Powerful Stuff

This is a follow-up to yesterday's posting....click on this link

"The mind ... a fire to be kindled."

We have huddletime each Sunday in The ReignForest before letting families that we serve into our environment. Yesterday I shared a devotional about two men who were walking the Road to Emmaus. (Luke 24)

In Acts 17, Paul went to Mars Hill to declare the truth of the resurrection. The listeners gathered there were not spiritual seekers but spent their days simply wanting to discuss the latest ideas. They had little interest in acting on anything they learned (v.21).

Can too much information be that dangerous? Often an overwhelming amount of ideas can blur together and leave you more confused. There is even risk that information overload rather than helping you can leave you unchanged.

Living life purely on an informational level is dangerous. The historian Plutarch warned several centuries ago of the pitfalls of living on a purely informational level.
He said, “The mind is not a vessel to be filled, but a fire to be kindled.”

As we read the story of two Christ-followers on the road to Emmaus in Luke 24, we find they are grieved at the death of their friend Jesus. Jesus joined them on the road but kept his identity hidden from them. As they walked along the road He began to instruct them on the ancient prophecies of events found throughout the Old Testament. As he prepared to journey on at the end of the day He revealed Himself to them through a blessing of the food and then left them. They realized suddenly that it had been Jesus Christ, their friend, who had been with them. The things He taught were not the latest topics of the day or facts that had no significance but were things that set a fire within them and kindled their hearts and filled them with devotion for Him.

Here's the challenge: today will you trust your hearts to be kindled through His Word...through 5 minutes of prayer time each day of the week ?
Why not start today - "Just Do It" - you'll be glad you did.

A - Adoration
C - Confession
T - Thanksgiving
S - Supplication

I Can't - God Can

I love volunteers. They make The ReignForest at NewPointe Community Church an awesome place for preschool children to come and worship on the week-end.

Today in our huddletime in The ReignForest it was good to have Jason & Katie back from last week-end to continue to share their story with us. Last year Jason was suffering from headaches and had to have some tests to find out what was going on. Not long after the tests they phoned him and said he'd have to come in for surgery...he had a brain tumor the size of a baseball.

He shared how he had not given his life to God at that point. When it came time to go into surgery he knew that it was serious and he decided to surrender everything to God to help him through this. After surgery he was told it was cancerous and there's still a small part of it left.

He shared how he hasn't worried about anything since his time of surrender, how he's hoping that he will be a light to his family so that they can see God working through his life.

A lovely slender woman stands by his side, his wife Katie and she says she knows that she could lose her husband but she's trusting God.

This past week J was in the hospital for several days with pneumonia. He wanted to be here for the week-end to share his story. I called him while he was in the hospital and he said he was taking the time to rest and look for opportunities where he could share his story of trusting God.

They are young...less than 30 years old. But they get it !

They can't handle life on their own but they are calling on a God who can.

This is just one of many recent stories being shared by volunteers in The ReignForest. It's a safe place to serve, a safe place to stretch your faith and a safe place to share your story of life change as a volunteer in our environment.

I openly share that I can't lead these volunteers, but God can.

So.. I surrender it to Him.

Thanks volunteers for challenging me in my journey into a deeper and even more transparent relationship with Jesus Christ.

New Friends

Great weather this week-end. We had a bonus too. We had new friends from southern Ohio come for a visit.

We met Tony & Sarajane about six weeks ago while moving some shelves into NewPointe. They were visiting Amish country and stopped by to why the silo had a KidStuf sign on it. I quickly gave them a tour and talked with them for an hour. I found out that they were attendees to GrowUp. They were probably at GrowUp when Len and I were there. They also are intimately involved in KidStuf at their home church. We decided we'd keep in touch by email. During the last six weeks that we've been in touch we invited them to stay with us and visit the church.

We absolutely love the Frocks. They blessed us so much this past week-end. They have so much enthusiasm for ministry and their transparency and love for the Lord is awesome.

How about this..the girls ages 9 and 13 jump in and want to help out in The ReignForest. They helped out during the first service in North Canopy, our large group teaching time. They loved it.

Did I mention that I met the girls for the first time yesterday. They were so excited to learn the songs and signing last night. It's really cool to see these girls exhibiting excitement about serving just like their parents.

