December 4 Care Group Dinner

We shared a beautiful evening together around our table with good food, good conversation, and enjoying the love and peace of God!  Here's a run-down of our dinner:

First Course:
Antipasto with Capicola, Sopressata, Prosciutto Italian lunchmeats, Asiago, Montegrappa, and Alta Badia cheeses.  Side dishes and sauces were roasted red peppers, mustard-horseradish-beer dipping sauce, cranberry apple chutney, Italian brined olives and baguettes, celery, carrots.

Second Course:
Roasted Red Pepper Soup (Here's the recipe, Sue!)
On a cookie sheet place a layer of cut up red bell peppers with the skin side down (5 or 6 nice sized ones), then place about a third of a Vidalia Onion sliced over the peppers, spread over that 5 or 6 cloves of garlic cut in chunks, then layer a large sliced carrot, about 1 cup of frozen corn, sprinkle a nice amount of salt and pepper, drizzle a lot of olive oil over the top and bake in a 375 degree oven for 45 minutes until everything is sizzling and cooked tender.  Place all ingredients in a blender and add chicken broth to thin the soup.  We usually do the blender part in 2 portions because it can't all fit.  Serve with a dollop of sour cream or heavy cream to finish.

Third Course:
Penne Pasta with Tony's Fresh Tomato Sauce
Tony harvests his Roma and San Marzano tomatoes in August and September and laboriously makes pots of sauce to freeze for the winter.  He uses lots of garlic, olive oil, pepper, salt, fresh Basil and Oregano and finishes the sauce with fresh Feta cheese melted on top.  We always serve pasta with grated Pecorino Romano cheese.

Last Course:
Italian Desserts
We went to the Strip District in Pittsburgh, and at Pennsylvania Macaroni Company we found Toasted Sesame Cookies, Toasted Almond Cookies, Almond and Fig Cake, Fresh Figs and Chocolate Dipped Biscotti.  At Enrico Biscotti Company we found a Hazelnut Ricotta Chocolate Torte, Pecan Sandies and Coconut Macaroons.  We served these with espresso and regular coffee.

We shared our thoughts on Philippians Chapter 4 while we enjoyed dessert.  What a great group of friends.  We are truly blessed to have such rich fellowship and godly examples in everyone!!

November 6 Care Group

We read Philippians 3 tonight.  Here are the comments from the sections:
v. 1-3
When we rejoice in the Lord it's a safe place to be.  It focuses our attention on what we have to be thankful for.  We must learn to trust God as being in control in all times.  "Beware of the dogs" in Greek had alliteration for emphasis against the Judaizers who were polluting people's faith by adding works.  God gives us clear warnings against perverting the gospel here and also in Jude and Gal 1.  Perversions of the gospel could happen about multitudes of issues from parenting to politics to schooling.  We must be on guard to not get arrogant and worldly about minor issues and forget the more important things.
v. 4-9
We should never put our hope in this world but only in God.  We can't count on worldly credentials to mean anything in God's kingdom.  The reality of grace when we get saved is such a miracle that we consider our past as "rubbish" when we come to Him.  As we walk with God there's a constant realization of loss, or succession of losses, then grace, then loss, then grace...as we get to know more of who we are in Christ, leaving our "rubbish" behind.  I want this to be my heart cry - "the surpassing value of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord."
v. 10-14
Paul had a focus.  He was intent on knowing Jesus - pressing on like a race, all else was rubbish.  This is a good wake-up call because we get distracted so easily by all the stuff of this earth.  We should ask ourselves "Where's the proof that I'm really living by faith?" and "What does running well look like?" - humility, putting others ahead of ourselves, bearing fruit...  Running has a destination, otherwise we meander aimlessly.  We want to hear "Well done, good and faithful servant" someday!  We long for that upward call and are heading towards heaven.  We want to finish well.
v. 20
Our citizenship is in heaven!  We await our Savior!!

