Saturday, February 21, 2026

Here I am, Lord

“I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!” – Isaiah 6:8

Alex and Paul were driving along the interstate from Fort Wayne, Indiana, to Chicago on Thanksgiving morning when their car broke down. One phone call later, they and their car were towed into a service station near Gary, Indiana.

What to do? Alex had been the choir director at a United Methodist Church in central Indiana and knew that the minister from that church was now leading the congregation at Portage United Methodist Church which was not far from where they landed.

He called the minister who was out of town for the holiday, but he told Alex he’d make some calls and see what he could do to help.

The minister’s next call was to Kris Bailey, the mother of my son-in-law and an active member of the Portage church. Could she help? Absolutely, she said. They can have Thanksgiving dinner with us — then I’ll drive them back to Fort Wayne (a 2½ hour drive!).

Shortly thereafter, Kris was en route to retrieve Alex and Paul, and they were soon part of our family’s Thanksgiving gathering. The 15 people around the table that day included our daughter (Emily), my son-in-law, my son-in-law’s cousin, wife, and brother-in-law from Indianapolis, his sister and her family, a friend of Kris who had recently had back surgery, and me and Bob. It was a gaggle to be sure!

And, amazingly, everyone not only got along, but we ended up inviting Alex and Paul to return next year!

There were so many lessons that day, but the one I take away the most is Kris’ generous spirit. She does not hesitate when asked to take on a task. She is definitely no push-over, but, when help is needed, she is a helper. She is a “yes” person. A devout Methodist, she stretches to support her family, her community, her world. She said yes, even though she didn’t know these men and couldn’t possibly have known how their presence would affect our holiday meal. Someone needed help, and she was ready to provide.

Making excuses is so easy: It’s too far. I’m too tired. I don’t like that person. I don’t want to know that person. I have too much on my plate. It’s too hard. It will take too much time, etc., etc., etc.

Saying yes when you don’t know the consequences of your response can be frightening. But stepping out in faith is surely what’s required of all of us who believe in Jesus and his message.

Prayer: Here I am, Lord. Please use me to your will. I know that all things are possible with your love and guidance. I am ready to serve

Joan Richardson

Thursday, March 21, 2024

Here I Am, Lord!

Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I; send me!” – Isaiah 6:8

It was March 30th, 2023 around 3:00 PM in the afternoon when God called me. I was at one of our favorite haunts near our cottage in Southwestern, PA with my Mom and Brynn. It was a sunny “warmish” day. We were all enjoying the large playscapes and spending some time outdoors with, of course you guessed it, a coffee from the coffee shop at Whispering Pines Gift shop. It was the Thursday before Palm Sunday when a text from Doug Dykstra, our organist, came through, “Tam, I have COVID, can you cover rehearsal tonight?” I of course had to politely decline as I could not physically be home even if I wanted to for rehearsal that evening. Then it hit me, if Douglas is sick with COVID he won’t be able to play this Sunday. This set things in motion for one of the most rigorous weeks of my life as a musician. As it turned out, we needed someone not only to play for Palm Sunday, but for ALL of Holy Week. This is a rigorous week even for those who play for a living. I would learn 8 solos for preludes and postludes, 5 accompaniments for chorale anthems, and 12 hymns. I spent all of my spare time practicing so that I could play for Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday, and EASTER SUNDAY! NO PRESSURE!!

To give some background. I do have a Bachelor of Music degree from Michigan State University, (GO GREEN!) and I did study piano in college. I accompanied my high school choir and taught piano lessons as a teenager. All this said, I have played in church from time to time over the years and have enjoyed sharing my gifts as offerings. However, I typically have 4-6 weeks to prepare ONE piece. The other thing you may not know is that in college I developed a severe case of performance anxiety through a series of unfortunate events. So, I was a bit terrified to say the least.

I wanted to do a good job for God, the congregation, and Doug. I didn’t want to let anyone down, especially since Easter is a special service with many visitors. As the week went on, and as I played more and more, something amazing started to happen. I started to become a little less nervous, was better able to deal with my anxiety, and was feeling more confident. On Easter Sunday, I was naturally still nervous and my playing certainly wasn’t perfect. However, as Jack van Becelaere always said, “it was adequate.”

As it turns out, I was the one who received the gift. God had put me in a situation that not only helped the congregation, but helped me tackle some of my demons. I also felt such love and support from the congregation. I cannot express how much I appreciated all of you rooting for me. So, I say all of this to highlight that you never know what is in store for you when you answer God’s call. At the end of the day, you yourself might receive the greatest reward.

In Christ with Humility,
Tamara Baubie

PS Let us all thank God for Doug’s recovery and pray for his continued good health! (Especially during holy week!)