Tearing it down so it can be rebuilt

Presently I'm doing a couple of book studies with two different groups of people with the book by Nancy Leigh DeMoss, Brokenness, Surrender, Holiness. We are just getting into chapters 3 & 4 dealing with pride. Dwight spoke on this part of the book on Monday at our SWAT (staff) meeting. He had given each of the staff this book as a gift at Christmas.

Today in a meeting with Lorrie, one of my apprentices in The ReignForest, she made a very good analogy. She talked about how swimmers have to get in shape for competition. For weeks before the competition they workout breaking down their muscle groups so that they can build them back up so they will be stronger.

When I look at it in the same way as an athlete does at building muscles it sure makes sense.

I don't like discovering pride in my life. I need the Holy Spirit to convict me of those pride issues so that God will draw near to me.

This process is difficult - change is difficult...but I can't continue the same way I am for where God wants me to go.

Children's Letters to God

Last night our Small Group Leader's called and asked us if we wanted to go to North Canton on Saturday night to a dinner theatre of "Children's Letters to God". What a great time we had together. This place at first appearance was "quite" small. It's the kind of place you go "uh-oh" what did we get ourselves into.

We went in and were maybe like the 3rd table of people there but they came right away and took our drink orders providing water, coffee, soft drinks, tea, any of it or all of it right away. Then they brought to us these amazing salads that at most places would be enough to fill you up. Then came the main course, Hawaiian Chicken, Beef dish or stuffed porkchops with rice double vegetables. It was an amazing meal. The service was fantastic and we felt pampered all night.

The kids that performed in this small theatre had amazing talent and their parts were very long...very very impressive. These kids could be on American Idol some day. They were anywhere from K-6th grade.

During intermission the table servers brought out dessert, all you wanted...so if you wanted pumpkin pie, pecan, cherry, apple, peanut butter pie, cheesecakes etc. you could have however many you wanted !! Really it was incredible.

Due to the lifestyle contest I'm in (counting down 2 weeks left) I was considered myself very good and only picked at my peanut butter pie which I really really wanted to eat the whole thing. It wasn't a big slice but more than I could afford to spend in fat grams.

All in all I definitely plan on going back to The Harmony Players sometime soon.

Cat & Dog Theology

Tonight the Small Group I attend began a study on Cat & Dog Theology. I'm familiar with this study because it was part of a presentation included in the Christian Perspectives class I took last year. Brief summary from the 1st lesson is this: Most Christians live like cats thinking their relationship with God is all about them. However if you live like a dog would live, you'd always be acknowledging that life is truly all about God and His receiving the glory.

It's amazing how different I look at things now just because of that Christian Perspectives class. I'm definitely mission minded. Tonight I remembered that even though mission mindedness is a good thing...the most important thing to maintain is: "Is God getting the glory?". Whatever is going on, my eyes should be looking for the how that God is going to be glorified. It's really about HIM, it's not about you or me.

This is going to be an awesome study with Dave, Carol, Penney, Jerry and Len. Stop back and check out the summary for lesson 2.

Miracles still happen

Last night I had a hair appointment and I listened to my beautician tell her story about God performing a miracle in her marriage. I knew that they had been really struggling over the past year. They had seen a couple of marriage counselors, a couple of lawyers and things just were not getting better. Finally late last year she had had enough. He was not willing to admit to his drinking problem and she was exhausted from the constant denial and all the problems that come with that. She was attending our Saturday night services before our move and after the move she made the commitment to be there on Sunday mornings because she was getting something out of the services that she needed to hear. They were living in the same house but as far as she was concerned the relationship was over. She had been talking to me about getting in a Small Group, if you don't know what that is about I invite you to check it out, at our church we believe life change happens in Small Groups. Before I went to Egypt I had encouraged her to checkout the GroupLink that was taking place at the end of January. Well she did and got involved with a women's small group. I remember when I came back from Egypt and went for my hair appointment in February that she had said her husband was looking really bad, his skin color wasn't good and she felt that something was wrong. Well, it turns out that he was sick and he had to have gall bladder surgery. After the surgery he decided to start attending church with her on Sunday mornings. He wanted to do the things she was doing. So the family attends his church on Saturday night and then they come to NPCC on Sunday morning. I've been seeing them come and occasionally I would get to talk to her at church. Things were looking better but she was just waiting to see what he was doing. She was so happy last night there was a glow on her face and as she talked about her Small Group and how great it was in helping her examine herself and know herself better, I knew what really was happening. She was learning about who she is in Christ. When you start living with the true identity that Christ has for you, your going to have a better life view. Well, her husband is seeing this change in her and now he wants to do what she's doing and be with her and he's really committed to giving up his drinking. He also is interested in going to the next GroupLink, which is Saturday, March 24th. She is elated to say the least. What an awesome miracle they are living. Her story reminded me of my marriage which experienced a miracle 6 years ago. God's still at work wanting to restore marriages and perform miracles. The restoration process starts somewhere first...perhaps it's in your heart first? My marriage restoration is a story I'll share another day. Yeah God...You are GREAT !