2011
MAGNIFY THE LIVING LORD
Volume 1.1
MLL long

Dearly Beloved in Christ,

 

Last Sunday we were hugely blessed with the presence of Bishop Hugo as Joe, Dianna, Roy and Bev were confirmed, Jim was received and Anna Marie reaffirmed her Baptismal vows.  Bishop Hugo reminded us of how important it is to bear witness to the work of the Lord in our lives. 

 

For a couple of months now Joy Sutton has been led by the Lord to compile a collection of testimonies from Good Shepherd parishioners of specific events in which they discerned the hand of the Lord.  She and Stan Higgins then edited the collection and it has been printed up into a booklet entitled "Magnify the Living Lord."  The Lord laid this title on Joy's heart during one of the services at Good Shepherd when the project was announced and an invitation extended to the congregation to participate by sharing their stories.  This has truly been a labor of love and quite possibly the first of a few volumes .... if these accounts prompt you to share one of your own please email it to Joy who is happy to work on compiling another volume when she and Jim return from North Carolina in the fall. 

 

I thought it would be an encouragement to share these stories through this weekly email format, but didn't want to make the Monday emails too terribly long so for the next few weeks I will be sending out a Friday "Magnify the Living Lord" email with an account that is included in the booklet.

 

I pray that these will bless you as they have me, and that in them we will praise the Risen, Living Lord.

 

Peace, Grace, and Love in our Risen Lord,

Rev'd Sarah+ 

 

The Man in the Baggy, Brown Suit

 Charlotte Everbach

 

            In 1987 I was diagnosed with Stage 3 ovarian cancer. There had been no warning signs.

            After a hysterectomy I had six chemo treatments in the Lakeland General Hospital.  They were so difficult that I had to go in the hospital for five days after each treatment. I was very, very sick.

            Every day a little man came to my room and said,  "Do you want me to pray for you?"  He had a kind face and wore a brown baggy suit. Every day I said, "Yes," and he did.  In fact, he prayed...and he prayed... and he prayed. I would always go to sleep during the prayer and when I woke up he was always gone.  The next day I would always apologize for going to sleep and he would say, "That's all right."  Then he would start praying again. Again I would go to sleep, and when I awoke up, he would be gone. This continued during the six weeks of my chemotherapy.

            I asked the nurses who the man was and they did not know.

            I know.  He was an angel.

            The prayers of Father Jim Shortess and my friends at Good Shepherd were so important during my healing. But I will never forget the little man in the baggy, brown suit.