HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS

• The week before Christmas our small group held a birthday party for Jesus. It wasn’t the traditional birthday party with gifts, balloons, streamers, and birthday cake and ice cream (although we did have yummy desserts and we all brought a gift to give to a child who was in need) but a party to celebrate the birth of our Savior and reflect on the gifts we have been given from Him and what we are going to give Him in the coming year.
  
  Some of the gifts we received this year were:
  Restoration
  Opportunities to Serve Him – in Haiti, in the Dominican Republic, in Tampa
  Deliverance from physical harm in a car accident
  For our small group
  Healthy Pregnancies
  Passing milestone exams
  Healthy grandson
  The opportunity to learn and grow from our sisters in Christ
  Forgiveness
  
  Some of the gifts we are giving Him in 2010:
  
  To pursue Him with all our heart and soul
  More time in Church
  Give Him more of myself
  Open hearts to whatever He has in store
  Greater Faith
  Quiet time and personal relationships with Him
  Give up baggage so heart can be open
  Forgive others
  Study His Word more often
  Let Go – Let God
  
  The evening was a wonderful way to prepare for Christmas Day the following week. It was a reminder that Christ is Christmas and a wake up call to forget the commercialism, running here and there, and most of remain focus on the greatest gift we have or will ever receive…Jesus Christ!

HAPPY ANNIVERSARY

Today is the one year anniversary for our small group. During this past year we have studied God’s Word through: the 6 book series “Doing Life Together,” various lessons from Proverbs, celebrating a Passover Seder in light of Christ’s gift of salvation, Holy Communion, serving our community with a variety of projects, and Christian fellowship.

Along the way we have discovered our spiritual gifts and have been encouraged to develop them. Since our gifts often surface through leading, each member has been given the opportunity to lead in some way. We have not only studied God’s Word but applied it to our lives. We gather each week to experience the power, the purpose, and the presence of Christ in our lives.

Throughout this past year, we have also celebrated together, laughed together, cried together, praying all the while as one voice, one body in Christ. We have forged a bond of trust, community, friendship, and love between 13 sisters in Christ! Our group has become as important to each of us as the air we breathe!

The God of love and peace shall be with you.
II CORINTHIANS 13:11

On the First Anniversary of our Small Group, I am asking the Lord to continue to bless our lives with His peace, His joy, and abundance of His amazing love.
Happy Anniversary!

What are You Missing?

This morning I forwarded an email about an incident at a Metro station in D.C. World famous violinist Joshua Bell, one of the best musicians in the world, played on a violin worth $3.5 million dollars one of the most intricate pieces ever written to an audience of over 2,000 commuters. He played for 45 minutes. A few people stopped for a minute or two, some dropped money in the open violin case but almost everyone kept on walking.

The story ends with the question “If we do not have a moment to stop and listen to one of the best musicians in the world playing some of the finest music ever written, with one of the most beautiful instruments, how many other things are we missing?”

That question continued to echo in my mind throughout the morning. I was reminded that it’s not only the things you fail to notice that you miss out on but also the things you fail to do. One by one I was reminded to the things I am missing …..

The sunrise over Bayshore Boulevard –there used to be mornings that I would stop marvel in the beauty of a Florida sunrise and thank God for the blessing of yet another day – haven’t done that in a long time.
Taking the same delight in a fluttering butterfly as my young grandsons do --- (forget experiencing the same squeals of pleasure at finding a garden snake)
Penning a handwritten note to a friend – not an email or text – a handwritten note
And
The joy in receiving and reading a handwritten note
Looking beyond the appearance of the homeless man with his cardboard sign – (note: most times I am very good other times not so much)
Thanking a co-worker for a job well done
Hugs – don’t give or receive enough!
Acknowledging a friend’s words of encouragement and support
Hearing God’s voice (not always audible – but since He is Large and in Charge He speaks to us daily – sometimes we aren’t listening)
Taking the time to do the things I really love

So today, I will take the time to appreciate all that I have been missing and to do what I can to help those around me do the same.

A snapshot of our week---

• 32 bags of medicines packed, unpacked, moved and stowed countless number of times by a willing team
• The message of hope and salvation delivered by our Word of Life partner Kenneth Balootje to over a 1,000 people
• Clinics held in four different areas: Guerra, en Toro, and two areas in San Pedro
• Our good friend David, who was in the Dominican on business, took time to help us in the field for three days
• A Triage partnership of Carlos and Margaret that moved through the endless line of hopeful patients with compassion and patience
• Our very own Colonel -- Jim who orchestrated the flow through clinic with efficiency and love
• 823 patients treated by a stellar medical team of Pat, Sherrie, Dr. Rob, Liliana and Josh: Sight given , wounds drained and dressed, "Gripe" treated, and boo-boos made better, and best of all plenty of hugs given along with medicine and treatment
• An abundance of medicines, love and compassion dispensed by an awesome pharmacy team of Marie, Jenn, Marshall, with Sebastian and other team members pitching in when needed
• Earl prayed and as a result welcomed 105 new Believers in Christ!
• Connie prayed–lost items found and people moved from medical to pharmacy waiting area
• Dozens and dozens of ear irrigation (note: because the people do not have access to running water there are no showers or bathtubs – they wash themselves but since water does not get down in the ears, the wax is not liquefied but builds up becoming a solid mass of wax plugging the ear--Josh became the King of Ears irrigating with water to flush out the wax and in one instance flushed out the end of a q-tip)
• God’s perfect timing
• 2 patients transported to the hospital (one young woman suffered a grand mal seizure – we were packed up and ready to go but did not leave right away– a few more minutes later we would not have been there to stabilize her then transport to the local hospital)
• Note from God (Same note 2 different mission trips--Ask Marie or Ruby for details)
• Sebastian "MacGuyvered" all week to make our jobs easier (spot the photo of the duct tape scissor holder on the side of the water cooler to make cutting the water bags easier for just one example)
• Wounds treated by Sherrie the Queen of the Scalpel – boils, abscesses, an ingrown hair under the arm that had become infected – just to name a few of the problems. One young boy transported to the hospital for a nasty abscess on his neck. His Mom had a medical ticket for him and an eye ticket for her. She had not seen Dr. Rob when we told her that we would take her and her son to the hospital, she shows us her eye ticket, Kiko, one of our translators told her to make a choice as the boy should be taken to the hospital right away – she chose her son
• Bob, our medical partner with SCORE a constant source of medical knowledge and experience
• Our Dominican brothers patiently acting as our ears and our mouths as they translated for us
• Generous donations resulted in thousands of dollars in groceries and toys bought for the Orphanage for HIV positive children. Thankfulness to see their smiling faces and observe how they have grown and thrived since our visit last year.
• 15 hearts changed forever!!!!

