Interview 1 - Garth & Heather McCartney

0:01 · Speaker 1 good morning again. Today we are going to be thinking about what it means to hold the family together through uncertainty and dependence on God in fragile seasons. Most of us, I think if we're being honest with each other, will say we like to feel in control. And we make our plans, we organise our lives, We think about the future, and we try to create security for ourselves and for the people we love. But all it takes is one moment for that feeling to disappear, one conversation, one phone call, one diagnosis, one unexpected event, and suddenly life feels fragile. And the things we assumed would always be there, no longer feel guaranteed, and questions naturally start to surface that we never expect to ask ourselves. Like, what's really going on, and how bad is this going to be, and how do I hold my family together through this? And where is God in the midst of what I am feeling and experiencing?

1:10 · Speaker 1 And perhaps for some of those questions this morning aren't theoretical. is exactly where they are. They're very real. We know what it feels to carry uncertainty, to have fear about the future, to feel pressure or even exhaustion while still trying to keep life moving and care for those around us. And this morning we're not looking to begin with easy answers. What we're doing is we're going to begin with a real story, a story of family, of uncertainty, of fear, of faith, of learning what it means to depend on God when life feels beyond our control. So as we listen, don't simply listen for what happened. Can I encourage you to listen for where God met them, to listen for what he taught them, and perhaps to listen for what he might want to say to us through the story we're about to hear.

2:11 · Speaker 1 So why don't you give a warm welcome to Garth and Heather McCartney as they join me this morning. I got a wee thing of water here just to give me time to get them up and looks good, doesn't it? It's the aesthetics or everything. This plant's from my office because most plants that I try to look after die, so...

2:43 · Speaker 2 It needs water, David.

2:49 · Speaker 1 That's great. So welcome back again. This is second service, so I hope you guys are ready to share again. So Heather, let's start with you. Could you maybe tell us a little about your family, a little about some of the seasons that have challenged you guys?

3:07 · Speaker 3 Good morning everyone. Garth will talk in a wee minute about a few of the challenges we faced in the earlier years as a family, but with the kids' permission, we're just going to tell you a wee bit about them first. When Catherine arrived, I think it's fair to say we didn't know what it had us. For those of you who know her, you'll know what I mean. You would never know what she was going to be doing next. And we were reminiscing not too long ago about the Sunday when we were frantically trying to get out for church on time. And I probably was using my voice maybe a little and out the door. But of course we arrived at the front door with a smile on our face and said good morning.

3:44 · Speaker 3 And that was okay, the service. happened, and at the end of the service, a lady who was sitting behind me leaned forward and said, excuse me, you've got something on your back. Well, when I lifted it and looked at it, was a post-it note saying, my mum is grumpy today. So those moments of humiliation have not stopped, and Gareth and I have featured in a number of TikToks, and should you wish to see those, don't. Because we don't come out well in them at all, but anyway. Catherine could argue your case on anything. No. Did that really mean no?

4:22 · Speaker 3 Surely there was a way around it. And I have no idea really where she got her stubbornness from. Well. But I do find it interesting now though as an adult that the challenge in trying to work out how to parent her as a child can now actually be seen as a real strength in her character today and just her determination and the things that she's passionate about. I should probably point out there were plenty of good times as a family too. I mean both our kids are good fun and they have a great sense of humour. But this morning we're focusing more on the challenges. A lot of our challenges you'll probably identify with as parents working through issues with peers, arguments over screens, trying to get them to study or making choices which we didn't think were wise.

5:11 · Speaker 3 And you might say our kids took a more scenic route through their education. Neither of them had any great love for school and COVID wasn't easy. And at that stage, both of them disconnected from church for a time. So for a few reasons, when Catherine was a teenager, she moved schools and she was really well settled until she took ill and ended up then having to repeat the year. So it happened one Christmas and she started having really severe abdominal pain, which lasted for about 7 months. And Catherine was rarely well enough to leave the house, which became very isolating for her. And that was painful for us to watch, especially as there was no end insight. We had exhausted all the avenues with the medical profession and there just seemed to be no answers as to what was wrong with her.

