Water From Wellspring

By Dawn Brotherton

Recently, the pastor at Wellspring focused his sermons around telling HIStory—Jesus’ story. Now the congregation would like to share their stories of Christian love through the pages of this book. By sharing their stories of how Christ has moved in their lives, the communicants hope to stir memories and reminders of how Christ has moved—and continues to move—in the lives of the readers.
Remember to share your story of Jesus’s love with the world.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Blue Dragon Publishing, LLC
• Release date: Jul 16, 2018
• ISBN: 9781939696410

Dawn Brotherton

Dawn Brotherton is an award-winning author and featured speaker at writing and publishing seminars. When it comes to exceptional writing, Dawn draws on her experience as a retired colonel from the US Air Force as well as a softball coach. She has also completed four books (Trish’s Team; Margie Makes a Difference; Nicole’s New Friend, and Tammy Tries Baseball) in the middle grade Lady Tigers Series about girls’ fastpitch softball, encouraging female athletes to reach for the stars in the game they love. As a mother of two female athletes, Dawn is intent on encouraging women to “play like a girl,” which means play with determination, teamwork, sportsmanship and most of all, a love of the game. Under nonfiction, the Softball Scoresheet was created to keep score during softball games with instructions written for those not as familiar with the intricacies of the game.

Book preview

Water from Wellspring

From the Congregation of Wellspring United Methodist Church

Williamsburg, VA

Water from Wellspring

From the Congregation of Wellspring United Methodist Church

Williamsburg, VA

Smashwords Edition

All rights reserved.

Published by Blue Dragon Publishing, LLC

www.blue-dragon-publishing.com

Copyright 2018 Wellspring United Methodist Church

Cover by Resa Reid

Editor: Paige Brotherton

ISBN 978-1-939696-40-3 (paperback)

ISBN 978-1-939696-41-0 (eBook)

Library of Congress Control Number: 2018946734

The Scripture quotations contained herein are from the New Revised Standard Version Bible, copyright © 1989, by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Thank you for downloading this ebook. This book remains the copyrighted property of Wellspring UMC and may not be redistributed to others for commercial or non-commercial purposes. If you enjoyed this book, please encourage your friends to download their own copy from their favorite authorized retailer and help support the ongoing ministries at Wellspring. Thank you for your support.

Table of Contents

Introduction

All Things Work Together for Good

Let HIStory be Our Story

God Has a Plan

Blessed by God

This Little Light of Mine

Communion: Intimate Communication

Finding God in the Unexpected

The Road to Methodism

One Thing Leads to Another

Saved by Angels

What Does Jesus Look Like?

God’s Will

When the Moon Blocked out the Son

No Ah-ha Moment

Share Your Story

Introduction

Wellspring United Methodist Church is a medium-size church tucked into the trees off of Longhill Road in Williamsburg, Virginia. The parking lot is only partially paved, there are no bells, and the steeple doesn’t rise above the treetops.

But it’s what’s on the inside that counts.

This loving and welcoming church has opened its doors to visitors, members, and people who have attended regularly for almost 40 years. Their outreach has included food pantries, habitat houses, youth fellowship, mission trips, Stephen Ministry, and the Sewing Sisters.

Like most churches, attendance is greatest around Easter and Christmas, but the faithful church-goers come back Sunday after Sunday to ensure the doors remain open for those that come by when they need to.

Recently, the pastor at Wellspring focused his sermons around telling HIStory—Jesus’ story. Now the congregation would like to share their stories of Christian love through the pages of this book. By sharing their stories of how Christ has moved in their lives, the communicants hope to stir memories and reminders of how Christ has moved—and continues to move—in the lives of the readers.

Remember to share your story of Jesus’s love with the world.

All Things Work Together for Good

by Joyce Huffman

Beginning with the moment of your birth, each of us has a story to tell. Your story is unique because there is only one you. But upon reflection, one might consider a series of events not as coincidences, but rather, God surrounding you with people who may interact to allow a Spiritual Gift to grow to His purpose.

In my case, it was the congregation of California United Methodist Church in California, Pennsylvania in the 1960s.

To this day, I’m amazed that a woman who neither sang nor played the piano gave me a gift of sheet music; that the previous church choir director was in attendance that Sunday morning and generously responded to my distress; and that a simple knock on the door was an act of compassion and mission.

Your Spiritual Gifts are not given for your own benefit, but for the benefit of others. Every ministry matters because we all depend on others to function and to share.

All things work together for good for those who love the Lord.

What if I fall? Oh, but my darling, what if you fly?

I FALL

As a new member of the congregation and the choir, I had agreed to sing a duet with our tenor choir director. It was a rather easy selection but with a repetitive half note that challenged my range four times. Was it a G? Memory fails me. I do know I missed it the first time, confirming my fear that I was going to miss it three more times. The trouble with duets or solos is that you must sing on until the music ends and you can sit down.

My distress must have been so obvious, because following the service, I was showered with encouragement and compliments. I asked my husband to please take me home, for if one more person was nice to me, I was going to cry.

We were home only a short time when a neighbor knocked on the screen door. Mr. Halstead, head of the music department at the local college, wanted to help me. He would give me free voice lessons, and we would work together preparing something special for a return engagement at California United Methodist Church.

I FLY

For the next three months I knocked on Mr. Halstead’s door once a week. What a sight greeted him. I had my three little ones, a few toys, and a piece of sheet music, Consider the Lilies, which I had received as a gift. Will this do?

Yes, he answered simply.

I promised to practice at home every day by repeating that week’s lesson on my own. I neither played nor had a piano. The neighbors would just have to put up with me.

After months of practice, Mr. Halstead determined it was time. Joyce, you’re ready. After you sing, the congregation can rise and go home. The sermon will have been delivered, he told me.

Knowing I was nervous and under self-imposed pressure, Mr. Halstead comforted me by saying