Thursday, July 28, 2005

Upcoming Improv Show 8/5 & 6

**FREE** **FREE** **FREE**

Dean Allen "Cecil Moon" Jones is performing in what is to be described as the most charmingly unexpected display of comdedic fun-having to take place on August 5th & August 6th.

Think "Who's Line is it Anyway"--but clean enough for the whole family!

Some life group peeps WILL be there on Aug. 6, so come on out if you can, and rediscover the joy of being incapacitated with laughter!

WHEN: 7:30pm, Aug. 5th & 6th (I'll be there Aug 6th)
WHERE:
Covenant Church in Raleigh

Take I-540. Take Leesville Rd. exit. Turn right onto
Leesville Rd. At first stop light turn left onto
Strickland. Covenant Church is about 1-2 miles on the
right. And the youth center is the far right building
as you drive into the parking lot.

Hitchcock On The Lawn 8/12 & 13

Hey Kids,
Every summer at the NC Museum of Art they show movies on the lawn. Folks bring picnic blankets, lawn chairs, (I've even seen someone bring a couch!) and relax and watch a movie with friends in the night air. Last summer some of us went to see "Two Towers".
So... on Friday, August 12 they're showing the classic Hitchcock film "The Birds" and on Saturday, August 13 they are showing another Hitchcock classic "Vertigo". I wanted to see if anyone is interested in going to either/both as a group.
Movies start at 9:00pm and ticket prices have dropped from $6 down to $3. Can't beat that with a bat!
Check it out: http://www.ncartmuseum.org/events/films.shtml

Sarah

Wednesday, July 27, 2005

hey

Bit of randomness for you all:

My first hour in Charleston God completely opened the door up for me to share about what happened with my knee down in Brazil with an unbeliever. Not the way I'd choose to do things but it was so completely wide open I walked through and got a very interested response. This guy lives in the non-Christian, coed version of the former highgate with another house next door they hang out with all the time. I've met the roommates and now, I just need a strong, VIBRANT, Christian community to invite them to!

Wednesday, July 20, 2005

Job Stuff

I wanted to update you all on what I'll be up to these days:

I started my new job on Monday and I do like what I've done so far.

This morning, I'm going to Columbia, SC for a meeting with the customers I was hired to represent and to meet the man I'll be reporting to during my training this year. Then, I'll be in Georgia on Friday and in Charleston, SC that night and through the next week. While I am there, I will be looking for an apartment Friday through Tuesday and visiting churches trying to decide on which area to move into. One of my friends happened to have a beach house down there for the week so at least some parts will be fun. Please pray that I find favor with these new people (my boss has already been really direct about how "all eyes are on me" because I have my father's last name) and then for wisdom and peace with these decisions.

I'll be back in Durham the weekend of the 30th and hopefully at lifegroup that Monday night. My great new laptop is going with me so I'll have email and, of course, my cellphone.

Tuesday, July 19, 2005

KPIC July 4th Picnic!

Here's a couple of pictures for those who couldn't make it. It was at Bond Park, in Cary.

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Throngs of famished churchgoers and guests lined up to dig in. My roommate Steve (pictured smiling), Clay Robinson, and I showed up right before the eating started. I missed softball, unfortunately, but it was still a fun time. (You can see Jonathan behind Steve.)


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Chess and Jonathan representing the group.


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People had fun.

After eating, someone lead the church in singing patriotic songs. After that, a group of us caravaned (sp?) over to Blueridge 14 to watch a movie, and then we watched fireworks from the movie theater parking lot. They already had started while the movie was ending.

Thursday, July 14, 2005

Memorial Day Memories!

These are pics from the lifegroup cookout!

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Good food, good fellowship.


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The master at work.


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It was neat having the food in different areas (deck, kitchen, living room). You talked to more people that way.


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This is what you do after pigging out.


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The game known as Clip It!tm will soon be the rage of parties all over the triangle. And just to think, it was born in our group!

The highgate house will be missed... (Break out your tissues.)

Wednesday, July 13, 2005

Happy Birthday, Kristin!

KristinMichelle had a birthday Monday (July 11th)! Give up mad props for Kristin!

Dreams & Aspirations

I want to add to what Matt said at Life Group this past Monday. (He said it’s OK.)

I believe that honorable aspirations and dreams are a gift from the Lord (James 1:17):

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom can be no variation, nor turning shadow.


As we know, dreams require faith to be seen manifest. It's easy to get discouraged when we look at our lives today....

What have we learned about faith over the past few weeks? :) True faith is shown through action* (James 2:17-19):

Even so faith, if it has no works, is dead in itself. Yes, a man will say, “You have faith, and I have works.” Show me your faith without works, and I by my works will show you my faith.


I find that it’s way too easy for me to let time hurry by, when I can easily be accomplishing more than I am. It’s that “little more” that can make the difference between just hoping for a goal to be met, and seeing it fulfilled. That’s powerful, when you think about it!

*As far as our relationship with God goes... action (or faith) means doing what He reveals that we need to do. That includes waiting on Him and trusting for that which is beyond our control (Psalm 37). The enemy would have us succomb to frustration over what is out of our hands. I do this every day. God wants us to maintain joy and peace, through the acknowledgement of His character (Philippians 4:4-7, Jeremiah 29:11).