October 23 Care Group

We discussed Philippians 2:12-30 this evening.  Here are the themes we talked about:

-Feel the weight of "my beloved" in v. 12 and let God's overwhelming love for you affect your whole life.
-Cooperate with God because God is at work within you.  Have a holy fear of God that moves you to walk and obey Him reverently.
-God's divine order is that He has laid the foundation of our lives (justification, washing, filling with the Spirit), so now we can live a holy life and work hard for His purposes.
-These verses mean so much especially during times of trial.
-Verses 14-18 are challenging to any christian.  They mean that we should never act like entitled children who are always complaining about someone else's actions or motives.
-Grumbling is unbelief and not trusting God.
-Getting sucked into these horrible kinds of patterns (grumbling, complaining) steals our joy and is destructive to our souls.  It's like getting pushed along by a current that makes us realize, all of a sudden, that we have drifted so far from where we want to be with God.
-Verses 19-30 - God gives us great examples of putting others first, laying ourselves down and serving God.

October 9 Care Group

We discussed Philippians 2:1-11.  Tony divided it into 4 sections.  Here's what we talked about:
Part 1:  The Foundation for the Command - verses 1-2
-Paul must have been addressing problems and divisions because he stressed loving unity, encouragement and affection in that church.  Later he mentions 2 women whom he calls upon to work out their differences.
-We must remember all that Christ did for us and be focused on the gospel as a body.  It's the only thing that will get us "on the same page."
-God always lays the foundation for our obedience first before He commands us to do something.
-It's very simple.  We confuse each other when we try to make things more complicated than they really are.
Part 2:  The Command - verses 3-4
-There's no wiggle room for us to excuse our selfishness.
-We all have the boastful pride of life and we lean toward our own interests naturally.
-Jesus is the only One who is really important.
-God is determined to root out pride from our lives, all evil intentions, rivalry, conceit, jealousy, and envy.
-God has plans for us to care for others in big ways and small ways.  He sees all our actions and wants to challenge us to care for others, especially those who don't care for us in return.
-It's encouraging to know that God sees!
-Because of Christ in us we are being used for His glory.  In heaven one day there will be so much rejoicing over "When did I visit You, Lord?" and finding out that He was pleased with things we did for Him in caring for others.
Part 3:  The Humility of Christ - verses 5-8
-In loving our Savior, the most humble servant who ever lived, we are called to live in humility every moment.
-Jesus didn't grasp at equality with God!  We are so small and should live in light of that as well.
-Our selfish desires to grasp heaven and glory is the opposite of what Jesus did.  He gave it all up for us.
-In His washing the disciples' feet Jesus did what others were not willing to do.  He taught us how to live as servants.
-Part 4:  The Exaltation of Christ - verses 9-11
-The cross was a foul and odious way to die.  Jesus chose the worst and most painful death, including all the torture beforehand, because it was part of the plan.  He is our example.  Doesn't this put our minuscule life issues in perspective?
-Now Our Savior is The Most Exalted One!

September 18 Care Group

Thanks to Pat for the great snacks!  We met at the DeVivos' home and continued our study of Philippians.  We read Phil 1: 12-30 in three parts.

Part 1:  verses 12-18 - Guiding Questions - What was Paul so passionate about?  Do you share in it?  Do you face any challenges?

The gospel was Paul's passion, preached in any way, because he longed for God to get glory.
We "adorn" the gospel when we live a life worthy of the gospel, bearing fruit that gives Him glory.
It's tough to compare ourselves to Paul.  We can have the same passion but not have the same kind of ministry.
Matt 5:16 - Let your light so shine before men so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven.
God has us where we are for a reason so that we can be used for His purpose.
We cannot compare ourselves to each other.  We have each been given a measure of grace.  We need to surrender our hearts to Him, relax and live for Him.  Like the prodigal son, we can just turn  to Him, let Him fill us and bear His fruit through us.
Even in times of suffering God uses us to relate to the broken vulnerability of the lost.  God uses us in all seasons, in all times of trial and blessing.  Trust Him!
God moves when we obey Him and do what He wants.

