"Happy is that people whose God is the Lord!" Ps 144:15

Yesterday was another beautiful Sabbath filled with many blessings! Of course it couldn’t help but start good, since I’d gotten all my cooking and cleaning done Thursday (after work) and so Friday night was the first normal night of sleep I’ve gotten all this last week! It was hard to work the two days right in a row before the weekend, but I made it! Praise the Lord!!

Advent Hope services were, as usual, also inspiring! For Sabbath school we talked about one of my favorite topics, and that was the POWER of the WORD of GOD, especially as it changes lives! The group Bible study leader did an excellent job at getting right to the heart of the topic, as well as making the lesson study interesting, inspirational and interactive. The point of the whole study was, "Are we allowing God’s Word to reshape and recreate (sanctify) our hearts?" If we read the Bible through and through and yet do not digest its power and allow it to transform our daily lives (in all the little details) and most importantly our HEARTS (every tiny nook and crevice), we’ve missed the whole purpose of the gift that God’s given us!!

"Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? By taking heed thereto according to THY WORD. Thy Word have I HID in MINE HEART that I might not sin against thee." Ps 119:9,11

"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 a heart of flesh. And I will put MY SPIRIT within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgements, and do them." Ezk 36:26-27

"But study to shew thyself APPROVED UNTO GOD, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the WORD of TRUTH." II Tim 2:15

"And be NOT CONFORMED TO THIS WORLD, but BE YE TRANSFORMED by the RENEWING of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and PERFECT WILL of God." Rom 12:2

After the morning services, and some choir practice fun (brings back memories of my college days), I headed back to our place to get ready for the Advent Hope Potluck. We had no idea how many to expect, and I was afraid that we wouldn’t have enough food. But I needn’t have worried!!! Our little home was packed.....at one point in time, Susy counted 85 people here spread out between the living room/kitchen/back patio/and my bedroom. WOW!!! I would never have imagined! But everyone seemed to have a blast and it was an honor to host the gang. (After all, this was one of the reasons I wanted to have our own place....so we could have people over!!) Got to meet many new faces, and had some great conversations with new friends. I hope to be able to do this much more in the future!!!

After lunch, while the majority left, probably 15-20 stuck around for a Bible study with Peter Gregory. Peter’s kids went to sleep on my bed, and I was sooooo tired I went and took a nap on my sister’s bed. Everyone made themselves at home though, so it was good!

Then around 5pm I got my strawberries and whip cream and headed over to Burden hall for the "Strawberry Fest" and End of the Year slide show program! We had a nice supper (I was too stuffed from lunch to eat) and then worship. To close worship we made a huge circle and put those in the middle that will be leaving our group this summer, so we could pray for them! It was a bittersweet moment and at the end when we sang "Side by Side" it made my think of my Highschool grad when we had our last prayer meeting together and joined hands and sang "Side by Side." It’s hard to see influences that I’ve grown to respect and appreciate move on...but God knows the paths we each must take, and I know that someday He’ll bring us all together again, if not here, in Heaven!

"The steps of a good man are ordered by the Lord and He delighteth in His Way..." Ps 37:23

And so, as you all can see, it was a very full, but very blessed Sabbath!! God is good!