“Count it all joy, my brothers, when you meet trials of various kinds,…” I don’t know about you, but hearing that I should be counting it joy when I have struggles seems like an oxymoron. How in the world can those two things go together? I think I am just beginning to understand what we are being asked to do here.
Hands 4 Missions had its beginnings in 1998. A request was given to a class for needed items for a project at Baptist Village. Since that time a group of women has met the first three Thursdays of each month to create blankets, totes and gifts for our homebound members. The group works primarily by tying off lap quilts. Several of the members of the group use their time at home to make the quilts. The other members then tie the quilts off with colorful yarns.
September is Groups Month! Group life is an essential part of CRBC. As a church, we take an entire month to showcase the diversity we have in Connection Classes and Small Groups. An entire month should make us pause and wonder, why does CRBC care so much about this topic? Scripture has something to say about it!
I felt lost and alone in 2019 when I had to make the heart-breaking decision to find a new church because where we were was no longer safe for my daughter, Willow, and I. God had released me from a very painful and dangerous situation in my marriage and I had filed for divorce. What followed from church members who did not know the intimate details was hurtful judgment and condemnation. I have always had such a heart for family, but now I found myself in the middle of a terrible divorce and I was frightened about the prospect of more condemnation from the Christian community.
It's really hard to trust God when you don’t know what is coming next. I am a planner; I like to have control over the things in my life. It can be really difficult when I have to relinquish control or admit to myself I never had as much control as I thought I did. The last few years have been a journey of learning how to trust God when he calls me to new seasons of life.
