Hearts United Women's Ministry

KNITTING HEARTS CAFE / APR 9, 2016
  Anniversary Celebration!
  Written by Sue Sanders

The 12th year anniversary of Knitting Hearts Women’s Ministry was a celebration of God’s might and glory beginning with Scripture the Lord had given Joyce Sanders, I Thessalonians 2:7, and ending with a mime by Desmond Mitchell that asked for God’s blessing and increase. We were brought to the feet of Jesus through “Sabrina Forte’s” anointed singing of “Alabaster Box.” Joyce excitedly presented the Hospitality, the Music and the Leadership Team members and the sound man, her husband James. She gave a brief history of the ministry.

Susan White’s praise team led us to exalt and lift up our God. Just as Mary did when she poured her oil on the feet of Jesus, the praise and dance team led us to pour out our love for the Master from our boxes of alabaster, “giving back to Him all the praise He is worthy of.” We poured out our love for the Master as we sang “Every Praise,” “Holy Is the Lord God Almighty,” “For the Joy of the Lord Is Our Strength,” and “Greatness of Our God.”

Three different women blessed us with their personal testimonies. Leah Kiernan shared from John 15:5, “I am the Vine, and you are the branches.” She instructed us, “Imagine that we are branches, and Jesus is the vine. He is going to grow all over us beautiful flowers and fruit.” She shared how Knitting Hearts had grown her faith. Several years ago her son was experiencing a crisis of faith. Leah felt that God was going to bring him to salvation, and God gave her Scripture from Numbers 24: “But Caleb had a different spirit.” This encouraged her, and her confidence was boosted when she came on Saturday to Knitting Hearts and then to the altar for prayer at the end. Carolyn Williams prayed with her and confirmed what God had put into her spirit proclaiming, “Caleb will become a strong man of God.”

God has also led Leah to get an accurate perspective of herself. She remembers a time when Amy Gibson spoke, “Think about cancer. We have it surgically removed. Do we then will and take it back? How often we do this though. We take our burdens to the altar and leave them. Then we take them right back.” Leah saw that she had accepted labels others had placed upon her. She relinquished these labels, went into God’s surgery, and woke up after His anesthesia declaring, “I am precious. I am God’s little girl.”

She also wants us to know that God brings His comfort to us in hard times. She reminded us of a time when Kipper Ackerman played her harp for a dying woman and was led to play “Jesus Loves Me.” Kipper thought that this was strange, but she followed the leading of the Holy Spirit. Later she found out from the family that “Jesus Loves Me” was the lady’s favorite song.

Shi Spittle spoke next of a very dark period of her life but how God brought her through it. Her dreams for her son and for her and her husband came to a halt. She and her husband were not speaking, and she herself was not speaking to God. Three months of this darkness pushed her into a pit of deep coldness, despair and hopelessness. But three months of this misery was enough. She resolved that she would be at church on Sunday, and she would get to the altar. However, she did not want altar people praying with her.

She wanted to be at the altar making her pleas to the Lord alone by herself. The entire time that Pastor Sims was preaching she was carrying on a conversation in her head, “I have got to get to that altar, but I don’t want anyone messing with me. I want to pray by myself.” Shi exclaimed that God rearranged the entire service for her. At the end of his sermon, Pastor Sims began explaining about altar prayers. But then he stood in the front and drew an imaginary line with his foot. He told the altar pray-ers to let individuals pray by themselves. Then he said, “I dare you to walk across this line and be delivered.” Shi walked across that line, and she wept before God. Then, she felt someone beside her, and it wasn’t an altar pray-er. It was her husband. This day when God rearranged an altar call for her has had a lasting IMPACT.

Judy Tolson sang a song that encouraged us: “When Everything Falls Apart, Praise His Name.” Amy Pringle related the effects of molestation that led to struggles and her fighting her way through childhood and teen years. Her family shoved the rape under the carpet and refused to deal with it. She herself turned to destructive ways to deal with her pain and frustration. She stated, “I wanted to see something else hurt. I went through bad relationships. I would fight to prove a point. I thought partying was the way of life.” Her praying grandmother constantly reminded her, “You are somebody, Amy. You are one of His creations.” She had a child at 16, got married young, and continued to fight her way through life. After going through a divorce, she got to a very low point and tried to take her own life. When she awoke the next morning, God spoke to her, “How dare you try to take something that doesn’t belong to you.”

She got saved, and two years later went into the ministry. However, she still believed the words that had been spoken over her that she was damaged goods. God eventually led her to Great Commission Ministries in Alcolu where Devon Coker is the pastor. Here she has learned to overcome the obstacles from her past through the blood of the Lamb of God and the word of her testimony. She is now victorious instead of being a victim. Although her struggles are real, she is an overcomer.

Just before the altar call, Gail Timmons spoke to us words that the Lord had spoken to her. (I am posting this declaration under a separate post.)

The words of the song that Judy Tolson sang sum up the testimonies: “When you have a broken heart, just raise your hearts and say. Lord, You’re all I need. You’re everything to me And He’ll take the pain away. When it seems you’re all alone, Praise His name. When you feel you can’t go on, just raise your hands.”

The words of the song keep decreeing what was spoken today, “Greater is He that is within me And You can praise the hurt away if you’ll just praise His name. You can overcome by the blood of the Lamb and the Word of your testimony. You’ll see the darkness go away as your faith begins to grow.”