Like A Child pt. 2

As usual, Pastor Craig Groeschel brought it this morning at church. The series we are currently in at Lifechurch is called "Like A Child", and it is all about God's love through the perspective of a child.

Often times we get so consumed with life that we become complacent. We lose the awe and wonder that God instills in us.
A child only somewhat understands the depth of the stories taught on Sundays, and often has a great sense of trust. A child feels safe with their parent(s) and trusts that they will be taken care of. They feel comfort from their presence, as well as the reassurance of their love and care. This is the same kind of relationship our heavenly father wants. God wants to see our faces to light up at his blessings and wonderful attributes as a child would when Daddy comes home from work or a birthday cake is placed in front of them.

In case you weren't with us this Sunday, here were the main points Pastor Craig focused on this morning.

-My God is with me.
His presence is comforting to us in times of need, whether it be a need of physical, spiritual strength, or whatever the case may be.

"Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you" Hewbrews 13:5

God wants a relationship with us, and we can build that by...

1. Talking to Him (Simply as you would talk to a friend)
Psalm 54:2
Phillippians 4:6-7

2.Listen to Him (The "Talk less, listen more" principal could apply here as well)
Duet. 30:20
Isaiah 30:21

3. Recieve from Him
2 Corinthians 1:3-4
Isaiah 66:13

4. Enjoy His Presence
Psalm 16:11
Proverbs 8:30

Of course if you've ever been to a Life Church service before, you know Pastor Craig is always fun and keeps us laughing. For all the sermons you may have missed, they are available on itunes, or the archives file of the church website. I personally encourage you to join us for any of our Christmas services here at the Broken Arrow campus:
Thursday, December 20, 7pm
Friday, December 21, 5 and 6:30 pm
Saturday, December 22, 5 and 6:30 pm
Sunday, December 23, 8:30, 10, 11:30 am or 1, 5, and 6:30pm

Surreal, but exciting.

Hold up. It's December?! Call me crazy but it does not feel like Winter or Christmas time to me! The weather is far too nice and I'm so busy I can hardly keep up!

It seems surreal that it's almost Christmas break of senior year, but so exciting at the same time. Most of the people say to hang on to these high school days. I think reality will sink in closer to the end, and it may feel like a bit of a shock, but that's okay. I am counting the life changing events scheduled for next year, and it's quite lengthy!

This Christmas season is going to be different for us as we squeeze it into the hussle and bussle. Although, I have some awesome tricks up my sleeve this year. I'm excited to see my family's reactions to their gifts, and my boyfriend's as well. Let's just say he will be one happy man! (By the way ladies, if you ever need gift ideas for your boyfriend, let me know, I have tons!) (A full blog post to come on this later) I love receiving gifts no doubt, but the memories last even longer.

As we all look back at what a great year this was, we also look forward to what's next. And of course those typical New Year's resolutions... I think I'll join the flock this year and make some as well. But the catch is to actually try them, not just post them on Facebook. You know who you are. As soon as the New Year hits, I'm going to continue my training at the gym and increase the intensity, as well as becoming stricter on my "diet". Then of course, I also like to make a bucket list of things I want to do before each year ends. For 2013, I'll make one for fun things to do before bootcamp, and then another list for afterwards.

Well dear friends, enjoy the nasty mall traffic and Christmas gatherings. I will be enjoying the remainder of December making more memories with my lovely family, friends, and boyfriend.