her family, and

    encouraging others to grow in their Christian faith.

    Lindsay Tallman is a freelance writer whose work has appeared inNature, Biotech, and Commerce magazines. A wife and mother of

    three, Lindsay enjoys reading, traveling, and playing with her quirkychildren. She and her family live in OFallon, Illinois, and worship atChrist Church.

    Emily Climaco, Ph.D., is a Journey Team member and the volunteereditor of Between the Lines. The wife of Phil and mom of Caroline,she spends her time reading, thinking, drinking green tea, and laugh-ing with her three-year-old daughter.

    Roni McDaniels is an active member of Christ Church and hasserved in various capacities, including AWANA, outreach ministries tothe homeless, and leading Bible studies. She has a heart for proclaim-ing Gods Word through womens ministries and serving women and

    children in Honduras and Uganda. Roni has a passion for encourag-ing women to go deeper in their relationships with God!

    Kathy ODell (affectionately known as ko) is a Journey Team mem-ber and volunteer staff member for women4given, a Christian wom-ens organization prioritizing generosity to serve women and childrenin Christian love. To learn more about women4given, visitwww.women4given.com

    Julie Crask is a stay-at-home mother of three children. She is also apart-time special education resource teacher at Zion Lutheran School

    in Belleville, Illinois, and is working to raise money through photogra-phy to build a water well in Central Africa. For more info, visitwww.works4water.blogspot.com.

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    Lessonsfrom a Wise

    Old Owlby Mary Ann Turner

    4

    Peering though the slats of the woodblinds in our bedroom out into thedark of night, it feels as though I amnearly face to face with a huge owl.He is perched on the roof outside ourwindow. Prompted by the inces-

    sant hoot, hoot, I want a goodlook at this creature keeping mefrom slumber. Intimidating, yes.Huge. . .oh my, yes. He wouldnot keep quiet. No shush-ing up for this old guy. Owlwisdom like a broken recordowed into the night. I was

    not ready to hear it, not rightthen.

    Think what you will, but I ampretty sure it was no accidentthat this nocturnal visitor sat onmy rooftop keeping me from sleepon this particular night. Earlier that

    evening I arrived home from ameeting. I asked God, with somecertainty that the answer was in-deed yes, if I spoke too much orat the wrong time. The purpose ofthe meeting was to discuss Biblereadings we had completed. Every-one at the meeting had read the same

    passages, and we were to share ourthoughts.

    I was quiet for the rst half of the meet-ing and then began to share off and onin response to several questions asked

    by other members. What I shared wasgood and it was true. I had even sharedhow God had taken me to a deeperawe of him and his Word through thereading I completed. Nothing wrongwith what I shared. Nothing wrong with

    my motives for sharing, either. I de-sired to share some of the wisdom Godimparted through theyearsperhaps

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    it would help. Perhaps. So, what is theproblem?

    Many of the people in the circle of con-versation indicated that they were justbeginning to read the Bible. They want-

    ed answers. They wanted wisdom.And I gave too much from the wisdomstore, all at once, releasing it out like

    a load of gravel from a dumptruck. (Gravelreally? Am I

    being too hard onmyself? Pos-

    sibly, but I am not going to give thatbreak to myself, not this time.) I wantto learn and grow. I want to be effectiveand productive in my knowledge of theLord Jesus Christ. Doing so involvesgoodness, self-control, brotherly kind-

    ness, and love. See 2 Peter 1:5-8. Itwas quiet and gentle gravel, yes. Buttoo much of it and all at once.

    Like the incessant hoot, hoot of thewise old owl I just didnt realize whenenough was enough. What I believeGod was allowing me to see (hear!)was the sound of my incessant sharingof wisdom; it was intimidating ratherthan comforting to some of the mem-bers of the group. Intimidating, yes.Huge . . . oh my, yes.

    I love the sense of humor that the Lordhas with us. I am reminded once again,dont ask him if you dont really want

    to know the answer. But I did wantto knowI already knew I spoke toomuch. Perhaps I thought God mightsay, No worries, you did ne. Then Icould drift off to slumber-land and for-gettaboutit!

    God is not about to pacify me or to beat

    around the bush. And I am glad. I trusthim implicitly to show me his ways,to teach me his paths, to guide me inHis truth. For he is God my Savior, andmy hope is in him all day long (Psalm25:4-5). All day long, even in the mid-dle of the night.

    Incidentally, the owl never returned toour rooftop. He came by for a visit pro-pelled by an unseen hand. Think whatyou will . . .

    Lesson learned, laughter included.