5:58 · Speaker 3 And that summer we cancelled our holiday, but we tried to get along to New Horizon as we do most years. And Catherine felt able to go one morning to the youth programme And she opened up in her discussion group about her struggles with her illness. And the leaders asked her if she would stay behind at the end so that they could pray with her. And they prayed for healing for her. And I realise that God doesn't always answer in this way, but on this occasion, Catherine felt a tingling sensation through her body. And that pain at that moment completely disappeared and has never returned. and we're so thankful for that. She was out body boarding that afternoon and the pain, as I say, has never come back.

6:40 · Speaker 3 Now while this is a situation we would not have chosen, this was a moment which stood out in Catherine's story where she had a real sense that God was real and that he saw her in her situation. And we know that others were encouraged too because she stayed up that evening at the youth programme and told them all what had happened that morning. So, Garth's going to say a wee bit now about Peter.

7:04 · Speaker 2 Well, Peter was altogether a quieter individual in his teenage years and growing up. He was someone who loved cars and engines and machines and tractors and he just couldn't wait until he got the opportunity to drive. That was his, so much excited about that. As a teenager, whenever he was a teenager, we were in the house one day and I heard this engine going down the lane and went, that's a bit odd, went out to find Peter having bought an engine and fitted it to his bicycle, which personally I thought that was like a proud dad moment, but also thought, this is brilliant, can I have a go? Heather, not so much in regards to that. And that definitely highlighted quite a difference in our parenting styles, if you like, and that's something that we've had to work out over the years. But anyhow, so as with Catherine, Peter had his opportunities to challenge and to annoy. No doubt our kids and youth workers here in Glen Abbey can testify to that and testify to having a word with him a few times, I'm sure.

8:19 · Speaker 2 I would say that the kids, whenever they talk about us, would say that we often let them down in regards to how we parented and how we looked after them and we were a challenge. So it's a two-way st. We often got it wrong. I know that's hard to believe. But as Heather talked about a pivotal moment for Catherine being healed from that illness, A pivotal moment for Peter was one day he had an accident when he was out doing some work in the fields, doing some drainage work. He'd been left to get on with it and had been working away and he rolled the dumper when he was moving it and was trapped below the dumper for a couple of hours. Now In the middle of that, I was at work. Heather was geared up and ready to go to her mum's house to visit them, her and her dad. And she got a phone call just before she left to say, listen, it doesn't suit today, we'll have to cancel.

9:20 · Speaker 2 So Heather was about home, otherwise nobody would have been there till 5:00 that night. So Heather realised that Peter wasn't about, hadn't come in to go to work. and went out to look for him. The digger was in the field running with his phone in it and she looked around the fields and couldn't find the dumper at all. So for anyone who has been in the situation where you take your phone out of your pocket having spoke to a customer about a dripping tap and realise you have 14 missed calls from your wife, that is not a good place to be. I phoned back and she said she couldn't find Peter so I came home and we eventually found him anyway and below the dumper and as I said been trapped there for a couple of hours. I am in my head as someone who tries to fix things as best as possible was working out as I walked back across the field. I ran back across the field honestly.

10:21 · Speaker 2 How am I going to sort this out? So I thought what else to do but give David Mairs a ring, who lives close to us, and I thought he'll be here quite quickly, so that's great.

10:32 · Speaker 3 Did you phone the ambulance?

10:34 · Speaker 2 We did that after.

10:35 · Speaker 3 Yes, after he phoned David Mairs.

10:37 · Speaker 2 Priorities, priorities.

10:38 · Speaker 3 Emergency services, yes.

10:41 · Speaker 2 David would know what to do. Yes, you feel privileged. So I'm going across the field in the digger. It took an age to get to where the dumper was. I'm trying to work out, will this digger actually have enough power to lift the dumper to get his arm out from below it? Because we didn't know what sort of state it was in or whatever. I got down into the ditch, got the digger in below it. David and Heather were there to put stones in below the dumper and all of that.