God is good at bringing families together...He's good all the time!

Part 2 The reality of pouring into my cup

Are there times when you just can't believe what has happened to you? Well that's what it's been like for me this entire week.

One of those moments on Thursday, this new friend, Leeann and I are talking and even though we had known each other for only a couple of hours, it felt like she'd been my friend for life. It was during a pretty intense part of sharing some life stories that I realized that this person was pouring into me. I not only wanted her but expressed to her that I needed her in my life. Because at that moment she was giving me something like a very personal message from God. At first, I was stunned but then it was clear to me. This woman is a "prayer prophet". I told her that and she asked me "What's that? What do you mean." I answered her something like I honestly don't know other than that was the term that I heard in my head.

The message she was delivering wasn't something new that I was hearing for the first time but it sure felt like it. There I sat listening and drinking in every word she was saying. At one point I just broke down and cried. I think I was in awe of the Spirit of God moving in the room between the two of us.

Here's the reality of those moments when God is pouring into your life (your cup) from someone else. You need to take responsibility and listen to what they are saying. Ponder it, research it, look it up or talk about it with someone else..say like with God.

Bottom line here's what she shared: "take the following verse literally, do it, don't miss it any day, make it the biggest priority of your life."
Matthew 6:6 (NIV)
6But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.

You see I want a deeper life of intimacy with God, one that rocks my world. So someday when I stand before Him and give an account of my life I will hear Him say "Well done thy good and faithful servant." (Matthew 25:21)

Reflection of God that is worth the wait

Theresa Clay and Gwen Hamsher, volunteers overseeing parts of The ReignForest, shared recently in our Sunday morning huddles. What they shared, provided me with food for reflection. Today I pondered my journey of waiting on God as I searched scripture verses on the topic.

Learn to wait; you show God your seeking Him.
Psalm 38:15 I wait for you, O LORD; you will answer, O Lord my God.

God waited.
1 Peter 3:20 who disobeyed long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built. In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water,

An action follows a wait.
Isaiah 64:4 Since ancient times no one has heard, no ear has perceived, no eye has seen any God besides you, who acts on behalf of those who wait for him.

Here's a promise of His double action, rising and blessing.
Isaiah 30:18 Yet the LORD longs to be gracious to you; he rises to show you compassion. For the LORD is a God of justice. Blessed are all who wait for him!

Sometimes it takes “waiting” to understand the plan, to perfect the plan in you or for your acceptance of His plan. You’ll never finish learning about how big HE is, so get ready, get set, wait for Him.. ..it’ll be worth it.
God is worth the wait.

Stirring Love

My dear friends from Egypt wrote me recently sharing their joy of this past week-end. Palm Sunday is the day we remember Jesus' "triumphal entry" into Jerusalem, exactly one week before His resurrection (Matthew 21:1-11). Below, I insert a portion of that letter from my friends, who inspire me with a stirring letter of celebration of love for Christ, for me, my family and the recent Egypt team. I look forward to the day we will be joined together in heaven to have an eternal celebration time. Are you stirred by HIS love for you today?

..."we missed you today we were at the church the morning meeting the Lord
blessed us we remembered the crowds that went ahead of him shouting
Hosanna to the son of David blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord
Hosanna in the highest then the whole city was stirred and asked Who is this?
He came for our sins to crucify to forgive us to give us the everlasing life and to
gather us together with Him for ever and one of His coming results we knew you
as our dearest sister in Him"

dear Faye we love you as Jesus loved us do you feel that? we feel that deeply
our greetings to you and your family and we send our greetings through you
to all our brothers and sisters of our lovely team each one by his name
God bless you till we meet again Ramzy&Esther love for ever

Yes, I do feel your love. Thank you for your love and encouragement Ramzy & Ester.

Turn your cup over.

