Blessed Beyond Measure

I just have to share some things.  Last week at band practice, as we were singing, I had this weird sense of thanks and that I should be praying for our people at our church. I kind of visualized where different people sat and how thankful I truly am for all of the wonderful people at Catalyst.  And it just kind of went on from there.  Wednesday night at C group, I picked a Rob Bell video on prayer.  And it was kind of depressing but elicited some great conversation.  I love that our C group is starting to hang out, outside of church & c group.  They're calling each other and meeting for lunch or dinner. I LOVE that!!!

Well, then Sunday rolls around.  And after church, a bunch of us eat lunch together, there are some regulars and we had some new people (to lunch-not church).  It was great.  All of a sudden, the conversation just got deep and vulnerable.  It was awesome.  And I just sat back and watched my friends turn into the hands and feet and ears of Christ.  They were bearing each other's burdens. It was so freakin' cool!  And last night, we had our second prayer service.  It was different than the first.  We had smores and hot dogs after and it was a great time.

This morning, I meet with 2 friends for life transformation group.  One couldn't come so the two of us met and talked.  I take for granted sometimes the openness and questions that others have about God, church, religion, etc.  I tend to be challenged by questions and I like it. I like that I'm embracing questions instead of being intimidated by them.  It was cool to talk through some things and then hours later to have my friend call back and talk about how she had "googled" some of the stuff we were talking about.  How she realized that we NEED Jesus because He is the only one without sin and how she kind of had this epiphany and she was so excited.  I love that.

I just seriously feel this overwhelming sense of thanks to God for all the blessings in my life through our church.  I never want to be stuck in that bubble of friends or familiarity.   I have seen such cool things happening in the lives of our people that I want to share that. I want that to catch and grow like wildfire.

I was telling Levi the other morning as we were talking that it'd be really interesting to see who we impact.  Are all of my friends churched people?  Do I pour my life into anyone other than those in my bubble or my family?  If so, shame on me.  I really feel that way and not so much in a judgmental way but a missional way.  My friend and I talked alot today about people that have never heard the Good News or that Jesus died for their sins.  And it struck me again, we have to be loving others and sharing with them why we have the faith and hope and joy that we have.  We have to love God and love others.  For me that means, reaching out.  I don't know, maybe this doesn't even make a lot of sense.  I just needed to get it out....no so poetic but pretty raw tonight.

Okay, that's all I've got....