Celebrate Recovery

So next week (Sept 30th) our church will be launching a new ministry called Celebrate Recovery. We will be meeting at the Quest facilities every thursday night starting at 7pm. I will be helping lead the group in this ministry and I am so excited about this. This is a great way to show people how God truly does love us all, even though we are broken. He loves us, even though we sin. He loves us through all of our hurts, hang ups, and habits.

I know there is a reason I went through some of the pains and disappointments. I know there is a reason God kept me on this earth and saved me from death. I do not fully understand the reasoning and I am still learning to know my true purpose for why I am still here.

But I do know that I can use my past events and struggles to help someone with theirs today. I know that I didn't go through what I did so that it could just be brushed aside and never spoken of or thought about again. But they can be used as a tool to show God's awesome love and grace.

Father I thank you so much for the many blessings that I have in my life. There were so many times You could have given up on me and You did not. I am so thankful for that.

I am so grateful for this opportunity in being a leader for this upcoming ministry and for being at a place in my life where I can be a leader.

I pray that people will be open to this new ministry. I hope that when they come in they will be willing to let the walls down. May they open their ears and hearts. May they feel a sense of welcome and community.

I pray that we can be open enough to allow You to work and speak through us. I hope that we can say the words someone needs to hear and be the example that someone needs to see.

Please give us the strength and courage to be honest and open with the people that will be coming into this ministry. Help us to all understand that this will be a time of celebrating each other and the love that You have for us; regardless of our flaws and imperfections.

Scoops 'n' Beans

So Jeff and I have been trying to decide if we want to pursue establishing our own traditional business. We are discussing the possibility of opening our own coffee and ice cream shop. We would probably do this in the neighborhood we are in right now.

Along with serving coffee and ice cream we would also have a small menu of salads, sandwiches, soups, and of course pastries. (It wouldn't be a coffee shop without pastries!)

We are just in the preliminary stages right now. We will be going to talk with the city and the small business administration to get more info. But we would love some feedback.

So please, what are your thoughts?

Faith

I have been reading a lot lately about faith. Many of the bible verses that have been coming into my head are about this subject. I think this is God's way of trying to tell me something.

Now I have a tendency to think I have a great deal of faith but I have noticed (recently) that this is usually when things in my life are getting hectic and stressful. I know during these times God is there by my side, faithfully helping and teaching me every step of the way.

However, when things are calm and collected and everyone is well and happy, I have noticed I don't pay much attention to God then.

Don't get me wrong, I know he is always there. But I think I take the 'good times' for granted; not realizing I still need to have the faith in Him that he will continue to deliver on His promises and see those promises through.

So I think it is time to 'flex my spiritual muscles'. I need to remember to carry my faith with me in everything I do with my life and in every situation that arises. Regardless of the situations in my life, even the good ones, God will always rise to the occasion and will continue to be faithful. So I need to remain faithful as well.

There is a very short poem that I read recently that did help put things into some perspective.
The poem is called "To Walk By Faith" by Wava Campbell.

To walk by faith is such a great adventure;

It thills the spirit every passing day;

To see God's hand, to know whatever happens,

He understands and He will lead the way.

To walk by sight is something very tragic;

It makes the spirit droop, the heart grow cold.

It makes the Christian plan and fume and fumble;

It makes his body feel so tired and old.

Just how to walk life's road is our decision.

God leaves the choice with us and us alone.

But if we choose to walk by sight, we'll see not.

By faith His will is seen and felt and known.

Random Act of Kindness

Today as I was headed to Fresh Market after picking Gracie from school I witnessed a great random act of kindness between strangers.
Washington Rd was backed up with the lunch hour traffic. (Anyone who lives in Augusta knows what Washington Rd can be like.) A man in a early 90s Toyota Corolla was broke down in the center lane. I could tell he was having a very hard time moving his vehicle by himself. On the other side of Washington Rd came a police officer. The man waved his hand to signal the cop and the cop (who are supposed to SERVE and protect) kept driving. I was appalled by this. I was about to pull over when 3 other men pulled over to help the gentleman. One man was in his work vehicle (probably on his lunch break) and the other 2 men were in a Mercedes.
As I slowly made my way passed the broken down car with 4 men pushing it into a parking lot, I saw the look on the man's face. He was so grateful.
I was so happy to see people out there still helping people. I think sometimes we get so caught up in our own little worlds that we forget about others. We become selfish.
So thank you to the 3 men who helped that man with his car. It was a great reminder of how we are supposed to be here for one another!