Losing to Gain

On 6/22/10 I wrote about Marilyn who made a commitment to support Helping Up Mission as part of some spiritual disciples and commitments in her own life. She is the worship arts leader at our church and also facilitates the worship and music at our Tuesday night Recovery For a Lifetime 12 Step group, which meets in our church. She keeps passing checks along to me (!) and I thought you might want to know how things are going. I asked her to share her heart with you:

This Summer, a group of girlfriends and I were inspired to lose weight on behalf of various causes and organizations close to our hearts.  Helping Up Mission was my immediate choice, as I’d recently been part of my friend Pat’s finding and entering the 12-month program, a step I believe has already changed the course of his life and will be a great testimony to God’s healing power. 

The genesis of what we called “Losing to Gain” was a contagious inspiration, starting with a newspaper article about a women who had undertaken a similar endeavor and the promptings of the Holy Spirit.  It was no coincidence that God put this on our hearts at same time, as He intended we do this in community, as we moved toward improved health, recovery and the desire to help a cause dear to each of us.

At the end of the 3 month fundraiser, I’d lost 14lbs, raised over $500 and had numerous opportunities to share what God’s doing at Helping Up.  I’ve got another 40lbs to lose, though my focus is on the spiritual journey, not simply losing weight.  It also helps to know that my sisters are still beside me for support and it’s motivating to feel a connection to Pat’s recovery.  It’s my desire that others will be inspired by our story!

I am very happy for Marilyn. And her friend, Pat, is still here and doing very well. In fact, last Sunday I spoke at our church and Pat came with me to share his story. God is doing some pretty cool things in the lives of lots of people and Helping Up Mission is very happy to be a small part of His very big plan.

One Day at a Time,
Pastor Gary Byers
Spiritual Life Director