Thursday - Our last clinic day & Friday - Orphanage

On Thursday, we went to another part of San Pedro, the poorest area we visited on this trip. The church building which was to house the clinic was made of corrugated metal. We opted to set up in the dirt road between the church and the houses. Normally we are in a building, however humble, the structure is generally far enough away from the surrounding houses that while we can see the frailty of the structures, we really can’t see into them. This area broke my heart. One young man’s home was at the end of our row of medical stations. He was in a wheel chair –I counted 7 people living in this very humble structure. I went over to give the children playing at the front doorway tennis balls and could see into the house; it was bare save a lone chair in the corner. The structure was made from scraps of lumber and corrugated metal; it looked as though it a brisk wind would topple it over.

Later as we watched, Mom bathed the children in tubs set up in the yard – keep in mind there is no running water, she walked a long way to the local well in order to haul back buckets of water to bathe her children!

We quickly put up the tarps, set up the stations and pharmacy and opened for patients. This team was up to any challenge! At the end of the day, I walked to the rear of area where we had placed portable screens and started handing out the leftover sandwiches and chips from our lunch to the small group of people gathered there. Even though we had feed the village at Noon (as we did each day), I knew that there would be no food for these children that evening. At the end of the day, as we packed up meds and supplies and loaded them into the truck, my feelings were bittersweet. It was a long, hard day, we were hot and tired but it was the last day of clinic and I wasn’t ready to leave – there was so much more to do.

The next morning we headed for Santo Domingo for some shopping in the local market then to a grocery store to load up $1,800 in groceries and a couple of hundred dollars in toys for the AIDS orphanage. Each year our team and the Men’s softball team which comes down the month before we do, visit this orphanage. We are the only outside group to do so. It is a blessing to be with these children for a few hours on Friday. It is the highlight of our trip to have the privilege of laughing, loving and playing with them. At present there are 32 children at this facility all but a few are HIV positive.

As I spoke with the Director in the courtyard as our team carried bag after bag of groceries to the kitchen, she began to cry. I then asked her to make a list of her most pressing needs as we wanted to raise funds to help them after our return to the states. She told me that no one ever asked them before what they needed. Her gratitude was humbling and their need overwhelming. However, we are not to be daunted or intimated as God will provide just as He did for this trip and the trips before us!

Reflections

In our preparation for our mission trip, we stressed to team members the importance of ridding yourself of all expectations. If you have an expectation of what should happen, you will probably miss what God is doing while you stumble around in your disappointment. I am not sure if members of our team had expectations, or if they did, whether or not they were met, but I do feel each was touched with the experience.

For me, each trip is a life changing journey which manifests itself in a deeper walk with God and a strengthening my spiritual growth. Mission trips also give me the opportunity to see God at work daily. That is not to say God if not working each and every day back here in our ordinarily lives but we often lose sight of this as we go about that life.

For this reason, I have often said that mission trips are a sabbatical from life. We leave the cares of everyday life, the distractions, and the day-to-day tasks, errands, and obligations for a week of focusing on God and His children. We develop Great Commission Eyes. We are shown the needs of people who are in hopeless situations. Watching the nightly news does not give us the same perspective as seeing first hand third world culture and its poverty. Upon returning from mission trips I have a deep appreciation of all the material things I posses. It is almost so overwhelming that many people wish they had less and could give more. Last night I had to go to the store to pick up laundry soap and some other items. Sixty dollars later as I walked out of the store I shook my head in amazement at how easy it was for me to 1) get to a store – quickly and conveniently 2) how absolutely blessed and thankful I am to have sixty dollars to spend, and 3) questioning whether or not everything I bought was an absolutely necessity! Other important aspects of a mission trip are the bonds formed with other team members, new friendships made and even the trials faced while on the trip. All serve to grow me as a Christian.

Unfortunately, unless we continue to serve others in our church or in our community, this life changing sensitivity usually fades over time. That’s why it’s always in the heart of a mission traveler to make repeated trips to keep life in perspective.

God loves to use experiences like mission trips to instill His heart in ours. So if you go with an open mind and prepare your heart before you go you will come back just a little more like Jesus -- I believe our team did just that!

PS My grandson, Sebastian went with us on this trip. What a privilege to see God use this young man and to observe his obedience to God’s call – no task was too great or too small for him – he carried out each with a servant’s heart…..Ruby

Give Sight To The Blind Man

Today was day 3 of our mission. Each day has seen an increase in the level of poverty experienced by our patients and gives us more motivation to provide the best level of help we can muster. I am the Optometrist providing eye care to the patients and it has been the most humbling experience of my life. I did not even know about this mission until about 6 weeks ago and it was a true blessing from God how I came about deciding to go. I had always thought that I would like to participate in going on a mission and helping people but always came up with excuses or reasons not to do it. Who would I even need to call, how would I go about it, could I take that much time out of my practice??? Then I would forget about it and return to my hectic schedule and resume my comfortable life.

Each year I attend a convention to obtain continuing education for my specialty and it is always in October. About three months ago I had decided that this year I was not going to go since I had enough hours and was going to go next year when it was in Puerto Rico. I left the time blocked off on my schedule and was debating on whether I would take a vacation or go ahead and book patients. Then about 2 months ago I met a woman who was going on this mission and I thought wow, that is just what I have been wanting to do and here is this RN who is paying her own way and using her vacation and taking this time off to go help these people. I went three days later and applied for my passport just in case and when I spoke with her again I asked what the dates were of the trip and I was amazed that it was the exact week I had blocked off on my schedule. It was like God was saying,”OK, so now what is your excuse”?

I put out the word to my colleagues that I was going and asked them to help me get some glasses and medications donated to take with me. I contacted the pharmaceutical company that supplies medication and was told I needed 6 weeks to get donations and with less than 3 weeks before we left I figured it was useless but I sent the request anyway. The day before I left a box arrived with over 500 bottles of medication and a note from the lady who runs the department saying she felt moved for some reason to put this request through. I received over 250 pair of glasses from various doctors and patients and have already given out most of the to the patients we have seen.

