Good evening, Family! ๐๐ฝโโ๏ธ๐๐ป
This week, we praise God for:
๐ The Vega Familyโs GREAT NEWS that John is doing much better and has has a clean Bill of health on the test results they've already gotten back post radiation. They praise God for healing and strength! We will continue to pray for a full recovery and for John to feel God's presence by His side.
๐ Carole praised God in the storm for her brother-in-law, Harry. Though he does have bladder cancer, his family is grateful that the cancer is contained to his bladder and has not spread. Let's continue to pray with Carole and her family for Harry's healing and for God's Perfect Will to be done in Harry's life and the lives of those around him through this difficulty.
๐ Seth thanked the church family for all the love showered upon him during his special Week.๐ฅฐ He also introduced us to his amazing new robot!๐ค Reminding us all (DON'T MISS IT!) to be grateful for a church family who loves deeply, and is always willing to go above and beyond for one another! โฅ๏ธ THANK YOU JESUS! ๐
๐ We ALL raise our hands in solidarity and praise with Kristina and Andy, as they shared the wonderful news that they are expecting a miracle! We are also grateful that God has given Kristina the courage to share her news and her burdens with the church family. Let's surround this family, who is so precious to us all, with our love, faith and strength. We are also a church who lovingly shares one another's burdens...may they walk lighter knowing that you are each committed to lifting them up in earnest prayer for a safe and healthy pregnancy. ๐๐ฝ (And please remember Seth doesn't know. ๐คซ Let's be careful about mentioning it on the Zoom line.) ๐
We are also praying for:
๐ Each and every silent prayer request lifted.
๐ ALL of the children connected by love to The Lighthouse as they begin a new school year. May God grant them a year filled with learning, friendships, memories and new MERCIES, available to them each and every morning! ๐
๐ The Edmond Family; that God would grant them traveling mercies as they are away for the long weekend. May God keep them safe and bless their time together.
๐ Catheryn, Connor and growing Baby Llibre. May the Lord watch over and protect them, their new home and their future plans as they continue to walk with Him.
๐ Protection and intervention on Elijah's behalf while he is in Florida. May God grant him and his family resolution on his custody case, that he might return to his family soon.
๐ Our Bible Study groups on Sabbath morning and our Prayer Ports during the week. May they lead to stronger and healthier relationships with Jesus.
๐ Matthew, as he deals with the pressures of the academy. May God strengthen and protect him as he continues to pursue his dreams in law enforcement.
Tonight's Prison Ministry Devotional is filled with the power of hope and love! ๐ Praying it inspires you as it has inspired us as a church all these years! ๐
AN ANGEL TREE MIRACLE IN AN EMPTY LIVING ROOM
Michele Purnell's living room felt empty. So did she. Drugs and alcohol couldn't fill her enough; substance abuse and men had become her escape from reality. She had bills to pay, two young children to raise alone, and an incarcerated husband who wouldn't be home anytime soon. The other man she'd been dating had just moved out. He had left some shabby lawn chairs, an old projector, and not much else in her Florida home.
Nothing about the family's situation was easy to discuss. But one day Michele's son George opened up to his teacher, revealing that his dad was in jail. The teacher paid the family a visit to see how they were coping, along with friends from Calvary Church.
"When they showed up at the door, I was nervous," Michele remembers. "But somehow, I just couldn't tell them no. And a miracle happened."
A NIGHT FOR AN ANGEL TREE MIRACLE
Michele let their guests into the empty living room. They were a humbled familyโone overwhelmed mom with two low-paying jobs and little hope; one son struggling with homework and fending off bullies at school; the other son, Jamie, aching from the void his father left. But the group of strangers who sat in Purnell family lawn chairs showed no judgment, and no reserveโjust love.
It was the beginning of a mighty miracle in Michele, George, and little Jamie's life.
As Christmas approached, those familiar faces from Calvary Church returned. This time they came as volunteers with Angel Treeยฎ, a Prison Fellowshipยฎ program that delivers gifts and the Gospel message to children on behalf of their incarcerated parents.
Jamie stood gaping by the open car trunk as volunteers handed gifts to him and George. The boy was in first grade at the timeโtoo young to understand the demons his dad was facing, but old enough to appreciate what was happening.
"These are from your father!" said one volunteer.
The two boys erupted with delight. "How did he do that?" they said over and over.
Clutching those presents was the closest thing to wrapping their arms around their father. After unwrapping his gifts, Jamie's favorites were his new shirt and a basketball. In the days ahead, he would dribble that ball until it stopped holding air.
Watching their Christmas miracle unfold, Michele stood nearby, choking back tears. Her empty living room had suddenly become full.
PERFECT TIMING
The tears still came more than a decade later as Michele sat outside King's Academy in West Palm Beach during an Angel Tree Sports Clinicโข, where she was volunteering for the day. At a shaded picnic table, she recalled her story with fresh gratitude.
God came in through Angel Tree and just changed my life โฆ I didn't even know what the Bible said. I didn't even know that the way I'd been living my own life was wrong. I started going to Calvary Church after they reached out to me, and the pastor would teach the Bible chapter by chapter, verse by verse. And the Bible just came alive for me.