Last month marked the 7th anniversary of joining my church. For a few years, we had attended Foothills here and there, but hadn’t made a commitment yet.
A few months earlier (in 2013) my marriage broke up suddenly and it was surely the darkest time in my life. I was still reeling and at times was barely able to take it one day at a time. But God was there with me, each and every step.
I find such comfort in reminiscing about the goodness of God during that time. I had journaled about it back then. I will share some excerpts in this post.
God mightily used people at Foothills to minister to me. My first interaction was on Easter Sunday 2013 with Yemi B., a greeter extraordinarie (who is truly worthy of her own blog post).
“Yemi sensed my sadness and prayed with me on Easter and is always there for me.”
It didn’t matter if I was a member or not, Yemi saw my desperate need and asked if she could pray with me. I always say she prayed fire down from heaven that morning! After we finished I discovered that she had been a women’s counselor for decades. I was in total awe how God placed me there with Yemi on that Easter morning. She then gave me her number and started meeting with me regularly for counseling. God used her in a mighty way to help me begin to heal by sharing scriptures and providing counsel.
Then in July, I joined the church and choir. Here are some excerpts from that time:
“Craig (Worship Pastor) has ministered to me so much with the devotions he shares with us every time we sing. His devotion to the Lord shines and spreads. His selection of songs have been just what I needed so many times.
The choir members have been exceptionally loving and encouraging since day 1. Pam was my very first introduction to the choir, I joined the church and choir the same day. Kathy D. was my 2nd friend and is always willing to help. My first day of rehearsal, I was welcomed by Carol (Jane). I am Jean 🙂 Emily and Mindy were so understanding and helped me get my bearings. Everyone made me feel so at home. Every smile and kind face began my much needed healing.
Immediately people started reaching out to me. Peggy and Bob are like my special aunt and uncle. Lisa and Carrie welcomed me too. Then I met my precious Christi and Judy. Had a special talk with Susanne at Growth Group. Bev and Randy are so gracious. I have been so loved on, God put me here to heal and I praise Him for that.
Many choir members have reached out to me and I can feel lifelong friendships forming. So thankful for that. Since we were in between churches, I felt especially lonely for friendship.“
What a wonderful memory to praise God for his care and a perfect example of one of the basics of this ministry, “Sharing what God has done in our lives”.
Here is a song/video of our virtual choir our Worship and Tech Team put together a few months ago. In it are many of the precious faces who God used to encourage me and carry me through.
One beautiful face in this video is worshipping at the feet of our Savior and probably sings with the Heavenly Choir. (Love and miss you Christine!)
I continue to thank God for my choir and can not wait to sing together again, hopefully soon! Is He Worthy? Yes, He surely is!