So here we are in the hot, humid, tropical Dominican Republic riding the bus down bumpy dirt roads to the most remote areas you can imagine and unloading the truckload of medical supplies into a small cramped hot school house. I am dripping with sweat before we even get started and the team is working like a well oiled machine getting set up so we can get started with the crowd that has already grown to over 150 people. They stand patiently in the hot sun waiting for their turn to come and see the missionaries that have come to their village. There is no pushing, shoving or disrespect as they move slowly through the process of triage and into the clinic. They have to make a decision to either see the medical staff for health problems or see the eye doctor since there is not enough time to see both unless there is an obvious emergency. The purpose of our mission is primarily to witness to them and spread the word of God and also provide medical care to them in the process. Kenneth preaches to them and our staff witnesses to then while they wait and part of what they receive are a bible and pamphlets that reinforce the message they heard while waiting.

When they get to my station many have waited 4 to 6 hours to see me and the majority of their complaints are that they cannot see to read. I measure their vision and quickly determine their prescription and select the proper glasses to correct their vision. When I gave them something to read so they could see how they worked the look on their face is worth all the discomfort and effort it took to get here. A huge smile appears as the see many for the first time, clear words on the page. Then they would set aside the reading chart and quickly open up the bible they had been given and they get so excited when they know that they will be able to go home and read all bout this amazing God they learned about. They grab my hand and thank me with such joy and walk proudly out the door with their new glasses and their head held high.

The word quickly spread and the afternoon usually has many more patients wanting glasses. I work as fast as I can to help as many of them as we can get to knowing that we will be going to a different village the next day and starting the process all over again. I am honored to be able to be a part of this amazing team and thank God for allowing the pieces to fall in place so I could experience this. My patients in my practice are usually happy with their new glasses but very few are as excited as the villagers I have seen here on this trip. I would encourage anyone who has thought of doing this and never done it to push past the obstacles and excuses and just find a way to do it. It will be a life changing experience.

Dr. Rob

Headaches and Heartbreak

Today was not an easy day. Being that this was only the second day of actual clinical work it sounds kind of wrong to say it was the hardest day so far. But it was, the hardest day of the trip so far.

I’m writing this after spending the entire day in triage. Triage being the entry point in to the clinic, everyone passes by me to get to the doctors. Meaning I am responsible for getting all of their information, brief medical history and whatever ailments they may have. The one thing that keeps popping up, HEADACHES. Everyone has a headache. For some its early in the day, for others its late in the evenings, for some its just a constant thing, for others its just from time to time. Regardless of age, sex or background everyone has a headache to start their list of things that hurt. If it were me, walking into triage right now, my list of things would start with heartbreak.

Today, my heart truly broke for these people. Easily over 200 people were seen by the medics on the trip with us. Poor Rob our eye doctor saw nearly 40 more patients than he is supposed to be able to see in a given day. Every time he tried to get up to take a 5 minute break someone would plop down in front of him and he would just smile and go back to work. Sherrie I learned was trained as a wound technician and helped to clear up a very, very, very gross looking wound in a woman’s arm and leg. Jennifer could best describe what the wound was like because I had to look away or I would be neck deep in a garbage can losing my lunch. As I looked around at all the faces of the people who came, the big, the small, the young and old, my heart just continued to break.

My heart snapped open when I saw the shear numbers of people who began to walk up. You could clearly see the need in their eyes and the hope they held for being seen by the medics. For some the hope was simple, a headache to clear up. For others it was more serious. My heart snapped again when the rains came and the people continued to wait, in anticipation of having a medical need met. My heart literally shattered open when I saw a woman walk up with only one ticket to be seen. The way the clinics work, its one ticket per person. She was clearly sick. She needed the medical attention. But her 7 year old son, was the one she wanted to be seen. I reached over and filled out a form for her as well and they were both seen at clinic today.

The medics we have on this trip are absolutely amazing. Going above and beyond the call of duty and being flexible enough to adjust based on the needs. Gods hand is easily evident in each member. We have natural born leaders, great listeners, hard workers, big picture thinkers and detail people. A few Type “A” people and a few people who just want to serve. Where I am weak, my triage partner Margaret is strong. It’s like we were all different pieces of a puzzle God finally placed together on this trip. Not only to fix these people’s temporary ailments, like the 200 plus headaches we saw, but also their eternal ailment by getting to know Jesus as their Lord and Savior. The only one who can cure the heart, from the inside out.

Looking back on the day, it seemed like for every headache that walked in, my heart would break a little more. Not in pity for these people, but in hope. A hope that tomorrow when they wake up and feel no pain in their heads, or neck or wherever the pain was, they would remember the group of medics giving them the meds to make them feel well for today and telling them about the love of Jesus who can make them feel well for eternity.

Carlos

Dia Clinica -Guerra

We began our day with devotions and praise and worship. It mattered not a whit that only 4 people in the group had good singing voices and the rest of us couldn’t carry a tune -- we were loud and joyous. I think God was pleased.

Then we received a pleasant surprise, a co-worker and friend who I have not seen in years, came with us on our first day of clinic. He had mentioned prior to our arrival in the Dominican that he was joining us as business had him in the DR the same week we were to be here. However, I had not heard from him in the days leading up to our trip so did not think he was coming.

This surprise turned out to be blessing as we were a man down, his joining the team meant that we could utilize one of our team members in another area --God’s perfect timing!

We traveled over an hour and a half to a small one -room school house in a village that was in the middle of fields, in the region of Guerra. The one room meant that the care giver stations, eye clinic and pharmacy were in very tight quarters. Fortunately, triage could be set up outside under a small grove of shade trees. In spite of the small space, the flow from triage to pharmacy went amazingly well. The Dominican people we treated, the children we hugged and loved on, and the medicines given were as much a blessing for us as it was for them. To watch the joy on a young girl‘s face when she was fitted with glasses and could read from Dr. Rob‘s chart for the first time or to see Earl with five kids hanging from his every limb, laughing as though they were on a ride at Disney, and the quiet dignity of the old man who humbly told the doctor he was just a little dizzy (a blood pressure of 220/140) --all these vignettes of God‘s goodness were provided throughout the day. However the best part of the day was seeing how God took a group of mostly strangers and knit them in a cord of not fifteen individual strands but one cord bound together for one purpose in Christ Jesus.

