At the request of Pastor Matt, I am sharing an example of God's grace as revealed through a time of anxiety:

As some in the church already know, I spent the majority of my life feeling worthless. The lies of the world, the lies of Satan, and my own refusal to completely give my life to Christ combined into one big mess! I was convinced that the only way anyone would see me as having even the smallest amount of value, was if I was perfect.

One of the many side-effects of my false conviction, was a constant need to "be on the go." If I wasn't doing something -- and doing it right! -- I wasn't proving myself. Thankfully, I was freed from this lie a few years ago when I finally decided to live in the truth of God's Word and to accept His love. But the old saying is true: Old habits die hard. Although I finally recognized that my true value lies in the eyes of the One who made me and died on the cross to have a relationship with me, I still found myself with a fairly constant drive to "go, go, go - do, do, do." Then, suddenly, I could no longer "do."

During the Fall of 2013 I wrenched my back to the extent that I found it painful to walk, to sit in certain positions, or to stand for more than a few minutes at a time. I grew anxious very quickly: How was I going to do everything I "needed to do?! Was I always going to be in pain?! Would I end up needing surgery?! In my anxiety I prayed to God for guidance, and He gave me comfort in knowing that He had allowed my back injury for a reason. Eventually I came to realize what that use was: God was drawing me near -- allowing me to see that I needed to rest in Him and to spend time with Him instead of constantly filling that time with "doing." What a blessing! The Creator of the universe loves me that much -- so much that, even if it meant physical pain, He would not allow me to continue distancing myself from Him.

This understanding -- and the thankfulness that it brings -- comes into my heart each and every day as I battle chronic sciatica (a result of the initial back injury). To quote a popular saying that was brought up in my Sabbath School class a few weeks back: God is good - all the time. All the time, God is good.

When I think of the struggles so many in our church are going through – work issues, health issues, family responsibilities, friends’ and relatives’ health and marriage issues – I feel especially grateful to God’s grace, that He has now sheltered my wife in I in the home of Joan and Jeff. Granted, we’ve had our share of struggles. I have a list of “stones of remembrance” - that is, the many ways in which God has intervened in our lives for good.

The current issues we have - lung problems, limited activities, and caretaking responsibilities - seem pretty small compared to what others are going through. But, thank God, His grace enables us to help ease the burdens of others through the power of intercessory prayer.

Doctor Victor Burdick

A little over a year ago the Lord put it on my heart to homeschool my children (then ages 12 and 7). After researching available Christian curriculums I felt confident that my children would have access to well-developed learning materials -- but I was less confident of my ability to administer those materials; I also was a bit frightened by the New York State law that requires homeschooled children grades 4 and up to test within the 33rd percentile (nationally) on standardized testing (my son is autistic and his last round of standardized testing placed him well below this requirement).

Despite my concerns I knew that I needed to follow the Lord's calling and presented the school district with our letter of intent to homeschool. To help assuage the fears that loomed overhead, the Lord encouraged me by consistently revealing the exciting advantages of homeschooling, such as the ability to school on a year-round schedule (something that's extremely important for my son) and the ability to shorten the school day.

When we began homeschooling in June 2014, it was a nightmare. My daughter was not having any issues but my son was another story completely; he seemed to be getting absolutely nothing out of the materials, and I was at a loss in how to help him. Each day I questioned my teaching ability as well as my son's ability to score high enough on the standardized tests -- but each day the Lord continued to encourage and strengthen me. Some days He would simply remind me of how much better a homeschool environment is for my son's learning needs. Other days He would reveal to me the reason for my son's struggle and how I could help him through that difficulty; the outcome of those revelations would be a joyful smile on my son's face as he realized that he is capable of understanding things he once thought impossible.

Little by little things have gotten easier (although we still have our moments!), and the Lord continues to lead us in our adventure. At the end of March my son took his standardized tests; we received the results yesterday:

Language, March 2014 - 9th Percentile
Language, March 2015 - 46th Percentile

Math, March 2014 - 13th Percentile
Math, March 2015 - 46th Percentile

Reading, March 2014 - 16th Percentile
Reading, March 2015 - 54th Percentile

All of this is because of God's amazing grace!

-Trish Gerstel

My sister-in-law has advanced Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and is confined to a power wheel chair. She is a disabled veteran and had recently planned a trip to Aspen, Colorado, to participate in the Disabled Veterans' Winter Clinic; when her aide said she couldn't go with her, my sister-in-law was devastated because this was a chance for her to do something special. When I heard about what happened I felt called to go with my sister-in-law, as it may be her last trip (MS is a disease that deteriorates the muscles in your body until function is lost, and effects the way you think).

 

Today is Day 5 of our trip, and every day is a physical challenge as well as an emotional challenge for both of us. By constant prayer and by God's grace I am able to do this! He has given me compassion, patience, and strength to perform in order to make this an amazing trip for my sister-in-law. As I attend to her needs I think of how Jesus came to this world to serve others, and this week I have strived to serve her as well as others who I come into contact with. Without Him I could not do it and I praise Him with all my heart!

 

"I can do every thing through Him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13.

 

Stacey Sicko

Over the past week or so I have been the target of several people's misdirected anger. This is something that happens from time to time and normally would not be a huge deal, except one of those people is my spouse. After several days of receiving "the silent treatment" and being subjected to unpredictable outbursts of anger and snide comments on the home front, it's that much more difficult to brush-off other people's nastiness.

By yesterday morning I was emotionally drained and particularly vulnerable; when my spouse abruptly turned away from me during a mundane discussion about a kitchen appliance -- walking out of the house without another word to me -- it was the straw that broke the camel's back. I found myself at God's throne of grace, tearfully praying for wisdom and strength.

While I lobbed my questions and pleas at God (I haven't done anything wrong - why is my spouse taking this out on me?! What am I supposed to do? I need You to do this, because I definitely can't!), He gave me a very clear and powerful answer: I began to envision scenes from the movie "The Passion of the Christ" (a very carefully-produced portrayal of what our Lord Jesus Christ suffered when He was beaten, mocked, and hung on a shameful cross for us), and the Lord said to me, "I endured this for you. I did nothing wrong, but I allowed myself to be broken because I love you. I am asking you to endure the pain from your spouse's anger because of your love for Me." With those words, and with my humble submission to His request, He has given me strength and peace to continue through this trial.

As a recent member of the Berlin SDB church (since late 2013) I have been so impressed with the pervasive love that we all experience, that I have dubbed it “Almost Heaven.”  (Do the “I agrees” outweigh the “Are you kiddings"?) 

Granted, West Virginia -- which claims the same name -- has some problems (strip mines, recently polluted water, smoggy cities, and cattle with short legs on the uphill side), but it’s still Wild, Wonderful West Virginia!

And granted there’s a lot of evidence of pain and sadness, grief and sorrows in our church, but in spite of that -- or because of that -- Christ’s love spread among us covers it all, with exceedingly abundant healing and comfort.

Doctor Victor Burdick

A few weeks ago I was saddled with a situation that, in the not-so-distant-past, would have been my undoing. Through God's grace, however, I made my way through with joy and an overwhelming feeling of being blessed.

Being asked to make changes within a project you oversee might not seem like a big deal to others, but to my old self it would have been "proof" of my worthlessness and would have sent me into a complete tailspin. Thankfully, through my relationship with Christ, I now have an understanding of who I am; because of this I was able to face the requests with a clear mind, one that was thankful for others' interest in the project and acutely aware that God's presence was the reason for that thankfulness (what a blessing!).

Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God—children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God. -John 1:12-13