Alicia's family has set up a Caring Bridge site to serve with updates, provide a place to share messages, etc. They have been overwhelmed (in a good way) with all the messages and requests for updates, but it is still overwhelming and the Caring Bridge site will help in keeping things all in one place.
You can visit the site or sign up and receive email updates when an update has been posted. The site works much like a blog with some extra features.
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/aliciahess
I've also placed a link over on the Blog Roll list for my regular visitors.
Showing posts with label CCL. Show all posts
Showing posts with label CCL. Show all posts
12.02.2010
10.18.2010
Sunday Night at the Hess'
"Look! We found a new toy for Sara!"
B. Hess
(It wasn't the exact same toy, but very similar.
I had some fun with Luke's toys at his 1 year old birthday party.)
"Yeah, I have a 6th child." B. Hess
"At least I go home when it's time to go to bed." -Me
8.26.2009
Previous Encounter with Ware
This Saturday, my church will be hosting One Single Day with guest speaker Dr. Bruce Ware. As part of the event planning team, I heard about Bruce Ware, but his name didn't stick to mind. Many asked me if I had heard him speak and I would honestly reply I hadn't. Well, just today as I was googling his name and checking out his books on Amazon.com, a quote from his "Big Truths, Little Hearts" book stood out and it triggered my memory from a message I listened to in 2006. I remembered the message because I emailed the ladies in my caregroup about the message and the much-needed specific encouragement it gave to me in that specific season.
Below is that email in entirety. I'm a little embarrassed that I didn't remember I had heard Dr. Bruce Ware, but I think he (based on the humility I've heard others speak about him) and others would be more than happy that I am remembering the content more than the speaker. I am so looking forward to hearing from Dr. Bruce Ware and putting the face to the name.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello ladies!
I wanted to pass along an encouragement to you all. Last Sunday when we were snowed in, I had the opportunity to listen to a message from Bruce Ware titled, "Can I Trust God?" from the New Attitude website. This is the first time, in my memory, that I heard Ware speak and I was blessed by this message. He gave this message at one of the monthly singles meetings held at Covenant Life Church. You can access this message at http://www.covlife.org/ourlife/singles_feature_pastseries.php then click on the series entitled "God" and click on the 04/08/2005 link. You can listen to it or dowload it as an mp3.
Just a pause, I am so grateful for the internet and technology to place messages like these so that they are available to everyone for FREE. You can't beat free. Some things I took away from the message to maybe whet your appetite! It is a meaty message, but I encourage you to jump right in with pen and paper! His overall message was describing faith (trust) in God as a 3 legged stool. Each leg represents an attribute, a truth about God's unchanging and unique character - his power, his wisdom, and his love. He describes each truth and describes ultimately that they all work together in what he sums up as faith. He gives this definition of faith, "Faith is trusting God's power to accomplish what his wisdom in his love has designed and planned." I appreciate how Bruce Ware described what life could be like if 3 these attributes did not work together. For example, if God was all powerful, but did not have wisdom or love, God would not give us perfect gifts nor have the motivation to give us those perfect gifts. If God was all wisdom, but did not have love or power, he would have the perfect gifts to give us, but would not be able to bring those perfect gifts about nor have the motivation to give us those perfect gifts. And lastly, if God was not love, but all wisdom and power, well I hope you get the idea from the previous scenarios, but if God had not initiated, in his great love toward us, to send His Son to die for our sins, we would be eternally hopeless because we deserved the just punishment for our sins.
I know that was a brainful, and I had to pause and go back in the recording to hear it again to let it sink in, but I found it revealed a narrowed, and I think unbelieving, tendency I have when I interact with God. Sometimes I can look at one aspect of the stool and ultimately I lean heavily on that leg. I remember as a child, I would try to balance my chair on one or two legs and not place the chair on all legs. I remember my mother and father correcting me to sit on my chair with all its' legs on the floor because that was how the chair was made. A four legged chair wasn't meant to be balanced on 2 legs. The designer and creator of that chair meant that chair to have 4 legs and I am rebelling against how that chair was designed when I balance it on 2 legs. And yes, if you're wondering, I would often fall from my chair and cause disruption at the dinner table. :-) In relating to God, I can tend to just look at one aspect of the stool and think that he's a tyrant, or that he's stoic or if he's loving, does he know the best for me and will he give the best to me? I tend to look at God like this, one dimensionally, especially when I am doubting him and I am focused on myself or the situations in my life. So I am grateful that this unbelief tendency was revealed and that I want to remember this definition of faith and that I need to keep all legs on the ground, whether it be a chair or the 3 legged stool of faith. One last point from the message that was really a kindness from God to my heart.
