EPIC LIFE GROUP - Grace Point Church

Father’s Day 2001

2009-06-20T14:03:00.000-07:00

"Oh, the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgements and unfathomable His ways!"
Romans 11:33 (NAS)

From the journal of Cathy Glynn - June 16, 2001 "Father, Daughter"

In memory of my dad, Lawrence Christopher Glynn (6/11/31 - 1/20/69)

'"All this week, my neighbor and his daughter have been playing in our tiny pool outside my window. Because of this precious relationship that I've observed of Samantha's dad's great love for her, it has been a great example to me, a very real, very tangeable and real-life experience watching them have precious time together.

Samantha has been learning to swim. She's about 3 years old - adorable, too! Her dad carries her to the pool in the warm afternoon sun to get wet! Listening to their interaction has been precious. Watching the joy on her dad's face as she's so afraid, unsure, mad, stubborn - is really fun to watch. It's odvious her dad is in complete control of the situation and he isn't going to let anything bad happen to her.

This picture of father and daughter for me has been a wonderful way to see God's view of me. God is ALWAYS right there for me! If I start to flounder or become frightened, He is right there, with His arm stretched out for me. He watches with a big smile, laughing, taking great joy in me as I learn to really trust Him and watching me learn how to swim. He shows me how to kick my feet, He gives me a floatie to hold me up and there's a few cool toys to play with, too!

He initiates some fun games and even some drills to teach me how to trust Him and to do things I don't know how to do. He even holds me tightly when we do something that causes me to fear. Sometimes He hides under the water from me and I can't see Him. Sometimes I just want Him to get out of the pool, leave me alone and go sit on the Scooby-Do towel. Sometimes, I just want to get out of the pool when I see Him there in the warm sun, to rest beside Him on that towel, warming myself - just to be near my Father.
It feels so right! It feels so good.

I like it when God is around, when He is near me. I like how special God makes me feel. I like how loved I feel when I am with Him. Hearing Samantha's laugh, her determination, her stubbornness, her demands, even her un-trust, has made me look at myself.

I tend to think I know better than my Father. Samantha's dad would say, "time to get out and go eat", and she would respond, "No!” with that classic wining voice of a stubborn child. He would ask Samantha if she was cold whenever he would see her teeth chattering, and her response was, "No." But her dad knew she was not being truthful. He would say “It's time to go, Samantha,”
and she would say, "No! I don't want to”! Talk about seeing yourself in the mirror!!

I'm grateful for the little pool outside my home and for this week of observation and reflections of Samantha and her dad. It's just what I need this Father's Day because I find myself wallowing in sorrow and even grieving that my daddy isn't here with me for Father's Day like everyone else...a deep sadness comes over me, but God has become my Father and I am satisfied!!
God, thank you for turning my sorrow into great joy in You, being my Father who loves and adores me SO much!

God, my Father, thank you for being so patient with me. Thank you for Your tolerance of me & my attitudes, my words & my deeds. Thank You for Your grace that covers me when I am so unreachable. God, thank You for how you look at me: in adoration, as precious in Your sight, You're proud of me and You never want to lose sight of me - I'm too precious to You! You have always been my Father and You always will be my Father.

God, thank You for how You keep Your distance, but You're always just within arm's reach. Father, thank You for Your words, Your precious words to me, Your sweet voice, Your caring heart that flows out to me in Your words.
Father, thank You for how safe I feel with You, for how safe I AM with You. Thank You for having a plan for my life and that in the midst of it, we have our special "pool-time" each day.

To God be all the glory!!! AMEN!! '

What a God Friday!

2009-04-13T19:31:00.000-07:00

I've been meaning to post but ofcourse life just runs over you sometimes. I can't let this ONE ride!

As some of you know we have been praying for my granddaughter Makaylas salvation. We'll in the last few weeks we have noticed her sentivity to the Lords nudging. The last time I asked her(early last year) if she would like to ask Jesus into her heart she flat out said no. Well, It concerned me that she would just say no. She finally confided in me that the reason was that she didnt want to get in front of all those people and get babtized. So I explained that she didnt have to do that right away and she could do that when she was ready. But she wasnt ready for Jesus yet anyways.

Well at Kite day she was excited of course for the day. She was claping and singing in service, which she had never done before. She always tries to talk us out of going to BIG Church. LOL She loves her kids class. Later that day at kite day she had a Lady bug land on her and she was just enjoying that little tiny creature. Some white haired wise man told her that Lady bugs bring good luck! So two small events happened that day that reminded her of this good luck. Well I told her that maybe God was blessing her. She paused for a moment and said "Maybe, it was because I was singing to HIM today!" I said "Yes, probably so!" She said she was singing because she was excited about Kite day. So I said "maybe the way you were excited about Kite day is same way God is excited about you singing to Him"

So Good Friday camp comes around. Fred said he saw her having a great time and particpating in singing and trying to answer questions. When they asked if anybody was ready to make Jesus the boss of their lifes she picked up her head, later she told us she just wanted to see how many kids were going to do it. Well all the way home Fred said she kept asking questions.

So we are at home Good Friday evening watching, what else but cartoons. Well this one cartoon had a dog that was being mean and chasing a little kitten. This dog crashes into a lamp table and the lamp crashes on his head and he ends up dead in hell. So ofcourse she started asking more questions now about heaven and hell. This day should be called GOD friday.

So we answer her questions and she said I want to go to heaven I dont want to go to hell. We told her what the bible said that hell is like and what heaven is like.

So I asked her if she was ready to say the prayer she could do that now and know she was going to see it one day, but that the words had to come out of her mouth. I could not pray it for her but that she can repeat after me. So she did and I think Fred and I just thought it was not real like a dream. LOL

Today I saw her and the first thing she told me was that her and a friend were talking about Passion of Christ movie. I said how did you get to talking about that? She told me she couldnt stop sing the songs she learned at Good Friday Camp and one of her friends heard her singing. Her friend told her "I know those songs!" And that they started singing and talking about there churches. AND that another friend was saying she never been to church so they were telling her about there churches.

GOD FRIDAY

Waiting

2009-03-29T18:42:00.000-07:00

Epic friends,

I felt led to post.

I am incredibly struck this week on how many of us are waiting on an answer from God. Our situations are different, our questions are different, yet most of us are waiting on God to speak to us.

Saw the movie 'Knowing' today. Disturbed me. Granted this movie is based on a fictional story with some biblical references thrown in. It talks about the end of it all..as in the day of pentecost. If one is a believer, then you believe there is a day when the end of life as we know it on earth will end and we will go to the life eternal. So in that sense, we are already waiting on the end that leads us to the beginning of new life. So essentially, not only are we waiting on life answers, but waiting on new life.

I haven't blogged in awhile. Actually, this blog is for Barbara C. who mentioned the other day that I blog and she doesn't. I am blogging here before I even touch my own blog. How funny that when life throws me a desert situation (referring to God putting the children of Israel in the desert until their answer from Him came) that I shut down, isolate and dont communicate well other than to say I am fine. That is my standard answer for everything. I am fine. I think it is a human one, too. We are DYING inside over something yet to the world at large we are just fine. I am encouraged by those of us who actually say I am not fine, this is what is wrong.

Back to waiting. We are all waiting. But my friends, after watching this movie today, we can KNOW THAT WE KNOW that we wait in hope. Jesus=Hope. It is what spoke to me through the fictional 2 hr movie. God is our hope. In Him and Him alone we have hope and a future. We need to SHARE our hope as we wait on our answers because we are not promised tomorrow. I can think of 10 friends I will be communicating with this week because I want to share my hope with them, as in NOW.

The answer I hear today is not that my life is set with money and a great job. My answer is get out and tell my friends and family about a hope that can never fade or be taken away. Read Psalm 40 this week. We can sing a new song.

Love,
Sara

And this is for those of us waiting on an answer to a desert situation...this song speaks to me, hope it does to you, also.

2009-03-20T21:51:00.000-07:00

From “The Power of a Praying Woman Bible” by Stormie Omartian
Going Deeper
Thank God For His Love

Read and consider Zephaniah 3:8-20

“The Lord your God is with you, he is mighty to save. He will take great delight in you, he will quiet you with his love, he will rejoice over you with singing” (Zephaniah 3:8)

The Lord is with you. What joy there is in knowing that God is with you! You always have a line of open communication with Him because He is omnipresent. Whether your prayers are long or short, the Lord hears them all. Thank Him that He is a God who is close to you.

The Lord is mighty to save. Rejoice that you have been snatched from the jaws of hell because of God’s great love. He has provided salvation through His Son, Jesus Christ, and He accepts your repentance for sin no matter how many times you come to Him with a repentant heart. Thank Him for His salvation and continuing forgiveness.

The Lord takes great delight in you...He will rejoice over you with singing. Just as you rejoice in the victories of others, God will rejoice over you with gladness. Like the Father that He is, He is proud of His children. He is glad when you follow His will and live a life that will cause others to want to know Him. Thank Him for His joyful delight in you.

The Lord will quiet you with His love. In times of turmoil, if you turn to the Lord, He will quiet you with His love. There is peace in knowing that whatever circumstances come you way, God will be there to guide you through. In good times and bad, His love will comfort your pain and soothe your weariness. Thank Him for His peace in you.

Rejoice daily in this profound relationship you have with the Almighty God. Thank Him again and again for His presence and love in your life, even when you know you don’t deserve it.

God bless,

cat

(with God, all things are possible. Matt. 19:26)

Missionary Needs

2009-02-11T04:42:00.001-08:00

I have a missionary friend Suzanne who has been sharing Christ in Hong Kong and now believes it time to come home. She needs to raise plane fare to get back to San Antonio and family. You can read her blog at: http://suzanneinhongkong.blogspot.com/.

Possibly, you might have an extra blessing that you could pass on to Suzanne. She has been faithful to God’s calling and now needs just a little extra to step into the new work God as planned.

Her email address is: suzanne_westrum@yahoo.com

You can drop a check off at Grace Point Church or surf to GPC and electronically deposit with a note that the donation is for Suzanne. Either way, it will be a guaranteed blessing for all.

Mr. Fred joins Bus Across America!

