Today's service was awesome! Actually let me back up a bit to the beginning of the day so you can get a glimpse of where we came from...Ha ha!
Sunday mornings at the Arrington home are chaotic to say the least. I suppose it can be chaotic at anyone's home but at our's its crazy. We have to be a church by 9:00 and so it takes a lot to get 6 people all coordinated and out the door in a timely manner. Today was no exception - well it really was because we all got up LATE! YIKES! So - as we are rushing and hurring kids, tempers are short and patience is almost nil!
So by the time we arrived at church we were all a little on edge. Once we went to Sunday School I took a deep breath and thought - okay I can make it through all this! Joel is taking the High School through Ephesians and today's lesson was on Ephesians chapter 4. It was the part about working as a body and bearing one another's burdens. Joel went on to explain that in order for the church body to work right we each have to use the gifts and talents we are given. Long story short - it was good and I was thinking okay so I need to not only use my own gifts but support and encourage others in theirs.
Then, we went to church. Now our pastor is GREAT about following the leading of the Holy Spirit and being flexible - today was no exception. Pastor Randy told Joel before the service that there was a lot going on and so we had to start right on time. Well we did and the first thing that was amazing was one of our college girls Meagan Posey sharing about her recent mission trip to Greece. She had lots to share but what she ended with was that the thing that stuck with her was one of the pastors there sharing that he was glad they had come but to not forget that they needed to be missionaries in their own community. So she encouraged us to do the same and to reach out to our church and others.
Then before his sermon Randy shared that one of our members felt the Spirit leading him to share. Gordy Herrick then got up and shared what was on his heart. Basically he shared that the Lord was speaking to him about how we needed to be there for one another in the church. He mentioned that the Lord showed him: first we have a love relationship with Jesus, then we have a love relationship with our family, then we have a love relationship with our church family, and then with our community. Gordy's testimony led us into a time of prayer that was AMAZING!! The rest of the service was just prayer time!
God reminded me that I need to unite with my family and my church family. He reminded me that yes my kids are tiring at times but I need to bear with them!
It was so AWESOME how the Lord worked it out that the testimonies and the Sunday School lesson all tied into one another. God showed me the importance of church unity and how I need to be there encouraging and supporting my church family. He also revealed to me that I am to be praying fervently for those in my church. This week I was reading a book by Karen Kingsbury and the characters had an acronym for PUSH: Pray Until Something Happens. This is the type of prayer life I want to have - I want to be so enfolded at the throne of the Father that I won't leave until something happens!
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