Surprise!

Back again already. Made you jump, huh? hee, hee, hee.

We had a great small group meeting last night. As we drove over with one of our leadership team members and she and Greg we chatting, I began to pray silently for the meeting. Greg and I always prayed together on the way over and we've seen some amazing things happen in our meetings. Lately, the conversations in the car have nixed the prayer time, so being the quiet one, I decided to cover it. Last night was no different, the coolest thing that happened was that their youngest son and his fiance showed up for the entire meeting. They've been to 2 of our prayer meetings over the last 8-10 months. We were thrilled to have them there, and boy did they show up for a doozy of a topic!

We finished our series on marriage, ending with . . . romance and sex. It didn't seem to me Greg held anything back, but he said he did a little. We looked at scripture and Greg had each couple do some talking back and forth at times. One of the topics he touched on was about a husband being a spiritual covering for his wife. The funny thing was that 3 of the 4 women knew what a spiritual covering was and could explain it to her husband, and not one husband knew what it was!

A spiritual covering is when a husband prays with and for his wife, puts her needs above his own, leads his family, and is right with God. The wonderful thing about men who do this is the effect it has on their wife. We all shared it made us feel treasured, loved, cared for, protected, and safe. When a woman feels this way, there is trust and mutual understanding. Our roles as husband and wife are more properly aligned. This results in a woman wanting to share in the physical part of the relationship.

Greg also mentioned that if the guys aren't putting her physical needs above his own and spending at least an hour at a time with his wife, they're really missing out. Last night all the women nodded their heads in agreement and the guys either looked down or stared, glazed over, trying to take it all in.

Greg talked about the importance of communication before or during a couple's time together. He talked about the need for repentance from anything in the past that could be a hindrance, as well as other things that can hinder intimacy, like children, stress, worry, illness, etc.

It was a great meeting. Lots of information, things to work on, and even some laughter.

One of the members of our small group that Greg is disipling will be leading the next 2 studies on integrity. We're hoping he'll lead a men's study someday and this is a great way to have him practice. That's all discipleship is, teaching and giving opportunities to grow. If you're a small group leader, are you giving your members opportunities to stretch and grow by leading? This biggest blessing a leader can have is seeing one of their disciples stretch, grow, and begin to lead on their own. God once told Greg not to count the people (who will be in attendance in our church) but to count how many people we release (trusting people to do ministry). Yep, that's what it's all about.

Blessings to you on this cold, frosty, yet sunny and clear Thursday.

The Calm Before the Storm

I haven't written in awhile for two reasons. 1. I've been loaded with stuff to do. 2. I haven't felt I had anything worthwhile to say. I'm here today because of encouragement I received yesterday to keep writing and also because my load has lightened. (I still feel I don't have anything worthwhile to say, but here goes!)

To catch you up a little, we haven't made much progress on the finishing touches of the remodel. Still need to paint, have an air gap installed, buy rugs and things for the walls, and a few furniture items. We thought we might get the entertainment center yesterday, but it was sold and the price we were given to order it was too high. The search continues.

The landscaping hasn't been touched much this month, though we had planned to do spend Saturday mornings in the backyard all of January. Between rain and other priorities, it looks like it will get pushed out a little.

We've got all the paperwork done for the new church except the 501c3 and Franchise Tax Board application to make us 'officially' tax-exempt. This has nothing to do with being a non-profit and receiving tax-deductible donations. A little page is to be filled out for the Secretary of State when we have our board meeting Saturday and choose board positions. We also have to fill out a form with the Department of Justice to do background checks on volunteers.

The Tuesday Bible study is going well. I love seeing everyone work so hard to have all their answers prepared and the great insight and sharing that takes place. I look forward to it.

We're putting together our leadership advance. We've booked a great place in Twain Harte and I can't wait to take everyone there. I've been there before with my Heart to Heart small group in the 90's. It will be a blast. Greg does a great job and covering a great amount of material in the time allotted for our leadership meetings and I'm sure the advance will be the same. We'll be full when we leave.

It's tax time. I've filed all the state and federal payroll tax papers for our business and am putting together info for our taxes, the business, and Mark and Kristen's returns. The good news is I'm organized and my files are pretty much done and my desk is fairly clean.

I've gotten going on QuickBooks for the business and the church. Yeah!

That covers my desk. Work is going well. I only had to work 1 day in the last 7 because of rain. With the nicer weather I'm back to 3 days a week, which my body needs. I've been pruning roses quite a bit and yesterday got stuck so badly it required first aid. I can't imagine what it would have been like without gloves!

I'm looking at other studies to do in the future. Last night I spent some time perusing the ChristianBook catalog and website and found a few books that interested me. When I get them in and read them I'll let you know what I think. They've already shipped and should be here this week.

Like I said, nothing worthwhile, but just an update for now. EQUIP church has 3 prayer requests if you could keep us in mind.

1. A building/place to meet on Sunday mornings on the westside
2. A Worship Leader
3. A Children's Director

Blessings on this sunny, cold Tuesday!

