Taking a break

So we are taking a break for this fall semester.... stay tuned in the spring for what's to come.

Week of Justice Schedule

Really encourage you guys to go check out one of the week of justice events one night this week. The event on Thursday night will be at Senate Park off Constitution Ave. And please continue to keep Carmel and the rest of the Uganda team in your prayers.

How is it August already?

Although I missed you girls this week, I have to say that the family vacation in Florida was much needed. It was great to get out of DC for a few days and I've accepted the fact that I am in a long distance relationship with the beach and, although it was hard to say goodbye, I'm happy to be back in DC. And yes those are my chubby feet, not my 4 year old niece's!

Okay so here's what's going on this week:

WEEK OF JUSTICE!

Come out to Ebz this Sunday for the kick off of Week of Justice. The team I went to Kenya with will be starting off the week sharing about our experience. You will also learn about ways you can get involved in missions and how you can use the resources God has given you to bless others. So, if you aren't tired of hearing me talk about Kenya yet, come out and listen to me talk about it some more Sunday night starting at 6p.m. If I can find the final schedule of the other events going on each night next week then I'll post them for you. Or if someone else has it please post.

30,000 STEPS for $30,000

Check out how you can help raise money for the Uganda trip that Carmel is going on! Here is the link :http://theaterchurch.com/30k/

SCREEN ON THE GREEN

Monday, August 6 - Bring a picnic, a blanket, & a frisbee and come out to see "All the Kings Men" playing on the lawn inbetween the Capitol Bldg. & the Wash. Monument. The movie starts at sundown but plan to get there early for a spot. I'll head down after work and throw the frisbee with whoever wants to run around before the movie!

Anything else?

Sending Carmel off with Prayer, Love and Soap

And many thanks to Lisa for the toys! :)

James is awesome!

4:10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

Favorite James verses

Hi everyone!

I have had such a great summer with you ladies! I have learned and grown so much from this study and our discussions. Stayed tuned for our next activities. My favorite verses are below!

James 1:25

But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does.

James 2:22

You see that his faith and his actions were working together, and his faith was made complete by what he did.

James 3:17

But the wisdom that comes from heaven is first of all pure; then peace-loving, considerate, submissive, full of mercy and good fruit, impartial and sincere.

James 5:16

Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective.

Caution: Work not in progress

Thanks for the gift ladies! This provided at least 10 minutes of entertainment at work for me this morning. I put a couple more pics from last night below too. I had a great semester with you girls and will miss you! Hope everyone will make it out to a "screen on the green" with us in a couple weeks.

Favorite Verses from James

Looking forward to seeing you all tonight and recapping our semester study. I pulled out a few of my favorite verses from James. Feel free to add yours as well.

1:17 "Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows."

1:25 "But the man who looks intently into the perfect law that gives freedom, and continues to do this, not forgetting what he has heard, but doing it—he will be blessed in what he does."

2:5 "Listen, my dear brothers: Has not God chosen those who are poor in the eyes of the world to be rich in faith and to inherit the kingdom he promised those who love him?"

3:9 - 11 "With the tongue we praise our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in God's likeness. Out of the same mouth come praise and cursing. My brothers, this should not be. Can both fresh water and salt water flow from the same spring?"

3: 13 "Who is wise and understanding among you? Let him show it by his good life, by deeds done in the humility that comes from wisdom....3:16 For where you have envy and selfish ambition, there you find disorder and every evil practice."

4:2b & 3 "You do not have, because you do not ask God. When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures."

4:6a "But he gives us more grace."

4:7 & 8a "Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. Come near to God and he will come near to you."

5: 5 "You have lived on earth in luxury and self-indulgence. You have fattened yourselves in the day of slaughter."

5:16 "Therefore confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective. "

Pictures from Uganda fundraising night!

Here are the pictures from Uganda fundraising night. Enjoy!

Upcoming Events:

Tonight, July 19 - Come out and support Carmel and her trip to Uganda!

Monday, July 23 - Come out to Buffalo Billards at 7:30p.m. with our own "Dr. Phil" as she celebrates making it through her defense earlier that day and will officially be graduating with her PhD! Woo hoo!

Tuesday, July 24 - Last group meeting of this semester! We will wrap up some final thoughts on our study of James and spend some time in prayer and fellowship. Bring some snacks to share with the group and we'll see you there! Oh yes, and don't forget to bring in some toiletries or other items that Lydia can take with her to the girls orphanage in Mexico!

More Pictures from Sunday!

I am doing my blog duty and posting the pictures I took at Baptism by the Bay. Thanks Ger for having space in the car to take me and Happy Belated Birthday Carmel!

Full Weekend

Well our group certainly had a full weekend!

