Blessings in His Time

I have been writing about some heavy stuff in prior posts.  Today, I opted for a change of scenery; after all there will be more to the continuing saga of the City, as the players keep on keeping on.  But for today, I am writing of some of the blessings encountered during these troubling times in our life.

Today, I met with my mother’s Edward Jones advisor.  As Trustee, I routinely meet with Bryan for his expert advice in the management of her accounts.  Since I am no longer working downtown and our “gag” meant no talking or contact with friends in the community, we have had little contact with others over the last eight months.  It was really good seeing and being able to visit with Bryan and Susan.  To them I am sure it was just another day at the office, but for me it was like a long yearned for reunion with friends.  May sound foolish, but I did not opt for the silence of these past months as I have always been a “people person”.  Today’s encounters at Bryan’s office and the Israel send off at First Baptist Wylie were blessings for me.

While in Bryan’s office he had a wall decorated with framed artwork that I liked and told him “Dwight would really, really like those”.  The pictures were of cowboys on horseback—my favorite one was of two cowboys riding their horses though a stream.  I shared with Bryan the blessings we have found in a small Cowboy Church first discovered back in February, the very week Dwight was placed on administrative leave.

Back in the summer of 2011, Dwight and I went to East Texas looking for a location to open a Cowboys for Christ chapter.  Dwight had been talking with Ted Pressley, the Founder of Cowboys for Christ about his desire to start a chapter and suggestions for location.  That August, we spoke to quite a few people as we traveled through various towns in East Texas.  As we traveled back home, we were talking as the places and timing for the Cowboys for Christ chapter just did not seem right.  We discussed financial needs that all seemed to be experiencing and hearing of in Wylie during the economic downturn.  We decided to focus our ministry efforts here at home instead of taking them eastward.  I had been facilitating craft classes at First Baptist Wylie since early 2011 and was hearing talk in the classes of desires to supplement income with handcrafted works.  I also had been told of the increased needs at Wylie’s Children’s Clinic where former donors having lost jobs and insurance were then in need of the clinic services for their children at that time.  Once we reached home, I had formulated a plan for The Crafter’s Co-op and in just a few weeks, the shop was open and home to various artists, crafters and ministries.

Now, fast forward 18 months to the weekend before Dwight’s administrative leave.  A lifelong friend of Dwight’s had heard of a new Cowboy Church and knowing of Dwight’s interest in the churches and chapters for the cowboys, he called to tell him about the church.  They decided to go and visit Sunday the 10^th of February.  Dwight came home that day so enthused about the little church and told me “I think this is where we are supposed to be”.  With Dwight’s leave and the close of the shop Thursday, February 14^th, we have come to believe it was definitely the Lord’s timing for our involvement with the Cowboy Church.  But we have also come to know that our involvement was NOT to help start or grow the church, but the time for us to experience His healing grace and mercy shown by the wonderful ‘salt of the earth’ people of the church.  He is using these brothers and sisters to minister to others in ways that heal the broken hearts.  They do not even know our story; they just love us as Christ does.