Last night I hooked up with one of my high school BFFs at a big Rock & Roll party in Indep. Her name is Hope. And talk about someone that is full of hope and faith. On her car windows, in large type, she has the phrase "Keep Hope Alive". She is a hoot and I just love her--her and her fiery red hair. ; )
At the party, she invited me to visit her church this morning, the New Life in Christ International Ministries in Grandview, MO. I met her out there at 10:30. When I walked in the front door, I was immediately greeted by a couple of very friendly people that seemed genuinely excited that I had come. I signed in at the front desk as a visitor and when I told the lady behind the desk that I was invited by a friend, she asked the name of my friend and when I told her she said she knew right where she was. She got up immediately and took me into the sanctuary and offered me a seat by Hope. This wasn't the service though--this was a women's bible study group prior to the 11:00 service. Hope introduced me to many of her friends--her "sisters in Christ". I'm going to go ahead here and be blunt or what some may call "politically incorrect" and say that this was a predominately black church--Hope and I were quite obviously members of the minority group of about 6-8 white people. And yet, I don't know that I've ever felt more welcomed and part of a group than I did this morning at that church.
When the worship music started and 3-4 ladies started singing Gospel songs, I was blown away. These ladies could sing and the entire congregation was on their feet praising the Lord like nothing I've ever seen or been a part of before. Well, that's not exactly true, I visited a church in New Orleans during a missions trip there and they came close. I only knew one song, but that didn't matter--I could clap and I could move and I did--for about an hour. I even knew the last worship song we sang, Nobody Greater, one of my favorites. It was so exciting.
Then a minister came out, did some announcements and introduced the 5 or 6 new visitors, me included, and he told the congregation to make us welcome. They did! People were coming from all over to hug me and say, "God bless you for coming sister and we hope you come again". And they meant it. I was overwhelmed, to say the least.
And then came the offering. What an experience. We all held up our offering envelopes, waved them in the air as we sang a worship song about offering it up to the Lord. And it didn't end there. As the "captain" came down the aisle with a large basket with a purple velvet lining, each row passed their envelopes to the end of the aisle and shouted as loud as they could--hallelujah!, Amen! or whatever you wanted to holler as the offering song was also being sung. It was an event. It was exciting being a part of a group of people so full of joy and love for the Lord.
As if all of this weren't enough already--we had praised God beyond anything I'd ever experienced, and now we were also going to get a message from Apostle Rice and his wife, Doris. They were amazing--"on fire" is how I might describe them. Very exciting. My phone vibrated in my purse, so I checked to see who I might be getting a message from. I checked the time also--it was 2:00 p.m.--I had been there for 2 1/2 hours and it wasn't over. Incredible how time flies when you're caught up in an experience like this. When praising and thanking God is the order of the day--not the minutes ticking away on the clock.
As I drove home, a song that the WCC Gospel Choir sings came into my mind, Undignified Praise. Sometimes I think we've become too dignified. God doesn't care whether were sitting or standing or singing or shouting--He just wants (and expects) our praise. We let him have it today.
I am so glad that my dear friend Hope wanted to share this with me.
KEEP HOPE ALIVE!
Sunday, August 28, 2011
Friday, August 12, 2011
I've been sitting here at the keyboard for about 15 min. trying to figure out how to start this blog. Have you ever just felt so passionate about something and wanted to share it with the rest of the world, but didn't know how to start?
Well, I figured it out. Go see the movie, The Help. It's awesome. And, before or after seeing it, read "Letter from a Birmingham Jail [M.L.King, Jr.]" 16 April 1963.
A friend encouraged me to read the letter last week and I am so glad. What an incredibly eloquent piece of writing.
The movie, the letter and an in-depth conversation with one of my daughters today about the state of our nation, just pushed me over the edge emotionally, spiritually and passionately.
Now I wait patiently for God to tell me what to do with all of this.
Well, I figured it out. Go see the movie, The Help. It's awesome. And, before or after seeing it, read "Letter from a Birmingham Jail [M.L.King, Jr.]" 16 April 1963.
