October 17 – “Bella joins …”

There are some really exciting things going on at Seaside lately.  As we were setting up for the Festival a young lady from Israel (She identifies herself as simply a Jew who believes Jesus is Messiah) stopped by to say hi.  She gazed at the decorations – pumpkins and squash gourds and scarecrows and cornstalks and hay bales.  And her eyes lit up with excitement.  She has a pretty thick accent, and it took me a time or two to understand what she was saying, but I finally got it.  She was bubbling over and over, “I see it.  It is Sukkot. It is Sukkot.  The feast of tabernacles is here.” 

Beyond the Fall Festival kind of community events, we have seen some folks step up as individuals in highly creative ways as well.  For example, one of our newer Seasiders, Suzann, is a hair stylist.  She approached me at the Festival to tell me she had been talking with another stylist about offering their services to other Seasiders in exchange for them making a donation to the church, or even free if they can’t afford it otherwise.  I told her any kind of creative ministry like that is sure OK by me, so we will be planning a haircut ministry weekend in the future.  Someone already jumped the gun on her offer, though.  I saw her cutting Dale’s hair after dinner on the grounds yesterday.

And speaking of Suzann, the sisters I mentioned yesterday (one from Tennessee and one here 8 months of the year) did come to church.  I was talking to them about the recent loss of a spouse each had experienced not too long ago.  And who should walk in the door have a seat right in front of them?  None other than Suzann, who had experienced a similar loss not too long ago herself.  I introduced the ladies, and … what a remarkable “coincidence” ... they live in the very same community neighborhood.  It didn’t take long for them to exchange phone numbers and talk about doing some carpooling to church.

Yesterday we had another family approach me about membership.  Lynn and Stephanie have been attending for quite a while now, and have totally immersed themselves in what is going on here.  Lynn has replaced one of our church air conditioners already.  Stephanie leads the Tuesday night Ladies Bible Study.  They are also the ones who come with Bella, the tiny little service dog.  Ah, yes, Bella, who has most assuredly become comfortable at church every week, and we have all come to look forward to her antics.  (Quick Bella anecdote: We learned a few weeks ago that Bella has a thing for cows.  I don’t know if she likes them and wants play with them, or if she senses danger from the massive beasts and wants to protect her pack.  But apparently every time she sees a cow, and even when she hears the word “cow” spoken aloud in her presence, she barks a caution to all around).  Anyway, Stephanie told me, “We are totally committed to the church here.  This is without question home to us now.  We love it here.  We just have never said that out loud before.  So … I guess … this is our ‘out loud.’”  We welcome new members by assuring them as a group that we will pray for them and encourage them and support them in their search to discover what God wants them to do and as they carry that lifestyle out.  Everyone says together, “We will.”  Then I ask the new members to agree to the same thing, to be encouragers, to pray for the church and support it in every way that they can.  They also respond, “We will.”  We did all that before we even started worship yesterday (I couldn’t wait).  And then I had a thought.  And that thought began to form a plan.  And that plan was just swelling within me.  And then I couldn’t stand it.  It burst forth from me before I could contain it.  I slowly returned to where Lynn and Stephanie were sitting, and I said, “And Bella … COW.”  True to form, Bella responded with a hearty bark of her own, thus sealing her membership in the community as well.  And her task as a Seasider?  We will always be protected from interloping bovines. 

Galatians 1:3-5 says, “Grace and peace to you from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to rescue us from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen.”

Father, thank you for being at work all around us at Seaside.  Keep on moving any way you want to.  Just be patient with us as we try to keep up.  Amen.