Our Heavenly Father’s Eyes Are Always Upon Us – Wherever We Are By Joachim (Joe) Stephan

I shared in previous blogs that as a young man – fervently seeking for God’s presence in our times – had an experience that confirmed for me that God speaks today. Not that he still speaks today – but that he has spoken in all ages. That was my first encounter with the presence of the Lord in my life. The year was 1954. The place was Maxwell AFB, Alabama.

I also shared how my Heavenly Father led me to a Godly family when I least expected it – the Stewart and Maxine Wight family.  When I was young airman stationed on the island of Taiwan I was uniquely led to them and was looked after and given council by them in a most unexpected time and place. That was my second encounter with the presence of the Lord. The year was 1956. The place was the capital city of Taipei.

After initially finding the church in Montgomery, Alabama I found myself in 1954 assigned by the US Air Force to Japan. I soon found the small group of church members in Tokyo and worshipped/fellowshipped with them every other Sunday. There I soon asked for baptism.  The leader of the mission was Carl Crum who worked in the American embassy. He guided me in the study of the church and how it began and what we believed. Then – on December 4, 1954 he baptized me in a Seventh Day Adventist Church whose pastor had kindly made their baptismal fount available. I had become the first member of the Reorganized Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints that had been baptized in Japan. Imagine – a young man born in Germany and now baptized in Japan!

I visited with Carl Crum and his hospitable wife often in order to learn more about the church and what its member believed. But in May 1955 I was suddenly (and secretly) sent to the island of Taiwan to assist the National Chinese Army and Air Force in the installation and use of radio equipment all over Taiwan and the Pescadores Islands. It was during that time that I became “lost” to the church until our Heavenly Father directed another member of the church who was also stationed in Taiwan – to find me. You will find that account in my earlier blog.

I returned to the United States in May 1956 and since that time found myself and soon my wife to be in churches in Montgomery, Alabama, Evergreen, Alabama, Pensacola, Florida,  Oak Ridge Tennessee, Columbus, Ohio, Mansfield, Ohio and finally in Richland, Washington. We were privileged to attend several World Conferences. When in Ohio we had frequent visits to the Kirtland Temple and on one occasion I had the privilege of marrying a couple in the Temple – the last such event to be allowed to be performed there.

It was around 1979 when we were worshipping in the Richland Congregation that I shook hands on Sunday after church services with our Patriarch – Lloyd Whiting. I had given the sermon that day and spoke of the time when I joined the church in Japan.  Brother Whiting was in his seventies then and walked forward leaning because his back hurt. To reduce his discomfort he would usually prop himself against the door post at the back of the church to greet people. That day when I shook his hand, he asked me: “Did you ever hear the story of Carl Crum?” I confessed that I did not. Actually I did not even know that Brother Whiting knew Carl Crum.  He continued: during the mid-1920s Brother Carl Crum had been called to be an appointee in the RLDS Church. However he had barely entered that service when the Great Depression “hit”. Reluctantly, the church leadership had to dismiss Brother Crum.  Carl Crum was understandably unhappy about his dismissal – so soon after he accepted his appointment. In response to his dismissal he quit attending church in defiance – for several years.

It was not until the mid- thirties that Brother Carl and his wife again felt a hunger for the fellowship of the “Saints” as they were called then. They chose Silver Lake reunion in the hope that nobody would know them there.

So it was that they attended a morning prayer service at the reunion. As they had hoped nobody seemed to know them there.  But the Lord knew where his son and daughter were as they soon found out.  There was a young couple there who had come grief stricken to the reunion.  They had just lost their little boy who had been killed in a roadway by an automobile.  It was sometime during the prayer service when the little boy’s father – knowing nothing about the Crums stood up and pointed across the aisle at Brother Crum and spoke under the influence of the Spirit: “Thus sayeth the Spirit:  “Unless you - Son of Man - repent and rejoin the fellowship of the Saints you will lift your eyes in hell with regret. I command you to return to the flock. There are those souls who live now and there are those yet to come who await your ministry!” (I cannot vouch for each word but the part about “lifting his eyes in hell with regret” and “those souls who await your ministry” I will always remember.)

