Emilie Gate’s Review – Ephesians 2

We have been made alive in Christ!  We aren’t dead anymore, we are living in or moving toward resurrection county, women!!

Kathi talked about grace.  In Christ, as part of His “plan,” we are invited into a new life and it is in a place called resurrection county.  Verse 6 refers to God’s plan that includes a new citizenship.  Louie Giglio says “didn't make bad people good, he came to make dead people alive.”

Three Area's we'll look at today:

Grace
Gifts
Works
Grace

Eugene Peterson talks about water. When you have water you can run your hand through it. With grace, the reality is that you can swim through it. When you step out into the waters you can swim in it. It's not like it swimming in it because there are markers and the markers tell you where to go.... Grace holds you up.  There is a mysterious quality to grace!

'Grace is everywhere to be experienced, but in no way to be explained'

In Jacksonville we are surrounded by water. We can escape by going swimming in ocean or the river. There is more than enough water.

⁸ For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— ⁹ not by works, so that no one can boast. ¹⁰ For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Gift

Back to the story of creation. Gen 1.

Before creation we were chosen. Eph 1:4

These are truths: You are chosen. He chose us.

Eph 2:1-3

On the 7th day of creation, God rested from all the creating He had done. God is creator and God works in creation. Reality of creation is 'it's a gift.'  We're reminded everyday that our world was created as a gift to us, a gift to you. What is the word 'gift', what does it mean?!

Kathi shared how we could see a candy bar at the grocery store and it is just a candy bar. But when someone gives you the candy bar it becomes a gift. In the giving, there is a relationship quotient. God’s redemptive work through Christ is a gift. We practice it out through giving. Sometimes we can give or share our heart with someone resulting in rejection. If we only give gifts dependent on the response, we’ll get ourselves into trouble! We can't worry about the response. We still have to give. God gives all the time, he gives his son not dependent on our responses of acceptance or rejection. That is the reason why small groups are so important. They are a place where we can practice giving. So in turn, we can hold someone else's heart. It can feel awkward and uncomfortable, but it's sacred.

WorksWe are God’s workmanship, comparable to a piece of art, music or dance. In creation we are God's amazing piece of art, created in advance to do good works. God has given us gifts to encourage and build up one another. It's the same spirit, but looks so different in each person. It's so amazing to see a person freed up to be all that God has for them.

If there is work to be done, there are receivables (quite like a paycheck)! There is real work. Whether you have kids or not you still need to clean the toilets!

"Work is the bucket that holds grace!" Eugene Peterson

Some of Jesus' best work wasn't in the synagogue. It was out there on the streets with the people. Being with people, changing diapers, doing the dishes, whatever work is at hand, is the bucket that holds the gifts.

There is something that results from work that is sacred, like doing chores together.

'All our work is preceded by God's work'

He's everywhere. Sometimes doing chores or hard work doesn't feel good, but your offering is a gift, and it's grace.

How amazing would it be to have someone knock on your door and bring a meal. It's grace in action.

Eph 1- that you give back to him because it's praise and glory. Giving it back to him.


For Father’s day, Kathi's son Johnnie wraps up the toy he plays with the most to give to his father -- and then Tripp gives it straight back.  Our Father in Heaven operates much the same way!   

Third Meeting

October 5, 2011

I just love getting to come be with a group of women who #1 don’t already all know each other (no cliques, no hard to get into corners) and #2 started from scratch, is a fabulous mixed bunch of single women, young moms (OK, so you are the majority!!) and some of us are … well, almost empty nesters… and some are empty nesters.  I love the mix!!

Three people won prizes today!  I asked who knew the name of the book featured on the blog and BONNIE VERLANDER won!  Bonnie, Tessa the author is a friend of mine and her next book comes out in the Spring called Harvest of Rubies.  She has the most amazing testimony, coming out of the Muslim faith, she met Jesus in a dream, became a Christian, went to Harvard Divinity School and is now on staff at a church in Connecticutt.  The next prize winning question was who can show us something out of their purses that will give us the “What do you have that in your purse for?” response.  Caitlyn Lee had a cardboard message from (maybe) a neighbor telling her to regard the Sabbath.  OK, that is a very strange thing to carry around in your purse! And Stacy Chupp was carrying a pair of ballet tights.  Yes, we wonder why you wanted to let us know that!  What I don’t want to ask Stacy is if they were clean or not.  So I won’t!   Stacy and Caitlyn got to pick a present out of the gift bag and Bonnie won a copy of Tessa’s book.  Stacy and Caitlyn, we celebrate that you are bold enough to show us something inside of your purses, sometimes a very “off limits” place for women to share!  We celebrate that God is a grace giver and that “going with the flow” of letting our purse be a gathering place, storage place and a “hand over whatever” place has happened! As we give grace to those handing over these things, we are becoming a safe place not only for their “things” but also their hearts.   

THANK YOU…

Childcare workers Barbara the Wonderful, Aimee Franklin the Fabulous, Ann Riley the Sweetheart and Anndrea Foster the Fantastic!!  Bless you so much for looking after the sweet little ones.  And Moms, thanks for continuing to bring your little ones!  We are asking the worker bees to pray for them as well as play with them!!!

Gosh, what a treat to be with such a group of generous women!  Today we were concerned that we wouldn’t have enough people signed up for childcare, so we asked for “just in case” volunteers.  Thank you for giving us the grace and comfort of knowing we could call on you Grace Yu (great name!), Caitlyn Lee, Aimee Breeding and Gretchen Mitchell!! 

Thank you Jodi and Hank for keeping us caffeinated and for teaching me my first barista tips at the new coffee bar!! Thank you Kathi Vod for a great lesson and thanks for your vulnerability in sharing that you decided that a little “BEING” while you were sick was better than a lot of “DOING” even in preparing for this lesson!!  Mary Chupp, thanks for your sweet smiling face and keeping us on the clock and prayed up!! Glad to have the RPDS Moms back!!  Great to see all the faces!!  I so enjoyed that we had two sweet babies join our class!! 

EMAIL

Has everyone yet emailed Kathi Vod to tell her WHY YOU CAME TO KNIT TOGETHER? Tripandkathi@gmail.com ??  Some of us wrote this down during class, but if more come, perhaps Kathi will do a dance.  That's why I joined Knit Together.  I want to see Kathi Vod dance!  Does anyone want to add something to the blog collection like a quote of the week or a laundry or cooking tip?  Want to create a new “… of the week” section?  If so email smithsnow@aol.com or just plain comment!!!!!!!!!!!!!

REVIEW

Emilie’s review will be in the following post, so if you missed, please read it and be reminded that we are resurrected in Christ and this means that if we are not yet feeling alive in Christ, we might want to be asking directions on how to get there!!  (Kathi Vod called it a place named Ressurection County).

REMINDERS

Workbooks are on sale in the foyer at church for $8. 

Please sign up for childcare if you haven’t yet, as we are exploding (yahoo!!!!) with kids in childcare!!

PRAYER

Seriously?  Noone signed up for any prayer requests this week.  Do you seriously have nothing to pray about?  C’mom women, is everyone that well? Email me if you’d like.  I’m actually going to Denver and will be a prayer minister at a conference, so add your requests!!!

QUOTE OF THE WEEK

I saw this on facebook and thought, hmmm, it goes with believing we are who God says we are!

It is not who you are that holds you back, it is who you think you are not!!

COOKING TIP OF THE WEEKWhatever you choose, make it into a picnic and eat in the back or front yard!!  And use paper products so there is not much to clean up!!