Ephesians 1

There is so much that I want to share about what I am personally learning from and about God right now. I have about 4 different things that I want to post about, and it's hard to decided which to share first!

Right now, God has laid Ephesians 1 on my heart right now to study and to memorize. I was in 2 Kings, but God has led me on another path for this time and I am so glad that He has. Today I was camping out on the first few words of verse 3 that says: "Praise be to the God...". That was enough to captivate me for my entire fellowship time with Him. I want to share with you my prayer journal entry for today (please disregard the grammar...try to forget I am an editor!) because in my life I tend to struggle wanting to be God of my life each day...

"God thank you for being God of all creation. For being the ruler over everything. For being the king, the one who is over all and is sovereign over this world and all your creation.

Please help me to remember that and to bow my life to that fact today. God, please forgive me for acting as though I were in charge. Forgive me for wanting my own way and for choosing to rely on myself other than You. Forgive me please for elevating myself, my feelings, thoughts and wants above You. In essence, making myself a god. Please help me today to focus on You as God and praising You for that. Thank You that You are God and I am not. May I submit to You will today.

God, You are so good. I praise You as creator for all you have created...what we see and what we will never see. God, I praise You for being over all things and working them to good. Thank You for Your love and salvation to a wicked person."

Today the focus in my heart was on praising God. Not for what He does or what He gives (which will come later on in that same verse) but just for Him being God. What about you today? Would you agree with me in my prayer that you have elevated yourself to the role of god in your daily life? Do you run into your day making all the decisions, never consulting or acknowledging the God of the universe? Oh, what cosmic treason we commit each moment when we think more highly of ourselves and lower of God! It grips me with remorse and fear at my audacity. Take time today to search your own heart and allow your praise to be in God alone!

Visiting Churches!

Today was our first Sunday to begin visiting churches in our area. We have had about a month of visiting the churches of our family and friends, but we were ready to begin the adventure of finding the church God has for us here in this area for the next year. We felt impressed by God to visit North River Baptist Church. We don't know anyone who attends there, but God prompted us to go and we loved it!

The morning started off with Starbucks coffee (always a plus!) and then we took the girls to a room called "Kidszone" which was modeled after outer space complete with a huge slide, tunnel, flying comets, robots, and crazy lights. They were in for a real treat. They ran in and we never got to say goodbye because they were having such fun. The pastor leads a time with the kids at the start of Sunday school and we really liked that.

We headed to Sunday school and enjoyed the fellowship and the lesson from Zechariah on integrity. I'll post tomorrow about what God said to us through a verse or two that we studied. Then, we got the girls and headed to the most wonderful worship time! The music was contemporary (meaning that they sing choruses and have some really cool instruments!). We were blown away by the music and the reading of scripture and prayer...all before the kids even leave for their "Kidzone time"! The pastor asked both of our girls to participate in the beginning time of worship where they have a generational lighting of the candles (very cool!).

We had a great time of learning and met some really neat couples with kids that are close to our age. We loved that our girls got to worship with us and hear God's word read over us and pray as a congregation. It was very special.

So, though we weren't sure what to expect...God was so great there this morning! What a blessing! Anli and Virginia Grace both said "can we PLEASE go here!!". We'll see...

We pray that your worship time was amazing. It is so good to be in God's house with those who love Him. We pray that you were challenged with God's word and changed today...we were! Tomorrow I will share some things we learned and how we were challenged. Enjoy your sabbath today!

Summer Camps 2007

We had a great week of camps! Virginia Grace attended a dance camp where she takes ballet during the year. It was called "Dancing Divas". They enjoyed learning tap, jazz, and ballet routines. They also had manicures, tea parties, and fashion shows...I wish I could go!

Anli enjoyed Super Summer Singing Funner at Crabapple Baptist Church. She learned to play the recorder, sang a solo in the musical they performed, went swimming, and bowling. She loved being with friends! We were so blessed to attend both camps this summer during the same week!

Enjoy our week's higlights...

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What we are learning from God...

This blog is not only about our physical journey through the day in and day out activities of life, it is a spiritual journey, most importantly. Here are some things that we want to share with you...


What we are reading:
Jay - Any and all minor prophets...especially Joel and Jonah, Every Man's Battle, The Mystic Rose by Stephen Lawhead
Frances - 2 Kings, The Lies Women Believe and The Truth That Sets Them Free by Nancy DeMoss, Singing Through the Night: Courageous Stories of Faith from Women in the Persecuted Church by Anneke Companjen
Anli - Genesis, The Boxcar Children, Saddle Club
Virginia - Genesis, Dick and Jane

What we are memorizing:
Jay - Joel 2:13
Frances - Ephesians 1:3-14
Anli - Ephesians 5:22 (The fruit of the Spirit)
Virginia - Ephesians 5:22

What we are hearing from God:
Jay - That God uses ALL things for His glory. He is so great and full of mercy that He even chooses to use the things that we intend for evil for His great good.
Frances - That I have no rights! My life is to be poured out as a drink offering and God has blessed me with every spiritual blessing (love, joy, peace, forgiveness, kindness, patience, self-control, etc) through Jesus Christ. Which means I can do all things through Christ who is my strength. How awesome is that? That means I can forgive those who hurt me...because God gave me that blessing in Jesus Christ! Too cool...
Anli - God will take care of me.
Virginia - God gave us a family.

