Mother’s Day 2023

MESSAGE TRANSCRIPTION: 

Well, I want to welcome you again to Eastside. I am Virgil Grant. I’m the senior pastor, and we’re excited this morning. We have four moms who are going to come and share with you their journey and how to pray for different families in different seasons. And so I want you to lean in. I want you to laugh when it’s appropriate. Okay, some of y’all yesterday here, like. Am I supposed to laugh or not. I mean, these women, they are courageous. They’re scared. And so, by us participating and engaging with them, we make them feel welcome and appreciated. And so this morning, we have Bree, who’s going to share with you. Then after Bree is Lauren, then Beth, and then Amy. And they’re all at different stages. They’ll tell you all about that of parenting. So let’s give it up for these four women if you will.

All right. Well, good morning, Eastside. It’s an absolute blessing to be here with you guys this morning. And a happy Mother’s Day to all of those celebrating. I’m not sure if anyone else has picked up on the baby boom that’s currently happening here at Eastside. But I’m one of the lucky ones that drink the water, I think. Again, my name is Bree Turner, and my husband, Noah, and I have been attending Eastside for the last four years. But I’ve now had the honor to serve on staff and our children’s ministry, leading our fourth and fifth-grade ministry and our special needs ministry e-buddies for the last year and a half. Thank you. Noah and I are high school sweethearts who moved from Louisville to Richmond to attend EKU together. We hit a few roadblocks, as many long-term relationships do. We both come from hard childhoods and as the trials of early, early adulthood began to unfold, we were desperate to find a saving grace. That’s exactly what Eastside was. I never thought I would be in full-time ministry and living and starting our family here in Richmond. We were the ones saying how ready we were to get back to Louisville after graduation. I was so desperate to be near a Target and my Trader Joe’s, and now I’m willing to drive 35 minutes to go to all of those. But here we are now at the place that we’re homesick for when we’re away. Telling everyone back in Louisville that you don’t understand what we have in Richmond. And I think that’s my favorite thing about Eastside, the people. The people are my favorite part, as you guys have so quickly made this place home to us and shown us a kind of love that we’ve never experienced. The people that come through the doors of this church are truly some of the most special people I’ve ever encountered, and many that I call family now. Noah and I have been together now for almost ten years this August. And we thought, what better way to celebrate than welcoming a sweet baby girl to our little family. We are expecting our first daughter, Chapel Joe Turner, this summer, and we’ve never been more excited. There have been so many joys that come from being pregnant and so many moments that have truly left me and awe of our Lord and how magnificent he truly is. I’ve got to be pregnant alongside some of my very best friends while also getting all of this support and encouragement from all my friends. Despite all of the joy, there have been many hardships and tribulations that I faced and had to walk alongside with the Lord. I feel like we always hear about how hard pregnancy is physically, which it is, but I think mentally, it can be just as hard, if not harder. There were many times, and there are times when I’ve had to choose to fully surrender myself and Chapel Joe to the Lord. Satan is, unfortunately, so quick to sneak into our minds and steal our joy. And sadly, that’s been a part of my journey. At every appointment, I was riddled with fear. I encountered some small issues in the beginning that left me wondering if every movement or lack thereof I was crippled with anxiety, wondering if she was okay and if I was doing this right. I had never felt so unlike myself before, and I couldn’t figure out how to get out of this funk, all while still being the most excited and happy I’ve ever been. And it’s truly a whirlwind of pregnancy emotions for me. I come from a father that abandoned me and a mother who chose a life that doesn’t include me as a priority. My husband, unfortunately, lost his mom at a really young age, and Satan had convinced me that I was going to be just like my mom and dad. I was convinced that that’s who I was destined to be. I became riddled with fear all over again, wondering what I had truly gotten myself into and if I was really capable of even doing it. I was so focused on the examples and the lack of parenting that I didn’t have that I lost sight of the men and women who have stepped up and shown me what it looks like to be godly parents. I wanted nothing more than for this to be my redemption. And that’s what it is. Chapel Joe is an opportunity for us to have something and to be something that we didn’t have. And when we found out Chapel was a girl, I so quickly became jealous, actually, as I got to watch Noah be a better father to her than I ever had. And she’s not even born yet. And in reality, it’s been the most beautiful thing ever. All because of God. Knowing I have always dreaded Mother’s Day and Father’s Day. So to be standing before you happy and excited is something I never thought I would feel. We’ve never felt like we had anything to celebrate. And today, we do. And so, if today is hard for you, I want you to know that I see you. I recognize you. And I empathize with you. And I’m praying for you. But I want you to know that there is hope and there is redemption, and there is joy because of God, and a verse that I have clung to since I found out I was pregnant has helped me on my journey. This comes from Isaiah 43, verses 18 and 19. And it says this. It says.

