Do you believe in miracles?

            A sweet old lady in a hospital room asked me that one time -

                                    and I still remember the expression on her face.

            She was a believer.  She knew miracles happened. 

            The look in her eyes said – I’ve experienced a miracle.

                                    My God lives!  And oh what wonders God can do.

            I talked to this lady for a long time that day, and I went back to visit a few times.

                        And her question rings again in my ears today.

                                                            Do you believe in miracles?

Yes, I do.  Sometimes those miracles come in packages we can explain

                                    – like medicine, or healthy living, or good breaks on a speeding car.

            But sometimes those miracles come in ways you can not explain or even express.

                        Sometimes, we are blessed by God’s touch

                        and the natural order seems to be set on its edge.

I want to tell you about two miracles.

I grew up hearing a story about when my mom was in seminary in Virginia.

She developed a bleeding ulcer that was discovered when it came to crisis point

            and she was admitted to the hospital in an emergency.

It was a small campus and a caring one filled with faithful friends.

So the story goes – as they prepared for surgery one night the school gathered to pray.

            They called my mother by name – Edith Love Hawkins

                        and they lifted her into God’s care.

            Somehow overnight the ulcer healed enough that the surgery was not needed.

            Oh there was still a long slow recovery,

                        but the seminary believed and I do too, that God answered their prayers.

Here’s another story -

About 20 years ago, I was in a pretty bad car accident.

            It was my own stupidity and too much speed on a snowy night.

            I didn’t make a turn, hit a telephone pole, rolled my car twice,

                        and ended up walking away with only a split lip and a sprained ankle.

Sure you could explain it – a seatbelt, luck, whatever,

                        but for me, it was the presence of God.

                        I remember hitting the pole and suddenly feeling a calm presence.

                                    It was very real – very warm – very much God.

Now what I didn’t know was that my mother had been a nervous wreck all day.

            She had been convinced something was wrong with me,

            and so – as mother’s do – she had been praying all day long, and into the night.

At the exact moment of the accident (we compared times later),

                        my mother suddenly felt very calm, very warm, very reassured,

                                    and she was finally able to go off to sleep.

            That is my evidence for answered prayer.

                                    Ask and you shall receive.  It’s a gift from God.

Now let me add – I know – we all know, about prayers that have not been answered,

                        or at least, not the way we wanted them to be answered.

I have prayed for someone to be healed and then the illness continued.

I have prayed for someone not to die, and then they were gone.

You have too – I know.

How can I explain that?  What does that say about prayer?

Honestly, I can’t explain it.   I don’t understand it.  Prayer is a mystery. 

But I do know that sometimes, beyond belief, our prayers are answered.

            Sometimes, there are miracles. 

And for that I am grateful.

Do you have any miracle stories to share?

Prayer is about connecting with God and expecting a miracle.

            It’s not about magic.  It’s not about manipulation.  It’s not about guarantees.

It’s about miracles.

            Believing that God loves you. 

            Believing that God is powerful and able to do what ever God wills.

            Believing that those two things go together -

                        – God loves you, God wants what is best for you, 

                                    and God is able to make it happen.

Why not believe it?

            Because it doesn’t always happen.

            Because we know too many bad things that happen to good people.

            True.

But honestly, I bet you can name a lot more miracles than losses.

Believe, and pray, and place it all in God’s hands.

God offers us wholeness, healing, new life, possibility.

Believe and pray, and rejoice at the gift.

In prayer we connect with God, and in that connection we find all that we need.

Believe, Pray, Receive the gift of God.

Prayer is central to the life of faith.  Prayer is opening yourself to God and receiving the gift of God’s grace.  Prayer is about relationship with God, connecting with God, talking and listening. 

You are invited, along with members and friends of Grace Covenant Presbyterian church to join in “90 Days of Prayer”.  From now until Christmas (and beyond if you wish), pray every day.  Pray whatever you want to pray, any time, any where, about any thing.   Just pray.  Inspired by James 5: 13-18, we are called to pray at all times in all circumstances. 

You are also invited to share your experiences here.  Tell us what you are praying, when and how.  Tell us how God is responding to you and how you are responding to God.  Hear what others have to say.  Share whatever you care to share.  And pray for others who are praying together.

May God bless you in these 90 days of prayer. 

Associate Pastor, Kimby Young

I remember….I believe….

By Kelly Scarborough

I remember growing up in Grace Covenant’s youth group.

I remember still remember my solo from the Western Style- Exodous Story musical New Spirit Singers did when I was in middle school, a show oh-so patiently directed and accompanied by Celia Nicolas and Reggie Reynolds.

I remember sleeping in my hammock on canoe trips in high school. I also remember being attacked with water balloons in the middle of the night and saran wrapped inside of my hammock on canoe trip.

I remember making a going away video for Chris Anderson—an adult advisor who stepped to be an Interim youth director while the spot was vacant. In this video we taped ourselves doing many stupid things, including covering his entire front yard in old bagels. And, uh, I remember feeling like an awkward idiot when he laughed til he had tears in his eyes, and told us no longer lived in that house.