Inservice

Thanks to Janine, Gina, Skye, Jill, & Lisa for helping Emily & I pack lunches Saturday afternoon. We actually got them all to fit inside Emily's refrigerator!

And another thank you to Janine, Jill, Steph, & Lisa for passing out lunches on Sunday before the 11:30a.m. service. It was a blessing for Emily & I to serve with you ladies this weekend!

Baptism by the Bay

We also had our very own Hortencia get baptised yesterday evening with about 20 others from NCC at Baptism by the Bay. So awesome to see her taking that step of faith and obedience that God has called her to. Her excitement was written all over her face. Congratulations Hortencia! Looking forward to seeing how God will use this as a catalyst to move you forward with Him.

James Chapter 5

1) Does James seem to be condemning all rich people? If so why? If not how can one be a good rich person?

2) The word "then" connects 5:7-12 to 5:1-6. Our patience should be based in part on what James said in the previous paragraph. Why would 5:1-6 lead to an exhortation to be patient?

3) Why should expecting the Lord's coming make you patient (5:7-9)?

4) What will prevent patience from becoming laziness and inactivity? How is it possible to be patient and yet active?

5) A sign of impatience is frivolous swearing. Why is it so offensive to God? (5:12, Mttw 5:33-37) What does swearing, especially by using God's name, do to our witness before unbelievers?

6) How does the attitude of confidence and certainty regarding prayer in verses 13-20 relate to James 4:15?

7) Only God can bring a sinner back and save him (John 6:44, Ephesians 1:7). So what does James mean by saying that one of us should bring the wanderer back and turn him from the error of his way?

James Chapter 4 Questions

1. How does it affect you to know that God considers your pursuit of selfish goals adultery?

2. What are some of the symptoms of friendship with the world? How can we as Christians live in the world and be relevant without being "friends" of the world?

3. God provides plenty of grace for us to overcome our envy, craving for
pleasure, and consequent quarreling. He offers abundant grace to
respond to Him with full devotion. Why does He give us this grace only
if we are humble, never if we are proud?

4. Have you ever wondered why you don't feel God near to you? According to 4:8, is this a failure on God's part or on our part? What should we do when God seems far away?

5. Do you actions show that you are doubleminded or singleminded in your devotion to God? Who does your behavior show is really first in your life?

6. What is a person saying about God and self when he makes plans without
consulting God? What would be the humble attitude toward plans (4:15)?

Let's Go Nats!

Well I'm definitely glad I decided to go out to my very first Nationals game despite the stickyness. It turned out to be quite a nice evening with my half-smoke and $4 bottle of water (minus the cap they take from you because they don't want you to throw it in the stands). Too bad we lost! But I'm glad I got to hangout with you guys. Hope Jumbo Slice was all you hoped for and more!

Here are Lydia's pictures:

Happy Fourth of July!

I hope you all had a great day yesterday. What a blessing it is to live in this country and have the freedom to worship Jesus freely! Do not let this day, week, year go by without thanking God for the opportunities we have here and how we can use what we have to bless others. Also, remember to keep our country's leaders in our prayers.

Luke 12:48 "From everyone who has been given much, much will be required; and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more."

James Chapter 3

Here are the questions for next week's study.

1. The tongue is "set on fire by hell" (James 3:6) and Satan is "the father of lies" (John 8:44). Does this mean that Satan, not we, is responsible for our evil words? Why or why not?

2. Animals can be tamed because God gave man dominion over them at Creation. Why can't man tame his own tongue? (James 3:8) If it isn't possible to attain perfection by completely taming our tongues, how, then, can we control our tongues and become mature (Matthew 19:25-26 James 1:5-8)?

3. Why do you think humility or meekness is such an essential sign of wisdom?

4. In contrast to the maker of disorder is the maker of peace. In light of 3:13-18, what do you think it means to be a peacemaker?

5. Sowing in peace produces a harvest of righteousness (3:18). Why do you suppose peacemaking and righteousness are connected like this?

Upcoming Events!

Nats Game!
Thursday July 5th
Feel free to bring friends!
Opening pitch (the best part!!): 7:05pm
Cost: $5 (Can't beat that) We'll get the tickets at the game that night.
Time/Meeting Place: Let's meet at the top of the escalators at RFK stadium metro stop (street level) at 6:45pm.

It should be fun (even if you don't like baseball)!

Service Opportunity
July 14 & 15
What we need:
Saturday - A group of 5 -10 girls willing to put together about 75 brown bag lunches. We can do this at Emily's or my apartment. I figure we can do this around 11a.m. and then go grab some lunch together or perhaps go to the zoo? =)
Sunday - A larger group of us to pass out the lunches from about 10:45 - 11:30a.m. at Union Station. (Also if anyone with a car is willing to help Em & I get the lunches to Union that'd be awesome.)

