Holy Moments
When Life and Faith Intersect
by
Book Cover & Preview Text
The Paradox of Strength through Weakness
Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong. (2 Cor. 12:10)
For whenever I am weak, then, through the grace of God, I am strong. In 2004, I was diagnosed with breast cancer. The hardest part of my experience was not the diagnosis, the surgery, or the radiation but the chemotherapy. It made me nauseous and I lost my hair, but worst of all, I felt totally drained. One day at the height—or the depth—of my chemotherapy, I pushed myself to go outside to see how far I could walk. I could make it only halfway down my short driveway and back. That’s how I weak I was.
Nonetheless, I seldom missed work during that chemotherapy experience; I think I had to skip only one Sunday. Once or twice I had to sit down rather than stand when I preached, but I never had a problem composing my sermons. Somehow during those months, I received strength beyond my own to do what God had called me to do. I suspect you have experienced that too during times when life has laid you low. When we’re too weak to carry on by ourselves, we receive strength from God.
And we usually gain wisdom along the way. Through my days of physical weakness, I gave up some of my fear of dying, I acquired a greater empathy for those dealing with life-threatening illness, and I was reminded to treasure every day because each one is a precious gift. During those times in our lives when we feel weak, when God does not seem to be restoring our strength, perhaps God’s message for us is the same one Paul received: “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness” (2 Cor. 12:9).
Formats
Book Details
About the Book
Moments—life is a sequence of them. In the joyous times, the spectacular instances seem to hurry by too quickly. In the routine of everyday life, ordinary moments slip by often unnoticed. During anxious times, it is as though every minute creeps by at an agonizingly slow pace. But as Rev. Martha Ward illustrates, God is present at all times, and if we open ourselves to that reality, every moment is holy. In Holy Moments: When Life and Faith Intersect, Rev. Ward links her own personal stories and those of her family with key scriptures to illustrate the variety of ways our life events become holy moments. Her hope is that readers will use her reflections as a springboard to consider how God is present in the moments of their lives.
About the Author
Martha Dalton Ward is an Ordained Elder in the United Methodist Church. Rev. Ward served in parish ministry in Iowa for over 30 years. For most of those years, she was a full-time co-pastor in team ministry with her husband, Rev. Bob Ward. Together they developed a successful and synergistic ministry style as they provided pastoral leadership in churches ranging from some of the smallest to the largest United Methodist congregation in Iowa. Retiring in 2014, Rev. Ward is enjoying serving in a variety of volunteer capacities. She and her husband live in the Des Moines, Iowa metropolitan area.