The Power of One

As I headed out for church Sunday evening, I was expecting a "typical" night with my Small Group, consisting of sharing highlights from our week, enjoying a fun game, sharing prayer requests and discussing a verse. However, our small group time turned out to be more than that...it was a time of great learning and sharing. Praise God.

Since this January, I have been leading this 6th Grade Girls Small group at my church. During these first few months together I have been establishing my foundation of trust and community among the group. From experience, I have found that this is essential to have before any measurable amount of spiritual growth takes place. Up until tonight, the girls would usually get the "glazed over" look to them when I would discuss Scripture with them.

Last night was a great milestone because when I got to the lesson, the girls were so attentively listening to me, answering my questions, and get this...drum role please...taking notes! I was so excited and so thankful. This was the first night that I wrote out our verse and points on the board, and as I wrote, the one girl with a notebook started copying it...then the girls without a notebook and pen, asked me to hold on so they could go and get a piece of paper and pen. Wow. We had a fabulous time discussing I Peter 3:3-4 and will all be working on cultivating our inward beauty this week.

I learned a lot from last night. One, I probably should've started writing notes and points on the board sooner. Oh well, I will certainly repeat this again given the outcome. Two, the girls are ready for the "next level." I need to set the bar higher for them and have lessons with substance prepared. Three, I learned the Power of One person. Because that One girl took notes, so did the others.

This may seem like a "small" thing to some, but I am very thankful and encouraged by what happened. I pray that I will continue to be faithful to this ministry and that I will grow and they will grow because of it. Also, I hope to be One positive example of a godly Christian woman to them and ultimately encourage them to draw closer to the ONE God.

Serving Him

Colossians 3:23-24 says, "Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward. It is the Lord Christ you are serving." Ever since I was young, I loved these verses. At one time, probably in Middle and High School, these were my favorite verses. Reading them today, I still feel encouraged and challenged to give God my all and my best in whatever He brings to my day. My life is a service to God. My prayer is that this truth will stay in the front of my mind throughout every day.

To Blog or Not to Blog?

This has been a question I have been asking myself lately...to blog or not? I enjoy reading and looking at many people's blogs, and have recently felt the urge to give it a try myself. So, today is the day that I made the decision to start my own blog. In time, I will see how this blog will transpire as I figure out how I want to use it. My initial thought is for this to be a place that I journal my daily thoughts, challenges, triumphs, and observations with the main goal of drawing closer to my personal Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.