2009-02-08T07:47:00.001-08:00

Mr. Fred agrees to bus with me across America and step into where God is working. Maybe you want to join in the adventure by helping with Mr. Fred’s ticket costs or maybe you will pray? Thanks for your encouragement to chase after a Lion in a pit on a snowy day. Read more: Bus Across America.

Who else wants to go? Will be buying tickets next week.

archie

Cora’s Story of ONE

2009-02-08T06:00:00.001-08:00

Fred and His ONE!

2009-02-08T05:58:00.001-08:00

Mike and His ONE

2009-02-08T05:57:00.001-08:00

Corroborative Collection of Insightful Thoughts

2009-02-07T16:50:00.001-08:00

Corroborative Collection of Insightful Thoughts

I have been working on a new project. As you well know, I love to blog. I have been working on a way to collect all my blogs together in a common feed, as well as provide a way for likeminded bloggers to share their thoughts in a corroborative effort.

Click on the link above to check out what I have doing. I think you will like the concept. Basically, each of the tabs are separate blogs. The latest posting of each are displayed in the Corroborative Collection. I’d love for you to contribute to the collection. Let me know if you are interested.

No charge. Just big blessings!

archie

J. Kingery tells of ONE

2009-02-06T06:10:00.001-08:00

Elder Chandler speaks out for ONE.

2009-02-06T04:31:00.000-08:00

New Year Welcome!

2009-01-05T07:56:00.000-08:00

Hey y'all, welcome to 2009!! We will resume our EPIC gatherings this coming Thursday, 1.08.09, at the usual time (7:00p.m.) and at the usual place (7711 Autumn Park). Barbara and I will provide the vittles and so forth. It will be great to finally get back together - it seems like it's been a long time since we last met.

Speaking of meeting, thanks again to Mark and Brenda Ludwick for sharing their home with us last Friday - a grand time was had by all who attended the day after new year's party. Also, I want to report that several of the EPIC men and I went to the Army All-American H.S. football game Saturday and had a fun time.

I look forward to seeing each and every one of you on Thursday. Please be in prayer for our EPIC members. There are many, many needs within our EPIC family that need our support and uplifting (marital issues and pains, job needs, financial needs, and more). Thanks.

Peace,
Jeff

Federico - Call me!

2008-12-15T05:40:00.000-08:00

Hey bud! Call me! I tried to reach you. I got taco money and need to share it with you. Give me a call quick before I spend it. :)
the gringo

EPIC Girls Bring Christmas

2008-12-14T14:13:00.000-08:00

2008-11-27T07:43:00.000-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving, EPIC family! There is so much to give thanks for. Family is at the top of the list. Thank you for each one of you and your faithfulness to God and family.
GOD BLESS YOU!
Faithfully yours,
archie and cora

A Thanksgiving "Snippet"

2008-11-25T09:39:00.000-08:00

I was blessed after reading an entry from a daily reader I have written by

Billy Graham called "Hope For Each Day" - I would like to share it with y'all:

November 22

The Grace of Gratitide
"It is good to give thanks to the Lord." Psalm 92:1

The Pilgrim Fathers who landed at Plymouth in America in 1620 knew nothing of the bountiful prosperity that so many people enjoy today. During that first long winter, seven times as many graves were made for the dead as homes were built for the living. Seed, imported from England, failed to grow, and a ship that was to bring food and relief, brought thirty-five more mouths to feed, but not an ounce of provisions. They caught fish, hunted wild fowl, and venison. They had a little English meal and some Indian corn.

Yet their lives were marked by a spirit of constant thankfulness. On one occasion William Brewster, rising from a scanty Plymouth dinner of clams and water, gave thanks to God "for the abundance of the seea and the treasures hid in the sand."

According to today's standards, they had little; but they possessed a sense of great gratitide. Gratitude is one of the greatest Christian graces; ingratitude, one fo the most vicious sins. Ask God to open your eyes to all the blessings He has bestowed on you, and to give you a fresh spirit of gratitude - not just at this season of the year, but always."

Happy Thanksgiving everybody!!
I am so thankful for you in my life.

God bless,
Cathy Knowlton

Great gathering!

2008-11-21T12:08:00.000-08:00

Hello EPIC family. Great gathering last night. I especially enjoyed discussing Thanksgiving with you all.

We have a huge prayer need in our midst that needs your attention pronto. Joshua Kingery (Jim & Christine's son) has some medical issues and has been admitted to the hospital today. Please join in praying for Joshua, he is 24 years old.
And in addition, please keep Michelle, their daughter in your prayers as well for medical issues as well.

Dear God, please hear our prayers of support and encouragement for Joshua and for Michelle. Lord, we faithfully know that you will honor and hear our requests. I pray that we as a family will be faithful to you at this time of need for the Kingery family. Thank you Father for faithfulness to your believers. Please give strength to Jim and Christine as they provide support, love, and generosity to their children. Thank you Lord for your grace and mercy.
Amen.
JC

RIP - Reality, Initiative and Provisions

2008-11-19T04:39:00.000-08:00

"Steep yourself in God-reality, God-initiative, God-provisions. You'll find all your everyday human concerns will be met."

Chandler's Morocco Blessing

2008-11-10T06:17:00.000-08:00

Hey EPIC family, it's good to be back in San Antonio. The Morocco team and I landed safely and on time (actually 15 minutes early) last Wednesday night and ever since all of us, probably, have been re-adjusting and getting over jet lag. What an awesome time God showed us. We had many many opportunities to exhibit grace and love to the people of the village where we worked on a project to help finish the construction of a restroom facility. The kindness of the people there was overwhelming as they shared not only their work site, the work itself, but also their hospitality was over-the-top as well. We were well taken care of.

Our hosts were outstanding in helping us understand the culture, and the language there (they are fluent in Arabic and they also dabble in French too). For me personally - my first global GO opportunity was really an amazing success. I felt like I truly exhibited what I had hoped for - a surrended heart and attitude, thanks to God, because I cannot remember any instances where I was impatient, overly frustrated, or mad (this would be a first for me on a trip of any kind ). God was in charge and I believe that I totally let him lead.

I've included a couple of pics for you - one is a dinner shot at our hotel; and the other is a picture of the actual restroom facility we worked on.

I would like to let you all in, just a little, to my world of keeping a journal. I tried to write something each day about how God was at work. Here's a few excerpts:

Wednesday, 10/29/08 - "What a blessed day of serving for God...serving the people of the village in helping to build restrooms. I wasn't as useful as I had wanted to be but God used me anyways. I was doing all kinds of things from toting support beams or rocks to making mud bricks - and it was all good. There were many touching moments for me today - playing ball with the school kids (not my usual cup of tea), being served by the guys, eating from a tangine bowl that was spread out on a pallet and sharing the eight spoons, sipping tea with the guys, and talking about life, peace, and unity with a young male school teacher. And to cap it all off, the great time sitting at host's sipping tea and rehashing the day's activities and highlights. It was beyond ALL GOOD, it was AMAZING". Amen!

Friday, 10/31/08 - "I don't know what perception they (the villagers) have of us Americans but so far we've been received very well. I'm sure that as we work side by side with them on the project they're probably making fun of us in some way, but that's OK, we're here to help with the project, show them we've got no problem with hard work and getting our hands dirty, and we're here to share our love with them. What an awesome opportunity for us work with these guys who have very little in tools and supplies but very much in heart and ingenuity".

Saturday, 11/1/08 - "Seeing how the hosts exist and operate here in Morocco has been amazing. They truly have listened to God's leading. It's incredible to think that they have overcome many obstacles to be here doing God's work in a very different culture, one that can be dangerous to Christian believers. God please continue to bless our hosts ministry and business. And Lord, please bless their awesome family too. Thank you. Amen.

Wednesday, 11/5/08 - "Heading homeward to the ATL (Atlanta Airport) from Madrid Spain on Delta. It feels good to be heading home Lord. What an awesome experience it has been traveling with several people I didn't know very well before this trip. Now, after spending 10 to 11 days with them under sometimes trying circumstances I feel like I know them and I appreciate so much better what each brings to the table".

Thanks y'all for letting me share this with you. See you this week (11/13/08) at the same time and place (our house). If anyone would like to volunteer for providing the dinner goods please let me know at your earliest convenience. Talk to you soon.

Peace,
Jeff

Life Group Tweets

2008-10-31T07:04:00.000-07:00

EPIC was all a twitter last night. We read out of Mark and a couple of Epicteers "tweeted" as we studied. Here are their comments as the discussion progressed. Enjoy!

http://twitter.com/epicfamily

Oh yeah. It's my birthday and I want to reach 10,000 hits on my personal blog for my birthday. Send everyone you know to 37stories.wordpress.com. Does that sound a bit over the top tooting my own horn. Oh well. It's my birthday. When it is your birthday, you can toot your own horn. I'll be listening.

Maybe so I know you were there, just pick a comment and say, "I tooted". I'll know you were there. Right Fred? :)

archie

EPIC at the Rhines

2008-10-30T13:29:00.000-07:00

EPIC,
Come one. Come all. It is EPIC night at the Rhines. I think we plan on having carnival rides, photo ops, a 3 legged race, hot air balloon rides, camel rides, rodeo clowns, giveaways and much much more. So, don’t be late. I think Fred may be bringing brand new 102″ wide screen LED TVs to give away to the first 100 attenders. So, bring your friends. Thanks Fred! Ha!

"I think" is the operative word. Buyer beware.

See you soon!
archie

Who would baby Ralphie vote for?

2008-10-24T07:26:00.000-07:00

Little baby Ralphie needs your help. He wants you to know about his concern for the economy and his mom and dad may lose their house. He also wants you to know that it is terrible that his folks 401K is in the toilet.

But baby Ralphie, hopes you understand he wants a chance to grow up and vote on the issues himself. He is afraid if the election goes badly, he may never get a chance to vote.

Baby Ralphie kindly asks for your vote and a chance to live.

Cool New Feature - Lead the Way!

2008-10-22T04:42:00.000-07:00

This Twitter feed is a social community of Grace Point church. The "tweets" are active for frequent real time comments that are encouraging to others.

Be encouraged to follow the Grace Point Church twitter, by "texting" 40404 and send "follow gpchurch". We look forward to seeing your request to join the community.

