Dear family and friends,
It's so hard to choose what to tell you! So much continues to happen so quickly. I could choose to share about the last few weeks in London, all that we saw and did, it was fantastic. I could choose to share about people that God continues to put in our lives, it humbles me. I could choose to share about our travels from London to Alaska, God always gets us there right on time. Would you guess our first thing to do on American soil is eat chips and hot sauce at Chili's?
I could choose to share how God provided, how as always, He went ahead. I could choose to share how the Smith family has blessed us again and again and how Nana and Major came with loving hands and hearts. I could choose to share about Ed's change of command, new beginnings. Of course I can always share about these children, a constant resource of love and learning in my life.
The list goes on and on, and I'm telling you it's hard to choose as I want to share it all.
I choose church. Can you think of any better subject?
God has always been so faithful to put us exactly where He wants us. Sometimes we find a church quickly, but most often we pray and search. I don't know that this one church we've visited is where God will have us, but I do know we were deeply touched and our children will never forget it.
The pastor is apparently not afraid to discuss the hard things. They spent the month of June on Sex, out of the pulpit.
Now he's doing a series called lip service. Lip service, now there's food for thought. I can list the things in my life that I've thought would be good to do, but didn't take the time or effort to make them happen.
One week they had a reverse offering, everyone took $5 from the plate to see how the Lord would use it. Another week they came in to no services rendered on Sunday morning including the band, coffee, and childcare. So often the same people do most of the work in church...not that Sunday. I hear he made quite the point.
Last week, well I guess I should start with Doug and Sharla. Bless their hearts, anytime we bring people to church we want them to love what we love. They have been so blessed at this church and were so excited to share it. We walk in and the pastor has no shoes on. I honestly didn't think a thing about it. I'd met him the week before out at the air show and he didn't have shoes on that day either.
They are a casual family and we love to dress up. Certainly nothing a matter with either as long as our hearts are looking to honor God and not ourselves. They'd warned it was a casual church, which does not bother us. We're who we are and who we feel the Lord is calling us to be and we expect others to do the same. It's all about hearts...
We sang two songs and then the pastor spoke. His title was World Changers. Everything matters to God and we need to focus on the Kingdom. Do we love God more than comfort? We need to be seeking His agenda. We get caught up in things that do not really matter. As believers we have the ability to change the world as the Holy Spirit dwells within us. Just that morning while we were getting ready Ed and I had the same discussion and we were tickled to hear it again in church. The same Holy Spirit that made Paul so mighty and gave Solomon such wisdom indwells in all believers. We've got the resource, do we use it?
Changing the world starts with me, continues with the Holy Spirit, and ends with God. God loves us just the way we are, but He refuses to leave us that way. Now isn't that good news!
We all laughed as the pastor called himself the sheep dog. I cracked up as I've never heard a pastor call himself a sheep dog. It's so biblical though. So often pastors speak of shepherding their flock, certainly true. He claimed in this church, Jesus is the shepherd and he's just the sheep dog working hard to keep the Lords sheep heading in the right direction...to the shepherd.
He spoke of big ways people change the world and he also talked about practical ways. He had a woman at the church come up and talk about a ministry called Souls for Soles. I'd heard of it this spring. A practical way this church can minister to people in their community and around the world. Alaska didn't have a drop off site or contact, now they do.
After the sermon was over they sang again. I loved this. Song for preparation and praise before and song for response and praise for after. I love going to new churches to see how they do things differently by the way.
We were preparing to take communion and in this church you come to the front to receive the elements. The pastor asked at this point, if you felt led by the Lord, and only if you felt led. Would you please drop your shoes at the altar.
Dropping something at the alter, now there's a beautiful picture in and of itself. What do we have that the Lord needs, NOTHING. God needs nothing, He's just looking for hearts.
There were many bare feet that left that church last Sunday.
As if this weren't beneficial enough, to have something tangible to give to the Lord at the alter. Well, after the service the blessings that we reaped just kept rolling in. I think I'll give you a list of how I was blessed.
I was blessed when my father in law was the first of our crew to go. Not only were we visitors, but our parents were also with us. Don't think Doug and Sharla were comfortable with all eight visitors they'd brought. I'd just had a quick thought of what do our parents think when I looked up and my father in law was half way down the aisle with his shoes in hand.
I was blessed when Jefferson had his socks tucked in his shoes. I told him we were just giving our shoes and he whispered into my ear and directly into my heart, "No Mommy, I'm giving it all." We all laughed later that the church had better be grateful Jefferson wasn't up at the altar stripping down to his underpants. I think he would have stopped there...
I was blessed knowing my husband had on his favorite and most expensive pair of shoes. I was blessed as my sacrifice of shoes was so small compared to his. I was even more blessed when I offered to buy him more the next day and he sweetly replied with a smile, "I'm not sure if we go out and just buy more that it would be very sacrificial Dinah."
I was blessed knowing the shoes that I had on my feet were my mothers and I knew she would give two pairs with joy. Major only brought two pairs but Mother had a few to spare.
I was blessed knowing my mother's sacrifice was not even the shoes, but the possibility of getting sick. She gets sick so easily when she gets cold and it's been wet and chilly this summer in Alaska.
I was blessed when Doug gave his expensive outdoor shoes, also his favorite, not only because he wanted to give to the Lord, but because he wanted to be an example to his sons.
I was blessed when Austin followed his father. The boy has big feet and they are expensive to replace. He gave knowing that there would not be new ones this week and that he would need to be content with what he had.
I was blessed that Caroline didn't give hers away as God showed her not to. Her sacrifice was her pride as everyone would think she was not willing to give.
I was blessed that it touched eight children's hearts in many different ways. Eight children that I know at that church, four Thomas Troops, and four Smith children. We did hear of a 5th grade boy who'd been working all summer for a new pair of "cool" ones that he's just purchased days before. They were in the enormous pile representing the hearts of God's people.
I was blessed by a pastor, a fine sheep dog, who was overwhelmed by his flock. He had just thought it would be a great moment to kick off ministry and was hopeful for a few pairs of shoes. He was blessed by God's people. He admitted at the beginning that knowing what he was asking that morning he had to choose his very best, when tempted not to.
I was blessed by sweet Sharla and her tender heart, well, I'm always blessed by Sharla and her tender heart so I don't really know that last Sunday was any different.
I was blessed as young men named Austin and Wyatt carried me across the parking lot as my feet are so tender.
I was blessed that God helped me quickly put aside the cost, as I have to admit I quickly calculated. Far more than the cost of shoes, the sacrifice of time that it would take to replace them. Of course I didn't know that my dear husband was going to take care of that problem as we aren't going to replace any time soon. I think it would somehow take away from our experience, cheapen it.
In the long run, we didn't give shoes, we gave our hearts. It was a beautiful act of worship and we were all so grateful to be a part of it. We all agreed over taco's in the park, that we wouldn't have missed it for the world. We did not bless, we were blessed.
So all week it's had me thinking...what else do I need to leave at the altar?
Love in Christ,
Dinah for The Thomas Troops
P.S.-We can hardly wait to go to church in the morning!
