A Community of Faith

This morning I found out that a good friend of mine was admitted to the ICU at a hospital in the city. She had her second of four reconstructive surgeries following breast cancer on Thursday and for whatever reason she came up with a condition that affected her liver and was causing internal bleeding. We received a phone call at the church office informing us of her condition and telling us that her husband was sitting alone at the hospital. Immediately two of our ministers were off to be with them. I called Todd and we both took off work and spent the first half of our day just sitting in the waiting room with her husand and her parents (who made it to the hospital just after our ministers). We were of no use, really, but I know it meant a lot to them that people would take off of work just to sit. That simple act, I have come to believe, is a powerful statement of our community of faith.

After I got home, I found I not only had email messages, but phone messages making sure I knew what was going on. There truly is no church family like the one we have found at Alameda! The connections we have made with people go deeper than the suface. These are relationships that share the highs and lows of life. I hope all of you have found a place like Alameda, and if you haven't... give us a try!

A final thought... My friend who is in the hospital has told us before that her dad is not a very "spiritual" man. I finally got a chance to visit with him while I was there today, and to see the way God is working on him through this is amazing! He said as soon as he learned of his daughter's condition, he hopped in the car for the 2 hour drive here and he "talked to the Lord" the whole way here. He could not remember the drive and said, "God was driving."

By the way, my friend seems to be doing much better now. Doctors say they don't know what happened, but "for no reason" her body is mending itself. I know it is the power of prayer.