Sunday, March 26, 2017

Gathering

Over 5 years ago, I started a group in my home going through this book...



We just moved into a new home (well, new to me) and I was wanting to do something different. 

I remembering sitting on my couch thinking I wanted my 40's to be different. 

I desired community and realized that I didn't have to wait to find the perfect community. 
I could start gathering one in my home.

So, we dove into this book...one chapter at a time.๐Ÿ˜Š

I learned a lot from those meetings...

⏩How to succinctly lead conversations. (I cringe about how long-winded I was at those meetings๐Ÿ˜Š.) 
⏩How to be gracious to other people's ideas and opinions. 
⏩How to listen. 
⏩How to apologize. 
⏩How to taking constructive ;) criticism. 
⏩How to pray for others. 
⏩How to value different points-of-view.
⏩How to be hospitable.

I grew exponentially in a short amount of time. I made some dear, precious friends.

And then I felt God said it was time to stop
So I did. 

And my life got real busy with potty training and ACTs and relative's chemo treatments and church activities and washing 500,000,000 loads of laundry...

(But I did miss that group of friends.)

This past week, I picked up that book again. I am in a different season now. Many categories are not applicable, but there are still some good nuggets of wisdom to be gleaned.

I plan to do a series of posts over this book. And I hope that will spur into some different type of gatherings in my home as I work through it.

So...April is my birthday month and I want to start my new birth year with Chapter 2: Goals. 

Setting clearly-defined goals is an important part of faithful stewardship.

Where there is no vision, the people perish: but he that keepeth the law, happy is he.
Proverbs 29:18 (KJV)

First Goal: My Prayer Life 


(stay tuned) ๐Ÿ˜Š


Have you read this book?
Do you have any suggestions or books on developing a prayer life?

4 comments:

  1. I remember coming to a couple of your meetings 5 years ago, and was greatly encouraged by the wisdom and ideas you and the other ladies had to share. I hadn't picked up this book since then, until the beginning of this year when God laid it on my heart to go through the whole thing throughout the year. So far, it has been great! I look forward to reading your following posts!

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    1. You are so precious, Rachel! I hope you will also share how God is using the book in your life. I can't wait to hear/read about them! <3

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  2. I can't wait to stay tuned and learn more! One of my favorite new things in my prayer life is the Rad-Joy cross I got this year. There is such personal conviction in nailing my burdens to that cross, hearing the nails pierce the paper, and knowing that God has an answer already planned: my job is just to wait and trust and learn.

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    1. I am looking that cross up! You have the best ideas/recommendations, Bekah!! Love you!

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