A friend encouraged me to read the letter last week and I am so glad. What an incredibly eloquent piece of writing.
The movie, the letter and an in-depth conversation with one of my daughters today about the state of our nation, just pushed me over the edge emotionally, spiritually and passionately.
Now I wait patiently for God to tell me what to do with all of this.
Wednesday, May 4, 2011
Awesome Men
"God is always seeking you. Every sunset. Every clear blue sky. Every ocean wave. The starry host of night. He blankets each new day with the invitation 'I am here'. Somehow, we know He's there. The creation surrounding us tells us there's more to this life than living and dying. To us, ready or not, Jesus came. To us, worthy or not, He appeared. Accepting or not, we find His footprints in Palestinian soil."
I read these words on page 23 of Louie Giglio's book, The Air I Breathe--thank you Ron R. for loaning it to me. Louie Giglio is the most current awesome man that God has placed in my life. I can't get enough of him and the way that he expresses himself about the greatness of God, the Salvation delivered through Jesus Christ and the existence of the Holy Spirit. I am so passionate at this time in my life about Jesus Christ and my walk with Him. Thanks to Louie and a few other awesome men in my life.
The journey started with Chuck about 6 years ago. He had always been a believer, not me. But he had been through some major health issues and felt a strong desire to get closer to God. We started "church shopping". I was willing to do this, but I was basically appeasing him. He had said to me many times in our 38 year marriage, "I feel so sorry for you because I won't see you in heaven." That meant a lot to him, but not to me, the non-believer. So, after visiting 3 or 4 churches, we landed at Woods Chapel United Methodist. We stayed because we both liked the pastor, Jeff Brinkman. I almost always came away from one of his sermons just positive that he had been speaking to me directly, and I needed that.
Chuck passed away just 3 years later. We had started the process of becoming members mostly because that seemed like the next step. I didn't feel a real connection to Jesus Christ--I was just going through the motions. But the day Chuck died, Jeff Brinkman was at my door. He had some very profound words to say to me. Within a few days, he was back at my house sitting with me and my girls, listening to us tell about the awesome husband/father that we had lost. He performed the service and it was beautiful--my girls (also pretty much non-believers) were finding out for themselves, what an awesome man of God Jeff Brinkman is. A few months later, Jeff performed the wedding ceremony for Angela and Patrick and baptized me just 4 months after that. I now consider Jeff B. a dear friend and I am so grateful for the part he has played in connecting me to Jesus Christ.
And then came Kris Bartman, our music director at WCC. I joined the Gospel Choir--inspired by the 1st combined concert performance of the WCC Gospel Choir and the St. Mark's Union Church Gospel Choir. Kris was such an inspiration to all of us. His passion for Christ was so obvious. There were times in choir practice that he could barely contain it. He taught us about the importance of singing praises to God and how by our example, we could lead others to do the same. He was just awesome--and still is, just somewhere else. God lead him in another direction and there's no doubt in my mind, that many others will find him just as awesome as I did.
Shortly after Kris left, God placed another awesome man in my life. One of the most spiritual men I've ever known. We have prayed together every day for over three months and the words and the way he expresses his thoughts just amaze me. We haven't seen each other for about 11 years--it's a Facebook/phone relationship, but one that I feel so blessed to have and one that I thank God for every day.
And now, back to the beginning--Louie Giglio. I can't share all of the awesome men that have been in my life--the ones who have helped me get to where I am today, but I can share Louie Giglio. Here is the link to the 1st in a 5-part video series on how incredible God is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewKtSKbWZUI
If you want to feel passionate or renew your passion for Christ, do yourself a favor and tune into Louie. I'll be seeing him in person on May 15th as he and Chris Tomlin open the permanent location for Passion City Church in Atlanta, GA.
I am so excited!
I read these words on page 23 of Louie Giglio's book, The Air I Breathe--thank you Ron R. for loaning it to me. Louie Giglio is the most current awesome man that God has placed in my life. I can't get enough of him and the way that he expresses himself about the greatness of God, the Salvation delivered through Jesus Christ and the existence of the Holy Spirit. I am so passionate at this time in my life about Jesus Christ and my walk with Him. Thanks to Louie and a few other awesome men in my life.
