Week of Blessings

 
For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there
am I in the midst of them.  Matthew 18:20

Sometimes I shake my head in dis-belief at the ways God has chosen to bless my life!  Some weeks are excellent but the best word I can find to describe the past 7 days is SPECTACULAR!   The week started with an opportunity to speak to 100 high school students from our parish about the Holy Spirit.  Looking out at that crowd and knowing they were there giving their time to God, listening and praying and trying to understand how to grow closer to Christ gives me chills.  They were the perfect audience.  I might have been there to influence them; however it was me who was influenced that night. It has been my great privilege to know each of them throughout their childhood and to see the young adults they have turned into made my heart happy! For all those folks who say the faith is drying at the roots…come on over and let me show you why you’re wrong!

Wednesday I was invited to speak to a lovely gathering of strong faithful women at St. Gerard Church in Lansing.  The organizers were expecting a crowd of 40 and to their great surprise and God’s great design, the room was filled to capacity and extra chairs had to be brought in. The Holy Spirit was very busy in Lansing Wednesday night.  This beautiful group of women laughed easy and thought deep.  Many of these sweet ladies came to speak with me after the presentation about the ways the Lord had been working in
their lives and how pieces of the message had confirmed what they thought God was speaking to them in prayer.  Once again I thought as I got in my White Suburban to go home, drying up at the roots…I don’t think so! Step aside satan…stuff’s happening!

Today I had a peaceful 140 mile drive to the sweet town of Yale.  What greeted me there was a complete lift to my spirit.  More than 200 strong Christian women from local churches had gathered to share lunch, fellowship and prayer.  I was lucky enough to be the person they invited to speak. All the way along my drive I kept asking the Holy Spirit to take hold of
the words I’d planned and make them the Fathers.  I’m tellin you what…He did just that because things came out of my mouth that were not in my plan. When I ask Him to speak through me, He always knows if there are words someone needs to hear.  Today I had the privilege of just standing there in a new skirt opening my mouth and letting his words tumble right on out!  When I got home I had an email from a woman who had been in the crowd and her heart was touched by a story about my Mom I hadn’t even planned on sharing.  I had spoken a bit about Mother Teresa and her example of service and a sweet lady visited with me afterward about her experience driving Mother Teresa around during one of her visits to the US.  I was so touched by her stories.  I was so blessed this week.

These three events were a highlight but the week was also lifted to rock star status when my little lovelies were beside themselves with sheer joy when our “babies” arrived as fertilized chicken eggs from the poultry center at MSU.  They are so excited about this experience in life.  They have learned all about the growth and development of these chicks and will spend each day of the next three weeks caring for the eggs and getting ready to become “chicken parents”.  They gasped in awe to learn that by bedtime tonight the little embryos will have a beating heart.  One of the little lovelies said, “We’re so lucky to see God’s good work right here in our room.”  As we struggle to
understand how something less than an inch long can have a brain, back bone and beating heart all in the first 48 hours the only way we can explain it is to simply say all at once… “Only God could think of that!” It will be a wonder filled 21 days.  Days filled with teachings about the sacredness of life, the responsibility of compassion and tender care and the miracle of life and birth.

See why I chose the word Spectacular! But here’s the thing…I’m nobody special…I don’t have anything you don’t have.  Each wonderful experience this week happened because I opened the conversation about faith and the rest of it all just sort of spilled out.  Our faith is not drying up at the roots…but it does need to be nurtured and tended by all of us.  It’s amazing how ready and willing, dare I say, hungry people are to talk about the good things God is doing in their life.  All they need is an invitation…go ahead…give them one!
 
A Seed To Plant:  Find a person and open the conversation about faith. It might be as simple as acknowledging God in a beautiful sunny day, or as powerful as a piece of your personal faith story.  You can’t go wrong.  Just ask the Holy Spirit to speak through you then stand back because He does powerful work when you use His words and not your own!

Blessings on your day!