Isaiah 65:17-19

New Heavens and a New Earth

17 "Behold, I will create

new heavens and a new earth.

The former things will not be remembered,

nor will they come to mind.
18 But be glad and rejoice forever

in what I will create,

for I will create Jerusalem to be a delight

and its people a joy.

19 I will rejoice over Jerusalem

and take delight in my people;

the sound of weeping and of crying

will be heard in it no more."

Bible Study

A few weeks ago, Roomie and I decided to visit a small group thing that was going on at Cornerstone Christian Church in Albany/Slingerlands. We went with the hopes of finding a small group that would be able to cater to our age group so we could meet other people our age. There are not a lot of people in my church who are around the same age as me and I was looking for some fellowship with people right around my age group. So we happened upon this one small group that is located in Delmar every Wednesday night and we decided to check it out. Well I missed last week, which was the first week, but was able to make it this week. Now we had a bit of homework as well. We've been working through a study called Made: Created To Make a Difference.

This study is all about using the gifts and talents that God gives each individual to serve others and make an impact on the world, both individually and as a body. Each day you have a chapter to read that is on a topic that ties in with making a difference for Christ. In one of the chapters it really brings home the need to be using the giftings that God gives us in order to show others Christ's love through servanthood. It references Mark 10:43b (MSG) which says "Whoever wants to be great must become a servant." In part of the workbook section to this bible study there is a Living Out section. It's basically active homework. This weeks question was this:

Look at the list below and pick one person, from the categories listed, that your are going to seek ways to serve in this coming week.

Talk about your plans with the group.

Why did you pick this person?

How do you plan to serve them?

And the list is as follows...

• Spouse


• Parent


• Work Associate


• Friend


• Someone with whom you have a strained relationship


• A person who you know is in need


• Child


• Extended Family Member


• Neighbor


• Stranger
  

We then went around the room and shared who we were picking and why. It was an opportunity to become vulnerable with each other, some of us being complete and total strangers, and to know that this was something to be worked on this week and to keep each other accountable.

Needless to say, I picked my mom.

I feel like I'm not always there for her the way I should be, being her only child and all. And as much as I know she needs help cleaning the house, getting to the grocery store, the pharmacy and anywhere else she may need to go, I often find myself unable to accomodate her needs because I'm already too busy or I'm just plain selfish. ( Yes, I'm now being vulnerable to all of you readers as well.) So I shared with the bible study group about the rough year she has had with everything and how I would make it a point to get over to her house to clean it up this week.

This seemed to spawn a whole other concept where several others involved in this bible study offered to help me clean her place if they thought she wouldn't mind. Someone even wanted to do a covert operation in which I get her out of the house and we all sneak in and clean it while she's out. I don't know that that will be happening although it does sound kind of fun and sneaky. But they also offered to take her to the store to get groceries, to take her to the pharmacy, or even to just swing by and see if she needed anything at all. The leaders decided to make her a priority.

Considering the fact that I don't even go to church with any of these people it was such a blessing to see a group of people come together and be so generous and accepting to someone they don't even know yet. So willing to serve others as Jesus would. It really means a lot to me!!!

I really look forward to continuing on in this study and serving others as I go. I know that there will be many opportunities to serve people through this bible study and I will be keeping my eyes open for any and all opportunities that may arise. I want to be able to use the gifts that God has given me to serve his people and those who are in need of His merciful salvation. After all, what's the point in recieving a gift from someone if you never open it or just put it in storage?

Well I will keep you all posted as I continue on in this bible study. Looking forward to your thoughts and ideas on serving others! And I will be sure to follow up when I have completed the mission of cleaning my mom's house this week. Until then, so long...

My Strength Is Not Mine Alone

Well this has been an incredibly hectic week! Thankfully the shower went off incredibly well! I will be getting pictures up as soon as I can remember to have my laptop, camera and camera cord in one location all at the same time. It was so much fun though. I owe a special thanks to all of those who helped organize and host, as well as those who helped clean up afterward. I wouldn't have been able to do it without you all, so thank you!!!

I then proceeded to go to a friend's house for yet another intense game of Mau. Which was incredibly fun and difficult. A lot of people had a rough time learning the rules of the game (which are not to be discussed). And Forever Friend played as well for the first time which was incredibly amusing.

After that, the week sort of went downhill! I came into work on Monday morning to get a message on my voicemail saying that one of my participants had passed away on Sunday afternoon and therefore wouldn't be attending program. It was such hard news to take... This participant was a very good man and will be greatly missed! I barely had time to take in the news myself when I had to gather all of my staff together and share the bad news with them before sending them on the road and saying, "Don't forget, be positive for the other guys!" That was a rough one to swallow.

Within an hour of sending them on the road I got a call that one of the other participants had hurt himself and I needed to take him to the ER. He ended up needing 6 staples in his head. From there I brought him home and then got word that we were telling all the rest of the participants about the passing. So I headed over to the church where the news had already been broken to them and we were creating a list of all the positive memories everyone had of this participant.

I spent all day being the bearer of bad news. It's not easy to be the one to have to call all the people that he was near and dear to from the program, former county managers, former staff, former day hab coordinators, and give them the news of his passing.

Last night I went to the wake and was able to face his mother. She was incredibly composed. If it had been my child I don't feel that I would have been able to hold the same composure. She deserves a lot of credit in my book. A lot of other participants and staff showed up for the wake and service. It turned out to be a celebration of his life and not a mourning. It was a very beautiful thing to see all of the people gather together in honor of someone who touched their life.

All in all, the stress of this week has not yet let up and I don't know when it will but I know that the strength with which I am walking is not a strength of my own or a strength that is of the natural. And it is that strength that I have been holding on to and will continue to hold on to!!!

Romans 8:38-39

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 8:38-39

Welcome Back

Well I had recently gotten into blogging and I worked very hard creating my blog and arranging it the way I wanted. I really liked it! I had written some entries about my God-Daughter and a hot air balloon trip and was really getting into it! It was so exciting to me. But then I came across a web site that had new and different blogger layouts...And I began to get a little greedy with the layout and design of my blog. I though...If I could just have that design or that layout it would make my page look so amazing! So I tried it...I copied and pasted the html and so on and so forth and after several failed attempts I got one to work and save in the html section! I was thrilled and elated......until I viewed my blog and decided I didn't like the layout as much as I thought I would. On top of that most of my widgets disappeared. So I decided to change it back. But it wouldn't go back...and it would recreate any of my pictures or widgets or edits. And I realized something....on the spiritual side. God provides us all with a specific design or layout for our lives that is specifically programmed to meet each of our needs. But all too often I find myself looking at other people's layouts and designs wishing I had their layout or design. I often think life would be so much better if I had a cooler layout or if I had the design of someone else. But then I try to adapt that layout into MY life and it doesn't fit...doesn't work...and doesn't look the same at all. The things that I had built up in my mind to be so fabulous and so wonderful only seem to fail when I try and fit them into my design...You know, the one that God picked for me and I forget is the perfect design for my life. I find that the only time my design fits and works for the life God created for me is when I walk in his will for my life...His good, pleasing and perfect will.



Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God's mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship. Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God's will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Romans 12:1-2 (NIV)