Grace Today

 “You have cancer.” They are only three words, but that brief statement touches and changes so many lives. If I were to ask if you knew someone who has cancer, probably almost every single reader of this blog would say, “Yes, I do.” As dramatic, and daunting as that phrase is to hear there is an even shorter and more powerful one, “But God.” While completely compassionate of the impact of cancer has on a life, we believe strongly God can have an even stronger impact on a life.

That is why we have started a ministry geared specifically for ministering to those who have cancer. We call it Endurance Through Hope (ETH). Endurance Through Hope seeks to minister to those who are battling cancer by coming along side with compassionate care and counsel from the Word of God. 

We are currently training our second ETH group, equipping them to help and offer hope to cancer patients. The current group is meeting on Sunday mornings during our LifeChange hour. They are working through various books, completing assignments, developing spiritual disciplines, and working with people who have cancer. The class is led by NANC certified counselor, Gayle Waldron, a cancer survivor herself.

Current ETH group ~ front row:Karen Rowland, Diane Klotzback,back row: Tracy Stokes, Debbie Stokes, Pat Lynch, Liese Lynch, Rhonda Brasington, LuAnne Mileham. Not pictured: Dr. John Jaeger, Joan D'Alba & Instructor Gayle Waldron

Please pray for this ministry and the people they will minister too. There truly is endurance through hope when one knows the God of all comfort who is all sufficient!

A merry heart does good…

This is just cool. I love the look on the young lady’s face at the end. God’s creation is something to behold!

A Swarm of Starlings

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Here is Ben Heale’s message entitled “Contentment” from Sunday February 19th. Ben shares from his heart about his journey as a young man learning contentment when life begins to unfold in ways he didn’t imagine.

With the extra day yesterday, February 2012 lept over Decemeber 2011 as the month with the highest daily average of hits on the blog. Thanks for stopping by and keeping up with the ministry here at Grace!

Here is an interesting stat from the blog: 1,700 times in the last 90 days someone has landed on our blog after doing a search on some search engine. That means on average 19 times every day someone is seaching on Google (or some other search engine) and then coming to our blog!   

Here is the bulletin for this Sunday!

3-4-12

A week ago Monday is a day I will never forget. My mother-in-law passed from this life to eternity at 5:30pm. Our family gathered around her for her final breath. Being there when a loved one passes, in and of itself makes for an experience you never relinquish. Just prior to her final breath came another moment I will never forget. A momment where I experienced the presence of God like no other.

My wife and I had stepped out of the nursing home room that had housed mom for the better part of 12 years for a much-needed break. My wife had been at mom’s side for the past 30 hours. It was lunch time, so we decided to get a sandwich and a coffee and return home for a little rest. Not long after we arrived at home, my wife’s cell phone rang. It was her brother, Dean, indicating mom’s condition seemed to have changed and we might want get back.

We immediately left and returned to the nursing home. Upon arrival we could tell things had progressed. I sat next to her and read the following verses from Psalm 73 to her:

“Whom have I in heaven but You? And there is none upon the earth that I desire besides You. My flesh and my heart fail; but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”

As I began reading the verses to her, she started moving, and we sensed she knew exactly what was happening. I then prayed, thanking Jesus for preparing a place for her, and acknowledged that we were ready for the Father to give the command for her to go to her heavenly home. The unforgettable moment had begun.   

Shortly after concluding the prayer mom became agitated. I sensed the morphine was falling short of covering the pain. I squeezed her hand and I began to pray again. This time I wasn’t praying for everyone in the room to hear, this time it was just me praying silently over mom. I asked Jesus to give her comfort. I asked God to calm her. Boldly at the throne, I asked for these things. As I prayed I began to feel mom’s body relax, muscle by muscle, limb by limb, and she calmed down. The process repeated a few minutes later. The pain surged again. Again I went boldly to the throne and again as if only because I asked, God comforted her.

It was not much longer and mom’s eyes opened. At first we thought this was another surge of pain. We noticed her eyelids blink a few times. We called for the nurse to administer more morphine. It wasn’t pain however; it was mom waving goodbye the only way she could. Just few more breaths and God gave the command, “Come home Sue Griffith!” My (our) prayer was answered.

The power of prayer was never so real and effectual than it was in those moments. God was there, He was true to His promise to never leave or forsake us. He was not just there; He was ready and willing to give comfort. Jesus said; “You have not because you ask not.” I was glad I asked, otherwise I might have missed the presence of God through the power of prayer.

We are currently featuring some of our young men in the pulpit on Sunday evenings. This past Sunday night Zack Dawson challenged us in memorizing God’s word. He did so by spending the first 13 minutes of his message reciting several passages of Scripture! The benefits of this discipline are more than you realize.