This is a great opportunity to serve and "walk" our "talk" this semester. I encourage everyone who is available to come out and take the time to pass out lunches and really engage the people you meet. A lunch is great but a sincere smile and encouraging word can go much farther.

Be still my soul

I experienced God in a very different way this weekend than Kristen did. (Yikes, I give her credit b/c I put on that pack that she carried on her back and I nearly fell over!) I experienced God in a beautiful way that I haven't experienced in quite some time. I was able to just rest on Saturday and He restored me in a lot of ways. I was telling my mom tonight that I just feel like I have had such a reflective past few days. Actually, since Alden left for his wilderness adventure in Alaska I have been able to just rest and be with God in a non hurried way. I am sure camping or just getting out of your element in any way can help you to connect with God in a new way. For me, just resting at my place for a whole day was out of my element and just felt so restorative. The Lord really just wants us to be still sometimes so that He can speak to us. I love it!!

Leadership 101

As mentioned on Tuesday, if you are interested in leading an NCC small group, or want to learn more about spiritual leadership and discipleship, we invite you to come to Leadership 101 this saturday (6/23) at Ebenezers (10:00am).

If you have any question, you can email Kristen . To RSVP, please email Heather Z.

James Chapter 2:14-26

Here are the questions for this Tuesday's group:

1) Why can't we separate faith from deeds (2:18,19)? How do people try to separate them today?

2) Abraham showed faith by holding nothing back from God, not even his most valued treasure. Are you holding anything back from God? Is there anything you wouldn't sacrifice for Him?

3) James 2:16 is an example of dead or worthless faith that doesn't save. Why is faith that is not demonstrated with deeds dead?

4) Do good deeds not motivated by faith in Jesus have any value in God's eyes? Why or why not?

5) If deeds demonstrate genuine faith, can we judge by their works whether other people are saved? (Read Matthew 7:1-5, 15-21) What does Jesus say about faith and deeds in Matthew 7-15-23, 25:31-46?

6) What truth from 2:14-26 most stands out to you as something that should affect your life?

Have a great weekend, everyone!! We look forward to seeing you all on Tuesday!

"West Virginia- mountain momma...

take me home, country roads". Everyone sing! Okay, maybe I'm the only one who knows this John Denver tune.

Yesterday I was out with the "Outdoors" small group with 9 others from NCC. We hiked in GW Nat'l Park on the border of W. VA and VA. It was so beautiful out there and a great time to take in some of God's creation. It really refreshed me for my week. It also gave me an opportunity to soak in some much needed sunshine and perhaps too much. Check out my ridiculous sock tan that I am proudly sporting at work today!

Anyone else have a different kind of encounter with God this weekend they'd like to share?

Favoritism

Hello everyone! My mom is visiting for a few days, so I will not be at group this week. However, I just have been meditating some on the idea of favoritism that James 2 addresses. This week I have really been thinking about how I treat people and my motivations behind my words and actions. James 2 was uncomfortable for me to read. Why? Probably because I realize I need to look at how I treat people a bit closer. Do I have selfish motivations as to why I kind or help a person out? Or, do I only help people less fortunate than me when I know I will be recognized by others for doing so? Service. Selfless service. That's what was speaking to me some as I was reading this passage. I want no part of "me" motivations to be involved when helping and serving others. That is my prayer.

James Chapter 2- Part 1

This week we are doing James chapter 2:1-13. Here are discussion questions to guide your study.

1) Why is it inconsistent for a believer "in our glorious Lord Jesus Christ" to show favoritism? What leads a person to treat rich people better than poor ones?

2) Who are currently leading the the attacks on Christianity? Are they well-off, well-educated people or poor people? How should htis affect our attitudes and actions (2:1-7)? Should we discriminate against the rich?

3) Study how Jesus treated the poor and the working class. (Luke 5:27-31, 14:12-14, 15:1-7) How is this a model for you and how can you follow it?

4) Why does breaking one of God's laws make us guilty of breaking the whole (James 2:10-11)? Consider what we are saying about God when we break a law.

5) What will happen to those of us who have not shown mercy to the needy and why? (James 2:13; See also Luke 6:37-38)

6) In the context of 2:1-13, what kind of mercy is James saying we should practice?

7) What one truth from 2:1-13 impresses you as something you need to apply?

