Well, here we go... way late and with little idea where this will lead. Where to begin... in the middle? Yeah, that's it... we are smack dab in the middle so, obviously, that's where we start. In the middle of the day, the middle of our study (well, closer to the end, actually), in the middle of life (can I say that when I'm a few months shy of 65?), in the middle of a fallen world, in the middle of our faith journey. Yep, definitely In The Middle!
The theme of our lesson this past Sunday was "Is Fellowship a Priority For You?" based on Hebrews 10:24-25. We were told that we all need a group we can count on to "pray, support, exhort, and challenge" us to be God's man or woman on a daily basis. Otherwise, life is a continual series of "McMoments" as the author put it. So, my friends, my brothers and sisters in Christ... Who is praying for, supporting, exhorting, and challenging YOU this day???
This is your invitation to dialogue with one another as you contribute your comments to this blog entry... Who does these things for you and for whom do you do the same? I can't wait to read your posts!
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ReplyDeleteI've got a prayer partner named Andy... And-he (get it?) prays for me and encourages me continually. Unfortunately, he rarely exhorts or challenges me even when that's what I really need. I recently prayed for a pressing need that he revealed to me and I'm regularly encouraging him as his family situation changes (a son just headed off to college in Oklahoma).
The Tuesday afternoon Ladies' Bible Study spends the first half an hour praying for the families of our church and then we all sign and send a postcard letting them know we've prayed. I receive comments regularly from folks saying they're glad we prayed for them and how uplifting it is to know that they are being prayed for specifically. Prayer is so powerful - even when we don't know the full nature of a situation. Cover it in prayer and know that God knows the whole story and knows how to answer the prayer. Pray for each other and pray for yourselves. Let God know what's on your mind and heart.
ReplyDeleteOkay, you techies out there - I figured out and now I throw the challenge to you! Post away!!
ReplyDeleteI DID IT!! I completed the challenge? Is there round two? Did I win a prize? No? Oh well!
ReplyDeleteThank you Ron, for sharing this with us! My guy, er girl rather is my best friend Heidi! She and I have this accountability thing that we've never called an accountability thing. It's a friendship-in-a-Christ-wrapping thing, so to speak. When one of us starts to falter, the other pulls up on the other's arm to keep them from falling all the way down... (kind of like when you're walking with a little one and he starts to trip...you firmly hang on to his hand and try to hold him up enough that you don't yank his arm out of the socket, but you don't let him hit the ground either). But she's always got a Godly perspective to yank my arm out of that socket if need be, though. A Christian friend will do that (with love)...to HELP you! And I'd yank her arm out too...if necessary!
ok, followed link to this post, signed up and followed a few logical steps and here i am posting a comment, I guess we'll see if it works. I can't imagine it's that simple and everyone had so much trouble with it. lol
ReplyDeletei think i may have done it!!
ReplyDeleteJeri and "Bbann": Thank you for your comments (and, sorry, Bbann.. no prize-at least not in this life)
ReplyDeleteJake: How 'bout a response to the questions in the blog entry? I really want to hear your take on 'em
Yes, Valarie, you did! Now how about taking a shot at those questions?
ReplyDeletewell...i thought mine was Barb but apparently she's taken! LOL
ReplyDeleteSeriously, though...i have noone to pray with/for/whatever. I've never had anyone to be accountable too (besides, of course...God). Maybe that should be my challange to myself - to find someone that will be all those wonderful things to me, and I can be that for them!
Tonya - I'd like to sign on as your prayer partner/accountability partner ASAP! As prayer partners, we just need to be in touch to let the other know what's going on in our little worlds so we know what and how to pray. As accountability partners, we need to share an issue or issues that we're having trouble tackling on our own and ask for and accept the help/support from the other. I can guess about a few of your ongoing prayer needs: Annabelle, school, your dad's health. But I would love to have anything more pressing that's weighing on your heart. As for me, I have a constant struggle with food issues. Please pray that God will CRUSH food cravings and desires for unhealthy food. And that He will reinforce healthy food choices. I know that sounds a little trivial, but it really is a burden for me. If you have requests that you'd rather not share on this forum, please let me know by phone or at church. Pastor Jeff will give you my phone number if you don't have it. I consider us prayer partners now and hope you do too! Blessings, Jeri
ReplyDeleteok so here goes:
ReplyDeletewho is praying for me?
that was an easy one. its my mother in law for sure. im sure there are others but she is the 1st to come to mind. i know she has been praying for me for sometime and i can feel the affects of it all the time. she is one of the few people that know everything about me. (some i know she would rather not know) we have talked a great lenghths about what i struggle with, being a mom, a newly wed, work and my relationship with my parents. she gives much needed advice that i always take and i know she prays for resolution for what i can not change and strength and courage for the things i can change.
