God is bigger.....

So after probably two years of feeling called away and after at least a year of prayer and seeking the Lord, Philip and I announced on Sunday that we are no longer going to be attending our church of seven years.  This was not an easy decision and for such a long time Philip and I felt like God was telling us, "Yes, I'm going to ask you to leave, but not yet."  Then last week we felt like He answered us in a different way, "It is time."

While we will miss attending our church on Sunday morning and seeing all of our brothers and sisters there we know that God is bigger than the four walls of any church.  He is so big in fact that I know that the relationships that we have started at our church will not only continue after we leave, but they will continue for eternity!  We want to make it clear that we are not leaving because of anything anyone has said, done or not done.  We are only leaving because we feel that God is calling us to do so and we want to obey that call.

Most of you have one question left, "Where are you going?"  Something that has been pressed upon us over the last couple of years is the desire to live more like the believers in the early church; worshiping in homes (along side our children), giving to the poor, meeting needs of fellow believers, etc.  In the past couple of years God has also fostered relationships with believers who feel the same way.  It is with these families that we are going to start a new house church.

What does a house church look like?  To be honest I have no idea!  But, I'll be happy to keep everyone up to date through this blog.

We would love your prayers during this time of transition.  We know that God is bigger than we can ever imagine and we look forward to what he has planned for us.

Pushing the Reset Button

Growing up in South Louisiana I was one of the only kids in my classes that was not Catholic.  And coming from a mostly Catholic region this time of year is always fun.  After all, tomorrow is Mardi Gras!!  But as soon as the revelry is over the next topic for discussion was always, "What are you giving up for Lent?"  Since I was Lutheran we did not have the tradition of abstaining from something for the 40 days between Mardi Gras and Easter, but as an adult Christian I now see the potential benefit. 

See, sometimes we get into a habit and we don't even realize it until it has almost consumed our way of thinking.  Two Christmases ago I took a sabbatical from Facebook after I started thinking in the form of status updates.  It's not that Facebook is bad, but it had taken over my way of thinking about life!!  Giving up the social network for a month helped me push the "reset" button on my habit.  It helped me moderate how many hours a week I spend being a voyeur into others' lives and most of all it helped me prioritize my time in front of the computer.

Now for this Lent season I am ready to give up something that God has been prompting me about for some time.  You see, I'm addicted....addicted to fast food!! Actually, I love fast food or take out of any kind.  If I could, I would eat out at every meal!  I know that this grosses most of you out and you think, "But Bridgette, don't you love to cook?"  I do love to cook!  What I don't love though is cleaning up the kitchen after I cook, or planning ahead to bring a lunch or snack with Ethan and I as we are out running errands.  It is easier for me to skip the prep work and then just grab us a meal while we are out.  This in itself is not a bad thing, but when my thoughts immediately go to "getting something out" instead of cooking something for my family and over three fourths of my monthly "allowance" goes to eating out, it's time to push the reset button!

Have you ever given up something for Lent (or for any other reason)?  I'd like to hear about it!