Kenya Pictures

Here are some pics from my Kenya trip. I can't remember who I sent these to so I figured I'd just put up a link.

http://www.kodakgallery.com/ShareLandingSignin.jsp?Uc=z4eyg51.axav54kl&Uy=-i6hrwx&Upost_signin=Slideshow.jsp%3Fmode%3Dfromshare&Ux=0&UV=583745172528_827946827109

Wisdom in the midst of "trials"

Wisdom in the midst of trials can be a difficult virtue to truly attain especially when our own minds want something but God's purpose and final deliverance is different than ours, we ask for wisdom but not for our purpose but for the purpose that we are the agents of God, and we are here to handle trials in the best possible way that will reflect how he wants us to not only to face the trials but as Christians we carry a higher responsibility that we must demonstrate with wisdom and character. Therefore, as Christians to earn wisdom we must not "expect to be treated fairly in this life. [because] people will say and do hurtful things [tho those who don't deserve] [rather we must] try to view those trials as an opportunity to grow in grace" and trust that the ultimate goal is to stay close to God, and that the only way for us to view them in a Godly way is by acquiring [His] truthful "wisdom" which Is summarized into "Love everyone and judge no one" learning to do those two things is one of the most challenging tasks but by practicing them is that we can attain true "wisdom" to handle almost everything in a joyful manner

I hope my small reflection can help, a while ago I was praying very hard as to how could I serve the Lord better and how could I truly reflect Jesus in my life, so I prayed for wisdom, etc, etc, and then after a few days I continue to ask thesame question and the two words of "Just love everyone and judge no one" came to my mind so I said "just that its easy" but it is not,

Look forward to see everyone on Thursday and hope you have a great week

God Bless

James Chapter 1

It was great to see everyone on Tuesday and get to know you all a little better. I'm looking forward to this summer's group! Below you will find some study questions to guide you through Chapter 1 of James. We will go over some or all of the questions and any other comments, obeservations, or applications you may come up with.

1. How do you normally feel and respond when you have to face a trial?


2. In the middle of discussing trials, James mentions wisdom(1:5). What does wisdom have to do with facing trials? Why should we pray for wisdom, not just perserverance?


3.How can you cooperate with God in accomplishing the purposes for which He is allowing this trial (1:3-4)?


4. James 1:8 What does it mean to be double-minded?


5. Have you ever felt that God was putting you into temptation? If so, what gave you that impression? (James 1:9-18)


6. Why doesn't human anger bring about the righteouness that God desires (James1:20)? What is often wrong with our anger?


7.How is a man who hears without doing like a man who looks in a mirror and later forgets (1:23-24)?


Looking forward to seeing you all next week.

Have a great weekend!

What a joy!

It was such a joy to come to group Tuesday and meet all the new women and reunite with other girls! I am really excited for what this summer and our study of James has to bring. I love resting in the thought that it is not just by chance that each person came to group on Tuesday....He had it planned from the beginning! I look forward to growing with everyone this summer!

Happy almost birthday Lydia!

thank you

hey ladies, i'm going back Indonesia this noon, yup this is the end of one chapter from my life’s journey.

I have a great time with our small group and learned lot of things. so grateful that I may know all of you. This group sooo crazy .. I luv it !

Thanks for sharing journey of desire, supporting me and make me feel like at home. I’ll keep blogging and give you update soon. And for Lisa, can't thank you enough, including for invited me to this group. C O O L !
the old leaders, thanks a lot ! for new leaders good luck and keep rockin'.
Have a great summer time =) I'll miss you all !
ok time to go, so thanks everyone and take care .

Almost time to kick off our summer small group!!

Hey everyone! Looking forward to seeing everyone this coming Tuesday (June 5th) at Daphne's! Hope everyone has a great weekend. Gear up for a fun summer diving into the book of James! Kristen will be back from Kenya and I am sure she will have some great stories to share with everyone. When doesn't she??

Mungu Akipenda

My trip to Kenya is finally here! I'm off with 21 other NCCers to International Christian Centre in Nairobi. I am very excited and ready to go. A big THANK YOU to each one of you for all your support! I have never felt so drenched in prayers and blessings from so many people. I would not be on this journey if it wasn't for this wonderful group of women in my life pushing me, encouraging me, and strengthening me in the ways that you have.

If you miss me so much you just can't stand it =) ...you can follow along with what our group is doing on our Kenya blog. http://theaterchurch.com/missions/kenya

See you June 5th!

Congratulations, Lanre!

Everyone happy, happy!

Back to Blogging!

I'm welcoming myself back to the blog!! It has been awhile. I am really looking forward of co-leading this summer's study on James with Kristen. It is going to be challenging and of course a lot of fun!!

"Reunited and it feels so good..."

What a fun night of good food, good friends, and great laughter! We all enjoyed catching up with Lanre and hearing her Abuja adventures. It's good to have you back girl! We also had a great time sharing funny stories and learning new talents! ;-) We were sad to say goodbye to Nita who will be heading back to Indonesia June 5 but are so glad that she was able to be a part of the group this semester. Here are a couple pics of last night from Nita's camera.