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    Many years ago when we rst beganattending Christ Church, I attendedone of the very rst womens Journeyevents. I dont remember much aboutthe event, but I do remember that whenMary Ann Turner spoke about givingyour life to Christ, I was overcome with

    conviction that it was time to stop rid-ing the fence and give everything in mylife to Jesus. Up until that point, fromthe outside it looked like I was doingall the right things. I attended church,took Bible studies, and I had acceptedJesus as my Lord and Savior. But onthe inside, there was still that stubbornpart of me that I didnt want to give up.

    I wanted to have the same life I hadalways had all wrapped up in a prettyChristian bow.

    Over the years it became obvious that Icouldnt have one foot in this world and

    one foot in Gods kingdom. And to behonest, trying to do both was exhaust-ing. Looking back, I can see that fearwas the main thing that held me back.I was afraid of looking like a fool, orworse, one of those Jesus freaks thatwe made fun of in high school and col-

    lege. Probably like many of you, I hadpeople in my past who claimed to beChristians, but turned out to be hypo-crites and liars when their true selveswere unmasked. I was afraid peoplewould think I was a hypocrite too be-cause I certainly wasnt perfect. I wasafraid of going all in when I still had lin-gering doubts and questions about the

    church.

    Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 3:18-19,Stop fooling yourselves. If you count

    yourself above average in intelligence,

    as judged by this worlds standards,

    EverybodyPlays the Foolby Lindsay Tallman

    And I am sure that God who began the good work within you will keepright on helping you grow in his grace until his task within you is finallyfinished on that day when Jesus Christ returns(Phil. 1:6, TLB).

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    you had better put this all aside and be

    a fool rather than let it hold you back

    from the true wisdom from above. For

    the wisdom of this world is foolishness

    to God. As it says in the book of Job,

    God uses mans own brilliance to trap

    him; he stumbles over his own wis-dom and falls.I realized that I had tochoose between looking wise to theworld or pursuing heavenly knowl-edge. By choosing to keep one foot inthe world, I was a fool for letting it holdme back from God. But if I chose Godswisdom, I would look like a fool to theworld.

    That night at the Journey, I decided itwas time to stop letting my fears keepme from giving everything I had to God.Since I was going to be a fool eitherway, why not be a fool for Christ? Andthe hypocrites, well, I realized I wasgoing to have to stop judging God for

    who they claimed him to be and believ-ing God for who his Word says he is. Icame home that night and told my hus-band that I was done riding the fence;that I couldnt do it anymore and I wasgoing to give everything I had to God.Luckily for me I didnt have tochange everything overnight,

    but slowly and surely God be-gan to work on me.

    Taking that step of blind faithtowards God allowed him tostart moving me in the rightdirection. The work was of-ten painful, but as I would

    die to myself in one areahe would nudge me to thenext thing that I needed togive over to him. As I be-gan to trust him more andmore, something amaz-ing happened. I realized

    for the rst time in my life, I felt free.Free from caring what other peoplethought about me. Free to live a life ofpurpose and passion and free to be theperson who he created me to be.

    Jesus said, If anyone wants to be afollower of mine, let him deny himselfand take up his cross and follow me.

    For anyone who keeps his life for him-

    self shall lose it; and anyone who loses

    his life for me shall nd it again (Matt.

    16:24-25). I am humbled every daythat God loves me enough to pursueme relentlessly. Saying yes to givingeverything to God has changed mymarriage, my family, and my relation-ships for the better. I am so thankful. Iam never going to arrive, but I can trustGod to give me everything I need forthe journey.

    Are you sitting on the fence right now

    hoping to hide out just a little longer? Ipromise that there is nothing special atall about me. Gods transforming graceis available to everyone. All we have todo is ask. What are you waiting for? Itsa new year, and theres never been abetter time to give everything you havefor Gods glory.

    Growing up, there was a picture hang-ing on the wall in between the doorwayto my room and my brothers room thatread, Please be patient, God isnt n-ished with me yet. That same signnow hangs outside the doorways ofmy children and I smile each time I

    read it. I dont know where you are inyour journey, but I do know that untilour nal breath, God is not nishedwith us yet. God gave the world hisonly son, and Jesus gave his lifefor you. I pray that 2012 will be theyear you give your life to Jesus.

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    Organ recipients have a unique viewof giving and receiving. I have hadtwo heart transplants in my 36 years,one at 12 and one at 32. Becauseof these two gifts, I have had theopportunity to go to college, get mar-

    ried, teach school, and most recentlyadopt a baby. The question I ask my-self is, how do I give back? Shouldntwe all ask that question? Havent allChristians had spiritual heart trans-plants? We should all desire to givethe gift of our lives, for we have beengiven the greatest gift, new hearts in

    Christ.

