Everyone Needs Comfort

It has been 8 months since my last blog and I have decided to return to world of "BLOG!" Someone recently asked me, (matt valentine) do you know what a blog is? I kindly replied, "Yes!" So Matt this is for you ha, ha, love you and Amanda lots.

1st thought: I used to do my devo's at night but I think we change and now I like to do my devo's in the a.m. I enjoy sitting in the silence with God's word, my caribou coffee and most of all His presence!

2nd thought: I'm not going to lie, I love ministry but, this is a very tough season. So many people in our church family are hurting. I do want to take a moment to praise God again that all the families seem to be falling toward the cross and not away. But when we care about our church family like we do our own, you feel it with them. Please pray for our church family!

3rd thought: Now to put the 1st thought and the 2nd thought together. In my devotion time I was pleading for our church families and biblically looking for some continued direction on how to minister to them, so I looked at comfort. The word comfort in 2 Cor. 1: 3-7 means "called alongside to help." God has definitely comforted this Lund family and came alongside of us so we can come alongside those who now need comfort. There are two ways to show comfort, one is empathy and the other exhortation. Some people don't need answers or fix it solutions, they need us to empathize with them-the ability to share in their emotions and feelings. This can be heavy but God wants us to "Comfort others with the same comfort we have received from Him." Those are some big shoes to fill! The second way we can comfort others is exhortation, encouraging and urging them to move forward with God's help. But we need discernment to know when we are to use empathy or exhortation in our comforting efforts. Help us Lord, we need and love you!
Love to all,
Christa