I remember the latest M&M trip where the other Moms let me giggle and gossip with them at the Adult table. Some of the youth have taken to calling me old. I’m not sure how I feel about that yet.

I remember when Miriam Todd became our new Youth Director—we went through a few of them back in the day.

I remember arguing with Miriam her first year or so on the job about changes she wanted to make in the youth program. I definitely made her early years at Grace Covenant more difficult, to put it nicely, when I could have helped it go more smoothly. And its not that Miriam’s new ideas for the youth group were bad—they weren’t; some of them turned out to be huge blessings—Its that they were changes at all.

I was sixteen and headstrong and I remember feeling like she was messing everything up.

Nowadays, I’m twenty-one and headstrong, but I think I’m coping with change a little better.

Over the past four years, I’ve been in constant flux, back and forth between my two homes: Los Angeles where I’ve been going to school and Overland Park where I’ve grown up. Every time I come home to Grace Covenant, it looks a little different: new staff in the office, new gorgeous stained-glass windows here, new faces and new families there, and sometimes there are old faces that I can’t find anywhere—that are gone; gone, living in new cities; gone, going to new and different churches; gone, from this life,

I’ve said a lot more “I Remembers” here than “I Believes”—and perhaps that’s because I’m a bit unsure of where it is that God is taking this church.

But I DO know that I believe that God is present here, in this church.

I believe that God is thriving here in this church—in the new people I know and in those I met just last week, in the new missions being dreamed up, in the stirring seedlings of new ways to serve people and to reach people’s hearts within and far outside of these walls.

I believe that God is moving in and through us, making changes here

For as long as I can remember, Grace Covenant has always being somewhere I could come home to.

I believe this will stay the same.

I remember….I believe. 

Hmmmm.

I remember singing in Chancel Choir for 5 years.  I believe I will sing in Chancel choir again; I’m just not sure when.

I remember being ordained as a Deacon 11 years ago.  I believe….Hmmmm.  I don’t know.

Oh!  I know….

I remember last summer when the youth shared songs and stories from the M&M trip.  (As an aside, you DEFINITELY want to be here for that on July 5 if you can – it will knock your socks off.)  Anyway, they were showing slides and one of them was a picture of Mary Young & Larri Hulse asleep on each other on the bus.  Jody Mason tapped me on the shoulder and said, “That’s us in 10 years.”  And I believe it will be.  This touches on so many other things that I remember and believe about this congregation.

I’ve been a member here for almost 13 years – not as long as some of you, but longer than others.  1^st – 3^rd graders I sang with in Sunday School are all in college now.  I remember them as shy 7 year olds, as gawky New Spirit Singers, as amazing high schoolers.  I believe they carry messages of faith & love that they learned here with them, whether they show their faces here on breaks or not. 

I remember accompanying Chapel Choir for 1 year and New Spirit Singers for 1 year.  Those kids are mostly in college now and some of the kids who caused me the most anxiety – because I do NOT tolerate chaos well! – are doing amazing things with their lives:  traveling the world, sharing their faith with younger youth, engaging in outreach in the communities and campuses where they are studying.

I remember giving birth to my boys and being deluged with cards from members of this congregation wishing us well.  Most came from people I knew, but some came from people I barely knew or had never really met.  Seven years later I bring my kids up here for 2-3 hours most Sundays and they know you and you know them.  I believe they are learning to trust God.  I believe they are learning to serve God by serving the world.  And I believe that in a few years they will be involved in active, vibrant youth programs here that will continue to shape their faith.  Those programs may not look like the programs our youth enjoy today, and they may not look like the programs we had 10 years ago.  But I believe we will have programs that will nurture their faith and their spirits and hopefully strengthen them for their adult lives.

I also believe that those things don’t happen by magic.  They happen because you and I believe they are important and because we act to make them happen. 

I remember cards, youth, concerts, and volunteers.  And I believe they will continue.

Melanie Townsend

It was one of those wonderful summer nights. Warm but not too hot. Nice breeze, no bugs, and Dale and I sat out on our back deck talking.  Soon the couple who lives behind us came out to chat, then the family a few doors down joined the group. 5 families and 2 hours later, we all finally retired to our homes. We have lived in this house for almost 4 years and have never spoken more than a few words to these people. We saw each other coming and going, and would maybe wave while doing yard work, but we never actually had conversations.  Over the next few days, I noticed people in our neighborhood outside, walking in the evenings, gardening, even just sitting and chatting. 

Why were we all of a sudden becoming such a community? One afternoon as my neighbor and I were watching our kids splash around, we were talking about our husbands and their jobs, how both families were trying to save money and swapping tips on grocery deals when it dawned on me: the economic crisis was actually helping us create a community.

Families are trying to save money.  We are not packing our kids’ schedules with camps, classes and clubs, which leaves more time for impromptu firefly catching. We are eating at home, which means more backyard grilling conversations. We are finding ourselves stepping out from behind the windshield of the gas guzzling SUV and walking to the park, which means seeing more of our neighbors.

