My Sunday

A very good day to be the Heartland North DS. If I told you everything that happened, it would take until next Sunday. Two charge conferences today---At 1, at First Excelsior Springs, with Lawson and Todd's Chapel as well. At 4:30 at Broadway Plattsburg, with Holt, Lathrop, and Turney also there. I attended worship at Excelsior and Lawson this a.m, both uplifting services in different ways. Today I sang Come O Thou Traveler Unknown in one service and East to West by Counting Crows in the other. Not to mention singing Victory in Jesus two times (one in each charge conference) and mutitudinous songs on my CD player in the car. Between the two charge conferences, I followed Kevin Buckrucker (I was so blessed to have him at both ccs) to his home where I was able to relax and chat with he and his wife Beth. Good times. A very nice turnout at both charge conferences. Oh, and I also listened to Marty Stuart's Way Down in the Bottom of Your Heart (you can find the love of Jesus) two times, once at each cc.

There were many neat things about today. One of the neatest God-moments for me happened in worship at First Excelsior Springs. As many of our churches do, that church has a prayer shawl ministry. The shawls are made, in most places I know, for those in special need, like ill and grieving, or even for those in the military overseas. At Excelsior today, they had three shawls laid out, and asked three persons come up front who were to be recipients. I am not sure of all their situations, but I know that at least two of them have places in leadership in the church and they were receiving their shawls because of that. They were prayed over by the pastor Jonathan Cooney (gee, what a great pastor and preacher)...I think that this happens regularly, I am not sure if it is every week or not, but I just found it very uplifting that leaders of the church were receiving these prayer shawls which represent being cloaked in the love of God by prayer. They will either keep them, or give them away to someone else in need. Linda Cooney, spouse of Jonathan, is the organizer of this ministry. The photo above is the picture I took after worship of the three recipients plus Linda who is on the left.

The story does not end there, though it could and be a neat story. Next, I went to Lawson for worship following Excelsior's service, made a quick dash to KFC and then back to Excelsior for the charge conference which was really fine. After the conference, Linda Cooney came up to me and wanted to talk. She told me that for some reason that morning, she did not know why, she brought four prayer shawls from home, even though they were only going to do the three presentations. But for some reason, she felt led to bring four. She said that she had come to the realization that that fourth shawl was for me...the color, a gorgeous blue, one of my colors, knitted by Linda went around my shoulders then. And the ministers present, along with Dennis Hisek (what am I saying??? He is a minister too!) and our district lay leader Kevin, prayed for me as I knelt at the altar rail...Jonathan offered the prayer aloud. The shawl is beautiful to look at, and it smells good too! Linda puts them away with sachet until they are given. The other picture is of me after I got home (bent by fatigue but wrapped in God's love!!) with my shawl.

Hey, God is good. And the beautiful moments of his grace that have hit me over the head over the last two days, some of which I will probably share here, have renewed my spirit.

Thanks to every single persons present today and to their pastors, including our two lay speakers at Todd's Chapel. Wow!