Please pray for Elizabeth and Joseph Ray

Fellowship Sageworks Prayer Requests has posted a new item, 'Urgent Prayer'

Please pray for Elizabeth and Joseph Ray.[ Ben and JoAnne Rush's daughter and Terry and Marian Ray's daughter-in-law] She is pregnant and due date is Dec. 26.
She mustdeliver the baby today, Oct. 28, due to high blood pressure and a leaking umbilical cord. Please pray for a safe delivery and a healthy baby.
You may view the latest post at
http://fellowshipsageworks.com/prayer/2010/10/urgent-prayer/

Community Group Meeting Friday

I'm home from Indianapolis and things went very well. Thanks for your prayers. Now we are off to Big Cedar soooo this will be the last communication until we return. Community Group will be meeting at Suzanne's home on Friday night at 7PM. Thanks, Suzanne. I praise God that we have this opportunity to meet without fear.... time is short and the days are evil. AND I praise God that we can meet with like minded believers that we love and raise our voices to Him in praise, confession, and petition. He is worthy of all of our praise.... and Nothing is too difficult for HIM. See you there!!!!

A poem I came across awhile back should give you something to meditate on for awhile:

I asked God for strength, that I might achieve;
I was made weak, that I might learn humbly to obey.
I asked God for healthe, that I might do greater things
I was given infirmity, that I might do better things
I asked for riches, that I might be happy
I was given poverty, that I might be wise
I asked for power, that I might have the praise of men;
I was given weakness, that I might feel the need of God
I asked far all things, that I might enjoy life;
I was given life, that I might enjoy all things
I got nothing I asked for but everything I had hoped for
Almost despite myself, my unspoken prayers were answered
I am among men, most richly blessed.

author, unknown

Reminders

I will be leaving town tomorrow to do a workshop in Indianapolis.... please pray!! Also the last I heard Grayson was at home with him mother recovering. Praise the Lord!!! Suzanne, keep us posted, please, and we all need to continue to pray for him.

Also do not forget that Sunday night, the 17th, some of us have committed to bring dessert or cheese plate to the Sunday night Sageworks event. You know who you are. :-) AND we will be meeting for prayer (community group) at 7PM on Friday night, the 22nd at Suzanne's home (thanks, Suzanne). Susan, will you tell Susan Bowden? I will be home only a couple days between now and then.

I still stand in awe at what God has done and is doing around us. I am also completely convinced that our amazing, awesome God is calling us more and more to prayer and praise... and time with Him for direction.... and just plain adoration. He is worthy of all of our time.. all of our praise.

To Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly beyond all that we ask or think, according to the power that works within us.. to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations forever and ever. AMEN!

Sageworks Sunday night recap

Just a quick recap of last night's Sageworks gathering. Bill P spoke, and it was really good. You might want to listen to it or watch it on the Sageworks website. His title Second Half Roadblocks. Here are the five points but I may not have them all exactly right....
1. We begin drifting in our relationship with God... our sense of God's presence... not like we were when we were first saved.. on fire for Him, etc. The solution... We should pursue conversations that cultivate our relationship with God... talk to Him. Bill is going to put a Gordon MacDonald article on the website about conversations with God.
2. We forget the God vision we had for our lives.. We need to seek a new spiritual mission for our lives... Find where God wants us to be working for Him at this point in time.
3. We stop exercising the convictions that transformed us. When we were first saved all that mattered was Him... we thought Jesus was coming every day. We need to recommit to the priorities that transformed us. Long obedience in the same direction.
4. Not sure I got this right.... but it is about it was about Being aware of our influence on others and look for opportunities to leverage (?) that influence. Example... Caleb... "Others feared but I followed the Lord fully." Sorry.... I must have drifted off... :-) not like #1 drifting though. David Palmer shared his One Day at a time ministry and book, I think... how he spoke at the Women's Prison and told of his life change... they loved it. He was shocked that they wanted to hear from him.
5. We no longer focus on leaving an ultimate contribution (I say "legacy of faith").
We should use our gifts to leave an ultimate contribution.
I thought of the Jim Cymbala message on the fact that the enemy wants to steal our first love... distract us.... fill our lives with other things.... AND he wants to steal our desire to do what God called us to do. So some sounded familiar and again challenged me.

Love you all....

Suzanne's grandson

Well, I am not sure who I talked to about what... so here is a quick synopsis. (Susan, please communicate with Susan Bowden if you can). Grayson McComb was in a bad car accident and is in critical condition at the Regional Medical Center in Memphis, TN. He has internal injuries and possibly head trauma and has had at least one surgery and possibly two surgeries since the accident before midnight on Friday night. His condition is critical. Suzanne is there but we cannot reach her since she doesn't have a cell phone. I did alert Shelby by voice mail and Bill P on the phone. Please pray for Grayson, Olivia (sister), Jennifer (his mom), his dad, Suzanne, and Suzanne's dad, doctors, etc.... and that God would be glorified!.

God is able to accomplish all that concerns Grayson.....NOTHING is too difficult for HIM!!!! Praise His Holy Name!!! Was reading a passage in Romans for my class and it says that Abraham believed God "who gives life to the dead and calls into being that which does not exist"... and Abraham "in hope against hope" believed God.. and "with respect to the promises of God He did not waver in unbelief he grew strong in faith giving glory to God....." and so will we!!!! We don't have to understand all that He does or allows. (His ways are above our understanding) ... but we do need to set our minds on who He is.... the God who sees, is All Sufficient.... All Wise.... Holy God .... Jehovah Rapha.... who is LOVE and showed that by sending Jesus to die for us. Focus on Him and pray, pray.... travail in prayer!!
Also.... I read today's Jesus Calling yesterday (ladies)... so appropriate... More info later today... but Pray .... Arise church and pray.... God recovers what is taken.... His ways are perfect and good. Thanks for your words yesterday and your hearts to pray.

Okay.... here is the picture of four of the five who attended the birthday celebration yesterday.... including the two birthday girls (Sherry and Suzanne). Sorry we couldn't wait for you, Susan, but everyone had to leave. Maybe I will photoshop you in. What a great time.... what a great group of women. I love you all.

THEN.... GLORY!!!!!!!! What a night of praise at 2nd Baptist!!!!! Praising.... praising.... the musicians led us in amazing praise to our Awesome God. As Susan said.... Holy Holy Holy is the Lord God Almighty... kept going through her head and it kept a big smile on her face. He is LORD and He is HOLY!!!! Jim Cymbala did a great job of reminding us that Satan steals, kills, and destroys.... but Jesus came to give us life abundantly.... and Jesus (God) recovers and restores what the enemy has stolen.. and gives us life abundantly. What does he steal from us. He doesn't steal money or cars or "air bags". He wants to steal our first love. Why? so we will become distracted and mechanical about our religion. He wants to steal from us the calling on our lives... to be intercessors... to be teachers... to do whatever He called us to do... and then weaken the body of Christ. (Boy, Jim Cymbala sure explained that better than I did.) Letting the enemy steal from us only makes the body of Christ weaker... and there are so many other things that he steals....

The solution.... Resist the devil and He will flee from you. Arise in the name of Jesus and get back to your First Love.... take hold of the calling that He called you to.... and whatever He is stealing from those you love... Pray.. Pray... Pray for them with faith and fervor... boldly coming to the throne of grace and travailing for them until Christ is formed in them.... or until God heals, brings abundant life.... brings them a place of holiness.... releases them from sin.... etc..

Okay..... that is a reminder. Anyone who was there can add to this as I am sure I didn't do it justice. BUT GLORY TO HIS NAME..... WE HAD CHURCH LAST NIGHT!!!!! :-)