Dear Friends of Longview Chapel,
Thank you to each of you who were present at worship, and who shared some of the ways God has led you to go to new places and/or change a belief that was no longer serving you or God for you to hold! If you would still like to send me your experiences, I’d love to receive them! Part of us helping each other grow in faith is sharing our stories.
One of my favorite parts of our Supper & Scripture Bible Studies (4th Tuesdays of the month at 6:00 p.m.) is the time we have to share personal stories of our growth and struggles. We start with eating a sack supper we bring for ourselves and talk about questions – some fun and some focused on the scripture theme of the night. Then we dive into the study and work together to apply the verses to our lives.
We have talked about everything from illness, to silly things we have done, to heartbreak, to successes, to moments when we felt strong in our faith and other times where we have struggled. For me, and I believe for others, our sharing has helped us to get to know more about each other, and more about God, too. Sometimes others’ stories have challenged or encouraged us, or just made us laugh, which is a blessing too.
In a Bible study in another congregation, a man shared about his struggle with alcohol addiction. He had been a recovering alcoholic for over 5 years. He talked about how he had to lean in to believing that God really did love him. He had to learn to trust God to give him the strength and the people he needed to help him fight his addiction and experience life more abundantly. This man’s courageous sharing helped others to share. Some were just beginning to acknowledge their own addiction to alcohol and other things. Some shared parts of their journey, both the good and the bad. People were really listening to each other and would comment with an “Amen” or would note God’s hand at work. It was a meeting that touched many. I am glad this man chose to go where God was leading him. I am so glad he chose to change his thinking. And I am so glad he chose to be vulnerable in that group.
God has a way of helping us discover our next steps and the ones after that. How well will we listen and help each other to listen? May we have big ears and hearts to hear the Spirit.
Looking forward to connecting with you!
Pastor Donna