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing!”

Isaiah 43:18-19

The last several weeks have been extremely trying. Noah and I, as we added another chapter to our journey and had to walk through some extremely difficult things with my own mom. But what comes from that is growth, faith, and an unwavering peace that only comes from the one above, one that I’ve never got to experience before because of God’s new thing that he’s doing in Noah and me, we have a reason to celebrate, and that’s enough for us. God chose us to be Chapel’s mom and dad, and I’ve never held a greater title. I get excited to know that she’s been so perfectly crafted by the best artist there ever was. John 15:16 says.

“For I have chosen you and I have appointed and placed and purposefully planted you.”

John 15:16

That’s what God did for Chapel. Chapel Joe was chosen for us and is a child of God. She’s the start of something new for us, and we couldn’t be more thankful for that, that we get healing and redemption by raising our daughter in a house that loves the Lord and a church surrounded by people who love her. And that I know will always speak life into her. I had my baby shower on Derby morning as someone from Louisville would, and what made me the most emotional was looking around the room as I am today, full of godly women, all women of Eastside that Chapel Joe gets to grow up around. And that is the biggest blessing I could ever ask for. We constantly pray for her health, her safety, and her delivery for who she is. But most importantly, we prayed so hard for her relationship with the Lord and who she’ll be in Christ. I’m so excited to see what she looks like. I’m excited about all of the bows, the monograms, the pink, everything. But nothing makes me more excited than getting to see who she’s going to be as a daughter of the most high king and what he will do through her. We get to love her more than anyone else here on Earth. But God loves her more, just like God loved me more than my parents could. I remember, after our very first ultrasound, sitting in my car, recovering from all the blood that they just drew for me. I had no idea it was happening. Just crying over this tiny little peanut on this black and white ultrasound, I couldn’t fathom the love that I felt for someone that I hadn’t met yet. I felt a love that I’ve longed for for so long. And Elisha said to me, I want you to think about at this moment how much love you feel for Chapel. God loves her more than that. And I remember being so in awe over that. No matter how much we love our babies, God gets to love them the most. And so if you’re sitting in here like me, in a season of preparing to be a mother and waiting for our little ones to arrive, then I encourage you to seek out the Lord, and I encourage you to join me in praying to God and asking Him to use our kids for his good, to empower his kingdom and to give you the strength, the perseverance and the endurance as a mom, to seek out the wisdom and how to be a godly mom. I ask that you join me in praying for the next generation of little ones that are going to fill these halls here at Eastside and for the next generation of our church. I’m so excited for Chapel Jo’s first Sunday here at Eastside. That was one of the very first outfits I picked out, and I can’t wait for her to meet all of my favorite people. I thank all of you so much for listening to my story today, and I wish you a happy Mother’s Day.

