For those of you who are not able to attend Ladies Bible Class, you missed a blessing yesterday.
We are currently studying the book of Nehemiah where the theme is restoration. Restoration of the walls and restoration of the people. Lori Rickman gave us the story of her life and the amazing that restoration that God has done in her life. Not just physically but also spiritually.
The blessing for me was hearing Lori testify to the power of Christian community. She was not involved in a church nor had accepted Jesus as her savior when she ran into Hal Pruessner at Albertsons seven years ago. Hal reached out to Lori through a chance encounter at Albertsons. She remembers coming to RE the first Sunday with him expecting people not to accept her with her many piercings and combat boots. She was surprised to find that there was no judgment at RE but just acceptance.
She went on to talk about how God stopped her in her tracks physically and how so many different people at RE ministered to her, befriended her, helped her find a place to live, etc. There was so much more to her testimony than I am reporting here. While it is great to know that right now Lori is doing so much better physically; in fact she is trying to find a way to move out of the nursing home. But the biggest blessing was to just glorify God for what He has done in her life spiritually. She is His daughter, she has been redeemed and her life has been restored. She is now a walking testimony of what God can do in a life that is surrendered to Him.
Her talk was a reminder that God is ready to use any of us if we will just let Him. Praise God that Hal heard His prompting to speak to a stranger and invite her into community. Praise God that RE is a community that extends love and grace to anyone who comes. Praise God for all those that did not give up on Lori but discipled her and held her accountable. Praise God for Lori who responded to His love and mercy and has allowed God to glorify Himself through her and the transformation He has done in her life. All of us that were in class yesterday thank Lori for allowing us to listen and rejoice in a God who is ready to restore us all.
1 comment:
What a magnificent story! And what a great testament of the Holy Spirit's power by working through Hal. I remember when all this happened at RE but had since forgotten the story. Thanks for bringing it to light again. And I will surely remember to pray for her.
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