At the end of the message, Ware addresses the singles and the belief that God is withholding the joy that marriage can bring. He states, "God doesn't withhold the joy of marriage, but he withholds the temporal joy of the shadow of marriage that is male/female union, but that he grants them (singles) the reality of the marriage that is Christ and the church" that is the gospel. For about almost a year, I had the feeling that I was missing out on some aspect of the gospel because I would hear messages about how marriage is a picture of the gospel and well, if I'm single, does that mean I am only portraying 1/2 of the gospel and am I missing out on the gospel because I wasn't married? I continued to pursue in reading and listening to messages on the gospel, but when it came to the example of marriage is a picture of the gospel, I would often leave feeling discouraged, primarily because I didn't have correct thinking. Ware's statement above like turned on the lights for me to see that single or married, all of us that God has saved will be able to experience the joy and see the reality of the true marriage that is Christ and the church in this life and the life to come through involvement in a local gospel centered church and in heaven when Christ and his bride are united for eternity. And, we won't ever be robbed of this joy according to John 16:19-22..where Jesus is speaking to his disciples of when he leaves, "for you will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy....but I will see you again and you will rejoice and no one will take away your joy." (paraphrased). And lastly, all the riches of the gospel are ours through Christ Jesus and not through a spouse or lack of one. When I was typing this, it humbles me that God would be kind to reveal this to me. I think also, another one of his kindnesses with him sharing this to me and a kindness I want to pass along to you as well is that as He reveals and corrects my thinking about marriage and singleness, I can't presume or jump to conclusions that what he says is indicative of whether he will or will not bless me with the gift of marriage. I think presuming or jumping to conclusions is a sign of unbelief and I need to be humble to receive the message God is delivering and that the reason for his message is to always to point to Himself. I want to encourage you ladies that if you listen to the message by Ware, don't go away with the question "well, does that mean I will get ______ or not?" (you fill in the blank) but go away with the question "do I trust in God's power, his wisdom and his love and how they work together?"
~Sara
Below is that email in entirety. I'm a little embarrassed that I didn't remember I had heard Dr. Bruce Ware, but I think he (based on the humility I've heard others speak about him) and others would be more than happy that I am remembering the content more than the speaker. I am so looking forward to hearing from Dr. Bruce Ware and putting the face to the name.
------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello ladies!
I wanted to pass along an encouragement to you all. Last Sunday when we were snowed in, I had the opportunity to listen to a message from Bruce Ware titled, "Can I Trust God?" from the New Attitude website. This is the first time, in my memory, that I heard Ware speak and I was blessed by this message. He gave this message at one of the monthly singles meetings held at Covenant Life Church. You can access this message at http://www.covlife.org/ourlife/singles_feature_pastseries.php then click on the series entitled "God" and click on the 04/08/2005 link. You can listen to it or dowload it as an mp3.
Just a pause, I am so grateful for the internet and technology to place messages like these so that they are available to everyone for FREE. You can't beat free. Some things I took away from the message to maybe whet your appetite! It is a meaty message, but I encourage you to jump right in with pen and paper! His overall message was describing faith (trust) in God as a 3 legged stool. Each leg represents an attribute, a truth about God's unchanging and unique character - his power, his wisdom, and his love. He describes each truth and describes ultimately that they all work together in what he sums up as faith. He gives this definition of faith, "Faith is trusting God's power to accomplish what his wisdom in his love has designed and planned." I appreciate how Bruce Ware described what life could be like if 3 these attributes did not work together. For example, if God was all powerful, but did not have wisdom or love, God would not give us perfect gifts nor have the motivation to give us those perfect gifts. If God was all wisdom, but did not have love or power, he would have the perfect gifts to give us, but would not be able to bring those perfect gifts about nor have the motivation to give us those perfect gifts. And lastly, if God was not love, but all wisdom and power, well I hope you get the idea from the previous scenarios, but if God had not initiated, in his great love toward us, to send His Son to die for our sins, we would be eternally hopeless because we deserved the just punishment for our sins.
