As soon as I stepped off the plane it hit me. I was in a different time zone.
I gained three hours. And what a gift to gain.
I got to be in an actual paradise, a step above sunny So Cal.
I left LAX; a congested, noisy, chaotic mess.
I arrived in Lihue, Kauai. No crowds, no noise, amazing serenity.
My friend excitedly ran up to me and gave me a big hug.
We quickly threw my carry-on bags in the trunk.
We jumped onto the one and only highway.
We headed north to Princeville.
A true island heaven. Everything I saw took my breath away.
His pleasured creation surrounded me. What a divine encounter.
It was during this drive that I found out one of my dear friends died earlier that day.
I was in shock. I couldn’t believe the news. It couldn’t be. Not now. Not him.
I didn’t know what to say. And I couldn’t get a hold of his wife.
But I did call Craig. He didn’t believe it either. I felt numb. I felt sick.
Even though my girlfriend was with me, I felt very alone.
She was patient and understanding, a comfort in time of need.
Sitting beachside a few hours later, our chairs sunk deep into the sand.
A spectacular bay, wide with greatness and glory, sprawled out before us.
We marveled at the pounding surf. I really didn’t want to go out there.
It was TOO BIG for me.
So I sat in silence and watched. What a fabulous time.
Wave after wave kept crashing in. A never-ending, overwhelming thunder.
The power that we witnessed was unstoppable.
Reeling from the news of my friend’s death, I didn’t want to “go there” either.
It was TOO BIG for me.
So my heart sat in heavy silence that trip. Even though I had a fabulous time.
But when I got home, wave after wave of grief came crashing in.
The overwhelming thunder of painful reality set in.
Forgive Us God that We the Church forget that You are Our friend in the time of grief, and You excitedly come running up to us to give us a hug.
Forgive Us God that We the Church forget that You will help us throw our carry-on bags of sorrow into Your trunk of glory.
Forgive us God that We the Church forget that Your bay of patience with us is spectacular and Your understanding is wide with greatness and glory.
Thank You Jesus that our chairs of grace are not sunk deep into sand, but rock.
Thank you Jesus that our heavy silence on the trip of grief is heard by You.
Thank you Jesus that our painful reality of loss is NOT TOO BIG for You.
Maybe you got some shocking news. Maybe you feel alone. Maybe you feel sick.
Jump onto that One and Only Highway of the Holy Spirit.
Let Him give you His unstoppable healing power, so others will see it and believe.
Let Him give you His patience and understanding, so you can comfort others too.
Let Him give you marvelous waves of His never-ending love, so others can witness it and receive. 2 Corinthians 1:3-6
What a gift to gain.
PRAY FOR: Calvary Chapel South Bay as we grieve the homecoming of our
Pastor Steve Mays. Pray for his wife, Gail and family that they journey gracefully through grief. His memorial service is on Oct 23 @ 7pm. For more information please go to: ccsouthbay.org
PRAY FOR: Election Forums have been going great! Thanks for your prayers!
We are booked solid up thru the election. God is bringing the right people to attend these sessions. We have had to turn down requests from throughout the state, but do to financial limitations; we can’t go.
PRAY FOR: Our vision and desire to bring Election Forums statewide and nationwide. This can only happen if God opens doors and provides financial resources. Pray that His will be known to us.
PRAY FOR: Our business. As you can imagine, we are under incredible attack as we further the good news of Jesus Christ. We need new business.
THANK YOU: We both know that the prayers of the righteous availeth much. We feel your prayers and treasure them. We are eternally grateful. It holds us up.
Questions/Comments? Email me: shellynotw@gmail.com