Part 2:  verses 19-26 - Guiding Questions - What does Paul mean by v. 21?  How can we relate this to our lives?

Since we're still here on earth and not in heaven, it means fruitful labor.  God brings us the work we are to do for Him.
Dying = gain for me
Living = work for others for their good
Paul died to self at a deep level.  He walked in the power of the resurrection and he suffered greatly for Jesus' name.
We should be eager to lose everything for His name's sake.

Part 3:  verses 27-30

Let your life be worthy of the gospel of Christ.  Stand firm in one spirit.  In our suffering we still have grace and the presence of God with us because Jesus took the painful isolation of torment in suffering for us.

September 4 Care Group

Philippians Bible Study

We began our evening with some great snacks brought by Debbie, then we sang our hearts out.  When we gathered at the table we read Acts 16:6-40 where Luke recounts the birth of the Philippian Church.  We agreed that there are many, many wonderful sections in this passage to comment on; miracles, demons, the gospel, time issues, the jailer's conversion, Lydia, etc.

The gospel can penetrate any one's heart and reveal Himself.  It's always miraculous when it happens, no matter the circumstances.

The Holy Spirit redirected Paul and Silas toward Philippi.  The entire journey was framed by the supernatural.  God caused tremendous fruit to come forth by His power and grace.

God's providence sent them such a great distance for Lydia.  We must trust God even when it's difficult to see the wisdom behind His direction.

We pray regularly "Lord, open this door!" and yet sometimes what we really need is a closed door!  We shared personal stories about how God told us "no" in certain circumstances and it was a blessing indeed.  "No" is a comforting answer from a loving father.

Paul and his companions were beaten over and over and suffered so much for the gospel - such opposition.  Like today in areas like Afghanistan and North Korea where there is daily great persecution and threat to believers.  Yet God sends his people there who are ready to face suffering and death because they know it's God's will.  We need to pray for our brethren in dangerous places in the world!

Philippians 1:1-11

Paul obviously had such a deep affection for this group of people.  He hadn't seen them in many years and yet his heart longing remained for their welfare.  The Philippians sent someone to care for Paul's needs.  And at the same time Paul sent them a letter to care for them.  He encouraged them with amazing words that ring loudly in our hearts today!  We can imagine them reading his letter with tears and full hearts!

August 7 Care Group Summary

After chatting for a while about what's been going on in our lives since we last met, we read John 20 out loud and discussed some of Tony's questions.  Here are some of the themes we talked about:

-Jesus first revealed himself after the Resurrection to Mary Magdalene.  She wasn't a person of importance and this inspiring fact proves to us that Jesus loves to show himself to nobodies and sinners.
-God reaches out to the lowly, unimportant and common people on this planet.
-The most depraved and unlovable ones are people that God can reach and turn around for his glory.  They are worth praying for and not too hard for God to change.
-John called himself "the one whom Jesus loved."  May we all carry that around in our hearts.
-Lord, help us to care as you do and reach out to the ones you are reaching toward.
-God uses even little children to speak to us and remind us of his truth and his love.  God is amazing!
-God gives us "reality checks" of his presence among us sometimes just like he did with the disciples after the Resurrection.  He calls us to pray and expect him to move and be faithful to his promises.