Also, uniquely the Grace Point Twitter is specially designed to allow you to "tweet" your own comments. Simply send a comment to your Twitter account and place the tag "gpc01" in the text and it will update the Grace Point Twitter you can see to your right.

Your post may take a minute or two to show up. Just refresh your page and it will show up pretty quick.

Enjoy!

Any questions, email: arhines@gracepoint.org. Telephone: archie:cell: 210-777-0684

DO SOMETHING

2008-10-21T19:31:00.000-07:00

Faith that does nothing is dead! (James 2:26).write a letter,Ask forgiveness,Be baqtized,feed a hungry person,Pray,Teach,GO....For faith with no effort is no faith at all.(GOD will respond).Hehas never rejected a genuine gasture of faith....NEVER.....TODAY Felicia and I pray no harm come to some good old folks that we LOVE ...The next thing we know they got the BEST news they had in a very very long-time GOD IS GREAT.....Bless our missionaries that leave this week...

Grace for the moment

2008-10-20T20:11:00.000-07:00

This is the name of one of the books that was nipping at my ankle this morning. It is a book of thoughts for each day of the year. Todays thought is called "choice". (to choose life is to love the Lord your God, obey him, and stay close to Him, Dueteronomy 30:20. God is funny, I've been thinking about how to use my time wisely. That means choosing what to read, what to do during my "vacation time". I have chosen to read more of the Bible and Christian books. From last night and this morning, God has literally given me 4 books to read. 1st is "The Power of a Praying Husband". 2nd is "Grace for The Moment". 3rd is "A Heart like His". 4th is a book that Im going to keep in my back pocket, "Promises for Spiritual Battle". The last one is Felicia's that was given to her to take to Argentina mission trip. So I'm taken it on my trip of every day battles. So please pray for me a little or a lot and grace be with you. I will have a daily thought to share with you. OH AND BLOG FATHER, THANK YOU FOR SPENDING TIME WITH ME TODAY.
Federico Aka Rico in Christ

Thank you EPIC!

2008-10-19T06:39:00.002-07:00

EPIC continues to amaze me. We are indeed a family and in many ways even more functional than some families. You guys were awesome pitching in and helping store chairs, bring out tables, retrieve chairs and store tables. Plus, all the other stuff you did.

Thank you with EMPHASIS! You guys did a killer job and kept me from being killed with the work load. Thank you EPIC wives for loaning out your guys! I love you all!

Archie
37stories.wordpress.com

God answers with lightning speed!!

2008-10-07T08:07:00.000-07:00

Howdee EPIC!

As I sat to abide on Monday, I journaled and asked God to reveal Himself to me in a new way - in a way I had never seen Him before. Next thing I know, He did. I would like to share my journal entry from that day.

God bless, cat

"God is faithful! Lord, thank you that even though we are completely broke and in debt, we still have food to eat and even for our pets. We still have a home, we still have each other.

Lord, thank You for being our God. You are reliable, God. Thank you. Father, you love us and this trial we are in is no fun. It's frustrating; it's disappointing; but we praise you - I praise you, God...

Please help us today to know You in a way we've never known You! God, my heart is full of gratitude to You.

Father, thank You for getting me through the day yesterday (at work with NBA TV). It was so loud, frustrating, aggrivating and I am a real wreck this morning in my head. Lord, all the things just keep whirling in my mind.

RELIABLE! God is reliable!
I've never really seen God this way before.

Faithful? Kind of the same, but different.

FAITHFUL: loyal, steadfast, true, accurate

RELIABLE: complete confidence, dependable, you can count on, trustworthy

When I made the description for my Camry on the "For Sale" sign, Ray had mentioned the word "reliable". I was captured by that word. It describes my car. Even though it has had some problems, it has always run for me.

This morning, the word "reliable" made a lot of sense. I praise God for answering my prayer to show Himself to me in a new way today. It was an instant answer!"

This is what the Lord says, "Stand at the crossroads and look; ask for the ancient paths, ask where the good way is, and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls."
Jeremiah 6:16

Off and Running

2008-10-06T05:50:00.001-07:00

Hello EPIC, I hope that you're off and running just fine as we jump into a new week. We had a very moving gathering Iast Thursday. Thanks again to Archie & Cora for bringing the food. I have a few announcements to share with you.

1) Grace Point Church is hosting a Bosses Day Luncheon on Thursday, 10-16-08. In order to set up the sanctuary I am trying to put together a group of helpers for setting up the tables. We'll need roughly 60 tables brought down from classrooms into the sanctuary. Please email me back if you can volunteer some time on WEDNESDAY night, 10-15-08, starting at approximately 7p.m. And, I would like to have a team for tear down on Thursday 10-16-08 starting at approximately 2:30p.m. Again, please email me if you can volunteer to help. This request applies to both men and ladies. Thanks.

2) This Thursday, 10-9-08 we will not have an EPIC gathering at our house. We'll be out of town. So remember, no EPIC this week. We will resume on 10-16-08. Andrew & Linda Krueger are scheduled to bring the food.

3) Be ready to offer ideas for our next study topic. Originally we were going to read and discuss John Burke's book, Soul Revolution. I've been asked by Mike Sharrow to wait until December or January to begin that study. In the meantime we can pursue another study path. At the next EPIC gathering I will bring some ideas, and I'd like to hear from you all too please. On 10-16 we'll likely finish chapters 4 and 5 of 1 Peter.

4) Please keep these urgent requests in your prayers this week - pray for Ray Knollton for delivery thru this rough period of time work-wise and personal; Denise Hensler; the Morocco mission team (for raising its project funds, and safe travel mercies); Andrew & Linda for clarity of purpose from God; Fred Garcia (for continued strength in his walk with God); and Felicia Garcia; safe travel mercies for our sister Janette Hughes as she embarks on her long term mission to Sudan on 10-12-08; and safe travel mercies for Barbara, Brie, and myself as we leave for Florida on 10-9-08; and pray for me as I adjust to my retirement.

If I've missed anyone or anything please let me know.

Thanks, and that's all for now EPIC. I pray that you all have a great week. Let me hear from you.

See ya next week.
Peace,
Jeff

EPIC Shoot 'em Up!

2008-09-28T19:06:00.001-07:00

EPIC loves you Janette!

Copperhead

2008-09-27T08:30:00.000-07:00

Here I go!! On the flight to Phoenix last night, I read some of the journaling I wrote a couple of years ago when things were really bad with Ray and I. We were separated because of his verbal abuse, he went into rehab for his cocain addiction and the co-dependency that was destroying me as a person was exposed by the light of God's truth.

I am a horse lover and this entry is really dear to my heart. It captures my life from that time and I pray that you will be blessed.

In Christ,

Cathy Knowlton

(The photo is not Copperhead - I just wanted a picture of a horse for the blog)

"Copperhead"
Heart of the Hills camp for girls
2nd term 2006

In the summer of 2006, I spent a week up at Heart of the Hills camp for girls. My daily time was primarily spent up at the stables where I just helped out the wranglers in their busy day, grooming, tacking & teaching.

One thing I offer the camp when I stay is to work with the horses that are giving them trouble. This past week, I met a very special horse. His name is Copperhead. He’s an older chestnut gelding, about 15 hands. Great confirmation and yet, so resistant to humans. There were lots of bad rumors going around about what kind of horse he was, but I tend to not let others opinions sway me, especially when it comes to a horse and mostly because I had not even ridden him yet. It’s unfair to judge an animal without giving him a chance. (Sound familiar?)

There was some trouble with him being tied up while putting on his tack, but I think he had been getting away with the bad habits for so long, it will be hard to re-learn to not pull away from the post and break off the halter anymore. It would take some tough love.

Copperhead is a great mount, in my opinion. He reigns beautifully and understands the words I speak to him and the pressure I give him. “Walk”, he understands. The smacking of lips or “click-click” to get him to speed up. Just a little pressure and a vocal encouragement will get him into a trot. He gets into his gallop just like any well-trained cow horse I’ve ever ridden. He takes his leads when asked and is easily controlled. His problem at first was bucking, and still is when someone new gets on him or when he senses his mount is in any way afraid. This is common in any normal horse.

Copperhead, I believe at one time, was a well-cared for, loved, well-trained performance horse trained for either roping, barrels, pleasure, reigning - who knows. But what I do know is that he has all the qualities of a well-trained horse. Everything I would look for in a horse if I were looking to buy one. He has really sweet eyes and really likes one-on-one attention. He gives his heart away very cautiously, now that he’s at camp. I believe at one time in his life, he would do anything for his mount. His generosity has been shattered along the way and now he is reluctant.

It is sad to imagine this well-loved horse now “abandoned”, in a way, to a girls camp.
He was probably raised by a loving girl or boy, man or woman. He has a bad scar on the left side of his face, which looks like a branding, but could be a scar from a very bad accident or perhaps abuse. He just doesn’t give the attentiveness with his head like he should, as though he is waiting for something to go wrong - I can’t really put my finger on it. He seems very distant. He is very un-trusting.

This beautiful, gentle horse was somehow, along the way, treated very wrongly. The only way to get him back was for me to give him some one-on-one and some very much needed TLC, patience, encouragement and an abundance of affection. I gave him all I could and saw wonderful changes in him. Now, other kids can ride him and the staff loves him. Sanna, one of the staff wranglers from Sweden, now holds him dear to her heart and Copperhead doesn’t even seem to need me anymore. She has witnessed a huge change.

On my drive home, I thought about Copperhead. He and I are so much alike in our journey. I was doing my best, being my best, and I was torn down. Today, I cannot stop weeping. My soul is shattered. The one person I gave my heart to has abused me and broken all confidence and trust I had in him. I’m skiddish, I’m not confident, I’m scared, especially when I’m around Ray. I hesitate in speaking to him because I’m fearful of what has happened before with his reactions to what I say. I don’t know how to act because it was never good enough. I couldn’t even groom myself without being accused of doing it for other reasons (in Ray's mind) other than just taking time to groom myself as I had always done.

Jodi, the wrangler from New Zeland, kept saying, “You need to take Copperhead home with you!” and “He needs a good home.” I agreed. But, that was not an option. Copperhead will adapt to the ways of camp life and it will dictate the kind of horse he will become until he dies. The people he is around will have an impact on him and the way he is treated on a daily, an hourly basis, will determine what kinds of ways he will improve or not improve.

