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God is Good! |
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Location: Blogs Brad's BlogMid-Week Missive |
 | | Posted by: Brad Miller | 2/21/2008 10:02 AM | Greetings on this grey morning,
There is a woman who lives in our apartment complex that moved in about 2 years ago. She is, I would guess, in her 70’s and we introduced ourselves as her grandchildren were helping her move in. Her name is Dolly and for years she has made her living as a child care worker in a church child development center. She told us she was an active member of her church and was thrilled when she found out that both Carol and I were ministers. She asked lots of questions about Brookhaven and Decatur Christian churches and never failed to greet us with a smile and a sincere inquiry into our health, how the church was doing, etc.
About a year ago, I noticed that her car was in the parking lot during the day. I ran into someone coming to visit her and they told me that she had been very ill with congestive heart failure and other ailments and was having a very difficult time. I sent her my best and told the caregiver where our apartment was in case she needed anything. Over the months, we didn’t see Dolly. Then one day I noticed that the curtain was pulled back across her sliding glass door and she had set up a chair and end table right in front of the door so she could watch what was going on outside. When she saw me she waved wildly with her ever present smile evident even through the glass. This went on for a few weeks, and one day, the door was open and she was behind the screen door, and so I went up and we chatted. No, she said, she didn’t need anything. Her church and grandchildren gave her lots of help. She just had to get stronger so she could get out into the world, even get back to work. Whenever we talked in this way, she wished God’s blessings on me as I left.
As the month progressed, Dolly got to a point where she would sit out on her back porch and converse with passersby. One day I saw her maneuver her walker - with great difficulty, but wanting no help – out to her car, just so she could start it up, sit in it and listen to the radio. She said she had to make sure it still ran, but I think she really missed getting out and about. As I pulled out, she sat contentedly in the driver’s seat with her hands on the wheel.
A few weeks ago, she spent the weekend at a relatives, so happy to be getting around. Then, as always, she had a smile on her face and her faith in God in her being. I talked to her occasionally about what a struggle she had. “Oh, I suppose, but it’s nothing. Just gotta get stronger.”
Last week as I was getting in my car in the morning, I looked up to see Dolly walking back from the trash dumpster. She did not have her walker, only a cane over her arm – and she wasn’t even using that. When she saw me from 30 yards a way she shouted at the top of her lungs, “God is good!!! I took a bag of trash to the dumpster and I didn’t even use my walker!! God is good!!” I laughed and said, “You’ve got that right” when I saw a second bag of trash propped up against her car. “Can I take that to the dumpster for you?” I asked. “Oh no,” she grinned “I’ve been waitin’ too long to do this and I want to really enjoy it!”
As I pulled out of the parking lot, she was striding strongly toward the dumpster, cane over her arm, garbage bag in her hand. As I rolled down my window I could hear her exclaim over and over, “God is good! God is good! God is soooo good!”
I want some of that.
Announcements:
This Sunday immediately following worship we will be honoring Mary Mallard for her many years of service to the children of the Brookhaven Child Development Center. Come and join us as we thank Mary for all she has done and celebrate this new chapter in her life as she moves into semi-retirement…because, c’mon, if you know Mary, you know she can’t ever really retire!
I have been remiss to thank some folks for their contributions to our Praise on Peachtree service last month. All those who participate and plan deserve our thanks, but this month there was something a little extra. You remember that we were all given homemade mezuzahs and inside each was a rolled up scroll representing the words of the Shema from the book of Deuteronomy. Well, what you don’t know is that Charles Kinney made all those 150 mezuzahs in his home workshop, Debbie Kinney helped prepare all the scrolls and Hannah Evans made a custom made stamp and decorated all those mezuzahs. None of them wanted recognition, but I thought you ought to know how they went above and beyond to make that service of worship so special.
I hope to see you in worship this Sunday as we once again celebrate the Lord’s Day together on the 3rd Sunday of Lent. Our scripture will be Matthew 5:1-12 and the sermon is titled “Living the Blessing”. Have a great rest of the week!
Be peaceful,
Brad
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