Lisa, why are you hiding?

What is up with my ridiculous side swoop of the hair? Feeling totally 80's apparently.

And Lisa is hiding again!

Looking forward to this summer. We will meet on Tuesdays instead of Mondays and will trek through the book of James together!

No Satisfaction:

I opened up the Wall Street Journal at lunch today to do some reading and came across this article on the front page of the Personal Journal section entitled "No Satisfaction: Why What You Have Is Never Enough". The next few sentences read..."We may have life and liberty. But the pursuit of happiness isn't going so well." It goes on to say "Experts offer two explanations... We aren't built to be happy.... We're bad at forecasting". That's it! That's how the "experts" explain the desire for man to be happy, feel purpose, love life. How sad. They are missing the entire point of life... To know the One that created you and understand that our longing comes from a desire to be connected to Him as we were meant to be. I feel like we spent the last semester talking a lot about this. I just felt the article was so sad and shallow. Read it for yourself. I'd love to hear your comments!

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB117805835593488773.html?mod=hps_us_editors_picks

Thank you

Ladies: Thank you for all of your support and prayers. I feel very blessed to be in this group.

Don't forget, dinner this Sunday at 6p.m.!

Happy birthday to Kimberly! Happy birthday to yuuu!!

Good

Something from the chapter this week really resonated with me. John says that Jesus' hunger validates ours... that we don't have to be ashamed or try to minimize our hunger, or deep desires. He goes on to say that because our hearts have been ransomed and bought over by Christ, our true hearts are good... in our core, where the Spirit of God lives, we are indescribably good because our Father is.

That is so freeing and challenging to me! Freeing because I can admit that I want more and I don't have to feel guilty about it. Also, freeing because I know that the bad desires are not my true self... the old man has died! It is challenging, though, because often, the manifestations of my hunger aren't good... but they can be!

I don't know, those thoughts just makes me so happy! :)

No more Monday blues

Monday night was just what I needed. I came in feeling frustrated & defeated and left feeling encouraged and hopeful. Thanks for a great discussion and time of prayer!

Happy Easter, dear friends!

Yesterday, I woke up with lines from the old hymn playing over and over in my head "Christ the Lord is risen today, Alleluia" I could only remember bits and pieces of the whole song, but I kept repeating over and over "Where, O death, is now thy sting? Alleluia!"

Something in my spirit was just so joyful over those two phrases and I knew it was something beyond Jesus' resurrection (I know how blasphemous that sounds, that there might be something else to excite me beyond salvation. Hang on, I can explain...)

When Christ died on the cross, he took away the permanence of death. Those God-birthed dreams, passions, hopes, aspirations, opportunities, and relationships that look as though they might be dead and buried... those that the enemy has rolled a stone over and proclaimed gone don't have to be. As the believing beneficiaries of the power of resurrection that our Lord bought for us, we can proclaim LIFE (abundant life) and vitality into any situation! Death is temporary... if God can raise Christ-- He can surely resurrect His purposes over our lives, no matter how dead they feel inside us... no matter how lifelessly we feel we are pursuing those things.

Christ our Lord is risen; the hard part's been done... we can claim and operate in that power! Hallelujah!

Restoration

Hey ladies! So it's a little late in the week but I wanted to say thanks for everyone who was able to make it on Monday. We had a good discussion about chapter 7 of our book. It was a tough one to tackle but here are just a few very general points that we talked about. We missed those of you who couldn't make it and hope to see you next week!

• Having an eternal perspective shapes our desires here on earth
• Through the Holy Spirit working in us, we are given glimpses of God's perfections- glimpses of heaven
• The idea of heaven should evoke excitement within us. The idea of a place where all is restored and perfect. We have no sin or shame separating us from God and there is no brokenness, insecurities, fears, or self doubt.
• Heaven is meant to be mysterious- we don't have to have it all figured out. We choose to live by faith and not by sight; to believe the unbelievable.

We also heard some great testaments about God's faithfulness to answer prayer in the lives of our friends. Some praises include Carmel's new job! Laura & Jess getting a new wonderful roommate! And my financial debt under God's control! Thank you Jesus for listening and caring about the needs of all the women in our group and revealing answers in your perfect timing.

See you all next week!

Greetings from Nigeria!

Hey ladies!

I have been meaning to blog, but it's been hard to put into words all the things I want to say...

I am well--- really, really well, actually. Being here is so good for me. I am learning what it really means to want this career that I have chosen. For me, anyway, it is easy to latch on to a desire and claim that I want it really badly and yet not be willing to make the sacrifices or put in the work to make that desire a reality-- even when God is giving it to me.