And so it begins

Our journey began at 5:30 this morning when we all met at TIA, 15 members and 33 bags of meds and supplies. God was at work sending a angel in the guise of an American airlines employee, Youseff who looked the small mountain of duffel bags and asked with a twinkle in his eye, “how many in our party and where are you going?” I told him and he grinned and said bring me the tickets and everyone’s passport. He then proceeded to expedite our check in simply asking if the bags weighed 50 pounds each. I replied quite honestly we weighed them but some might be over-- he didn’t weigh any of them and only charged us for two of the three bags that we over our 2 bags per person limit! He told me his mother is Dominican and he goes twice a year with bags of clothing and supplies. He then gave me his email address and told us he would love to join our next mission team to the DR. What a great way to begin our trip -- seeing God at work at TIA.

After an uneventful flight to San Juan, a two hour lay-over then short fly to Santo Domingo we arrive at SCORE in Juan Dolio at 3:00. We spent a leisurely afternoon at evening at SCORE although many were eager to get started sorting and packing meds. However a much needed rest was needed by everyone so the team reluctantly agreed that the meds could wait until Sunday after church.

We will update again on Monday evening after our first day of clinic. Continue to pray for us!

Packing our bags and Preparing Our Hearts

We are counting down – in 4 days, six members of our small group embark on a medical mission trip to the Dominican Republic. We met last Saturday to pack 30 bags with medicines and supplies. God had his hand on us as we worked together for the first time as a team -- coming together for Him. Hopefully by Friday our personal bags will be packed and our hearts prepared!

Please pray for our team – pray that we will be supportive of each other and know that God is leading us as individuals and as a team. Pray for the hearts of the Dominican people to be open and receptive to Kenneth’s teaching and that God will open doors of opportunity for each of us to share the love of Christ and the message of salvation!

Sharing the Gospel with Pastor Todd

To wrap up our series on Doing Life Together and more particularly the study Sharing Your Life Mission Every Day, six sessions on Evangelism, we invited Pastor Todd to speak to our group about Sharing the Gospel.

We sometimes think that in order to share the gospel we have to have academic credentials or be an expert in the Bible. Nothing could be further from the truth. In fact, sometimes a seminary degree makes understanding anything but clear. Todd showed us (seminary degree not withstanding) that we can shape our message by the language and methods we use. Todd’s simple but effective approach made this somewhat intimidating command one that each of us can easily embrace and use in our daily lives.

First–Know your story (5 minutes or less) what led up to your salvation? Who? How?

Second–Be aware of providential relationships – the prompting of the Holy Spirit. God put each of us where we are to be a light. We can share the gospel by our very presence -- how we act, what we say or how we treat others. The Holy Spirit will be working with you so look for those clues.

It can be as simple as praying each morning for God to place someone in our path -- God please place someone in my life today with whom I can share your love. or Do the Dot: Place a sticker dot somewhere where you will see it each day and throughout the day each time you see the dot, pray for the person you have chosen to receive Christ.

Todd then gave us the best intepretation of John 3:16 I have ever heard.

God loved
God gave
We believe
We receive

What could be easier than that?


Todd continued by retelling the story found in Matthew 14: 13-21, the feeding of the 5,000 pointing out Jesus’ command to His disciples, “YOU give them something to eat…” Can you imagine their distress? (Note: other than the resurrection of Jesus this in the only miracle story contained in all four gospels; it must be important and have a significant truth we need to understand). We have 5 loaves and two fishes and you want us to do what? Man, you have got to be kidding. Obviously they missed the point -- trust me, I will give you the means to do it. How often do we do the very same thing? Remember this simple truth -- If God commands it, I can do it!


I have read this story countless number of times and missed that one sentence that is so very important “You give them something to eat” The disciples must have been totally overwhelmed with the size of their problem, how do you feed all these hungry people? You've been directly commanded by Jesus to do something, you want to be faithful, to obey, but good grief, feed 5,000 with a few loaves and a couple of fishes? Are we sometimes like the Disciples, overwhelmed with the numbers? God commands us to Go, to feed the hungry, to love our neighbor, to serve, and give graciously, however the numbers are greater than our resources, so in our frustration do we just give up? Don’t give up! We can stand on God’s promise – He will give us everything that we need or He would not have commanded us to do it.

Todd then journeyed with us on the Roman Road with simple tips to make this path easier to remember. Open your Bible, turn to Romans 3:23 – in the margin write down 6:23, turn there, in that margin write down 5:8, so there and write 10:9-10, and once there mark down 13. All you have to do is ask.

Billy Graham once said, “I am convinced the greatest act of love we can ever perform for people is to tell them about God's love for them in Christ. “

Thank you Pastor Todd for giving us simple, easy to use tools, to effectively follow God’s command to “Go”

A Heart for the Homeless

This past Saturday we held our homeless ministry. A homeless ministry is something that anyone can do and one that our small group has done several times before this Saturday. It is a ministry that is near and dear to my heart. We met at my home on Saturday morning to assemble compassion packs with basic items: the Gospel of John; cookies or snack cakes, chips, cracker snacks, honey buns, a washcloth/soap, a pair of socks, a piece of fresh fruit, a bottle of water, hard candy, ponchos, and wipes.

We also collect clothing, backpacks, Bibles and other items to give out as needed. We then we caravanned to a corner on Florida Avenue where we know that a number of homeless men and women congregate. They know as soon as we pull in and raise the lid of our trunks that we are there for them. As they come towards us I am always struck by their gracious and thankful manner. I feel so blessed to be able in this small way to attend to a small portion of their physical needs, but even more importantly, show them the love of Christ!

But by the grace of God, we would all be homeless. This life is so short and we'll be in eternity before we know it. I don't know about you, but I want to spend the remainder of my life helping others in Jesus' name.

“And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Matthew 25:40

It's not the boulders in our path....

Do you ever get totally bogged down by life? No, there's no crisis -- family is healthy, you haven't gotten laid off, bills are paid, but there is an underlying current of restlessness, of discontent. I once heard in a sermon given by a local Rabbi that it's not the boulders in our path that slow us down but the pebbles in our shoes. My shoes are full of pebbles (no small feat since I've had to wear flip-flops since my toe nail was removed).

Don't we all experience the aggravation of those little pebbles; office politics, car trouble, an expense we weren't counting on, a recalcitrant teenager, a grumpy neighbor? These pebbles rob us of our serenity, our peace of mind more than a crisis does. Why is it so easy to turn to God for the big stuff but feel that we can handle the pebbles on our own? Do we think that God has better things to do than listen to our whining or are we saving God for that tragedy (like He was some lucky rabbit's foot) that might occur down the road. God wants to give us peace in all things. God gave us an anology of pebbles in our shoes in the Song of Solomon 2:15, just like the little foxes can ruin the vineyard so can those pebbles!

