Praise God for being with us!

    We have been doing a sermon series on the Holy Spirit and I want to share some thoughts from the last couple of weeks that have been an encouragement to me! 

    The Holy is always with us! He never leaves or forsakes us. He is with us in the supermarket just as much as in a church. He dwells within us, giving us a heart of flesh. Jesus calls the Spirit an advocate and a helper for us. The Spirit reminds us of the things that Jesus teaches us and also opens up the scriptures and reveals God to us. The Spirit convicts us when we don’t look like Jesus. He helps transform us into people who will be ready for life to come. The Spirit leads us into all truth. If Jesus says this is better, we ought to believe him.

    And that is great peace to us. It means that we don't have to rely on rules and regulations to change us. We already have the agent of change inside of us making us new. We get to move from knowing all the right things to a relationship.

    We get to bring about the kingdom of God here and now. We get to be a part of the redemptive work that Jesus is doing in the world. We are his hands and feet. In our interactions with others and in our jobs, we can bring about the kingdom of God. We get to show people what heaven will look like. Ask the Spirit to change you and help you bring about his kingdom here!

Representing the green team in the corefa Olympics

    It can be easy to either be self-sufficient in your growth or insecure in your own growth. Self-sufficient types put their trust in themselves to make changes in their lives. The insecure compare themselves to others and are always afraid that they won't measure up. Both of these camps are self-centered and I have been in both of them, depending on the day. We all need conviction and correction, through those things we have to cultivate reliance on God. We have to listen to what God says about us, not what the world says. "In renewing our minds, our pattern is Jesus." We have to go to God to define our worth and value. We are children of the King and we have to live out of that security and freedom in him. We have to think and live facing God, to see where he is moving and follow him there.

Our core had a sleepover the other weekend!

    The most recent sermon we had was one on the Spirit in friendship and community! We aren't called to be independent. Jesus is shaping us into a people for his name. The transformational power of the Spirit is great but he shapes and remakes us together in him. We get to be people who walk alongside each other in life, building each other up and loving one another well. We are never alone because of the Spirit within us and also because of the community that God has given us.

Drew with our niece!

our Godson and I!

    The Spirit is a vital part of our walk with Jesus. Be encouraged that you have the mind of God with you always, shaping you and helping you live in harmony with his children!

Thanks to everyone who helped make showcase great and everyone who donated to the cause!!