Scott and I met in high school. He was this sweet, nerdy computer kid who went home after our first date and said, “I am going to marry that girl!” We dated for three years and got married at the ripe old ages of 19 (me) and 20 (him). We had no clue what we were doing but we loved each other, we loved our God, and we believed that we had met the person He had picked just for us. We balance each other perfectly. Scott is easy-going and lets things just roll off his back. I am fiery and opinionated. He is patient and I am intense. He is messy and likes to leave things out around the house for easy access. I am neat and like to clean up after him. (Well, that might not be exactly true.) He relies on me to show him the silver lining in every situation, to remind him the glass is half full, and to bring laughter to his life. I rely on him for his level-headed approach to every situation, for his unselfish way of moving through life, and to bring peace and stability to my crazy days. Together, we form this amazing team. I can not imagine walking through this journey with anyone else by my side.
When we started dating, I joined Scott at his youth group and started attending church with him at Neighborhood Church of Redding. We were mentored in high school ministry with Randy Winton, had pre-marital counseling with our pastor Dale Edwardson, joined the young married sunday school with Dave Hall, worked in children’s ministry under Mark Wood, started a young families bible study in our home, and have felt in every way a part of our church family. We have so many years and love and ties at this church that it feels like home.
When we received our referral, we thought about asking our pastor if we could mak an announcement about our fundraising efforts. Or maybe we could at least print our fundraiser in the weekly bulletin. But God had something even better planned. We got a call asking if we would mind sharing our story with our church family during ALL 5 of the weekend services. Would we mind? Would we mind talking about all the blessings we have received through this journey? Would we mind sharing how God has moved in very real ways in our lives? I often think about our story in this way….our lives are like a lake that God is dropping little stones of miracles and blessings into. My desire is to have the ripples from those blessings spread out and touch as many people as possible. Maybe this might cause someone to pause and be more aware of all that God is doing. Every day, in every life, God is working. How is He working in your life? Or better yet, how might He use you to work in someone else’s?
So this coming weekend we will be sharing God’s workings in the Putnam family with our church. Even if you don’t normally attend church, we invite you to come. Come and listen and hopefully be blessed like we are every day!
Saturday, March 31 at 5:00
Sunday, April 1 at 8:00, 9:30, 11:00 and 6:00
Neighborhood Church of Redding
Blessings!
Natalie
Yay, can’t wait!!!
We will be there. Cant wait to hear you tell your story.
Wish I could be there – Will that part of the service be recorded?
That is so awesome! What an opportunity to move people’s hearts to orphan care. I’m sure you’ll be great, the Holy Spirit will give you exactly the words to say. I wish every church family would have this kind of response. What a blessing!