The journey started with Chuck about 6 years ago. He had always been a believer, not me. But he had been through some major health issues and felt a strong desire to get closer to God. We started "church shopping". I was willing to do this, but I was basically appeasing him. He had said to me many times in our 38 year marriage, "I feel so sorry for you because I won't see you in heaven." That meant a lot to him, but not to me, the non-believer. So, after visiting 3 or 4 churches, we landed at Woods Chapel United Methodist. We stayed because we both liked the pastor, Jeff Brinkman. I almost always came away from one of his sermons just positive that he had been speaking to me directly, and I needed that.
Chuck passed away just 3 years later. We had started the process of becoming members mostly because that seemed like the next step. I didn't feel a real connection to Jesus Christ--I was just going through the motions. But the day Chuck died, Jeff Brinkman was at my door. He had some very profound words to say to me. Within a few days, he was back at my house sitting with me and my girls, listening to us tell about the awesome husband/father that we had lost. He performed the service and it was beautiful--my girls (also pretty much non-believers) were finding out for themselves, what an awesome man of God Jeff Brinkman is. A few months later, Jeff performed the wedding ceremony for Angela and Patrick and baptized me just 4 months after that. I now consider Jeff B. a dear friend and I am so grateful for the part he has played in connecting me to Jesus Christ.
And then came Kris Bartman, our music director at WCC. I joined the Gospel Choir--inspired by the 1st combined concert performance of the WCC Gospel Choir and the St. Mark's Union Church Gospel Choir. Kris was such an inspiration to all of us. His passion for Christ was so obvious. There were times in choir practice that he could barely contain it. He taught us about the importance of singing praises to God and how by our example, we could lead others to do the same. He was just awesome--and still is, just somewhere else. God lead him in another direction and there's no doubt in my mind, that many others will find him just as awesome as I did.
Shortly after Kris left, God placed another awesome man in my life. One of the most spiritual men I've ever known. We have prayed together every day for over three months and the words and the way he expresses his thoughts just amaze me. We haven't seen each other for about 11 years--it's a Facebook/phone relationship, but one that I feel so blessed to have and one that I thank God for every day.
And now, back to the beginning--Louie Giglio. I can't share all of the awesome men that have been in my life--the ones who have helped me get to where I am today, but I can share Louie Giglio. Here is the link to the 1st in a 5-part video series on how incredible God is.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ewKtSKbWZUI
If you want to feel passionate or renew your passion for Christ, do yourself a favor and tune into Louie. I'll be seeing him in person on May 15th as he and Chris Tomlin open the permanent location for Passion City Church in Atlanta, GA.
I am so excited!
Thursday, April 21, 2011
Gotta Love the God Moments
So, I went to bed fairly early last night, 11ish. But, I couldn't sleep. Once again, the "battlefield of my mind" was engaged. Negative thoughts, sad thoughts, questions and no answers to go along with them--I was a mess. Eventually I did fall asleep, but woke up again around 3:30. I decided to turn on TV. Insomniacs and people who's jobs may have them up in the wee hours of the morning know what's on TV at this time--nothing except garbage and infomercials, which are actually one and the same. So, I turn off the TV and get back into the battle.
Around 5:00, I woke up again. Now this is not real early by the standard of some people, but it is for me--about an hour or 2 before I normally get up. Once again, the battle in my mind is raging. I start praying, "Lord, help me with these thoughts". I toss and turn for a while and decide to try the distraction of the television again. As I'm channel surfing, I see a television evangelist--an Asian guy, but I can't remember his name. Then I remember that Joyce Meyer is usually on around this time and it ends up that the next channel I land on is Enjoying Everyday Life--Joyce Meyer. I start watching, but the show is almost over. As she ends the show, she asks us to listen to the wife of the owner of the St. Louis Rams who's name I do not remember, but the subject rang loud and clear--Joyce's book, The Battlefield of the Mind. Wow!
