That phrase goes back to the time of Abraham. It’s the name of the place where God provided a ram to be offered instead of his son Isaac and is one of the great stories of the Bible. We serve a God who provides abundantly for his people and all creatures in so many different ways.
I see this working out all the time in our benevolence ministry. Food seems to appear! Bread just shows up in the community room most weeks. Other times it comes from different businesses or an “angel” that brings it from Our Daily Bread. Our stock of staple foods, can goods, beans and rice, cereal and the like is always adequate or full. Each week baskets from around the church building are collected and brought into the store. In the end the only thing I have to do is open the door and everything is there. Also every Thursday there are 5 boxes of fresh organic vegetables sitting on the counter. And during certain seasons, food just appears in large bags either in our office area or on tables in the community room — even today while writing I walked over and found about 600 cans of green beans and corn in 3 shopping carts inside the door of our pantry. It’s all pretty amazing. We have never run out of food and I doubt we ever will.
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I recently read an AARP magazine article (I’m getting old) about how some people feel depressed during the holidays. Their answer or a least one answer was to “Hug a loved one.” They go on to say that, “Scientists have found that hugging releases oxytocin, the feel-good hormone, while also decreasing levels of the stress hormone cortisol.” With a little more research I find that hugging helps prevent colds and lowers blood pressure. Pretty amazing!
The scriptures don’t say anything about oxytocin, but we do have records of some powerful hugs, especially in the book of Genesis.
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Thanks to all who helped pack Thanksgiving boxes and who brought food for the Don Compton Memorial Dinner last Sunday. The event honored God and honored one of God’s past servants, Don Compton. I’m sure many were blessed by being there. I know that I was, even in unexpected ways.
Food might not be the most important thing in the world but it ranks pretty high in all cultures. Sustenance, energy and joy comes from it’s abundance. Weakness and misery from its scarcity. Food then (the boxes and the dinner) was the focus of our event on this Thanksgiving week. We spent a lot of time purchasing, preparing, packing and eating food, and it was all delicious and plentiful for both activities. Praise God for our abundance of food! And also a big thanks to Leah and her team.
During the box packing time, Beau asked groups to pray for each item they put in their box and for those receiving it. I was a little surprised because we didn’t talk about it in our meetings. I thought it was great though. If from food comes energy and joy how much more from prayer. And then the following days when we handed out the boxes I could tell by the expressions on faces that many were touched and really appreciated the prayers over the food they were given. Thank you Beau and thanks for everyone’s prayers. It is making a difference! It was unexpected blessing!
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Don Compton was a beloved minister at Singing Oaks who touched the lives of many. I know this first hand because I worked with him and continue to meet people in the food pantry who tell powerful stories (sometimes in tears) of how Don helped them. This year we want do something special to remember Don, a banquet held on one of the important days in his ministry, Harvest Sunday.
On Sunday, November 20th, which would have been Don’s 79th birthday, we want to honor him by having the Don Compton Memorial Dinner. Its main purpose is to reach out to others by providing food for the hungry as Don so often did. We will do that by packing food baskets/boxes for local families and individuals and by sharing a meal together.
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There are lots of reasons to visit Singing Oaks on Friends Day. I know Ross will bring a great sermon from God’s word. The worship in song will be encouraging and up-lifting. There will be great Bible classes, and don’t forget the tasty food at the pot-luck after the second service. But one of the most important reasons to come on Friends Day is Friendship!
This world can be a lonely place because most of us tend to drift toward isolation. It’s usually the easiest path because true friendship and community is difficult. Ralph Waldo Emerson alluded to this in his statement, “Every man alone is sincere. At the entrance of a second hypocrisy begins.” We are selfish! We live in a fallen world and relationships are hard. They were hard for Jesus and his group and for Paul and his co-workers. But we totally need friends. It is a part of who God is and must be a part of who we are. It is who we try to be at Singing Oaks.
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