Last month I had the opportunity to host a series at Eikon Church called “THROUGH THE FIRE.” The series focused on what to do when God doesn’t show up like you thought He would. It opened conversations to how life can be full of struggle, challenge, and obstacles of all kinds and how to walk through it together to get, well . . . through the fire.
Hosting this series was special for me because each and every message resonated with me. I didn’t personally move to Texas to be close to my family, but God has definitely used this move to bring me closer to my family in ways I did not anticipate. I would have never imagined that I’d be taking my mother to the hospital a mere 3 months after my move, to discover that she has a series of critical care medical needs. The thought of stepping into the role of Power of Attorney (PoA) for my mother never even crossed my mind. Though taking on that responsibility has stretched and pressed me at every level, I can now see why it was necessary and how God is using it to refine my heart, mind, body, and soul. Each message in the THROUGH THE FIRE series found me tearing up and clinging to the truth of who God is in the middle of my stress-filled mess.
As my mother’s PoA, I’ve had to make so many stressful and important decisions. I’ve had to make a decision as to which Assisted Living facility to move her to, manage her finances on all fronts, and schedule appointments with a bevy of medical specialists. I’ve had to move her out of an apartment she’s had for years and move her into a new place (which she’s not too happy about at all, and lets me know every chance she gets). I’ve had to serve as a liaison between my mother, her previous employers/employees, my siblings, my relatives, doctors, and the Assisted Living personnel. On top of it all, I still have a job to do—which is very extensive but also allows me to do what I truly love to do. During the months of December and January, I was also taking on the role of Interim Kid’s Pastor at Eikon while our awesome Kid’s Pastor was on Sabbatical. Now that that season is over, I’ve been managing life as PoA for my mom along with continuing to train my assistant in youth ministry, tackling creative team tasks, and strengthening our youth ministry team as our church grows. I’m grateful for the ability to be refreshed by the ministry and doing the creative things I’ve been allowed to do on the Eikon team—creative arts and social connections breathe so much life into me. The biggest blessings through this ‘fire’ have been the prayer/emotional/verbal/actionable support of our Eikon Church staff, the Eikon Youth leadership team, and my amazing housemates! These beautiful people have been pillars of strength for me to lean on and into.
I’m grateful for the opportunity to have hosted that series because it gave me a platform to not just connect visually with the people in our church, but it also opened doors for conversations after service from others who had/were facing the same struggles or were moved by the words I shared in reflecting how the message was affecting my spirit. It also provided me with a stronger sense of community and faith connection to our Eikon Church family. This series was a game-changer not just for myself, but also for so many in our congregation who had been struggling through some of the circumstances presented in the messages. It also introduced me to one of my favorite songs: LIVING WITH A FIRE. The words are powerful truth and helped me to connect with God on a deeper level. I loved singing along at the top of my lungs with our worship team each Sunday!
If you feel you are in the middle of a fiery situation and need some hope for navigating life THROUGH THE FIRE, I encourage you to check out these messages from our series at Eikon. And if you want to hear the original recording from Chase Wagner of LIVING WITH A FIRE, scroll to the end.
amo.says 