Well, good morning Eastside, and happy Mother’s Day. My name is Lauren, and I am so excited to be here with you all this morning and to be speaking with you. But first, I want to share a little bit about me and my family. So this is my crew back here. This is my husband, Justin, and our two kiddos, Bowen and Brinley. Bowen is seven, and he is about to finish up first grade, and Brinley is four going on 14, and she is in preschool right now. They definitely keep us on our toes, and we never know what to expect each day. But being their mom is the biggest gift that God has given me. We’ve been coming to Eastside for six years. My husband serves on the tech team and serves our life group ministry as a life group coach. I have had the privilege to be a part of a few ministries around here. I’ve been on the host team, a social media team, and life group leading, and now I have the honor of serving on staff and getting to meet new families every single week. Eastside has become such a special place, not just for me but for my family. It’s a really good feeling when your kids are excited to come to church with you. I was asked to give the one thing that I love the most about Eastside, and that was impossible. So I’m going to settle with two this morning. The first thing is the community. I’ve never been a part of something so inviting, encouraging, and relational like I’ve been a part of here. I mean, communities are our middle name, right? The people, the relationships, and the friendships that I’ve found here have been such a blessing to me that I can’t even put into words. I didn’t even realize how much I was missing that community in my life before I found it here and now. I just want every single person that walks through our doors to be able to experience that community because it’s possible. The second thing is that Eastside isn’t okay with letting you just be stuck and going through the motions, and they truly chase after their sheep. They have constantly challenged me in my six years here to grow in my walk with Christ by taking my next spiritual step to my next spiritual step. And guess what? I’m still not done taking steps. If you’ve been around here for any amount of time, or if you’ve walked through the atrium you’ve seen on the wall, and we say it a lot, it’s okay to not be okay. And we quickly finish that up with. But it’s not okay to stay there, and that it’s not okay to stay there part, I feel like can be so true for any path that you’re currently walking. It’s not okay to be stagnant in your faith because all in life with Christ is never finished on this side of Heaven. God is always wanting to do something in each of our hearts. So like I said, my kiddos are seven and four, and while it is so much fun, and again, you never know what each day is going to bring, this stage isn’t always the easiest, but what stage really is this stage of parenting? We’re trying to teach them about Jesus. We’re trying to teach them their manners. We’re teaching them right from wrong, how to be a good friend, and how to handle all of the emotions that are going on inside of them. Just so many foundational things that they’re going to need for their future. There’s just so much learning at this stage, and if I’m honest with you, I have feared and worried so many times that I may mess up or I may fail at this. I put so much pressure on myself that I have lost sight of who is really in control. Am I leaning on myself to do this, or am I leaning on God? Am I giving God and surrendering my children to Him and praying over each season that we walk through? The best thing you can do for your children isn’t to buy them all the toys that they want or say yes to everything that they ask for or take them on these amazing vacations, but it is to pray for them. Let me say that again. The best thing you can do for your children is to pray for them. So in this stage of parenthood, what does prayer over them look like? Well, I have a long list of things that I constantly pray over for my children, but I’m going to settle for three big ones this morning. To give you to take away. I hope you can take it back with you. Pray over your own family and your own children. Or maybe there’s a family in your life that you can pray over that may be in a current season like I am. But one of the first things that I continually pray over is that my husband and I keep our relationship with God first, that we continue leaning into him and looking for guidance from him. If we’re not modeling what a relationship with Christ looks like and keeping him as our first priority, how can I expect my children to do the same as they grow older? I pray that they are always dependent on him. Proverbs 22 six says this.

“Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.”

Proverbs 22:6

So what that path looks like for me is attending church regularly, talking to them about what they’ve learned in kids that Sunday, and helping them comprehend ways that Jesus loves them. Singing worship songs in the car together and taking them to life group with us and letting them be a part of that. You know, God gives me mile markers regularly to remind me that we’re not failing at this hearing. The kids ask Justin and I where their friends have been because they missed that one life group or hearing Brinley singing very loudly worship songs in her room as she’s playing her Bowen and making the decision to have Jesus in his heart this last Easter, or even on days where I lose my patience, and I get frustrated too easily and watching the grace that they show me where they wake up and come up to me, give me a hug and tell me that they love me when I feel like I don’t deserve it. You know, these are all such beautiful and life-giving reminders that he’s working through us and into them. Another thing that I pray for is for my children to have their own personal relationship with Jesus Christ. You know, the world is dark, and it’s only getting darker. And I know that as my children grow, the world is going to try to tell them things that are not of him. I pray every day that during these inevitable trials that they face, they hear God’s voice the loudest in their life. When lies are thrown at them, they remember who God says that they are. And I pray that they always lean on him. The third things I’m praying for in my children’s lives are their teachers and anyone else that may have a role to play in their life. You know, they say it takes a village. And I know that that is so true. I know there are other adults in their life that they look up to and they respect, whether it be teachers at school, e- kids volunteers, parents or friends’ parents, or the coaches that they have. I pray that these role models can help guide them in a godly way as much as they possibly can. So wrapping up this morning, I just ask that you pray. Pray hard for this next generation. Pray for their friends, their friends, and their parents. Any adult influence in their lives and pray that these children find and they lean on Jesus because these children are the next generation, and we have to invest in love on them. Thank you.