I stood there stunned looking at Brother Whiting. I knew then that I had been one of those souls whose life had been touched by Brother Crum’s ministry because he obeyed the Lord.  And I remember the Sunday when I stood in the baptismal font in Tokyo, Japan with him and heard the words, “Having been commissioned by Jesus Christ …….!” He remained faithful to his commission all his life after that fateful encounter with God’s presence.  My life among many were touched by his faithfulness. Not only his faithfulness but his companion wife’s as well.

On my business trips I usually travelled through Seattle. On those occasions I tried several times to phone Brother Crum in Seattle. My only regret was that I never reached him. But I will always remember Brother Whiting’s story of him and the times we were together in Japan.

JESUS IS THE WAY By Seventy Gil Martell of Billings, MT

Jesus said to Thomas, “I am the way, truth, and the life,” (John 14:6).  To be disciples of Jesus means to do that which Jesus did, and to imitate Jesus in all we do.  Jesus offered God’s generosity of Grace through compassion, love, validation, and forgiveness.   Jesus taught reconciliation and other positive ways of making the safety and welfare of others a life priority.

We are who we are today because we are shaped within the context of all our life experiences and influences, both good and bad.  If we do not question the way of things, it is all too easy to blindly react to life circumstances or allow unjust assumptions to manipulate our behavior.  Our culture tends toward obsessive individualism, but Jesus promoted community.  Our political system seems to value only the rich and powerful, but Jesus was concerned with the needs of everyone. 

I do not think of myself as an unkind person, but the more I try to emulate Jesus the more I realize that discipleship is a constant journey of growth, evaluation, and discovery.  Trying to see through Jesus’ eyes, I realize there are times when I have built walls of isolation from others or I have treated others in unkind ways or I have refused to give of myself when I should. 

Jesus gave his all for us.  We too must give our all for each other.  To be like Jesus is to be here for each other.  Serving others has a liberating effect on our hearts.  We are blessed with Christ’s peace, no longer a slave to fear, hate, and selfishness.   Serving others breaks down walls of  judgment, condemnation, and unfair expectations. 

The Word became flesh and dwelled among us.  Jesus took on this responsibility to show us the way to live according to divine principles.  He pushed back against society’s unjust ways and promoted peace, hope, joy and love.  Jesus’ life was not just about what he did for us, but what he called us to be.  He lived his mission as our example.  It is our responsibility to make Christ’s mission our mission.  

In other words, we fall short of fully understanding the life and sacrifice of Jesus if we assume that once we accept the grace of God then nothing else is required of us.  Dietrich Bonhoeffer in his book, The Cost of Discipleship, explores the concept of Costly Grace.  To follow Jesus means to love God with all we are and to turn that divine love outward into the world.  We accept Grace and then we share that Grace with others.  It takes faith and courage to walk in Jesus’ footsteps; it costs us something.  Thankfully, the rewards of discipleship far outweigh the costs.

Recently, I was driving past a church with a marquis that managed to sum up Jesus as the Way in only eight words, “Jesus loved us so we can love others.” 

God’s Spirit Whooshed Through the Pines by Brad Martell

It was a couple of days before the Community of Christ Cromberg, California Family Camp.  Lori and I flew into Sacramento earlier to spend time with our friends Ruth and Mike Seagraves and their family, before we all packed into the cars and headed off to camp together.  Ruth was the director and had asked Lori and I to be guest ministry for the week.  Lori and I were excited to experience a new campground and family camp, spend time with cousins who would be there, and share in ministry. 

As we were sitting around talking and laughing, Mike told us that their middle daughter was going to be baptized during camp by her grandma (Mike’s mom).  This just added to the anticipation and joy of the coming week.  For the baptize Mike was going to play guitar and sing, but was not finding the right song.  Lori asked if he knew the song “O Sun” by Peter Mayer (www.petermayer.net).  Mike loved it and began writing out the music and learning to play it.  Now the house was filled with Mike strumming a few chords, the scratch of his pencil on the paper, more strumming, humming 

. . . by the end of the day he could play it by heart.