I know that was a brainful, and I had to pause and go back in the recording to hear it again to let it sink in, but I found it revealed a narrowed, and I think unbelieving, tendency I have when I interact with God. Sometimes I can look at one aspect of the stool and ultimately I lean heavily on that leg. I remember as a child, I would try to balance my chair on one or two legs and not place the chair on all legs. I remember my mother and father correcting me to sit on my chair with all its' legs on the floor because that was how the chair was made. A four legged chair wasn't meant to be balanced on 2 legs. The designer and creator of that chair meant that chair to have 4 legs and I am rebelling against how that chair was designed when I balance it on 2 legs. And yes, if you're wondering, I would often fall from my chair and cause disruption at the dinner table. :-) In relating to God, I can tend to just look at one aspect of the stool and think that he's a tyrant, or that he's stoic or if he's loving, does he know the best for me and will he give the best to me? I tend to look at God like this, one dimensionally, especially when I am doubting him and I am focused on myself or the situations in my life. So I am grateful that this unbelief tendency was revealed and that I want to remember this definition of faith and that I need to keep all legs on the ground, whether it be a chair or the 3 legged stool of faith. One last point from the message that was really a kindness from God to my heart.
At the end of the message, Ware addresses the singles and the belief that God is withholding the joy that marriage can bring. He states, "God doesn't withhold the joy of marriage, but he withholds the temporal joy of the shadow of marriage that is male/female union, but that he grants them (singles) the reality of the marriage that is Christ and the church" that is the gospel. For about almost a year, I had the feeling that I was missing out on some aspect of the gospel because I would hear messages about how marriage is a picture of the gospel and well, if I'm single, does that mean I am only portraying 1/2 of the gospel and am I missing out on the gospel because I wasn't married? I continued to pursue in reading and listening to messages on the gospel, but when it came to the example of marriage is a picture of the gospel, I would often leave feeling discouraged, primarily because I didn't have correct thinking. Ware's statement above like turned on the lights for me to see that single or married, all of us that God has saved will be able to experience the joy and see the reality of the true marriage that is Christ and the church in this life and the life to come through involvement in a local gospel centered church and in heaven when Christ and his bride are united for eternity. And, we won't ever be robbed of this joy according to John 16:19-22..where Jesus is speaking to his disciples of when he leaves, "for you will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy....but I will see you again and you will rejoice and no one will take away your joy." (paraphrased). And lastly, all the riches of the gospel are ours through Christ Jesus and not through a spouse or lack of one. When I was typing this, it humbles me that God would be kind to reveal this to me. I think also, another one of his kindnesses with him sharing this to me and a kindness I want to pass along to you as well is that as He reveals and corrects my thinking about marriage and singleness, I can't presume or jump to conclusions that what he says is indicative of whether he will or will not bless me with the gift of marriage. I think presuming or jumping to conclusions is a sign of unbelief and I need to be humble to receive the message God is delivering and that the reason for his message is to always to point to Himself. I want to encourage you ladies that if you listen to the message by Ware, don't go away with the question "well, does that mean I will get ______ or not?" (you fill in the blank) but go away with the question "do I trust in God's power, his wisdom and his love and how they work together?"
~Sara
8.21.2009
::pray::
Please pray for the Murphy's.
"His eyes never slumber, and His hands never rest;
His heart never ceases to beat with love,
and His shoulders are never weary
of carrying His people's burdens."