I really enjoy our Family Life Staff meetings. (There was a time they were alright but somewhat frustrating because they felt superficial.) Now I look forward to hearing what Kevin, Director of Family Life at NewPointe, has to share with our team. The man cares about his relationship with Christ and takes it to heart what his role as a leader means. So much so that he spends a lot of time reading (A LOT) so that he has something to pour into us. He reminds us that "you can't give what you don't have". So that means I do more reading than I've ever done before in my life. I take it to heart that I need to seek God and strive to have a growing intimate relationship with Him. You see, it's not my husband's responsibility to grow me spiritually, or Kevin's, it's not Dwight's (our Lead Pastor at NewPointe) to be responsible for my spiritual development although they may be participants in it. Bottom line, it's my responsibility to develop an intimate relationship with God. The cup needs to be up and ready during reading of His Word, prayer time, at Family Life meetings, listening to Dwight speak, reading books, listening to a volunteer's story, through a conversation with a staff member or perhaps even with someone I meet at Wal-Mart. This is something I need to work on ...making sure my cup is turned over, ready to receive what God may be wanting to pour into me from someone else.

Part 2 Invest & Invite

The following is part 2 of the Wal-Mart story from Tammy Loos and her little daughter, Cassidy.

A quick trip to Walmart-haha! I was wheeling my buggie out of the door of Walmart and Cassidy was singing “Jesus Loves Me” again. I hear a woman calling “Hey lady! Hey lady!” My first thought was, Oh, no! I forgot to check Cassidy’s seat and under her blanket—I am accidentally stealing something! The woman rushes up to me saying she recognized Cassidy. I didn’t recognize the woman. She starts talking-very fast and excited. Her eyes are bright and happy, there was a real smile on her face; but this is the woman who was crying last time I was here. She spills her life to me again-she has a full time job with benefits & can now see a baby doctor, her neighbors have bought a new car & they gave her their old one, she went to NewPointe last week (with those same neighbors) and stayed for both services, she thinks there just might be something to this “Christian-thing” & she can’t wait until next Sunday and she can’t wait for her baby to be born.. so her baby can go to the ReignForest! By the time she was done talking, she was out of breath. Cassidy puts her little hands together and says “I pray”. The woman and I clasp our hands and before I could start a short prayer, Cassidy prays. I make out the words joy and thank you before she says a heartfelt “Amen!”. Cassidy then holds out her arms and tells the woman “Hug and kiss please!”. She asked me if it is ok and I nod my head yes, not able to say anything. We wave bye-bye and that was it. I still don’t know the woman’s name or who her neighbors are, but I guess that isn’t what is important!

What a great story of God's love coming through a little 2 year-old and her mother.

Volunteers - serving with the "end" in mind

In The ReignForest we want preschoolers to learn three things by the age of five:
God Made Me
God Loves Me
Jesus wants to be my friend forever
We teach with the "end in mind" knowing that we have these children for a very short time and we need to make the most of the time.



We wear shirts that read "We Speak Family" on the front and "We're on the clock" on the back. Of the 8,760 hours in a year, we may have an opportunity to be with your child for approximately 40 hours. In order to accomplish the task of getting children to learn the three things we partner with parents by providing a Small Talk card each week so that they can discuss with their children what they are learning in The ReignForest. At the beginning of the month they also get a memory verse magnet which allows them to practice the verse we are learning.
Volunteers are key to making things happen in The ReignForest each week. They are as special as the preschoolers that they work with. They are people like me and you, followers of Jesus Christ who are willing to put their hands to the activities that engage children, they are willing to make a commitment to serve and care for children so moms, dads and grandparents can attend a service where they can hear a lifechanging message. They will have an opportunity to decide if they want to become followers of Jesus Christ. Consider this, could serving be the most important work of your week, your year ...even of your lifetime?

Think of it - serving is a choice, is it really possible to make an eternal impact ?

You choose.

"..But as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 24:15

Serving families, serving one another, serving Christ.

Invest & Invite-so easy a 2 year old can do it

This story was shared by Group Coordinator, Tammy Loos, this past Sunday as she led the huddle in The ReignForest. Thanks Tammy for your sensitivity to your surroundings and the Holy Spirit's leading. Thanks for your leadership in The ReignForest, for being an awesome mother, and living the example of a follower of Christ.

