Knitting Hearts for Christ, February 13, 2021
Speaker: Kristin Barwick Williams
Recapped & written by Sue Pellum Sanders
“Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Cor. 15:57).
Tammy Buckner welcomed everyone to the service today and opened with prayer. Dalana Barnette blew the shofar. “The Worship Wagon” opened the gathering today with “Graves into Garden,” a song so relevant to Kristen Barwick Williams’s testimony of how God brought healing and restoration to her body, soul, and spirit. He came alongside and put her back together. Her life highlights words from the song: “There is nothing better than You. There is not a place where His mercy and grace won’t find us again. You turned mourning into dancing, gave beauty for ashes, turned shame into glory. You are the only One who can. You turn graves into gardens, turn bones into armies, and turn streams into highways. You are the only One who can.” In Kristen’s life the very place of breaking became the very place of blessing. Praise and worship continued as they sang about the God of Abraham, God of Covenant and of faithful promises, the God who remains steadfast no matter what storms may come or what winds may blow. He is the God who does not delay, the One we can rest in. He is our Refuge and Strength. We do not have to fear the way because our “help comes from the Lord.” The worship team’s songs told of a God who always comes through. Kristen can testify of the battles that she has won because of a God who has not failed her.
Gail Simmons made announcements and shared the word God had given her for us. We can’t have revival without habitation and intimacy with the Lord Jesus. Linda Campbell shared the Word of Truth and expounded on all Jesus did for us and the power in His name.
Dalana Barnette prayed over the offering and introduced Wanda Mercer’s interpretive dance. Wanda flowed in praise and thanksgiving for the God who is so faithful. She radiated gratitude for all God has done for us, the One who has always made a way, the One who is our Waymaker through the good, bad, and ugly, the great and small, the times of victory, and the times when we fall.
Ramelle Coker introduced the speaker, a woman who was there when Ramelle’s own son committed suicide at age 25. Ramelle herself is an overcomer, a woman who has remained faithful through the good, bad, the tears and the pain.
Kristin is 40 years old and from Sumter. She is most definitely an overcomer. Her traumas began at 18 months when she was diagnosed with ovarian cancer. The medical challenges continued for years. She was in and out of the hospital for the first 9 years of her life. Sickness was not the only trauma she had to face. Her father committed suicide when she was 14 years old. His death led to more loneliness and fear. Several friends were there for her. Mary Beth was an incredibly special friend who helped her through this battle. Satan is out to kill, steal, and destroy, and our minds can become a battlefield. She emphasized that we need friends like Mary Beth who will walk alongside us and encourage us. Jesus has put things inside of us that we need to share to help others with their battles. All of us have battles. We must become the hands and feet of Jesus.
Ten years after her father’s suicide her brother Cliff died. His death taught her compassion and how to love people right where they are. She got married and went into the military. She lived in 5 different states in 8 years. She began having chronic migraines and at one point was on 12 different prescriptions. Five years later she was introduced to natural healing methods and essential oils. The natural health path led her to involvement with various groups that poured into her life.
Kristen emphasized that repeated traumas get stuck in us and lead to us repeating the same unhealthy patterns. She read Scripture highlighting that the first healers were the priests. We often want a quick fix, but we must do the hard work. She read 1 Cor 6:19: “Do you know that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which you have of God, and you are not your own?” We are temples of God. We are responsible for the healing of our bodies and helping others heal. Soul care, taking care of ourselves, is so important. We must allow the Holy Spirit to give us discernment to know which assignments are ours. Since our bodies are God’s dwelling place, we must take care of them.
God is calling us to love people where they are, to love like Jesus, to be His hands and feet. He puts people in our lives and wants us to take advantage of opportunities to walk alongside them.
The service ended with an altar call as the worship team sang “O Come to the Altar.” Lisa Salyards spoke a blessing over the group before closing in prayer. We can all identify with Kristen’s story. So often what looks like a disaster is the very thing God will use to propel us into our destiny. God can totally rebuild our lives into what He originally intended them to be.
Words from the dance song, “Thank You for It All,” capture the essence of today’s meeting:
“The pain helped me overcome my fears.
You’ve been good to me down throughout the years.
It’s a miracle that I’m still standing here.
All that I am is because of all that You brought me through
And everything I survived, it’s all because of You.”
Hearts United Women's Ministry 