Lenya's Corner

The Long Arms of The Lord

Thursday, May 17, 2012 | Written by Lenya Heitzig

Recently, one of our on-staff pastors unexpectedly passed away. Les Palmer oversaw our Chaplain's department and was always on hand for walk-in prayers and counseling. His death leaves a large hole in our staff. At his funeral, his oldest son gave a eulogy. Les, named after his father, noted in the days since his father's death that he came to realize his father had long arms because Les touched lives all over the globe.

I realized that's exactly what I want. Long arms for the Lord. I love teaching the Word of God because I know it changes people's lives, but I also want to be His hands, feet, and arms. Wrapping around those in need, those who are broken, those who are wounded.

Having a heart for outreach means over the years I have prayed ardently for the Lord to use me in tangible ways. And He has ardently answered my prayers. Through prayer and our church, we have taken on many visions the Lord has provided. When 9/11 happened, I cried out asking God, "What can I do?" He made the way for Mercy Bands to be created. I still have people approach me and thank me for the band they have now worn for ten years. Over the years, through His vision, our Women's Ministry has raised funds for organizations like Crowns of Hope, The Albuquerque Children's Home, the SAFE House of NM, and even spent a semester giving our time and talents to serving at the Ronald McDonald House.

Last year it was a vision from the Lord that caused us to rally around the need for awareness of human trafficking in the US in our Free Them campaign. Many of our congregation members had no idea there were slaves being bought and sold right in our own city. Through handouts and a large media campaign, we taught the women how to recognize a possible victim of human trafficking, the importance of buying fair trade items when possible, and through their generous gifts we raised over $10,000 for the human trafficking cause.

This year, the Lord has given a vision for our service men and women and their marriages. Did you know since 9/11 over 2,000,000 service men and women have been deployed to Afghanistan and Iraq and that nearly 20% of those returning from war are likely to suffer either PTSD or major depression? We're still at war and the casualties are closer than we realize.

This year our desire is to Heal Them, by raising awareness to the struggle some of our service men and women face as they return home to loved ones and try to find their "new normal." Our hope is to restore marriages through: 1) fervent prayer for these service men and women and their families, 2) collecting donations to purchase supplies for our Samaritan's Purse Patriot Packs and 3) preserving marriages by giving these couples tools to restore their damaged relationships.

Our campaign just kicked off this past Mother's Day weekend; I hope you will join me in this daunting task of restoring the sacred marriage covenant God holds so dear. For more information, check out helpoutnow.org. Let's come together to show our service men and women how long the Lord's loving arms are!

Lenya Heitzig

Lenya Heitzig is an award-winning author, popular Bible teacher, and a sought after speaker at women’s conferences and retreats worldwide. She is the author of Holy Moments: Recognizing God’s Fingerprints on Your Life and also contributed to the best-selling New Women’s Devotional Bible. Lenya has co-authored seven Fresh Life Bible studies and is the sole author of two studies in the Fresh Life series: Live Reflectively and Live Tastefully. She and her husband, Skip, founded Calvary of Albuquerque where Lenya has served as Director of she Ministries since 1984, overseeing weekly Bible studies and yearly retreats.

 

Recent Posts

At His Feet

Wednesday, April 25, 2012 | Written by Jaime Carrillo

"Expect to have hope rekindled. Expect your prayers to be answered in wondrous ways. The dry seasons in life do not last. The spring rains will come again." (Sarah Ban Breathnach)Although fall is my favorite season of the year, spring is my second favorite, or maybe it's tied for first - I don't know...but there is something so powerful, so profound about the way new life sprouts from the… read more...

Helping or Hindering?

Monday, March 26, 2012 | Written by Misty Foster

Every spring when the time changes, I anxiously await the warmer days and nights which allow me the opportunity to walk after work. I love to get out with worship in my ears and nothing but me and the fresh air. I am usually lax about my jogging routine in the winter months, so I have to ease myself back into it. This spring, I decided I was going to set a timeframe for just walking and then… read more...

Closet Encounters

Monday, March 19, 2012 | Written by Laura Z. Sowers

There are countless ways of measuring love. It could be in diamonds, love poems, romantic proposals, fabulous weddings, elaborate honeymoons, or promises of eternal devotion. For me, true love made itself known in a series of closets. To explain this, I have to go back to age nineteen. At that tender age, I already had a miserable track record when it came to love. I was raised in the 1950s and… read more...