- Charles Spurgeon
8.11.2009
these people are way cooler than me
On the left of my blog is a nifty list of "cool people" with links to their blogs or websites. Well, I am proud to add the Sensenig Seven to my list. I love this family and I love that they include me in their lives. So head on over to the Sensenig Seven and ch-ch-check them out!
8.08.2009
Mr. & Mrs. Hughes
I came across these pictures from Jonathan and Susie's wedding I attended at the end of June.
http://www.lydiajane.com/2009/07/mr-and-mrs-hughes.html
Love it!!!
http://www.lydiajane.com/2009/07/mr-and-mrs-hughes.html
Love it!!!
Beloved of Christ
Over at Radical Womanhood, Carolyn MccCulley responded to the feedback she asked for about the blog. Tucked in her response was something I want to strive for and remember.
Since that time, I've been thinking a lot about what you said. I'm glad to know that the wide variety of topics on this blog is actually interesting and maybe even helpful. That falls in line with something I've been mullling over for awhile: that we are actually people with varied interests, not just people who can be sorted by marital status or season of life. More importantly, in the church, we are disciples of Christ, and we have more in common because of that than we have in differences because of our marital status or season of life. When we slot ourselves in our churches, we can stifle true fellowship. We see each other by role, rather than by the way the disciple John knew himself to be: beloved of Christ. And I suspect that when we share that identity with John, we can be quick to urge others to see themselves in the same way.
I can remember specifically seasons and moments where I would categorize people as single or married and would only gravitate to those I found who were similar to my season. When I changed caregroups and found myself with others who were totally different than me, it was challenging and this mindset was revealed. It was a huge time of change, but on this side of the change, I wouldn't go back. I would say I am a richer person for having people in my life with diffferent interests, different life seasons and marital statuses. As Carolyn said about seeing others as John knew himself to be: beloved of Christ; I am challenged to see myself and see other Christians that way as well.
Beloved of Christ. I like that.
Since that time, I've been thinking a lot about what you said. I'm glad to know that the wide variety of topics on this blog is actually interesting and maybe even helpful. That falls in line with something I've been mullling over for awhile: that we are actually people with varied interests, not just people who can be sorted by marital status or season of life. More importantly, in the church, we are disciples of Christ, and we have more in common because of that than we have in differences because of our marital status or season of life. When we slot ourselves in our churches, we can stifle true fellowship. We see each other by role, rather than by the way the disciple John knew himself to be: beloved of Christ. And I suspect that when we share that identity with John, we can be quick to urge others to see themselves in the same way.
I can remember specifically seasons and moments where I would categorize people as single or married and would only gravitate to those I found who were similar to my season. When I changed caregroups and found myself with others who were totally different than me, it was challenging and this mindset was revealed. It was a huge time of change, but on this side of the change, I wouldn't go back. I would say I am a richer person for having people in my life with diffferent interests, different life seasons and marital statuses. As Carolyn said about seeing others as John knew himself to be: beloved of Christ; I am challenged to see myself and see other Christians that way as well.
Beloved of Christ. I like that.
1.19.2009
NA Testimony
Look who made it on the NA Testimonial page...
http://www.newattitude.org/testimonies/rebecca_na
Yay Becca!
http://www.newattitude.org/testimonies/rebecca_na
Yay Becca!
12.19.2008
My favorite is Kurt's face...
Does your pastors have moves like this?
Please note - I did not create this but I do heartily endorse it and will work to promote it.
8.11.2008
1 single day
is less than 3 weeks away...
Check out the dashboard above to get connected.
***Early registration ($33) ends 8/22. After that it goes up to $40.
Hope to see you there!
Check out the dashboard above to get connected.
***Early registration ($33) ends 8/22. After that it goes up to $40.
Hope to see you there!
8.10.2008
Randomness
(In marriage) "Children put to death selfishness. A slow and torturous death, mind you."
~Pete Privitera
Disclaimer - Pete does love children. He has 5 daughters. This was a quote from today's message that I thought was great.
~Pete Privitera
Disclaimer - Pete does love children. He has 5 daughters. This was a quote from today's message that I thought was great.