I just hope the little I could do will last. I know what that horse needs. I pray that I will be given the same kind of treatment as I work through this time in my life. I don’t know if any of this makes sense, but it was heavy on my mind and I had to write it down.

Copperhead and me. A horse and a wife. God’s creations. Greatly loved, greatly adored.
Beautiful works of my Father in heaven. I praise God for the blessing of horses.

This story also shows me the impact I can have on my husband and others who have been abused, neglected, torn down, brokenhearted, etc.

I'm not who I was

2008-09-24T18:30:00.000-07:00

This is actually Freds blog. He wanted me to do it for him.

Last week at work Fred as usal has to keep the homless off the job sites. There was this one guy sitten up on the wall under the bridge. He told him like all the others, that he has to leave. The guy gave him no problems which is not usually the case. Fred came back around to the area and the guy was walking through the gate. Fred gave him the look, ( I'm surprised he didnt pull out the cell phone. LOL) I guess because he said The Guy said "I know, I'm leaving. I just wanted to take a short cut". As the guy passed Fred, Fred said "Hey come back here!" The guy said "Ah man, I.. " Fred stopped him and said " No man, I just wanted to ask you what book is that your reading?" The guy replied "Its my bible" Fred took it from him and gave him one of his he had in the truck. Fred said "Sorry I dont have anything else to give you but here is a newer bible." Fred said that the guy was very thankful. They got to talking and his name is Joe. Joe actually use to work for the same company that Fred is working for. You never know what the Lord is up to so I thought "I hope this not a glimps of our future!" LOL Anyways Joe was very excited for his new Bible.

A week passes. The Friday of my surgery, we could not get my meds till later in the day. Which for me was not fun. But God was up to something. Fred finally was able to go get the meds. He went through the drive-thru at HEB. As he was waiting there for the pharmacist, someone walked by the car a little to close. He looked to see to the side of the car and what does he see? His bible!!! He rolled down the window and called him over. It was Joe! The day after they met the first time, Joe had gotten a job that lasted 3 days. The pharmacist stuck her head out the window and gave him the Look. Fred told the pharmacist "It's ok I know him." Joe responded "Yeah he's my freind."

Now Fred works over at 410 & Ingram. There second encounter was at 1604 & Culebra. WOW!!

Fred is not who he was!
That bible was not what is was!
Joe was not who he was!

I'm excited to see when the next time they meet!

Jesus is Alive!

2008-09-19T11:39:00.001-07:00

Epic family members Fred and Felicia spent the day in the hospital with Felicia getting a procedure done. Fred reports that God is good and blessing Felicia with His healing grace. He says, "Thank you!" for your prayers.

God bless Fred and Felicia!

God Works in the Circumstance

2008-09-14T18:04:00.000-07:00

First things first. Cora and I are safely back from Port Aransas. Thank you for your prayers. You can read about our adventure at 37stories.wordpress.com. We had a wonderful time.

Cora and I went to Northstar mall today to stretch out our week long vacation as long as possible. Cora saw a sale going on and I headed for a coffee shop. I was sitting at the counter in the middle of the mall when a kind elderly lady walked up to me. She got really close and right up to my face. She commented how bad a habit it was to chew on your finger nails.

It was true about finger nail chewing, but a bit odd that she would get right up front and personal with me. She pointed out that she had chewed her nails since she was born and her husband had died back in '99. A nun had tried to unsuccessfully break her of the habit when she was young. She still chewed her nails at 83 years old and had good enough teeth for it.

The whole time she is talking to me, I'm trying to figure what to do. She is uncomfortably close and she wants to talk. I'm thinking. Is this lady nuts or does God have a plan in this unusual circumstance. I've found that God many times reveals Himself in the unusual. Anyway, I commented that there are probably worse habits to avoid and she agreed.

I'm praying. God what do you want me to do with this? She says, she is looking for her daughter who is wearing orange pants. She spots her and says she must go. I say, "God bless" and I am still scratching my head and chewing my nails trying to figure out what God had in mind with the unusual circumstance.

Any thoughts?

Struggles

2008-09-07T09:01:00.001-07:00

God's Purpose in Your Suffering

2008-09-06T08:19:00.000-07:00

"While no one wants to suffer, experience and sorrow will mature the believer. We can learn certain things from books and other people's stories, but most growth occurs during trials. So, when problems occur and sorrow seems piercing, thank God for His purpose in your suffering". Dr. Charles Stanley

I'm still thinking on this idea of suffering. Dr. Stanley is a wise and respected man of the cloth. But, his last sentence bugs me. "Thank God for His purpose in your suffering". If the doc is suggesting that God purposes for you to suffer so you will become stronger in your faith, I think he is wrong. I believe God wants us to enjoy an abundant life free from suffering, but sin gets in the way. With sin, we suffer. God does not force us to sin.

Maybe put it this way. In a perfect world there would be no sin. With no sin there would be no suffering. In an imperfect world there is sin and suffering. So, what is God going to do? He going to keep His promises. He is going to allow you the opportunity to grow strong even in the face of evil. It's all about what you do with the choices you make in life that determines the person you choose to be.

Sebastian Dedication to Christ

2008-09-04T20:35:00.000-07:00

Our youngest family member to EPIC was dedicated to God by his loving parents, Mike and Veronica. What a beautiful picture of God's grace.

You can view more baby pics at:

http://drop.io/gpcbabies

Enjoy!

DEEP WATERS

2008-08-30T07:23:00.000-07:00

I've been encouraged to start journaling again. I thought I should share a God Spot too. As you all know Fred and I have been trying to keep our heads above water in our marriage. A couple of weekends ago we were invited to a get together at Medina Lake with the Childrens ministry. I was looking foward to just resting and doing nothing. There were two jet skies at the lake house, one was very stable and the other you really had to use your whole body to stay upright. I had never been on one and Fred and I have talked about getting one in the future. So Fred said "would you like a ride"? I said sure. Of course we got on the unstable jet skie. God is funny. Anyway we get out a ways and we tip over. We go flying off. I thought it was funny. Untill, I relized after several times of trying to get back on that it was not going to happen.

A group from the party is going by in a boat and try to help us. After several more times we finally get going. As we are going I keep hearing what some one told me before we took off. Hold him tight and go which ever way he goes. Well, I thought that was what I was doing but apparently not. I caught my self fighting the direction Fred was going and of course went flying off again. That ride was very short lived. LOL I had to swim to shore alone while Fred rode the jet. He was having fun. LOL

While I was swimming I could still hear those words. Hold him tight and go which ever way he goes. Its funny how you hear something but you dont really listen. So Fred comes and picks me up at shore. We get on and I had to tell myself the words that I kept hearing. I slid myself all the way up to the back of Fred and said the words God gave me. We are one!!!! I have never ever held on to him so tight. I had never felt as one as I did at that moment. Fred yelled just stay with me. That was the hardest trust action I have ever had to take. I thought we were going to fall again, I closed my eyes and kept telling myself we are one. Through all that God was also saying Trust me!!!!!! Fred being Fred(wild man that he is) the man I fell in love with, started doing donouts in the water. Fred yelled dont let go, I yelled back Im not WE ARE ONE! Of course my eyes are still closed but at the same time I wanted to enjoy it. Also I guess if my eyes are still closed I'm not totally trusting either, Him nor HIM. So I opened one eye(baby steps here). LOL The water is swishing and swishing around and around. You got to just love this man.

Needless to say we got back to the Lake house in one piece. This photo is not of Medina but I will get one. The people that were on the boat actually took an action picture. So I'll try to get that. So, I need to find verses that speak to me on those bold words. I know my Epic family can Help. I dont want to forget this picture the Lord gave me.

Archie( God father of blogging), I hope I made you proud.

XA,

FELICIA

The Promise of His Love

2008-08-26T00:36:00.001-07:00

"A thunderstorm rolled over the mountains. It was cool and refreshing. His majesty was revealed in the sky.

The promise of His enduring love and patience with us was revealed in the intense rainbow that began in a valley and arched over the mountain."

-excerpt from Cora's journal at Holy Yoga retreat

Survival Food

2008-08-24T17:46:00.000-07:00

Some friends gave me a container of survival food, "for medicinal purposes only". Cora has been gone on a Spiritual retreat and they wanted to make sure I had something to eat. I think I have gained 5 lbs in a week.

Thanks friends!

2008-08-21T16:34:00.000-07:00

Since the blogmeister, aka Archie, is constantly looking for us to contribute to the EPIC blog I thought I'd make a contribution. I'm going to talk about a God Spot that came out of our vacation time in Hawaii back in late June and early July (hmmm...I may contribute many of them, what an awesome time we had).

As Sophia (the late Estelle Getty) from "the Golden Girls" would say, "Picture this...", it was a lovely Saturday morning, July 5th, on the island of Oahu and we (Barbara, Brianne, my mom, and me) decided to go to Honolulu's Chinatown for some shopping and sightseeing. It had been several years since we had been to Chinatown and we had begun to hear stories over the years of how there's lots of homeless people, hardly anywhere to park, and that it was dirty and just plain not nice. In addition, our dear friend Al, who lives in Honolulu, would always warn, "it gets a little rough in Chinatown". He says that, even though both he and Kathy go there often during their lunch hour from work.

As we approached Chinatown in our rental car I began to get impatient as we looked and looked for a parking space within a reasonable distance of the main shopping area. While driving around, parts of Chinatown began to not look so inviting. In true Jeff fashion I began to suggest that we forego Chinatown and move on to the next place on our tourist list. Thank goodness Barbara and Brianne responded strongly that they really wanted to do Chinatown. So we kept looking for a parking place. On the very next trip around, BINGO! We found an open space very close to the entrance of a special marketplace that we wanted to visit.

