Lisa's Story

“God’s response isn’t always easy to hear…” - Lisa

Jeremiah 29:11 (NIV) “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.”

I grew up as a part of the Disciples of Christ (DOC) denomination; having been born into it, it’s all I know. When the church I’d grown up in was going through transition and merging with another church to become New Disciples, I became a charter member. The excitement that was felt on our first Sunday together was palpable in the air. This excitement did not come without heartache or without struggle.

Throughout my adult life there have been times that I’ve questioned my faith and questioned why I am still a part of the DOC. Each time that I have questioned why I’m here or what my purpose is, God has had a response. When my good friend and her daughter were killed, when my mother/best friend passed away, when my children are hurting and unsure if life is worth living, when death struck our family multiple times in just a few short months, when my husband nearly died, when I was diagnosed with Cancer; these are the times that I question if God really cares for me or if he’s paying attention, these are the times I’m looking for a response.

God’s response is not always easy to hear or to distinguish. But at other times it’s clear and concise pointing me in the exact direction of what He wants or needs me to be doing. God works through us all, using our gifts and talents and even sometimes our struggles to help make us better versions of ourselves. When I struggle with my faith, as we all do at times, it is usually because I have other struggles going on in my life that make it hard to see that God really is in control. He is the one that I need to lean on when life gets hard and seems too much to handle. He is the one that can calm my chaos and He is the one who can help me see my way through life’s storms.

At New Disciples I can feel God’s love. The family that I have inside this community of faith help me to know that even when I’m unsure, they know that He has great plans for my life and my future.