8.03.2008
Godspell
Click below for an important announcement:
http://laffytaffydaphne.blogspot.com/2008/08/advertisement.html
p.s. if Luke is playing Jesus, does that mean Greg, Luke's father, is...? things that make you go hmmmm...
http://laffytaffydaphne.blogspot.com/2008/08/advertisement.html
p.s. if Luke is playing Jesus, does that mean Greg, Luke's father, is...? things that make you go hmmmm...
7.25.2008
Your Place Series #4
Steve, with lovely wife Lori and their 3.6 children, hosted the 4th meeting of the "Your Place" series. As part of the meeting, Steve and Lori shared their story. And there were many laughs. And yes, Buffalo Center, IA exists. (Boy you weren't kidding when you said it was small Steve.)
And lucky for me, I mean everyone else, Steve wrote about it.
http://crosswaylife.wordpress.com/2008/07/24/our-place/
And for all those singles out there who couldn't make it to the meeting, see Steve for your free copy of the booklet he mentions.
And lucky for me, I mean everyone else, Steve wrote about it.
http://crosswaylife.wordpress.com/2008/07/24/our-place/
And for all those singles out there who couldn't make it to the meeting, see Steve for your free copy of the booklet he mentions.
7.11.2008
Your Place Series #3
The third meeting of the Singles Summer Series took place this past Wednesday at the Iron Hill Brewery in Lancaster. Fourteen singles were richly treated to drinks, dessert and discourse by Brian Vanderweide, a pastor at our sister church, Covenant Fellowship. After a fond introduction by Doug Plank, Brian first thanked everyone for attending and communicated gratefulness and respect for the pastors of our church and their hearts for the church and for the singles.
Brian led us through the text Philippians 3:1-11 with the goal of assisting us in discerning what is priceless and worthless in God’s eyes. The word “priceless” can be overused for different things (Mastercard commercials) and can dull our senses to what is truly priceless. For something to be priceless, other things will need to be worthless. Why? Because everything can’t be priceless. Sounds simple, but in order to discern between the two, we will have to (1) guard against influences (v. 2-3) that will tell us what is priceless and worthless, (2) identify those things that are worthless (v. 4-8) and (3) continue to know (v. 10-11) and pursue the One who is priceless – Jesus Christ. The fruits of discerning between the priceless and the worthless in our lives, will be experiencing Christ’s power to overcome sin, experiencing joy in suffering and trials and sharing in the resurrection of Christ when He returns or call us home.
At the end of the meeting, Doug thanked Brian for speaking with the singles and he left us with a question to ponder and respond to. Doug asked us to consider the things in our life that we consider “priceless” – things that we devote our time and energy to or find our identity in – job, assets, financial status, relational status, etc. He then challenged us to repent of treasuring things above Christ, and to turn to Christ and find that he is truly priceless and everything else is worthless.
Brian led us through the text Philippians 3:1-11 with the goal of assisting us in discerning what is priceless and worthless in God’s eyes. The word “priceless” can be overused for different things (Mastercard commercials) and can dull our senses to what is truly priceless. For something to be priceless, other things will need to be worthless. Why? Because everything can’t be priceless. Sounds simple, but in order to discern between the two, we will have to (1) guard against influences (v. 2-3) that will tell us what is priceless and worthless, (2) identify those things that are worthless (v. 4-8) and (3) continue to know (v. 10-11) and pursue the One who is priceless – Jesus Christ. The fruits of discerning between the priceless and the worthless in our lives, will be experiencing Christ’s power to overcome sin, experiencing joy in suffering and trials and sharing in the resurrection of Christ when He returns or call us home.
At the end of the meeting, Doug thanked Brian for speaking with the singles and he left us with a question to ponder and respond to. Doug asked us to consider the things in our life that we consider “priceless” – things that we devote our time and energy to or find our identity in – job, assets, financial status, relational status, etc. He then challenged us to repent of treasuring things above Christ, and to turn to Christ and find that he is truly priceless and everything else is worthless.
Thank you Brian, Doug and the pastors for an enjoyable evening!
7.07.2008
The church's foundation
Since CCL has been doing a mini-series on the church and community, I thought this quote from Of First Importance is excellent about the foundation of the church and community.
