So I look over and see Todd and Melanie Anderson, who were them-selves at The Father's House for the very first time, up from Ontario, CA where they had been living, to accept a job offer for Todd as Youth/Worship Pastor. What a coincidence! You see, I knew them from the People's Church days. (Actually, my brother Chris was in a band with Todd, and they were attending People's church and my brother is the one who got me to go there too.) Todd had been the worship leader of the college group worship team, and Melanie was my great friend that I had lived with, along with her sister and another friend, for a little while back in 1993. This was now August of 1998 when we both "happened" to show up at TFH for the first time. They stayed and we stayed. It was divine providence. (They were the only people our age with kids our kids' age, but there were/are some kinda close to our age with kids.)
Anyway, it is at The Father's House where I finally began to give my entire self over to God to do with as he pleases. This is where I really danced during worship, waved banners, have run around excited by God and unconfined in worship of him. This is where I learned I had the gift of prophecy and learned what that meant. It is here that I learned how to play bass, and worship with it in hand. And it is here that I learned how to run the sound board and contribute to worship through that. (I have my husband to thank for those things.) I have had several people here that I would call mentors. Though never really official mentors, they have taught me so much about how to live out God's love in a real way. Some of these people are Cathy Davis, Brad Davis, Kathy Bos, Carol Yohannes, Mari Eleneke, and Jeff Hopper, just to name a few. (Don't be offended if you weren't named. I have really been influenced for good by each and every person that has been or still is a part of The Father's House.) But Cathy Davis was a great teacher on using the prophetic. I value greatly what I learned from her, under the wing of her loving mother's heart. And Kathy Bos taught me so much about looking with spiritual eyes to see what God is doing in our midst and she taught me about boldness in proclaiming it as well. And there is so much more, I could go on and on. Mari and Carol have taught me a lot about loving unconditionally, and giving with joy. They are amazing. Jeff has taught me so much about patience and integrity and parenting. He doesn't even know what I have learned just from watching him live his life.
All I can say is that I know without a doubt that God placed me in this body so he could finally get his hands inside my core, snatch me up, and change me for his kingdom purposes. And he has used relationship to do it. I think this very much aligns with our theme for the year. It seems it has my theme since I arrived at TFH.
3 comments:
I love TFH. I have encountered many people who have been mentors to me as well. There is this love that flows from that place. I have never felt the way I feel about this church-ever.
Oh, and btw...I am SO offended my name has not been mentioned.
hehehe j/k
If anything, I need to be listing YOUR name as a mentor to me. :)
Sweet Kim, thanks for the kind words. This sounds so old, but hey, you will one day experience what a wonder it is to know you have actually influenced another. Something happens deep inside me when I read your words. I long for it all to happen again. I have asked God (or maybe just myself) why these last 4 years have seemed like such a waste because so many of "my" gifts have been on a shelf, or in a closet, or maybe a vault. Anyway, somewhere besides moving toward someone else. I hope and PRAY that I will be in that place once again. It's been a time of being emptied and hollowed. I hope I have time to tell you the story of being hollowed when I see you.
I hope so too.
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