Pebble in a Pond

One of the first events we attended after officially starting ministry with the CCO was a monthly Coffee House for 20-somethings put on as a ministry by New Life Community Church. At that first coffee house we met a guy named Steve, he was just beginning his first year of graduate study to become an optometrist. It was not long before Steve jumped right in! He was at every bible study, movie night, dinner out, and football game that our group organized. He also plugged into the church worship team as well as our worship team and ministry with ACF.

Everyone who gets to know Steve knows that he is in LOVE with a girl named Christy (That has to be capitalized because there is no other way to tell you how much he LOVES Christy!)Christy goes to college out of state, but we have had the pleasure of seeing her every time she comes to visit.

We all saw "the ring" as soon as he got it...and knew the proposal was coming. They are just adorable.

The wedding is in 2011.

We all love Steve...and even though we do not know her as well...we love Christy.

Yesterday morning several of us received a heart wrenching text and call to prayer from Steve telling us that Christy has cancer. He did not know a whole lot at that point but he was understandably scared.

Pebble (or BOULDER) thrown in the pond.

Late last night several students gathered in our apartment to pray for our precious sister in Christ. We had an update from Steve further explaining the situation and as a group we all prayed for our dear friends.

I never tire of seeing the hand of God move in blessing over his people. We have seen several seasons of "harvest" and blessing in our ministry here at AU. Last night we saw the hand of God begin to move through a storm.

The ripples caused by the pebble...

As we prayed several students talked about how their own faith has been challenged through this "storm". One was even talking about how she has been questioning her faith the past few days, but when she got the text from Steve nothing seemed more sure and necessary than getting on our knees before the Lord and asking for grace and healing. During the prayer she was reminded that even though she may wander, the shepherd will not let her wander far.

No one can know the mind of God and how he orchestrates and ordains the events of our lives. But we do know that God is sovereign. Nothing that happens is out of His control, and He WILL use this "storm" for His glory. Healing and restoration will come in many forms...in Christy, her family, Steve's family, our ACF family, and who knows who else. Praise the Lord and His wonderful and MYSTERIOUS ways!

This pebble (boulder) that was thrown into our little pond yesterday will have ripples far beyond our understanding. Praying for the Lord's purposes to be accomplished to His glory!

Please keep Christy in your prayers. Her prognosis is great. This type of cancer sounds like it is relatively "easy" to beat. Right now she is recovering from surgery and is pretty uncomfortable.

Thank you friends.