Work is going well. It is hard enough being your own boss, talk less of managing other people... some mornings I wake up and wish someone else were giving the orders. I am trying to remember that Someone Else is and only through Him will anything get done, talk less of getting it done well.

Adjustment has been a non-issue! Honestly, my life here is very much the same as life there-- minus seeing all of you... but I am still very much connected and accessible via email and phone. Lisa keeps me posted regularly, too. My dad managed to squeeze in a half day to see me this week, which was such a treat and my aunt and I have a standing date on Sundays (to watch West African Idol!!!). I get to talk to my cousins and grandmother often, and might be able to get some time off around Easter to see more family, and party in Lagos!

I think I have found a church home here-- House on the Rock Church... the demographics are very similar to NCC's, so can you say handsome single men?! I am keeping up with you on our study, and often wish I had bugged Daphne's apartment so I could listen in on Monday nights!

Prayer requests: Please keep praying for the political situation here and upcoming elections April 14th and 21st. There have already been some demonstrations and police force in some areas. Pray for peace, pray for a calm transition... Also, please pray for God's direction on next steps for when I return. I have a couple phone interviews lined up for next week, so pray along with me for discernment and for a heart to trust God.

Much much love,
L

Pictures!

Hi everyone,

Finally got around to uploading my pictures from my trip to Vietnam and Australia -- http://www.flickr.com/photos/11151982
Still learning to manage this site; pictures will make better viewing sense if you click on the albums on the middle-right of the page.

Enjoy!

As you all know, Godspell is coming to NCC in a few weeks.

Godspell, a musical based on the Gospel of Matthew, comes to the Ebenezers stage March 30-April 8.
Set in modern times against the backdrop of the DC metro system, Godspell tells the story of Jesus and his disciples and the history-changing community that they formed.

Tickets are $10 General Admission. Tickets purchased online will be held at will-call. Tickets also on sale at Ebenezers (check or cash only).

Here are the performance dates:

Friday, March 30 at 8:00 pm
Sunday, April 1 at 2:00 pm
Sunday, April 1 at 6:00 pm
Thursday, April 5 at 8:00 pm
Friday, April 6 at 8:00 pm
Saturday, April 7 at 10:00pm **Easter Vigil Performance
Sunday, April 8 at 2:00 pm
Sunday, April 8 at 6:00 pm

Let me know if you plan to come to either the Friday, March 30th or Friday, April 6th. We should grab dinner before the show!

Where I've Been

Those of you who know me may have observed or been told by me that there has been a heaviness in my soul over the past several months and a struggle with God about a sadness within me. I felt restless for change. I was fairly quiet during our prayer request times in the fall semester and even now because of it. I couldn't put into words what I needed prayer for. I've been taking comfort in the Psalm below which explains where I'm at. The good news is I am moving out of this phase and find that I am bracing myself for change that God has been preparing me for.

Psalm 42
As the deer pants for streams of water, so my soul pants for you, O God.
My soul thirsts for God, for the living God.
When can I go and meet with God?

My tears have been my food day and night, while men say to me all day long,
"Where is your God?" These things I remember
as I pour out my soul: how I used to go with the multitude,
leading the procession to the house of God,
with shouts of joy and thanksgiving among the festive throng.

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.

My soul is downcast within me;
therefore I will remember you from the land of the Jordan,
the heights of Hermon—from Mount Mizar.
Deep calls to deep in the roar of your waterfalls;
all your waves and breakers have swept over me.
By day the LORD directs his love, at night his song is with me—
a prayer to the God of my life. I say to God my Rock,
"Why have you forgotten me? Why must I go about mourning, oppressed by the enemy?"
My bones suffer mortal agony as my foes taunt me, saying to me all day long,
"Where is your God?"

Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me?
Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him,
my Savior and my God.

Dilemma of desire

So, chapter 2 asks what we do when the past and fears make it hard to desire again.

I am so comforted by God's promise; no matter what life has done to our hearts, to our desires

Ezekiel 36: 26 "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. "

I am convinced that, as Peter quotes David saying, the secret to continuing to live in hope, is looking to God and recounting his past blessings in my life and in the lives of others around me.

Acts 2:25-27 ..."'I saw the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. Therefore my heart is glad and my tongue rejoices; my body also will live in hope, because you will not abandon me to the grave"...

If you dont have the a copy of the book/guidebook....

Feel free to download Chapter 2 and 3:

Chapter 2 Journey of Desire Searching for the Life We Have Only Dreamed Of

Chapter 2 Journey of Desire Guidebook and Journal

Chapter 3 Journey of Desire Searching for the Life We Have Only Dreamed Of

Chapter 3 Journey of Desire Guidebook and Journal

See you next week!

Now, here is some desire!

Ladies, thoroughly enjoyed your input and our discussion last night. Thank you for investing so much and being so engaged in this study-- I am confident all of our effort will bear much fruit!

