What is God up to?

We were in a serious drought, this year, but reading an article in the newspaper this week, we were only down 5 inches with all the rain we have had this winter. I suspect with the rain this week we should be pretty close to normal. Our winter this year has not been cold but it has been wet. Hope everybody has had a good week.

We had a great Saturday last week. So much going on. We had a husband wife team from Brookwood join us. He painted while the wife hung clothes. We had a Life group from Brookwood join us on our outdoor friends visits. They made goody boxes for all the guys and they went with us to distribute them. We had a group of students from LSUS join us for our visits. And we had a student from La Tech come and got to experience our time together with our friends.

Momma T and Ms Patty, with the help of Joey rounded up transportation and took some of our children to the Walter B Jacobs nature trail and park for U2 Saturday. Ms Lisa took lots of great pictures of their time together and have put them on Face book.

Monday - Wednesday, the rain came with the cold weather, so we did not have many children. For those that did, some did homework while others watched movies. It is great our young adults can adjust to whatever obstacles are thrown at them.

Tuesday evening, our circle of men continues to grow. More new faces and some faces we have missed seeing were there. Matt led us in reading from Proverbs, asking, how do we stay on the path God has laid out for us. How does sin enter into it and how do we overcome our sin. Lots of good discussions about how God has made a difference in our lives.

We have been very fortunate with all this rain, not to have any roof leaks. Well, our good luck has run out and we are experiencing a new leak in the fellowship hall. John is working with our roofer to see if it can be repaired without a major expense. Ms Lisa, has reminded me, prayers are needed for a financial blessing to help us with our roof repair and maintenance. Please add that to your prayer list.

Thursday was full of activity as always. We had another new group prepare our meal. A family from Brookwood prepared spaghetti and helped serve it. Delicious. Lots of new faces. Lots of old friends coming together. Ms Abbie and her crew serving the meal, working in the clothing room and then handing out our grocery bags. What a blessing to see it all happening, working together.

After our meal, we gathered in the chapel and had our Bible fellowship. Lomax led our study, in the reading of the first three chapters of Revelation. One of his favorite passages. The chapters are letters from John to seven churches telling them what they need to do before Christ returns. Some were doing good at the beginning but have lost their way, forgotten their first love, now worshiping new idols. Some have become lukewarm in their faith. Others were allowing Satan to live in their churches, folowing false prophets. Other churches were looking like a church, but were really dead. Good conversations, about how our churches today would react if we got one of these letters. Does Common Ground look alive but really is it dead? Are we lukewarm in our faith? Do we worship the wrong gods? Tough questions to ask, good questions to think about.

Prayers were lifted up for Lomy. His last night with us for a couple of months. He will be leaving Tuesday on his journey. mr brian has asked him, told him, demanded him to send us updates as much as he can so we know he is safe. Prayers for William. He had a good check up this week and he wanted us to know, he got the good report because of the prayers of his church family. Jonathan, a friend of Dawn's struggling with life issues and how to deal with those challenges. Our friends who live outside and their efforts to make changes in their lives. Our family who are struggling with relationships, dealing with the challenges of how to overcome them.

Don't forget, this Saturday is our monthly breakfast. Momma T will need help in the kitchen starting at 8. If you can't get there by 8, we will begin serving around 9. Biscuits, eggs, bacon, hot coffee and good conversations will be happening. Hope you can come.

What is God up to? There have been discussions among ourselves about various dreams and thoughts about where God is leading us. God continues to bless us with the opportunities to share our dreams with others. Then they begin to dream and great ideas begin to flow. We continue to have groups from across the state come and experience our little part of God's Kingdom. We continue to be asked to speak to civic groups and Sunday school classes. We have young adults, searching for God's direction in their lives, ask to come and live and be a part of our community. So what is God up to? God gives us a building beyond what we could ever expect or pay for and challenges us to use it for His Kingdom. He brings people into our lives that challenges us to our very core and asks us to lvoe them like He lvoes us. Why, for what reason? God sends us a Pastor of a church down the street and wants to work with us to feed the children this summer. The obstacles,  our challenges, those relationships, we all go through them, have to face them, learn to let go of them, try to go to God with them. Why? Why can't we live on the mountaintops all the time and not have to endure the valleys? God what are you up to? God continues to send us followers, ragamuffins, who have the same heart as ours, wanting to serve others, why?

What is God up to? I have no idea, and to be honest, I don't want to know. I don't think I could handle it. Might even scare me to death and my flesh would say, don't try it, you can't do it. God continues to work on me to be faithful, obedient, persevere and my least favorite word to have patience. God doesn't show me the answers because He knows, I will mess it up. If we say, God is control, then we need to let Him control. He brings to us those who will make His Kingdom grow. All of you have been so faithful to allow Him to use you to make our community sustainable.

This is only the beginning. I do know, God has big plans for this community. We are about to experience something that we have only dreamed about. God is preparing a way for our community to make real changes in all our lives. Relationships, caring, compassion, lvoing will take on a new meaning. How exciting to be a part of all of this. Thank you for being who you are. God is good! Amen.