Occasionally I receive an email that I think our entire church family should read. Last week I got one of those emails from a member who reflected on her experience of biblical community. When I finished reading it, I thought to myself, "that's what it's suppose to look like!" It is stories like this one that make the point for me how incredibly important it is for all of us to be in life with each other- in the kind of fellowship and biblical community Christ calls us into. The New Testament uses the words "one another" about 52 different times- one for each week of the year! That's a subtle reminder to all of us that we should continually make the effort to develop friendships within the context of church community:As you taught about biblical community last Sunday it brought to mind how blessed my husband and I have been since moving to Oklahoma and attending Council Road. Last year I had to undergo a rigid chemo treatment for the Non-Hodgkins Lymphoma that the doctors had discovered right after moving to OK in Dec.,2006. For my treatments I had to be in the hospital for about 5 days at a time. And because my immune system was so weak I hardly ventured away from home between hospital stays.
After four times in the hospital I went into remission due to much prayer because my oncologist thought it would take six times ! At this point in the treatment my oncologist sent me to OU Medical Center for another round of intense chemo followed by a stem cell transplant. This consisted of a 3 week hospital stay.
During these months our connection class and our small study group were incredible. They stayed in constant prayer for me. They visited me in the hospital and at home. They brought food when a son & daughter in law came so we wouldn't have to bother with fixing food. They mowed our lawn---because in the middle of my treatments my husband had to have a hip replacement. They sent many cards of encouragement, and they called.
One night they rushed me to ICU because I was throwing up blood. Unbeknownst to me a group of ten showed up, went into a room and started praying. The bleeding stopped!
When the doctors could not find out where or what caused the bleeding we told the oncologist about our friends & family praying and that he had just witnessed a miracle.
Health issues were not the reason we felt God was moving us to Oklahoma in 2006 but we have not only been surprised by the quality of medical care available here but most of all the support we have received from our connection class and small group. And we are continuing to keep them on their knees as my husband is now going through treatment for cancer. I can not even put into words how blessed we feel because of the love and care these groups have shown us.