EQUIP Update

It's been a very good and productive week or two in the life of our baby church! A few weeks ago a couple expressed an interest in learning more about what we're doing in planting the church. We met with them and shared our vision and values. They felt they were being called to join our leadership team. I'm thrilled to announce that Dick and Mary Pritchard have joined our leadership team. Dick is retired from teaching and administration in the public school system. Mary is extremely gifted in hugging and has raise their 5 children. They have a number of grandchildren and great grand children as well.

In addition, today we went and applied to be a religious corporation within the state of California. We should get confirmation early next week. Only 2 more forms to go and we're done until we hire employees.

We're putting together a team to canvas the westside to find a building where we can meet.

We are having a Concert of Prayer on Januay 23rd at NLCC at 7:00pm to pray for our city and the westside in particular.

We are working on a list of items we still need in order to launch. More on that as the team finalizes it. If you're interested in a pre-list, email me and I will send it to you to pray over and see how God provides. gshazenberg@sbcglobal.net.

Blessings on this dark, cold, Wednesday evening.

EQUIP Update

Yesterday was our first Women's Bible Study. It merged our leadership team ladies with our westside ladies and it was great. I always pray for laughter and tears at every meeting, knowing how God works our hearts when we are touched by both emotions. God was faithful and we had both.

We're studying Women of God, an IVP (Intervarsity Press) booklet on self-esteem. The first chapter was on Answering God's Call. You might think the author would take us through all the various elements of self-esteem, then end with God's call, but nope! She went straight for the dessert up front. We had ladies who hadn't heard God's call, those who were in the middle of discerning his call, and those who had been called and answered. It was great bringing together such a group of ladies with variety of situations and places in their walk. We studied Mary and how she responded to God when the angel told her she would be giving birth to a savior. May we all respond with such faith and a servant's heart.

A wonderful friend blessed me yesterday with his favorite book to read. It's called A Tale of Three Kings by Gene Edwards. I got through half of it before the women's bible study and will finish it today. I love it! It's very insightful. I showed it to Greg to see if he might read it and use it for future leadership training. He's already read it and loved it too!

Piles of paperwork and taxes await me, but first I think I'll read! Blessings to you on this once again, gray, cold, foggy Wednesday.

EQUIP Update Correction

I stand corrected by a dear friend. We don't need a 501c3 to accept tax deductible contributions. We can accept them now. The 501c3 just gives the doner added peace of mind. By the very nature of a church, which we officially are, we can accept donations and they are tax deductible to the donor.

As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another. Proverbs 27:17.

EQUIP Update

It's been a productive week or two. I think I already mentioned we got our business license and our federal ID#. We also got our fictitious business statement and opened our checking and savings accounts. We can accept donations, but at this time they won't be tax-deductible. Our fictitious business statement should be running in the Turlock Journal the next four weeks. We have sent our articles of incorporation and by-laws to our board for review a few weeks ago. Once that is agreed upon, we'll apply for non-profit status and to be incorporated. Once we receive the non-profit status, any donations will be tax-deductible. I understand it takes 4-6 months.

Last night Greg and I worked reviewed the content and made the schedule for our leadership advance. I then made the menu, duties, and questionnaire for the advance. Now we just need a place to go! If you know of any free or inexpensive places to go within 1-2 hours of Turlock, please let me know at gshazenberg@sbcglobal.net.

Time to prepare the house for our 6th leadership meeting. Blessings to you on this gray, breezy Saturday.

New Books

I got a few books for Christmas and one I picked up this week. I thought I would share something about each one.

The first is by my favorite author, Erwin McManus. It's called Stand Against the Wind. It's a small book of 119 pages and I read it last night in one sitting. It's 12 chapters of wisdom. Written in journal form, but packed full of great explanations of many of our Christian Terms. It covers things like freedom in Christ vs. freedom from Christ, Integrity, Wisdom, Potential vs. Potency, Love, Faithfulness, Gratefulness, Humility, Fear, Courage, and many others. Here are a few of my favorite passages:

On Integrity:
Integrity, or the lack of it, has everything to do with how we use power. When our character is defined by integrity, we can be trusted with power. Power does not become a corrosive agent but a creative energy. When we lack integrity, we use power to control. When we lead with integrity, we use power to bless.

Instead of hoarding His power, Jesus unleashes His power. For Him, neither love nor power is a limited commodity. Just like love, the nature of power expands when it is given away. Power is a tool. It allows us the freedom to be who we truly are. This is why it is critical to pursue integrity rather than power. When you are promoted on your abilities, without regard to the content of your character, it is a disservice both to your subordinates and to you. We do no one a favor when we put abilities over integrity.

Integrity cannot be gained by power and authority. Integrity must be gained long before these have been placed in or hands. Jesus lived an obscure life for thirty years preparing for a public ministry that lasted for only three. Integrity requires that you decide what kind of person you want to become. Integrity not only harnesses our passions but focuses our intentions.

The real measure of our power is the freedom and opportunity we create for others. Men and women who are marked by integrity point the way to freedom.