11:06 · Speaker 2 Like I had properly thought it through. And we got him out and got him back to the yard. in the car. His arm looked totally out of shape and I was going, that does not look good. He could end up maybe losing that arm or whatever. That didn't happen. But I just remember at the time in the midst of all that was going on, in the midst of all that trying to make decisions and try to work out what was best and all of the rest, we actually, whenever the medics took over, We had an air ambulance in the front field. We had all the medical services, the police, the fire brigade, everybody was there.

11:46 · Speaker 2 It was quite a scene. But the three of us just stood in the yard and we just prayed. And I remember a sense of peace coming across us whenever in that moment from that sort of, oh man, that was close because there were so many things that happened that day that if they had have been slightly different, it would be a completely different outcome. and that doesn't just happen. So Peter's made a really good recovery and he's doing so well and he didn't lose his arm, which is great. So that's just a few bits of information about our family and about some pivotal moments and things that have happened. They're really good kids and we're really proud of them and all that they've done and all that they've achieved to date. But as with ourselves, their story is ongoing.

12:33 · Speaker 2 Catherine's now working up in Coleraine And Peter, as you've probably heard, is out in Senegal. So in Home, it's just back to Heather and I. I'm not sure what could possibly go wrong.

12:45 · Speaker 3 It's a challenge. Yeah.

12:47 · Speaker 2 There's maybe a sequel to this morning, is there?

12:50 · Speaker 1 Maybe, Thanks for just opening this story up for us. Maybe Gareth, can you maybe take us back to the moment you lost your job? Tell a bit how you cope with that and also maybe talk about your unexpected health diagnosis. and how you handled that?

13:08 · Speaker 2 So shortly after we got married, I left my job in our family business and went back to study. I was a late developer, Heather keeps saying, in that regard. So I went to Bible college and Then Catherine arrived around at that time as well. But Bible college wasn't really what I had expected, maybe. Studying theology was very good, and it caused me to think a lot, but I don't think I really grew very much in my faith. I often struggled after that for quite a while to read the Bible for myself, and that was a challenge. But after the course finished, I wasn't just sure what way God was leading other than I didn't think it was into some sort of church job or something like that. I was much more practical.

13:59 · Speaker 2 I liked to be doing things to get my hands dirty and so I felt that was going to be something that I would do. I'd been working with a company part-time whenever I was doing my degree and I got a full-time job there whenever I'd finished that and worked for that guy for a while. But around that time I decided that out of interest I would go and do an AutoCAD course, which is the drawing package that architects use. Again, no real idea of what I might use that for. It was just purely, I was just interested in how it worked and that. So that was fine. God had different plans. I was made redundant from the job I was in.

14:39 · Speaker 2 And within a couple of weeks I had a conversation with a guy in Youth for Christ one night who worked in an architect's office and I got a job in an architect's office doing drawing work and site visits and stuff like that. So that was all going well and I was enjoying that and learning lots and getting stuck into things. And then the crash came in 2008, financial crash, where building companies, architects work just really dried up overnight. So again, I was made redundant at that point. And you're kind of working out in your head, okay, that's twice this has happened. What do we do next? In my head, I was going, right, I've had an opportunity to work for people over my career in different things. I think I should do it myself and have a go at doing something myself.

15:32 · Speaker 2 And so that's whenever I started my own company, my own building company. I had all the tools. I was always practical. I was always, I think, good at working things out and fixing problems and trying to get to the bottom of things, which has stuck well to me over the years. And here we are 17 years later and we're still going, which is great and I totally love what I do. So that was fine. I was motoring through life and all was well. We get to that stage where things seem somewhat settled.

16:07 · Speaker 2 Okay, a new business is a challenge, but that's okay. We were busy. We were all busy. And I would say I wasn't really relying on God too much at that point. But the next phase of life was to shake things up a little in that respect. Whenever I turned 40, that big milestone that we look forward to, Went to the doctors very shortly after that with a mild discomfort. Didn't think there was too much wrong and whenever I got to the doctors, got a few scans and so on, it turned out I had cancer. So that was in my head.

