My manager at the funeral home suggested I get my funeral director’s license. Nah. He kept saying I was good with the grieving families. I had been serving in ministry for years, but mostly children, youth and seniors. Grief. Hmmmm……Hospice nurse he suggested. That moment changed my life.

I enrolled in school with nursing as my major. In anatomy class one day I realized 2 things. I did not want to run a catheter on old men (sorry guys), nor did I care about the real name for my toes…piggy was good for me.

I withdrew from school and dedicated the summer to prayer on the matter.

One day I felt led to go to the Southeastern Bible College website. I was busy and agreed to take a look, but only for a moment. That moment changed my life.

I enrolled and felt it was where I was supposed to be, but here I was in the midst of all these Baptist men. Divorced, baptist, female in AL. What in the world was I going to do?

One night I received a call that my daughter was ran over by a motorcycle. (See that full story under Promises in Puddles and a Puppy). She had to have a couple of surgeries, and just before one of them a chaplain walked in the door. God told me to call her. That moment changed my life.

I went to her home and she told me of her journey from her husband in Africa, adult education, financial issues, etc. to chaplaincy. She said, “If I can do it, you can do it.” That moment changed my life.

I called Carol Green at UAB to find out what to do to become a chaplain. That moment changed my life.

I followed Carol’s advice. I went to seminary, completed Clinical Pastoral Education at UAB and applied for a job at St. Vincent’s Hospital. After being hired, Penny told me “I didn’t do anything. I just prayed. You did that Kim.” That moment changed my life.

In the midst of seminary, I went to a women’s conference. The speaker said, “A storm is coming. Someone here may have their house destroyed this week end.” Roxanne from WDJC was at the conference that weekend. That moment changed my life.

That Sunday night I went to bed, and it was our house that was destroyed. (See full story under Tornado No. 5) We were buried in the rubble of our home. Our prayer during the storm was “Lord I believe you will”. That moment changed my life.

We found an unbroken egg outside the house resting under the rose bushes after the storm. Our eggs were in the fridge rolled down the hill. This egg came in the midst of all that destruction…and was unbroken. As fragile as it was, it was unbroken and resting. This was God saying to me, Just as this little egg is fragile so are you, yet I carry you through the storms, the challenges, your mistakes, your emotions, your fears and I create a resting place. Nothing can take you away from me. That moment changed my life.

Because of the storm, many things happened. One of which was connecting with Roxanne and the privilege of praying with others on A Call to Prayer. I have many stories of God’s protection, grace and mercy because of that horrific night. Because of Makenzi’s accident I met Penny and learned of chaplaincy and my calling. My daughter has a story of God’s protection, grace and mercy because of that horrific night. Moments that changed my life.

I have many other stories and events that changed my life. These have brought me into partnership with many others in ministry. These situations (nightmares) connected me to people who love God, love me, and love others with me. We don’t do anything remarkable. We love on people, listen to them, and believe in them. We believe they will have moments that will change their lives. Today, on the radio with Roxanne, Chris, Kevin, Penny and the others, we had moments that will change our lives. We may never know the outcome of the prayers we prayed for others, but KNOW the Holy Spirit was present and working in each situation…in each moment to change these lives.

The moments that change our lives. I may not want to ever relive them, but I am thankful for them or at least for what they brought. Nothing I’ve done is because of me at all. I am as fragile as that egg. As apt to break as that egg. Yet God has been in each moment. He never waits on me. He comes where I am and carries me. He does what needs to be done exactly how he needs to do it to lead me, to carry me, to change me a moment at a time.

He loves me in each and every moment.

kim crawford 02.17.2016

(To reach Dr. Penny go to drpennyonline.wordpress.com)