Help!

Our Tuesday night Bible study is starting back up tomorrow, and I am very nervous because although many have been invited, the response has been pretty wishy-washy. We had tons of yeses, but when it gets down to it I am afraid it's just going to be myself, Heather, and Tiffany. Two leaders and one who might as well be.

I remember how hard it was to get started when I became a Christian. It knew it was the right thing to do, and that it was the only way to stop hurting all of the time. I also remember that I knew that change was coming, and I did NOT want to let go of life as I knew it, even though I knew it was impossible to keep going the way I was. Change is scary. So I understand that the girls who are thinking about getting to know God may have some reservations and some fears.

This is where you come in. Will you pray for God to work mightily, miraculously even, to bring them to a place where they will know the Creator personally? If you could pray tonight, tomorrow, that they would have a strong urge and compulsion to come to the Esther Bible study, within God's will for them to be there, I would so greatly appreciate it. Also, please pray for Heather and I to be able to lead them with integrity and that we would rely on God and not on ourselves to help these women know Christ.

Thank you. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Walking the Walk

1 Peter 4:7-11

7The end of all things is near. Therefore be clear minded and self-controlled so that you can pray. 8Above all, love each other deeply, because love covers over a multitude of sins. 9Offer hospitality to one another without grumbling. 10Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms. 11If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen

Today at church we talked about hospitality..that even when we are tired and feel like just hiding away, we are to show others the love of Christ by inviting them into our lives, and into our homes. I love my alone time, but I know that it would be a huge blessing(for me) to reach out to others purposefully and "do life" with them. Even if we're not close. God puts people into our lives for a reason. I want to be able to carry out this commandment to show hospitality.

I am thinking about just having a movie night or a game night to start. We'll be having Bible study at my place this session (so like 10 weeks), so that will definitely help me get used to having people over consistently.

Something else Josh (pastor) said was that he was convicted that he lives in an 6 apartment building, and he has never invited any of his neighbors in. I haven't had my neighbors over either and I've lived in my neighborhood for three and a half years. I guess I just don't feel like we have much in common.

We as a church have committed to pray that we would make a concentrated effort to show hospitality to both believers and unbelievers in our community. I am always a bit apprehensive when I get nudged out of my comfort zone..but it is always worth it. Always.

Let's get...

I have really been eating badly for the past few months, and it is past time that I did something about my health. Today I joined "SparkPeople", which is a free online site that helps you set fitness/weight loss goals and track your progress. They also have recipes, meal plans and exercise tools..all free! I will probably tweak some things because I am a big fan of natural, unprocessed food, so I probably won't be doing a ton of packaged Lean Cuisine type meals. All in all, I am very excited to get started. Today I went to the park and walked four big laps around the circular drive..and I even ran a little! I brought my MP3 player and listened to a sermon I had downloaded..it really kept my mind off the fact that I was exercising and made the time pass quickly. If any of you have been thinking it's time to get active and make better choices for your health, you can look at the website here, and decide if it sounds like something you would be interested in. Happy Thursday!

Apparently I was too young to remember that this video is a bit inappropriate, but in keeping with today's post:

Olivia Newton-John, everyone!

New Kid On the Block

If you have a minute, stop by and say hi to my friend Julie. She's new to blogging but I always enjoy reading something she writes! She is one of my closest friends and has encouraged me greatly in my walk with God. I love to be able to introduce her to the awesome friends I have made! Love you guys!

Be Jealous..

We have finished up our study on Romans 12 and are going out to Carrabba's tonight to have a wrap-up celebration dinner! I heart Carrabba's! I will try to save you some, but no promises!

It's My One Year Blog-A-Versary

I have enjoyed meeting each one of you and getting to know you better and know God better through your writing, which always touches my heart and sometimes makes me laugh out loud. Here's to another year of learning and laughing together as we follow our Great King! Thank you for contributing to my life in so many ways!

Meanwhile, here in Richmond..

I have the night off..I have been playing a lot of Pathwords on Facebook recently, which has been detrimental to my blogging. I miss all of the friends I have on here. It has been a whirlwind past few weeks. I have either had visitors or been out of town on the weekends, and the rest of the time I am working or hanging out friends. There hasn't been a whole ton of down time.

That said, I also haven't really felt the urge to write. Maybe now that my fast is over I will be back to normal! I gave up soda and complaining (the fast coincided with Lent) and I also committed to pray specifically for 10 people each day, being very detailed in my requests for that person's spiritual well being. I have already seen results in people coming to church and in conversations that have happened during the past forty days. I did okay on the not complaining, but by no means would I say that I was able to uphold my fast in that area. I did curb the grumbling, but it made me realize just how much I express dissatisfaction. It's not pretty.

I am thinking about getting baptized (I was baptized when I was 3 in the Catholic church), but I really want to have a deep understanding and desire to do it before I take the plunge (hee hee). What has getting baptized meant to you? I know that it has nothing to do with being saved, but rather is an outward sign of commitment and symbolic of being born again. I know that Jesus thought it was important enough to do it. SO...I need to mull it over some more.

Bible study is going well..we are doing our last session in the Romans 12 study (taught by Chip Ingram) tomorrow and then will have a dinner to celebrate the completion of (over)ten weeks of this session. It has been great, and I feel as though I have come out of it changed and more knowledgeable of what it means to live as a Christian. Next up will be a study of Esther, which I won from the Lifeway All Access Blog over Thanksgiving, when I was really pessimistic about the viability of our group. People kept backing out and I thought maybe it had been a mistake to try and lead a Bible study. Two days later I won this awesome leader kit complete with videos (and it's Beth Moore, so you know it's going to rock), and it was such an affirmation that I was supposed to persevere. I can't wait to start the Esther series, although I will miss Chip, who is also an awesomely gifted teacher.

Other than that, nothing much new here. I may or may not be a year older now. I am loving LOST, and I have been procrastinating on writing my book, but I know that it will be coming along soon!

I will leave you with this last thought..
Colossians 1:24-27
24Now I rejoice in what was suffered for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ's afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church. 25I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— 26the mystery that has been kept hidden for ages and generations, but is now disclosed to the saints. 27To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory.

This is the passage we studied at the Women's Leadership Weekend I attended with the girls from church. I had never thought of it like this, but the Holy Spirit is a deposit of our inheritance..the true proof that all that God says is true..if we are convicted in ways we weren't before..when we aren't able to sit in our sin anymore..that is the proof that Jesus is working in us. It is the "hope of glory". It is the promise that we will be glorified one day with Jesus, and we will not have to struggle anymore. For now, while we are still here in this fallen world, to know that God is residing in us may be the only thing that keeps us going. I am so glad I have that hope..and it is not hope like "I hope it doesn't rain tomorrow". This hope means we can keep going because we know that our future is secure in the hands of the one whom we have placed that hope in! Yay God!