Please don’t get me wrong, the economic meltdown has devastated our little part of America.  There have been jobs lost, homes foreclosed on, even families torn apart. But if there is a silver lining to this storm cloud, it is that we are returning to the simple things in life.  We are realizing the material things are fleeting, and it is the relationships we have that get us through the day.

I am dying to know if you have noticed any positive changes come about with the changes in the economy. Please share your thoughts!

Money made you mean.

That’s not how it’s supposed to be.

You’re ready to challenge and defend,

but for all the wrong reasons.

How much do we really need?

A question, if you have to ask,

just means what it means.

The question that says everything.

Right or left it’s all the same – conspiracy.

Just ’cause you ask doesn’t make a difference to me.

This song (and its questions) got me thinking about the rich young ruler (Luke 18:18). He asked Jesus, “What do I need to do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus tells him to follow the Law: do not lie, honor your parents, do not covet, do not kill, do not commit adultery. And the rich young ruler responds that he does that. “But what else?” he asks, which tells me there is something that is bothering this young man. Perhaps he realizes that there is something he is missing. Perhaps he realizes he has satisfied the letter of the Law, but he is not living up to its Spirit. Perhaps, like me, he looks around and sees how comfortable his relative prosperity makes him, while at the same time there are many who could use a helping hand. If he’s like me, he feels lucky sometimes and guilty others. And he asks himself, how much money do I really need?

But Jesus sees right into this man’s heart. He can see the reasons, the baggage, and the person behind the question. Jesus knows how much of this man’s life has been devoted to acquiring wealth. Jesus knows about the anxiety this man feels, because he never feels like he has enough. That’s when Jesus drops the hammer. He says, “Sell all that you have, give it away to the poor, and then come and follow me.” If Jesus said that to me, it would mean selling a house, cars, clothes, stocks, 401k, life insurance, and a lawnmower. And that’s just off the top of my head. I would’ve walked away, too, muttering “Whoa. That’s just way too hard.” But how much do we really need?

You could keep it all or give it away,

but where did it come from in the first place?

Robbing Peter to pay me, and I’ll just be

giving it back to Peter to feel free.

And you have to fix everything that’s broke,

’cause it’ll never leave you alone.

Reinvent the wheel. Be the butt of a joke. 

Take the long road to charity.

That’s when I started thinking about Zaccheus, who was a tax collector and a cheat. His money came from his position and power. He was an agent of the Roman government. And this is how it worked in those days. The Romans would assess the tax on Zaccheus’s district, and it was up to him to collect it from the merchants and citizens. This was a very lucrative business, and people could purchase tax districts, just like you can franchise a restaurant today. But when Jesus came to town, Zaccheus was the most curious one around. He must have been wondering, “What is it about this guy?” When Jesus saw Zaccheus up in that tree, He invited himself to dinner. And what a scandal that was! Leno would have said, “Jesus was in Jericho today. He had dinner with (wait for it…) a tax collector!”

But what happened during dinner? Zaccheus turned his life around. He sold half his possessions and gave the money to the poor, and he promised to pay every person he had cheated four times what he owed. Jesus shouted, “Salvation has come to this house tonight!” I like to think that Zacheus felt better after repaying all those debts. But money is a funny thing. It needs to be in the right place at the right time or it doesn’t do much good. So, part of me wonders about another lyric in the song: “You have to fix everything that’s broke, ‘cause it’ll never leave you alone.” Repaying someone you had cheated four times the amount was the law of the land. And it is probably a good rule of thumb. It makes me wonder though. How much do I owe to get back to even?

Now let’s do a little accounting. Zacheus was a reviled, cheat who repented, while the rich young ruler was a respected citizen with a guilty conscience. Zaccheus voluntarily sold half his possessions, while the rich young ruler was asked to sell everything and then follow Jesus. Is that fair? (A question, if you have to ask, just means what it means.)

It’s just too hard. Oh well. Jump in.

Forget about the sharks and swim,

Cause now you’re one.

You can’t deny it anymore.

Nelson Townsend

“The forgiven life. The grace-filled life. It begins with an embrace.” Words from the back cover of Liz Curtis Higgs book Embrace Grace. What role does Grace play in my life? I have to admit, this is an area I struggle with.

In our life group we discussed the Music and Message of U2. The lead singer, Bono, sings a lot about being saved by Grace. He is quoted as saying “It’s a mind-blowing concept that the God who created the universe might be looking for company, a real relationship with people, but the thing that keeps me on my knees is the difference between Grace and Karma.I really believe we’ve moved out of the realm of Karma into one of Grace. You see, at the center of all religions is the idea of Karma. You know, what you put out comes back to you: an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, or in physics-in physical laws-every action is met by an equal or an opposite one. It’s clear to me that Karma is at the very heart of the universe. I’m absolutely sure of it. And yet, along comes this idea called Grace to upend all that “as you reap, so you will sow” stuff. Grace defies reason and logic. Love interrupts, if you like, the consequences of your actions, which in my case is very good news indeed, because I’ve done a lot of stupid stuff.”

The idea of being saved my Grace can be very comforting, but how can God forgive me for things that I can’t even forgive myself for? What do you think? I would love to hear your thoughts.