My daughter, Cassidy, was singing “Jesus Loves Me” while we were at Walmart. Two employees walked by, one woman was crying. The crying woman started to follow us down an aisle. Cassidy was still singing. The woman came up to Cassidy and asked “What makes you so happy?” Cassidy smiles really big and opens her arms and says loud and clear “Jesus!!” The woman fell to the floor. I am really scared now. The woman opens her heart and tells me: her husband left her because he doesn’t want kids and she is 4 months pregnant, he took all of their money & car, canceled her insurance, she is alone and doesn’t feel good & she wanted a better life for her baby than she had. I was at a loss for words so I just told her that she is not alone & that Jesus loves her and that we attend NewPointe Community Church where everyone is welcome and loved. She asked what I did with my baby while I was in church. I told her that we had a wonderful program for all ages of children & that Cassidy went to her room in The ReignForest and she loves it. Cassidy starts singing “Jesus Loves Me” again. The woman said she didn’t grow up in church so she didn’t think she would fit in. I told her that I didn’t grow up in church either. NewPointe was for everyone, wherever they were in their life journey. We care about a relationship with God, not what people know or don’t know or how they dress. The woman said she might try...I told her that we would pray for her. Cassidy heard the word pray and put her little hands together and said “I pray!”. I held the woman’s hand and said a simple and short prayer as if Cassidy was praying. When I was done Cassidy says a heartfelt “Amen!” The woman thanked me, told me she felt better and that she just might go to church with her neighbors she knew they go to NewPointe Communty Church.

Last week when Faye had asked me to lead huddle time I said yes & that I had a wonderful short devotion about God’s Joy. Throughout the week I prayed about what I would say and felt that I was prepared. Sunday morning, it seemed like everything was against me getting to church and I left later than I wanted. A mile down the road I realized that I forgot my name tag. I turned around & went back home, frustrated at yet another obstacle! I grabbed my name tag and underneath it was an email with a story that I had printed out earlier. I grabbed that also, not knowing why. All the way to church, I couldn’t get that email story out of my mind. As we walked into church, I saw the crying woman from Walmart entering with an older couple. I knew I was supposed to tell the story on my email and Cassidy’s story. I didn’t have a clue what I was going to say. I just knew that I wanted everyone to know the power our small children have and the influence that we have on them in the ReignForest.


The Wooden Bowl

A frail old man went to live with his son and daughter-in-law, and four-year-old grandson. The old man’s hands trembled, his step faltered, his eyesight was blurred.

The family ate together at the table. But the elderly man’s shaky hands and bad eyesight made eating difficult. Peas rolled off his spoon, he spilled his milk. The son and daughter-in-law became very irritated with the mess. “We must do something with Grandfather!”, said the son. “I’ve had enough of spilled food and noisy eating!” So the son and daughter-in –law set a small table in the corner. There, Grandfather ate alone while the rest of the family enjoyed dinner.

Since Grandfather had broken a dish or two, his son gave him his food in a wooden bowl. When the family glanced in Grandfather’s direction, sometimes he had a tear in his eye as he sat all alone. The only words the couple had for him were sharp and unloving. The four-year-old watched in silence.

One evening, the father noticed the four-year-old playing with some scraps of wood. He asked the child “What are you making?” Sweetly, the small boy responded, “Oh, I am making a little bowl for you and Mama to eat your food in when I grow up.” The child smiled and went back to his work.

The words so struck the parents that they were speechless. The tears started to stream down their cheeks. Though n word was spoken, both knew what must be done. That evening, the husband took Grandfather’s hand and gently led him back to the family table.

For the remainder of his days, he ate every meal with his family. And for some reason, the son and daughter-in-law didn’t seem to care any longer when a fork was dropped or the milk spilled.

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 !

Awesome volunteers and New Friends

Today was an awesome day of getting some things moved from our church's previous location to NPCC. While Len and I were at our previous building I realized he would need some help to get the truck loaded so I called Butch & Loretta Harding, who live in the village and they said "Sure, we'll be able to come in about 15 minutes." What a blessing they were. They were so awesome during the major move too. They tried to always be available offering their pickup truck, diligently working, helping out where they were needed. This couple also serve in the Monkeys classroom, our 30-36 month old room, they just do a fantastic job there too. God Bless them, they made our day with their gift of helpfulness.

