An Awesome Appreciation

I know that Pastor appreciation is later in the year but this opportunity came and so we seized it.  Pastor Jim, wife Ingrid, and kids took a long trip to Africa where Ingrid's brother runs a Mission.  While there Jim took a picture of this little girl.  Janelle Brauer, wife of our former president Jim Brauer, painted the girl from the photograph.  I saw it posted on her FB site and asked if our church could buy it. Janelle's art is a ministry where half the proceeds go to the mission of our choice.  So we bought it and gave it to them.

They were super touched.  What an awesome surprise where we can let our Pastoral family know how much we appreciate them and their hard work and support their Mission as well.  I haven't seen very often appreciation gifts like this one. 

Pastor and Ingrid plan on hanging the picture in the church to remind us that Missions are a very important part of Ministry even though we are so far away.  God has a plan and uses what we give to serve and glorify Him.  Thanks to all who contributed to this project.

After giving them the picture our church gathered around the family and prayed prayers of thanksgiving for bring the Moons to the San Luis Valley.  They are doing a wonderful job bring Christ to those in need here.  Jim said, "We consider this valley our Mission field."  They have done a lot and hope they choose to stay for many more years to come.

Respect, Honor, Heroism - Japan

In the face of a devastating 9.0 earthquake, life sweeping tsunamis, blazing fires, and looming radiation the Japanese people have remained uncommonly calm. Massive amounts of lives have been lost and the deep anguish of those remaining who must deal with loss and hopeful anticipation of finding someone alive is beyond human comprehension.

Haiti was a horrific mess with devastation that broke the hearts and minds of so many who had to go through such a trial and of those who went down to help. Haiti is still in ruins! Rebuilding has been slow to say the least and the people are unable to figure out how to help themselves without outside help. The government has been conspicuously absent in a large part, or hinders relief efforts in hopes of getting money in order to release much needed supplies to assist it's own people. Amazing the mind set of the uneducated dominated by selfish thugs as their leaders.

Japan, however, is a first world country as is the US. Yet in the US, like New Orleans and hurricane Katrina, people have no respect or honor in taking care of each other with calm resolve. Thugs move in and take advantage, pillage, and steal all they can get. Killing anyone who gets in their way they create more chaos in an already dire situation. Patience of those that must go to shelters is little and they are quick to blame the government for not responding as quick as they feel things should take place. In a society of immediate gratification and "I want it now!" no wonder we behave this way.

The difference as I see it is values taught from generation to generation. Respect and honor. Because of these qualities the Japanese people are able to share their meager rice and water with others in the same situation. They are patiently waiting for fuel, water, food, and help to come. They are not stealing, killing, or beating others down. They may not agree with how slow things are happening, but then they have never faced such devastation and I am sure they understand that it takes some doing to get organized and start the relief efforts. The government is working to open their doors to outside help. Three aircraft carriers are just off shore waiting for the go ahead. Help is there and ready! So, they patiently wait.

Reporters have been amazed at the level of calm in these people. They don't seem to understand it. If people are taught from the beginning to be honorable and respectful to each other look at how it really relates to humanity in the face of utter destruction. I believe they are living the scriptures. "Honor your father and mother that your days may be long on the land the Lord has given you." Ex. 20:12, Deut. 5:16.

Because of their calm resolve they work under difficult conditions to search for survivors.  Amazing stories are beginning to surface of people that were trapped for days being found alive by their friends.  This is true heroism.  These are stories of hope in the midst of devastation and despair.
Imagine how it would be around the world if all of us would embody these two things. It is what Jesus was saying that the commandments taught, "Love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind, and your neighbor as yourself." Luke 10:27.

Trust and Forgiveness

"Once trust is betrayed in a very personal way it is almost impossible to gain it back.  There is always a shadow of doubt."

I put this statement on Facebook and several of the ones that responded were women who either went through a divorce or are about to go through one. These are beautiful women who were loyal and supportive wives.  Though they may have made mistakes as we all do in our marriages they were faithful. As a mother of a daughter who went through divorce I can truly say it was the most gut wrenching experience I have ever had.