And as it turned out, our time in Chinatown was just awesome! We did lots of walking, bought plenty of souvenirs, leis, and trinkets, and we also bought some fruits and veggetables for our dinner back at our friends that evening. We even bought a Hawaiian muumuu (dress) for my mom (she treasures that muumuu by the way). We had a blast walking through the crowded and tight alleyways and noisy streets. And yes, there were some unsavory looking characters around (so I held on tight to my wallet, and kept a wary eye on my family's purses as well, just in case), and in a few parts things were indeed a bit run down or seedy. However, overall Chinatown was a fabulous place to tour - the people were super friendly, there were plenty of other tourist like us around, and we felt safe.

It was a God Spot moment for several reasons:
God showed us the beauty of many things there - the beauty of the multi-cultural world of Chinatown; the aesthetic beauty of the buildings with their Asian themed decorations.
I was able to relax, settle in, and really enjoy the experience. I didn't allow my impatience ruin an opportunity for what turned out to be one of the highlights of our vacation.
Sometimes I've been known to focus too hard on staying on schedule, hustling us from one venue to another. But this time God was in charge, slowing us (me) down and allowing us to take in all the splendor.

Thank you Lord for your blessings, and grace. And thank you for those God Spots!

Olympic Christianity

2008-08-13T04:42:00.000-07:00

I think I am beginning to "get it". I keep hearing about the disciplines of the faith and kind of appreciate what is being said. But, I'm not sure how it really impacts me.

I know I should read the Bible, pray and maybe fast if someone really pressures me. But the problem is really a simple question. "Why?" Life is pretty good without the hassle of doing things that don't fit my routine. But I said, "I think I am beginning to get it".

The getting "it" really centers around the Olympics. There are ten of thousands of athletes around the world that get it. They have a dream of someday being a participant in the world Olympics. Take Phelps for example. He gets it.

Phelps as well as the many others who desire to participate in the Olympics devote their life to the goal. There is nothing more important than winning gold at the Olympics. They likely leave home at an early age to train. They give up free time to train. They give up relationships to train. They give up their body for the cause.

Think about it. Everything consumed by them in body, soul and spirit is in preparation for achieving "the high calling of Jesus Christ". Whoops. Where did that come from? I should have said, "It is for achieving the honor of winning gold." or not?

Back from Colorado Springs

2008-08-05T10:39:00.000-07:00

"The heavens tell the Glory of God, and the skies announce what His hands have made."

Psalm 19:1

Ray & I drove up Pike's Peak Wednesday afternoon (elev. 14,110'). This was a stop at around 12,000' - you can see Ray on the far right in an orange t-shirt. I got dizzy up at the top just walking into the gift shop!

A God spot: we were just leaving this location in this photo when the car we rented would no longer move because of the altitude. We tried a couple of more times, but it couldn't handle the incline. We asked God to please let us make it to the top - we had already gotten that far (appx. 16 of 18 miles). We tried one more time and God answered our prayers. The car acted like there was never anything wrong with it!

This is so relative to our marriage. We are climbing some big mountains together. Sometimes we tend to rely on what we have and forget to ask God for help. But when we do, He is right there!

The week was busy, but fun. Ray had a little too much fun! He was a parab operator for the ESPN and NBC air days and helped fax out the mics on course on our set day - (parab op: person who handles a parabolic microphone, which is a powerful directional microphone that can pick up sound from long distances). So, he had a lot of time with the audio crew checking the talent mics on the set up days. I worked only on the NBC days (Fri/Sat/Sun).

We miss you guys and look forward to this Thursday. God bless!
Ray & Cathy Knowlton

EIEEEEEEEEE !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2008-08-04T06:42:00.001-07:00

Jump Barbara. See Barbara Jump.

2008-08-04T06:40:00.000-07:00

I call this the "Super Woman" position.

2008-08-02T18:55:00.000-07:00

Fat Cat

2008-08-02T08:22:00.001-07:00

Paradise Canyon Slide Show

2008-07-14T19:32:00.000-07:00

How long can you hold your breath?

2008-07-14T06:09:00.001-07:00

EPIC LIFE GROUP - Grace Point Church: Missing the EPIC Family

2008-07-06T19:53:00.000-07:00

EPIC LIFE GROUP - Grace Point Church: Missing the EPIC Family

Missing the EPIC Family

2008-07-06T18:22:00.000-07:00

Summer is tough on the EPIC family. We get torn so many different directions. I miss the family. I look forward to us getting back together! Anyone know the next date, time and place to meet? Post it to the comments!

Cora and Holy Yoga have been hitting it off big time. I took this shot at Botanical Gardens in preparation for a photo shoot later. Lots of interest by other Yogimiの日记本子』 folks. Don't you just love that word. Yogimi.
Archie

Be Good Husbands and Wives

2008-06-21T06:01:00.000-07:00

You can't add to it. You can't take from it. The Word is what it is.

"Be good wives to your husbands, responsive to their needs. There are husbands who, indifferent as they are to any words about God, will be captivated by your life of holy beauty.

Be good husbands to your wives. Honor them, delight in them. As women they lack some of your advantages. But in the new life of God's grace, you're equals. Treat your wives, then, as equals so your prayers don't run aground".

Peter

If you are like me, you immediately started evaluating your spouse and how he/she may be performing based on the Word. Stop right there. It's not about the other person. It is about you. Are you being obedient? Do your actions and attitudes display the qualities of Christ? Will your heart (the essence of your being) draw your spouse closer to Christ?

New Life

2008-06-08T05:22:00.001-07:00

The old life is a grass life,
its beauty as short-lived as wildflowers;
Grass dries up, flowers droop,
God's Word goes on and on forever.
This is the Word that conceived the new life in you.

Prepare the Mind for Action

2008-06-07T05:32:00.000-07:00

Therefore, prepare your minds for action, keep sober in spirit, fix your hope completely on the grace to be brought to you at the revelation of Jesus Christ. ¹⁴ As obedient children, do not be conformed to the former lusts which were yours in your ignorance, ¹⁵ but like the Holy One who called you, be holy yourselves also in all your behavior; ¹⁶ because it is written, "YOU SHALL BE HOLY, FOR I AM HOLY." 1 Peter 13-16

or The Message says....

So roll up your sleeves, put your mind in gear, be totally ready to receive the gift that's coming when Jesus arrives. Don't lazily slip back into those old grooves of evil, doing just what you feel like doing. You didn't know any better then; you do now. As obedient children, let yourselves be pulled into a way of life shaped by God's life, a life energetic and blazing with holiness. God said, "I am holy; you be holy."

I am chewing on this passage from our 'Fearless' leader Jeffery Chandler. I'm trying to get the head knowledge to the heart. Maybe I'm slow that way, but it takes effort to get an idea to my heart. I think what I am getting is that God's love for me, produces a desire to consume His Word, which prepares my mind for the action of being Holy in all my behavior. Does that make sense?

I'm still thinking........
archie

Exercising Faith

2008-05-23T08:58:00.000-07:00

I've been blessed nearly my entire life to be able to enjoy exercising, and physical activity. Mostly this exercise came in the form of basketball, baseball / softball, tennis, and to a small extent golf (I'm soooo terrible). Over all of those years one thing that I learned was that one gets better at something only thru practice. Practice being that repetitious act of trying to better yourself at something physically and mentally (except for me and golf). My perspective is that the same holds true with faith. One must exercise it to get more familiar with the concept...the concept of leaning on God's strong, protective arms, and the concept of trusting God.

Our lives are filled with, for lack of a better term, lots of "life". And that "life" runs the gamut of trials, tribulations, joys, sorrows, ups, downs, discouragement, parental duties, parental anguish, obligations, tragedies, excitement, and much much more. One of my favorite television commercial lines is, "life comes at you hard". I truly believe that life does that sometimes. With "life" coming at us with such a menagerie of things most of us quickly learn that we can't handle it all by ourselves. Hopefully we realize that God is the source of our strength and not that cigarette, not that martini, or worse, not that recreational drug that many turn to. God is the source of all comfort, and the sooner we humble ourselves and realize that, the better.

Exercising faith requires trust and trust requires faith. They go hand in hand. It's like teaching a child to swim. They have to trust that you, the teacher, will rescue them if they faulter when you let them go in the water. The kid keeps trying and they keep trusting, and building their faith. They have trust that the instructor is always there for help or advice. And they have faith that after much practice they'll be able to swim.

We won't ever be able as humans to stand completely on our own and apart from God. It doesn't work that way. By exercising our faith in God and strengthening that trust there is nothing we can't do.

I'm talking about practice y'all. Exercise your faith.
Peace,
"haughville man" Jeff

It's a Baby Boy!

2008-05-20T03:57:00.000-07:00

Hello EPIC family and the world! Mike and Veronica De La Cruz have a beautiful baby boy as their blessing from God today. I hope I get the spelling right on the name.

The boy's name Sebastian \s(e)-bas-tian, seb(a)-stian\ is pronounced se-BASS-tian. It is of Greek origin, and its meaning is "revered".

Sebastian De La Cruz was born 7:36 AM Monday morning. 8 lbs and 20 inches. Mike and Veronica are tired from no sleep. I think Mike is blown away by the event and I can imagine he and Veronica are both blessed beyond their wildest expectations. Everyone is healthy.

God bless them!

Sweetness of the Spirit

2008-05-16T04:33:00.000-07:00

It was an EPIC night at life group. It seemed everyone had life experiences where God showed up and demonstrated His power. I can imagine God's Word to EPIC is "embrace the struggle". Don't run from it. Run to God.

Surely, it brings God ecstatic spontaneous joy when we run to Him. We acknowledge that God is who He says He is. God can do what He says He can do. God will do as He promises.

God promises to supply our needs. As I chatted with God about my needs. He showed me that He had not only supplied my needs for the day, but had exceeded them in the ice cream sundae I was eating. Exceeded, because I really didn't need the sundae but was provide it as a bonus.

God is so rich and full of grace. Watch for God Spots today!

Prayer request

2008-05-02T12:45:00.000-07:00

Greetings my Life Group friends,
I am in need of prayer as I most likely will be losing my job in the coming week. Things have not worked out the way I had hoped, and while I am trying to accept the situation, the timing kind of stinks.

The good news is I haven't used any sarcasm or words that could be misunderstood. That is huge growth for me, usually I deal with stress or drama with venom.

Someone who knows me well sent this to my email today, I wanted to share with you.

Blessings to you,
Sara

Philippians 4:6-7 Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God; 7 and the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.

