God Moments

What are God moments? The secular world talks about “coincidences” or “happenstance,” but as Christians, we recognize and experience the presence of the Living God breaking into our “ordinary” lives. 

This can take many forms, but in such instances we know without a doubt that the God of the Universe has revealed Himself, often when we least expected it. Some examples include when God blesses, heals, sustains or protects us; gives us inner peace or a way out; directs our path; makes us stronger through adversity; changes our mind or perspective; or causes us to realize that we've grown.

Whether they are the equivalent of moving mountains or speaking with a still small voice—through Scripture, music, nature or another person—God moments can be so amazing that we feel compelled to share them with others. This page gives you the opportunity to testify to God's awesome power, love and faithfulness. Send an e-mail with a “moment” you would like to have posted to ajordan@oeumc.org.

 

BY HIS SPIRIT

Last Saturday, 30 volunteer youth and adults from Oakdale Emory left in five teams for Raleigh County, West Virginia, to repair the homes of families in the Beckley area. It was quite simply the most remarkable mission I have been on during my years of service with the Appalachia Service Project (ASP). Unique because I hadn’t been on a trip where 80% of Oakdale’s teams were assigned to work on a single-lane gravel road a couple of hundred feet in length. This year that very thing happened when four of our teams, 24 youth and adults, were assigned to work together on homes on Omak Street in Ury, an unincorporated town about 20 miles from downtown Beckley. Remarkable because of the bond that developed between the Oakdale family and the families on Omak Street, most of whom were related one way or another.

During the week, as we continued to make repairs, the whole appearance of Omak Street began to change. It was a wonderful thing to behold. We walked up and down the street offering encouragement to the other teams, helping with work or supplying materials and tools. Old and rotting wood on decks, porches, exterior walls, bathrooms, roofs, soffits, fascia and floors was being replaced, and you could feel and see the families’ spirits were being lifted by the improvements they could see were being made. Some told us they had been praying that this would happen since there was no other way for this to happen and were certain that God was answering them by sending us there.

One special moment—a God moment, if you will—for me came on Thursday. The day was hot, we were working hard, and by the afternoon, I was beginning to sag a bit. Right then, Margaret, the matriarch of Omak Street, who was either mother or grandmother to most of the people living there, set out lunch in the middle of the road with a general call to all to come and get it. As everyone was gathering to eat her “slaw dogs,” she told us that the Holy Spirit had sent us there and serving us lunch was the least she could do for His servants. At that moment, I realized the people whose spirits we were trying to lift were now reaching out to lift the spirits of the people who were there to serve them at just the moment we needed it most.

After I had finished and was returning to my work site refreshed and rejuvenated, I reflected on this year’s ASP mission theme from Zechariah 4:6 “Not by force nor by strength but by my Spirit.” In that moment, I felt God was present on Omak Street and that his Holy Spirit was at work. By His Spirit, the Oakdale teams and the families we were working for had given each other the strength to carry on. And by His Spirit, we had accepted each other. Both the Oakdale teams and families on Omak Street had become the servers and the ones being served.

—Mark Aebig  6/29/08

 

TWICE BLESSED   

     I have a God moment to share! Actually, it is two God moments in one.

     Today, I had an awesome blessing! It was the opportunity to spend time with a large group of people who see a vision....a vision for Oakdale Emory as a “Whole People” and, most importantly, people who belong to the Body of Christ. I was in awe as I listened and witnessed ideas exchanged. Today was the first time I was part of this process (TAG Survey/ Strategic Planning). I was grateful to be there.

     As I was driving home, though, I recognized another God-moment that I want to share with you now: I had the opportunity with my family, in April, to be a part of Midweek Manna (a Wednesday night dinner at Oakdale Emory where individuals can come and have a meal and fellowship). I had been a part of this ministry for a while but, this time the preparations and evening were on my shoulders. Two weeks were assigned to me. It was good! It was all good!

     The first week, I planned the meal, shopped for the meal, and set a timetable for what needed to done. There were two moms and their daughters who were to help me. They were to come and help when their children came home from school. I was very excited to see what we could bring to the evening. I arrived at the church early in the day. I began to prepare the meal.

     Then, out of the blue, God sent me an angel! Her name is Betty Eshenour. I didn’t ask her to come. She just came! She came and simply asked, “What can I do?” She came with a servant’s heart. She helped me prepare the evening meal for about 70 people. The moms and their children did help, but Betty was a God-send!

     There were two things that I saw from this: One was that there were two people who love the Lord who had never met—but decided to help each other. That’s it! Simply it! And the other gift was that there were three generations of OEUMC who came together...to be together...to do what needed to be done.