Perhaps the most amazing thing about integrity is when you still choose to do what's right when you're all alone, no one sees you, and no one will know what you do. It's wonderful when you look inside your own heart and like what you see.

On Courage and Obedience:
You cannot walk by faith and live in fear.

The history of God's people is not a record of God searching for courageous men and women who could handle the tasks but of God transforming the hearts of cowards and calling them to live courageous lives. Adam and Eve hid; Abraham lied; Moses ran; David deceived; Esther wavered; Elijah contemplated suicide; John the Baptist doubted; Pete denied; Judas betrayed. And those are just some of the leading characters.

What is the point of having God's power if you lack the courage to actually use it? Only when you embrace God's calling on your life will you need God-inspired courage. We often ask for God's power to accomplish our small dreams; instead we should cry out for God's courage to step out on His bold adventure.

Without courage we cannot live the life we choose - instead we choose to relinquish life. We conform to the path of least resistance and abdicate our freedom. So in the end a life without courage is a life without virtue!

There's something God wants you to do - not to it back and watch Him do it or passively wait for Him to do, but a calling that God waits for you to embrace, pursue, and fulfill. God chooses to entrust His most sacred work to people just like you and me.

The key to the future s not revelation, but obedience. When we submit our lives to what God has made known, the future becomes clearer to us.

When God speaks, it requires immediate attention. If you respond to God's call, you will be tested to the very core of your being. God will not save you from the fire but will in fact throw you into it. The promise that He will be with you and never forsake you is both a promise and a warning. A divine journey cannot be completed without divine intervention. Courage is not the absence of fear; it is the absence of self. Courage is the highest expression of humility. Courage moves us to risk ourselves for others or for a higher cause.

On Generosity:
Generosity isn't about how much we give but about how much it costs us. Generosity creates an environment for emotional health.

On Wisdom:
Proverbs 1:20-23
While many of us long for God to give us a map so that we can simply follow it, He instead gives us a compass that points the way. What we continually ask for is to know God's will for our lives; what God continually offers us is His wisdom for our lives. So critical is wisdom to the journey that God offers it as a gift to all who would desire it (James 1:5).

From the vantage point of the fool, the world appears to exist in isolated units. The connection between the absentee father and the promiscuous daughter remains undetected. The relationship between bitterness toward your parents and coldness toward your children is unperceived. The repercussions of extramarital infidelity are never linked to premarital promiscuity. Debt remains unconnected to greed; violence remains unconnected to hate; the loss of hope remains disconnected from the loss of faith.

Wisdom frees us from superstitions that constrain us and broken relationships that cripple us.

On the Fear of the Lord:
The Scriptures remind us that the fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom. Then what exactly does this mean? When we fear God, we fear nothing else. It is only in the fear of God that we find ourselves free from the fear of death, of failure, and all the other fears that bind us.

When the fear of God is absent from our lives, we become slaves to lesser fears, and your fears define the boundaries of your life. When you fear God, you are subject only to Him. You align yourself to love and truth. You are never afraid to love or forgive when you fear God. You are never afraid to do good when you fear God. You are never afraid to face the truth or speak the truth when you fear God. You live with a calm assurance that in all these things God finds great pleasure.

The ultimate end of character transformation is not freedom from sin, but freedom to once again be all that God designed for us to be. When we fear God, we find the freedom and the courage to pursue dreams far too big for ourselves, yet courage is the only hope for great dreams.

Well, that was more than I expected to write! Don't you just love the wisdom of this man? The other books:

The Bravehearted Gospel by Eric Ludy. I haven't read but 19 pages of this one, but I can tell I like it. This might be good for our leadership team after we finish An Unstoppable Force. To give you a gist of what this book is about, here's what the back cover says:
Once upon a time, Christianity was the stuff of legends and Christ's loyalists were spiritual and moral revolutionaries, the kind of men and women who turned the world upside down. But over time, something has happened to that once fervent and bravehearted band who dared to be called Christians.

Many today have inherited a faith that has no real life or power. Instead of zeal there is apathy. Instead of courage there is timidity. And instead of confidence there is paralyzing doubt.

Something has to change.

For all those hungering for a spiritual revolution, there is an ancient blood-stained trail, trod by the greatest men and women in history, beckoning us to once again explore it's epic and grand terrain. For all those hungry for a Christianity that actually works, a faith that reforms the human life an possesses the power to rescue this dying world, this trail mustn't be ignored. For it is the path of heroes and of real-world change - it's the path of The Bravehearted Gospel.

The other book is called Following God with All Your Heart by Elizabeth George. Believe it or not, I don't just read books on taking the world for Christ. A 'chick flick' book once in a while is a good diversion! This may be a good book for our women's Bible study after we complete the one we're starting this week. It covers 5 areas:

1. Grow in Joy and Contentment
2. Grow in Devotion and Obedience
3. Grow in Confidence
4. Grow in Courage
5. Grow in Humility

Can't wait to absorb these books!

Thanks for sticking through this very long blog today. Many blessings to you on this cold, windy, gray Friday.