While unloading at NPCC, a couple walked in the door, saying "Is this Northpoint? Are we in Atlanta?" I knew they were joking because we get a few of those type of comments...ok maybe more than a few. After a few minutes of chatting we found out that they were from outside of Marietta, Oh and celebrating their anniversary here in Amish country. Something they do every year. When they saw the silo and the KidStuf sign on it they just had to drive up and see what was going on. You see they knew what that silo always used to say...yeah they knew the bear was gone...what's up. You see, they run a KidStuf at their home church and were they ever excited to see another church doing this too. What a great couple this was. They were excited about our environments and knew all the lingo of The Seven Practices, they had been to GrowUP, their leadership team went to Drive....yeah Kevin - they drank the koolaid. I just want to say "what a blessing"...Tony and Sarajane were. They made working on a Saturday worth it all with the fresh water they poured into my life. Their reflection of Christ's love in them was evident and passionate. I enjoyed sharing the alignment we have at NewPointe Community Church. It really gets exciting to have people visit and they "get" what's going on, where you're going and they start cheering you on and asking questions about how did you get here, how long did it take, when did you start planning...you know the inquisitive questions. Kevin's asked these questions for years..right Kev?

I love this church. The really really cool thing- what really grabs my heart, is how GOD uses people to make your day. You see, I really needed that double dose of encouragement today...because life can be difficult at times and being the messy person that I am...well I just plain mess up and I need God to redirect my attention.

Amazing...answered prayer

There are times I wonder how will all the things that need to be done by the week-end get done? There have been times I can barely pray about the needs before me, so I end up groaning prayers in my spirit. It's times like these that I'm glad the Holy Spirit makes intercession for me. The many little details to make The ReignForest (TRF) function properly on the week-end often goes unnoticed by many. But to make it a place where preschoolers can really connect with their Small Group Leaders and Coaches is hot on my list of success. It's not just that I want to win with the children but I want to win with families. It's also important to me that volunteers feel that what they are doing each week is significant in the lives of the families they serve. But that's not all, my newest "buzz" is all of the 5th & 6th graders getting involved in the North Canopy (theatre) and the teens that will soon begin playing live music there for the little ones. What is going on in TRF? Well, something is taking place...it's really cool, I think God is walking through our halls, checking in on the rooms, liking what He sees and He's finding He is being worshipped by preschoolers in a very genuine and enthusiastic way. This is way cool-it's the way in which innocent children do. I'm liking this worship time too. It's contagious, infectious an "I-wanna-be-like-them" purest worship time. I sometimes wonder how God's going to use these preschoolers... who are way cool future dudes and dudettes.
Well, all of this to finally say this, that today was a day of answered prayer with volunteers providing future support for many of the things that are needing to get done in TRF. I am so blessed with wonderful people who will come in through the week to help make a difference in our environment.
It's somewhat like the "chicken and the egg" question; "Which came first?". What made the change first - the preschoolers or the volunteers ? Ask some of the volunteers that serve in TRF, they will tell you that they receive more from the kids than they give. Funny thing, I've been saying that for five or six years now--who's counting. The week-end people who serve are awesome too. God's good...real good.

Friday's

Friday's are my days to be off from work, or at least I try to be. Recently I started helping get Josh & Paige off to school and watch Tori. What a hoot they are, from the time I get to their house, my grandson is trying to get ready for school - without getting distracted from reading a book or picking up his GameBoy. Then there's Paige who doesn't want to get out of bed and you have to practically drag her out so she has time to get dressed, get breakfast, get her hair done, her teeth brushed before going out the door with "Opa" who comes to take her to preschool. However, it's Tori, who's takes the prize. What a livewire she is. Today while trying to finish up some setups on my Blog I got her occupied with magazines, toys, shoes (a favorite of hers) and all of this didn't work as she found it funnier to shut my computer down three times before I could stop her. The room is a disaster with "fun" but finally, it was just time to hold her on my lap and let her have center attraction. She repaid me for this with love sound "farts" on my cheek. Wow, was that ever fun. Remember what I said about bellylaughs ...great moments on the beach today.