     Those are my God moments and I am blessed!

     —Gratefully His, Diane White  5/30/08 

 
A FUNNY THING HAPPENED ON THE WAY TO FLORIDA 
      My wife Susan and I have had plans for several weeks to go to Tampa, Florida, this coming weekend to attend a wedding. I don’t have to tell you how the economy has put the squeeze on everyone lately. With the price of food, gas and everything else, it has put the pinch on us to the point that this trip’s timing was less than desirable. We had been praying about it, though, and I was very happy when we were surprised by some of God’s goodness.
      First, we were almost shocked by Kevin’s sermon a couple of weeks ago when he mentioned Matthew 6:25-34. “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat and drink.” We felt that God was reminding us that He had control and we are not to worry. The second thing was I told Susan that I had a funny feeling that we were coming into a windfall of some kind. Hours later, my brother called out of the blue with some money he owed me. It was a God moment for me for sure. 
     —Tim Anderson  5/4/08
 

FLIGHTS OF ANGELS...

      A couple years ago, my mom went down to Florida to look after my 87-year-old grandmother so my aunt and uncle, who lived nearby, could take a much-needed break as her caregivers in the end stages of chronic leukemia. One evening around 7:30, Mom called me to say she hadn’t gotten any sleep the previous night and was completely exhausted. Although she didn’t ask me to come help, I knew that’s what I had to do and was on a plane at BWI 90 minutes later.

      I arrived at Grandma’s apartment just after midnight, talked briefly with Mom, and then tried going to sleep. It was difficult because Grandma was “talking” nonstop—not coherently but rather a constant babbling—which had been going on for at least 24 hours. A hospice worker had told my mom than dying people sometimes replay scenes and conversations from their lives. Eventaully, though, we nodded off. Around 5 a.m., Mom went to check on Grandma and couldn’t find her! I went into her bedroom and discovered that she had rolled onto the floor in the narrow space between the bed and the wall.

      While my mother went to call for assistance, I somehow wedged myself on the floor next to Grandma and took her hand. Suddenly, she spoke clearly:

      “Angels.”

      “What about angels?” I asked.

      “See angels,” she replied

      “You see angels?”

      “Talking to me.”

      “Angels are talking to you?”

      “Beautiful.”

      Those were her last words, but what an incredible gift! At that moment, I went from believing there is a God, to knowing there is a God. It makes all the difference.

      —Anne Jordan  4/23/08

 

 

GOD WALKED IN                                                                              

      I wanted to share with all of you that God appeared at Oakdale Emory last week. I arrived at the Chapel last Thursday evening for the Celebrate Recovery leadership meeting, and the group was going to meet in the Chapel area but the heat had been turned off and it was 48 degrees. So we decided to move to The Refuge—a lot warmer. The meeting began and some of the discussion became quit tense and several leaders were not sure they wanted to continue with CR if others outside of Celebrate Recovery could not give their recovery testimonies. 

      Knowing the fundamental background of the Celebrate Recovery program and not having any other recovery program experience which all of these members did—I was at a loss for words to help them through this but I needed to speak. So I said a little prayer to God to give me the words to pray with this group. At that moment, we had an interruption at the side door that was locked. One member got up and let a woman in (I assumed that she was lost). No, she said, she had come to pray! We assumed she needed prayers, a refuge or a safe place, so we invited her to stay as we were going to pray before breaking up for small groups. The rest of the testimony discussion was calm, reflective and respectful and ended on a very positive note. 

      Then Marta shared her story: She had gone to her church for choir practice and when she had gotten there she found out that they weren’t having it so she turned around and headed home, but not in the direction she had come as she needed milk and envelopes. As she drove by Oakdale, she felt compelled to stop and pray—something was pulling her in—to find a group or a person that needed prayers. She had fasted all day and was feeling that God needed her to speak. She had worked her way around from the front of the Chapel to The Refuge door (all doors locked). She knew nothing about Celebrate Recovery, she knew nothing about Oakdale—but she prayed for the awakening of our church, she prayed for the leaders, she prayed for our community and the children.  There was not one dry eye left in the room and the power of God was so real, I am still shaking from that moment, as I know the rest of the group is as well. What a blessing God sent to us that night! God had placed us in The Refuge!

      “When I said ‘My foot is slipping,’ your love, O Lord, supported me. When anxiety was great within me, your love brought joy to my soul.” Psalm 94:18-19 

      —Leslie Myers  2/28/08