At Cromberg campground they have an outside baptism fount.  It is up the hill from the cabins and tucked underneath towering pine trees.  When the time came for the baptism service the camp made its way up the hill gathering around the fount.  Warm sunlight filtered down through the still pines.  Bird song and twitters gave welcome to the sacred moment.  Beginning with hymns we joined our voices with the avian choir in that church of pines. 

As granddaughter and grandma descended into the pool of water, Mike began to play “O Sun.”  The song is about being filled by the sun, wine, and wind.  The lyrics express sacramental language of asking to be filled by life, strength, and breathe.  And to help us shine, to be opened-wide, and to pour forth the same life and love we receive from God through blessings of community, unity in diverse, sacredness of creation, and worth of all persons.

During the second verse of the song that asks “O wind, come fill me” a gust of wind whoosh through the pines surprising us all.  At the end of the verse the wind was gone.  As Mike finished the song, I looked at him and his face was just radiating with the huge bewildered smile that seemed to ask the same question I was pondering: “Did that really happen?”

When the service was over some of us practically sprinted down the hill to download the video that was taken of the baptism onto a laptop.  We hit “play” in wonder and anticipation.  “Did that really happen?”  It did!  That gift of gusting wind filled the pines, filled Mike’s and Ruth’s daughter, filled all of us with God’s Spirit in that sacramental moment. 

This was a baptism experience I will not forget as God’s Spirit whooshed through the pines! 

Lost and Found by Dodie Gregory

Possibly my story may have a familiar ring to some reading this………………..or not.

Due to a devoted mother I was raised in the church through childhood.  I even have a perfect attendance Sunday school sticker book.  I was baptized at 8 years of age and proceeded to embarrass my mom with my giggle attack during confirmation.  After graduating from high school and going off to nursing school, where I had no RLDS classmates and worked weekends, I slowly slipped away.  I married a Lutheran and neither of us pursued a spiritual path.  We had 2 children and occasionally took them to church. The effort was small.

Not to say I didn’t continue to recognize God in my life—there were just other distractions.  Actually I carried guilt along the way.  I drove by our church everyday going to and from work, but couldn’t bring myself to even look at it.

Brothers and Sisters from church extended an invite for years, as did my Mom, but of course I had other things to do.

OH! And I kept promising God I would be back but right then wasn’t a good time for me. By then the guilt was so strong that I felt ashamed to face my congregation.

So if all this applies to you, then you too have been found or else you wouldn’t be reading this.

SOOOO….finally God had enough of my excuses.  This is how it went down.

I’m just minding my own business one Saturday morning and out of nowhere I hear a voice saying “YOU ARE GOING TO CHURCH TOMORROW”.  That was it, no angels singing, no brilliant white blinding lights, no euphoria.  I looked around, no one there, and again, “YOU ARE GOING TO CHURCH TOMORROW”.  Having been steeped in being obedient, I went to the phone called my mother and asked her if she was going to church tomorrow?  She said, “Are you?” Me, ”yes, I’ll pick you up”.  And my life changed.

The congregation was awesome, no judging, no condemnation.  Just loving. I tease them to this day when I tell them I didn’t feel worthy to be in their presence but found out they are sinners just like me.

It’s been a journey but since we are human and live on earth, there are still ups and downs, challenges and rewards.   I’m no different than any of you but am blessed that God loved me so much that he gave me that extra nudge one Saturday morning.

Forever blessed and loved

The Presence of the Holy Spirit by Laura Carnie

During my nearly 62 years of church membership I have been blessed with an awareness of The Holy Spirit’s presence many times. Some of those experiences were life changing and continue on in memory. Others were for the time, experienced, applied and became part of the fabric of my life.

Possibly the first memory of the Holy Spirit is when, as an elementary school age child, sitting under a big white tent on a wooden pew at the east side of the Hagerman, Idaho lava rock church building during a district reunion prayer and testimony service and being filled with joy and awe at the spirit present.