So after a restlesness night I woke this morning determined to shake off this bogged down feeling. This afternoon I am going to walk down to Bayshore, take off my shoes and count out those pebbles one by one and, as I throw them into the bay, I will cast my cares upon Him for I know, with absolute certainty, He cares for me!

7casting all your care upon Him, for He cares for you. 1 Peter 5:7

Ladies Social

How Great is Our God

Our God is big enough to breathe out the sun and fashion together the trillions of cells that make up every aspect of who we are.

WOW!

Last week our small group watched the DVD of a live presentation of Louis Giglio. It is an incredibly powerful presentation! In the DVD Giglio shows us NASA color images of our universe and using everyday objects (a golf ball representing the size of the Earth) for comparison, he graphically illustrates just how huge the cosmos are and how small we are. He weaves the scientific discussion with Biblical themes showing us the greatness of God in a way we’ve never contemplated before.

Then after soaring through the universe, he leads us from the huge vastness of space to the microscopic as we take a tour through the smallest parts of the human body.

This from the DVD….Consider our universe. The sun, which is 93 million miles away from our earth, is so large that 960,000 earths could fit inside it. And that is just a relatively small star. Betelgeuse, which is 427 light years away, is twice the size of the earth's orbit around the sun. It is so humongous that 262 trillion earths could fit in it. The largest known star is Canis Majoris. It is so incredibly massive that seven quadrillion earths could fit inside it. Yet the same God who breathes out the stars from his mouth (Psalm 33:6) is the one who cares intimately about us, and seeks to rescue us. As Giglio puts it, the star breather has become the sin bearer. The universe maker is also our redeemer. Giglio reminds us that God is the creator of the heavens and the earth. This quick look at the vastness of the known universe must humble us, and cause us all to bow down and worship the creator of all things. The heavens certainly declare the glory of God (Psalm 19:1). But we are also fearfully and wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14). Our beginning lies in one microscopic cell from our mother, and one from our father. These form one new cell, with a totally new and unique set of DNA. It contains three billion characters of code. This one tiny cell contains all the information and instructions needed to produce us. This one cell divides, and soon an embryo becomes a baby which becomes a child which becomes an adult. The single cell now gives way to 75 trillion cells in the human body. Every one of these cells has all three billion bits of our genetic code. Every three seconds 50,000 cells die and are replaced in our bodies.

Rather than feel small in the vastness of the cosmos that our amazing God created, I felt huge, significant, cherished and loved. The same God that breathed the sun, moon and the stars into existence holds me in the palm of His hand sees the depths of my heart and loves us just the same.
How Great is Our God...Indeed

You are amazing God!

TIME

Last night during our small group study, Jenn pointed out that I had not posted for almost a month. Hmm I thought, thanks Jenn, one more task on my "to do" list. Just as Martha did in the Bible, I am busy with all I have to do – a 10-hour a day job, tutor for grandson’s summer high school courses, writing projects (like this blog), packing for vacation, unpacking from vacation, laundry, cooking, cleaning (well not so much of that), planning for our Mission trip, watching TV (oh yes, a secret vice). It's a real challenge to squeeze in time for prayer and here Jenn is chastising me about Blog updates. Good grief give me a break!

Then this morning the thought occurred to me I have all the time there is --each of us does. We have 24 hours in every day to do with as we will. Granted some hours we cannot control: work, dinner on the table for families, life commitments. Even with the hours out of our control, we are left with a good number of hours we can control.

I read somewhere that one of the greatest lies to women today is that if you're not busy – if you are not constantly juggling 10 things at once, keeping up with the Joneses, or making some measure of progress – you are a failure. And, for the Christian woman, this is compounded by the pressure to be a "super Christian" We feel we must volunteer for all events, enroll in all Bible studies offered for women, keep up with the latest Christian issues. If you think I’m off base just take a look at the books offered - Devotions on the Run, No time for Quiet Time, (I have both) or 10-Minute Time Outs for Busy Women and there are hundreds more -- STOP!

We all know the answer, it's right there for us in God's word so we need to learn to say no, become a better steward of our time, stop trying to live up to expectations of the world, ask for help when you need it, and the more importantly, listen to what God wants for you.

And let's strive to be more like Mary not Martha.

"As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the lord's feet listening to what he said. But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, 'Lord, don't you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!' 'Martha, Martha,' the Lord answered, 'you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.'" Luke 10: 38-42


PS Jenn thanks for the accountability I know that writing brings me closer to God so it is what He wants me to do.

God's Plan - Proverbs

Last night, our group studied selected verses from Proverbs. We’ve done this twice before and each time we have learned more about ourselves, each other, and at the same time, deepened our understanding of God’s Plan for our lives.

Life is not easy--we all know that. God never promised that life as a Believer would be easy but He did give us a game plan for running this race, a plan which helps us ignore the pebbles in our shoe and navigate our way around the boulders in our path.

So what is this plan to handle life’s problems and to deal with difficult people and circumstances? The plan is in Proverbs. In this book of the Bible there are over 50 different categories of subjects: personal relationships, marriage, business, emotions, and pearls of God's treasures of knowledge and wisdom. In Proverbs there are all sorts of people, people like us and like those we interact with daily: the wise, the sluggard, the fool, the strange woman, the proud, the wasteful; all of us are there.

To get started on God’s Plan, grab your Bible, find a quiet nook, settle in a comfy chair and read Proverbs 3:5-6 as these verses instruct us on how to let God take the lead in our lives and follow His plan.

“Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight.” Proverbs 3:5-6, (NIV)

MISSING IN ACTION

It's been a few weeks since I've blogged. Why? I have been pondering that question. I think I have let life get in the way of living. Now that sounds silly doesn't it? We go to work, run errands, see friends, go to church, dispatch house chores, pray, hang with friends, sleep, watch TV, Google, and participate in a small group. How does life get in the way? --that is life. Nope there's an element missing that makes all the other things doable, more enjoyable, relieves stress and gives you a peace that surpasses all understanding. Got it? Yep, quiet time with God. If you want to know someone better what do you do? You spend time with them, talk to them and listen, patiently listen. Our quiet time should not be a daily appointment with God but a visit with our closest friend. Good relationships need time together. My quiet time affords me a greater understanding of God's word, heals me spiritually and emotionally. This time alone with God prepares me for daily life - its struggles, its joys and its simple pleasures. It helps me write this blog, love my cranky neighbor, and appreciate my many blessings.