June 5 Care Group

Tonight we celebrated the end of our book and shared some blessings that God has been working in our lives.  We agreed that a summary of the main message of "The Greener Grass Conspiracy" Chapter 12 is - God wants us to be content here on earth, but true satisfaction will only come in heaven.  Below are the themes and questions we discussed:
-What do you know about heaven?  What do you look forward to in heaven?  What do the scriptures say about heaven?
-Jesus repeatedly said "My Father who is in heaven."  So heaven is where God is.  Jesus also repeatedly mentioned "the kingdom of heaven" so it is a place where there is a king.
-Phil 3:20 "our citizenship is in heaven" - Our true passport is stamped with heaven and someday we'll have glorified bodies and be undefiled with Him.
-The throng of heaven worships Jesus face to face there.
-We want to see our brethren who, here on earth are afflicted with pain and suffering, freed and rejoicing and dancing in heaven.
-The marriage supper of the Lamb will be awesome and we can't wait to eat that food!
-There will be no more sorrow, no more tears, the wretched suffering that we witness every day makes us long for heaven.
-A fulfillment of joy will be there when we see the release of suffering for all God's people.
-Can we imagine a "perfect" place?
-Perfect love is there, with nothing defiling it.
-Everything here is affected by sin, but there no sin will be influencing any part of our lives.
-Ps 16:11 - You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy; at your right hand are pleasures forevermore.  We know that in heaven we will have that fullness of joy and we can't even imagine the pleasures that God has in store for us.
-The book of John refers to "Life" 27 times.  Jesus talked about eternal life.  It's what He intended for us all along.  One day the glory of the Lord will cover the earth.  Jesus is our ultimate life.  He's so much bigger than we can imagine, like getting swallowed up by a tsunami.  Paul couldn't talk about what he saw in the 3rd heaven because it was so amazing.  So while we are still here we are subject to all kinds of trials and suffering.  We must long for heaven and stay focused on doing God's will until the final day.
-There are many specific details we don't know about heaven, yet we're given glimpses and tastes here on earth, beautiful landscapes, flowers, beaches...
-All the pleasures we experience here are marred by sin, but there they will be perfect.
-It's good to let our current situations and needs move us to pray for answers.  Also we can be aware that someday all those areas will be dealt with completely and forever in heaven.  It encourages us now to know that there is will be an end to every need and struggle for God's children.
-In this earthly body we groan and long for immortality and life in heaven.
-It will be wonderful to have His amazing loving open arms always there in front of us with no separation.
-We can appreciate our good days all the more because of bad days.  Our trials are a constant reminder of how needy we are and how much we cannot sustain ourselves.
-The creativity of God is seen in how many ways He inspires us to explore His creation here and work on aspects of His glorious works.  Heaven can only be a more focused opportunity to serve Him and express His glory.

May 22 Care Group

After some amazing rhubarb crunch and brownies we sang about our Father's Deep Love for us and how faithful He is.  Here are the themes we discussed:
-Why does God allow us to suffer?
-As gold is refined by fire, so we are stripped of impurities as we "fight the good fight of faith."
-We are called to share the sufferings of Christ.  In small ways He lets us understand more profoundly how Jesus suffered for us.
-It exalts Christ when we are provided for through sufferings and trials.  When we give glory to God and don't curse Him in suffering it gives Him glory.
-We become more compassionate toward others when we've gone through trials.  He works things into us for His glory and then uses us to reach others.  Then we will be less prone to judge others and be critical.
-It's good for others to be used to help us through to find an answer.
-It's humbling to need Him and be reduced to a place of need.
-There are things we go through that we won't see the fruit of until heaven - just like how we are looking at the underside of the woven tapestry.
-Romans 8:16-18 The Spirit himself bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God, and if children, then heirs-heirs of God and fellow heirs with Christ, provided we suffer with him in order that we may also be glorified with him.  For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us.
-2 Cor 4:17 For this slight momentary affliction is preparing for us an eternal weight of glory beyond all comparison.
-Our afflictions don't feel slight or momentary now.  We can go through seasons of not knowing how God is working any good in our situation.  It can challenge our relationship with God to truly grasp that He feels compassion for us and yet allows the suffering to come.
-We are called to always try to comfort and help anyone who is suffering.
-Lam 3:22-23 The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.
-The Lord doesn't afflict the sons of men willingly.  We are blessed to actually be able to understand suffering in a clearer way than generations of old.
-In Job's day they associated suffering with sin.  Israel cried "Why does the righteous one suffer?"
-We know Christ is at work now.  He's making us fit to bear His eternal glory someday.
-For some of us God uses our suffering to bring us to Christ in the first place.  God is so wise that we can't fathom the good He's working in situations.
-Rom 8:28 "For those whom He foreknew..." - His goal is to make us like Christ.
-Could there be anything more wonderful than realizing He has formed His Son in us?
-Every Psalm ends on a note of hope!
-Acts 9: 15-16 God spoke to Ananias to go lay hands on Saul and said "Go, for he is a chosen instrument of mine to carry my name before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel.  For I will show him how much he must suffer for the sake of my name."

