A note from Kristina Thom

Years ago some friends of ours gave us a book to read before Jeremy went on sabbatical. It has been so long that I don’t think I could articulate what was in the book, but I just remember loving it so much. I happened to come across a quote from it after Bible Study this week and it so beautifully articulated what had happened during our gathering: 



The Rest of God by Mark Buchanan
"I discover all over that this is exactly what God loves: to make his power perfect in our weakness, to show up in splendor when we show up in faithfulness, obedient but inadequate, trusting but inept, with nothing in our hands but our need for him. 'You feed them,' he tells us, when we have hardly enough to feed ourselves. We give what we have anyway and find afterward that everyone has had his fill. There are even basketfuls remaining."

I showed up to Bible study totally wrecked this week with nothing to offer my group beyond being a human in need of Jesus. It seemed almost everyone in the group was in similar space. We shared our crumbled hearts with each other as we laid them at the feet of Jesus. We had no immediate fix or words of wisdom for all the situations. For most of us, what we could offer to the discussion, were a few crumbs. We gave from the little that we had, which were our tears, laughter, presence, and prayers.

Though it was hardly enough to even feed ourselves, TOGETHER we experienced an abundance of the sustenance and strengthening so desperately needed. Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control (Galatians 5:22-23). AND there are even basketfuls remaining.