Waves of Blessings

I slept in this morning. Not a good thing. I didn’t wake up until almost 9:00. I had so much I needed to do…but I guess I needed to sleep more. There wasn’t enough time for Nelson to get ready so I went to ABF and Worship alone. Beth and Asher stayed home because Asher has a mysterious rash we’re watching to see whether it develops into chicken pox.

I grabbed two accompaniment tapes to practice in the car because I was scheduled to bring the morning special in the 11:00 service, as well as lead the worship music. And, I had the duty of introducing the morning speaker, a man who started after I did at TNet and still works there.

ABF was phenomenal. Dr. Flora’s lesson on prayer focused on personal confession. I sat there with tears in my eyes most of the hour. We always start the class with announcements, praises, and shared prayer requests. At that time I informed the class of the status of our struggle with BWC. When class was over I was trying to compose myself to go in and lead worship when a tiny little lady stopped me.

This lady. She’s around 60. Taught kindergarten for over 30 years in the same classroom. She’s all of about 5’ and less than 100lbs. Her husband died last year. She gave Nelson some of his clothes. It seemed like a very generous gift…until today. She looked at me after class and asked how we were doing. Then she said that she was better off now than ever before financially. She said had more than she needed and that if she didn’t write me a check she would forget how to be dependent upon God. And she handed me a check for $1000. I broke down. There was not going to be any composure for worship.

I went to the bathroom to pull myself together. When I walked back out into the hall a man from the class walked up to me and held out his hand. He took my hand and shoved a folded up bill into my hand, saying that he hoped this would help. More tears. I was never going to be able to speak, let alone sing. I don’t know many people who walk around with $100 bills in their wallets, do you? That’s what he handed me today.

During the prelude, I sat on the front bench trying to collect my thoughts. All I could keep saying was thank you, over and over again. I remember laughing at God. Troubles come waves, but so do blessings. I sang. It went well. A friend (the receptionist from work) helped me pick the perfect song. The high notes came out just right and the message quite clearly. And my introduction was gracious.
I just remembered what made me laugh during the prelude. The organist was playing a wonderful arrangement of “This is My Father’s World.” It is. I’m not forgotten.

In Dr. Flora’s lesson , told several stories. One was about a time when he realized he was not going to go into science like his brothers. He was going to watch a solar eclipse. He knew he needed to look at it through smokey lenses. He built a little fire and was succeeding to get smoke on the lenses when all of a sudden the plastic frames went limp in his hands. He walked to his house expecting to get a whoopin’, but his parents did not. He paralled this to David’s encounter with Nathan (2 Samuel 5). After his affair with Bathsheba and the murder of Uriah to cover up David could have and did expect severe punishment from God. Instead he is told he is forgiven and will not die. (I thought about it a bit and thought he might have wished God went that route instead since his unborn child would die and his family would fall apart and his rule end up in chaos. But maybe that’s imposing my own feelings/experience onto to the scriptures. I feel as if I was forgiven, but the punishment of earth was far harsher than God’s and may go on until I die.)

Dr. Flora also told a story about a monk who is question by a townsperson about what goes on up in the monastery. His response was that they get up, they fall down, and they get up again. Keep getting up. It’s not always easy. There’s a temptation to stay down. But I just can’t do it. How about you?

Now if you’ll excuse me, I have a few more blessings to bask in. Asher just woke up from his nap and I have bubbles to blow.