Starting a ministry

Today is my grandmother’s birthday. She has been gone from this earlthy world for at least thirty years and I have even lost track of how old she would be now if she . Math has never been one of my skills. Of course, I will always think of her as woman who taught me about growing strawberries, chrocheting doll clothes, watching the Chicago Cubs on a 18” black and white TV through a haze of cigarette smoke—and knowing Jesus.

Today, on her birthday, I have been thinking about her. My heart has been filled with faith, confidence, and love of Christ. I am working on starting a new wellness ministry. Pieces are coming together. As I have been humbling thanking God for guidance, I have also been grateful to Grandma, that crazy old lady. She was a Sunday school teacher that brought me to her classes. I got to sit on her lap. I had a special conduit straight to God, my toddler brain thought. Grandma had connections in high places.

She was an eccentric woman, Polish immigrant, cardshark, nightowl, full of snarky judgment, a self-taught artist that never mastered perspective, and she made a mean potato salad. She also taught me that hearing an ambulance siren meant it was time to pray, Jesus loves little children, and thunderstorms meant it was time to go into the basement and pray. She was scared to death of storms—but professed with passion that Jesus would make sure we would be safe. During every story she read me the story of Jesus calming the sea. (Matthew 8:23-27)

Her faith was a gift to me. Now, on her birthday, I have a gift for her. Grandma, I have a new ministry I’m organizing. You would be proud of me. I am telling people that Jesus loves them. And when I hear a siren, I still pray. I’m not afraid of storms. There are other scarier things that haunt me. But, like you told me, I know Jesus said, “Fear not.”

Happy Birthday. And, since you have connections, please help guide this new ministry. Here’s to smooth sailing and calm seas!