Lent Wednesday 3-11-20

Beloved let us love one another because love is from God everyone who loves is born of God and knows God whoever does not love does not know God for God is love. This is the gospel of Our Lord.

Good evening. If I have not met you I am Starla Lowry and I thank you for allowing me to share my faith Journey with you tonight.

Previously when asked about my faith Journey, I've always began with when I was 15 years old. I was at a church picnic with her friends and everybody was enjoying a picnic around the pasture. No one was pretending to be something they were not and that was surprising to me for my background. But looking back now, I realize my faith Journey started many years before that. I was raised in a household. That was not traditional. My mother was married when she was 17 years old. My father had to actually get permission from his parole officer to get married. not longer long after the I do's He began to show his true colors. When I was 18 months old she divorced him so that I would not have to endure the abuse that she did. My world would change many times after this when I was three years old my aunt went missing and the other didn't Point stu things that are not necessarily good.

Then when I was four my grandfather died and from stories that I've been told I was very close to him. At 19 years old. My mother was single and had a child and she really what didn't know what to do.

when she was Struggling with this she would leave me multiple times with different family members and this allowed multiple occasions of abuse.

These are facts as I remember them. But there's also memories of going to church with my grandmother Sunday morning Sunday evenings and Wednesdays. And I struggled with the services because they were condemning of my mother's Behavior because it's not how you're supposed to act. But from what I knew in the messages, I was hearing. That wasn't the love that I was feeling from the from the stories.

Then I lived with my Aunt Sue and she would take me to church different church. Not sure the denomination but it was an amazing church one that welcome children. We would practice she would play the piano and we would sing hymns in the front of the church when we were just seven and eight years old me and my cousin then they would have a penny March. Where were the children would come out to the congregation and they would collect the coins for an offering can't do that today. Just got to wash your hands first. Which as a nurse by the way, I do agree with.

Then I remember a time when I was riding in the back of my aunt Sue's car and we were discussing the story of Easter. And again, I had to been around eight or nine years old. And we talked about Jesus dying on the cross for us. And how he gave his life for our sins. And it made me sad. Because he died but I knew at that moment how much he truly loved me and all of us.

Very very strong memory is a vacation bible school when I went with my aunt again and my cousins and we made a song out of 1st John 4:7 and 8. And it went a little differently because it was from a different version of the Bible. Beloved let us love one. Another for love love is of God and everyone that loveth is born of God and know it's God. He that loveth not knoweth not God for God is love beloved. Let us love one another. Until I was volunteered to do this. My daughter had never heard that and I actually think I feel blessed to be able to share that.

Over the years I've taken two different switches different denominations. Some of them I didn't feel like I fit in some of my dead. But I always knew that God was there and he was with me. Looking back. I realize that God placed these amazing people in my life. So that I could see the actions of God's love through them.

13 years old my mom join the Navy and it's 15. I joined her at her station in San Diego from small-town, Oklahoma. This brings me back to my 15 year old self at a Lutheran Church in my new HomeTown. I was baptized October 16th 1988 and then ELCA church. I join the youth group. I joined the choir and I truly felt like I finally belonged after all of these years. I made some choices that I had learned in my previous Church life that would have been frowned upon and I would have been condemned and ridiculed in those churches. So I thought that I was going to be kicked out basically.

But I also knew that Jesus didn't die on the cross to condemn me. His grace was not. His grace was bigger than that in my heart. I knew that. I was 16 at the time and looking back. I realize I was growing up so we don't always make the wisest choices.

But I thought I'd lost my family. Then one day the pastor and his wife shows up to my house with a basket of items. They've collected for me. And at that moment, it showed that they loved me and I was accepted.

God's grace

That love and compassion is why I'm still in the church today and why I raise my children in the church.

Over the years I've seen the work got the work of God in many places. I'm going to share a few. My husband's military if we haven't had a chance to talk July 2005. We've transferred back to Key West we return with those who had evacuated with hurricane Dennis 2004 was a bad year for Central 2005 was bad for southern.

I had started college to earn my Nursing degree. In August, I left lost my cousin. He was 35 years old, but he was like a brother to me. He was one of those family members had lived with for part of my life. So it's very challenging.

Then we were hit by Katrina. And then we lost almost everything. We owned in Hurricane Wilma. But we were blessed because we had a vacation rental. We were able to stay in while that maybe was build rebuilding her home. And I have to tell you I did know I was blessed. It was tough and I remember it but I remember. Those that stayed on the island gathered items. Clothing supplies for the wave came through Kmart and washed it out the back Insurance wouldn't allow you to do anything with them. So it's not looting they collected those items. They washed it they use what they could and he distributed the rest. One in particular didn't speak English. She was from Eastern Europe. But when I showed up at her house, she was trying to offer me closer my daughter cuz she knew I had a daughter around that that size. That to me is the hands and feet of God.

Bring the time. We also found a new church and we were very mixed match. There was really stoked that we double the congregation when we showed up because we were missing a building. Then we built the building cuz we sold some land Key West is a little expensive and since Katrina hit and everything everything became way more expensive so we couldn't afford to finish our building. So we were meeting in a beautiful building with no electricity. No running water. Nothing. We had Easter Service. We had Christmas service and we use the flood light for Christmas Eve service. We got our decorations we gathered now again, we're still all in temporary housing. The island is still not back, but we were doing what we could to be together.

I invited a friend to church. She had three daughters. We knew that we needed a curriculum for them. So we got in the curriculum Brianna my daughter started teaching Sunday School in there be about five or six kids, but we share the love of God.

There were a few times over the years.

When I was younger that I wasn't going to church but from the points on when that Pastor showed up at my house. I was always in a church when we transferred from different sites. The first thing I find is a church.

I've always known that Jesus is beside me through all the abuse the fear the lost the loneliness wondering why I was unlovable and want and wanted I could feel him wrap his arms around me and tell me that I'm loved and I'm worthy and to go out into the world and share the light and love that. He's given

I've struggled over the years of how to share my faith. Now I don't hesitate to share the prayer. offer prayer or hug or listed The other times I can't. I'm sorry that I can show my love but I asked God to guide me through those with my actions cuz many times our actions speak louder than anything that we can say.

Finding a faith family has always been important to me and I'm not shy. But it takes me time to find my footing. God has guided my family here and I look forward to growing and sharing God's word in the starting of life with you.

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