News November 7, 2024
News from Good News Ministries:
- 3 GNM team members hit hard by storms
- This week’s recommended video: Documentary by new staff member
- Plus great links to great content!
3 GNM team members hit hard by storms
There are two songs that ministered to me during my stormy teen years and they are inspiring me again. The first is “How Great Thou Art.” It holds many dear memories for me. My grandmother (“Nana”, my most favorite relative) tried to find it on a vinyl record to give it to me, but in those days, there were no stores that sold Christian music. She passed away a few years later, and whenever I sing this song, I feel her singing it with me.
O Lord my God, When I in awesome wonder,
Consider all the worlds Thy Hands have made;
I see the stars, I hear the rolling thunder,
Thy power throughout the universe displayed.
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art.
Then sings my soul, My Savior God, to Thee,
How great Thou art, How great Thou art!
It’s one of the hymns used in my husband Ralph’s funeral Mass last February. And now it’s important once again as I deal with the huge expenses of recovering from Hurricane Milton (my insurance companies have found reasons not to help me pay for any of it), alone, without Ralph.
The lyrics were written by Rev. Carl Boberg after he trekked through a thunderstorm.
I love what poet Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote about stormy times: “The wise man in the storm prays to God, not for safety from danger, but for the deliverance from fear. It is the storm within that endangers him, not the storm without.” Although Ralph is not with me physically any more, I am not alone. I need not fear what my financial situation will be like when everything’s been fixed.
We’re all dealing with storms, be they family problems or a world that’s gone crazy fighting Christian values.
The second song is “You’ll Never Walk Alone” by Oscar Hammerstein and Richard Rodgers.
When you walk through a storm
Keep your chin up high
And don’t be afraid of the dark
At the end of a storm is a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark
Walk on through the wind
Walk on through the rain
Tho’ your dreams
Be tossed and blown
Walk on
Walk on
With hope in your heart
And you’ll never walk alone
You’ll never walk alone
When you walk through a storm
Hold your head up high
And don’t be afraid of the dark
At the end of a storm is a golden sky
And the sweet silver song of a lark
Walk on through the wind
Walk on through the rain
Tho’ your dreams
Be tossed and blown
Walk on
Walk on
With hope in your heart
And you’ll never walk alone
You’ll never walk alone
Karen Mayhew is our newest Board Member. She’s been one of our best volunteers for a long time. Her home was completely destroyed by Hurricane Helene and, a week later, Milton hit. Now she and her husband and mother are living with her brother and his wife until their home can be restored. She says her brother “has a beautiful home and his backyard looks onto a gorgeous nature reserve. It is very soothing to sit on his back porch in the evening.” In regards to walking with Jesus through this difficult time, she is focusing on the positive: “I’ve been praying for a decrease in materialistic things and boy did he answer my prayer!”
Board Member Beth Solis lives in Oklahoma with her husband Javy. Earlier this week, a tornado destroyed her car and damaged a window and the side of their house. She says, “God is loving and helping us through family and friends. It is beautiful to see the pastor and members of a local Baptist church helping us, too! People from our own church have also been supportive, and we are very grateful. God is so good, even in the storms — especially in the storms of our lives. Thank you to all who are praying for us!”
What does your storm look like? As devoted followers of Christ, we keep pressing forward through the storms, knowing that he is with us. We never walk alone. Jesus is with us every step of the way, even though we cannot yet see the rainbow that he’s leading us to; we’re getting closer and closer to it each day.
The first step in recovery is emptiness. This photo shows where the Good News meeting room used to be before it flooded. The next step is discernment about what to rebuild and how to redesign the space. Maybe it will remain empty for a long time. My home is safely and securely on the floor above it. I’m very grateful for that as I wait to find out how my home can be used once again to glorify God.
Since there is nothing that soothes the soul as well as music does, be blessed by listening to this song. The video I selected for you unfolds a visual story that might even bring you to tears of faith.
Good News Prayer Room:
Use our collection of Catholic prayers designed with your needs in mind. They will give you hope and a stronger connection to God’s love and support. What do you need prayers for today?
Visit gnm.org/prayers.
Post your prayer requests @ gnm.org/post-a-prayer.
Good News WordBytes:
WANT MORE FAITH and HOPE in TROUBLED TIMES? WE’RE HERE for YOU! Choose from a variety of topics on our website of Catholic Faith-building articles. What do you need today?
Visit wordbytes.org.
This week’s recommended video:
Documentary by new staff member
Bill Snyder served as a GNM Board Member for several years. Now he is the staff Media Director and my admin assistant. Before he could do much for us, he said yes to his bishop’s request to make a documentary about the life and evangelization works of Venerable Samuel Mazzuchelli, OP, an Italian Dominican Friar who built Catholic Churches in the mid-western United States in the early to mid-1800’s.
Take a look! Notice the talent that Bill is bringing to GNM.
youtu.be/5pj9f0JsKIc?si=ypz0gf4xg7zqgZ2f
God bless you!
Every morning, I lift up in prayer everyone who helps Good News Ministries in any way (donors, volunteers, prayer supporters, etc.) and all the prayer requests posted on our site. What can I cover in prayer for you? Post your prayer request.
How else can the team and I serve you today? Visit our homepage.
Thank you for reading this newsletter.
Your servant in Christ,
Terry Modica, Executive Director
Good News Ministries
gnm.org
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