My mind left the battle on the field and started listening intently. Funny thing is, I have the book but I don't think I've ever read it. Duh. After the little promo for the book, Joyce comes back on and says she's going to pray for anyone that might be going through such a battle at this moment. Yay! Joyce Meyer is going to pray for me, Sharon Hutchens, just when I needed it most. The gist of the prayer--God loves me and he knows what's best for me and I should not worry about those things that take over my mind and deprive me of sleep and the peace that He has promised me. I knew that, but this morning I had to be reminded. And I'm sure I will have to be reminded again--probably tonight. ; )
What I really loved about this God moment, is when after hearing Joyce's prayer, my mind went immediately to what had happened earlier in the evening. I was over at Matt and Ashli's house watching the twins for a couple of hours while they were out. We put a movie in, Horton Hears A Who, but Payton wasn't interested in the movie. He wanted Bah Bah to tell him Jesus stories. Talk about a thrill--being asked by a 4 yr. old to talk about Jesus. Because of this Easter season, I started with the crucifiction. Payton butted in, he knew about bad people putting nails in Jesus' hands. So I began to tell him about Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt. He stopped me again, "Grandma, you already told me this one". I'm like, "when?" Payton says, "Remember, you told me at the pizza place". Yes, I remembered--it was about a year ago, he would have been barely 3 yrs. old at the time. Then I began to tell him about the miracles that Jesus performed and Payton was suddenly reminded of a book in his room with a story in it about Jesus putting "mud on a guy's eyes so he could see". The book was A Child's First Bible that I had given them when they were about two. We read the whole book.
I know, this was a long story, but I had to write it down. It was all about love--God's love for me, my love of God and me loving my grandchildren and sharing the fact that God loves them too.
Around 5:00, I woke up again. Now this is not real early by the standard of some people, but it is for me--about an hour or 2 before I normally get up. Once again, the battle in my mind is raging. I start praying, "Lord, help me with these thoughts". I toss and turn for a while and decide to try the distraction of the television again. As I'm channel surfing, I see a television evangelist--an Asian guy, but I can't remember his name. Then I remember that Joyce Meyer is usually on around this time and it ends up that the next channel I land on is Enjoying Everyday Life--Joyce Meyer. I start watching, but the show is almost over. As she ends the show, she asks us to listen to the wife of the owner of the St. Louis Rams who's name I do not remember, but the subject rang loud and clear--Joyce's book, The Battlefield of the Mind. Wow!
My mind left the battle on the field and started listening intently. Funny thing is, I have the book but I don't think I've ever read it. Duh. After the little promo for the book, Joyce comes back on and says she's going to pray for anyone that might be going through such a battle at this moment. Yay! Joyce Meyer is going to pray for me, Sharon Hutchens, just when I needed it most. The gist of the prayer--God loves me and he knows what's best for me and I should not worry about those things that take over my mind and deprive me of sleep and the peace that He has promised me. I knew that, but this morning I had to be reminded. And I'm sure I will have to be reminded again--probably tonight. ; )
What I really loved about this God moment, is when after hearing Joyce's prayer, my mind went immediately to what had happened earlier in the evening. I was over at Matt and Ashli's house watching the twins for a couple of hours while they were out. We put a movie in, Horton Hears A Who, but Payton wasn't interested in the movie. He wanted Bah Bah to tell him Jesus stories. Talk about a thrill--being asked by a 4 yr. old to talk about Jesus. Because of this Easter season, I started with the crucifiction. Payton butted in, he knew about bad people putting nails in Jesus' hands. So I began to tell him about Moses leading the Israelites out of Egypt. He stopped me again, "Grandma, you already told me this one". I'm like, "when?" Payton says, "Remember, you told me at the pizza place". Yes, I remembered--it was about a year ago, he would have been barely 3 yrs. old at the time. Then I began to tell him about the miracles that Jesus performed and Payton was suddenly reminded of a book in his room with a story in it about Jesus putting "mud on a guy's eyes so he could see". The book was A Child's First Bible that I had given them when they were about two. We read the whole book.
I know, this was a long story, but I had to write it down. It was all about love--God's love for me, my love of God and me loving my grandchildren and sharing the fact that God loves them too.
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