“The foundation of the true church was laid at a mighty cost. It needed that the Son of God should take our nature upon Him, and in that nature live, suffer and die, not for His own sins, but for ours. It needed that in that nature Christ should go to the grave, and rise again. In needed that in that nature Christ should go up to heaven, to sit at the right hand of God, having obtained eternal redemption for all His people. No other foundation could have met the necessities of lost, guilty, corrupt, weak, helpless sinners.
The foundation, once obtained, is very strong. It can bear the weight of the sins of the world. It has borne the weight of all the sins of all the believers who have built on it. Sins of thought, sins of imagination, sins of the heart, sins of the head, sins which everyone has seen, and sins which no man knows, sins against God, and sins against man, sins of all kinds and descriptions — that mighty rock can bear the weight of all these sins, and not give way. The mediatorial office of Christ is a remedy sufficient for all the sins of all the world.”
- J.C. Ryle, Holiness (Darlington, Co. Durham: Evangelical Press, 1991), 215.
“The foundation of the true church was laid at a mighty cost. It needed that the Son of God should take our nature upon Him, and in that nature live, suffer and die, not for His own sins, but for ours. It needed that in that nature Christ should go to the grave, and rise again. In needed that in that nature Christ should go up to heaven, to sit at the right hand of God, having obtained eternal redemption for all His people. No other foundation could have met the necessities of lost, guilty, corrupt, weak, helpless sinners.
The foundation, once obtained, is very strong. It can bear the weight of the sins of the world. It has borne the weight of all the sins of all the believers who have built on it. Sins of thought, sins of imagination, sins of the heart, sins of the head, sins which everyone has seen, and sins which no man knows, sins against God, and sins against man, sins of all kinds and descriptions — that mighty rock can bear the weight of all these sins, and not give way. The mediatorial office of Christ is a remedy sufficient for all the sins of all the world.”
- J.C. Ryle, Holiness (Darlington, Co. Durham: Evangelical Press, 1991), 215.
6.26.2008
Your Place Series #2
This past Wednesday was the second of the Your Place series meetings with the pastors of my church. This time, the singles, numbering 14, gathered at the Haugherys home. Upon being warmly received, we were given the task to tour the house and be ready to discuss something that surprised us or something we had a question about. After awhile, Bill gathered us in the living room and before we discussed our findings, Bill and Cynthia shared their story of how they met, married and eventually came to the Lancaster area. Then we shared our findings and questions about the house. It was really interesting to hear what stood out to people but what was even more special and humbling was how Bill and Cynthia shared intimate and special stories about each thing a person shared. As discussion flowed, Bill even opened up for people to ask questions about anything about their life. What followed was a very humble time as some questions surrounded their granddaughter and the impact of her passing away a year next week on them and their family. Many tears flowed, from us, not from the Haugherys, and it was such an honor and very humbling that they would share about their sufferings and how God met them and continues to meet them. Then the meeting concluded with Bill praying for us and giving us a copy of an article on Self Pity from the Journal of Biblical Counseling.
For me, meeting with the Haugherys was like returning to a familar place with many memories. And while some things look different, its still a home full of the gospel, God's word, prayer, joys and sorrows and laughter. It was a great time and wonderful to spend time with the Haugherys.
Let's see, the next time, is a special meeting with guest speaker whose name is escaping me right now. But it sounds like it will be another great time.
For me, meeting with the Haugherys was like returning to a familar place with many memories. And while some things look different, its still a home full of the gospel, God's word, prayer, joys and sorrows and laughter. It was a great time and wonderful to spend time with the Haugherys.
Let's see, the next time, is a special meeting with guest speaker whose name is escaping me right now. But it sounds like it will be another great time.
6.13.2008
Your Place Series
This summer, the pastors of my church decided to switch things up a bit and have the singles attend meetings with them instead of attending caregroups. I appreciate this on two levels. One, for practical reasons. Summer is busy and cramming one more extra thing in would make things challenging. Plus, I think I would be torn between attending both caregroup and these meetings if I had to choose between the two. Second, I am looking forward to the times to hear from them and get to know them and interact with them outside of a Sunday meeting context.
