Wah Do Ya Know?

Well, to say that we found a game that we all like would be a HUGE understatement! It's very encouraging that the games are actually catching on, and that soon we will be able to do others too!!!

This week- other than playing Wah- we talked about being chosen and adopted, specifically our positions as children of God. It is a pretty cool thought that our Dad made everything around us as a present for us, and that we are Princes and Princesses! C'mon, who would hate that? We have authority over the demons to make them leave! We inherit God's Kingdom! We have all the rights of an heir to the Throne!!! Live it! Breathe it! OWN IT! This next week, we'll talk about another part of who we are according to God's Word: being God's "Untouchable"... not in the sense of India's caste system, where untouchables are living in poverty and often times have diseases, as well as being literally viewed as untouchable by the higher castes (social status), but untouchable, as in under special protection. If you haven't accepted the invites yet, go ahead and do that soon, so we can all be on here!!

Who Does God Say I Am?

Wow, last week went really well in my opinion! It was great that everyone spoke up at some point in the meeting, and that we all found how much we had to contribute. Your life experiences will be very valuable for you in learning about who you are, but also in reaching out to others. For this next week, I wanted to get people signed in on here to post and comment, and to have everyone pick out 5 things from the "In Christ I Am..." list from Neil T. Anderson's Stomping Out the Darkness or from your own searching in the Bible. Whatever ones are the most popular or profound from the chosen ones will be discussed in the next couple of weeks. Here's the list I promised to get on here, and remember, you can add to it from your own searching, like Kenzie did:

I am accepted...

John 1:12
I am God's child.
John 15:15
As a disciple, I am a friend of Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:1
I have been justified.
1 Corinthians 6:17
I am united with the Lord, and I am one with Him in spirit.
1 Corinthians 6:19-20
I have been bought with a price and I belong to God.
1 Corinthians 12:27
I am a member of Christ's body.
Ephesians 1:3-8
I have been chosen by God and adopted as His child.
Colossians 1:13-14
I have been redeemed and forgiven of all my sins.
Colossians 2:9-10
I am complete in Christ.
Hebrews 4:14-16
I have direct access to the throne of grace through Jesus Christ.

I am secure...

Romans 8:1-2
I am free from condemnation.
Romans 8:28
I am assured that God works for my good in all circumstances.
Romans 8:31-39
I am free from any condemnation brought against me and I cannot be separated from the love of God.
2 Corinthians 1:21-22
I have been established, anointed and sealed by God.
Colossians 3:1-4
I am hidden with Christ in God.
Philippians 1:6
I am confident that God will complete the good work He started in me.
Philippians 3:20
I am a citizen of heaven.
2 Timothy 1:7
I have not been given a spirit of fear but of power, love and a sound mind.
1 John 5:18
I am born of God and the evil one cannot touch me.

I am significant...

John 15:5
I am a branch of Jesus Christ, the true vine, and a channel of His life.
John 15:16
I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit.
1 Corinthians 3:16
I am God's temple.
2 Corinthians 5:17-21
I am a minister of reconciliation for God.
Ephesians 2:6
I am seated with Jesus Christ in the heavenly realm.
Ephesians 2:10
I am God's workmanship.
Ephesians 3:12
I may approach God with freedom and confidence.
Philippians 4:13
I can do all things through Christ, who strengthens me.

Aloha!

Last Wednesday was the luau! It was a lot of fun, with fruit, virgin Strawberry Daiquiris and Hawaiian pizza to boot! Those in attendance were MacKenzie, Sydney and Sambob, as well as Tiffany and Pam. It was a great time of food and just hanging out. We went over our responses to the questions from the post Who Am I?- Questions for the Journey, and we even had some fun with our hidden talents and discussing different things.

This week, we are going to go a little further. We know things about ourselves that make up our characteristics (we are funny/tall/bilingual/Malaysian, we like Cheetos/musicals/small dogs/rodeos...), so now we are going to get into who God says we are. In the Bible, God says a lot about who we are and who He made us to be. Sometime before Wednesday, find five (5) things that God says about who we are and find a scripture verse that is the reference. For example (and now you can't use this one), Jesus says we are "the salt of the earth" in Matthew 5:13. We'll talk about it on Wednesday, and hopefully I will see you all there!

Gladness and Sadness

It was great seeing everyone again tonight! It had been so long really, and it was nice to see that the gel factor was still working! Thanks for being brave enough to try Whoosh-Bong! Honestly, I have to say that one of my favorite activities at my Bible college was Element X, an improv drama troupe, and the group that played Whoosh-Bong, among other things. And it's all official, I will be there Sunday at church, having bid my old church family farewell. It was sad, and a little hard to do with some of them, but I know that we aren't too far away that I will never see them again. I really have to remember that I will be making new friends and stuff over in M-F too, and that God will provide people in that arena. I know that I will
never truly forget the people that I am leaving behind in my other church, but just like Pastor Don was saying tonight, we have to keep our eyes forward and fixed on what lies ahead instead of the past.

Speaking of what lies ahead, next week (as I announced tonight) is a LUAU! Yay for luaus! You can dress up if you want (not required), and you can bring a friend and just expect a lot of fun! It's all about getting to know who we are, so it'll be great! Pictures will be taken. Questions will be discussed. Strawberry smoothies will be consumed. God will be praised. Also, bring pictures of yourself from home if you have some. Maybe something in the realm of 10 or less, and it can be anything from that random time you dressed up as Wolverine for the X-Men premier to the routine Christmas pictures around the tree, just so long as it is you and it reflects you in some way. Have fun with it! Also, speaking of Pastor Don, if someone could let him know how to get here, the kids in each picture above on the far right sides are three kids that were part of his and Jan's foster care house- Trae, Kathryn and Jordan- and who were all three in my Sunday School class at my former church. Well, see you all on Sunday!!!