I Wasn’t Ready to be a Grandma!

Written by Joan Giesbrecht

“Mom, embrace it!”

My initial response to Amber’s words were, “Yeah, right, that’s easy for you to say.” But within seconds I thought, “She’s right. I really don’t have any other choice.” But with that “embrace” has come anguish as we’ve grieved but also much joy as we’ve seen God’s blessing in both the journey and the arrival of this precious little boy. While this event may have surprised all of us, it didn’t surprise God. Before the foundation of the earth He knew all about this journey. I want to share some of it with you.

All Things

Written by Barbara Alpert

Are you confused and not sure what to do or where to turn? Let us pray for you.

“And we know that in all things God works for the good of those who love Him, who have been called according to His purpose. For those God foreknew He also predestined to be conformed to the likeness of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brothers.” (Romans 8:28-29)

My husband enjoys Saturday mornings because I usually make chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast. He has no clue what the required ingredients are but he knows it will taste good when it’s done. The ingredients by themselves would not be appealing to have for a special morning breakfast. Chances are he would gag while eating the dry mix and frown trying to gulp down oil and raw eggs. The only enjoyable thing would be the chocolate morsels, but he’d get sick if he ate a plate of them. However, when all the ingredients are mixed together and cooked they form a delicious stack of chocolate chip pancakes.

How Do You Know When God is Speaking to You?

By Allen White 

Photo courtesy of melter.

“I believe that God is directing me to __________________.” How do you handle that in a small group? Whether the group member feels led to quit his job, move to another state, or end a relationship, how do you help your group member discern the truth?

From the very beginning, God has been in relationship with people. Today, we’re not walking in the garden with God in the cool of the day or getting inspiration to write new books of the Bible, but God does speak to us. The question is how do we know that it’s actually God and not wishful thinking or indigestion? Here are some tests for what you might be hearing:

1. What does the Bible say?