These days are hard

2:15 p.m. Today's project is to visit and take a meal to a bedridden widow of 11+ years that our visiting team has been helping for several weeks. Some of our ladies set up chores for her 3 teenage sons, others help with heavy duty cleaning, and our pastors have also arranged help with the yards and garage and have taken CDs of our Sunday sermons. As James 1:27 says, "Pure and undefiled religion before God is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world." The newest member of our team is a very recent widow, so I am praying for some mutual ministry to take place during our visit!


Hear II Corinthians 1:3-4:


Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort those who are in any trouble, with the comfort by which we are comforted by God.


Our family has been under quite a bit of financial strain, as many are at this time. Heidi has been pinkslipped out of a teaching job two years in a row; Kriss' wife had her hours cut at work; Steven's roommate will be leaving for Florida in August to begin his career in the NFL, which we are thrilled about, but our son will be needing to find a place to live in Fresno. Praise the Lord, Heather and her husband Nick are doing well, and oldest son Sean is employed.


Yet, I will say that never have family members who are called to ministry been more on fire for the Lord and more effective in their gifting! I am amazed at the doors God is opening
for them to minister to youth, in the case of Heidi, Heather and Steven; while the Lord has called me to teach, write and care for the women of the Body of Christ. Recall from the Book of Acts how persecuted believers driven out of one city after another [ex. Acts 18:2] continued to preach the gospel, and in spite of the devil's fiercest attacks, they were emboldened in their witness! Even Alzheimer's with its attendant difficulties has not caused Steve to miss worship or fellowship--we know whom we have believed and that He is able to deliver us from any and all evil and harm. We do not sorrow as those who have no hope!


We serve a mighty God!

This afternoon at the widow's house was an unmitigated blessing! I took my recently widowed friend, who supplied the food, and who has a very difficult health history of her own with me. The ministry that flowed back and forth between the two was truly anointed by the Holy Spirit. Our three-way prayer was an absolute calling for the heavens to open for healing, comfort, and new life in place of the life-shattering loss of a husband. My prayer now is that our church can gather a large work party of both men and women soon, and bless the family with cleaning, organizing and needed repairs.

And, always remember James 5:16: "The effective, fervent prayer of a righteous man"-- or woman--"avails much."