Good morning. That was really good. My name is Beth Brock, and we have been attending Eastside for about ten years. We became friends with Virgil and Rose, and other members of the church while we were serving in Guatemala at Prince of Peace. The commitment to missions and community outreach are just some of my favorite things about my church. This is my family, my high school sweetheart and husband of 32 years, Daryl, and my daughter Grace, who just graduated from the University of Kentucky Law School and is starting a career in corporate law. My son Spencer, who’s also a graduate of the UK and is working towards his career goals and is engaged to be married to my future daughter-in-law, Caitlin. I was so humbled when Virgil asked me to speak about how I pray for my children during this empty nest period. Parenting young adults aren’t easy, but like all stages of parenting, it is wonderful. As parents, there are so many life experiences that we have navigated through and learned from. And now, it’s time for us to step back and let them find their way on their own. It is those experiences that have shaped how I’ve prayed for my children throughout their lives but are particularly applicable during this stage of life. This morning on Mother’s Day, the very first prayer that I had was for those whose journey to motherhood hasn’t been easy. And they’re still waiting. You see, I personally know the courage that it took for you to come through those doors today. So thankful for your own mothers, but all the while heartbroken, wondering if you will ever be celebrated on this day. I recognize you, and I am praying for you. I know firsthand the disappointment and the overwhelming sadness. Month after month and year after year, the never-ending doctor appointments, the medications, the surgeries, the procedures, and the financial burdens that take over your life and steal your joy throughout those years. I stood firm that God had put a desire in my heart to be a mother, and I would not stop trying until he took that desire away, no matter how hard it became. Now, if you’re familiar with Hannah in the Old Testament, you know she struggled to have a child. Her sorrow was overwhelming. Hannah prayed if you remember me. And do not forget me. If you give me a child, I will give that child to the Lord all the days of their lives. I prayed like Hannah. God, if you give me a child, I will dedicate them to you always. The journey did get too hard, and it got too painful. I remember that day vividly after yet another failed treatment. The doctor said that we need to be realistic. We may never have children. We question. Maybe we’re not supposed to be parents. We can be happy without children, can’t we? We stepped back from treatment because it was too painful. But the desire was still in my heart. Even though I tried to convince myself, it wasn’t. During this time, a friend from my infertility support group at church suggested I meet with a little lady who was a known prayer warrior. I called Fannie, and I took her favorite Kentucky Fried Chicken meal to her assisted living, and I poured my heart out to her for hours. Fannie asked me if she could anoint me with oil as she prayed over me. Fast forward a few weeks later, and on a Friday afternoon, I was experiencing very obvious symptoms that the invitro had failed yet again. To say that I was devastated was an understatement. This was the end of the road. I didn’t think my heart could take this any longer. That Sunday, while leaving church, Fannie was standing by the back door. She hugged me so tight, and she was so excited to tell me. Congratulations. I’m so excited. You’re expecting. No, Frannie? No, I’m not pregnant. I’ll never forget what she said. She looked me in the face, and she said, Beth, where is your faith? Where is your faith? The blood test the next morning was positive. And 25 years ago today, our grace was born. God’s grace. We brought her home on our seventh wedding anniversary. Psalm 37:4 says.

“Delight yourself in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart.”

