From Janice Yokota
The group is just beginning to come together as we share our testimonies. Each weekI notice that we are beginning to trust each other more by the way the prayer requests are shared. We are still getting to know each other, but the group is evolving. I was thankful that they came back after the first week. It was a little hard to "read" the group at first. We met once, then I had to cancel the second week due to a family illness up in the central coast. I was so disappointed to have to cancel, but the women cameback the third week, and they are committed to continuing. We are on lesson 4 for this week. I am looking forward to how the Lord will grow us in ourtime together. I think we leaders get the biggest blessings as we serve. Thanks for the opportunity to serve in this way!
Friday, December 16, 2005
From Wendy Machovsky
Okay, so aside from the fact that my girls are keeping me so busy that I cannot find time to answer e-mails, things are UNBELIEVEABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you so much for all your effort in organizing this-- we are having a blast. The girls have even adopted my husband! As single twenty-somethings they enjoy having a "safe" man around that can help them out. That is a man that won't hit on them, ask them for their phone number, etc.
Just to give you an idea-- Jason and I have moved furniture, he has fixed a car, he has helped one of them to find and buy a car, we have housed one for about a week.
It is like we have been given an instant family. GOD IS SOOOOO GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And the girls are insatiable! It is all so very exciting.
Okay, so aside from the fact that my girls are keeping me so busy that I cannot find time to answer e-mails, things are UNBELIEVEABLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Thank you so much for all your effort in organizing this-- we are having a blast. The girls have even adopted my husband! As single twenty-somethings they enjoy having a "safe" man around that can help them out. That is a man that won't hit on them, ask them for their phone number, etc.
Just to give you an idea-- Jason and I have moved furniture, he has fixed a car, he has helped one of them to find and buy a car, we have housed one for about a week.
It is like we have been given an instant family. GOD IS SOOOOO GOOD!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
And the girls are insatiable! It is all so very exciting.
Kingdom Community
From Ann Herberts
My group is gradually getting to know each other. We have learned to be flexible with life happenings and sharing our spiritual journeys-only when all 5 of usare there. Nevertheless, God has used every meeting to draw us closer to Him. One of my group members wanted to begin our time with singing and worshiping. So now we begin promptly at 7:00 with songs of praise toour Lord. If anyone is late it immediately releases their minds and focuses us all on HIM (as they slip inunnoticed).
I know their stories as I met with each of them before we began and I can see how God has placed each of them together with a common thread. I am so impatient for them to discover Gods plan as well, when the remaining spiritual journeys unfold.
Next week we are meeting with another discipleship group and walking down to watch the boat parade. My ladies are so eager to connect with other Christian women in the area. We will keep you informed-what a pleasure to be involved in shepherding HIS sheep.
God Bless you!
Ann Herberts
My group is gradually getting to know each other. We have learned to be flexible with life happenings and sharing our spiritual journeys-only when all 5 of usare there. Nevertheless, God has used every meeting to draw us closer to Him. One of my group members wanted to begin our time with singing and worshiping. So now we begin promptly at 7:00 with songs of praise toour Lord. If anyone is late it immediately releases their minds and focuses us all on HIM (as they slip inunnoticed).
I know their stories as I met with each of them before we began and I can see how God has placed each of them together with a common thread. I am so impatient for them to discover Gods plan as well, when the remaining spiritual journeys unfold.
Next week we are meeting with another discipleship group and walking down to watch the boat parade. My ladies are so eager to connect with other Christian women in the area. We will keep you informed-what a pleasure to be involved in shepherding HIS sheep.
God Bless you!
Ann Herberts
Faithful Witnesses
From Steve Purves
I'm having a great time with these guys. The lights really came on in lesson three. We were able to combine the wisdom of staying in the word with prayerfully listening into the goal of "understanding God's perfect will and acquiring wisdom". Then taking this as the preparation to run the race of life, being a witness. My guys all had the same goal coming in, "We want to be closer to the Lord", "we have felt this before but we feel a bit distant now". This all came together in three as God's purpose was laid out. We spend time sharing experiences of witnessing and how it felt, this is the feeling everyone was looking for again! It was a great night of stories, purpose and prayer...
