Small groups

Last Sunday night at church, little green forms were passed out asking what about night services bring you closer to God. To my complete surprise I couldn't answer it.
I thought worship, but to me there is to many stops and starts and sometimes its not long enough, that I can never get into it. So I sat and thought for a while and I couldn't think of anything. This made me quite sad, so I folded the green piece of paper and took it home and thought about it for a couple of days.

I couldn't understand how I felt closer to God at my old church, when this church suits me better, and then it hit me. Small groups I did all my growing in my ladies cell group. It was a place I could be me. A place where woman older and younger than me could come as they were to worship God, build each other up, and give advice on issues such as babies.
What a wonderful time.

At Opawa I find the services more fulfilling than I ever did at my old church, but it has shown me no matter how good the preacher is, without the support of a small group, It can be harder to grow spiritually.

It reminded me when I was writing my last post, that sometimes it is important to bow before God with your face to the floor on things that really matter to you.

When I had my first child I had a long hard labour (80 hours) which ended in me having a C-section. The thing I want most at the moment is to have a natural birth. If I have one more C-section then I have to have C-sections from now on.
I don't know why natural birth is so important to me, maybe its a sense of achievement or something that connects me to most other woman who have had children.

Something that means this much to me is worth going to God about.

In the old testament people had to approach God on their knees with their face to the ground because he is so holy.
These days because of Jesus we don't seem to do it as much, even though God is still as holy as he ever was.

I think that it is still important to show God reverence in that manner, some of the time

So I will be on my knees with my face to the floor in awe of my God that can make a thing that is small to others, but the biggest thing in the world to me, happen.

I know that if it is in God will, I will have a natural birth. But I also believe if I'm not prepared to put the effort in to prayer then why should God put the effort into me.

A story of encouragement

Once upon a time, a short time ago, there was a young couple who lived in a small flat.
One day they decided to look for a house of their own. So they wrote a list of everything they wanted in a house, sat down together and prayed over the list, that God would blessed them with the desires of there heart.

A week later they were looking on the internet and found a nice house in their price range. The next day they went to look at this house. It was perfect for the couple it everything on their list and more. The very next day the couple put an offer on the house.

A mortgage broker came over and went over the fine print. Now it was a waiting game. Two days later the mortgage broker came back and said their is no way in hell that the couple will ever get a mortgage. They were devastated. The young girl got on her knees with her face on the ground crying to God. The next day a friend of the family rung another mortgage broker and told them the young couples situation. He said not a problem.

In times of doubt in this two week period of waiting to see if they would get a mortgage, they had words of wisdom spoken to them such as "God is in control" and verses such as Joshua 1:5 'No one will be able to stand against you all the days of your life. I will be with you as I was with Moses. I will never leave you nor forsake you'

At the end of the two weeks the mortgage broker came back and said you have a mortgage, the house is yours.

The thought that went through the young woman's head, other than praise God was It was said that there was no way in hell they would get a mortgage but hey our God is the God of heaven so beat that.

This is a true story, just to say in times of doubt, worries and trouble. Kneel before God with your face to the floor and if its in God's will he will back you up 1oo%

Praise God

Part 2

I know that at Archer there was the trickle down effect.
It started from management which of course made the staff grumpy and in turn made the residents grumpy.
I did have 2 days where things went really well and on both of those days I had asked God to bind any thing that wasn't of him over the place, and those 2 days were really good, everyone seemed to be in a good mood.
My problem is I'm not so good in the mornings to remember to do this every time I went to work.

There was a lot of spiritual stuff going on there. Being pregnant and tied all the time. I didn't have the Energy to focus on asking God what the issues were and praying through them as well as doing my job.
That I do feel bad about but I just don't have the Energy at this point in time to be doing that sort of thing.

I know that in time God will place someone else there to do some spiritual warfare, or maybe after the baby is born he'll still use me. At this time I don't have the energy.

What happens when we get older

I have work in rest homes for the passed 2 years. The first place I worked the residents were lovely and grateful for every thing you do for them. Some of the staff were a bit lazy and took advantage of me being such a hard worker, so I would have to 10 residents by myself while they would do 3. I loved that job, it was fulfilling and gave me a feeling of being useful.
I had to give the job up when I came became pregnant, because I was doing late shifts and pregnancy and morning sickness takes it's toll and I was unable to last the night without falling asleep. It was the hardest decision I had to make, but I was not coping and it was unfair to the residents.

So after a couple of weeks I was feeling a bit better and thought I would be able to do a short morning shift. I applied at a Christian rest home (I thought people would be more understanding).
At this home the residents were Christian and so were the staff, so here comes my confusion. The residents were the most demanding people I have ever met. Everything had to be a certain way and by a certain time, if you took to long to do something you got yelled at, if you did something a different way, you got criticised. I would have to say that the residents were horrible.

The staff.
Well if you thought the residents were bad, you should meet the staff. While you were working all you could here was "this wasn't done right, that wasn't done right, she's useless. Yes they were taking about me, and after you here that your useless a few times you start to believe it and your work starts to slip. The other thing was if you did something wrong, rather than telling you what you had done wrong, they just complained and moaned. How are you supposed to fix something when you don't know what you've done wrong.

After four months of working there. Throwing every morning I worked, pleading to my husband (in tears) to not make me go back there, I finally handed in my notice.

Yesterday I went back to my old job (where all the staff and residents are non-Christians)
And everyone was so nice to me. They helped me when I needed it, they taught me new things.
I finally felt as though I was good at my job again.

So is it a thing that all Christians are so prudish that when they get older they have tolerance for anyone or anything. Non-Christians who don't really live by any rules end up lovely and kind in there old age.

If this is true then how do we, as Christians change that?

Life

Isnt it funny how when somthing happens to you, you seem to find that half the people you know are in the same situation.
Let me explain, I am 25 weeks pregnant with my second child. When I became pregnant there were only two other people I knew of that were also pregnant, now just about every Married female I know has a bump. I think the worst of all of this is that everybody elses bumps seem to be bigger than mine.

Minding my insecurity and back to my story, one of best friends who was my head bridesmaid, and yes guilty me I hadn't seen her in a year turns up at the supermarket looking rather large, looks at me with a smile on her face "oh I'm so full I just had a big lunch" I look back at her very enlarged belly and fat face with a confused stare and said "I think you might have a little bit more than just lunch in there"

Well yes that was the biggest shook of all but when I look around my church there are a few people who look like they have a bit more than lunch in there tummies as well.

I am also getting ph calls from other friends to say that they are pregnant. I am also sure that the amount of people pregnant at the moment will fill the roll of at two primary schools in five years time.

Now don't get me wrong it is great to have all these people sharing my experience, but my goodness it gets expensive when they all start poping out.