    Read more of Angelas writing atwww.angelamoore.typepad.com

    Photo by: Julie Crask

    The

    Gift ofLifeby Angela Moore

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    We make a living by what we do,but we make a life by what we give.-Winston Churchill

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    Pacing at St. Louis airport I was bored.My nephews plane was twenty min-utes late, and my red jacket was toohot to wear and too bulky to carry. Mypacing was only a pensive shufeuntil I saw the wall poster. CATCH USGIVING, it read. Whoawhat a greatheadline! Two days later as I pickedup the latest Lands End catalog for

    recycling, it happened again. LOVEGIVING was the title.

    Sure, both captions were commer-cially based, but they are powerfulreminders of Pauls words in 2 Cor-inthians 8:7: But just as you excelin everything in faith, in speech, in

    knowledge, in complete earnestnessand in your love for us see that you

    also excel in this grace of giving.

    How does one learn to be generous?Each will learn in a variety of ways.For me, my start was in an act of dis-obedience that is forever seared in my

    memory.

    You see, one Sunday my father askedme to write a $100 check to our home-town church, but I put him off for aweek because of their account bal-ance. Five days later my father had afatal heart attack. With a heavy heart,the check was dropped in the offeringthe next Sunday, and, I now believe,the giving seed was sown in my heart.

    Fast forward a lot of years, and giv-ing to my church and other charitiesincreased annually. Yet it took com-

    A Passion for Givingby Kathy ODell

    ing to Christ Church, attending Biblestudies, accepting new fund-raisingresponsibilities, and eating dinnerwith my sisters family for me to seethe complete joy in giving.

    Talking about helping others was al-ways the best dessert at their Christ-mas dinner. Everyonefrom the

    youngest to the oldestwas invitedto share a personal story of whomhe or she helped and how the giverwas touched by the experience. Overseveral years there were stories aboutmaking anonymous car payments,mailing certied checks from farawaytowns to hide the givers identity, giv-

    ing a childs soccer gear to a needyteammate, diverting allowance dollarsto others, leading a fund drive to ar-range a teenagers orthodontic treat-ment and helping pay the thousandsin costs, and bringing others togetherto buy a car for a young couple whohad no means of transportation.

    The stories always warmed my heart,but that rst year I hoped theyd skipmy turn. Whatever Id said, it was afumble in comparison to the other sto-ries. Those family testimonies rangout in a mighty way the joy of givingand the richness of a familys priorityplaced on generosity.

    May we all Love Giving and beCaught Giving in 2012.

    If you help the poor, you are lending

    to the Lord, and he will repay you!

    Prov. 19:17.

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    As a mother of three young children,I often feel as though all I do is give. I

    give my time, energy, patience, love,and many times even my dessert,which is a huge thing for someonewho has eaten ice cream almost dailyfor the last twenty years! At the endof the day mothers are exhaustedboth physically and emotionally, sohow could we possibly give any more,

    right? This was my thinking until I readThe Hole in Our Gospel by RichardStearns.

    After reading this book I began to feelthat there was something I was sup-posed to be doing. It wasnt morelaundry, dishes, or cleaning. It wassomething bigger. Something thatwould give of myself and help others.So I began to pray. I read about theplight of so many around the worldwho lack clean water. I watched avideo clip by Charity: Water, and feltthat this was it! Their website tells ofthe need to build wells in African vil-lages. One well could provide clean

    water to 400 people for twenty yearsat a cost of $5,000 to build. There itwas!

    I went for a walk and continued to prayon how I was actually going to collect$5,000. As I walked and prayed I cameup with the phrase Works 4 Water

    and the idea that I could do worksto earn money for the well. I thoughtabout any talents I might have. Myhusband can attest that I am no Mar-tha Stewart, so crafts and cookingwere out! I have no musical talentseitherout! I do, however, own a verynice camera and catch wonderful pic-

    tures of my children. There it was!

    Lets Do This Thing!by Julie Crask

    I could take pictures of families and askthem to donate money for the build-

    ing of this well rather than paying mefor my works. When I arrived home,sweaty and exhausted, I sat down torest and noticed two things. The rstwas our sons sippy cup lled withnice, clean water, and the second wasmy new issue of Readers Digest withthe word WATER in huge font on the

    cover. There it was!

    My goal is to earn $5,000 for Charity:Water to build a well in Central Africa.Ive been working towards this goalfor four months now and have raised$1,000. Ive received more blessingsthrough this project than I could haveever imagined.