May 8 Care Group

After the Angels brought us a lovely dessert of angel food cake and fruit salad...We sang about "How Deep the Father's Love For Us" is.  Then we discussed Chapter 9 of our book.  Here are the comments discussed:
-Be quick to respond to God when He drops something in your heart to do for someone else.  We want to be responsive to the moving of the Holy Spirit.
-Complaining is dangerous.  It shows a lack of faith, casts dispersions on God's character, and nullifies our trust in the sovereignty of God.
-Ps 19:14 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer.
-Prayer - May I not have the audacity to accuse You, Lord.  Please make me thankful for the multitude of blessings you have poured on me.
-Complaining is saying that God didn't "get it right."  Bitterness is saying that "God got it wrong."  We want to be thankful people, far from complaining and bitterness.
-We can be quick to see the "half-empty" areas of our lives, yet God is showing us how to see His blessings everywhere.
-When pride is in control and you're angry at God, you need to humble yourself.  Then you can pray and God will hear you!
-Jesus didn't break a bruised reed.  The humility of Christ is our ultimate example.  His unbroken relationship with us is our most precious gift.
-When things are going well, it's easy to see blessings.  It's during suffering that we need to remember how good God is.
-Ps 19:12-13 Who can discern his errors?  Declare me innocent from hidden faults.  Keep back your servant also from presumptuous sins;  let them not have dominion over me!  Then I shall be blameless, and innocent of great transgression.
-God peels away layers of our pride and exposes our complaining during trials.  We can cry to Him to help us change.
-A joyless life is one where we can keep on doing "religious" things, going to church, etc. and then go to work and cast shadows.  It can be easy to join in a complaint feast.  We need to be on guard to not be a negative example to those we work with.
-We long for Jesus to come back.  Complaining is a sign of a deeper sin - discontentment.  We fall easily into forgetfulness and not being mindful of His precious gifts to us.
-Ps 111 Praise the Lord!  I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart, in the company of the upright, in the congregation.  Great are the works of the Lord, studied by all who delight in them.  Full of splendor and majesty is his work, and his righteousness endures forever.  He has caused his wondrous works to be remembered; the Lord is gracious and merciful.
-There is a time to bring a complaint to God in the spirit of the psalms.  Not the kind that strikes against His good and loving character.
-Trust God - When you're in the working world, you're regularly challenged by others' blessings.  Do we remember at those times to give thanks for all things God has given us?
-God promises to change us step by step.  He who began a good work will complete it until the day of Christ.
-Even as we get older with health challenges, etc., the spiritual blessings alone that God has heaped on us are more than enough to keep us thankful!  For example:  justification, reconciliation, favor of God, His promise to keep doing good in our lives...
-We should not ever accuse Him of doing wrong in any area of our lives.  "Discontentment sucks the joy out of life."
-Thank God for all things, even those that don't look good on the surface.  He is working a greater good.
-It's good to recognize complaint in our hearts.  When life doesn't turn out the way you thought it would, it's time to trust the Lord to bring it to a better result than what we could imagine.
-Even when we regret the ways we reacted in a situation, God can still redeem it.  We need to trust Him.
-There are times when we see God's sovereignty better than others with past decisions.  We need to trust that God works even our mistakes in His sovereign plans for good.
-God's economy is NOT the U.S. economy.  Nor does He follow worldly rules and standards.  He is NOT dependent on us for our blessings.
-"Discontent is a fretting humor which dries the brain, wastes the spirits, and corrodes and eats out the comfort of life.  Discontent makes a man so that he does not enjoy what he possesses."  Thomas Watson
-It's true that complaining stops us from enjoying the good things God has given us.
-Ps 121:5-7  The Lord is your keeper; the Lord is your shade on your right hand.  The sun shall not strike you by day, nor the moon by night.  The Lord will keep you from all evil; he will keep your life."  A "keeper" is one who intentionally takes care of you and provides for you.  Yes!
-We can tremble when we complain because when we shake our fist at God, He's exposing our hearts.  This should remind us that we are but grass and will wither one day.  It's good to remember how small we really are.
-Assuming a lot of responsibility either at work or in our homes can make us resentful for "wrong decisions" we make, not seeing God using us, and can be a source of pride.  We must trust God with every situation He sends to us and not "lean on our own understanding."