I went through extreme feelings of guilt about giving my daughter to someone who didn't value what he had.  I went through deep pain as I watched my daughter collapse from heart break.  I went through frustration because I didn't know how to take away the agony of betrayal.

The worst thing of all was the inability to defend her to the public and to his family.  She chose not to discuss it with them or with his/their friends.  I'm sure her reasoning was good.  There are those who get so angry they say things they later regret or, worse yet, their friends back away because all they hear is "angry".  It can wear people out. Plus she didn't feel she owed them an explanation.  They would soon see for themselves.

I wondered why Jesus didn't speak when accused by the false witnesses.  Why didn't he defend himself?  He was God in human form.  If anyone could be eloquent in defense he could be.

There were two occasions in my life where I was crushed by people almost beyond repair.  One was with a pastor years ago, no need to mention his name - he is no longer a pastor, who abused his position and the people in our church.  He had to lie to cover his sins and he needed someone to place blame on so he chose me and Don.  We were beyond belief when those we knew for years believed his lies and didn't come to our defense.  It would not have done any good to try and defend ourselves.  It would fall on deaf ears.  So we went to God in agony and asked him to take it all. 

Through this process we were able to find grace, not just for ourselves but empowering grace to offer reconciliation to this pastor.  He refused, but that is his decision not ours.  In due time all came out in the light and those who were duped by him came one by one to apologize.  Grace was there, given to us by God, to forgive and rebuild.  Our church, years later, is in a much healthier position now.  We are able to have a more honest look at ourselves, humble ourselves, and allow God to work through us to our community. Now we are experiencing edifying grace.  It's wonderful.

The second time was with our ex-son-in-law.  Going through the gambit of emotions, including extreme anger, I have had to put him in the hands of God and allow God to bring all to light. We had loved him with all our being and the betrayal was hard to take. His family and friends know the truth because they know him.  And so we leave it there.  He has never asked for forgiveness.  I guess he doesn't see that he needs to.  It doesn't matter.  What matters is that I follow God's will and bask in the glory of his empowering grace. 

No, I am not going to defend us or my daughter to you.  I don't need to.  God knows what is real and what is not.  God knows what is true and what is not.  He will bring all to light in his time.  And since he has never let me down and always has my best interests at heart, I will trust him. "You will keep in perfect peace those who trust in you." Isaiah 26:3 NIV

Besides, it isn't my place to take vengeance. That belongs to God (Deut. 32:35).  What I am supposed to do is to love my neighbor as myself (Lev. 19:18)  In my many times pleading with God about what I should do he has reminded me that I cannot hate.  I must love because love is of God and anyone who hates his brother is not of God. (1 John 3:10) God's grace has given me the ability to love these people no matter what they did to me or my family. I must leave them to him.

Jesus knew that the judgement would come for those who abused him. He loved them so much. I am sure the thought of their punishment grieved him. That is why he died of a broken heart. He also knew that anything he would say would never change the minds of those who committed the grievances against him or those who chose to believe them.  It would have been a waste of time.  So he said, "Father, forgive them for they don't know what they are doing."  (Luke 23:34)

I discovered that because I forgive, or leave them to God, I don't have to reinstate them in the position they betrayed.  I don't have to trust them.  But I do need to allow God to soften my heart towards them so that I can genuinely pray for them.  That is what Jesus did on the cross as his life blood poured out.  He prayed for them.  If I claim to be a child of God how can I do any less.

Experiencing Joy

I used to go to Prayer Meeting on Wednesday nights.  It was like going to church.  There was a set way to do the program for years.  We sang, had opening prayer, the Pastor gave a sermon, we had prayer and left.  Though there were things said that touched me Prayer Meeting was just another meeting. When we first moved here there was Prayer Meeting.  But it eventually died out.  No one was interested.

I read Jim Cymbala's book Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire.  He wrote about his experience as the Pastor at Brooklyn Tabernacle Church.  Because of Prayer Meeting his church was overwhelming blessed.  His membership in the beginning was very small but today is in the thousands at three different locations.  They have a 300 member choir that has won Dove awards.  His wife is the Choir Director who couldn't even read music.  It's an awesome testimony.

