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Location: Blogs Brad's BlogMid-Week Missive |
 | | Posted by: Brad Miller | 4/21/2009 9:59 AM | Greetings,
Normally, I would send this out tomorrow, but I just got off the phone with a man I have never met before, and probably never will. Yet, this man and his wife have touched me so profoundly this morning that I needed to share it with you. The whole scenario speaks to the mysterious power of God’s presence, the strength that we gather as members of a faith community and the absolute unknowable boundaries of that community.
As I mentioned on Sunday, Andrea Chambers, a member of BCC who moved to Texas about a year and a half ago, called me this past weekend. Things have been going well. She is engaged to a soldier named Mike, who is presently serving his second tour of duty in Iraq. She was 7 months pregnant when she went to the doctors for a test to let her know the gender of the baby. She was told there was no heart beat; the baby had died. For medical reasons, she needed to carry the baby another week and her delivery by c-section is scheduled for this afternoon at 4:00. When we talked, it was clear that with Mike away and her mother ill, she had no one much to lean on and so called what she called “the only church home I have ever really known.” She needed our prayers. She needed to simply hear a voice of someone who knew her. She needed her church.
We talked for quite awhile and it became clear the other thing that was overwhelming her was that she had to make arrangements for her baby by herself. She didn’t even know where to start and needed some guidance. I told her that the congregation would be in prayer for her and that I would contact the closest Disciples of Christ congregation to her and see if there might be someone who could help out. I did that, and the pastor told me that they would make contact with Andrea.
Then came the phone call of just a few minutes ago.
On the other end of the line was a man named Bob Butler, who is the Board chair and an elder at Central Christian Church in Killeen, Texas. He told me that he and his wife had gone through a similar experience some years ago and when the pastor mentioned it to them, they knew that they were the right people to contact Andrea. They spent more than 2 hours with Andrea and Mike (who arrived home yesterday on emergency leave) just to let them know they were not alone. They helped make arrangements with a local funeral home that will handle the arrangements at no charge; they helped Andrea make a list of what needed to be done; they prayed with her, Today, they will be at the hospital with her from moment she arrives and will be there when she comes out of surgery. Bob assured me that Andrea was feeling better and that he would keep me updated as to her progress.
As I sit here, I am in awe of God’s reach. Andrea felt alone and she reached back to a place where she felt loved and accepted. There are three Disciples churches in Killeen, but the one I called had the perfect couple to be there for Andrea. Coincidence? Hardly. It is simply God at work. And I for one, give thanks for God’s presence in our lives and for Bob Butler and his wife and their ministry to our sister Andrea. It can’t be easy for them to in some way relive what they have already been through. But they know better than anyone how much it means to have help through such a difficult experience, and so, they reached out to this stranger in need. Why? Because they could.
We serve an awesome God. And Christ’s church is made up of awesome people, simply trying to do what Jesus taught: “Love your neighbor.” Please take some time today to offer up a prayer of presence and healing for Andrea and Mike, and a prayer of thanksgiving for the witness of the Butlers.
Be peaceful,
Brad | | | Permalink | Trackback |
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