Opportunity Knocks

As I said in my previous post, Will and I have been looking for new opportunities to share Christ and make disciples. One of these opportunities has been with the Air Force Academy Navigator group. On Mondays we get the chance to spend a few hours with a bunch of cadets who wish to follow hard after Christ. This, of course, it exhilarating for Will, and a wee bit more trying for Teresa (think introvert placed in a room of 70+ people she does not know). Another part of the night includes learning some tools and skills that are helpful in discipling others. So we have made “plans” to share about the spiritual disciplines… verses, illustrations, personal experiences, etc. I have done this before in a general form with YL by planning bible studies with High schoolers. But this has been an even greater experience. Vern has challenged us to look back in our old journals to the times when these basics of Christianity became convictions. Using those experiences and scriptures that are meaningful in our lives makes sharing these fundamentals a highly rewarding experience. It is so great to be reminded just how much the Holy Spirit changes us!

Teresa is also going through a class at church called SHAPE. The basic premise is that God has uniquely created each of us, and in order to understand where and how we fit into the body of believers, we need to understand our unique shape. This includes our
S: Spiritual gifts
H: heart or desires
A: Abilities or accomplishments
P: Personality
E: Experiences
I feel that earlier in life I had a better grasp on what God was calling me to and how I was to function. But as I have entered motherhood, these ideas have become scrambled! There are basic traits that make being a stay-at-home mom a bit easier… like having the spiritual gift of compassion, an ability to organize, and a personality that prefers routine. I have none of these! That isn’t necessarily a bad thing, but simply the way I am shaped. So for this period in my life I have to strive a little harder to make motherhood enjoyable. On the flip side, my spiritual gifts are discernment, knowledge, and teaching. The prayer is that we can pinpoint a primary ministry opportunity that fits us like a glove, and a secondary one that we do because we have a servant’s heart. What a great class!! Stepping back and taking a look at God’s creative talents in ourselves is amazing! I highly recommend every believer to take the time to recognize the way our maker has shaped us.

Below are some recent pics from a visit with Madison. We had the chance to go to the Denver Aquarium, but unfortunately we did not bring our camera. We are hoping to get some pics from Tracy to post!