Our current Pastor, Jim, read that book too. It impressed him. Our world wide church called all churches to pray for the Holy Spirit.  They sent material on how to do this.  We started with meeting together for 10 days of prayer in the morning by phone conference and in the evening at the church.  After the 10 days we continued to have prayer on Wednesday nights.  This Prayer Meeting is exactly that!  Prayer.  Pastor Jim likes to sing.  He prays through singing.  So we sing and pray and read Bible texts.  We pray for forgiveness, give thanks, for receiving the Holy Spirit, for people and much more. We keep it to an hour but this last time we went over.  Here's why.

In the previous meeting we talked about praying for others in our community and asked God to give us that opportunity.  Pastor found a husband and wife to come for prayer.  They don't go to our church but are from our community.  They were experiencing a sudden life change.  The man had been diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease three weeks before and the wife was taking it very hard.  She wept almost the whole time she sat there.  Pastor Jim explained to them what we do and had oil ready if the husband chose to be anointed.  We sang songs, read promises about healing, caring, trusting in God, forgiveness, and more.  We prayed over these texts and claimed them for this couple.  We asked for spiritual healing as well as physical healing.  We shared stories of how we got through similar trials. Amazingly the husband agreed to be anointed and Pastor anointed the wife too. 

After the prayer time was over you could tell that this couple was amazed. They couldn't believe that a group of people who didn't even know them before that evening could love them so much.  They left there very encouraged. We let them know that they could come anytime they wanted and we would be there to help support any way we could. I don't know how this is going to turn out, but I know God has something big planned for them.  But most of all we felt the Holy Spirit working. He gave us the right things to say, sing, and pray for. He gave us tender hearts to love without condition. 

Pastor mentioned to me on the way out, "Wasn't that awesome?  God is so amazing!"  Pastor Jim had been worn out before he came to the meeting.  He told me that he was spent from a very intense day.  But God gave him the strength and energy he needed to lead us in a wonderful experience with these folks. 

God has said, "Even them I will bring to My holy mountain, and make them joyful in My house of prayer, their burnt offerings and their sacrifices will be accepted on My alter; for My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations." Isaiah 56:7, 8.  This is the kind of joy I want to experience.

Intimacy

Friday, January 7, 2011Intimacy


I just came back from the third night of "10 Days of Prayer" our church is doing. A woman there broke down and sobbed during her prayer and then opened up about the deep struggles she has been facing. Our Pastor put a chair in the middle of the circle and placed her there. We gathered around her holding her and placing our hands on her and praying intercessory prayer for her and her situation. She sobbed. After the prayer we felt blessed because of her. She made herself vulnerable so that we could gather around her - be let in and share her grief and prayer for her. It was amazing. I knew the Holy Spirit was there and telling us all what to pray for on her behalf. It was an intimate moment.

My husband, Don, was extremely sick last summer. You can read about it on my blog at http://www.gammasusie.blogspot.com/. Just scroll back to June and July of 2010. One day he left work a strong man and he came home in the afternoon and collapsed. He couldn't do anything for himself. My life changed in an instant. I stopped thinking about the next meal, cleaning the house, or doing the laundry and taking care of my grandsons to just thinking about him and his needs. I stayed very close to him throughout that time.

My son stayed with Don during the first hospital stay but Don said to Josh that I was the only one that knew how to do it right. I thank Josh for helping because I so needed the rest.

During the third hospital stay when Don had his surgery I was sitting on the couch waiting for him to let me know if there was something he needed. The nurse came in and told Don that he had micro perforations in his bowls and he couldn't have anything to eat or drink. Poor Don was so thirsty. Then she said, "Don! you are on the precipice. " She was telling him the gravity of the situation. I followed her out of the room and asked her what she meant. She said this was extremely serious and they were doing all they could.