    I want to put a challenge out there toget you thinking: what are the worksthat you can complete? We all havetalents, skills, God-given gifts. Howcan you build your own well (or what-ever it is you feel compassionateabout)? Deuteronomy 16:17 says,

    Every man shall give as he is able,according to the blessing of the LORD

    your God which He has given you.

    The seed is planted. What can we doto change the world? As my daugh-ters like to say, Lets do this thing!

    There is one who scatters, and yetincreases all the more, and there is one

    who withholds what is justly due, and

    yet it results only in want. The generous

    man will be prosperous, and he who

    waters will himself be watered.Proverbs 11:24-25

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    My husband is the most generous per-son I know, based on thirteen yearsof observation. Phil gives people andorganizations time and money, hesnever let a friend pick up the check at a

    restaurant, and he doesnt grumble oreven keep track of his giving. Perhapsthe part that makes the biggest impres-sion on me is that he doesnt make abig deal about it. (Hell probably have aquiet t when he reads this.)

    Who, Me?Of the people we meet in the Bible,Mary demonstrated an amazing senseof discretion in her dealings with Godand others. Hearing about Maryspregnancy, her cousin Elizabeth show-ers her with praise: Blessed are youamong women, and blessed is the child

    you will bear! . . . (Luke 1:42). Maryhas good reason to show off. After all,an angel of the Lord has offered herthe ultimate mission. Had she been soinclined, Mary could have stolen Eliza-beths thunder. Imagine a soap-opera

    scenario in which the younger cousinaunts her youthfulness, unexpectedpregnancy, and the greater cosmic im-portance of the child she carries.

    But Mary responds discreetly, deect-ing Elizabeths praise from herself toGod:My soul glories the Lord and myspirit rejoices in God my Savior, for he

    has been mindful of the humble state

    of his servant . . . (Luke 1:46-48). Sheremains in awe of God, not in her rolein the events or her inside information,

    and she treasured all these things inher heart (Luke 2:19).

    Jesus reinforced Marys practice whenhe preached about serving God with-out fanfare: So when you give to theneedy, do not announce it with trum-

    pets, as the hypocrites do in the syna-

    gogues and on the streets, to be hon-ored by others. Truly I tell you, they

    have received their reward in full. But

    when you give to the needy, do not let

    your left hand know what your right

    hand is doing, so that your giving may

    be in secret (Matt. 6:2-4a). When Iread this passage, the emphasis fallson humility: give with motives wiped

    YouPutYourRight

    HandIn,

    LeaveYourLeftHandOutbyEmilyClimaco

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    clean of selsh ambition. Certainlythis is a big part of it, but lately its theword secret that attracts my atten-tion. While secrecy compels the giverto focus on eternal rather than earthlyrewards, it also safeguards the dignityof the receiver.

    Cue TrumpetsI carried my tray through the cafeteriawith a small, inconspicuous salad anda Coke, focused on not drawing atten-tion to myself. Spotting an empty seat,

    I asked, Is anyone sitting here? SoonI learned that this was a table of up-per-classmenfriendly, student-gov-ernment types who seemed to knoweverything. I nibbled unobtrusively andtried to follow the conversation. Oneof them stated, matter-of-factly, Wechose two scholarship candidates from

    the bunch: a smart one and a poor one,and I met the smart one earlier. Jacob,I think.

    It took me a few moments to realizethat I was the other scholarship recipi-ent. Not the smart one but the poor one.I piped up, letting these insiders knowthat I was the one they were wonder-

    ing about. Their faces stiffened, as ifdigesting what had just been said; theyoffered over-enthusiastic congratula-tions. I smiled and thanked them, butmy thoughts were already elsewhere.The scholarship had been presentedas an academic award, not an act ofcharity. I was humiliated to recognize

    that my familys nancial-aid standinghad worked to my advantage.

    Looking back, I realize that collegesdont hand out scholarships willy-nilly:one for the smart one, one for the poorone. I believe that the college bestowedan academic award and a generous gift

    to someone who couldnt otherwise af-

    ford it. I also learned that a little learn-ing is a dangerous thing and a little dis-cretion goes a long way. While I harborno bitterness toward these people (Ilater became friends with them), thismemory sticks like a familiar splinter to

    remind me how to give.

    Zip It, SelfUnless youre a hermit, you and I takepart in hundreds of tiny transactionseverydayexchanges of words, in-formation, things, money, and so on.