As I matured, my relationship with the Spirit became more personal. During my teen years, there were a number of experiences at camps and reunions. One Camp Cascade youth camp morning worship, vividly comes to mind. Again at the Cascade Reunion grounds where Cecil Gilmore offered my Evangelist Blessing which helped provide guidance as I made decisions about further education and marriage.

 As a young mother of one, pregnant with a second child, and experiencing problems, I requested administration hoping to avoid a miscarriage. The Spirit rested with me. Even though the words of that blessing requested healing and saving the pregnancy, I came out of that administration knowing that I would not carry the baby to term. Associated with that understanding was a blessing of peace and reassurance.

When called to the priesthood as an elder, I accepted and took the Temple School classes in preparation but kept asking myself, “Is this truly a call from God?” During my ordination, I had a sensation of heat flowing from my feet to my head and the hands of the elders. After the service, Lois Twitchell came up to me and shared that during the ordination, she saw a pink color come over me. Again the Holy Spirit was providing reassurance.

I’ll conclude with one final spirit experience. At the Mission Center Conference in Boise, fall of 2010, evangelist Harriet White walked up to me and indicate that she felt called to offer me a special blessing because she was made aware that I would face some special challenges during the next year. My mind immediately went to various family issues and challenges and accepted trusting her inspiration was from God. We went into a quiet room and I received the blessing. The words were of strength, courage and reassurance that God’s Spirit would be with me as I faced challenges to come.

On Saturday, January 29^th of 2011, I had a medical emergency of a double pulmonary embolism and was put on blood thinners. As part of the treatment, the cardiologist recommended and got my permission for an exploratory angioplasty where a small tube is treaded from groin to heart to check for blockage in the artery and heart. Thankfully the artery was clean. But, in the process a small nick was left in my artery. I was kept until Thursday and sent home.

 By the following Saturday I had extreme abdominal pain and had my husband take me to emergency around four in the morning. After checking me over, I was sent home with an antibiotic. By late morning, the pain had increased to the point that I could not walk on my own, so my husband and son-in-law took me back to the emergency room. After hours of waiting and some testing, it was discovered that my lower abdomen had filled up with blood from the leak. There were no rooms available for hours, but eventually in the evening I was moved to a progressive care bed and then in the early morning Sunday into the intensive care unit. It was there that, having nearly bled out and with my body trying to shut down, I experienced the Spirit with me, reassuring me that It did not matter if I lived or died, God was with me and I with God, in life or death.

“In all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” Romans 8:37-39 NRSV

Physically it was and is an extended recovery. I have been forced to re-evaluate much of life. I find that I am more patient and more accepting of mine and other’s human weaknesses. I have had to take a new look at my remaining gifts and talents as regards my service to God and others. I find that I am more trusting of God, more aware of God’s Love. I am blessed and count my blessings often. God is Good! Our creator’s gift of the Holy Spirit for our guidance and reassurance is a wonderful gift of Love.

A Different Kind of Gift By Lori Martell

In a season of gift wish lists and commercial overload, it is a different kind of gift I am remembering.

Early in 2000, I was diagnosed with chronic Lyme disease.  I was extremely ill—in constant pain and always tired, sleeping up to 16 hours per day.  I couldn’t work full time and Brad was working as an intern in Peace and Justice at Community of Christ Headquarters.  As the months passed and my medical bills mounted, we were feeling the financial strain.  I could not qualify for unemployment or temporary disability.  The day came when we had to admit we could no longer continue renting an apartment.  We would have to move out.  Even though it was difficult, we stood before our congregation and asked for help.  We were hoping to store our belongings in someone’s garage and maybe find someone else to let us live in their basement for a while. 

But, giftedness abounds within our faith community.  Care and concern, generosity, willingness to help—these are gifts that endure.  The word quickly disseminated from one person to the next, and soon some family friends heard about our need.  It turns out they had an extra house laying around they were willing to lend us.  What were the odds of that?