Who challenges me:
that was a little harder. would be jake? our kids? my parents? my job? actually all the above. jake challenges me to be a better me. he makes me think about everything as if it were a life changing desicion even if its not. and that is a good thing. that has taught me to think long and hard before i act or speak. not an easy thing for me. he also challenges me to use my brain. we have very deep intense talks that i have to think about. things that require more than a one word answer. anyone who knows jake knows that he is smart and deep and these types of conversations are not easy at all.
my kids challenge me also. they challenge me to think about them more than me . i can not be selfish anymore. that came from them. like jake they make me think before i act or speak beacuse everything i do affects them directly or indirect, they are affected.
my parents challenge me.. not in a good way all the time but its a challenge me. they challenge me to stay strong in my faith and values reguarless if they agree. they have pushed me to stand on my own feet and be my own person. that may sound simple, but given the situations i have but myself in and the ones they put me in, its not.
my job challenges me not to fall in to line with the rest of the crowd. to practice self control and stand up for myslef.
and most of all I challenge myself. i made myself compete agianst myself. it was like ok val lets give this faith thing another go and see where you end up. cant be any worse off than you were before. and i challenge myself to make sure that i am not the center of anything. Christ is. and by "daring' myself, a great deal of burdens and struggles have been taken away
Jeri - do you have an e-mail? I HATE talking on the phone. I would much prefer to e-mail you, if that's suffient for you. tonyaknapp86@yahoo.com
ReplyDeleteValerie: Whoa... that was sure worth waiting for! Such an inspiring response--you've given the rest of us a lot of "food for thought"
ReplyDeleteTonya: Wow... did God open a door or what!!! (Thank you, Jeri)
Who's next???
Matt: Have at it, my friend...
Jake: Hey... get your head out from under the car hood and treat us to some of that Deep Thinkin' that Valarie wrote about (please... with motor oil on it?)
When I opened the hood,
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't lookin' good,
But I did the best I could,
Now it's runnin' as it should!
To answer the questions:
ReplyDeleteMy parents! I know that they are always praying for me, and all my life they have tried to challenge me to always do my best and give my all in whatever I was doing. In my life, generally speaking, they are the people I turn to when I don't know what to do or how to handle a situation.
On the other side of the coin:
I try to be somebody that others feel they can turn to when they are in trouble, needing advice, prayer, or just someone to listen. I do my best in this area of my life, I try to be patient when trying to explain/comfort when I'm approached with another persons difficulty or questioning. I have family members and friends who routinely come to me when they need prayer or advice, and i sincerely hope that i'm useful in this capacity.
Who can I "count on to pray for, support, exhort, and challenge" me to be God's man on a daily basis? Well... that would be ALL OF YOU!!! Our blog has been here less than 3 days and there are already 15 posts spanning screen after screen after screen. And the content of those posts... we've been open, vulnerable, honest, inspiring, willing to reach out to meet another's need(and, of course, I could go on).
ReplyDeleteWe do indeed serve an Awesome God and He is at work right here on this page!
I'd say I'm speechless (but that'd be a rather obvious untruth, wouldn't it) Thank you all.
Thanks, Jake, for the, er, poem... I'm willing to read much more into it than just the musings of a car guy (:
ReplyDeleteBoth sides of that coin that you've [digitally] flipped for us contain valuable insights. I can only wish that I'd had parents like yours or been that kind of parent to my kids. Pretty cool how He worked through your parents to equip you to be the Dad that you now are!
well here it goes...My accountability partner is probably kind if obvious. Emily and I challenge eachother daily to become better people. Then there's always the band. I think we're a pretty well connected group of people.
ReplyDeleteMatt: Nope, no surprise there... Now if we could just get that #1 accountability partner of yours to post here we'd have the whole class (minus Gideon whose email I don't have)
ReplyDeleteHey Emily... your turn (please)
Zee - You've signed on as a follower. Welcome! Do you have a comment you'd like to throw out there concerning prayer/accountability partners and who challenges you? Love to hear from you! Jeri
ReplyDeleteMy prayer/accountablility partner would be and always has been my husband! (no surprise there!) Who challenges me? Wow!! Like Valarie my kids definatly challenged me to be a better person and to strive to be the best mom I could be. My Grandkids challenge me to be the Godly exaample to them that my Grandma was for me. My co-workers and friends challange me with their inquiries about spiritual things.
ReplyDelete