OK you're thinking if quiet time with God is so great why haven't I been doing it? Ah, that is the $64,000 question (Google it) or in today's economy the $500,000 question.

Since our return from Haiti, I've been out of sorts -- going through the motions of my life a little like a bit actor in a walk-on role. Yes, it's true I did come back ill, injured and exhausted and my time there was disconcerting and troubling. But it was more than that. I was upset with God. So rather than go to Him and talk it out, I gave Him the silent treatment. Oh that works. However, God being God patiently waited. He knew I would come to my senses. I did and God rewarded me tremendously.

So if your life is getting in your way of spending quiet time with God…borrowing a phrase from Nike and following the example of Jesus....

Just do it!

"Then Jesus went with his disciples to a place called Gethsemane, and he said to them, 'Sit here while I go over there and pray'" (Matthew 26:36).

"Very early in the morning, while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left the house and went off to a solitary place, where he prayed (Mark 1:35).

S.H.A.P.E. - Every Believer has a purpose and a calling.

For we are all God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do (Ephesians 2:10).


Last evening our lesson was centered around Pastor Rick Warren's easy-to-remember acrostic called S.H.A.P.E. to help people discover the God-ordained work for each person to do.
Spiritual gifts
Heart
Abilities
Personality
Experience


This lesson was to identify our Spiritual gifts -- Just what are Spiritual Gifts? Spiritual gifts are those special abilities that God gives, according to His grace, to Believers to be used for building up the body of Christ.

This first lesson helped us identify our Spiritual Gifts. Afterwards, we were given cards with our gift and the passage of scripture relating to that gift. Our next lessons will explore our Heart, Abilities Personalities and Experience. All meant to guide and direct us to our place in ministry.

PROPHECY
The ability to publicly or personally communicate God’s word regarding a specific situation with challenge, comfort, and conviction so as to point people toward Jesus Christ and His will. 1 Corinthians 14:3

EVANGELISM
The ability to communicate the good news about Jesus Christ easily and naturally to unbelievers so that they often respond with faith. Acts 8: 26:40

MISSIONS
The ability and flexibility to bring Jesus to a culture or people other than your own. 1 Corinthians 9:19-23 & Acts 13: 2-3

APOSTLE
The ability of plant new churches and oversee their development. Romans 15:20

TEACHING
The ability to teach the Bible or train others in a way that causes them to learn and implement life-change. Ephesians 4:12-13

ENCOURAGEMENT
(Exhortation)
The ability to care for others in a way that builds their courage and motivates them to follow Jesus; the ability to bring out the best in others. Acts 14:22

WISDOM
The ability to understand God’s perspective on life situations and share these insights in a simple, understandable way. 1 Corinthians 2:1, 6-16

DISCERNMENT
The ability to know whether one is following the Spirit of God or the spirit of error in a given situation. 1 Corinthians 2: 14

SERVICE
The ability of give practical assistance in a way that makes people feel care for and loved; the ability to see opportunities to service without being asked. Acts 6: 1-7

MERCY
The ability to show practical compassion toward suffering persons; the ability to sense people’s thoughts and emotions in order to care for them. Romans 12: 8

HOSPITALITY
The ability to make strangers feel welcomed and comfortable. 1 Peter 4: 9-10

PASTORING
The ability to walk with others through life in a caring way that helps them grow in faith; the ability to care for people’s spiritual needs and equip them for service (This gift can be exercised in a small group not just full-time ministry) 1 Peter 5: 2-4

GIVING
The ability to give of your resources without feeling put out. 2 Corinthians 8: 1-7

MIRACLES
The ability to pray in faith for God’s supernatural intervention into an impossible situation and see God’s answer; the ability to sense when God is prompting you to pray this kind of prayer.
Mark 11: 23-24

INTERCESSION
The ability to pray persistently for others. Colossians 1: 9-12

HEALING
The ability to bring physical or emotional healing into another’s life through prayer.
James 5: 14-16

PRAYING WITH MY SPIRIT
(sometimes called Tongues/Interpretation)
The ability to pray in a language understood only by God or one who interprets. 1 Corinthians 14:13-15

MUSIC and ARTS
The ability to create art that elevates people into God’s presence. Psalm 150

LEADERSHIP
The ability to bring out the best in others in their service to God; the ability to set vision, motivate, equip, train, or set an example of service in order to draw a group to reach a goal.
Hebrews 13: 7-17

ADMINISTRATION
(Organization)
The ability to mange people well and organize programs and ministries effectively.
1 Corinthians 14: 40

FAITH
The ability to trust God and to act on God’s promise, regardless of what the circumstances indicate; the willingness to risk failure in pursuit of a God-given vision, expecting God to handle the obstacles. Romans 4: 18-21

What are your Spiritual Gifts?

Haiti & Peru Mission Trips

Six of our members just returned from mission trips. Five were in Haiti together: Ruby, Debra, Sherrie, Karen and Michelle while Nancy was with another team in Peru.

Courtesy of Tim, highlights of the Haiti trip:

The Lord allowed us all to participate as part of a powerful wave in His rising tide of love that is overtaking the shores of Haiti. Prayer warriors, those who donated, family members and those who were called to go all share equally as we celebrate the great victory that was won last week by the authority of Jesus Christ.
Those who were in Haiti got the witness the power of God's word over what is seen and unseen. They were able to witness the worldly manifestation of the spiritual battle that rages each day. They got to see God bind the schemes of the enemy. They witnessed the power of His love and Truth.
The Lord declares to all in Haiti, "I have redeemed you"...
The following are just a few examples of the redemptive work that occurred last week:
305...
...people prayed to receive Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior at the medical clinic. The clinic was held in an area known as a 'strong hold of satan'. The gospel was presented to people on an individual or small group basis as they waited to see the Doctors. The Lord used a 75 year old man as the messenger to most of those who received Christ.
Over 1600...
...people were seen by the Doctors, Dentists and Optometrist. The overwhelming majority of these people would not be seen by local Hospitals due to their inability to pay. Medications and vitamins were distributed to all in need. Hospital arrangements were made for several patients who otherwise would not have been admitted.
Over 900...
...people were provided a free meal during the medical clinic.
Construction...
...of a new church/ multi purpose building was taken to the next stage. Materials needed to complete the final stage arrive next week.
A Container...
...loaded with construction materials and needed supplies arrived in Port Haitian. We learned as we were preparing to leave Haiti that this container would be admitted duty free. This is very rare in Haiti.
4 Rallies...
...were held in remote villages. Local churches worked together to build a platform, provide music and a sound system at each Rally. Two of the Rallies where held in front of a witch-doctor's compound. The Rallies were attended by hundreds. Strong messages from the book of Isaiah and the New Testament were delivered. The call was made for God's children to throw down their idols and return to Him. The call was made for the enemies of God to accept the Lord's offer to make peace through His Son Jesus Christ. Many responded.
An Average of 300...
...Pastors and church leaders daily attended a discipleship/leadership seminar. The four day seminar was led by an 80 year old man.
Over 1200...
....people were provided free meals at the seminars.
Radio Broadcast of 6...
...Rally messages were broadcast live, in their entirety, throughout the week