Hopefully, I plan to blog about the meetings to share how I benefited from the gifts that the pastors are to the church.
So with that introduction out of the way, we had the first meeting this past Wednesday at the Priviteras. It was a great time to meet with them, to hear from Pete and to interact with other singles in the church.
After some rough starts with the coffee maker (the machine, not the user) and getting chairs and seats squared away for all 20(?) of us, Pete introduced the summer series and the pastoral team's heart behind the meetings and just the encouragement and blessing the singles are to the church. Before getting into a mini-message on Ephesians 3:14-21, Pete humbly shared his thoughts about relating to others in the church and the feeling of being alone or not feeling you belong because there's no one like you or wondering where there place in the church is. I thought this was humbling for Pete to share his experiences and to encourage us that other people, no matter what stage of life, go through this too. This was a great reminder for me. To remember that I'm not unique or the "only one" and to reach out to new people who will definitely feel like this. I was especially encouraged by Pete's exhortation and encouragement that I will be paraphrasing below.
To those who have remained in the church for a long time - you being here and being a part of the church and serving - it is an evidence of God's grace in your life. No doubt you had struggles with relating with others and working through sin and differences, but you remaining and continuing to participate in the life of the church - that shows that there's been more grace than struggles.
I wrote this down and have been chewing this over in my mind. Yes, I do find it true what Pete said and it was like a light was being shown on something I never saw before. I'm just amazed at the grace God freely gives to me with relationships and with others especially, that I have sinned against. I am truly grateful for God's grace shown through their forgiveness, patience and not willing to give up on this wretch of a sinner. Everytime I think of this and even now, I am praising God and thanking God for my church and the people in it.
And not to miss the meat of the meeting, Pete went over the passage in Ephesians and in the course of the overview, went over the gospel with us clearly showing the love of the Father and the lengths he went to save us. I don't think there were too few dry eyes in the room.
So, one meeting down and some more to go! This was a great kick off meeting and I can't wait for the next one in less than 2 weeks!
Hopefully, I plan to blog about the meetings to share how I benefited from the gifts that the pastors are to the church.
So with that introduction out of the way, we had the first meeting this past Wednesday at the Priviteras. It was a great time to meet with them, to hear from Pete and to interact with other singles in the church.
After some rough starts with the coffee maker (the machine, not the user) and getting chairs and seats squared away for all 20(?) of us, Pete introduced the summer series and the pastoral team's heart behind the meetings and just the encouragement and blessing the singles are to the church. Before getting into a mini-message on Ephesians 3:14-21, Pete humbly shared his thoughts about relating to others in the church and the feeling of being alone or not feeling you belong because there's no one like you or wondering where there place in the church is. I thought this was humbling for Pete to share his experiences and to encourage us that other people, no matter what stage of life, go through this too. This was a great reminder for me. To remember that I'm not unique or the "only one" and to reach out to new people who will definitely feel like this. I was especially encouraged by Pete's exhortation and encouragement that I will be paraphrasing below.
To those who have remained in the church for a long time - you being here and being a part of the church and serving - it is an evidence of God's grace in your life. No doubt you had struggles with relating with others and working through sin and differences, but you remaining and continuing to participate in the life of the church - that shows that there's been more grace than struggles.
I wrote this down and have been chewing this over in my mind. Yes, I do find it true what Pete said and it was like a light was being shown on something I never saw before. I'm just amazed at the grace God freely gives to me with relationships and with others especially, that I have sinned against. I am truly grateful for God's grace shown through their forgiveness, patience and not willing to give up on this wretch of a sinner. Everytime I think of this and even now, I am praising God and thanking God for my church and the people in it.
And not to miss the meat of the meeting, Pete went over the passage in Ephesians and in the course of the overview, went over the gospel with us clearly showing the love of the Father and the lengths he went to save us. I don't think there were too few dry eyes in the room.
So, one meeting down and some more to go! This was a great kick off meeting and I can't wait for the next one in less than 2 weeks!
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