April 17 Care Group Spring Dinner

We enjoyed a great time of eating, laughing and talking about God's promises on Tuesday night. Here are some of God's precious promises that we hold dear:

Hebrews 13:5 - Be content with what you have, for he has said "I will never leave you nor forsake you."

Lamentations 3:22-23 - The steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness.

Jeremiah 32:40 - I will make with them an everlasting covenant, that I will not turn away from doing good to them. And I will put the fear of me in their hearts, that they may not turn from me.

more to come...

March 20 Care Group

We began the evening with great snacks from Sue, then sang about the Throne of Grace and How Good It Is to be loved by our Lord.

We read Chapter 7 of our book. Tony read Philippians 4:11-12 "Not that I am speaking of being in need, for I have learned in whatever situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low, and I know how to abound. In any and every circumstance, I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance and need."

We all must learn contentment as life's experiences squeeze us, shape us and press us. This isn't easy or pleasant. Sometimes it hurts.

Just like a Potter with the clay, His hands weigh down on us and make us more like Him. We all need His work so much in our lives. We tend to be dull and learn slowly. He is patient and continues to work in us for our good and His glory.

Our prayer is "Lord, please help us to remember that You're still there when it feels like nothing is underneath us holding us up."

We just look to His providence as a comfort in times of trial.

Can you reflect on situations that God has allowed to teach you contentment in life? It's good for us to give thanks to God and see what He's working into us.

We can't be overly concerned with our reputations, our own agendas and our comfort.

There may be times when we can't really see what God is doing or even how He could get glory from certain trials. But that doesn't mean we can't trust Him to be sustaining us and taking care of us in every way.

March 6 Care Group

We started the evening with chips and dip, and huge chocolate chip cookies baked by Julie!! Then we sang about God's throne of grace and His amazing love.

Our discussion of Chapter 6 of our book began with processing the amazing exchange that has taken place. Jesus has taken all our sins and the punishment - we don't have to pay for them! - and He pours out blessings on us instead, and we deserve none of them. What mercies, what fullness.

"On our worst days we are doing infinitely better than we deserve."

Zephaniah 3:17 "The Lord your God is in your midst, a mighty one who will save; he will rejoice over you with gladness; he will quiet you by his love; he will exult over you with loud singing." We need to remember and focus on the fact that Jesus loves us and actually rejoices over us. Instead of remembering all our failures, we need to center on His amazing love!

2Cor 5:14 "For the love of Christ controls us." We need to think about that and let God give us ideas about how to show His love to those around us. The Psalms are filled with references to His love. Though there are many more references to His wrath, we must never forget that He is indeed a God of love.

If we struggle with being really hard on ourselves, focusing on our sins, our faults, etc., it's because we don't have right theology and don't understand His love.

We can be His conduit and send His love through the Gospel to others. "They will know you are my disciples by your love."

This world is intent on destroying anyone in the public eye. We should represent everything God is to us when we deal with people who don't know Him. When people see us react in a grace-filled way under pressure, they will want what we have.

