“Wow!” That’s the best way I know to describe church yesterday. We reached deep into painful places and learned valuable lessons in the Core Beliefs Sunday School class. Then morning service was so rich with the presence of God. And last night we chose to stand behind the line drawn for spiritual victory.

I’ve been hungry through the first week of the fast, but not in ways I would have expected. I prayed and asked God what to fast. He answered by telling me to drink only water and to fast sweets. I don’t know about you, but I LOVE sweets! I thought He had allowed me to get off pretty light – until the cravings hit. Now I realize that God is showing me that I have cravings that are stronger and deeper than I ever knew. And He wants to remove those and replace them with deeper cravings for Him. Can you say, “OUCH”!

I pray that God will help me learn these lessons and any more He will teach me through this time of fasting and prayer. I pray that you will be open to what He is showing you, too. God help us all!

The 21 day fast for the church starts today. I’m beginning the day thinking about what God wants to do in our lives as individuals and as a church. Reflecting on personal issues can be very painful, but dealing with them can lead to healing and spiritual strengthening. God help me to face everything He wants me to see during this time. I’m starting with me.

The everyday world still goes on while we fast. Today I’ve got tax prep to complete. Paperwork and numbers are the order of the day. Talk about conflicting goals. On the one hand I’m seeking God, and on the other hand life continues with all its stresses and deadlines. I don’t know anyone who enjoys doing taxes. I feel challenged by God to become a better person while dealing with necessary details of life. Finding the balance is probably the biggest lesson for today.

May God help us all through the days ahead to listen to His voice and heed His direction.

Boy, it’s taxing on my brain to try to coordinate details! Even when we’re doing God’s work, my mind can boggle and the details can swim in my head like a whirlwind. Thank God for time and space and deep breaths. I need to relax.

It’s important to plan ahead, and God honors our efforts, but in the rush of everyday life I sometimes have to stop and downshift. The temptation to run ahead with a new idea or project is constant. The frustration of not completing things that I’ve already started can boil inside and almost drown out the eagerness to hear what God is saying.

So as I plan ahead for where God is taking me in life, I must also be still and know that He is God. I’m grateful for His direction, and when I’m quiet in my soul I can hear Him speaking.

Every new year brings an excitement about the possibilities of what God will do. I know that God doesn’t see time the way we do, but He is a God of new beginnings. It’s a time to reevaluate ourselves and make changes as needed. And I don’t know about you, but I always need to change.

I think this year will be full of new challenges for me that I will need to rely on God to meet. But I also feel like those challenges are coming my way to help me to grow in Christ. I don’t want to get to the end of 2010 and realize that the time was just spent. I want to invest this year into my eternity.

May we all rise to the occasion of new opportunities in Christ!

Have you noticed that no matter how cloudy or wet and rainy it’s been over the last many days that everyone is still thinking about Christmas? It’s like there’s a focus that drives people to keep making holiday preparations in spite of the temperature changes and the risk of getting wet.

It made me think about life and its “bad weather” seasons. And how no matter what the climate in life at any given moment, we still have Christ. We can keep a focus on Him that will get us through to the celebration no matter what obstacles we face.

I love that we can celebrate Jesus every day!

Check back later to see Angel’s first post!