What Makes a Loving Church?

Church 

See how the qualities of a true church body touch so much on Christian Love.

We Face the Trials of Life Unexpected. Photo by Bill Hunt (c)

 2010.

Mary and I sprouted in the garden of spiritual life like tiny new green sprigs. We learned the precious blessings of God's love can overcome the hard trials in life. We underwent financial, employment, and pregnancy challenges. Each time, the prayer groups we belonged to locked arms with us and poured forth amazing love.

Disaster struck. My wife and I returned home from a week long Thanksgiving vacation. Mary traveled the long drive suffering the flu as well as enduring her pregnancy condition. She was miserable. She couldn't wait to arrive home to her own soft, comfortable bed.

As we finally drove up to our house in the trees, everything appeared normal. But when we opened the door to our home, terror struck our hearts. It was raining inside the house! Unbelievable! Strange! Peculiar!

Everywhere, water was dripping heavily from the ceiling. The house was soaked, the furniture was soaked, the clothes in the closets were soaked.

It looked as if a demon from hell 

raided our house!

I called the repairmen. They discovered our furnace supported a humidifier automatic control valve which malfunctioned. The humidifier continued pumping water into the atmosphere of the two-story house the whole week long we were absent.

Prayer group friends from our church came to our rescue and hosted us overnight. Next day, working together, we dried out the house, dried off the furniture, and dried up the clothes. A certain husband tried to do a lot of talking to reassure his pregnant wife. 

As cool weather approached, being a country girl from Upstate New York, my wife somewhat fretted about the clothes her growing children wore while we lived on Philadelphia's exclusive Main Line.

One day a lady from the prayer group delivered three green garbage bags she said contained "used clothes." Her own two daughters outgrew them, she said, but these would likely now fit our two young daughters, Monica and Emily.

Looking at the garbage bags, Mary waited for her husband to return home from work before she emptied them out on the living room carpet. When he arrived, she dumped the bags, looked, and gasped!

She started going through them 

like it was Christmas morning!

The clothes actually arrived in store mint condition, three piles of clothes for her two little daughters! Beautiful matching dresses. White gloves. Assorted play clothes. And two beautiful navy blue fall coats with gold buttons. Even son Brian received a tough pair of play blue jeans.

As a husband, I just sat pleased watching my wife's delight, amazed at God's gift to my family. I asked one major question in my heart, though.

"If God can take care of all our needs so well, why do we fear?"

– Bill Hunt © 2010

NOTE: Please let us know your thoughts in the comment box. Have you gone through severe trials and found Christians would show love?

For life, meditate on the Word day and night recommends scripture. We need the power the Bible and prayer give us for everyday living.  Read the Bible in your own language, the one you are most comfortable with. Francis A. Schaeffer considered the New International Version the most accurate translation. To carry, you might like the best selling NIV Compact Thinline Bible.