Psalm 37:4

And just like Hannah, the Lord remembered me. And two years later, He gave us Matthew Spencer. And Matthew means God’s gift. And that he is. God also remembered every single member of my infertility support group, which was called Hearts like Hannah. Each one of us went on to become mothers, some without intervention, some through fertility treatments, surrogacy, adoption, and fostering. It amazes me how the prayers that I held on to all of those years ago are the ones that I rely upon now. During this season of parenting, as my kids go out into this crazy world and I find myself consumed with worry about every little detail. So often, I think of Fannie, and I can hear her saying from Heaven. Beth, where is your faith? Faith that the Lord has a plan and a purpose for their lives, which is far greater than mine. Faith that he will lead their steps and that they will always rely on him to guide their paths. I prayed that if God gave me children, I would entrust them to him. And I do every single day.

Good morning. I’m Amy Galligan. So my family and I’ve been coming to Eastside for many years, a long time, way back over in the Salvation Army building. There are lots of things I could talk about. I got off the script a little bit earlier, so I’ll try my best to stay right here. But, hey, it’s 11:00. I’m cleaned up. I love Jesus. Hope you all aren’t too hungry. No kidding. Here’s my crew. So my husband, Lee, right here behind me in this bottom. And this is our middle daughter, Kanoah. She and her husband, Carson, currently live in Dubai. And they serve Jesus. They’re up here in the top right corner. You’ll see Amanda with my little Luca, who is four, and then Meredith and Caden, who is three. So that’s our three girls. And these are our three grandchildren. Here’s Granny at the bottom with Nora. She is seven, finishing up first grade. Yes, going on 14. Well, Lord, but here’s our family, and this is not in my script. But, like I said, been around Eastside for quite a long time. So many things about Eastside that I love the people and the community. I guess the thing for me with the Eastside is that consistency. When I come to Eastside, when I’m through these doors and in this place, I know that this is the place where Jesus is every time you come in consistently. Now, I’ve been to a lot of churches too, because my husband’s a preacher’s kid, so we’ve been to a lot of places. But in some places, you can go in, and maybe, Jesus doesn’t meet you there. But at Eastside, without fail, any time you come through these doors for any reason, you will meet Jesus. He is here. He is fully in this place. And so that’s why I love Eastside, that consistency. So Virgil asked me to speak and talk about prayer, specifically how I pray as a mother and as a grandmother. When he asked me, I knew that I would have to tell a story about how God used a really difficult time in my journey as a mom to create a change in me when it came to prayer. So if you’re like me, I think about prayer. I think about those things like praying over a meal, maybe praying before a service or to close a service. Maybe there’s something specific someone’s asking you to pray about. And all those prayers are wonderful. Prayers of obedience always pray. But for me, prayer is this constant conversation. It’s like you never turn it off. It’s a constant conversation that I have with Jesus because he’s my best friend. And as a young mom, I was overwhelmed most of the time my prayers were reactive. You know, I had messed up. My kids were acting wild. Some mom in a blog. There weren’t no blogs. There were no blogs. But somebody was saying, hey, pray over the clothes covered in vomit because that’s what you should do because you’re working for the Lord. I didn’t have good prayers when I was praying over vomit because that wasn’t necessarily the most prayerful conversation. So I would often find myself frustrated going through emotion, the motions of prayer, and saying words that I maybe didn’t really mean or didn’t really feel. But I can say that I did. And I do pray for my children, my grandchildren. I prayed blessings, scripture, and all those things over them. I’ve encouraged them to pray, taught them to pray, and prayed with them. It is a huge part of my life. But the turning point for me came after we had Amanda. She was about 18 months old or so. We found out we were pregnant again, and that one little ultrasound because back in the day, you didn’t have an ultrasound every time you went to the doctor; it was a special visit. You got one. So we went, and the doctors told us that we were going to have a son. So we were overjoyed, just very excited. Had seven months, seven and a half months. Pregnancy was great. Everything was going well. And then I woke up one morning, and things just didn’t feel right. So went to work. Still, just things were unsettled. I didn’t feel right. So I took myself to Patio Clay, which is Baptist Health now, and the young nurse put the fetal heart monitor on my large belly. And there’s no heartbeat. Now if you’ve been around pregnancies, you know, when you’re large, pregnant, they put that fetal heart monitor on there. There’s a heartbeat. She couldn’t find one, but she was very anxious about it. So she kept moving it around, kept reassuring me. But I knew that the thing she could not tell me was that my son was dead. So in that moment, in that room by myself. The person I turn to is Jesus. So I’m calling out to him. I’m begging him to make things different. And that was not his plan. Eventually, things, you know, people came. Doctors were saying I had Keenan. We buried Keenan. All these things happened. But that moment was pivotal for me as a mom because it changed the way I prayed. It changed why I prayed. It changed how I prayed. So it wasn’t a prescriptive thing anymore. It was a constant conversation with my best friend because I needed him, and he was there. I needed him intimately in a way that I had never needed him before. And he was there. So over all of the phases and the stages and all of the things that life throws at you as a mom, Jesus has been there constantly like, it’s never-ending. He’s always there. When I wake up in the middle of the night, I have this sense that I need to pray for someone or something. I’m going. I’m going to pray. I’m going to be up. We can tell you. There’s not often that I sleep through the night, but people sometimes at school, they’ll come by my office and be like, Oh, I thought you were talking to someone. Well, I was talking to someone. I was talking to Jesus. But at that moment, because I needed him so intensely and he was there, that created this deep fellowship that I’ve just never let go of. So, yes, I pray. I pray for my children and my grandchildren. Prayers and blessings over them. One thing that I pray most fervently is found in Ephesians, and I pray this for all of you. It says.

