How God Works

Since I have had kids my exercise and daily reading routine has been non-existent. Pre-kids I read the Bible everyday and worked out during my lunch at work, running 3-4 miles a day. With two toddlers romping around I have had a hard time fitting these two essentials in. My dusty Bible and belly fat can prove it. In December I decided that it was time for a new day - a renewed physical and spiritual health. I started waking up at 5:30, reading and then working out. I was fairly committed although my reading was just kind of going through the motions and my weight was all over the place. Then in February I went to try dresses on for my brother's upcoming wedding - I had to get real. So - for a month and a half, I have been working out religiously, eating healthy and instead of reading I have been listening to sermons on my "shuffle" while I exercise. I have lost 6 pounds, I feel great, and I am thinking about God more than 10 minutes in the morning.

I have been listening to sermons from three churches Mars Hill Bible Church, Southland Christian Church, and Quest Community Church. The sermons God has lead me to have been powerful and have really got me thinking throughout the day about God, my place in his will, and the need to really get serious about my faith in Christ. In two weeks or so I am speaking at a ladies group on Financial Management, so this morning I wanted to find a sermon on money - and between the three podcasts I subscribe to I couldn't find anything. So I choose an hour long sermon by Pete Hise (Quest Community Church) entitled - "The Power of Everybody - To Change a Culture". I mean how can you go wrong with a title like that. The first 30 minutes blew me away and I was trying to hold it together on the treadmil listening to the life of Christ and how we radically changed the world every where he went and how he passed the torch to his disciples, and through God's word the torch is passed to us. The second half was on posessions. I about fell off the treadmil. Pete transitioned by showing the commercial of the guy on the lawn mower that has it all but "is in debt up to his eyeballs", and then goes into a discussion about how money and possessions drive us away from the cross and away from opening our heart to the world. We are so busy trying to gain stuff that we miss our true calling on earth - to love God and people and to radically change the world with the message of the cross. And I have been missing it.

It amazes me that despite three years of church attendance (and that is about it) God still shows up, he still opens my eyes, and he still leads and guides me where I need to be. He still talks, he still moves powerfully. God is there - he just needs me to show up every once in a while. No - He is waiting for me to show up. It is time that I say "I am here".

If you have the time listen to this sermon. You can subscribe on itunes or here: http://questcommunity.com/media/celebration-series