Welcome....Here's a glimpse of our happenings!

The verses that have REALLY spoken to me (Sarah) lately....



"Therefore everyone who hears these words of mine and puts them into practice is like a wise man who built his house on the rock. The rain came down, the streams rose, and the winds blew and beat against that house; yet it did not fall, because it had its foundation on the rock." Matthew 7:24-25



Be self-controlled and alert. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour. Resist him, standing firm in the faith, because you know that your brothers throughout the world are undergoing the same kind of sufferings. I Peter 5:8-9



From one man he made every nation of men, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he determined the times set for them and the exact places where they should live. God did this so that men would seek him and perhaps reach out for him and find him, though he is not far from each one of us. For in him we live and move and have our being. As some of your own poets have said, 'We are his offspring.' Acts 17:26-28



May the words of my mouth and the mediation of my heart be pleasing in your sight, O Lord, my Rock, and my Redeemer. Psalm 19:14



So be careful to do what the Lord your God has commanded you; do not turn aside to the right or to the left. Walk in all the way that the Lord your God has commanded you, so that you may live and prosper and prolong your days in the land that you will possess. Deuteronomy 5:32-33



God, our God, will take care of the hidden things but the revealed things are our business. It's up to us and our children to attend to all the terms in this Revelation. Deuteronomy 29:29 (The Message)

About the Friesen's....

We are Marc, Sarah, Luke, and Kate Friesen. We were married June 5, 2004. We have one son, born July 21, 2008, named Luke Andrew -- now 4 years old. We also have a daughter named Kate Christine -- born June 6, 2012. Marc is working at Cessna as a Senior Accountant, and Sarah stays home full-time with Luke. Sarah also gets to work very part-time at home for Graber Backhoe -- an excavation company AND VERY part-time at our church. We LOVE being a part of Grace Community Church here in Newton, KS. We lead a Community Life Group of other wonderful couples. Marc thoroughly enjoys long-distance running and Taekwondo. Sarah thoroughly enjoys walking -- especially when the weather is nice to take Luke and/or out in the stroller. Thanks for reading our blog!

Friday, March 20, 2009

Community....

Know that there are photos at the end of this post. However, to get to the photos, you must humor me, and read the post first.

Everyday they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved. Acts 2:46-47

The other day, Luke and I were out walking with a new friend of mine. We had great conversation about various topics (none in detail that I'm going to mention on this post). I was so very glad for this opportunity the other day.

Since this walk and as a result of our conversation, I have been reaffirmed with the idea that everybody longs and desires to be a part of a community. Think about it. Members of gangs are longing for that sense of community (though this would be an example of a community with a negative impact). The sitcoms "Friends" and "Seinfeld" both illustrate groups of 6 and 4 people respectively who are part of a community, though those communities weren't exactly God-honoring either.

At our church, many people in the church body belong to a "Community Life Group" (a.k.a. small groups, Bible Study group, or care group). Marc and I have been a part of two different Community Life Groups for almost four years now.

Throughout those four years, we have both grown in our relationship with Christ. We have also grown closer to one another. We have met people whom we hope are lifelong friends. We have now become parents with other couples. I know I love and learn from the community of young wives and moms that I am around.

The verses at the beginning of this post are from Acts -- the book of the Bible where the early church was formed. At that time, many "groups" met in peoples' homes, growing and learning more about Christ.

Since the Bible is a living, breathing work, these verses show that God cleary wants us to continue meeting in homes, forming communities with which we can grow in our relationship with Him.

What do I believe is the ulimate goal of Community Life Groups?

-- To grow in our own relationships with Christ
-- To lift each other up and encourage one another just as Christ would
-- To life each other up in prayer
-- To bring glory to Christ through conversation, actions, prayer, and teachings/studies
-- To support one another as friends

Throughout my 33 years of life, I have had a few friends and even a family member tell me that they do not need to go to church or be in a Bible Study to be a Christian or to go to heaven. While it is true to be saved, you must merely "confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead" (see Romans 10:9) and not have to go or belong to a church, people who are not a part of a community of believers are missing out on many things -- spiritual growth in Christ, the loving support of other believers, the prayer of other believers, and the sheer and utter joy of bringing glory to Christ with other believers.

Have I convinced you yet that if you don't have a community of believers with which you belong, you really should?

If you're a local and want more information about our Community Life Groups, leave me a comment with an e-mail address....

Anyways, Marc and I are currently leading a Community Life Group. Including us, there are 10 people (5 couples) in our group. At least once a month, we have a "fun night" or a "game night." This past Sunday evening was our "game night."

We did a town scavenger hunt. The scavenger hunt clues were given to us by none other than Aaron and Shannon (their group did this same scavenger hunt, I believe, back in the fall). I think Aaron's parents are the ones who actually wrote the clues in this scavenger hunt (Correct me if I'm wrong on this one).

The guys were on a team, and the girls were on a team. We allowed ourselves 70 minutes to complete the scavenger hunt.

Here's a photo of Sarah H. in front of a gorilla in somebody's yard (Note -- this photo was incorrect for the clue given. We should've taken a photo of a gorilla statue in front of a school).



Here's a photo of Johannah in front of our local hospital. This answer was correct for the clue given -- "Infirmary."



This photo was purely funny to us girls. The clue was, "Mexico's most popular religious cultural image." We knew it was the Virgin Mary. None of us could remember where the church was where there was a statue. So, we happened to find one in somebody's yard. Sarah H. quickly ran in somebody's yard while Lisa snapped the photo. If this is your house and you're reading this, we apologize :)

Is this terrible or what?



The last photo is of Sam in front of an owl statue. This was a correct photo for the clue given.



In the end, the girls actually tied with the guys. However, WE feel we actually won because our photos all had people in them. The guys merely drove by and snapped a photo. I'm not sure they ever took the time to get out of the car.

Thanks again Aaron and Shannon for the clues. We had A LOT of fun that evening!

2 comments:

Aaron and Shannon said...

I'm glad you got to do it! We had a lot of fun doing it too!

Allen and Debby Graber said...

What a fun time! We've done the same kind of thing too. I have loved being in a community life group with you too, and now in a women's Bible study!! I have loved watching you grow in Christ and as a new mom. You are very precious to me!
Debby

Blog Archive