Where Do I Go From Here? (3 of 3 in series)
March 13th, 2010A small piece of Layla will be forever in our hearts. She is more than just a passing sympathy or a news story. She’s changed many of us, and some of us profoundly. But we know what the coming days hold. There is laundry to fold, soccer schedules to keep, jobs to do, and demands to face. If we’re not intentional, the lessons we’ve learned from Layla could easily become faded or lost in the clamor of noise and demands that will bombard us in the coming days.
Or…we could make some real changes. We could actually reprioritize our life. We could turn off the TV and eat a meal with our family. We could say NO to some of the demands on our schedule and tend to our relationship with God. I so pray that you do.
As a pastor, I watch a lot of people in their spiritual journey. Can I make a few suggestions on what you might find helpful in your relationship with Christ”
1. Find some other Christians and make it a priority in your life. Maybe it’s a local church, or a neighborhood Bible Study, or a group of parents who get together to pray. Make sure that they believe and follow the Bible, and that they sincerely love God. Then take a chance and open up to them. One of the most dangerous things in faith is when we try to go it alone. Find a friend and a faith community that can support you in that journey. If you’ve never been baptized, talk to them about what that might mean for your life.
2. Learn and grow. Immerse yourself in the things of God. Read the Bible. Go to a local Christian bookstore and ask them to recommend a book for you to read. Talk to other Christians about the faith questions or struggles you might have. If you still have questions and struggles dealing with Layla and her death, I’d encourage you to sign up for my blog. In coming weeks I’ll be dealing with more questions and comments that I hear from you. I pray you’ll find them helpful. Later on, I’ll address a wide variety of faith topics that I hope will be an encouragement.
3. Pray. Just talk with God. Tell him good morning when you wake up. Share your joys and burdens with him when you go to bed. Pound on his chest when you’re angry or don’t understand (He’s big, he can take it.) Learn what it means to be in a relationship with him.
Thank you for taking the time to read all this. From the bottom of my heart I pray that you have found it helpful. Just like you, God drew me into the Layla story in a way that I can’t explain. My church, LifeBridge, in Cypress TX is a brand new mission church that is just getting started. 6 months ago I had never even met the Marsh family. Then, we decided to sponsor a benefit for Layla Grace to help with the medical expenses her family faced. Ryan and I hit it off, we had breakfast at Denny’s a couple times, and before I knew it I was right in the middle of all this. Turns out God had a plan – a plan to share his love with you through sweet little Layla Grace. Thank you for trusting me with this time.
Pastor Michael Meissner
LifeBridge Church, Cypress TX
www.lifebridgecypress.org
Part 1 – “Layla’s Faith Legacy” | Part 2 – “Are You Ready?”
Tags: Celebration of Life, Layla Grace
[...] Part 3 – Where do I go from here? [...]
March 13th, 2010 at 3:57 amI’m gonna keep it simple… Enjoying your blog and checking regularly for new posts. Nice job and thank you.
March 13th, 2010 at 4:56 amAll I can say right now is… thank you and say that I promised Jesus that if He gave me the desires of my heart – another child – that s/he would be dedicated to Him and grow up with Him in his/her heart (as with my older son [16]). I would tell this child how MUCH we are all loved by God. Well, He gave me twins – I have a BIG job to do. My twins (G/B – 2yo on Easter this year) are growing up with Christ and will also know all about sweet little Layla Grace as well… one of His angels. There is no doubt.
God Bless You –
Gena Clark and the 3C's Cameron, Carly & Carson
March 14th, 2010 at 3:21 amPastor Meissner, thank you for this. This is what I needed to help me see more of God's reason for Layla, and the Marsh's. I look forawrd to updates and more to come on questions you may receive.
The other day I was speaking with my Goddaughter and we were talking about how there are no tears in heaven. She then asked me a question that I'm really curious to hear your response to.
Are there "happy tears" in Heaven?
When she asked me this all I could think about was how could Layla's family not cry happy tears in heaven when they see each other again? How will I not cry happy tears when I someday meet this girl God sent to re-energize my faith?
Thank you again for making me think so much more deeply about our Lord and asking myself, am I ready?
March 19th, 2010 at 6:16 pmThank you Pastor Mike for your blog… I too think about the Marsh's everyday and everytime I pray for peace for them. Layla's difficult journey has caused so many of us to take pause and to re-evaluate where we stand in our faith. I'm proud to say that Layla's journey has set my faith a blaze!! I haven't been on fire like this since I first came to Christ. I think with each and everyday, our flesh has a habit of taking over and we forget why it is we are all here. I have been reminded… Thank you Layla!! That Eric Clapton song says it so perfectly "you got me on my knees, Layla." I'm on my knees for the Lord, but it's Layla that reminded me to get on my knees… May God bless your church and all that you are doing in His name. I'm thankful that God placed you in Ryan and Shanna's lives… Farther Up, Further in…
March 26th, 2010 at 2:23 pmTesting…
March 30th, 2010 at 10:52 pmThanks for posting this, Michael. So encouraging…
March 30th, 2010 at 11:04 pmI am a fellow believer who came across Layla’s story on facebook and Twitter. The Lord has used Layla in my life in a very real way. I’ve been blessed because the Lord used both you and her in my life. Thanks for sharing what the Lord called you to. May all who read it be challenged in the Lord. God Bless
March 30th, 2010 at 5:42 pmthanks pastor michael….yes God has created this time this season for all of us to draw closer to Him and He has also showed us adults we need to get off our dereairs (SP?) and start making a difference in Gods Kingdom….if Precious Layla can allow God to work as He did in her life and through her to help so many can you imagine what it would be like if we followed her example and surrender and allow God to work through all of us in the same way, i feel He's telling us we are still here and we too can make such a difference if we are willing …. willing to say "your will be done father, not mine!"
March 31st, 2010 at 5:10 pmthanks again and God Bless your lil church in all that it does!!
[...] This post was mentioned on Twitter by Lauren Jimeson, Lifebridge Church. Lifebridge Church said: BLOG POST: Where Do I Go From Here? (3 of 3 in series) http://bit.ly/dkFkay [...]
March 31st, 2010 at 2:46 pmAMEN Wendy!
April 1st, 2010 at 2:00 pm