Not Alone

 

Not Alone 

by Amy Crooks

I first met DeAnn Moore at the 2021 September 1st Thursday Connect. The weather was nice, so that evening’s gathering was set up outside in the church parking lot. Marcia asked me to help by greeting and assisting with name tags as people arrived. It was my first time back to 1st Thursday Connect in two years, and despite the simple task, I was fighting social anxiety. As I nervously rearranged pens, tags and hand sanitizer, the first person to approach was DeAnn.  Quickly recognizing each other’s apprehension, we laughingly introduced ourselves and both confessed to feeling awkward and a bit out of place. My name tag gig lasted for the next 15 minutes as the rest of the women arrived, and throughout that time my new friend DeAnn kept catching my eye to crinkle up her own in what was clearly a warm smile behind her mask.  I have spent the rest of this year keeping my eye peeled for DeAnn in order to not miss a chance for a quick chat with this warm woman who bubbles over with easy laughter and kind encouragement. 

DeAnn was baptized in January.  Whether you had the joy of being there that day or not, I know you will be encouraged by her frank story of God’s rescuing love.  Below is the testimony she gave that day and a bit extra she’s said that I can share with you.         

My name is DeAnn and this is my testimony. I really don’t remember it all. Looking back, it’s all such a fog to me. As I struggled to remember and write down what God has done in my life, I saw something that really made sense to me on the show The Chosen. Mary Magdalene said, “All I know is that I was once one way and now I am completely different. And Jesus was in between.” That is my story, too. 

I’ll start here. I had been grieving the death of my husband Andy for four years. He died homeless from alcohol addiction. I was also struggling at my church. Our congregation had been without leadership or Bible teaching for 30 years which was essentially all my adult life. Surrounded by people as lost as I was, I was desperate for spiritual meaning, comfort and grace. I felt a pull to find the God I hoped was real – a God who loved me, who didn’t stand ready to judge me for my failures.

But I knew what I stood to lose if I walked away from this church. I’d lose my sons.

Matthew 7:13-14 says, “Enter by the narrow gate. For the gate is wide and the way easy that leads to destruction, and those who enter it are many. For the gate is narrow and the way is hard that leads to life.”

Depression is a real thing. The enemy was always there when I was at my lowest point. I turned to the bottle. It was a quick fix to numb me, and I could escape through sleep when I passed out. As I spiraled down in hopelessness, I now found myself with no place to live. I didn’t know what I was going to do. Though I still didn’t know Him, God brought people back into my life that I had deeply offended and rejected. Clint and Joni Crone came and picked me up. They gave me food, let me shower and wash my clothes. Then my nephew Andrew called and told me that he and Madison weren’t going to let me be homeless. They gave me a room in their house. God had not only provided a place for me to live, He reconciled me with people I had rejected and offended.

But I still couldn’t do this on my own. No matter what I tried to do, I couldn’t find peace in my grief. My circumstances were better, but my heart was still broken. Little did I know that peace was waiting for me in God’s Word. I started coming to New Life church and hearing the Word preached. It was like oxygen, food and medicine to my suffocating, starving and broken heart. Through the fog and hurt I could see a glimmer of hope. I joined the study called “The Stranger on the Road to Emmaus.” That stranger on the road was Jesus. In that class the pieces of the puzzle came together and everything made sense. I realized that I had always believed in God and known He sent His Son. I had known about Him, but now I knew Him!  He loves me and I love Him!

2 Corinthians 5:17 says, “Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”

Jesus is my Lord and Savior. He has made me a new creation. I have lost almost everything, but He found me on the Road to Emmaus and I can finally rest knowing He will never let me go.

 

1st Thursday Connect

New Life Women, you and your friends are invited to our monthly gathering, 1st Thursday Connect. We meet next on Thursday, March 3. Yummy rice bowls will be provided for dinner at 6:30 p.m., and the next lesson from our study Transplant: tending our new hearts will begin at 7:00. We will be looking at how God does His sanctifying work in us as we live and act by faith in Him. The study is easy to join, even if it is your first time!

Thursday, March 3

6:30-8:30 p.m.

New Life Church, West Linn basement

Your RSVP at www.newlifenw.com/wl-women is appreciated. If you are unable to join us in person, livestream is available at www.newlifenw.com/wl-women-livestream.

Side by Side Bible Reading resources for our current study of the book of Romans are on the church website and in the church foyer. We are memorizing Romans 8:26-28 in March!

 

Underwear Drive

This month we are collecting new men’s and women’s underwear for The Father’s Heart Street Ministry in Oregon City. You can drop off packages of underwear at New Life Church, West Linn anytime up to March 3. There is a donation box in the hall next to the mailboxes. You may also bring underwear to 1st Thursday Connect on March 3.

 

Links

Below are links to articles, books, podcasts, and music that might be of interest or help on various topics. Resources are curated but may not always reflect the views of New Life Church. Enjoy!

Marcia ReavelyComment