SHEsaysWITHaSMILE.blogspot.com

OUR CHURCH, OUR GLUE by (me!) sandra, tvgp

the sooner i'm employed again, the better

and in my enthusiasm to work.. i nearly sacrificed what has become one of my personal favorite days of the week, and most valuable to our family and friends

yes i need $$

but! especially after last sunday.. when we all met at centerpointe.. my sister, my niece, my nephew.. my mom .. my handsome prince.. his daughters... me, my daughter, my son.. carol

and not everyone is there, every sunday.. but often enough

and my daughter's boyfriend may be joining us..

and there are so many beautiful faces of friends and family..

it is literally our centerpointe; this church. the one day and place we all gather to have our hearts and minds renewed; reminded; reinvigorated

and always beautiful music... and always a great message, great lesson from pastor mike for those of us in worship

and equally valuable messages, lessons for our children in their individual classes

the blessings of so many friendships..

and so often, we gather afterward, for lunch together.. and always i feel God smiling at us; on us; through us...

i am happy to work just about any hours, mon-sat, and even sunday late afternoon and evening. but i came to the conclusion i will not work sunday mornings and will always be at church to thank God for our blessings and to ask for help on our journey.

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i feel very connected to the spirit world

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few weeks back pastor mike described -as quoted from a different author/book.. something about two types of knowledge

i'll paraphrase: descriptive vs. experiential

he used the currently popular -indoor sky diving, as an example. it is a place you can safely experience what it might be like to sky dive; an indoor simulation...

and you can read about the experience on their website.. and you are knowledgeable about it, because you have read what it is like: that falls in the descriptive knowledge category

and then you can pay to go have the actual experience, and that falls in the experiential category

-you know from your personal experience.

for me, personally,

my knowledge of God, is far more experiential than descriptive. that is, i continue to read the bible.. and gain small amounts, here and there, about God through reading about him

but even without full knowledge of the bible

i experience God on a fairly regular basis. only other people who share this experience know what i'm talking about.. (although access is available to everyone seeking)

but we do know; God. and we do not doubt his existence or presence in the face of suffering... we know all things (including suffering) -can be used for the good for those who believe

i believe.

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i'm aware of my personal growth and accomplishments -not in the worldly ways, but spiritual. and i am aware of what areas God is continuing to work on with me, through life experiences i encounter daily

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the big life lessons.. are too much for me to document. much of my schooling goes on through personal prayer with God

but every once in a while, a tiny, delightful example of the God i've come to know, presents itself, and i share it out loud with my children

may seem silly at first, but -this is an example of the God i have come to know:

i went to park at a local basketball game. parking lot was very crowded. i wanted to park close because it was raining. the only spot available would have required me to parallel park; not a strength of mine, but i was willing to give it a go

cars are lining up behind me and my kids are asking me to just give up.. find a different spot

i'm like.. i think i can remember how to do this. ...

in truth.. i couldn't remember and failed on my first try...

but i was still willing to try again.. despite having to make a few people wait behind me...

next thing you know, the people who own the car in the front spot, show up and get inside and drive off, which made it perfectly easy for me to park because i no longer had to squeeze between two cars

i slid write in.

i said out loud.. "now that! is the God i've come to know" -even in my weaknesses.. i am not punished; i am helped.

now.. for each of us,.. there are strengths and weaknesses.. and there are weaknesses God will work with you on to become strengths.. through, sorry to say.. sometimes hard life experiences

but there are also weaknesses, God accepts.. would never dream of punishing you for.. ridiculing you for; nor will he try to change them; he just reaches out through people and circumstances to help you

so beautiful; so merciful; so loving and kind

you will never be required to be perfect; but you will be asked to do the best you can


hallelujah! & amen!


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also.. paraphrasing, but on my mind.. pastor mike breaks down the story of the bible in 4 parts

the creation; the fall; the recreation; ... eternal life(?)


when he talks about the fall of man... adam/eve -doing the one thing they were told not to.. separating themselves from God by falling into temptation

the fall represents for me.. well, it serves as evidence of our free will. God could have easily created us to obey all his commandments

but God did not create robots. we choose.

and i could spend hours contemplating the awe factor of free will... i see evidence of it everywhere...

now.. this evidence does not eliminate forms of determinism.. -this exists also..

we have genetics, we have brain wiring, we have predispositions, we have culture, we have human bodies of flesh and bone

but we also have spirit; we also have free will. amazing.

i am constantly amazed.


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and worth relistening to joel osteen speak about being fireproof.. this is my experience also.. that God won't always prevent the fire

he'll be with you as you enter the fire.. remain with you in the fire..

stand with open arms of love on the other side

helping you to become fireproof... not easily offended; not easily frightened; not easily intimidated... not easily presuaded to doubt, not easily tempted, etc, etc,

this ability to stand tall and strong and confident in the face of ... anything and anyone

and so that sums up my prayer requests.. yes, Dear God.. help me to become fireproof.

thank you! amen

posted by SHE @ 8:59 AM