Community, Stories of Grace | by Anne Johnson

“The Stories of Grace series is intended to capture snapshots of God’s grace and glory amidst our every day lives. They are real stories of real people who have seen the fingerprints of God amidst the ordinary—God’s favorite canvas. Each story is personal, unique and, often, unfinished. Through it all we get glimpses of God’s steadfast love, sufficient grace, and ongoing presence with his people.”

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Walking through the book of Job and seeing the affliction and suffering he experienced, I’ve been reflecting on the story that God’s been orchestrating in my life. Like many, it has included several helpings of trials, pain, and suffering. There’s a sign in Swedish’s Cancer Institute office that says, “Cancer is a word, not a sentence.” Cancer is one of the major fears of our modern American culture and most people have been touched by it in some way or another, including me. I am two and a half years out from my diagnosis of cancer. Two years after my last chemo treatment and one and a half years out from my final radiation session. A friend asked “what do you think is the biggest thing you’ve learned through all this?” There are layers of what I’ve learned and, Lord willing, will continue to learn for years to come. But in the interim, I’ve learned about the Church and God’s power to move through it when we are willing to obey. When the Church keeps “fixing our eyes on Jesus” (Hebrews 12:2 NIV), we are able to accomplish such grand things through Him who strengthens us.

I thought I knew what community was. I thought I grasped everything that God had to offer through His Church. After all, I was living in Christian community and had helped lead community groups. Service was one of my love languages and I’d always had a heart for social justice. But the riches of Christ are unsearchable (Ephesians 3:8). There is no end to the Alpha and the Omega. He is the beginning and the end, which is to say He is always (Revelation 21:6). It will take an eternity to try to understand what I thought I had on lockdown after little more than a decade of following Christ.

When I reflect on my cancer treatment, there is pain, both physical and emotional. There are moments that I hope never to experience again and pray no one else would have to endure. Make no mistake, it was not fun. But what comes into focus much more sharply is Love. Not the word love that we throw around when we talk about our favorite foods or movies. I am talking about Love that came incarnate through Christ. I am talking about the Love of a community that brought countless meals and shuffled children around. I am talking about the Love of a care package with all of the cancer essentials because friends cared enough to research what was best. I am talking about the Love of a 10 year old son who prayed every night that I would be healed from my cancer. I am talking about the Love of friends who changed a cross-country motorcycle trip they’d been planning for six years to better care for me and my family. I am talking about the Love of a community who asks how they can pray for you and actually prays with you in the moment. That is not the love we give to things of this earth. That is not the love that comes from human “kindness”, but the Love that is only possible through Christ Jesus our Lord.

I can only hope that I would be able to proclaim this great news had the cancer still been ravaging my body. I am healed in my body of a disease that threatened to take my life, but moreover I stand healed of the sin that threatened to take my soul, which is of immeasurably more worth and value. So my boast will not be in the healing of my body from cancer, but my boast will be in Christ who lives and reigns and invites me into eternal joy and life with him whether I die tomorrow or in 40 years. Like Job, my suffering helped me turn my eyes upward, fixing them on the Living God, and I’m praising Him all the more.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.” Hebrews 12:1-3 NIV

– Anne Johnson, DCC Member

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If you are a member with DCC and have a story of grace to share please email . 

Community, Foster Care, Service, Stories of Grace | by Anne Johnson

“Take up the cause of the fatherless.” Isaiah 1:17 (NIV)

November 12th was Orphan Sunday, a day when the Church stands up for the orphan. November is also National Adoption Month. As of July 2017, there were 1,460 children in foster care in King County, and about 8,800 children in foster care across the state of Washington (more statistics here). Our church family hopes to rally around these children and the families directly supporting them, bringing and being Christ to them in their isolation, fear, and uncertainty.

Caleb and Leah Gross, members of Downtown Cornerstone, have experienced first hand the joy, heartache, difficulty, and miracle of welcoming foster children into their home. Leah was familiar with foster care and adoption through her previous church and had a strong desire to be involved after seeing the great need for homes and foster parents. When they got married, Caleb was still getting used to the idea of foster care.

The Grosses reached out to us as we had gone through the process to become licensed and had been fostering for a short time. We shared our story of how God grew our desire to foster parent and our experiences with the fostering process. We met with Caleb and Leah a number of times over the course of several months. They helped care for our kiddos in foster care and brought us meals during transitions. It was remarkable to watch their hearts grow for children stuck in the foster system and become increasingly confident in God’s sovereignty and goodness for their life.

The Grosses became licensed through the state with relatively few hiccups and have since welcomed two kids into their home. When things got difficult, as they inevitably do, we met together, we encouraged one another, we cried together. We left that place more confident in the call to which Christ has called us.

“Is this the most comfortable or most convenient life? No. But if we’re followers of Christ, comfort isn’t the point at all. Rather joining in the work of bringing redemption and hope to the brokenness and darkness. In the meantime we are sanctified and are touched with new awareness of God’s love for us, His heart of mercy, and His compassion towards us. He is our good Father. If we get the honor of being a father or mother to those without, why wouldn’t we?”

Their story continues. The day in and day out of caring for children, going to appointments, attending court dates and bio-family visits, checking in with social workers, etc. We are here to support one another, spur one another on, and remind each other what Christ has done for us and the life for which He saved us.

