I'm really excited about how God could use our marriage mentors! Saturday morning, a room full of people invested time in being trained so that your marriage could be invested in later. Sarah Murphy led an excellent training, and I'm really excited for couples in our church to be invested in over the coming months and year! Marriage mentors aren't just here for the crisis moments, they're available to help you walk through the good times, the times of not knowing, and more. Head to loveshelbyville.com/MARRAGE to learn more.
Stories are especially inspiring when God's Spirit is the only explanation. That was evident to me as Melissa Chesterfield shared yesterday! But it's also been true of a lot of "behind the scenes" stories. "Little" victories in people's lives that are only explained by Spirit promptings that lead to Spirit power. CCC, let's not settle for the victories we can gain by our own power, let's seek the power that comes from Him!
That requires this...
We need to pray more big prayers. I'm reading a book by Paul Miller entitled "A Praying Church." Get you a copy. After looking at Paul's prayer in Colossians 1:9-11, Miller says this: "A Jesus vision, in tension with our current situations, energizes our prayers. It's quite simple: when the body of Christ prays the passions of Christ, we come alive. We were made to dream his dreams." In case you want to pray that prayer from Colossians now..
For this reason also, since the day we heard this, we haven’t stopped praying for you. We are asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual understanding, so that you may walk worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him: bearing fruit in every good work and growing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, so that you may have great endurance and patience, joyfully giving thanks to the Father, who has enabled you to share in the saints’ inheritance in the light. I can't share enough resources on the fight against sexual sin. Our fight against sexual sin is crucial in seeing God and in seeing his kingdom advance. I mentioned brainheartworld.org yesterday. If you're a reader, pick up Unwanted by Jay Stringer. If you're a podcast person, check out this episode from Trevin Wax's podcast Reconstructing Faith: The Secret Catastrophe. If you need someone to talk to, call us at 502-633-8003. Just don't let shame and pride win this battle. Jesus wants to shine his glory through your story. Leaders, both seen and unseen, are stepping up. Are you next? I was so thankful for Tommy Rowe's heart in leading worship yesterday! That we would glorify God with our singing! I was so thankful for TJ Vogt who is leading out in some big ways for our GAP Mission Trips. I was thankful for Brent and Beth Whitehouse who, after heading up hospitality this weekend, led their community group to pack bags for the backpack project sight unseen. And I KNOW I'm missing others! But here's the thing. God is bringing some growth and our faithful response has to start with caring well for the people God is bringing. So are you next? What does joining Jesus look like in this next season for you? On this Monday, I'm pondering who I need to have coffee with.. ;)