    Many of these exchanges are insig-nicant in the big scheme of things, butsome of them require giving discreetly.When I have a piece of informationabout someone, I hold onto it unlessI understand my motives for wantingto give it away. Will sharing it merelymake me look important? Will it tarnish

    reputations, hurt feelings, or infringe onprivacy? If so, zip it. When an oppor-tunity to give money or things arises, Iask myself other questions. Am I givingprimarily out of guilt, the desire to im-press, or to compel someone to recip-rocate? Will my gift or manner of givingdeny the receiver his or her dignity? Ifso, zip it. I dont always keep my lefthand unaware of my right hand; giv-ing as Jesus taught in the Sermon onthe Mount is an ongoing trial-and-errorproject.

    I should mention that Phil is generousbut also naturally very reservedits

    just not in his personality to make a

    big deal of things. Well, at least oneadvantage of being an introvert is thatserving God with discretion comesmore easily. And, according to Jesus,thats a good thing: Then your Father,who sees what is done in secret, will

    reward you (Matt. 6:4b).

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    REDUCE get the digital version via e-mail at mychristchurch.com/thejourneyREUSE pass along this issue to a friend when youre nished

    RECYCLE toss in a Paper Retriever bin at Christ Church

    Ann Voskamps One Thousand Gifts (Zondervan 2010) is a lovely and inspiring

    book, written with careful attention even to the most eeting thoughts. A strangeprose-poetry mixture, Voskamps language demands close reading in orderto take in the beauty of her expression. A busy mother and farmers wife,Voskamp blogs regularly at www.aholyexperience.com, where she writes ofherself: I homeschool our six exuberant kids and most days I feel just a tad bitoverwhelmed and very crazy. When the kids and the washing machine sleep, Iwash my real dirt down with words and The Word.

    Check out what she has to say about looking at our world through the eyes ofJesus Christ: To read His message in moments, Ill need to read His passionon the page; wear the lens of the Word, to read His writing in the world. Only theWord is the answer to rightly reading the world, because The Word has nail-scarred hands that cup our face close, wipe away the tears running down, haseyes to look deep into our brimming ache, and whisper, I know. I know. Thepassion on the page is a Person, and the lens I wear of the Word is not abstractidea but the eyes of the God-Man who came and knows the pain (87).

    In One Thousand Gifts, youll discover the immense gift of Voskamps insight andthe power of her words in tribute to the Word.

    One

    Thousan

    d

    Gifts[book

    review]

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    When we think of giving, we most oftenthink of nancial giving. Beyond tith-ing, there are so many diverse ways

    to give of ourselves in Gods service.Whats your passion? What service,act of love, or mission do you engagein that gives you pleasure? What is ityou do in which you most feel Godspleasure? Those mission areas are theones in which we tend to be spirituallygifted and in which God uses us for his

    kingdom-making purposes. Im alwaysamazed at how God empowers uswhen we step out in faith to serve him(Gal. 5:22-23).

    One day while visiting a homeless shel-ter in St. Louis, I met a young womannamed Candy, a recovering drug ad-dict who was trying desperately to stayclean. Candys four children had beentaken from her by the state becauseof neglect. She was heartbroken butalso knew that in her present state shewas an unt mother. Candy and I saton the oor and talked for two hours.I encouraged her, telling her that Godwould deliver her from addiction if she

    would seek him and look to Jesus forher salvation. I prayed fervently withCandy and her situation. I never sawher again, but I know that God had aplan for Candy. Whether Candy saidyes to God that day or months or yearslater, Ill never know, but I was able tobe the listening ear she needed and to

    provide love and compassionso shewould know that her life mattered andshe could call on God to turn it around.

    Another time, I was helping with a med-ical clinic in a very poor barrio in SanPedro Sula, Honduras. I met an elderlywoman named Alejandra, who was

    by Roni McDaniels

    sick and literally hobbled to the churchto have the opportunity to see the doc-tor. I discovered from the local pastorthat Alejandra was a believer. I speakno Spanish, and she spoke no English.I sat with Alejandra, held her, rockedher, and prayed over her in English.The entire time I prayed, she prayedright along with me in Spanish. Whenshe left the clinic that day, Alejandrasentire countenance had changed andshe was smiling! God blessed me that

    day with the privilege of being Alejan-dras angel.

    Our God is sovereign, and he loves ev-ery one of his children with a love sowide and deep we cant even fathomit. God alone can overcome the ene-my and deliver people from any situa-

    tion, yet he uses us to bring about hiskingdom plans. We simply have to sayyes to serving God and stepping outin faith. Each day brings a new oppor-tunity to say yes to God. How will youanswer him today?

    Giving to

    GOD[A]nd hope does not disappoint,because the love of God has been

    poured out within our heartsthrough the Holy Spirit who was

    given to us.Romans 5:5

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    339FrankS

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