I'm having a great time with these guys. The lights really came on in lesson three. We were able to combine the wisdom of staying in the word with prayerfully listening into the goal of "understanding God's perfect will and acquiring wisdom". Then taking this as the preparation to run the race of life, being a witness. My guys all had the same goal coming in, "We want to be closer to the Lord", "we have felt this before but we feel a bit distant now". This all came together in three as God's purpose was laid out. We spend time sharing experiences of witnessing and how it felt, this is the feeling everyone was looking for again! It was a great night of stories, purpose and prayer...
Ready to Go...
From Karen Ferraro
From the first meeting these girls were ridiculously ready to go.They were more honest than any group I've ever worked with. Admitting faults, expressing emotions and ready to work. We've been through 2 life graphs. We have a schedule now. Last week we visited a Hurricane Katrina family in Santa Ana and totally brought Christmas to their home. Tree, gifts, poinsettias, food, lights, everything. What a blessing that was to the girls. We all left knowing we would adopt that family and be back. These girls are commited to one another and often e-mail during the week. They consider me an "elder" which is a new role for me. I guess I am accepting that as I am the age of their parents. We have commited verses to memory, but more than that we have listened to each other's burdens and promised to pray for each other. What a gift. I also thank Pete Shambrooke for that initial invitation. Karen
From the first meeting these girls were ridiculously ready to go.They were more honest than any group I've ever worked with. Admitting faults, expressing emotions and ready to work. We've been through 2 life graphs. We have a schedule now. Last week we visited a Hurricane Katrina family in Santa Ana and totally brought Christmas to their home. Tree, gifts, poinsettias, food, lights, everything. What a blessing that was to the girls. We all left knowing we would adopt that family and be back. These girls are commited to one another and often e-mail during the week. They consider me an "elder" which is a new role for me. I guess I am accepting that as I am the age of their parents. We have commited verses to memory, but more than that we have listened to each other's burdens and promised to pray for each other. What a gift. I also thank Pete Shambrooke for that initial invitation. Karen
Life Together
From Carissa Dunn
So, my group is AWESOME. We are not going to start on Chapter 5 until after the holidays. School breaks are not a good time to have group for sure. The one thing I have done that has made a HUGE difference in how the group gets directed, is we do all prayer requests and prayers at the beginning. It's worked well and the girls like that part best anyway. It was getting rushed at the end, so, we made it the beginning. The Spirit then seems more alive and the group flows much better.
So, my group is AWESOME. We are not going to start on Chapter 5 until after the holidays. School breaks are not a good time to have group for sure. The one thing I have done that has made a HUGE difference in how the group gets directed, is we do all prayer requests and prayers at the beginning. It's worked well and the girls like that part best anyway. It was getting rushed at the end, so, we made it the beginning. The Spirit then seems more alive and the group flows much better.
Common Thread
From Dawn Zaris
We just finished going through our life stories - and it was amazing. It definitely seems like it was God who put our little group together. Although details of our stories vary, there were similarities, and it was incredible to see not only how we each have heard similar lies from satan, but how God has and is continuing to redeem each of our lives...He is so good! Their stories and God's presence in them is so evident and beautiful and I am humbled to be able to walk this journey with them and get to know their hearts.
We just finished going through our life stories - and it was amazing. It definitely seems like it was God who put our little group together. Although details of our stories vary, there were similarities, and it was incredible to see not only how we each have heard similar lies from satan, but how God has and is continuing to redeem each of our lives...He is so good! Their stories and God's presence in them is so evident and beautiful and I am humbled to be able to walk this journey with them and get to know their hearts.
Monday, November 28, 2005
Discipleship is for...
My friends, below you will read a story shared by a first-time discipler about her discipleship group. It is wonderful to see the Lord's hand at work, intertwining the lives of 6 women, doing what Dietrich Bonhoeffer calls, "Life Together," and growing in their pursuit of God.
