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.