Volume 2022: Edition 2
Food for thought: Mercy
Hello everyone, and welcome back to a new year with us. We apologize for the missed updates these past couple of months when I was down with Covid. We appreciate you coming back for the update this week and month as we continue to grow and study His word.
Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your loving kindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin.
For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. Against You, you only, have I sinned, And done this evil in Your sight— That You may be found just when You speak, And blameless when You judge.
Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity, And in sin my mother conceived me. Behold, you desire truth in the inward parts, And in the hidden part You will make me to know wisdom.
Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; Wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow. Make me hear joy and gladness, That the bones You have broken may rejoice. Hide Your face from my sins, And blot out all my iniquities.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, And renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me away from Your presence, And do not take Your Holy Spirit from me.
Restore to me the joy of Your salvation, And uphold me by Your generous Spirit. Then I will teach transgressors Your ways, And sinners shall be converted to You.
Deliver me from the guilt of bloodshed, O God, The God of my salvation, And my tongue shall sing aloud of Your righteousness. O Lord, open my lips, And my mouth shall show forth Your praise. For You do not desire sacrifice, or else I would give it; You do not delight in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit, A broken and a contrite heart— These, O God, you will not despise.
Do good in Your good pleasure to Zion; Build the walls of Jerusalem. Then You shall be pleased with the sacrifices of righteousness, With burnt offering and whole burnt offering; Then they shall offer bulls on Your altar.
(Psalm 51)
I have to write this because I don't think I will be able to say it if I don't, and I still might not be able to. I'm leaving a lot out, but this is a big part of what happened these past few months...
The first thing I have to say is Thank you God! Thank you for saving our Taylor. Thank you for saving me. The past three months have been the most trying and difficult time for me. I could lie and say I always knew God was with me and I had no doubt but that would be the furthest from the truth. I was in the darkest place in my life. I have never thought I could get to a point where I would doubt there was a God. My fear consumed me, I let all doubt and fear rule my mind.
When I needed God the most, I felt nothing but fear and doubt. I prayed constant and yet felt nothing, but doubt and fear overcome me. I didn't think of anyone's pain or hurt but my own, I was selfish in my own pain. I had family and myself, but I was so consumed in fear and doubt that I couldn't see or feel anything but that.
Every day felt like a lifetime, every minute and every second. I didn't think of my own wife or kids' feelings, I didn't think of our family or her Husband's feelings. No one but my own because I was so scared of what could happen and the thought of losing my little girl. I was so selfish. I lost my mind; I lost what little faith I had; I lost all myself to darkness.
I thought "why would God take my little girl? why would God punish her for all my mistakes?". I was so lost that I blamed myself for what was happening to Taylor. I thought God was punishing me for all the wrong I have done in my life; for all of my sins. There was nothing anyone could say that would change my mind that I was to blame or any words that could comfort me. I was lost.
And when I thought I couldn't possibly get any lower the doctors called to tell us that they had run out of options and that we had to prepare to make a decision to take Taylor off the ventilator and hope for the best. It felt like I crumbled into a million pieces, like when you crush a cookie in your hand until there's nothing but cookie dust. I just remember that night my dad and brother told me to get on my knees with my wife and pray. For the first time in my life, I prayed with my wife on my knees, and at that time I couldn't feel anything. I felt there was no God. I had no energy to fight, I was done. That was the longest night of my life, but I didn't know at the time that it would be the start of something new.
Later that night I was on the phone with my dad and brother again and this would be the moment my life would change. A few months or so ago, at church, during class, Stevie was talking about Taylor and how it made him feel and how he didn't know what he could say to help or comfort. But at my darkest moment, he did. That night when I was at my lowest, they prayed for our family and me, but then Stevie would say something that changed everything for me. It was the simplest thing: "Fight for your daughter! Go talk to God and fight for her" that was it. This was something I thought I was already doing because I thought my praying and begging for her were enough, but I never just stopped to think that God wanted me to just talk to Him. I was so empty and felt like I was nothing; but once he said those words to fight for her, I thought in my head, I have nothing to lose.
I went upstairs to Taylor's room, and I talked. At first, it was like all my prayers before begging God to save her, but then it turned into me asking for forgiveness. For everything, and I mean everything. I confessed everything I have ever done and all my fears and doubts. When I was done talking to Him a few hours had gone by, and it felt like all the weight of all the pain I was carrying was lifted. I didn't hear a voice. I didn't feel He was there, but He gave me peace that night and gave me hope and strength to fight.
