|
|
|
God's Love Never Quits |
 |
|
Location: Blogs Brad's BlogMid-Week Missive |
 | | Posted by: Brad Miller | 8/26/2010 8:27 AM | Greetings!
This week started with an afternoon of celebration with the International Christian Church as they installed their new pastor, Sokhom L. Chau. Any day I get to spend with my Cambodian friends is a good day, but this day was up near the top. With Sokhom’s installation, the church has taken another great step forward on their faith journey. New members have joined; their property looks better than ever; and the smiles on their faces tell the whole story: they are reveling in the blessings of God. But more than that, they are working hard to share those blessings with as many people as possible.
After the worship service, Phan Rhattanak and Phaly Huy sat with Charles Kinney and me and talked about what BCC had done for them. They talked of being inspired by the stewardship letter that went out a few years ago declaring, “Are We Crazy?” Phan said it made the folks of the ICC sit up and say, “Hey, we are crazy too!” Because of that letter, he said, they stepped out in faith and began looking for church property for their ministry. They prayed and saved and looked at property and finally found their present site in Sugar Hill. In that new home, they are thriving. And as much as we miss them, we celebrate right along side them.
It is amazing to be among such thankful, gracious people. But try as I might, it doesn’t seem to sink in to them that we have just as much, if not more, to thank them for as they have to thank us for! Whenever I say that to Sokhom or Phan or Phaly or any of the members, they simply shake their head and I don’t know if they really get how much they have meant to us. The day we all met for the first time, Bill Travis, who knew them well, pulled me aside and said “We need to do whatever we can to help these folks. They are the finest people I have ever known.” And he was absolutely right.
Their story of perseverance and faith through loss and suffering is one that overwhelms me. Uprooted, stripped of all possessions, family members “disappeared”. Yet they kept on going. Brought to a new country, unsure of what to do or where they were going. Yet they kept on going. They embraced a new faith; found comfort in Jesus Christ and became evangelists of the best kind: the kind that doesn’t just talk about their faith, but lives it out every minute of every day. They have faced challenges in this country: cultural, economic, physical. Yet they keep on going, knowing that as long as they have breath, they will proclaim their blessings. Where does that come from, I wonder? How can I be half the witness they are?
All week long I have been thinking about how to be like them. How can I press forward, no matter what I face, and still come up smiling and living out the reality of the good news of Jesus Christ? And yesterday morning, when I opened up my devotional reading, here is what I found from the Message Bible Psalm 118: “Thank God because God is good, because God’s love never quits. Tell the world, Israel, “God’s love never quits.” And you, clan of Aaron, tell the world, “God’s love never quits.” And you who fear God, join in: “God’s love never quits.” Suddenly it dawned on me, that’s what the folks at the ICC understand: God’s love never quits! They know from experience that the world can be a terrifying place. They know how inhumane humans can be to other humans. They know what it is to be without. And yet, here they are today, prospering in their new church home, confident that the main reason they are where they are is that “God’s love never quits!”
Everyone’s life is different, everyone’s challenges are different. I have had challenges in my life, but never have I felt the challenge of simply finding a way to survive. I have not known the hardship that many others have known. And maybe that’s why I need to be reminded of the truth of this lesson. Maybe living through the worst the world has to offer makes one feel the best God has to offer all the more. I don’t know, but I do know that since yesterday morning, I have been trying to look at things just a little differently. I have been reminding myself to do a better job of looking at the world as my Cambodian friends see it: as endless confirmation of God’s presence and God’s love. And the fact is, when I do that, I am reminded once again that God’s gracious presence is everywhere I look: I see it in the developmentally challenged bagboy who helps the elderly lady with her groceries. I see it in the children playing loudly on the playground. I hear it in the laughter of a friend, sharing a funny story. I see it in the smiling face of the man who comes to the church door seeking a cool place to sit while he waits on the bus. I see it in his eyes as he tells me he is going to his doctor for his 6 month post-cancer checkup, confident that he is still cancer free. I feel it in his handshake as he heads out, telling me to “be blessed.”
Too often, I take the blessings of my life too much for granted. And that, I think, is the key: staying aware, keeping our eyes open, making sure we don’t miss the obvious marks of this awesome truth: “God’s love never quits.” For that reminder, I thank my friends at the ICC, the finest people I have ever known.
For an updated prayer list and list of upcoming events, please go to www.brookhavenchristian.org
For your prayer list:
Mary Malek’s mother, Victoria Jackson, in rehab in Rome, GA.
Ethel Cheponis’ sister, Carol Rukowski, undergoing surgery.
Carlos Smith, friend of Carolyn Flemming, dealing with cancer and it’s treatment
Upcoming Events
Mark your calendars for “Super Sundays” beginning Sunday September 12th and running through Sunday October 24th. We will gather at 5:30 for dinner and the programs will run from 6:00 to 7:30. Rev. Beth Parlier will provide a music program for kids pre-school and up where they will be learning generally about music and specifically songs to be shared with the congregation during our upcoming Children and Youth Sunday. For adults, there will be an excellent parenting class called “Parent to Parent”, a class on Missions and Outreach where we will do some Bible study on our role as the church in carrying out our mission imperative, where we will do some brainstorming of how to strengthen our commitment to community service and actually get out to visit local organizations to learn about what they do and how we can help. There will also be a “Chat and Chill” group for those who just would like to unwind and discuss topics of interest to them Please let us know if you will be able to attend so we can make the proper arrangements for food and materials. See the flier in church this Sunday, fill it out and drop it in the offering basket, or call Ruth Luckett at 404-237-3030 and let her know.
I hope you will be able to join us in worship this Sunday as we celebrate the Lords Day once again with “Praise on Peachtree”, our alternative worship experience in the fellowship hall. This week’s theme is “Prayer”. Have a great rest of the week.
Be peaceful,
Brad | | | Permalink | Trackback |
|
|
 | |