DCC ENGAGEMENT

DCC has been engaging with the foster care system for a number of years. During the 2014 and 2016 Advent seasons, we ran clothing drives for the foster youth in King County. We collected over 1,000 pieces of clothing! These clothes were distributed to kids in need of comfort and necessities. Learn about opportunities to help support foster families this season here.

• The Capitol Hill North Community supports a ‘Fostering Together’ support group by providing childcare and dinner every month to the foster families who attend.
• The Foster Support Faith Alliance (FSFA) is a ministry of Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission. The FSFA connects local churches wanting to engage the foster care system with the agencies and foster families in need of volunteer service. I have the opportunity to represent DCC as well as facilitate the local chapter of FSFA. We partner with the King West Department of Social and Health Services (DSHS) office which is less than a mile away from our church building. We’ve partnered with the office in numerous ways to support foster families, bio families, and social workers.
• On September 30th, DCC hosted a Caregiver’s Evening Out event. Foster, adoptive and kinship care parents were able to enjoy an evening to themselves while we cared for their children. Thirty-five volunteers welcomed 40 children from 18 families, prepared dinner, played games, made crafts and tangibly loved these families involved in foster care. We were also able to provide goodie bags for all the parents. For various reasons, many of these families don’t have opportunities like these to take time for themselves. The families were so grateful and appreciative for the special night we helped facilitate for them!

WAYS TO GET INVOLVED

“I could never do that”, “I want to but would get too attached”, “They are so lucky to have you”. Many people don’t understand who can or can’t become a foster parent or the multitude of other ways you can support the fostering community.

We are holding a Foster Care Info Session & Viewing on November 19th at 1pm and will share specific ways to get involved. We’ll also watch the ReMoved films to give insight into foster care and will have time for discussion and questions.

If you are interested in attending or would like to find out more about foster care opportunities, please contact Ben and Anne at .

For His glory,

Anne & Ben Johnson
DCC members & foster parents

Discipleship, Event

Earlier this month, 130 men within DCC set aside a weekend to reset their affections on Christ and grow in fellowship together at Island Lake Camp in Poulsbo, WA. Jesus was made much of, prayers were answered, and men left encouraged and renewed! Here’s just one of the many stories from the weekend.

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As we settled into our seats and pulled out our bibles, the fatigue of the day became apparent. Men quietly greeted each other as the smell of coffee filled the room. After a busy week, the thought of lessons and activities was as daunting as it was exciting. For me, the week leading up to Man Camp had been particularly taxing. I felt tired, stretched thin, and distant from God. 

As the first session began and we dove into God’s word, a simple but powerful theme began to take center stage: Endurance.

“Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight, and sin which clings so closely, and let us run with endurance the race that is set before us, looking to Jesus, the founder and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God..” – Hebrews 12:1-2. 

Man Camp itself was divided into four sessions, breaking down Hebrews 12:1-3. The first session discussed what endurance is and why we need it. We reflected on the “great cloud of witnesses”- ordinary men who trusted deeply in God – and how their trust and dependence on God offers us strength, encouragement, and a new perspective to trust God in difficult circumstances. Session two highlighted the weight and sin that clings so closely to our souls, why it clings so closely, and how we can, by God’s grace, start to lay it aside. In the third session, we learned what it takes to run the race with endurance and how we can tell if we are running the race well. Finally, in the last session, we evaluated what our hearts are truly pursing, remembering the Lord and his sacrifice for us, and refocusing our hearts, minds, and souls on who Jesus is, what He has done for us, and how He is worthy of the central affections of our hearts. 

Looking back, I can clearly see that the Lord was beginning to reveal a gospel disconnect in my life. While I didn’t realize it at the time, I had started to place my trust, joy, and satisfaction in my doings rather than in my Savior. This subtle change happened over a series of months and had left me feeling spiritually dry, focused on my sin and failures, and overall a bit weary in pursuing God. 

It was during the last session that I was reminded of the encouragement from the author of Hebrews to set my attention on Jesus as my deepest joy and greatest treasure. I had spent so much of my energy trying to fix my mistakes and shortcomings and subtly win God’s approval that I had forgotten who my Jesus is. He is the one who is appointed as the heir of all things and it is through Him that all things were created in this world (Heb 1:2). He is the radiance of the glory of God, the exact imprint of His nature. He is the one who upholds the universe by the word of His power. He is the one who made purification for our sins. (Heb 1:3) It is Him who everything is subject to, and nothing is outside of His control. (Heb 2:8) It is Him who is founder of our salvation. (Heb 2:10) It is Him who is our great high priest who has passed through the heavens. (Heb 4:14) He is our sure and steadfast anchor of our souls. (Heb 6:19) He is perfect forever. (Heb. 7:28) It is Him who is seated at the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in heaven, a minister in the holy places. (Heb. 8:1-2) and it is Him who deeply loves me and draws me near with his grace and mercy.

It is only by looking towards Jesus that we can run this race. It starts with Him, it continues with Him, and it will end with Him. It is not done by pulling up our boot straps and simply manning up. It is done only through His grace and His strength. We add nothing, we only faithfully pursue Him. 

I know that in this day and age, it can be hard to take a step away from all the priorities we have for a weekend getaway. I know that events like this can seem a burden, but that is far from the truth. We all need time to get away and truly reflect and recalibrate our hearts on our gracious God. I have consistently seen the Lord move in mine and others lives during this time, and I am confident He will continue this good work in the years to come. 

Love you all,

Kyle Stewart, DCC Member