Let us all rejoice in the Lord. He has been good. He has been compassionate. He has been mighty. He has been God.

‘Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?’

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 6:1-13

Marie, whose turn it was to facilitate the lesson departed from our normal study for the evening. Six members of our group are leaving on mission trips today --One going to Peru the other five to Haiti. To prepare us spiritually, Marie asked each of us of us to bring a verse or two of Scripture that we could share with the group to help us hear God’s voice more clearly and arm ourselves with the Power of His Word. There were verses to:

Encourage Us

“… be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you where ever you go.” Joshua. 1:8

Protect Us
The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. Romans 13:12

Empower and Anoint Us
… because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. 1 Thessalonians 1:5
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. Acts 1:8

The Spirit of the Sovereign LORD is on me, because the LORD has anointed me to preach good news to the poor. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim freedom for the captives and release from darkness for the prisoners… Isaiah 61:1

Strengthen Us

Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible." Matthew 19:26
He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Isaiah 40:29

Shine for the Lord

God is light and in Him is no darkness at all. 1 John 1:5 Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven. Matthew 5:16

Remind us to Love

The entire law is summed up in a single command: "Love your neighbor as yourself." Galatians 5:14

Free Us from Anxiety

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. Philippians 4:6

Marie gave us a card with a message from God reminding us to remember that He will be handling all our problems and concerns. (Philippians 4:6) Liliana chose Isaiah 61: 1-3 and gave each of us a bookmark with that scripture and Jenn gave each of us going out a card with her chosen verses. But whether in a form to carry in our Bibles or written upon our hearts, each woman truly followed Jesus Christ as a model of love and goodness.

Prayer is the most important preparation and support we can give to our mission teams. Marie was well aware of this as she closed our study by leading us in prayer with each of us praying as the Spirit led them. To those following our blog, please pray for our teams and all teams in the field next week. Pray for Genuine love for others, A deeper relationship with God, Spirit controlled lives, Fruit of the Spirit, Wisdom and knowledge, Protection, Receptive hearts, and Health and strength.

A Servant's Heart

In order to help each member grow in their faith, we take turns leading our studies each week. I would love to say that all in the group eagerly leapt at the chance to be the next week’s facilitator. However, even the shyest, most reluctant sisters have led or have committed to lead thus taking this opportunity to push themselves out of their comfort zone and grow in their walk with the Lord. Last night’s sweet sister in Christ, Liliana while approaching her turn with great trepidation, did a great job of leading us through the study: A Servant’s Heart.

This lesson was designed to help us understand what it means to have a true servant’s heart and renew our commitment to serving others. A servant’s heart doesn’t just happen. We need to be willing to set aside our personal agendas and approach service without being driven by ego (the need to impress people) or fear (fear of disappointing people). Through questions and reading of scripture, Liliana guided us to search ourselves and to pray that God will empower us to live with a servant's heart.

At the conclusion of our study Jenn discussed the book The Hole in Our Gospel, by Richard Stearns CEO of World Vision. In the book Richard tells his story of how he faced his own struggle to obey God whatever the cost, and his passionate call for Christians to change the world by actively living out their faith. The book describes the problems around the world with poverty, aids, and injustice and how most American churches do not support the poor and sick in their own neighborhood, or around the world.

Just as our study did The Hole in Our Gospel challenges all of us to live out 1 John 3:18 as we love, not just with words, “but with actions and in truth.”

Bob Pierce, the founder of World Vision, said “Don’t fail to do something just because you can’t do everything.” What can you do?

What can YOU do? Think about it.

God Speaks

How does God speak to you? I think we can all agree He speaks to us through His Word . . .

Blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked or stand in the way of sinners or sit in the seat of mockers.
2 But his delight is in the law of the LORD, and on his law he meditates day and night. Psalm 1: 1-2

And our thoughts . . . (which I believe is that inner feeling that you get -- that clear message that directs your path).

Through prayer . . .

3 'Call to me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable things you do not know.' Jeremiah 33: 3

Some receive our messages from God through a dream and for many it is tangible, our daily bread -- —21st century manna

"I have heard the murmurings of the people of Israel; say to them, 'At twilight you shall eat flesh, and in the morning you shall be filled with bread; then you shall know that I am The Lord your God.'" In the evening quails came up and covered the camp; and in the morning dew lay round about the camp. And when the dew had gone up, there was on the face of the wilderness a fine, flake-like thing, fine as hoarfrost on the ground. When the people of Israel saw it, they said to one another, "What is it?" For they did not know what it was. And Moses said to them, "It is the bread which The Lord has given you to eat." (Exodus 16:10-15 RSV)

God also speaks to us through life events and circumstances and through people. People who love us and love Jesus, who encourage us, challenge us, shape us.

For some, God speaking is not that still, small voice but an audible voice loud and clear. I used to envy those people to whom God spoke. I desired to "hear" God. I would even ask a friend who heard God to pray for me for those decisions where I needed a clear, divisive answer from God. Since she could hear and I could not (or so I thought) would she get an answer to my prayer, request, or dilemma? Like Mack in the book The Shack I wanted a God to talk to me, walk with me, a Jesus who could hold my hand and the Holy Spirit as my muse.

However, slowly (sometimes God uses a 2x4 – this time he let me wade my way through the mire) I came to realize that I don't have to hear God audibly. God walks and talks with me daily, Jesus does hold my hand, especially in my darkest hours, and the Holy Spirit is indeed my muse. I don’t need to “hear” a voice like Morgan Freeman’s in the movie Bruce Almighty booming from the heavens to hear God. It is enough for God to speak to me through His Word, through prayer, in my quiet time, through people and circumstances He places in my life and, on occasion, on Sunday mornings through a sermon.