“For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen you with together with all the Lord’s holy people, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge- that you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God.”

Ephesians 3:14-19 (NIV)

So this is what I pray. This is what I pray for. My children, for my grandchildren. What I pray for each of you, no matter your stage, whether you’re desiring children, pregnant, or have a young family. Maybe you’re in those teenage years. I’ve kind of blocked that out. But mother of young adults or grandmother, or maybe you don’t have the desire to be a mother. And that’s okay, too. You can invest, as Lauren said, into this next generation. But I pray that you will know Christ’s love, the fullness of His love, the depth of His love and that you will have a constant conversation with Him every day, every minute of every day. So I encourage you to pray. Pray without ceasing. Keep that conversation going because God is always listening, and he desires that deep fellowship with you. Now, I would love to pray over you. Lord Jesus. I’m so honored and blessed to be here today. I thank you so much for each person and each family represented. I pray for all the stages. I pray for our pregnant, expectant families. I pray for Bree and her baby. I pray for these young mothers and fathers that you will give them the strength to endure those sleepless nights and those vomit-covered clothes. I pray for our young families, the families who have toddlers, and elementary children. It’s hard. You’re tired, but you will make it through. As best said, all of the stages are so wonderful. I pray. Oh, just a lot of special blessings and prayers on those parents and moms of teenagers. Listen, listen. You know, Lord, they need us so much more during those teenage years. Get all up in their business, mommies. Get all up in their business. I pray for the families that are sending their kids out into the world. It is a hard thing. It is very hard because one minute they’re there, the next minute they’re standing on their own two feet. They call. They’ll come back. But it is hard to let them go and spread their wings. And I pray for families that moms that are in that stage and all y’all out there getting ready to go in that stage, Lord Jesus, encourage them. Just put it on their heart. They cannot go another minute without calling that momma. Just call her texter. And I pray for grandmothers. It’s a different role that you play. You’re able to really just spread all the love and all the spoiling. And I pray for grandmothers. You have such a wonderful place. Such a powerful place in a child’s life. I pray that you, as a grandmother, would know that deep love of Jesus so that you can instill that in the hearts of your grandchildren. I pray for all of us, Lord, and as all of us invest in the next generation, we all have an important role to play. I thank you, Jesus, for just your very ever constant, always, always constant presence in my life. And I thank you for that. I ask that you go with each of us as we leave here and help everyone to have a blessed Mother’s Day. We love you. Pray this in your name. Amen.