16:45 · Speaker 2 Well, that's okay. I can fix this. and went into I can fix it mode. What will this look like? When's the next appointment? What will that look like? When's the next appointment? What will that look like?

16:57 · Speaker 2 And that'll be fine. We'll go from appointment to appointment and all is well. Had an operation, that all went well, the doctors were happy and I resumed life as normal. For those who have been in a cancer situation, you will know that you're very well looked after your initial diagnosis or an operation. You'll get scans and so on very regularly and that was the case for me for 10 years, it happens for. But 2 years into after my operation, I went in for a routine scan and it was at that point then that we realised that the cancer had returned in my back. So I needed chemotherapy and I needed radiotherapy and that was the treatment that I was going to receive and I got that. But I just remember that day leaving hospital, having got that news and I was in the car, you're kind of mulling this over in your head, you're going, is this going to be life now that we're going from one bit of illness to another and so on.

18:05 · Speaker 2 I rang my mum and was speaking to her on the phone and I broke down as I was telling her what was happening and explained the situation. But in the drive home that day, it really struck me that to date, I have not been putting things in God's hands. I've not been putting my life in God's hands. I've been trying to do it myself, my own way, my own control and so on. And it was that moment that I really said, right, God, I'm handing this over to you. because I can't fix this and I can't do this. Got the chemotherapy, that completely wrecked me with tiredness that I can't even explain. I was absolutely fit for nothing.

18:52 · Speaker 2 And for someone who really enjoys what they do, the physical nature of the work, I enjoy getting up early and going to work, that was a real challenge to get your head around that. I was also trying to make a go of a new business. We were a very short time into that as well. So it was tough and it was frustrating and all of those things were going on in my head as well. We got radiotherapy. It wasn't anywhere near as bad on me. I went to that appointment and I tried to get them early in the morning at 8 o'clock so that I then could go to work at 9 and I did that for the whole period of radiotherapy. So I'm now all clear.

19:33 · Speaker 2 and I'm not getting any more scans, which is great. So, God was in and through it, and it's good to look back.

19:40 · Speaker 1 Thanks for sharing. Heather, could you maybe chat a little bit about what it was like for you during that season? I know we had a few questions, but we'll just let you chat a little bit about how it impacted.

19:50 · Speaker 3 Yeah, and looking back, the kids were young and I guess When you've got young kids, you just go on autopilot most of the time. So all these other things, I was going to work and I was coming home and I did everything that I needed to do. But I think because Gareth couldn't really help very much at that stage, you just try your best to help him through what he was facing. Because at this stage he was only the second year of his business and it took everything in him really to keep working and keep the plates juggling. So yes, it was tiring, but we had really good support and that helped, from home group and from family and friends. I think it's only natural to have yourself away down the road to the worst case scenario in these situations, but we did try to just focus on the next appointment and not look beyond that. And instinctively, you'll always try to make things better for those that you care about, but sometimes you can't and all you can do really is be there for them and keep praying and do what you can. And I would say the atmosphere has helped because Garth often brings some humour.

20:52 · Speaker 3 Sometimes his jokes are funny, other times they're not at all. Most of the time they're funny. But even in a down day, he tries to be very optimistic about things and that helped to keep us going, but you know it certainly wasn't every day.

21:04 · Speaker 1 I understand that totally.

21:09 · Speaker 2 Thanks, David.

21:10 · Speaker 1 But maybe you can chat a little bit about what it was like watching your family, Garth, just walking through these challenging seasons. the impact of your illness to family and your view of fatherhood.