People we are praying for:
India Team & their families (Jerry, Michael, Jennifer, and Laura)
The Ellise family - http://www.ellisefamily.blogspot.com/
The Gibbs family - http://stevengibbs.typepad.com/
Chad and Sherie Ellis - http://www.prayforprairiesedge.blogspot.com/
The Hedrick family - http://www.lucyonmission.blogspot.com/
The Knudsen family - http://www.checkinondan.blogspot.com/
Amy Morrison - http://www.amyinmexico.blogspot.com/

Please take a moment to check out these blogspots to see if God is leading you to pray for these people also. We don't know personally many of these people, but they have come across our emails and we have joined to pray.

Thanks for taking a moment to let us share what our great God is teaching us. So, if you get a moment we would love to know what He is teaching YOU...

The Cruise!

So many people have asked about our wonderful 10 year anniversary cruise. We had a blast and have just gotten the photos back this week. Though much has been going on recently, we were so blessed to spend some amazing time to refresh and renew our marriage. God has given us such a gift in this marriage that we have. It is most precious to us and we thank you for celebrating with us! Enjoy...

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Lies Women Believe

I am currently reading the book "Lies Women Believe and the Truth That Sets Them Free" by Nancy DeMoss. I was referred to this book by a few friends of mine that are in ministry. I don't know Nancy DeMoss and haven't read anything by her before, but this book is challenging!

Here is a lie that I have been convicted of believing in my own life. "My sin isn't really that bad." I think many of us would say that we live that lie out every day. In our lives right now, God is bringing a new awareness and conviction of how God sees sin in our lives. I must confess that I don't see my sin the way God's Word tells me that He sees my sin. Here is a passage from the book that I found thought provoking:

"Those of us who have grown up in good homes or in the church and have learned to "act right" are particularly susceptible to this deception. Some of us would never think of being a prostitute...using profanity or embezzling money from our employer or divorcing our mate.

Compared to others who commit these kinds of "serious" sins, it's easy for us to feel that we aren't so bad. Our sins of wasting time, self protection, talking too much, eating or drinking too much, a sharp tongue, a critical spirit, overspending, fear, worry, selfish motives, or complaining don't seem all that major. We may not even consider them to be sins at all- preferring to think of them as weaknesses, struggles, or personality traits.

If only we could see that every single sin is a big deal, that every sin is an act of rebellion and cosmic treason, that every time we choose our way instead of God's way, we are revolting against the God and King of the universe."

Wow! Romans 6:23 tells us the same thing "The wages of sin is DEATH, but the gift of God is eternal life in Jesus Christ our Lord."

I have been guilty of living a lie. I have been going through my day completely in denial about the sin that has ensnared me. I have not grieved the sin in my life. I have believed a lie of the Enemy that my sin is not really sin at all! I have brushed them off as struggles, weaknesses, etc. I have not seen my sin the way God sees my sin.

Please join with me today and ask God for eyes to see sin the way He sees your sin. Join with me in this puritan prayer...

Unmask in me sin's deformity, that I may hate it, abhor it, flee from it...

Let me never forget that the heinousness of sin lies not so much in the nature of the sin

committed,

As in the greatness of the person sinned against.

May we all experience revival in our lives as we embrace God's view of sin in our lives and repent and are healed. Thank you God for showing me my sin today.

Traveling Memories

We have been very blessed to have had the last few weeks to visit family and friends. It has been so encouraging to be with those who love us the most! Here is just a short peak at the fun we had this weekend in Alabama. We had a blast!

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Pray for India

Some of my close friends are in India right now sharing the love of Jesus Christ. I have been burdened this week to pray for them and the people of India. I was blessed to join a team to India in 2004 and have never been the same. Please take a moment to view some of my memories of India as you pray for this country. Allow God to prick your heart for the lost all over the globe. May God move our prayers into action each day. Will you go?

"But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth." Acts 1:8

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Family Memories

Here is a peak at the wonderful memories that we have been creating so far this year. We have had a blast and shared amazing time together. We are so blessed with family and friends to journey through this life alongside. Thank you for being on the journey with us...we love you all! Enjoy...

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Welcome to the Worthington Family Journey!

"Come now, you who say, "Today or tomorrow we will go into such and such a town and spend a year there and make trade and make a profit"-yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. Instead you ought to say, "If the Lord wills, we will live and do this or that." James 4:13-14

Our lives have recently undergone many changes. We are in the time of transition...filled with some tears and much hope. God has convicted me of getting far to comfortable here on this earth. This Worthington family hasn't been movable! God has changed all of that over the past few weeks for us. He has allowed us to undergo trials in order to make us more moldable to the image of Christ. We want to be movable to God. We do not want to boast in our own plans, home, cars, money, schedules, possessions, dreams, or lives. What a blessing to know that God is the one who orders our steps.

We are experiencing a kind of revival in our lives and we pray that you are too! We wanted to start this blog because we want to share God's work in our lives with you. We are moving away from much of what has been comfortable and entering into the unknown. We want to share this journey with you each step of the way.

So, check back often to see what God is up to with our family. It may be something like a fun day as a family or what God is speaking to us that day. We can't wait!