We Love Our Small Group!!!

When God says, "Go," He means it.  No matter how big the journey or how small the task, when He tells you to move, it is best to listen and get moving.  A year ago last month, Eric and I took a huge leap of faith and left the church that we had called home for four years and joined a church where we knew no one.  We had belonged to a Christ-centered, spirit filled church, where friends were our family and we were comfortable. So why was God nudging us to leave our church home? Well, God never said comfort was His goal for His people. Actually, in the Gospel of Matthew (16:24 NIV), Jesus said the contrary to His disciples, "If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me."   I am pretty sure he didn't just accidently leave out the part that says, "unless you are really comfortable."

I would like to say that once Eric and I felt God telling us to move that we immediately jumped up and obediently sought His will for us.  But in our humanness, we resisted.  We rationalized. We doubted.  We ignored.  We remained stagnant.  We actually fought it tooth and nail.  It took us a year and a half to finally listen to what the Holy Spirit was prompting us to do.  It took us a year and a half to MOVE.  
 
In the summer of 2008, Eric and I both began praying for God to reveal to us the church in which He desired us to serve.  The only thing we knew for sure was that we were to find a Christ-centered, gospel preaching church in our community. (Our former church was thirty minutes away in Nashville) But there are LOTS of churches in our community. I am still not sure how whole hearted our prayers were in the beginning, but we were finally moving closer to the "Go" position.

One morning, after a disasterous attempt at attending story time at the library with a rowdy three-year-old and a 15-month old, my mind was anywhere but on seeking out a new church. I was driving down a familiar road, passing a building that I had seen a number of times, and, out of the blue, I felt the Holy Spirit simply say, "I want your family to check that church out."   No blaring alarms proclaiming, "This is the one."  No light from heaven illuminating the building.  No, none of that.  Just a feeling of peace that it was time to trust God and engage in something new that God wanted to do in our family and further our purpose. It was time to MOVE. I went home and told Eric what I felt God had shared with me.  The next Sunday we were visiting Harpeth Community Church for the first time.  We made our membership official last November. 
 
To say that God has blessed us in our new church home would be a huge understatement.  What we found was not a perfect church, but it is a church that loves the Lord, seeks to glorify Him, and we hear the gospel and God's word from a phenomenal pastor each time we are there. Not only has God brought wonderful new families and relationships into our lives and our boys' lives, He has allowed us to remain close to some of our dearest friendships that grew out of our former church and small group.  We have had many new opportunities to serve God, our church, and our community, that we are better able to take advantage of now, since our church is just a few minutes away.  And one of Harpeth's goals to come alongside and equip families, including offering a family worship service, totally resonated with our family.  It was just what we needed at this season of our life.  And we didn't even know we were looking for it until we found it.  Or shall I say, God sent us to it. 

God always knows our needs better than we know our needs.  He is our Creator, loves us, and wants us to be in a place where we will grow in His purpose for our lives, so we can ultimately glorify Him.  May God forgive us for our lack of faith (and our stubborness!) that causes us to tarry when we initially hear His call on our hearts.  We do not have to have all the pieces put together or know the reasons God is asking us to Go, we just have trust in Him and know that, " ...in all things God works for the good of those who love him, who have been called according to his purpose." Romans 8:28 (NIV)
 
A couple of Saturdays ago, we had a wonderful dinner (Thanks Bowdens!!), delicious birthday cake (Thanks Griswolds!!) and then it was off to Opryland to fight for a parking spot...I mean, enjoy the Christmas lights.  It was a fun night of celebrating the Christmas season with good friends!
 
Here are a few of the blessings that God has sent our way in the form of the Powell small group:
 

 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

We are truly grateful for the blessings you so freely give, dear Jesus!