21:24 · Speaker 2 So I think in regards to my not being well, my illness, I think for anyone who gets a a statement that you've got cancer again, it definitely gives you a different perspective on life. There's things that are important and things are not so important and you very quickly get your head around what those look like. I would say it gave me an appreciation, as Heather has said, for the opportunity that you have every day, that God gives us these opportunities and experiences, I guess, for us to work out our faith, but work it out in practice. how we deal with situations that he brings our way. And there's no doubt through all of this that there was definitely lots of learning for us both and for us as a family. You've got to remember the children were fairly young so I don't really think that had an impact on them so much and that was good in many ways. But I also think from a husband point of view The focus often is very much on the person who is ill, as opposed to the person who's caring.

22:40 · Speaker 2 And I often felt guilty, I suppose, that Heather was having to deal with this stuff that was going on, which was nothing to do with anything that she did or her issue, if you like. and she was juggling so many things with work and the children and all the rest and church and everything and that was all going on. So there was definitely from my point of view a level of guilt in regards to that. But Heather's already alluded to it, we had so much support from church and people around church and home group and everything and that was in itself, that was massively important and people taking an interest. So if we jump forward a few years and the children getting older and into those teenage years, which are always exciting for parents, there's no doubt. You've got to watch on from the sidelines often. You've got to see them go through challenges which often are made by their choices and the choices that they have made in life, but often not. So you will make your point, you will say what's on your mind, and they've got to be big enough and bold enough to make the choice and follow that advice or not, and that's important.

24:04 · Speaker 2 But I frequently, in that period of life, had to remind myself that we all make mistakes, we all make poor choices. And for me personally, in my own story, to faith, And of faith, I remember waking up one morning and distinctly thinking, God does not want me to live the way I'm living. And that was a real time that I had to change things around and recommit my life to him. But often we have to learn the hard way in regards to that. And there's no doubt in the midst of all of this and all of things that are happening, your prayer life definitely increases and that's great because it's been so important for us.

24:44 · Speaker 1 Thanks, Gareth. Heather, just maybe you could share a little bit about how this season affected your faith personally and, you know, just, you know, whether God felt distant or close or, you know, what does dependency on him really look like for you?

25:02 · Speaker 3 So I wouldn't say there was any time really that God felt distant. But I did find it difficult to read and pray at times when I struggled to focus or maybe when I was very tired, especially when the kids were young. But in these times I saw the value of having memorised scripture in the past and there were verses like the ones that you'll recognise like Proverbs 3, 5 and 6 or Psalms 121, but those verses came to mind often at certain situations and just reminded me that God was there and of his promises to be with me. Without a doubt, the times when I did have the opportunity to read or study or talk things through it with folk at home group, that helped a lot, not only with having God's perspective on life, but also learning how his words applied to me and my life at that time. I would say I've never found it easy to sincerely pray the prayer, Lord, your will be done, instead of my will be done, because selfishly I have my own agenda of things I would like to happen. And I remember this came to a head one day way back many years ago in the old warehouse in Glen Abbey. And we learned of a very sad situation that day with one of our church families. And I just remember thinking through the service, I couldn't concentrate on what Gilbert was saying, but I just remember thinking, if I pray this prayer, you know, that God could allow this to happen to my life, you know, and what if he chooses to do this with me?

26:27 · Speaker 3 Am I willing to allow him to do that? And I actually, to the extent that I got quite upset at the very end and felt I couldn't go home without talking to somebody. And in those days, there were no prayer team. There was no prayer team. So I decided to go and speak to Gilbert, who probably won't remember this conversation, but I don't remember a lot about it. But I do remember telling him about a wonderful, godly example, a retired minister who was in my home church in Portadown. His name was Bert too and I had been at his funeral recently before that conversation. I'm just saying to Gilbert about the many trials and challenges that he had been through in his life.

27:07 · Speaker 3 And Gilbert very wisely asked me a question and he said, and what do you think Bert would say now? And I didn't have to think about it too long because I knew what he would say. He would say that it was all worth it. And I think that was a turning point for me, just in seeing life's challenges differently and the things that God brings my way. It just helped me to change my what ifs to my even if. And it's a place I have to keep revisiting because it's not easy to do and we do still want things our own way. But as Rachel said in her baptism interview last Sunday night, it's all about Jesus. And if we believe that to be the case, then this should have an impact on how we live our lives.

