God's Good Grace

This past weekend I had the amazing opportunity to perform "The Story of Gomer" three times at Hauser Community Church in North Bend, Oregon. I performed it for all three of their services, one on Saturday night and two on Sunday morning. I pray that the story will be used of God to remind or to tell people of His love for them and of his amazing forgiveness.

I have a feeling "someone" didn't want the story told. Friday morning before we left I woke up with a very pink, goopy left eye. After a week of leading games at VBS (where we also had a momentary unidentifiable rash scare), who knows where I caught it. I made up some chaparral/comfrey eye wash and prayed for healing. We left after Erik's doctor's appointment on Friday morning and I put drops in my eyes every two hours (and prayed) the whole way down to North Bend. Saturday I did the same while we were out and about playing tourists (neither Erik nor I had ever been that far south on Hwy 101 before). Saturday night my eyes were clear and I was able to wear my contacts and the performance went well. I even wore an over the ear microphone for the first time! That was actually quite fun and not as scary as I was anticipating.

Sunday morning my eyes stayed clear and the first performance went well. Second performance (technically third of the weekend) about half way through the tiredness suddenly hit me. (This was also my first time performing this story three times in short succession.) I never realize how much energy a performance takes until suddenly I just feel too tired and almost nauseated to go on. It's also amazing to me what can run through my brain while I'm on stage performing. Sunday second service it was this, "Dear God, I can't do this. I can't go on. But I can't just run off stage and not finish the story, Lord this must be in your strength, because I have nothing left to give." And do you know what? He gave the strength. The story was told, and told well. The message of God's redeeming love and amazing forgiveness touched many hearts because God is faithful to equip where he calls.

And the story of God's provision and protection on this journey does not end there. On our way home yesterday as we were coming into Tillamook, Erik asked if we could stop and get the tires on our van rotated at Les Schwab. I said, "Oh sure, I guess." They took one look at our almost completely tread-bare front tire and wondered that we didn't have a blow out or a flat. So even though we are now in the market for at least two new tires and we need an alignment done on the van, WE MADE IT SAFELY HOME. By God's good grace we made it safely home.