“Thank You, Desert Spring!”

Scripture Reading — Ephesians 1:15-16

I have heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints, and for this reason I do not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.

This is my final devotional as a Pastor of Desert Spring, and I write it with a heart filled with gratitude.

I first visited Desert Spring UMC at the end of 2011. At that time in my life I was really struggling. I felt battered and bruised by the world. My sense of self-worth was at an all-time low. I was questioning every aspect of my life, including my faith, and I had a growing sense that my life didn’t matter.

When I came to Desert Spring, I experienced “your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love toward all the saints,” in a way that changed my life, and for this reason, I will “not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers.”

People of Desert Spring, I want to thank you for welcoming me with compassion and kindness, for making the time to sit with me and to listen to me, and for inviting me to join you in your ministries, helping and serving others. I want to thank you for all of the different ways that you helped me to see my God given passions and gifts, and for encouraging me to use them in service to God.

Desert Spring truly is a community of Christ where all people are welcomed to discover and live a life of purpose through Jesus Christ. It was in this grace-filled community that I found healing and a renewed sense of purpose in the Lord. It was here in the presence of your love and faith that I came to remember what the world had caused me to doubt, that I mattered to God, and that I was loved. And it was here in this blessed community that I worked together with you to make a meaningful difference in the lives of others.

People of Desert Spring, I want to thank you for who you are and for all the ways that you share the love of God and the grace of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I will not cease to give thanks for you as I remember you in my prayers!

God Bless You!

Pastor Tim