Baby Lane

Dear Lane Carroll,

As we dedicate you today to the Lord, I wanted also to express my dedication to you. I want tell you that I count myself blessed to have the opportunity to love you, to pray for you, and to watch you grow. God has brought me a dear friend in your mother, and she has entrusted me with the shared task of being your godmother. It is from that place that I want to commit myself to you now – to be used in whatever way God would allow – to contribute to your spiritual growth. You have already the blessing of a family who would seek to raise you with knowledge of the things of the Lord. God willing, I hope to continue to be a part of that family, through fellowship, through love, and through the common bond we share as members of the body of Christ. I will pray for your family & for your home – that it would be one in which Christ reigns supreme, one in which you can learn truth and grow in it, and one after which you can model your own family someday. I will pray for you – that you would come to know Jesus as your own Savior at an early age, that the Holy Spirit would guide you from your earliest remembrances, and that God’s purpose for your life would be clear and unhindered as you seek to follow Him. Lastly, I will pray for myself and for all who love you – that we can be the kind of people you can always trust and turn to.

I want to share the first six verses of Proverbs chapter three with you today, and in any way I can, I want to help you as you grow, to live out these instructions.

Good friend, don’t forget all I’ve taught you; take to heart my commands.They’ll help you live a long, long time, a long life lived full and well.
Don’t lose your grip on Love and Loyalty. Tie them around your neck; carve their initials on your heart.Earn a reputation for living well in God’s eyes and the eyes of the people.
Trust God from the bottom of your heart; don’t try to figure out everything on your own.Listen for God’s voice in everything you do, everywhere you go; he’s the one who will keep you on track.

Lane, I’ve loved you since before you were born.

Love Always,




Jennifer Sue

Testimony shared in church 9-23-07

In the span of only a few moments, I want to try & express some of the ways I have grown since coming to this church just about a year and a half ago. To do that completely, you would need to know everything that came before - and that has never been done in just a few moments. Suffice to say that I've been a Christian most of my life, but it has always been a struggle. God's grace has had to break through bedrock of dysfunctional thinking, insecurity, and the subsequent sinful behaviors that I clung to. From the time I was twelve until I was almost 30, I was in the same church - a growing, Bible-based church - but so much of my time there was marked by a desperate effort to keep my struggle separate from my church. Within a six month period of time surrounding my 30th birthday, I lost my mom to cancer, moved to North Aurora, ended my marriage, and began a deliberate two year walk away from the Lord which was primarily marked by an ungodly romantic relationship.

The last Sunday in February of 2006, I joined this congregation for worship. In my minds eye, when I think back on that morning, I remember the brokenness, the emotional limp which must have shown as I walked in and sat down. All my church patterns of pretending to be ok were simply not going to work, and I knew it, and I was scared to death. I found a seat with no one else around, and literally braced myself. The series at that time was "Stained Glass Masquerade", and that morning, the message was about taking off our masks. As I sat there expecting a spiritual beating, I was overwhelmed to instead find God's grace & gentleness swirling around me. Isaiah 42:3a says, "A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out..." And so began the first of many gentle, grace filled moments - all of which were marked by "real love in a real world"

A few weeks later, the women's ministry hosted a movie night. I don't remember much about the movie itself, but I remember feeling like I didn't have to fake it with these ladies. I was sick w/ nervousness walking in that night, and stunned upon leaving to have been so comfortable - even though my spiritual and emotional state was still so fragile.

Several weeks after that, I mustered up the courage to walk into an adult Sunday school class. That very first day, right after class, someone came to me and shared of her own time away from the Lord and subsequent return. I drove home thinking about how a perfect stranger was willing to give of her own testimony, and what a wash of healing it had the power to bring. I began to see that God was committed to gently restoring me, and that this church had all the tools He would need to begin to do so.

Later in the year, my custody arrangement changed in such a way that I was able to start bringing my children to church with me. Even before they were regularly seen at my side, however, they felt a part of this church. The AWANA program here paved their way into a vibrant and exciting children's ministry. Family Time still blows our minds every week, that church could be so much FUN! And all the while, the channels were opened to talking with my kids about things of faith - channels which I was sure I had closed by my previous choices.

Week after week, the sermons, the worship, and the connections in this place served to give substance to my flimsy and weak attempts to put my broken heart back in the hands of the One who could heal it. With every piece of my story that I shared, I feared anew that someone would run screaming or block me at the door. Instead, I found listening ears, encouraging words and shared struggles. I found real people, and my real world didn't need to be kept separate. And in case I was still unsure, this year the Celebrate Recovery ministry was launched- further confirming the work that God was already doing in my life.

My faith in a God who loved me and was committed to my good was built up like never before. My confidence as a Christian returned, and my efforts to reach people outside of church were marked by honesty and humility for the first time in my life. This summer, I had the opportunity to be a part of a mission’s trip to Israel, and so many people in this church participated in supporting me in so many ways. I was sent, my kids were cared for, and we all were prayed for.

Two years ago, from a pit of sin, I couldn't have imagined any of this. Ten years ago, from a seemingly strong spiritual place, even there I couldn't have imagined it. But God has a much more vivid imagination than I do. I Corinthians 2:9b says "No eye has seen, no ear has heard, no mind has conceived what God has prepared for those who love Him"

As I prepared my words for today, I looked on FVCC’s website and found this statement. “Everything we do is designed to cultivate and strengthen within the lives of our members and our attendees these four foundational life skills (love God, love neighbor, love church, love family).” This church hasn’t been perfect, but that statement has proven true. Thank you for letting me share.