This is Sara Brown

Angels on Bayview

A couple nights ago I received a phone call from my sister that I’ll never forget.  Almost the first words out of her mouth were “I almost just died!”  Knowing our family’s sometimes tendency to overstate, she felt the need to clarify.  “I’m not exaggerating Sara.  I literally almost died.  I just blacked out while driving.”

My heart stopped.  Okay it didn’t actually stop but I was definitely in shock.  (See?  It does run in the family!)

“What do you mean you just blacked out?”

She proceeded  to tell me the story:  “I was driving up Bayview and all of a sudden, my heart started racing.  I thought I was having a heart attack.  Then my hands and arms went tingly and started convulsing as the rest of my body followed suit.  I felt like I was in an electric chair.  My vision went blurry and I blacked out.  It seemed as though a half hour went by before I woke up…and I was still driving!  So I guess it couldn’t have been more than a few seconds.  When I came to, I was so scared I immediately slammed on the brakes where I just waited for a bit, trying to collect myself.”

I couldn’t believe what I was hearing.  I kept her on the phone until she safely arrived home.  Her husband then drove her to emergency.  (Tests are being done and we are all anxiously waiting the results.)

These last couple days I have been hit with how blessed we are to have my sister still with us.  No matter what is wrong with her physically (we are praying this was a one time occurrence), she was DRIVING when this happened!  Guess what else?  She felt an inkling to take Bayview when she ALWAYS takes the highway.  Who knows what would have happened if she had taken her normal highway route?  Even when she had blacked out, there were cars all around her.  But it was a straight road.  Even when she hit the brakes, she still had a few feet from the car ahead of her. 

There is nothing like a potential tragedy averted to heighten our sense of God’s protection and faithfulness.  Psalm 91 is a classic and has always been one of my favourites:  “For he will command his angels concerning you to guard you in all your ways”(Psalm 91:11).  Thank you God for commanding the angels that concern Christy to guard her car on Sunday night!

Devotional #6: The Power of Working Together

“The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body.”  (1 Corinthians 12:12)

John 17:20-23; Ephesians 2:19-22; Ephesians 4:7-13; Hebrews 10:24,25

Upon hearing about the 7.1 earthquake that hit Haiti in January 2010, I was shocked.  Having spent time in its neighbouring country (Dominican Republic), it felt really close to home.  The tears fell as I looked at pictures of the unimaginable horror those survived were left to deal with.  I felt helpless.  I knew I had to do something…but what?  The need was incredible, but I was just one person.
 
My husband Drew experienced the same urge to help and decided to use Facebook to try to bring people together.  His status read, “I’m brainstorming about financially BIG ways to support the work happening in Haiti.  Somehow using the creative arts to tangibly meet a HUGE need.  Anyone wanna help?”  Many responded and just a few days later, fifteen people crowded into our living room to plan a worship benefit concert that would take place the following week.  There were radio and World Vision representatives, producer, graphic designer, event coordinator, musicians, singers and many more.  Some were creative.  Others were more administrative.  But each person came ready to give whatever gifts they had.  We set a target goal of fundraising $25,000.

A flurry of emails and whirlwind of activity followed during the next nine days.  Though everyone was working hard, we all noted a general sense of ease preceding all the details that came together so quickly.  There was no doubt in our minds that God was behind us and had brought us together “for such a time as this”.

The day finally arrived, but to our dismay, there was a huge blizzard!  It was difficult not to get discouraged when the numbers were about one-quarter of what we expected.  Yet God grabbed the hearts of those who did come, and those 400 people raised over $41,000!

This experience was such a testament to me of the power of the body of Christ working together to use their gifts.  Yes, alone we can make some impact, but together with Christ as the Head, He can do “immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine” (Eph. 3:20).

What are the passions and abilities God has gifted you with?  Once you find a purpose that fuels you, I encourage you to find like-minded people who you can come together with.  The nose can accomplish smelling on its own but when combined with the eyes, ears and mouth, a whole sensory experience happens!  Just see what God will do when we work together with other members of the body of Christ.  The sky truly is the limit!

Devo #5: Living with Purpose

“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.”  (Ephesians 2:10)

James 2:14-18; John 15:5-8; Matthew 5:15, 1 Peter 2:12; Mathew 25:34-40

So often we get caught up in the busy-ness of life.  Jobs.  Housework.  Family.  Kids.  We move from activity to activity, and week after month after year goes by.  Yet we often forget why we do what we do each day – if we ever stop to analyze at all.  What is the purpose of me being here on earth?  Do my daily activities line up with what I want my life’s purpose to be?

A few months ago, I decided to act on my convictions.  So I brought a few friends together to brainstorm ways that we could live out the calling Jesus has for us more intentionally.  We came up with a new initiative that allows our church family to come together and serve outside our four walls.  On the second Saturday of each month, we assist neighbouring organizations that serve those less fortunate in our community.  We paint, clean, do small repairs, sort and organize – basically whatever they need us to do.  We spend time building relationships with the staff, those they serve and with each other.  We simply call it “2^nd Saturday”.

One Saturday morning, I was interviewing some of the participants for a promotional video.  As she vacuumed the stairs of a drop-in centre for inner-city teens, I asked a 16-year-old girl why she was there.  Her response hit me hard:  “Our church has really helped our family a lot.  We’ve received so much, and we should give back.”  She hit the hammer on the nail.  This young teenage girl understands clearly that we have been blessed… and we are meant to be a blessing. 

Pause with me for a few moments and reflect on your life.  In what ways have you been blessed?  How might you use those blessings to be a blessing?  Perhaps God is asking you to volunteer in a place that is doing things that are close to his heart.  Perhaps he is prompting you to start a small group in your neighbourhood.  Or maybe it is to simply call up a friend who’s going through a difficult time and let her know you care.  Whatever it is, let us keep praying and planning ways to live our lives with purpose.  Why?  Because we were “created in Christ Jesus to do good works”.  (Ephesians 2:10)