I just wanted to share a glimpse into what David desired...

Psalm 63: 1-8

1 O God, you are my God, earnestly I seek you; my soul thirsts for you, my body longs for you, in a dry and weary land where there is no water.
2 I have seen you in the sanctuary and beheld your power and your glory.
3 Because your love is better than life, my lips will glorify you.
4 I will praise you as long as I live, and in your name I will lift up my hands.
5 My soul will be satisfied as with the richest of foods; with singing lips my mouth will praise you.
6 On my bed I remember you; I think of you through the watches of the night.
7 Because you are my help, I sing in the shadow of your wings.
8 My soul clings to you; your right hand upholds me....

Look it up, David wrote this when he was in the Desert of Judah... I am challenged to have my thoughts align more with his...

I have found that this daily devotional is a great tool: http://www.268generation.com/thirsty/thirsty_journal_frameset.htm

Desire

Hey guys-

Well I finished the first chapter/journal study. It was pretty challenging for me to answer the questions. Did you guys learn anything new about yourself? Or something you knew about yourself but it was just now brought again to your attention?

I learned that I still have never gotten over the pain of my past. My father was an alcoholic, and and my homelife was pretty hard. My mother was always busy trying to meet all my father's needs, and my brother and I were left to teach ourselves about life and grow up on our own with no direction or love. I look back on my life not with nostalgia, but with resentment. I need to learn to let the past go. I wish I had had a family who had loved and nurtured me. At least I can take away something good from the exprience: I know the kind of parent I will never let myself become.

I also learned I have a lot of unrealized desires, many of which are Godly and pure, but I am scared they will never be realized (such as doing humanitarian work abroad, knowing God intimately, knowing MYSELF intimately, finding the peace that God has promised His children, etc).

I also learned that I am the kind of person who, if things are not right, I want to fix them right away and if I can't, I get very upset. I am a very proactive person, and it's hard for me just to be like well this is the way things are, do the best you can. I am unable to settle, I am always striving to make things better. For example, it's hard living in DC, I can't find a sense of community, it's loud, dirty (just like any other city), and I wish I could move to a small town out west. But I can't. I am here, and think that God brought me here for a reason, but it's hard to be like well God, you brought me here but I don't want to be here, please take me away! :) It's like, I want God to challenge me and I want to grow and be content no matter what my circumstances are, but my DESIRE to live elsewhere, to have a more meaningful job, to establish a small core group of friends, is ALWAYS there. So what do I do then?

Just some thoughts. :) I am looking forward to seeing everyone again tomorrow night!
Jennifer

Seats in a theater...

If you were at Union Station last Sunday, you noticed we had a little seating problem. There are great new snazzy seats in the Union theaters, but there are 75 fewer of them!

We knew we were going to lose some seats, but weren’t told it would be that many. Dozens of people were standing, and about 50 people were turned away from each service.

So– here’s what we are asking. For next week (and maybe the next couple weeks), please consider coming to our 7:07 Ebenezers service or 10:30 Ballston service.

The church is working very hard on a solution to this, and will be surveying the congregation this weekend to determine when/where to add a new service. But in the meantime, we would really appreciate any sacrifices you could make to attend one of these other services.

DEsiRE, dEsIrE, DeSiRe

Monday night was great; thank you all for participating and sharing so openly. We spent the night talking about different kinds of desire, what desire, passion and longing mean to us, what Godly desire is... and Justin Timberlake! For those who weren't able to make it (we missed you) and as a recap, I've posted some of the verses we discussed:

Psalm 103: 2, 5 "Praise the LORD, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits- who satisfies your desires with good things so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's."

Luke 6:21 "Blessed are you who hunger now, for you will be satisfied"

Proverbs 13:12 "Hope deferred makes the heart sick, but a longing fulfilled is a tree of life."

Isaiah 26: 8 "Yes, Lord, walking in the way of your laws, we wait for you; your name and renown are the desire of our hearts"

Hebrews 12:3 "Consider him who endured such opposition from sinful men, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart."

James 1:14 "Each one is tempted when, by his own evil desire, he is dragged away and enticed."

I think I left some verses out so if you remember your verse from Monday and want to share it here, post it as a comment.

It Was Great Meeting You All!

I just wanted to say I enjoyed meeting all of you last night. I am looking forward to getting to know you this semester, and growing in Christ-likeness.
Jennifer

NEVER MIND! BACK ON TRACK FOR THIS MONDAY

I apologize for flooding your mailboxes this weekend. It turns out I will be back for small group on Monday. If you are all still willing and able, let's go ahead and meet this week after all. Daphne's place, 7pm. Monday February 5, 2007. Call me on my cellphone with questions or concerns: (517) 214-6535. Bring your books on Monday evening if you have them... looking forward to meeting the new people and seeing old faces!

