Sunday, April 6, 2008

College Station

We returned last night about 10 p.m. from a wonderful day in College Station with the ladies at the A&M Church of Christ. What a precious and fun group of women! AND -- oh, my stars, the decorations! I love to see it when people are gifted with creativity in that way because it is SO not my gift! I could go on and on about the women we met and the connections we made or re-made as God had us forge new paths and cross old paths with women.

I'll be perfectly honest -- this schedule is hard on my body. I spent the last 7 days going to bed about 11 and getting up at 4:30 or 5 and on Saturday and Sunday I was blessed to sleep all the way to 6. I'm sure for some of you that's a vacation, but I can't keep that up for too terribly long. So, very soon I will be in my pajamas under the covers recuperating from the last week. And, yes, I am forsaking baby showers and gatherings to do that, which is very unlike me. But before I crawl under the covers, I will kneel in gratitude. I still can't believe that the Lord is using me to speak His word, tell His story, and witness His healing in women's lives again and again. I will give up all manner of sleep (for as long as I physically can) to be able to join in His work -- and then I will pray to be physically strengthened so that I may still continue.

To the ladies at A&M: thank you for allowing us as a group to join you in your day. Thank you for sharing your tears and laughter with us. Thank you for showing us a group of women who love big and loud with each other.

And: For this reason I kneel before the Father, from whom his whole family in heaven and on earth derives its name. I pray that out of his glorious riches he may strengthen the ladies of A&M church with power through his Spirit in your inner being, so that Christ may dwell in all of your hearts through faith. And I pray that the ladies of A&M church, being rooted and established in love, may have power, together with all the saints, to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ, and to know this love that surpasses knowledge—that each of you may be filled to the measure of all the fullness of God. Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen. Adapted from Ephesians 3:14-21

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