Most of us have grown accustomed to a certain type of Christmas story - one with frilly bows, pretty boxes, cookies and milk, and loved ones coming together to leave you feeling warm and cozy on the inside. Curt McCrummin’s story is different.
Read MoreAs the hard months turned into years, Heather remembers lying in bed admitting she was tired of feeling fragile. Her next thought was very clear; that like labor pains, she needed to lean into her pain because something new would be birthed. She was reminded that even as her heart and flesh fail, God’s purposes were bigger.
Read MoreOur God is one of the intimate details. He uses his people to accomplish his care for the vulnerable, the weary, and the lost. Every step of the work had disruptions, but God was using these diversions to form relationships, to show people his love through his Church, and to carry out his plan. God is not far away. He is near to the brokenhearted. He may not be working in a way that seems obvious to you or to me, but he is working none the less, and his work is perfect.
Read MoreMiriam went on to share with us a little more about her husband. He had grown up in the neighborhood where they lived. Most of the people in the neighborhood were related to him in some form or fashion. Cousins, second cousins, uncles, aunts. He earned the nickname “Papo Fuerte.” Papo’s mother’s maiden name was “Fuerte.” But that is not solely how he got the nickname. Papo was a welder by trade. But basically, he could fix, or build anything he put his mind to. You name it, Papo had built it. He built the entire concrete house 30 years ago where they were living to this day. He built the water tank used to irrigate all their land. At one point Miriam told us the story of how he built a private elevator in someone’s personal home. Papo would also repair and build for everyone in the neighborhood. If anyone ever needed anything, he would not hesitate to build it for them and take care of his family. Family is everything in Puerto Rican culture, or at least on the surface it is. Fuerte means strong in Spanish, and Papo was the neighborhoods strength… was.
Read MoreMegan has chosen a profession that requires her to take up residence in the Valley of Tears. Joseph Tenney, worship pastor at Church at the Cross, spoke a few weeks ago on people who are called to live lives of suffering, never experiencing deliverance from the Valley. For the first time in her life, something in her head and heart connected, she realized that her home was in that Valley−and it was good. “I’ve been a nurse for seven years and [Joseph’s sermon] helped me to finally see the whole reason God has put me in the place He has. It’s okay to be frustrated and to voice that, but it’s unrealistic of me to ever ask for God to take all of this away, because that’s not going to happen in my environment. When He comes back we will not have to face death anymore. Babies will not die. Nobody will have to die. All those tears we have cried will be dried up, and it will be no more.”...
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