Every Thursday night, several friends and I have "Family Dinner Night." Though this isn't everyone in the family, this is a good shot. Front row (left to right): Laura Bontrager, Liz Reding; second row: Ryan Porche, Kim Edwards, Jeannie Petty; third row: Stephen Snell, Paxton Edwards.  

We Are the Body

This morning at Highland Street, we recognized the current class of HopeWorks (similar to Abilene's FaithWorks). What a powerful experience! This morning, I felt like we were really able to "be" the church. The amount of affirming, encouragement, and love was so overwhelming during our time of praise. I've been preaching it, and I'm going to preach it until the day I die: when we gather together as His people and seek His face together with every fiber of our being, we cannot and will not be the same. When we allow ourselves to be full of Him, we cannot help but overflow with the fruits of Him to others.

If you live in Abilene or Memphis, you really need to volunteer for FaithWorks / HopeWorks. God has used it in TREMENDOUS ways to shape my life over the last ten months.

This week, I'm preparing for our Christmas Event next Sunday night. It will be fun--but a very full week.