Before we knew what was happening, we had been moved by church friends from a dumpy little duplex into an adorable 2 bedroom house which was offered to us rent free in exchange for upkeep and yard work.  It was a dream come true.  We asked humbly for crumbs from the table, and were offered a copious banquet instead. 

We helped our friends as well.  Sad circumstances lead to extra house.  Having someone trustworthy to take care of it gave them time to grieve the loss of a loved one and decide what they wanted to do with the house.

As my health cycled through periods of improvement and relapse, it was such a gift to have the safe space of that home in which to heal.  We lived there about two years until the church relocated us out of state.  As the years passed, I recovered my health thanks to much prayer and great medical care.

Ten years later, I remembered that gift when I found myself on the other side of similar circumstances.  During the economic downturn a friend was laid off and like too many folks was having trouble finding work.  Brad & I were new homeowners and we decided to offer free housing to our friend.  She lived with us for two years until her financial situation improved.  It warmed our hearts to give the same gift that had helped us so many years before.

Risk Something New to Live, Love and Share Zion by Brittany Mangelson

I wasn’t necessarily looking for a new faith home when I found Community of Christ. My faith in God and church was crumbling, but I was trying to find something to hold on to. I walked into Red Cliffe on a warm June morning and encountered God in a new, life-giving way. Over the next several months I continued to discern where God was calling me. Community of Christ has so many special points of history, theology and culture and I fell in love with all of it rather quickly. I was fascinated to hear of the church’s journey over the last several decades that took the us to unfamiliar and uncharted places. I fell in love with the members of my congregation who had been living in area that can be challenging for those who don’t fit the religious mold. These people had persisted for years answering God’s call to live out their discipleship in our little corner of Christianity. I learned how the church came together in faithful disagreement, still holding each other when times were hard and hearts were breaking. I learned what grace looked like and realized that no matter how much I tried to talk my new community or God out of it, there was a place for me here.

My family joined Community of Christ just over 6 months from when I first came to reunion. It was a radical transformation that still has lingering effects today. When I joined, I knew Community of Christ was a safe place to explore my personal theology and a place where I was loved and welcomed in just as I am. I also realized this was a church I could feel comfortable raising my kids in. I was excited to teach my children the Enduring Principles and Mission Initiatives and to help them come to know what exactly Christ’s mission is. It’s an excitement that still radiates in my home.

Community of Christ, we have such a rich feast to share. Our table is open and our circle is drawn wide and we have much to offer the world. I have been transformed by our little church and there are many, many others who are searching for the love we have to share and for God we worship. Sometimes I fear that we look at our small congregations or our websites or whatever other insecurity we’re feeling and we forget what we do have. We have a group of sisters and brothers in Christ who are striving for Zion here and now. Just think about that for a minute!

Some of the women in our Mission Center experienced the reality of Zion recently at a women’s retreat. I almost didn’t let myself participate in this moment because of my own fear and insecurities. However, thanks to the blessings of community I was once again love and welcomed in, just as I am. We came together at the end of a meaningful discussion and participated in the sacrament of administration. The Spirit overflowed as women were administered to by women for the first time in their lives. I saw their expressions, held their hands and I saw what Zion looks like. I suspect those who were there still carry a tender spot in their heart for that evening. It is these sacred experiences, experiences that I cannot put into words, that makes this journey worth it. When we take a risk and step outside of ourselves, even a little, God can work in and through us in ways we cannot imagine. It is difficult, messy and sometimes we feel like we have nothing to offer the world, but if we invite our neighbor to the table, our neighbor will come.

Community of Christ, we have such a rich feast to share. We’ve done this over and over again and opening our table to new possibilities has blessed the church time after time. As we read in our newest section of the Doctrine and Covenants Section 165, “Beloved Community of Christ, do not just speak and sing of Zion. Live, love and share as Zion: those who strive to be visibly one in Christ, among whom there are no poor or oppressed.”

I’ll be forever grateful I decided to risk something new on that warm June morning and I’ll be Living, Loving, and Sharing Zion for the rest of my life.