Now don’t get me wrong…I love the sermons at our church every Sunday, regardless of which Pastor speaks. But there are times when the words are so directed at your heart, that touch your innermost being that you know that God is directing that discussion to you.

This past Sunday was one of those times. The Big Idea: It’s not about attendance, it’s about attachment. Simple enough – but Pastor Gary’s delivery of that message was to me, brilliant! I got it God – windows rolled down.

17Consequently, faith comes from hearing the message, and the message is heard through the word of Christ. Romans 10:17

Developing your SHAPE to Serve Others

The title is the fourth series in the Doing Life Together study. The first lesson in this series, You Are God’s Masterpiece , was beautifully led by Karen. The way you're wired is no accident! God designed your unique mix of gifts, natural abilities, personality, values, and life experiences to play an essential part in his kingdom. The study explored how God has wonderfully made each one of us.

There was a paragraph in the lesson examining the word 'workmanship.' It comes from the Greek word 'poiema' and the word signifies a work of art brought forth by an artisan. Our English word poem and poetry stem from this word.

Just think of it, we are God's poem! An unique work of art produced by the Master Himself! Just as a poem has meter, rhyme, rhythm, beauty and meaning, so our lives are also meant to reflect the beauty of God's love.

The lesson called for an interactive exercise -- give each person a 3x5 card have them write their name in the top left corner then pass the card to the person on the right. Each person was to write one positive comment or phrase about the person whose name was on the card, when finished the cards were passed to the right again and again until your card came back to you. The result being at the end of the evening, each of person had a card filled with positive comments.

Karen took this one step further -- Instead of using 3x5 cards she hand-made a card for each of us, the front said "Celebrate U" embellished with a ribbon, on the inside was a ornate boxed space to write your name. Brilliant!! A loving reminder that we are indeed God's workmanship, fearfully and wonderfully made!

For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do. Ephesians 2:10

Proverbs

Yesterday evening we studied some selected verses from Proverbs. The study gave us a deeper understanding of Proverbs and the relevancy of these verses in our lives today but it also acted as a “springboard” for a deeper understanding of each other. It did so by leading us into “small talk.”

I read in another blog that part of the power of a biblical community comes when we have relationships that include time for “small talk” – you know that superficial conversation that happens when we are just hanging out. Small talk about things that don’t matter opens the door to things that do. While each week some small talk does happen in our group it usually around dinner at the end of the evening, and not everyone is always able to stay until then. We rarely get the opportunity to indulge in spontaneous chit-chat and just hang-out as a complete group, it was nice. So maybe to mix it up a bit, every few weeks or so we have an abbreviated study and devote the remainder of the evening to open those doors just a wee bit wider – what do you think?

Compassion Packs to the Homeless

I feel blessed and so thankful to God for giving us the opporutnity to serve the homeless this last Saturday. As we think about the next time we serve them, we need to consider that Summer will pose a challenge for them. During the sweltering months of summer, the homeless face a host of dangers from dehydration to heat stroke. We can help quench their thirst and cool their bodies by collecting sunscreen and sun block, aloe vera gel, insect repellent and flip flops in addition to our usual compassion packs. Also, please contact the Pocket Testament League http://www.pocketpower.org/ to order more gospels for the packs.

At church yesterday I felt challenged by Pastor Gary's talk on Reaching Out, part of the Roots series at STF. I was particularly struck by a comment he made -- When we tell our story we are beggars giving fresh bread to another beggar. Let's start giving fresh bread...the Bread of Life. In addition to our normal distributions why don't we take a few minutes to pray with the men and women? That's our first step. This baby step will help prepare us and introduce them to the second step. The next time we go to that corner, we share our story... not necessarily our testimony but our fresh bread story. Where we are right now in our walk with the Lord. We know lives can only be changed through Jesus Christ. Let's allow God use us to facilitate that change. We can be God's laborors in the Harvest!

Please pray about this. To witness you must be motivated from deep within you. One who has chosen to be a witness for Christ must be willing to be an example of Him. Let's act on what the Lord wants us to do and be His hands and feet in the world.

Romans 1014 "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and how shall they hear without a preacher?"

Study April 23

Another amazing evening spent delving into God's word, furthering our walk with the Lord, and the simple joy of an evening relaxing in the company of women who love and care for one another.

Thank you 's to:
Debra for leading us last night.
Patricia for dinner the Picadillo was delicious.
to my Secret Sister - love the photo & frame!

Remember to meet this Saturday at 9:30 at my home, we will pack up the Compassion Packs then we're off to distribute to homeless men and women we find on Florida Avenue. Thank you to Karen for organizing this service project.

Next week -
Life's questions from the Book of Proverbs~

Proverbs 1:5, "let the wise listen and add to their learning, and let the discerning get guidance."

Dinner - Ruby
Dessert - Debra

Praise report and Prayer Requests will be sent in an email

Slideshows are Done!

There are two top left and bottom of blog. Trial...and lots of errors..LOL

Let us not be weary in well doing: for in due season we shall reap, if we faint not.--Galatians 6:9

"Official" First Post

I think we have mastered the blog - still can't get a slide show going - stay tuned, it will happen. This week we are finishing our last lesson in the study, Growing to be like Christ from the Doing Life Together series. What a journey the last couple of months has been as we've grown in our relationship with the Lord and with each other.

I think the following comments sum up very well our study of the past six weeks.

Question: "How can I become more like Christ?"
Answer: God's desire for all who know Him is for us to become more like Christ. We do this by first growing in our knowledge of Christ. It stands to reason that we cannot grow to be like someone we don’t know. The deeper our knowledge of Christ, the deeper our understanding of Him, and the more like Him we become. Among other reasons, we are to know and understand Christ so that we will be secure in the faith.The Apostle Paul reiterates this truth in Ephesians 4:14-16: "Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of men in their deceitful scheming. Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will in all things grow up into him who is the Head, that is, Christ. From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work."

Our next study in this series is Volume 4 - Developing Your Shape to Serve Others

The way you’re wired is no accident! God designed your unique mix of gifts, natural abilities, personality, and life experiences to play an essential part in his kingdom. These six sessions will help you develop your God-given design - whether you are at home, at work, at church, or in your community - in a way that extends God’s love to others and enriches your own life immeasurably.