One of the characteristics that should identify us as the people of God is freedom from anxiety. One of the most common maladies of modern life is worry. On the big scale, we worry about the Middle East and North Korea; we worry about the economy or global warming or West Nile virus. On the individual level we worry about our health, we worry about social security, we worry about paying the bills and we worry about making ends meet. People spend tens of millions of dollars every year on medicines to reduce stress and millions more are spent on medicines to cope with the results of stress and worry like ulcers or high blood pressure. Anxiety is like Starbucks: it’s everywhere. We are a busy, nervous, anxious and worried generation of people. In our day and age it seems like worry is just part of the equation; but it doesn’t have to be.

In this verse, Paul gives the recipe for worry free living. Every Christian can greatly reduce their stress level by following the dictates of this verse. In this sermon, entitled, “Don’t worry, be happy” Paul prescribes a restriction, a reaction and guarantees a result, with one important caveat.

First, the restriction: be anxious for nothing. Grammatically, the present imperative means, “Stop worrying.” Paul assumes they are worriers and they need to stop. Worry means being preoccupied; letting your mind dwell on something that is negative or uncertain. While Paul doesn’t tell us what it is that has them collectively distracted, he wants them to cut it out. And the implication is they can control it. Often we allow our minds to be preoccupied with the negative and we think, or even say, “I can’t help it.” Paul says, when it comes to worry, yes you can.

What are the dangers of worrying? What does God care if we worry or not? Is it so bad to sit and stew and have a pity party for ourselves? Besides the negative health issues that accompany a life of worry, besides being occupied with the negatives can immobilize us, there is a more sinister element to worrying.

Believer's Baptizism

2008-04-28T15:00:00.000-07:00

Johnny's Mother looked out the window and noticed him 'playing church' with their cat. He had the cat sitting quietly and he was preaching to it. She smiled and went about her work.

A while later she heard loud meowing and hissing and ran back to the open window to see Johnny baptizing the cat in a tub of water.She called out, 'Johnny, stop that!

The cat is afraid of water!'

Johnny looked up at her and said, 'He should have thought about that before he joined my church.'

The Unknown Fawder

2008-04-21T06:42:00.000-07:00

Click for more....
a humorous look at religion...

Federico in the Groove!

2008-04-17T00:11:00.001-07:00

Good morning, God!

2008-04-16T06:15:00.000-07:00

"Post a guard at my mouth, God,
set a watch at the door of my lips."
David

Forgiven!!

2008-04-15T07:02:00.000-07:00

Praise the Lord, I tell myself; with all my heart, I will praise His holy name. Praise the Lord, I tell myself, and never forget the good things He does for me. He forgives all my sins and heals all my diseases. He ransoms me from death and surrounds me with love and tender mercies. He fills my life with good things. My youth is renewed like the eagle's! The Lord gives righteousness and justice to all who are treated unfairly. He revealed His character to Moses and His deeds to the people of Israel. The Lord is merciful and gracious; He is slow to get angry and full of unfailing love. He will not constantly accuse us, nor remain angry forever. He has not punished us for all our sins, nor does He deal with us as we deserve. For His unfailing love toward those who fear Him is as great as the height of the heavens above the earth. He has removed our rebellious acts as far away from us as the east is from the west. The Lord is like a father to His children, tender and compassionate to those who fear Him. For He understands how weak we are; He knows we are only dust. Our days on earth are like grass; like wildflowers, we bloom and die. The wind blows, and we are gone - as though we had never been here. But the love of the Lord remains forever with those who fear Him. His salvation extends to the children's children of those who are faithful to His covenant, of those who obey His commandments!

Psalm 103:1-18
New Living Translation

cat 4/15/08

Which 1971 High School Grad is an EPIC Member?

2008-04-10T20:57:00.001-07:00

See you Thursday!

2008-04-08T09:44:00.000-07:00

Hello EPIC family,

I hope your week so far is going well. We had a great time during last week's gathering - good discussions of the Book of James (faith & deeds). This week promises more of the same as we get into "taming the tongue".

I'm sure each one of us has that whipped already (yeah, right ).

Don't forget that we are now meeting at our house, 7711 Autumn Park.

Let's be sure to keep our brother and sister, Bart & Denise Hensler, in our prayers. Yesterday, Bart took off for Yemen. He'll be there for two weeks working and serving. Let's pray for God's mercy and grace for Bart there in Yemen, and peace and comfort for Denise and the family back here at home.

I look forward to seeing you Thursday night.

Peace,

Jeff

2008-04-08T09:32:00.000-07:00

Hi epic group,

Well our trip to Yemen was cancelled at the last moment due to mortors being fired into the housing area were we where going to stay. (al-qaeda)

I thank you guys for praying for this trip and that we were not there when this happened. Please continue to pray for the children we were going to opperate on and there families. I am not sure if this will be rescheduled, I kinda doubt it. Anyway, Denise is glad that I didn't go and I am too at this moment. Hope to see you all on Thursday.

Bart

Final Four

2008-04-05T14:47:00.000-07:00

Cinderalla Story!

Who do you want to win?
Post your choice NOW!
Me, personally, I DO NOT want UCLA to win. Memphis is my pick.

cat

EPIC Family Time was Great!

2008-04-04T07:35:00.000-07:00

Happy Birthday Cora!

2008-04-03T05:48:00.001-07:00

Today is the day the Lord hath made and everything in it. Happy birthday, Cora! May this be the best day of your life. May everything in it be blessed and positive. May everyone and everything that touches you today be an exceptional gift from God. May you easily see God's blessings on your life and the lives of those around you. May I be the husband of your dreams. May God provide you fertile ground for His blessings to unfold in your life. I love you, babe!

Your superhero,
Archie

Isn't This a Picture of Cora?

2008-04-02T06:18:00.000-07:00

So here I am in the place of worship, eyes open,
drinking in your strength and glory.
In your generous love I am really living at last!
My lips brim praises like fountains.
I bless you every time I take a breath;
My arms wave like banners of praise to you.

Written by David of Psalms

Taming the Tongue

2008-04-01T06:37:00.001-07:00

Good morning EPIC, this is a reminder that we should be prepared to dive into James, Chapter 3 this week. The theme of the early part of this chapter is "taming the tongue".

I mentioned last week a few things to ponder as we prepare for this week's discussions, and here they are:

1) Do your words more often help than hurt?

2) Do they reveal your true self or do they conceal you from others?

3) Do they hide God, or do they praise him?

4) Are you more likely to wield your tongue as a weapon of your flesh or employ it as an instrument of the Spirit?

Hope to see you on Thursday at our house.

Peace in Him,

Jeff

New EPIC Location - Thank you Ray and Cathy

2008-03-31T06:05:00.000-07:00

Hey EPIC, I hope that everyone had a great weekend despite the gray skies. I fought allergies or a cold all weekend but I'm hangin' tough (I spent a lot of time suffering on the couch watching basketball).

I wanted to make sure that all of you know that we are moving EPIC to our house. We tip our hats to Ray and Cathy for graciously hosting EPIC for over a year. Thank you guys very much. Your hospitality is greatly appreciated.

You will find our house in the Parkwood Subdivision, off of Prue Road, between Bandera Road, and Babcock. Our subdivision is just across the street from Fortress Church. Our address is 7711 Autumn Park, 78249 (in case you want to Mapquest it).

Directions from 1604 - Exit Bandera Road, turn left onto Bandera Road. The second light you come to will be Prue Road on your left (Tezel on the right). Turn left onto Prue Road and follow it to the second stoplight (first one is Kyle Seale Pkway) which is Cedar Park where you will take a left into the Subdivision (you'll see the Parkwood Subdivision marque). Come in on Cedar Park to the three-way stop sign. Turn right onto Autumn Park and follow it down the hill, 7711 will be on your left.

Directions from Babcock and Prue Road - From the south, turn left onto Prue Road, and follow it to the second stoplight and that will be Cedar Park. Same directions as above from there.

Our home number is 558-6641; and my cell is 273-7416 in case you need to call us.

We'll be working on The Book of James, Chapter 3 and the theme is "taming the tongue". Should be some fun discussions on that topic.

See you there.

Peace,

Jeff

Love and Respect. Wednesday 6:30 at Grace Point.

2008-03-31T04:31:00.000-07:00

It's not too late to come. Cora and Archie are hosting the Love and Respect video series on Wednesday nights at 6:30. Love to have you there. Drop on by! Then, we will see you at the EPIC family meeting on Thursday!

Happy Birthday Kelsey!

2008-03-31T04:26:00.001-07:00

For more EPIC birthday pics

Jeffery Chandler wrote:

2008-03-31T04:14:00.000-07:00

http://www.ncaamarchmadness2008.com/mens/practice.aspx

Hey EPIC, I hope everyone is having a great finish to your week. I have an idea for an imprompto outing for EPIC and I want to see if any of you would like to join me. Next Friday, April 4, at the Alamodome is the Final Four Free Practice Session for the college men's basketball tournament. And yes I said FREE. I've gone to this event the last two times San Antonio was fortunate enough to host the final four (1998 and 2002 I think, or was it 2004?). Anyway take a look at the event using the site above.

Doors open at the dome at 11:00 a.m. and right at 12 noon the first of the final four teams comes out and holds a full practice. It runs till 4p.m. and you get to see all four teams in action. Best of all you usually can sit anywhere in the lower dome (no nosebleed seating).

I'm planning to take a half day of vacation to go. If anyone is interested in going with me, or meeting me there let me know. The only cost is the parking ($10 or $12 bucks maybe), and any food / drinks at the Alamodome.

Let me know if you have any questions. Have a great day and a restful fun weekend.

Jeff

My Kitty

2008-03-25T16:17:00.001-07:00

Pray for Ming

2008-03-25T15:56:00.000-07:00

Hi EPIC!

Please pray for me. I need to make some decisions about my cat. He had a seizure Sunday and his eyes are kind of funky looking now. I am very sad about it, but, I've been expecting this...

I'm being told he has a tumor in his brain (cancerous), but that's just from examining him. Symptoms and previous seizures lead the vet to believe this to be true. Tomorrow, I will see the cancer specialist we had for Harley (our dog that passed away last year).