27:51 · Speaker 3 As I look back, support wise, I would say apart from the support of Gareth and family and friends, I would say the other key encouragement that I had was meeting another mum for many years first thing on a Tuesday morning to pray with her. And these prayers began with praying for things like friends and exams, and I'm sure I was praying for wisdom for how to manage behaviour. But over the years, as both of us watched our children struggle through a variety of situations and we no longer had the same level of control over their choices, our conversations and our prayers became much more focused on them becoming the people that God created them to be and not necessarily who we wanted them to be and asking God to speak into their lives through the situations they find themselves in. Now, I should say we didn't often find or see immediate answers to those prayers in those days, but we have talked recently about the answered prayers that we have seen 10 years down the line. So we're very thankful for the encouragement and we know that we weren't the only ones who were praying and others who prayed for them as well. And just an encouragement to keep praying.

29:03 · Speaker 1 As we kind of start to conclude the conversation, Heather, would you maybe chat a wee bit too about maybe some of the things that you've learned, what God's been teaching you?

29:13 · Speaker 3 Just a few things probably that are at the fore. I would say there's no easy solutions at times to the situations that we do find ourselves in. But I realise that God used these more difficult times to work on our characters. I think for all of us, for example, in me, it was things like showing me the idols in my life, the things that I put above God and the things that maybe I think about and I spend my time doing. That was a big one. And I often would have felt I wasn't doing a great job at being a parent. But in hindsight, I recognise it's not our job to control every outcome because I'm not the one in control God is. But it is our job to be faithful and doing what God asks us to do and loving and praying for those in the situation but then learn to hand them over to God.

30:02 · Speaker 3 And if I am to trust him, then I should hold on to the fact that there's a purpose in all the things that he brings my way and just work out what it is he wants me to learn through this season.

30:14 · Speaker 1 Thanks, Heather. And Garris, for you.

30:18 · Speaker 2 So I think that there's no doubt that God's given us awareness, a real awareness of his presence in our lives through the situations that we've experienced. There has no doubt been very many teachable moments and opportunities actually for conversations with others and conversations then that bring faith to the fore, which is great. But also there's no doubt that through all of these there's definitely been a building up of our resilience to deal with things. A real strength to kind of get on with things with God's help. I think as parents we are maybe guilty of being tempted to shield our children from challenges in life and I kind of feel that there's definitely, it's important that we show our children that life is not always easy. Life is tricky and has challenges, but the faith that we have gives us the hope to power through those, if you like. And as I said earlier, we can totally see how God has used people around our children's lives to impact them, the youth leaders, the kids workers and so on, and friends especially, just encouraging them and taking an interest in their lives, that text message every now and again.

31:50 · Speaker 2 We're just really thankful for that sort of thing and it's been so good. I've been doing a Bible study this past year in the Old Testament about the Israelites coming back or returning from exile. It's been really good to look at the Old Testament with a zoomed out lens and kind of get the bigger picture. But it's so fascinating whenever you read it in that way that you see how God's hand has been in and through so many of the different circumstances. And that's all despite the fact that people are trying to walk away from him. But that's been the one thing that has really stuck out from that Bible study that we did was just that God is there and God wants to have a relationship with us and he wants us to be close to him. So challenging life experiences, I've no doubt, developed my relationship with God. They've helped me to trust him more deeply and to recognise his sovereignty in that respect.

32:54 · Speaker 2 A cancer journey for anybody or potential life-changing event definitely causes you to have a more eternal perspective rather than an earthly one. Those experiences, I think, have really been part of a training course, if you like, both for being a husband, for being a dad, and for my role in Glenabbey here as an elder. I think that's been important as well to learn. Now I fully realise as we set up here today, you will maybe look at us and go, everything's well, you have no cancer, your children are in a good place, they're getting on with God and getting on with life. And I appreciate that our outcome at this point is fine. And I know that there's many here today whose outcome might look different. So just realise that God is there. It's just so important in the midst of difficult times because I have learned a lot actually, especially in my role as an elder, as I watch people going through difficult times.