It's a huge testimony of God's love when people see us loving each other. New believers can walk into our church and see husbands and wives being affectionate, respectful children, peace and stability and love that is palpable.

He has changed our hearts of stone into hearts of flesh. We have the compassion of God moving in and through us.

Jesus moved in compassion, saw sinners as sheep without a shepherd, and felt for and with those around Him.

Thomas Watson quote on p. 70 "Are you not heir to all the promises? Do you not have a foretaste of heaven? When you let go of your natural life, are you not sure of eternal life? Has not God given you the earnest and first fruits of glory? Is not this enough to spur the heart to contentment?"

Being aware of His blessings moves us to love. Those who have been forgiven much love much. It's not a self-righteous love, but a humble, broken love.

The love of God can motivate us through our situational problems, infirmities, and trials and use us for His glory in the midst of it all!

As we go through life, having a good view of the Gospel kills a complaining spirit in us.

God wants us to have a great love for believers AND unbelievers.

I John says that we need to show our love not by words only, but by deeds. It's comforting to know that God sees all our acts of love in His name.

If we don't do works out of His love, we are as a noisy gong or clanging cymbal. His love is the key!

Remember that not only the world is watching, but our children also. They pay attention and will emulate God's love in ways that we don't expect.

February 21 Care Group

We began the evening with some beautiful sweet rolls and harvest bread made by Debbie! Then we sang about how our lives are really all about Him and the debt of love that we owe to our God.

First we discussed our prayer requests from last care group and heard some good reports. Tony read Romans 13:14 - But put on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make no provision for the flesh, to gratify its desires. Here are some themes discussed:

-It's encouraging to know that God is involved and working out His sanctification in our lives. It's humbling, but it's evidence of the fact that God IS at work in people's lives - in marriages, relationships, etc.

-A sign of God working through us is the non-judgmental way we can help each other through times of trial and temptation.

-We have no right to ever judge another no matter the sin, because it's guaranteed that we're struggling in another area.

-God's mission is to search out every pocket of sin in my life. He loves us so much. His mercy triumphs over sin.

-Sin is so much more detrimental than we realize. We must put on Christ because we don't have the equipment or the strength to combat sin and its effects.

-How do we put on Christ? By prayerful, purposeful effort to trust His word and then staying there. By worship: what a privilege to have time to worship Him during our days. By spending time in the Word.

-We get bombarded by the world. We are dependent on Him and are desperately in need of Jesus.

-We can take a moment in our stressful days to turn to Him for grace and strength and make godly decisions.

-We actively sow to the Spirit and not to our natural inclinations.

-God knows we have days where we feel empty and non-inspired. He is the source for all of our needs.

-Putting on Christ = loving other people. It leaves no room for judging and flippant reactions to other people's sins.

-We must remember how God loves us and how patient He is with us.

-Romans 13:8 "Owe no one anything, except to love each other, for the one who loves another has fulfilled the law."

-How does the love of God work out in our lives? In various ways, He motivates us to reach out to serve and love others in His name.

-Sometimes in His love He allows us to fail where we've judged others.

-People are hurting and need God - we need to pray for God to give us wisdom and love and time for others.

-Being satisfied in Him frees us from inhibitions that prevent us from loving others.

February 7 Care Group

We sang to our faithful God to start the evening. Then we shared about prayer, what we've been seeking from God, an answered prayer, or an insight from God's word. Here are some themes:

-Ps 90: 14-15 Satisfy us in the morning with your steadfast love, that we may rejoice and be glad all our days. Make us glad for as many days as you have afflicted us, and for as many years as we have seen evil. Someone shared that God has answered a long-standing prayer for the reconciliation of a loved one. God loves to make us glad and answer prayers after a time of waiting.

-Another family reported that all their daily needs have been met according to the Lord's prayer "Give us this day our daily bread." We can't take His provision lightly. He is good!