SMALL GROUP ON MONDAY CANCELLED

Unfortunately, Lisa and I have to cancel group this Monday. Lisa is out of town and I have to be in Baltimore for a family emergency. We are really sorry about this-- and have been looking forward to seeing you all again for so long... Please start reading chapter 1 in the book and do the first chapter in the guidebook, also. We'll pick it all up next Monday, February 12, 2007- same place, same time.

If your books have not been delivered to you yet, please contact Lisa or I during the week and hopefully we can get the extra photocopies of the chapter that we have to you.

Again, we apologize for the inconvenience... Have a wonderful week, all! Can't wait to see you!

-L&L

T-minus 7 days!

Oh I just can't wait... Group starts next MONDAY FEBRUARY 5, 2007 at 7pm at Daphne's place.

If you haven't ordered your books for this semester yet-- get on the ball! Go online and order yourself a copy of BOTH

1. The Journey of Desire :Searching for the Live We've Only Dreamed of

AND

2. The Journey of Desire Journal & Guidebook: An Expedition to Discover the Deepest Longings of Your Heart

You should be able to get both books, new and shipped to you, for less than $20. If you have problems or questions, please let us know.

BTW: Grab a copy of the Small Group Atlas at church this weekend and see how many times you spot Lisa and I! :)

See you all on Monday!

No Service at Union Station on Sunday

There is a flooding issue at Union Station, so there will be no service at Union Station this weekend. Union Station Sunday services are moved to Ebenezers.

Here is the schedule for this weekend:

Saturday Night
5:05 pm at Ebenezers
7:07 pm at Ebenezers

Sunday Morning
9:45 am at Ebenezers
11:15 am at Ebenezers

10:30 am at Ballston

Lanre and I will be going to Ebenezers Saturday 7:07 pm service.
Hope we'll see some of you there tomorrow!

God on Broadway

Looking for a fun activity on a cold Friday night?
Check out God on Broadway tonight at 8 pm at Ebenezers!





God on Broadway is a musical revue highlighting spiritual themes from popular Broadway shows.

Featuring songs from Fiddler on the Roof, The Lion King, Godspell, Hairspray, Carousel, The Secret Garden, Big River, and many more! For more information, contact ryanzempel@hotmail.com

Are you ready for this quote?

"It is not so true that 'prayer changes things' as that prayer changes us, and then we change things." - Oswald Chambers

"God Grew Tired of Us"

Last night I saw the movie "God Grew Tired of Us" at our headquarters here in our auditorium. NGS produced the film. It's about the "Lost Boys" of Sudan who had to flee Sudan due to civil war and how there are thousands of them with no parents or families just stuck in a refugee camp in Kenya. Some get chosen to come to the U.S. It followed the lives of 3 of the boy, Tom, Daniel, & Panther, into the U.S. It was really moving, eye opening, and fascinating. After the film two of the "lost boys" were available to meet at a reception. Anyway, it's going to be showing in DC starting this weekend. I recommend it.

I found myself experiencing a lot of different emotions... frustration at God for allowing that kind of thing to happen, feeling blessed to live here and yet frustrated by our country at the same time, inspired to learn more about and how to help, and excited to join NCC on an overseas mission trip this summer. =)

Check it out! I'll go see it again if anyone would like to go. It will make for a good discussion afterwards.


http://www.godgrewtiredofus.com/

I am not the same...

A recent article in Discipleship Journal proposes 10 questions we can ask to make sure we are still growing spiritually... Check the full article out

Interesting and a good reminder to take pulse.

1. Are you more thirsty for God than ever before?
2. Are you more and more loving?
3. Are you more sensitive to and aware of God than ever before?
4. Are you governed more and more by God's Word?
5. Are you concerned more and more with the physical and spiritual needs of others?
6. Are you more and more concerned with the Church and the Kingdom of God?
7. Are the disciplines of the Christian life more and more important to you?
8. Are you more and more aware of your sin?
9. Are you more and more willing to forgive others?
10. Are you thinking more and more of heaven and of being with the Lord Jesus?

What do you think?

Fun Pictures!

Ladies,

Hope you all had a great Christmas and New Year!

A quick update on our angel tree gift. Lanre, Jenny and I were able to deliver our gifts on December 16th. Unfortunately, the kids were not there, but we did see some of their pictures. Very cute kids!! The grandmother was very sweet and very thankful. It was great that we can be a blessing to them! Thank you to to all of you!

Also, here are some pictures of our gift to Pastor Mark. (complete with snow and Benaiah) He sent a huge thank you email to our group. He thoroughly enjoyed it!