I went out into a garden on the hospital grounds and sobbed to God. "I can't live without him, Lord. Don't take him from me." I called my mom and sobbed to her. She prayed the most beautiful prayer as I cried softly. It was like she was holding me in her arms. I calmed myself and went back into the room.

A few days after Dons surgery he moved to the couch. It was difficult but he came over and sat by me. With all the tubes attached and his IV pole beside him he put his arms around me. I leaned into his shoulder and it was as though he was comforting me. At that time we both were on the same page. We knew we loved each other and would be there for each other always. It was the most intimate moment I have had in our married life.

I am not a huggy person and I don't do much in the way of affirmation. It doesn't come easy for me. I have to work on it to make myself aware of others needs and respond accordingly. I can be so much better. God wants us to be intimate with Him. He longs for it. David wrote in Psalm 61:1-4, "Hear my cry, O God' attend to my prayer, from the end of the earth I will cry to You, when my heart is overwhelmed; Lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For You have been a shelter for me, a strong tower from the enemy. I will abide in Your tabernacle forever. I will trust in the shelter of Your wings." This is intimacy with God. God's response is, “ Yes, I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore with loving kindness I have drawn you." Intimacy.

Kept By The Power Of God

I finally completed my Bible Study on 1 Peter.  This study changed my life in a huge way. It is a type of Journal but laid out in a study format.  Many people inspired me to do this.  Most of all was my nephew who was incarcerated at the time.  His life didn't end up where he thought it would and while in prison he remembered God and began studying the Bible with other inmates.  As I was journaling I would send my thoughts to him.  He shared them with the others and looked forward to getting the lessons from me.  They meant a lot to him. 

My mom also helped me with the format and my Bible Study group went through the study with me to help edit and gave valuable comments.  God really lead through this whole process.  The format is in a daily study with places to write your thoughts and answers to questions.  There are note pages and places to write prayer requests and answers to prayer.  There are also questions at the end of each weeks study to help facilitate discussion in small groups. It is spiral bound so that it lays flat for easy writing.

After I wrote this I faced a huge issue with my husband going through a severe illness and almost losing him.  He went through surgery and it took time for him to recover.  Without this study I would not have been prepared to go through this trial. I first called it Practical Christianity because the things that I was learning were practical things that I applied to my life.  But I changed the name to "Kept By The Power Of God" because I was sustained through the storm purely by God's loving grace and power.

If you would like a copy of this study it is $20.00 and that includes shipping.  After the first 100 are sold then shipping will be added, so get in on this great deal.  I will sign your copy for you.  I hope that you will gain a blessing from going through this study as much or more than I.  I will pray for each individual that orders as well.

Send your request with check or money order to : Susanne Kanen, 106 Willowcreek Place, Alamosa, CO   81101. You can call if you have questions 719-480-1629.  Be sure to include the address that you want the study shipped to.

Yours in Christ.

Sue

Learning to Love Like God

I opened the paper this morning and two stories popped out at me.  "Former Alamosa resident beaten to death in prison."  A couple of years ago Don went to La Puente, the homeless shelter in town, to see if there was anyone in need of help.  James was there and told Don he needed help.  He had a family and he needed money for food and clothes.  So Don gave him work around the house.

James did a terrible job painting our deck, splattering the house and anything that was not moved off the deck.  But Don paid him.  This started a wave of "work" and needs.  Don bought him food, and clothes for the kids.  James always showed up needing money for this or that. Come to find out later James was taking the receipts and the stuff and returning them for the money which he used to buy drugs.  He used every trick in the book. 

Don talked to him about being honest and finally cut off the work and money supply.  James was arrested for forgery.  He had posted bail and during that time came to the office looking for another hand out.  While no one was looking he stole a purse belonging to one of our employees.  He was caught of course.  He was sentenced to jail at the community jail, a minimum security facility.  Not long after he escaped and was caught adding more time to his sentence. While in jail he was murdered, beaten to death by a fellow inmate.