What I want to share has to do specifically with what we can control: the steps of proactive movement that God has placed within our reach, today. I’ve gleaned what follows from mens' ministry at church, but it could be useful to anyone. (For some reason, I think that men may have a harder time doing this.)

When you have quiet time with God, He’ll often lead you to write down things that He gives you. Well, if you aspire to do anything that honors God in some fashion, He gave you that! (That doesn't necessarily mean that God plans for it to be done through you alone, or even in your lifetime, but any idea that brings glory to God is worth looking at.) Here’s a good thing to do if you haven't before (I'm currently doing this, myself):

List those things that you want to accomplish before you die (type them on the computer or write them down). If you're unsure of anything, you can seek God about it, and He'll help you.

Now, here’s the really interesting part; something you can try:

Think of specific steps you can take to reach the goals, and write those down, too. Envision where you are now as point A, and your goal as point B, and ask yourself (and God) if there are any things He might have you do to help connect the two. What makes it so hard for us is that we want to bridge A & B in one huge step, instead of trusting God to lead us one step at a time. God may show you one intermediate step for now, or He may show you six. (He may not show you any; you might be right where you’re supposed to be for now.)

Now give yourself "deadlines" for the steps (whichever ones you can). Yes, put actual dates! If you don’t meet them it’s not the end of the world, but by setting dates you hold yourself accountable to doing something.

Lastly, share your plans with close friends or someone who can encourage you and hold you accountable to doing what you can. The goal isn't legalistic perfection, but steady progress. As the saying goes, "do your best, and God will do the rest!"

As far as my personal "action plan" (it's funny and sad that I need a written plan to get myself to move) :) one specific goal of mine is to have three video game songs completed before Christmas. Now that you all know that, I'm obligated to get movin'!

Tuesday, July 12, 2005

Praise Him With me

To My Spiritual Family

The real story about Brazil...I had just posted the below blog and left to pray

On Sunday night, I was asked to prophesy over four teenage girls. God told me to pray for Flavia, the one who was hounding me the most, last. It was a powerful time of prayer but she is tormented or oppressed by a spirit and this girl who had been following me around all week couldn~t be touched by me. The Holy Spirit put on my heart to sing the song Jeus, Jesus before we knew what was going on and she flipped out and it became obvious. I have read a lot about demons, I have seen a few cast out but not many times have I delt with them. It was impressed on me that if I continued harm would come to me. I said I did not care and continued. The next morning, I got out of bed and was unable to put pressure on my ankle. By that afternoon, not only was my ankle hurting, but also my knee.

I knew it was from Satan in the way you know evil things are from him and he wouldn~t want me at the service but had not connected it as a curse from the prayer time on Sunday night until an email I sent tonight. After two days of heavy traveling, my knee was a wreck and today at the bus station when my second knee started popping (the one God healed before and I gave my testimony about here in Brazil) I began crying. I had prayed last night in the church we were visiting for healing but was still in pain and expecting to just come home and go on crutches.

After I posted the blog, I felt God leading me to begin praying in tounges. I have been reading an awesome book and have been in the chapter about God giving you reveleation about situations while praying in the Spirit. I then felt led to plead the blood of Jesus over my knee that I was not able to fully extend. To break any attack from Satan and curse...healing came. You all, I am in a condo in Brazil, by myself, and a curse was just broken from my knee. I started crying from unbelief and amazement. My knee can fully extend. I could not walk without limping. The extravert had to sit at home while everyone else was out in this beautiful city we just arrived in today being reunited with people from our team we haven~t seen in a week and a half. That is how bad it was. Then I realized, my ankle still hurts; can I try this again: if it is really true, it will repeat itself

Even as I prayed in the name of Jesus I felt a pop on the left side of my ankle (it was the right side that was hurting) and thought oh my goodness, I didn~t even want to put my foot down because I was genuinelly afraid.

My ankle has no pain. This happened in less than five minutes and I have been hurting for two days. God told me to praise Him by sharing this with you. I am in amazement. Who am I that I know about curses and healings

Brasil

Ahh, You should see our blog in Portuguese. It looks very similar except a lot more confusing.

I am in a very large city tonight (glory!) and had the opportunity to use the internet which has not been possible other than one other time on this trip.

Highlights

Don~t grab the showerheads in Brazil. They have a very strong electric current to heat the hot water. Power punch

So many opportunities for indepth ministry., This has not been your average build a house type trip but more hands on work.

I fell in love with these people but long term living would give me a heart attack...Brazilians take laid back to a whole new level

We spent a lot of our time in a town of 45,000 people. Guess what, last week if you wanted to hear what those seven Americans where up to around town you could tune in daily to 1490 fm to get the details from noon until 1pm. All of Sao Miguel knows that I didn~t really prefer the chicken hearts at the Brazilian steakhouse. The tradeoff was we got to share our testimonies

Don~t forget the pool party this Friday night. Someone call Chris since I~m not around to pester him away from Friday night basketball!

Also, please pray, I have injured my knee and ankle and will probably visit the doctor on Wednesday.