It's been 3 and a half months since I last blogged. So before Marc Willie puts me on a guilt trip I wanted to write a little something. So much has happened over the past few months I could write 3 volumes and still not say it all. But I have to tell you about something I saw last week that I am still in complete and utter awe over.
As a pastor I am blessed to serve alongside some amazing people. People who go about serving the Lord in quiet, sacrificing acts of love and mercy. I have a father and daughter in my church that clean the church on Sunday nights and most are oblivious to it. I have a ladies that cook, bake, and serve in many ways for the sick, the grieving, and the hurting. I have teachers and leaders who go about their business and never complain, never whine, and never give anything less than their best.
I have an amazing media person, an amazing worship team, and an amazing group of ushers who serve unselfishly week in and week out and do it simply out of love for Jesus. I have served in some form of ministry for over 30 years and have never been so privileged to serve a group of people as these from VCC.
But in all my time let me share with you the single most courageous, selfless, thing I ever witnessed last week.
Monica Martinez is a woman in my church that is little in stature but big in God. She has a large family with 4 sons(and daughter-in-laws), 2 daughters, and a whole big brood of beautiful grandchildren. Her family takes a whole seating section of my church. One Sunday, weeks ago, I looked over and saw THREE rows of grand kids all dressed beautifully, acting respectfully, and worshiping God. Tears welled up in my eyes that morning and God reminded me how that happens: all because of a praying, believing, and powerful mother.
Tragedy struck this family last Sunday. Just before leaving for church Monica got the call no parent ever wants to get. Her daughter, Amelia, had been found dead in a home from an apparent drug overdose. Amelia was 23, with 2 beautiful children, Liana--one and three year old Isaiah. I was just about to open the revival service that evening when word came of Amelia's death. I was in so much hurt for this family, especially for Monica.
It is painful to lose anyone in your family, but there is no pain like that of losing your own child. My wife and I are acquainted with that pain and I knew this would be hard. IN fact the night before, we were in a prayer meeting with Monica where our kids were the main topic of prayer. Monica is a mighty woman of prayer. Her prayer that night was moving and anointed.
You see Amelia had come forward and received Jesus just a few weeks earlier. She was hurting, she was searching, she was trying to break free. Drug addiction is a formidable foe. The Lord heard her cry. Her friends said she started preaching to them. She had a rich heritage from her praying momma that laid a foundation for God to work in her life. But she had a moment of weakness and it cost her her life.
I am careful here because I don't want to portray this the wrong way. Sin is an awful taskmaster. We tend to go hard on the sinner and soft on the sin. The gospel goes hard on the sin and offers great mercy to the sinner. Let me just say here to some who might be reading this and you are trifling with drugs and alcohol--STOP! I can tell you instance after instance where one drink, one high was enough to cost someone dearly. In fact, it is amazing that not more of us are dead the way we have trifled with drugs and alcohol. The wages of sin is death... there IS forgiveness, there is FREEDOM from sin!
Let me get back to the story:
So as the week went on, Amelia's funeral was set for Friday and her wake all day Thursday. Monica's week was hard. She was so devastated, yet so resolute in the fact that Amelia's death would not be in vain. She greeted the hundreds of young people all day Thursday that came. So many, young men, young women, visibly shaken at Amelia's death. They came one after another, all day and all evening. She loved each one, she gave words of encouragement, and she opened her heart to share the love of God with each and every one. This hurting mother put aside her own grief and her own hurt to reach out and grab as many of these as she could and share Christ. She was exhausted by the end of the evening, yet unselfishly all she could think about were the kids.
Then at the close of Thursday night after all had went home and we were leaving, she said to me that she wanted some time during the service to share her heart. I encouraged her to go home and get some rest and let me know before the service if she really felt up to such a thing. I was kind of hoping she would change her mind. If she got up and lost it in front of that crowd it would be very hard to pull it back together. But Friday morning, 30 minutes before the service she told me she was ready to speak. I said ok and we prepared for the start of the service.
Needless to say, many scenarios were running through my mind and I just whispered a prayer and put it in God's hands. As the service opened, we read a verse, read the obit, and then I turned to Monica and introduced her to the crowd. She walked up and for 15 minutes gave the most beautiful, powerful, and compassionate plea to the young and old alike to open there hearts and let her help them turn this tragedy into triumph by giving your hurt, your addictions, and your struggles to Jesus. She never cracked, never stuttered, and never winced the whole time.
There was not a dry eye in the house--except for her. She had cried a bucket full of tears and now she was contending for the souls of young men and young women. She was pleading her case before the high court of heaven. The dictionary defines courage as a "firm mind(mental strength) in the face of danger or difficulty". The love of God oozed out of every pore of her being and the courage in her was bringing heaven to earth. I have never seen anything like it. I have never seen such strength and passion combine to speak into so many.
Truly, in our weakness. He is made strong. Because there was no weakness in her that morning only God's strength. Out of her hurt came healing. Out of her despair came hope, and out of her tears came a harvest of joy. When she finished she sat down and I went through a door she opened and shared a simple gospel message and before the service was over 8 in the service and 4 outside the service who could not get in received Jesus as Lord and Saviour.
Sunday morning in our worship service about 10 more were saved as Monica gave the call that morning. More than 20 people born again out of this because of the courage and tenacity of one woman. And this is just the beginning. What the enemy meant for evil, God is and will continue to turn for good! I told someone the other day, "the devil messed with the wrong woman when he messed with Monica!" I was right. I was so privileged to be a part of such an act of courage. I only hope God will give us all that same courage to persevere in the face of all around us to see His glory and His might!
God has set it in my heart to open our first Safe House for people needing a place to come and get saved, healed, and delivered from drugs and abusive situations. Our first house will be called "Amelia's House". It will be a house of hope, a house of faith, and a house of COURAGE! Surely her life as well as her death will NOT be in vain. Courage! Be strong and of good courage, for the Lord will deliver you!
Thank you Monica for your heart and thank you to the whole Martinez family for standing together through all of this! We love you and am so proud to be a part of your lives. May God give you, in the face of whatever you are facing the courage to believe Him for greater things!