34:05 · Speaker 2 I've learned a lot as I see how they cope with it, how they lean in on God, how they rely on God for those situations, for him to be there. There's definitely, there's no simple answers. to any of these situations and everyone is different and different people see challenges differently and in eternity I guess we'll realise what it's all about and we'll get some of the answers that we haven't worked out just yet. So we don't know what tomorrow will bring, we don't know what phone call we'll get tomorrow and what that will look like but I just know from experience that God's faithful and he'll be there with us as we walk through all that's going on.

34:50 · Speaker 1 Listen, it's just been great to hear this part of your story and I want to thank you so much for sharing with us this morning. There's a couple of songs, one that's going to be performed just now and then one that we'll close the service off with that Heather and Garth have chosen. And then after the song that Heather's going to introduce now, I'm going to come up and just have a little tie the service off with some reflections. And do you want to tell us a little bit about this?

35:18 · Speaker 3 This song is called Blessings by Laura Story. And I came on it when Catherine was ill and I listened to it a lot because it just reminded me that God was still at work even though we couldn't see what he was doing. And I just think it's a lovely reminder too of our perspective and to hold on to the fact that Life won't always look like this. We won't always have the mess. And one day when our story is over, it will look very different when we go to be with them.

35:48 · Speaker 2 For me, the Lord is my salvation is the song that I've chosen. And the first verse is, the grace of God has reached for me and pulled me from the raging sea. And I am safe on this solid ground. The Lord is my salvation. And it's just the fact that We're on solid ground when we're with God.

36:04 · Speaker 1 That's great. Well, thanks for sharing this one.

36:28 · Speaker 4 We pray for plastics We pray for peace, comfort for family, protection while we sleep. We pray for healing, for prosperity. We pray for your mighty hand to ease our suffering and All the while you hear each spoken need. Yet love is way too much to give us lesser things. What if your blessings come through raindrops? What if your hear comes through tears? What if a thousand sleepless nights Of what it takes to know You're near

37:35 · Speaker 4 And what if trials of this life Are Your mercies in disguise We pray for wisdom Your voice to hear And we cry in anger when we cannot feel you near We doubt your goodness We doubt your love As if every promise from your word is not enough And all the while You hear each desperate plea And long did we have faith to believe? 'Cause what if your blessings come through raindrops? What if your healing comes through tears?

38:47 · Speaker 4 What if a thousand sleepers like the word it takes to know you're near? What if trials of this life Are your mercies in disguise When friends betray us When darkness seems to win We know the pain reminds his heart That this is not, this is not our heart What if your blessings come through raindrops? What if your healing comes through tears? What if a thousand sleepless nights go what it takes to know you're near? What if my greatest disappointments or the aching of this life Is a revealing of a greater thirst this world can satisfy And what if trials of this life The ring the storms the hardest nights All your mercies in disguise.

40:51 · Speaker 1 Thanks so much, guys. That beautiful song. Those guys learnt that just for this morning. I'm so appreciative of that. So thank you so much. I just want to give a short reflection to kind of close off our morning and to focus our minds. And as we listen to Garth and Heather's story, one of the words that kept coming back into my mind was that word dependence, not because they chose the circumstances and not because they wanted the challenges that they faced, but because difficult seasons. have a way of bringing us to the end of ourselves.

41:24 · Speaker 1 And it's often in that place is where God begins to do some of his deepest work in our lives. I love how Jesus says in John 15, I am the vine. You are the branches if you remain in me. Such an important thing that we remember. The importance of remaining in him you will bear much fruit, but apart from me, you can do nothing. So much we could talk about in that little verse. And these words aren't meant as a criticism from Jesus. They're actually an invitation.

