I can't begin to describe what my life, our life, has felt like lately. It has been a flurry of activity yet it hasn't seemed like work. It has been a blur yet it seems to have impacted us in so many ways. We are constantly changing, constantly finding something new to work on, constantly having some new "lightbulb" moment that instantly changes us. God has been working in our lives like I could never have imagined before last October.

Today can be chalked up to being a great day. We got up, got ready for church, laid out our Carribean pre-wedding party clothes, went to church, had a great service. Pastor Kevin imparts such wisdom that I find I am taking pages upon pages of notes...the only other place that has ever happened was when I was in Kansas City (or listening to their services via streaming video). After service we scooted home to get into our party gear and had a spectacular time at Kham & Darla's party. I am so happy for them!

Pastor Kevin was speaking to us about faith and of how faith is expectation. He said that many people, believe it or not, are suffering from a lack of faith because it hasn't been taught in its completion, for the most part. Most people in churches believe more in the powers of demons and in witchcraft than they do in the power of God; I have found, with some of the people I have talked to, that this is, for the most part true. They seem to have a big devil and a little God. They give the devil all this power and all this glory for all the things that go on in their lives and focus on the problem (they look for people to validate their feelings and support their problems) when all they really need to do is focus on the solution...God.

Being faithful doesn't just mean you go to church every day and eventually become the little old lady or man who has never missed a Sunday (that just makes you a regular attender). Just by going to church every Sunday doesn't give you the right, even, to the blessings-you've got to have faith! Taking up space in the church doesn't give you an automatic in...you don't win by default. We will not advance in the kingdom of God, in our walk with God unless we have faith!

A good question was brought to our attention: How does one meet with God and remain unchanged? I hear so many people say that God moved so powerfully in their service but not a single person came out of it unchanged. I have been in services where people have said that and I know nobody changed...they left and lived their same old lives, same old problems, same old habits, same old complaints. If God were to truly come down would the effects not be drastic? Would they not be noteworthy changes? Perhaps the answer then is that they truly haven't met with God-not really. I don't doubt that they believe they did but it goes back to the question at the beginning of this paragraph.

There is much more to this topic of faith for me to learn. This was just one sermon on it. I think he got through 2 pages of 12 pages of notes... I have never been taught on faith before and so it is helping me to just think this through here...

I can't wait for the next lesson!