welcome to connect: project 2011

This blog is a project I'm undertaking for 2011... Why don't you join me?

The goal is to spend a little time each day reading from a devotional book, Daily in Christ by Neil T. Anderson, and connecting with people via blog post and comments.

Don't have the book yet? You can find it on Amazon, or you can read the daily post at:
www.crosswalk.com/devotionals/dailyinchrist

Why would we do this? For me, it's to reinforce a habit I need, to own my own faith, to connect with God and what He's saying to me, and to connect with people who are hungry to know God more...

Your reasons might be some of the same as mine.

The more folks read and comment, the richer the experience will be. Join the discussion!

Friday, September 16, 2011

September 16, 2011

Free gift with purchase

This morning, I was thinking about how the company I buy makeup from always gives you a free gift with purchase.  Sometimes, it’s just a little sample, and other times, it’s a bigger thing.  And with it, they always used to give you a free tube of lipstick. 

Regardless of the fact that I don’t wear lipstick (ever), I would be thrilled at my new tube and put it in a collection with all the others.  Every few years, I would find a good home for them, but I still have about a dozen tubes of lipstick in a drawer.  Nope, still don’t wear lipstick, ever.

Why was I thinking about a free gift with purchase? 

God could have stopped at giving us forgiveness and eternal life when this one is over, but He didn’t.  Jesus came to break the power of sin so we could have relationship with God.  That relationship doesn’t begin when we get to heaven; it started the minute we received the grace of forgiveness.

Unlike the free gift with purchase, the richness of relationship with God is something we use and treasure every day!  It’s so awesome that oftentimes, heaven is an afterthought. 

This is the heart of the God we serve:

And I pray that Christ will be more and more at home in your hearts as you trust in Him.  May your roots go down deep into the soil of God’s marvelous love. 

And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep His love really is. 

May you experience the love of Christ, though it is so great you will never fully understand it.  Then you will be filled with the fullness of life and power that comes from God.

Now glory be to God!  By His mighty power at work within us, He is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope.  Ephesians 3:17-20

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About Me

I've been a teacher, a church administrator, and currently I'm an at-home mommy, which is my most challenging assignment yet. My home church is WellSpring - it's where my heart is, where my family is. I'm so grateful to God for His work in me and the people He's allowed me to share life with.