Challenge ONE - Question 7

"For whose salvation will you pray most fervently this year?"

Out of respect for those I love, I will not list names on the blog. I don't want them to feel one ounce of condemnation from me regarding their salvation. I am just hoping that the Holy Spirit will place a burden upon their heart to seek Christ.

When family is involved, it can be very difficult. If you are reading this, a simple prayer on the behalf of my unsaved family members would be appreciated. God knows who they are!

Challenge One - Question 6

"What is the most helpful new way you could strengthen your church?"

I am hoping that within the ladies group I can help cultivate friendships with more ladies in the church. To me, women have an amazing opporotunity to strengthen the church family. In the care of one another, the fellowship between friends and the tight bonds that women build are typically far beyond that of men!

Granted, we as women, can have the exact opposite impact on a church family. We can cause tension, create drama and make life miserable for others.

So, to me this year the most helpful way that I can strengthen my church is to strengthen my friendships and sisterhood with those within the church. Hopefully that friendship will be extended beyond those in my circle.

Sounds easy enough right? Well, as I woman I know that can open me up to be vulnerable to the pain that broken friendships can cause. I also know it can bring joy beyond words for the precious time spent with girlfriends.

Challenge One - Question 5

"What is the single biggest time-waster in your life and what are you going to do about it this year?"

Define "time-waster"?

Seriously, I am a little scared to ansewr this question honestly because I don't want to consider my time on facebook as a time-waster. I keep up with family, interact with friends of the past and present, and actually remind myself of important events and dates on facebook. So, if I am going to put facebook out of my list of "time-wasters" for now....

Other than facebook, I guess that it would be watching tv. It is gratifying to sit down to escape a day with the entertainment of tv. BUT, I am not ready to give that up or do anything about it.

We are on question 5 and this is already stepping on "comfort toes", if you know what I mean!!!

I think I am going to have to come back to this question later once I determine what I feel is a "time-waster" for me or maybe I could just forget this question exist and save time?

Challenge One - Question Four

"In which spiritual discipline do you want to make progress this year, and what will you do about it?"

I am excited about the opprotunity to participate in the collective reading of the bible in 2011 with our church. As I learn more, I want to increase my conversation with God in my prayer life. I want talk with God more intimiately and openly. I want to ask questions and learn to wait for his response!

Challenge One- Question Three

"What is the single most important thing that you could to do to improve the quality of your family life this year?"

Taking the time to STOP & LISTEN! I get so busy with life, work, chores and etc. that I find myself talking to my kids and husband and not with them. I want to spend this year enjoying who they are from their perspective.

Challenge One - Question Two

"What's the most humanly impossible thing you will ask God to do this year?"

I ask God to do humanly impossible things every day. The one prayer that I have is for God to give me a defined path to follow. We have some really big decisions to make this year for our family and I want to make sure that I am making them in line with God's will for our future.

Challenge One- Question One

“What is the one thing you could do this year to increase your enjoyment of God?”

I want to know more about God’s world! I love history and I love the word of God but I typically an unable to place historical events with biblical events. I forget that the world of the past I read about in the bible actually had worldly things occurring as well. The times were filled with as many choices of ungodly things to do to distract people from God (even when he walked among them)! Those who lived their faith out were NOT living in a glass bubble. With as many events that are recorded in biblical history, there are many that are not.

I want to understand the importance of God’s timing through out history. I first got a desire to learn more about God’s timing (his use of “worldly kings” and “worldly events”) during a Beth Moore bible study. I never thought of the how God might have allowed certain events, some even tragic, to draw his people closer to him.

The story of God’s provision on manna is hard to understand unless you realize the location and barriers that the people faced to provide for themselves. Even understanding a post-Eden world is hard to fully appreciate unless you realize that Adam and Eve were not citizen’s of modern culture.

I know that to enjoy God, I have know God. He has assigned to me to live today, during this time! Why? If 2011 allows me to enjoy God more, I think my pursuit of seeing HIM in the world and HIS works in the world will increase my enjoyment of HIM!

God's Amazing Race - Challenge One

Our CWF theme for 2011 is “God’s Amazing Race”. Together, we are hoping to challenge one another to run a race that helps draw our strength from Christ. We hope to learn more about enjoying the journey, refueling for the long haul of the race and allowing the pace to be steady so that we reach the finish line.

During each month, CWF will give a CHALLENGE to the ladies to help them along their path! There is no race ever ran well that did not require the runner to condition themselves and that is what we are hoping to do.

This month’s challenge is to Evaluate Our New Year! Look for my journey to the discovery of myself and the evaluation of what I want out of 2011.