Thanks to Judie Carlson for sharing!
______________
I just have to tell you how amazing it is to be a part of this Discipleship group. Almost everything about us would, at the outset, seem incompatible, but there are no coincidences in God's plan, and He is certainly showing us THAT! We are loving, and bonding, and growing by leaps and bounds, after just a month of meeting each other.
Three of the five of us have given our Life Graphs, and this has opened up our prayer lives enormously. We pray for each other everyday, e-mail to keep up during the week, are on our 3rd memory verse, and are lovingly holding each other accountable. We have pledged to serve in a special capacity at least once a month (this month jackets for children in Mexico), and this week, instead of meeting, we are going to have dinner and then be a part of 'Sacred'.For the first time in my 63 years I can honestly feel the support and prayers, daily, of women who genuinely love me and care for me. I am humbled by this experience, and I thank Pete for tapping me on the shoulder and opening this door for me. Discipleship IS for everyone - and I am filled with joy to be a part of this. God Bless you - Judie Carlson
Thanks to Judie Carlson for sharing!
______________
I just have to tell you how amazing it is to be a part of this Discipleship group. Almost everything about us would, at the outset, seem incompatible, but there are no coincidences in God's plan, and He is certainly showing us THAT! We are loving, and bonding, and growing by leaps and bounds, after just a month of meeting each other.
Three of the five of us have given our Life Graphs, and this has opened up our prayer lives enormously. We pray for each other everyday, e-mail to keep up during the week, are on our 3rd memory verse, and are lovingly holding each other accountable. We have pledged to serve in a special capacity at least once a month (this month jackets for children in Mexico), and this week, instead of meeting, we are going to have dinner and then be a part of 'Sacred'.For the first time in my 63 years I can honestly feel the support and prayers, daily, of women who genuinely love me and care for me. I am humbled by this experience, and I thank Pete for tapping me on the shoulder and opening this door for me. Discipleship IS for everyone - and I am filled with joy to be a part of this. God Bless you - Judie Carlson
Friday, November 18, 2005
Discovering Divine Design
One of the guys in my discipleship group forwarded this devotional to me. I don't know where it came from but I would love to give credit to who wrote it. The fact of the matter is we need to develop spiritual disciplines within each of our lives in order to place ourselves in a position to hear the Lord speaking and sense His movement and reformation in our lives. RE
"As for me, being on the way, the Lord led me . . ."Genesis 24:27
We should be so one with God that we don’t need to ask continually for guidance. Sanctification means that we are made the children of God. A child’s life is normally obedient, until he chooses disobedience. But as soon as he chooses to disobey, an inherent inner conflict is produced. On the spiritual level, inner conflict is the warning of the Spirit of God. When He warns us in this way, we must stop at once and be renewed in the spirit of our mind to discern God’s will (see Romans 12:2 ). If we are born again by the Spirit of God, our devotion to Him is hindered, or even stopped, by continually asking Him to guide us here and there. ". . . the Lord led me . . ." and on looking back we see the presence of an amazing design. If we are born of God we will see His guiding hand and give Him the credit.
We can all see God in exceptional things, but it requires the growth of spiritual discipline to see God in every detail. Never believe that the so-called random events of life are anything less than God’s appointed order. Be ready to discover His divine designs anywhere and everywhere.
Beware of being obsessed with consistency to your own convictions instead of being devoted to God. If you are a saint and say, "I will never do this or that," in all probability this will be exactly what God will require of you. There was never a more inconsistent being on this earth than our Lord, but He was never inconsistent with His Father. The important consistency in a saint is not to a principle but to the divine life. It is the divine life that continually makes more and more discoveries about the divine mind. It is easier to be an excessive fanatic than it is to be consistently faithful, because God causes an amazing humbling of our religious conceit when we are faithful to Him.
