Wednesday, September 30, 2009

round 2

Tomorrow, Brian and I start the Daniel Fast. It is basically a fast where you eat only fruits, vegetables and whole grains, and spend extra time in prayer. We did this fast last October. It was such a positive thing that we felt like we should do it again. We will be doing the fast for the next 10 days. The thing that really stands out to me about doing this fast 2 years in a row is that although God has really done some amazing things this year and answered prayers far above what we could have thought to ask, two of our major prayer requests remain unanswered. By unanswered, I mean that we obviously do not see any answer yet. We are doing another round of praying about these very important issues. Here we go again.

Tonight in our J Group with the freshmen (we had 49 including leaders!) the lesson was about Job and the trials he went through. When Job questions God, God responds with this huge list of things that He has done and the power that He displays. God, in other words, says, "Job, have you seen the place where I store all of the snow? Have you ever tamed a wild hippo? Do you know the paths for the thunderstorms? Were you there when the world was being created?" And the answer is NO. Job concludes that because God is so powerful and knowledgeable, he will choose to trust Him, and put his hand over his mouth when he is tempted to question God's goodness or ability.

I love what Brian said on Sunday. God is often times doing His greatest work when He appears to be silent, and waiting is a way for us to worship God. Yes! We can trust Him even when we can't see what is going on. So we can do round 2 because He has never failed us yet!

Sunday, September 27, 2009

pastors' wives lunch

Today I met for lunch with 7 of our pastors' and directors' wives. We ate and prayed together. There is so much going on that the need for corporate prayer is seemingly greater than ever. Our prayers were for our church, our families, people going through rough times, our staff and God's hand of protection and guidance. This is a great group of women--strong wives of leaders! It is an honor to work together with them!

Saturday, September 26, 2009

flood in northwest atlanta

The devastation from the flood in the northwest part of Atlanta has been unbelievable. The crazy thing is that many people who are not affected personally, have no idea that others have lost basically everything. I am so proud to be a part of a church that is reaching out to help people! West Ridge Church is partnering with many relief organizations to provide help and relief to victims of the flood. School has been out all week because the water is unsafe. Our prayers are with the people who are going through this rough time!

Tuesday, September 15, 2009

changing questions about heaven

When I was little and my parents told me about heaven, my question was, "Are their bathrooms in heaven?" Although I still like knowing there is a good bathroom nearby, my questions about heaven have changed. Whatever our thoughts and concerns may be at a certain time in our life, God is very much understanding of that. He cares about all the little things that occupy our thoughts. Now that I am in my forties, I am thinking about crazy things like not wanting wrinkles, wishing I had more energy, not wanting any regrets or wasted time. So, now my thoughts about heaven include these kinds of things:

When I get to heaven, I can eat incredible food and not get fat.
I can exercise and run (or fly or transport or something) because I want to, not because I have to.
I will not be separated from my family by long distances.
I will have an amazingly toned and perfect body. yippee!
My face will not have wrinkles or sags.
No bad hair days. Can you imagine that?
No long crazy lines to wait in.
No frustrating people.
No guilt. No allergy shots! No running out of time.
No obsolete technology. No misunderstandings.
Everyday will be a great day all the way around.

And I probably won't think about all of this stuff because I will be so focused on what is really important--Jesus!
I am glad that in the here and now, aging makes us think differently about the future and about heaven. I heard my great aunt say that she couldn't wait to get to heaven because all of her friends and family were there. Who knows? If I don't get there first, I may feel the same way one day.

Wednesday, September 2, 2009

welcome to the morgans!!!

We are really excited about having Tony Morgan on our staff at West Ridge! We are just as excited about his wife, Emily and their four kids!! Please pray about the sell of their house and their smooth transition to Georgia.