Please pray for my cat, Ming, that God would have mercy. I just don't want him to suffer.

I look forward to seeing all of you guys Thursday night!!

God bless,

cathy knowlton

Easter Shine

2008-03-21T18:41:00.001-07:00

Thank you John and Frank for the sacrifice you are making to get the church ready for Easter service. I know you are giving it your all to get it done. Thank you for the blood, sweat and tears. You guys are the best!
Archie Bobcat Rhines

Thank you Mike

2008-03-20T19:48:00.001-07:00

Thank you Mike! I couldn't have gotten the landscaping done without you. Thank you for your help and equipment. Thank you Veronica for letting Mike come out and play!
Archie

Mr. Fred

2008-03-20T19:37:00.000-07:00

Frederico,

You are awesome!

Thank you for helping me fix potholes at the church!

Archie

Blessed by God's Word

2008-03-18T10:32:00.000-07:00

I have called upon Thee, for Thou wilt answer me, O God;

Incline Thine ear to me, hear my speech.

Wondrously show Thy lovingkindness,

O Savior of those who take refuge at Thy right hand

from those who rise up against them.

Keep me as the apple of the eye;

hide me in the shadow of Thy wings...

As for me, I shall behold Thy face in righteousness;

I will be satisfied with Thy likeness when I awake.

Psalm 17:6-8, 15

I'm going to miss seeing all you guys this Thursday. Have a great spring break!

God bless you,

cat

Heroes Take Part in God Spot

2008-03-17T05:42:00.001-07:00

I stood shoulder to shoulder with 2 heroes today, my friend and a young man in high school with a cell phone.

Today my friend and I are driving to his home with his 2 young boys from our football BBQ fundraiser. At the stop sign ahead there is a young man standing in the middle of the road on the double yellow line in fact. He is holding his left chest and approaching every car that will slow down. Only one car stopped and is talking to the young man. As we get to our turn at the stop I ask my friend “do you have beggars in your neighbor hood?” He tells me that they usually don’t come this far from Loop 410. We both see when the young man turns he is disheveled and covered in blood. We both come to the same conclusion, he must have been in a car accident or hit by a car. We go through the stop sign and stop. I grab a towel I had with us and we approach the young man. He is holding his upper left chest and bleeding profusely, the young man in the one car that stopped has two teen women in it, the man driving the car is on his cell phone. My friend and I approach the young man in the street and ask what happened. He utters a string of obscenities and tells us his friend stabbed him and took his car. We try to calm him and can smell the beer on his breath. We finally get him to the side of the road and get him to lay down. About 8-10 cars have driven past this young man in the street before we get to him. He is pumping blood out of his chest not just a trickle. We are talking to the young man and he is cussing and screaming. My friend asks the young man his name “Russell” is the reply. The young man’s eyes begin to roll back in his head and he is losing consciousness. The young man from the only car that stops tells us that the 911 operator says to keep pressure on the wound until EMS arrives or he will bleed to death. As Russell fades out my friend grabs the towel and places pressure on the wound. My friend is on his knees and sticks his finger and the towel into the stab wound to top the bleeding and grabs the hand of Russell. The young man with the cell phone asks Russell if there is anyone he wants him to call, “My mom” was the reply. Russell begins to vomit beer right next to where my friend is kneeling but my friend does not flinch. Russell is going in and out of consciousness at this point (don’t know if it was due to blood loss or beer). We hear a siren and tell Russell to “hang on, can you hear that?, help is coming.” When Russell turns to vomit more beer I can see a puddle of blood beneath him. The first responders were two firemen in a fired department pickup truck. They ask what happened to him and we relate the story. They radio someone and stand to wait. My friend is still holding Russell’s hand, keeping pressure on the wound and talking to him. A fire truck crew is the next to arrive and they take over for my friend. When my friend stands, he has Russell’s blood from his finger tips to his elbows on both arms. I try to clean up my friend as best I can with hand sanitizer I keep in my truck. A fireman sees the blood and offers my friend some type of disinfectant. The police arrive and ask if we are family, we say no so they make us move back. Russell turns his head and looks at my friend. The look he had was “why did you leave me?” The EMT’s and police are asking Russell their official questions but not talking to him. Me, my friend and the young man from the car with the cell phone begin to talk. The young man had called Russell’s mom and told him there had been an accident and it was serious. He had given the mom the location and her first reply was “is he drunk?” Then “tell him I will meet him at Wilford Hall” and hangs up.

The young man on the cell phone tells us he did know what he would have done if we had not stopped. He offers to shake my friends hand and my friend tells him “No I had his blood all over me.” The young man grabs my friends hand, shakes it and gives him a hug. My friend and I leave to go to his house. We wash our hands 3 or 4 times to make sure they are clean and we have no cuts or scratches. We unload my truck. We are sitting in his garage drinking gatorade and water and my friend begins to shake. I told him he was the bravest person I know, that without hesitation or thinking about his own health or safety he took over when Russell began to fade. His reply to my statement will forever be burned in my mind. He gave a reply that each and every person who calls themselves Christian should give.

“John, I only saw a life, not a 21 year old alchoholic, not aids, not hepatitus, I only saw a life and it had to be saved.”

My friend did not judge by appearance or circumstance. He saw a life that was going to end in the weeds and broken glass on the side of the road with three strangers. He determined that he would do everything he could including risk disease to keep that life from ending.

We sat in his garage and realized we did not know the name of the young man with the cell phone. My friends son’s say he had a baseball jersey from Warren High School on. We also realize that we never got his name. We also realize we don’t know which hospital Russell was taken to. My friend tells me he wants to go to Warren High School to try to find the young man and tell the school and his parents they have a hero among them. My friend wants to try to find Russell and tell him to pray and thank Jesus for saving his life.

I have asked my friend several times to go to church with me. He doesn’t go to church. He starts and ends each day with prayer. He prays during the day, usually starting his prayers with “thank you Jesus for…” He reads his Bible in his home and on weekends he has his sons he talks to them about how good God is.

My friend told me he was not a hero, he said “you were there too brother and that high school kid that wouldn’t leave was the real hero.” I shook his hand and told him how blessed I was to have a friend like him in my life and my families life. He again told me “You were there too.”

I never shook, never was afraid during this whole ordeal. When I walked through the front door of my house I began to cry. I told my wife what happened and that all I could think about was that a young 21 year old could have lost his life on the side of the road with only 3 strangers trying to help him. I could not understand how a man so young could have lost so much hope and why he could not see a future for himself. I think it may be because someone saw a high school drop out that “only” had a GED who drank too much and gave up on him. Instead of looking at this young man and saying “It’s a life, and its a life that has to be saved.” I told my wife God loves that young man bleeding on the side of the road as much as He loves Billy Graham, but why doesn’t everyone. Why didn’t the 10 cars in front of us stop? How many of those cars that did not stop have people who are in church every Sunday? I think of how much importance we place on titles we are given and who we know and how important we think we are at church. About how much power we think we have and how we think we are really leading. I ask myself this question, who would call 911 and keep going because they can’t get involved or he might have a disease, or someone else will stop. We all want to be noticed, but who is willing to get on their knees in the weeds, broken glass and trash on the side of the road? Who is really willing to risk their own health to save a life, not of a family or friend, but of a disheveled, bleeding drunk standing in the middle of the road asking for help.

I am blessed to have a hero for a friend.

John H. - March 16, 2008 at 4:39 pm e

It's EPIC Time!

2008-03-13T06:41:00.001-07:00

Hey EPIC, I hope that everyone is having a great week. Don't forget to be there tonight if you can. We will be discussing the 2nd chapter of James. Last week we had some exciting discussions, and tonight promises to be more of the same. Fred and Felicia are scheduled to bring snacks.

We're hoping to welcome Bart and Denise back from Hawaii - I'm sure they have plenty to share with us about that awesome working vacation.

As we meet tonight Mark and Brenda Ludwick and family will be in Katy TX cheering on their son John Mark and the UTSA Roadrunners basketball team in the Southland Conference Tourney. Let's keep them in mind and cheer big John Mark on!! And also pray for their safety as they travel to and from.

See ya at the Knowltons!!

God bless you,

Jeff

God Spot Pop Quiz - Whose sign is this?

2008-03-08T07:35:00.000-08:00

Hold Fast EPIC!

2008-03-05T05:20:00.000-08:00

Hezekiah put his whole trust in the God of Israel. There was no king quite like him, either before or after. He held fast to God—never loosened his grip—and obeyed to the letter everything God had commanded Moses. And God, for his part, held fast to him through all his adventures.

What a comforting thought. God held fast to Hezekiah as he put his whole trust in God. What does that look like to me? How might I put my whole trust in God and have God hold fast to me?

I especially like the end... through all his adventures. It is the EPIC way.

Teresa Devlin to Visit EPIC

2008-03-03T08:00:00.001-08:00

Hey EPIC, this week we have a real blessing in store for us. Teresa Devlin will be with us and she will be giving a presentation about her ministry in Honduras. We will graciously give her the first 30 minutes of our evening together.

After the presentation we will dive into the first chapter of the Book of James which we voted on last week as our next focus of study. I look forward to some awesome discussions regarding perseverance, trials, and temptations.

And as a reminder, Archie and Cora will be providing the snacks this week.

Barbara and I hope to see all of you this Thursday at Ray & Cathy's house.

Have a blessed week,

Jeff

This week's EPIC

2008-02-25T05:26:00.000-08:00

Hello EPIC, wasn't that an awesome south Texas weekend we just finished? Great warm weather, and sunshine. And to top it off, Pastor Jeff has just been on fire with his sermons. I hope you're as pumped as I am about hearing more of the sermon series, "EPIC" (pretty appropriate title I would say).

This Thursday, February 28, don't forget to attend Life Group. We will be at the Knolltons as usual. We, Jeff & Barbara will volunteer to bring snacks. We have a few administrative things to cover as a group. For one, I'd like for you to be thinking of what you would like to study, read, and discuss over the course of the next quarter. Please be prepared to bring your topics, ideas, and suggestions to discuss. Hopefully we can arrive at a consensus on our study path on Thursday.

I look forward to leading our wonderful group! There are so many awesome things that God is doing within our circle. Let's be sure to lift each other up in prayer this week. As Pastor Jeff reminds us, the enemy is quite busy in our world all the time.