"As for me, being on the way, the Lord led me . . ."Genesis 24:27
We should be so one with God that we don’t need to ask continually for guidance. Sanctification means that we are made the children of God. A child’s life is normally obedient, until he chooses disobedience. But as soon as he chooses to disobey, an inherent inner conflict is produced. On the spiritual level, inner conflict is the warning of the Spirit of God. When He warns us in this way, we must stop at once and be renewed in the spirit of our mind to discern God’s will (see Romans 12:2 ). If we are born again by the Spirit of God, our devotion to Him is hindered, or even stopped, by continually asking Him to guide us here and there. ". . . the Lord led me . . ." and on looking back we see the presence of an amazing design. If we are born of God we will see His guiding hand and give Him the credit.
We can all see God in exceptional things, but it requires the growth of spiritual discipline to see God in every detail. Never believe that the so-called random events of life are anything less than God’s appointed order. Be ready to discover His divine designs anywhere and everywhere.
Beware of being obsessed with consistency to your own convictions instead of being devoted to God. If you are a saint and say, "I will never do this or that," in all probability this will be exactly what God will require of you. There was never a more inconsistent being on this earth than our Lord, but He was never inconsistent with His Father. The important consistency in a saint is not to a principle but to the divine life. It is the divine life that continually makes more and more discoveries about the divine mind. It is easier to be an excessive fanatic than it is to be consistently faithful, because God causes an amazing humbling of our religious conceit when we are faithful to Him.
Thursday, November 03, 2005
Spiritual Formation, Surfing and Stuff
The Journey I'm On
As I open my blog and enter into the blogosphere I thought it would be best if I share my background. You know, the stuff that has developed the person that types here today.
In our culture, there are so many things going on around us that affect us and form us. Things that involve family matters, morality, education, world events, love and so forth. All this I call, "stuff." In essence, I may write on some of the most random things, but this randomness is a reflection of the culture happening around me.
Secondly, I LOVE SURFING. To me there is nothing better than to ride on a wave (except for time with God and my lovely wife). To me, the ocean reflects two of the most incredible characteristics of God-- beauty and power. The ocean-- my "Garden of Gethsemane," my "Peniel," and my sanctuary. It is there that I truly spend time with God the Father and share my most intimate thoughts and it will be here where I try to place them in words.
And finally, feeding the soul and living the life Jesus has called us to-- what I refer to as spiritual formation, or spiritual reformation. I want to discover God's will and plan for me as a man, husband, father, friend, mentor and worker in a way that can only reveal the glory of God. It is a high calling, but a wonderful journey nonetheless. It is Romans 8:37-39 and Php 3:7-11 that inspire this "Pursuit of God" as A.W. Tozer calls it.
In any case, I don't know how this is going to be formed, but it is my hope that the Truth can be told through this surfer on a laptop. Let's do this journey together!
As I open my blog and enter into the blogosphere I thought it would be best if I share my background. You know, the stuff that has developed the person that types here today.
In our culture, there are so many things going on around us that affect us and form us. Things that involve family matters, morality, education, world events, love and so forth. All this I call, "stuff." In essence, I may write on some of the most random things, but this randomness is a reflection of the culture happening around me.
Secondly, I LOVE SURFING. To me there is nothing better than to ride on a wave (except for time with God and my lovely wife). To me, the ocean reflects two of the most incredible characteristics of God-- beauty and power. The ocean-- my "Garden of Gethsemane," my "Peniel," and my sanctuary. It is there that I truly spend time with God the Father and share my most intimate thoughts and it will be here where I try to place them in words.
And finally, feeding the soul and living the life Jesus has called us to-- what I refer to as spiritual formation, or spiritual reformation. I want to discover God's will and plan for me as a man, husband, father, friend, mentor and worker in a way that can only reveal the glory of God. It is a high calling, but a wonderful journey nonetheless. It is Romans 8:37-39 and Php 3:7-11 that inspire this "Pursuit of God" as A.W. Tozer calls it.
In any case, I don't know how this is going to be formed, but it is my hope that the Truth can be told through this surfer on a laptop. Let's do this journey together!
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