God is GOOD!!! & enjoyed in genuine community

Well, a few weeks ago i blogged about starting a small group - 3 weeks into it & there's some encouraging things:
This week a brother brought an Alistair Brown song along. We listened, thought, turned our hearts towards God then opened the Psalms. People dug around then just read one out that reflected a similar cry - for help, for nearness, of God's goodness... Then another brother opened 1 Peter 5 - 7 we recognised who OUR enemy is, that God is still caring & active, & THEN God led me to get us to pull out the verbs - & BOOM we'd had a great study with practical applications!! It's great to see God lead us through His word!!
We also have a variety of needs & gifts - as always
My prayer is that i will continue to address the needs in prayer - keep learning to let God be the healer & not try to be the healer myself - that has burnt me in the past!!! God has given me a compassionate heart & i love helping people in trouble - but the greatest help i can give is to lift their burdens to God & help practically - no to try & carry their burdens myself!

Early days, but i am being reminded of my gifts & blessed with God's leading - may He continue to grow us as His people, his whanau, where community is real & God is known

Bless you people

woohoo

Exciting times!! Our Camp's board has agreed to send my boss & i over to San Diego for the American Christian Camping conference!! I am blessed by the people who oversee our simple efforts to serve God & share the gospel - this is icing!!
My first task - is to see if we can fund my family to join me! Obviously this would be our mega family trip of a lifetime!! My fairs are paid, so it's the most affordable it could ever be!
A couple of years ago i went to Sri lanka to help clean up after the Tsunami - my daughter Kerri asked if she could come. I thought it was a silly idea - until i got there - then i regretted saying no. To have been able to share that time of serving with her, to have been able tto let her free to play with the kids & reach them in a way i couldn't - constantly i saw the opportunities while there, & thought of the time we could have shared... It is one of my biggest regrets.
Obviously this trip will be very different, but i don't want to do it without my family - so we'll pray, & see how we go.
The conference will probably be the end of our trip. Before then we'll look to visit a whole bunch of camps, check out how they do things, get ideas & contacts, etc - should be awesome!!
Should also have a few days between to do family days @ theme parks, etc
If we can, we'll look to go a week or so early & visit friends in Chicago & Nashville
Let's see what God has in store...

A blog about a seeking "leader"

Time for a blog ...
Currently we are looking forward to joining a small group of other Christians to be their "leaders". They've been meeting for a couple of years with another older couple who've followed God's call to other things for 2007 - it's taken us till now to take this step with some degree of confidence that this is where God wants us ...
... if you sense some degree of pessimism - then you're not alone, I sense it to!! I find it hard to be certain in so many things - and when i'm functioning at less than 100% I'm cautious to take on too much!
Anyway, enough frail honesty - i wonder - how should a small group be run when it is full of 20 somethings who're fairly well grounded in their faith? They all attend our bible preaching church - do we need more studies?
I'm drawn to wonder how the early church operated when they met in homes. I understand from Acts that there was reading of the scriptures, lots of prayer, food, sharing & serving, ...
I desire to be involved with a group who's key passion is to love God, to long for God, to hunger after Him!!
I'm thinking we can read the scriptures together, and discuss things as they come up - what they mean/ how we apply them/ challenges we face ...
I want us to learn to pray - to really pray!! i remember doing that when i was younger - i'm hungry for more (and know i find it easier with others - I'm ashamed that i'm not driven to seek God's face earnestly in my own time - i do hope to grow in that as i learn again to pray with others)
I want us to rediscover honesty & accountability & brotherly/sisterly love in mini groups
I want to abandon formula's & to rediscover community - being His body

I want to lead this group to God (including my wife & I - we know we need to embrace more of Him) ... that is all i want, is that too much to ask?
I remember discovering a lot of this as a 15 year old with a good friend, too much has passed, lead us on God, lead us on ...

I would really value any thoughts / input / experiences / comments that you may wish to share ...