See ya Thursday.
Jeff

2008-02-20T10:29:00.000-08:00

EPIC!

Hope you all had a great Valentine’s week off from EPIC. Looking forward to this Thursday and Friday nights together!

Thursday night is one of the more important gatherings we’ll have. We’re going to talk about EPIC going forward and some exciting new movements within our group. PLEASE make every effort to be there at 7PM.

IMPORTANT: Let’s each honor Cathie’s request below by bringing a snack or munchie. What ever we don’t eat we can save for future gatherings.

Friday night is Game Night at Mark & Brenda Ludwick’s home. Hope everyone can come. 7-10PM. They will bring a map to their home Thursday and some instructions for us for the evening. They may get a separate email out before Thursday night with some planning on the snacks.

Be strong in the Lord today. We love you all.

Dave & Jo

EPIC - Together on this Journey we will...

encourage and build each other up
bear each others' burdens
prioritize a quest for spiritual growth
worship God through our actions of faith and service
and, share the Good News outside of our circle

Health Food Needed

2008-02-20T10:20:00.000-08:00

Hi y'all!!!

Well, rodeo is over...!!!! YEEE-HAAAW!!! I look forward to seeing everyone here this Thursday night at our house. Would anyone like to bring a snack? I will have tea, coffee, water, hot chocolate, sodas...

Just let me know - think healthy, if possible!!

love ya,

cat

My Valentine

2008-02-16T09:08:00.001-08:00

Hello world! This is my valentine. She is the love of my life. She has honored every vow ever made to me. God has blessed me far beyond anything I ever deserved. When I was obedient, Cora was there. When I am disobedient, Cora is there. Cora loves me as God loves me. God could not have picked a more perfect life companion, friend, confidant and lover then when He picked Cora for me.

Thank you Cora for being faithful. Thank you for being the virtuous woman God talks of in His Word. Thank you for always believing in God and trusting Him for His provisions through me.

Forgive me when I have failed. I will keep trying. Forgive me when I am impatient. Forgive me when I invalidate you. Forgive me for not being there at times when you needed me. Thank you for allowing me to be me. In spite of me being me, you still love me. Thank you. I love you.

From your valentine,
Archie

Love is in the Air

2008-02-14T14:58:00.001-08:00

Happy Valentine's Day!

EPIC will be taking the night off. Enjoy your Valentine!

Archie and Cora

It's OK to Tell Me, "Duh?!"

2008-02-12T15:57:00.000-08:00

It's tough understanding God sometimes. OK. Now you get to say, 'Duh?!'

So what's up with this. I was praying for a God Spot today. I really dig seeing spots. Anyway, I was coming back from Home Depot and a beggar standing on the street corner with his sign wanted money. I waited for God to tweak my heart. I got the tweak. I pulled out a buck and gave it to him and chatted up a conversation. He asked if I had work? I said, 'no' and followed up with where was he from? Where was home now? He asked again if I had work. I said, 'no' and the light changed. I waved good bye and drove off.

Then, it hit me. I needed help digging a ditch and this was a God Spot! I was in rush hour traffic and it took a few minutes to get around the block. I prayed for God to work out the circumstances because I was going to have difficulty hooking up with this guy in the traffic. Just minutes later, he was gone! Now, what's up with that?

Calendar Update - Scroll to End of Blog

2008-02-12T07:33:00.000-08:00

· Thursday, Feb. 14 – Valentine’s Day – We will not meet together this week.

· Saturday, Feb. 16 – EPIC Men’s Breakfast – 7:30 – 9:30AM – Dave’s Office (RSVP to this email to let me know you’re coming!)

· Thursday, Feb. 21 – 7PM – Our Normal Gathering

· Friday, Feb. 22 – 7-10PM – Game Night at the Ludwick’s House! Snack Pitch-in. More details coming!

EPIC - Together on this Journey we will...
encourage and build each other up
bear each others' burdens
prioritize a quest for spiritual growth
worship God through our actions of faith and service
and, share the Good News outside of our circle

Hear God. Huh? What'd you say?

2008-02-09T06:13:00.000-08:00

Can you hear God? When was the last time?

I was chatting with one of EPIC's life members and he was telling me that he missed hearing from God. With a 'play on words', I wonder what you miss when you don't hear from God. Would you be surprised if I told you that I can guarantee you can hear from God any time you want? How much would you pay me for the secret? Would it be worth $1 or $1,000,000? I will accept IOUs.

Are you ready? You can be guaranteed to hear directly from God by reading His Word. There is really no excuse to not hear from God. He has something to say every time you pick up and read His Words.

Uniquely, during this discussion I prayed for the person. I prayed he would choose EPIC over work. I believe I heard God respond with the thought that this night at EPIC would be the person's destiny. It was his choice which way he would travel on his EPIC journey. He could walk the road less traveled and go to God or he could take the well worn path of others.......

Which path have you chosen?

Obedience is a Prerequisite for Abundance

2008-02-09T05:30:00.000-08:00

Motivation for obedience: God said to Moses, "I look at this people—oh! what a stubborn, hard-headed people! Let me alone now, give my anger free reign to burst into flames and incinerate them. But I'll make a great nation out of you."

And God Said: "God, God, a God of mercy and grace, endlessly patient—so much love, so deeply true—loyal in love for a thousand generations, forgiving iniquity, rebellion, and sin."

WHAT WILL YOU SAY?

God Spot

2008-02-08T07:03:00.000-08:00

God gave me opportunity to be a God spot this week at the daycare. Loving those little children that are difficult. He just reminded me of what an opportunity we have to be a God spot along this EPIC journey.
Jo

BAGS - Be A God Spot

2008-02-08T06:29:00.001-08:00

Be A God Spot (BAGS)

Looking for an illustration to work into the word BAGS for spiritual content relative to a God Spot. Any ideas? Post to the comment section. Thanks. Archie

Power of the Sign

2008-02-06T06:31:00.000-08:00

Have you ever noticed how many people come to GPC because their attention was caught by the sign? Barbara and I recently became Grace Reps, or Connection Reps (not sure exactly what we're called) and I've noticed several people commenting that they chose to visit GPC because they were drawn in by the sign. Who would have ever thought that an innocent, yet powerful and attractive sign would be so attention grabbing?

Prior to our coming to GPC I had been driving by the sign often as I headed towards IH10 to work and I noticed the unique colors of the sign plus the title of the upcoming Sunday's sermon. Usually the sermon title seemed very thought provoking. Finally, after we decided to leave the church we were attending, we decided to come in and see what was going on at GPC. The rest is history, we're glad we did come in and check it out.

I suppose the significance of the power of the sign for GPC isn't much different than what secular society attempts everyday - to grab our attention through advertising. But there's an added bonus to the power of our particular sign. Lord knows there's far too many TV and radio commercials, newspaper ads, direct mails, coupons, highway billboards, and so forth. It's mind boggling to realize just how bombarded we are everyday with this stuff. And let's face it, if we actually did the math, how often did a commercial, or a billboard lead you to buy that product or service? I know for me the answer would have lots of zeroes behind the decimal point. Although I can't quite totally ignore the advertising, I do think I can get fairly numb to it. When I'm cruising the aisles at HEB I don't grab at a product because of any commercials (I usually grab at the best combination of value and quality).

The power in the sign I'm talking about at Grace Point relates to being drawn in for an opportunity to receive something that's so powerful, so everlasting, and, frankly, so needed by a world full of lost souls. What is available inside the buildings at GPC and available to all who venture down the driveway past that attractive sign is a community of believers who want to connect with others, the powerful presence of God, great worship (especially when Barbara sings - forgive me for that!), and great preaching. That powerful and attractive sign has the possibility of leading lost souls to a changed life and I think that that is awesome.

Grace Point Church and its sign is just one of many places where one can plug in, get connected to God, and begin the journey to an exchanged life. In my particular story it took me a while at GPC to actually get it, to get connected, to feel the power of God working in my life again. I had lots of "stuff" to overcome, I had to unlock some closed doors and let God come in and work in me.

Every time I look at that sign, that powerful and attractive sign I say thank you God for it was the beginning of a very great journey. It's that simple.
Amen

Is it possible they see God in us?

2008-02-04T22:23:00.000-08:00

Is it possible the love and care of a neighbor could break through culture, religion and race? Is it possible that frozen meals provided and bought by caring and praying women that a Hindu lady does not even know would speak Jesus' love like no sermon could ever do?

I talked briefly with Nena Barnett’s Hindu neighbors yesterday both before and after worship. He was amazingly intrigued by it all, came to Guest Reception and will attend Base Camp next week. To what degree they have ever heard the gospel we do not know, so pray for these early encounters. One thing is sure…they have seen the Barnett’s loving concern. It was cool to see the women of EPIC provide some support to Nena. Who knows what God will do in all this. Pray.

From Nena: "... praise God (!!!) that our neighbor Bindu Joshi is doing well through her chemo treatment and is in high spirits. Last week we offered to bring their kiddoes to church so she could have an afternoon to rest and were floored when husband Jay asked if we'd mind if he and Bindu joined us as well (they are practicing Hindus). Of course we were ecstatic! They came with us on Sunday, both of the girls loved their SEEDS classes and both Jay and Bindu enjoyed the service and Arnie's sermon. They plan on returning next week and attending Base Camp. I know this would have not been possible without the army of prayer they received from Grace Point (and thanks, EPIC life group, for the wonderful meals you sent to them as well!!). Please continue to lift this family up."

Mark 10:27 -
Jesus looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God."

Dave

First Time to .....

2008-02-04T05:59:00.000-08:00

Life is full of first. As a baby, everything one does is a first. As we grow older, we continue to have 'first time' events in our life. Remember the first time you road a bicycle or the first kiss? I remember my first kiss with Cora under the Christmas tree in our early teens. Now that was life changing!

Can you remember the first time you prayed out loud? I wish I could experience that first time again. It must have been an awesome moment. Sunday in Life Group, one of our members prayed aloud. It was short but incredibly powerful and awe inspiring. You could feel the presence of God. It was truly a God Spot of the greatest kind.

Thank you, Jesus for allowing me to be there!