42:09 · Speaker 1 They're an invitation to stop carrying life alone. Because fragile seasons reveal what we are depending on. And most of us probably don't realise how much security we place in things like our health, our plans, our finances, our routines, things that give us a sense of certainty until those things begin to shake. And fragile seasons expose what we have been leaning upon. Not because God wants to harm us, but because he wants us to discover that ultimately our security is found in him. And pressure reveals dependency. God never asks us to carry life alone. Jesus doesn't say, try harder, be stronger, hold everything together.

43:07 · Speaker 1 What he says is, remain in me. because the Christian life was never designed to be lived independently. Dependence isn't weakness. Dependence is discipleship. The strongest believers are not those who need God least. They're the ones who know they need him the most. And isn't it beautiful as we look at God's word that we're reminded again and again how God's grace is for us each day? One thing that stood out in Garth and Heather's story was how often they simply took the next step, the next appointment, the next day, the next challenge.

43:50 · Speaker 1 And Jesus and his teachings reminds us not to be worrying about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. It's to look at today because fear pulls us into imagined futures where God keeps drawing us back to today, to his grace, to his strength, to his faithfulness. The fact that he gives us enough grace for the step we're on, not the step, the 10 steps that lie ahead. And again, I love Paul's words where he reminds us that God says, my grace is sufficient for you. My power is made perfect in weakness. Sometimes God changes our circumstances. Sometimes he sustains us through them. And the miracle is not always the removal of the struggle.

44:40 · Speaker 1 Sometimes the miracle is really the peace that we feel in times of fear, or the hope that he brings in uncertainty, or the faith that we feel in weakness, the strength that we don't understand that enables us to keep going because his grace is sufficient, his grace is enough. That's God's word to us. And then we have this whole idea of dependency becoming a witness. One of the things I loved hearing this morning was how faith was modeled through Garth and Heather's experiences. The children notice, the family notice, the friends notice. People may not remember every word we say, but they remember where we turn when life gets hard. Your family doesn't need you to be fearless. They need to see where you turn when fear comes.

45:40 · Speaker 1 And when they see you turning to Christ, that's when they learn where hope is found. And perhaps today feels fragile for you, where you sit this morning and what's happening in your life. So let me ask you a couple of questions. Where does life feel uncertain currently? What burden have you been carrying that God never asked you to carry alone? What would dependence on Christ look for you in the coming week? As we begin this series, we aren't celebrating people who got through difficult seasons because they were strong. We're celebrating a God who remained faithful in every season.

46:32 · Speaker 1 And the God who began a good work in us, his promise is to carry it on until it is complete. That is incredible. Being confident of this. Are we confident that what God has started in our lives, he's going to complete? And when he completes, the days that have numbered for us here will come to an end. and then we'll be in the place that he has prepared for us, which is just no eye has seen, no ears heard, no eye has understood. The incredible things that God has planned for us, that's reality. Let's take time to pray and then the band will come back and lead us in this final song.

47:18 · Speaker 1 Heavenly Father, this morning I want to thank you for Gareth and Heather's story and their willingness to share it with us. and how we could see their dependence on you through the ups and downs. We know that life continues to be a challenge for them and we want to pray this morning particularly for Heather as she supports her mother at this time. And so we ask that you will be their strength and that your grace will give them all they need in these days. And as we reflect on what we've heard this morning, we We want to take time to consider our own lives and circumstances. Help us, Lord, to place our lives into your hands again. If we have been holding back, if we have been carrying things, help us to hand them over to you and to trust you. For those in seasons of joy, Lord, Help them to give thanks for those in seasons of waiting.

48:19 · Speaker 1 Help them to trust for those in seasons of uncertainty. Help them to know your peace. Where we've been trying to carry things along, Lord, teach us what it means to depend on you. Where fear is seeping in and taking hold, remind us of your presence that can cast out fear. And where we cannot see the way ahead, Help us to take the next step knowing that you walk beside us, promising to be with us in every situation. We thank you that you are faithful in every season, that you never stop working in the lives of your people. And so this morning we trust ourselves, our families, and our futures to you. And we pray all of this in them through Jesus Christ, our Saviour and Lord.

49:10 · Speaker 1 Amen.