Outflow Story by Jack Keough
Trusting God’s Love and Goodness in our Lives
I once heard it said that faith comes real easy during times of peace and prosperity
in our lives. When I walked into the new home of The Vine Wesleyan Church at the
William Street School on that bright, early Spring morning of 2005, I was at one of
those times of peace and prosperity. The beginning of The Vine, with its newness and
expectation for this ministry, felt so exciting.
Despite being in the latter stages of a broken marriage, I had so many blessings to be
thankful for. Then, like a rug being pulled out from beneath me, I lost my job without
any notice or preparation. In addition to losing my company car (my only form of
transportation), I was a single parent without any health insurance, and a sizeable
mortgage and bills to pay. I thought my faith was strong, but faced with the reality of
my situation, I began to have doubts and was feeling very scared.
When I reached this very low time in my life, our Heavenly Father poured out His love and
generosity on my life. Through the prayers and support of family and friends, God
provided for me and my son Matthew. The gifts were not only material, but I was able to
grow significantly in my faith and love for the Lord. The church family at The Vine was
my anchor during those very difficult, trying times. I believe God can use hard times to
draw us closer to Him.
I also learned that it is easy to evaluate my self worth based on the standards of the
material world, rather than that we are all children of God. We are not worthy by how
much money we make or the kind of house we live in, but by God’s love for each of us. We
all need to hold on tightly to that love. I only hope that people might have the same
wonderful fellowship from a church family that I cherish.