The second story, also on the front page, was about a 33 year old woman who was arrested again after not fulfilling her conditions of a previous arrest for drug possession and distribution.  She had also come to us for money when she wanted to move her boyfriend down to the valley and for other things.  We helped sometimes but not always, like in the boyfriend case.  We know this woman's mother who is a Godly person. We have prayed hard for this her and she just kept getting deeper and deeper in to the bottomless pit.  Her mother is in anguish and is now taking care of her grand daughter while her mommy is in prison. "I thought I would never be in this position at this time in my life. I have to depend on the Lord and trust him to provide."  My heart breaks for her.

Several years ago there was a family that came to our church.  They were poor, very poor.  But they knew how to work the system, use their children to beg, and lie to the members to get money so they could go do what they wanted.  They lived way out in the country in a trailer and drove broken down vehicles.  Their children were always dirty.  We tried to help them because scripture says to help the poor.  We had baby showers for her when  her babies were born.  We repaired their vehicles, bought them food, gave them money for gas and medicine (which got used on spending sprees at Walmart).  They attached themselves to the older folks on fixed incomes and used their children to win sympathy and get money.  They abused everyone in the church.

Don and I finally took them out to dinner and told them that they had to follow certain conditions like finding work, nor more lying about what they were doing, and take care to make better choices.  The money flow was now being turned off until they fulfilled those conditions.  They left the church and went to a nearby church and started in on them.  Finally one of the family members moved to to the western slope with her husband.  After getting into trouble by trying to blow someone up she was put into jail and her children were left with grandma.  She served her time.  During this time our church sent her pictures of her kids and letters of encouragement.  After all we did this family never changed their ways.  They remain the same and those little babies are learning how to be just like them.

Don is a giving person.  People find out he is a soft touch and they start taking advantage of him.  His response is "God asks us to take care of them. What they do is their problem."  But he has changed his mind after dealing with those who refuse to change their ways.  2 Thess. 3:9-11 says, "For even when we were with you, we commanded you this: If anyone will not work, neither shall he eat. For we hear that there are some who walk among you in a disorderly manner, not working at all, but are busybodies."


There are always going to be those who take advantage and walk away never looking back.  They will remain in the pit because they choose to be there.  More often than not it seems these are the kind of people we end up meeting in our lives.  But there are those few who really do want help and are appreciative of it.  They work hard and try hard.  They may not have the intellect to do better than they do or their situation may have placed them in hardship.  We have met those too.  Our hearts break for them and it's a blessing to help them.

James 1:27 states, "Pure and undefiled religion before God and the Father is this: to visit orphans and widows in their trouble, and to keep oneself unspotted from the world."

Isaiah 58:6-7 also directs us on how we should help. "6 “ Is this not the fast that I have chosen:


To loose the bonds of wickedness,
To undo the heavy burdens,
To let the oppressed go free,
And that you break every yoke?
Is it not to share your bread with the hungry,
And that you bring to your house the poor who are cast out;
When you see the naked, that you cover him,
And not hide yourself from your own flesh?

We have had very personal wounds ripped into our hearts by at least one person who took our presious gifts and abused and destroyed and walked away to live another life that may end up bruising and destroying others.  We didn't realize that this was a pattern before we met until after they left. 

Only by following scripture and listening to God's comfort and direction was I able to get through this very personal heart wrenching, gut tearing experience and still be able to say that I still love this person in spite of everything.  They never even asked for forgiveness or tried to repair the relationship.  It is only by the grace of God that my heart can be softened and not hardened.  Luke 23:34 says how Christ dealt with those who sinned against Him.  He said, “Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do."
Those who sinned against Christ didn't ask for forgiveness.  I don't think they even knew He asked the Father to forgive them.  It doesn't matter.  What matters is that God loved them.  He died for them because He loved them so much.  This is the power of God. 

And so we will keep on helping, caring for, and letting others into our hearts even though we grieve over their decision to walk away unchanged.  I look forward to heaven when all will be washed clean and we won't have to deal with whatever suffering there is to face in this world. But until then we will learn from our experiences so we can know how to help those in need better.  God is gracious and pours out his blessings on the righteous and the wicked.  We should follow in His steps and do the same. This is learning to love like God.