Bono on my mind

Since I've been blogging I've been checking out a lot of other sites and doing a lot of reading while online. When checking out different blogs I start site jumping and suddenly I find I'm in a zone that strikes the passion of my heart....children...in Africa and around the world. Starting with Pastors.com I journeyed to many devotional sites, booksites, speaker sites but there was a thread that kept bringing me back to something that has been popping up for over a week. It was Bono of U2 and his work in Africa...yes, it's not new news...it's old news, he's been doing it for awhile now. However, there's something God wants me to consider and I think I may be getting closer to it. In an article from NBC news in 2006 by Brian Williams he wrote, 'This continent has become Bono's calling. It is an enormous task. He has put together an army of allies. From President Bush to the author of the "Purpose-Driven Life," evangelical pastor Rick Warren, who happily teamed up with the Irish rock star in working toward the same goal.
"He's the real deal," Warren says. "He knows what he's talking about. Bono understands what I call 'the stewardship of affluence and influence,' in that God does not give us either money or fame for our own ego. But we're to use it. It's a stewardship. And I love the way that he's leveraging the fame that he has — for good."

In my mind I'm being pulled back to the class I took in 2006 "Perspectives on the World Christian Movement" and perhaps it's a strange chord linking Bono's work with RED , One, DATA, and how it may impact kingdom work. Could it be that the 10/40 window may possibly close quicker since "felt needs" are being addressed on a large scale of influence.
Prime property to watch in the world - the 10/40. Get involved, start by praying, then by giving, then by going. You'll experience God-size life change.

other stops in the journey: The Independent, buylesscrap

Compelled to share...

Over the past six months I've come to learn something about myself. If I find something or read something really good that motivates me or inspires me - I just have to share it. It just can't sit still within me. Hmm, here's a thought I think children are often like that too. They just have to show you the latest bug or the latest toy or take your hand and lead you to look at something they've just discovered.
Well here's the devotional I want to share with you. John Fischer knocks it out of the park on this one.
"The power of a changed life"
http://www.purposedrivenlife.com/devarchive.aspx?ARCHIVEID=1171

Ever hear the saying "that sometimes to go forward you have to go backwards". I hope you remember your first encounter with God and saw it as a time He knocked your socks off with life changing power. For some of us it's time to revisit that encounter and renew your childlike faith to see Him again like it's the first time...after all there's work to do and you need your eyes wide open.

Missions

This team went to Egypt from January 25th - February 5th to do VBS and Sunday School Teacher Training. We did 16 services in 7 days. What an outstanding team! We learned to be flexible in all situations and to trust God to bring about things that didn't line up with our agenda.

At one point when I asked one of the team members to do something she just mentioned "whatever" using her hands to make a "w". This was her communication style to say "sure, I'll do whatever needs done". There's times I don't willingly signal God with a "w" with my heart or hands. I can be slow to respond, resistant to change and to busy to hear His voice. I'm finding if I'm flexible when God speaks He will show up in an amazing way. Well that was the case in Egypt. He showed up in a big way because of the willingness of each team member to be used! No one on this team came back the same. How can you remain the same when you have such a manifestation and an unforgettable encounter with "the Spirit of the living God".

We were humbled by the gentleness of the people we met, their earnestness in prayer and their faith in the midst of making a living in dire conditions. I think the most humbling was their request for us to pray for them after we had just watched them pray so fervently and passionately. It made us look at our prayer life and question if it was where it needed to be.

Birth

Do you remember when you were born? I don't. I think it would be a painful moment though and perhaps that's why we don't remember it. I never thought of this before but perhaps that's where claustrophobia begins or sensitivity to light for some people. (ha ha) I just think that for some reason God allows us not to remember that we resisted to come out and feel depressed to have left the comfort of Creator's hand. Could you see it if we did remember, there might be a rebellion of births. Mothers saying "come out" of there and a mumble from inside saying "NO WAY". Perhaps there are mothers out there that are going through this right now. (Hmm..a little resistance going on?) We can find out something about that time in Psalm 139. Although I've read this many times, it's the new light I read it in that brings me these new ponderings.
We find that God makes it clear of His involvement with us before we're born.
13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. 14 I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. 15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, 16 your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. New International Version (NIV)
Wow, God's view of me goes back pretty far. This is where I want to begin my blog just searching how He knew me since my creation. Welcome to an exploration from within...and a journey of being created and molded in His likeness.