"Lord if it is you," Peter replied "Tell me to come to you on the water." "Come,” he said. Peter got out of the boat, walked on water and came toward Jesus.”  

Matthew 14:28-29

Walking on water, to me means trusting God to take you out of your comfort zone. Face your fears, discover God's calling for your life and experiencing his power to help you do something you would not be capable of on your own.

As a member of Bethel, I always believed in God. However, I attended church usually when it was convenient and left after the service ended. I generally treated people with kindness and thought I was a good person. You might say when it came to church I was a spectator rather than a participator.

Then came the time God called me out of the boat, surrender to him and rely on his guidance. I was going through a rough time in my life, kind of drifting with no direction. Grace Place was going to open soon and wanted people to help get their building in Somerset ready. I had not volunteered for anything before but decided to help. Later, I was asked to join Bethel's mission committee. Why, I don't know because I had no experience. My journey had begun and soon God began to send me to Africa, Jamaica, Haiti and many different locations in the US. I was helping to rebuild lives after natural disasters, serve in orphanages, do street ministries to the homeless and serve in many ways that were way outside my comfort zone. I learned that serving is not about anything great that I can do, it is about what God wants to do with me by his power and grace.

I have witnessed so many stories of God working in the lives of my brothers and sisters during these trips, both those who I served and the amazing friends from Bethel and Hudson that have served with me. During these trips, I have seen how large the family of God is and how it works. I am forever grateful to God for calling me out of my comfortable life in the boat and taking me on the journey of a lifetime.

As Pastor Van Bredesen said many times, "We are Blessed to be a Blessing."

Prayer: Lord, help us to do great things as though they were little, since we do them with your power; and little things as though they were great, since we do them in your name. Amen.

Alan Park