Every day after that night I could feel He was with me. My heart wasn't hardened anymore, and my doubt and fear weren't consuming me every second of the day. A week went by before Taylor would be stable and things would start to change. I never thought I would have to go through something like this to realize what I really had in this life, but God broke me to show me. It almost felt like when Taylor stabilized, so did I.
I prayed constantly and I didn't let fear stop me from praying or feeling myself change inside. And every day that I and Brandy would go to the hospital and pray for Taylor at her window it would feel just a little easier. Once they cleared Taylor of Covid they allowed one person in to see her, and that's when God began his show. Dillon and Brandy would rotate to spend time with Taylor in her room while I sat outside her window, and I would see God answer not only my prayers but everyones. Every day was hard to sit and wait, but God made sure that every day he would give us hope and show me that He was listening. Every minute, every hour, and every day since the doctors let Brandy and Dillon in, God was showing me that He was here.
In my darkest moments, I always asked God to hear me or say something, or even just to show me He was there. I never thought He would answer me like this. I got to sit outside and see God heal Taylor every minute of the day. I couldn't believe it at first because so much was happening day by day, and for me to be sitting outside getting updates from Brandy, I questioned everything because that's who I am. God healed Taylor in front of my eyes every day. I know people are going to say that it was what the doctors didn't, but if you were there every day and sat at her window, you would know it was God. The doctors didn't give me peace, or hope, and they didn't break down the wall that Taylor was running into for weeks. It was Jesus who broke down the wall, and it was Him who brought Taylor and me back.
I had people that were close to me who were discouraging me and trying to keep doubt in my heart, but God made sure he put people in my path to keep me uplifted. Two of many people God put in my path were my cousin and her husband. They both went through the same thing that our family was going through just months before. I talked daily with them, and they both prayed for me and Brandy for strength and to put up the good fight. With their encouragement came songs; songs that I have heard for years but never took to heart until God opened my eyes and ears. I would sit in the car with Dillon for hours listening to the same songs over and over getting a new message from them every time. Every day got easier, and my heart and eyes were open to what God was doing in front of me.
I still have fear and I know this story will never end, but I know God is here. I have a long way to go, but I know I have people around me to lean on. And I know now more than ever that God has always been with me, and that I need Him to lead the way.
We are grateful to have you with us as readers, church members, and interested guests and we are always open to any suggestions and volunteers for our website, newsletter, and future activities. We hope to see you at our Sunday services, and stay tuned for our coming newsletters' and updates at church, at bible study, on Facebook, and on the website weekly!
Upcoming Events
Special Prayers:
Continue praying for Taylor Lambrecht for healing and strength.
Continue praying for Conrad Sack and the Sack Family for healing and patience
Pray for the continued healing on our church.
Weekly Devotional:
Trust In the Lord
Trust in God one day at a time. This keeps you close to Him, and responsive to His will. Trust is not a natural response, especially for those who have been deeply wounded. His Spirit within you is your resident Tutor, helping you in this supernatural endeavor. Yield to His gentle touch; be sensitive to His prompting.
Exert your will to Him in all circumstances. Don't let your need to understand distract you from His Presence. He will equip you to get through this day victoriously as you live in deep dependence on Him. Tomorrow is busy worrying about itself; don't get tangled up in its worry-webs.
Young, S. (2n.d.). Jesus calling: Enjoying peace in his presence: Devotions for every day of the year. Integrity Publishers.
"O Lord of hosts, Blessed is the man who trusts in You!"
(Psalm 84:12)
"Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble."
(Matthew 6:34)
Verse of the Week:
"Have I not commanded you? Be strong and of good courage; do not be afraid, nor be dismayed, for the Lord your God is with you wherever you go"
(Joshua 1:9)
Communal Outreach
Please email berthoudfoursquarechurch@gmail.com , call (970)405-3053, or connect with us on the Wix-app if you have any interest in the following...
Float Committee for Berthoud Days and the Berthoud Christmas Parade
The Seven-Words Presentation on Good Friday
Rebooting Community Fellowship Luncheon (Previously known as Damas)
Rebooting Youth Group
Questions?
For any questions or suggestions regarding our newsletter please email berthoudfoursquarechurch@gmail.com or call (970)405-3053
What a blessing to praise our Lord while we continue to go thru valleys and be of encouragement to others. Let your light shine before men that they may see your good works. 🙏🏽🙌🏾🙏🏽