-Ps 40:8 I delight to do your will, Oh God. Our lives are not for our own purpose and pleasure, though God is so kind to give to us and bless us with countless gifts along our way. We are here to give Him glory and serve His ultimate purposes here on earth.

-My life is not my own and through my trials I see more clearly that my life is for His glory.

-God uses our trials to focus us on God and limit our ability to sin in certain ways.

-Trials strengthen our graces, for example, He increases our patience and other godly fruit in us when we are in the midst of trials.

-Our love for one another is growing as we help each other through trials and hard times.

-We remain forever thankful for our children and the gift of God they are to us.

-The parable of the woman who persistently petitioned the unrighteous judge teaches us to keep asking and not give up.

John 14:12 He who believes in me, the works I do he shall do also, and greater works will he do...Whatever you ask in my name, this I will do that the Father may be glorified in the Son.

The Syrophoenician woman's faith teaches us a great lesson. She was at first insulted by Jesus' reference to her as a dog not worthy of the children's bread. Then her faith was commended as she spoke of the dogs getting the crumbs that fall on the floor. So also we can have great faith to trust that God will hear our petitions. We should keep asking and not give up. Long-standing requests can make us keep coming to Him. They drive us TOWARD God, not away from Him.

-We can ask big things of God, not just the bare minimum. God is able to deliver completely!

-God wants to have natural communication with us. We can talk to Him as we would casually have an on-going dialogue with our earthly fathers.

I Thess 5:16-17 "Rejoice always. Pray without ceasing." This can be done naturally as we go about our days for God is always with us.

Ps 73:28 The nearness of God is my good. God is always near but there is a particular nearness when we are seeking God for answers to prayer. Sometimes answers come from unexpected sources.

-We can't count God out in any circumstance and call it hopeless.

I Thess 1:8 "you turned to God from idols to serve the living God and to wait for His Son from heaven." God is able to provide in impossible circumstances, make roadways in the wilderness, streams in the desert.

-God provides for the birds of the air. He provides for our families and gives us wisdom as we seek to lead our children.

Col 4:2 Continue steadfastly in prayer. God gives us simple, consistent reminders to pray for one another. Driving past a brother's house, seeing them across the street, etc. can be God's way of dropping someone into our minds for a prayer.

-Keep your eyes fixed on Jesus! Don't get distracted by any extremes or controversies that draw you away from our Wonderful Lord Jesus!

January 17 Care Group

After singing about the "10,000 Reasons" that we can find to worship God, we started discussing Chapter 4 of our book called "I worship my television."

Tony asked us "What is an idol in your life that steals the place God should have as Lord?" Some answers given were:
-unreal expectations of a spouse
-things, home improvements
-relationships
-respect and appreciation from others

Then we discussed how God delivers us from these idols?
-The Holy Spirit can speak to our hearts with a convicting word and break the power of the thing in our hearts and minds.
-The Holy Spirit can discipline us and redirect our thinking toward Him.
-God's word focuses our thoughts
-repentance and turning to God for washing
-humility

To keep things in perspective when you're craving something, it's good to remember people that have it worse than you. Biblical examples first and then others we know.

God's word and His ways are REAL and we need to trust and believe Him completely, living like His word is REAL.

"I want to think more and more of Him, and less and less of myself."

"I must decrease and He must increase" = True Contentment

Psalm 87:7 - "All my springs of joy are in You."

"Is this the time in our lives when we can finally realize that God is everything and that "stuff" won't satisfy us?"

"Can we, in this season of our 50s and 60s, trust Him completely and not be distracted?"
-not without each other's help
-We need to be reminded of truth so that we don't stray and take His gifts for granted.

Struggles die as we spend time in prayer and submit ourselves to Him in earnest.

Romans 8:13 - We need the Holy Spirit to break the power of idols in our lives - we need God!

January 3, 2012 Care Group Dinner

We shared an Italian Christmas Fish Dinner together at the Versaces' home. It was a fun night of fellowship, laughing and good food. Here are some photos to prove it...