“Staying the Course” (Day 36)
Verse of the Day
“He loved them to the end.” (John 13:1)
You could say I was born into the church. Not with a dramatic moment, but with a quiet, steady faith. My father was a Methodist minister, and church life was the ground beneath our feet.
I don’t remember not being in church. As a child, I even wandered “up front” during a service and ended up between my father’s legs while he was praying. Faith was simply part of life.
When I was five, we moved to a place where my father served many small churches. He worked tirelessly, often gone day and night. Even during the war, life was uncertain. But church remained at the center—quilting, mission work, gathering, serving.
Later, I met Don. He was persistent. He kept asking, and eventually, I said yes—not just to him, but to a life together. I made a vow before God: for better or worse. And I meant it. We had challenges, but we built a good life. We were just three weeks short of 65 years together when he passed.
Through it all, church remained home. We raised our children there. Life changed over the years, and the church changed too. Still, I hold hope that the next generation will return and find what I found—life, meaning, and community.
There were sacred moments. When my father died, I felt a deep peace come over me—like God was near. The same when my mother passed. Those moments confirmed what I had always believed.
Now at 91, I’ve learned this: be kind, be honest, try to understand others—and love. That kind of love changes everything. – Helen Woods
Thought for the Day
Where is Jesus calling you today to remain faithful—to love, to serve, to keep your vow—trusting that your small faithfulness is part of His greater work?
“He loved them to the end.” (John 13:1)
You could say I was born into the church. Not with a dramatic moment, but with a quiet, steady faith. My father was a Methodist minister, and church life was the ground beneath our feet.
I don’t remember not being in church. As a child, I even wandered “up front” during a service and ended up between my father’s legs while he was praying. Faith was simply part of life.
When I was five, we moved to a place where my father served many small churches. He worked tirelessly, often gone day and night. Even during the war, life was uncertain. But church remained at the center—quilting, mission work, gathering, serving.
Later, I met Don. He was persistent. He kept asking, and eventually, I said yes—not just to him, but to a life together. I made a vow before God: for better or worse. And I meant it. We had challenges, but we built a good life. We were just three weeks short of 65 years together when he passed.
Through it all, church remained home. We raised our children there. Life changed over the years, and the church changed too. Still, I hold hope that the next generation will return and find what I found—life, meaning, and community.
There were sacred moments. When my father died, I felt a deep peace come over me—like God was near. The same when my mother passed. Those moments confirmed what I had always believed.
Now at 91, I’ve learned this: be kind, be honest, try to understand others—and love. That kind of love changes everything. – Helen Woods
Thought for the Day
Where is Jesus calling you today to remain faithful—to love, to serve, to keep your vow—trusting that your small faithfulness is part of His greater work?
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