Volume 2022: Edition 16
Food for thought: Growth
Hello everyone, and welcome back. We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and will be having a blessed New Year. We would like to thank you for your patience with the inconsistency of our posts this past year. We will be trying to gradually add onto our posts this coming year to get a flow going so we hope you will continue to learn and grow with God's word.
This year, though difficult for me and for many of us, has been a blessing. At the start of this year there were many things that I thought I wouldn't be able to do again, at least not this year, and things that I thought would have to be put on hold until I got off oxygen. I was also worried about my finances and how my husband and I were going to live off one income for a while and where we were going to live. However, I feel that God truly showed me how He can provide when we learn to rely on Him. Not just for the miracle He did on my body, but for this whole past year.
I was told that it would take me at least four or five months to be physically independent again, but after three months in occupational and physical therapy I was able to shower, walk, drive, clean, and cook again by myself. I didn't think that I would be able to bike or swim again because of my tanks and how bad my balance and strength had been before therapy and during therapy, but I was finally able to swim and bike again in the Summer with no issues. I was worried that I wouldn't be able to travel anywhere this year, but we did, and I didn't need to wear oxygen during my travels because of the humidity and lack of altitude. I got a dog of my own and began training her despite thinking that I would have to wait till I was completely healthy to give a dog the exercise they need. I thought I would have to put off hiking trails until I got healthy, but I finally got to hike and small trail with my brother literally just today. I struggled to get a job for 8 months until I finally landed one this December with the company my husband works for. There are so many more things that I am so grateful to have been able to do despite all the hardships of the year. I feel that I have grown to trust in God even more this year through all the struggles I have had and that He has been guiding me through every step, every challenge, and every fear I had. It has been an amazing year and though this is my personal testament to what God has done for me this year, I just want to encourage each and every one of you to start or to continue to seek out God in your life. Even if you don't know where to start just begin asking yourself what relationship you currently have with God and what He has done in your life. Really dig into His consistent existence in your life. It will surprise you to see how present He is in your life and when you start recognizing His presence and accepting Him and starting to seek Him, you'll notice that you'll begin to change. It will be hard at first and there will be moments where you'll feel like everything is falling apart, but if you continue to seek God and let Him take control the more you will see Him actively working in your life and guiding you. Just some food for thought...
"But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.
When I was a child, I spoke as a child, I understood as a child, I thought as a child; but when I became a man, I put away childish things. For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part, but then I shall know just as I also am known."
(1 Corinthians 13:10-12)
We are grateful to have you with us as readers, church members, and interested guests and we are always open to any suggestions and volunteers for our website, newsletter, and future activities. We hope to see you at our Sunday services and stay tuned for our coming newsletters and updates at church, at bible study, on Facebook, on the Wix-App, and on the website weekly!
Upcoming Events:
There is NO Sunday Service January 1st, 2023
Special Prayers:
Pray for Lynnette for healing and peace
Pray for Allison and her family for comfort for the loss of her cousin and dog
Pray for our church to continue to be blessed
Weekly Devotional: I am Leading You
The Lord is leading you along a way that is uniquely right for you. The closer to Him you grow, the more fully you become your truer self - the one He designed you to be. Because you are one of a kind, the path you are traveling with God diverges increasingly from that of other people. However, in God's wisdom and ways, He enables you to follow this solitary path while staying in close contact with others. In fact, the more completely you devote yourself to Him, the more freely you can love people.
Marvel at the beauty of a life intertwined with God's Presence. Rejoice as you journey together in intimate communion with God. Enjoy the adventure of finding yourself through losing yourself in the Lord.
Young, S. (2n.d.). Jesus calling: Enjoying peace in his presence: Devotions for every day of the year. Integrity Publishers.
"Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, the new creation has come: The old has gone, the new is here!"
(2 Corinthians 5:17)
" For we are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand that we should walk in them."
(Ephesians 2:10)
"Abide in Me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in Me."
(John 15:4)
Verse of the Week:
"The righteous shall flourish like a palm tree, He shall grow like a cedar in Lebanon. Those who are planted in the house of the Lord Shall flourish in the courts of our God. They shall still bear fruit in old age; They shall be fresh and flourishing,"
(Psalm 92:12-14)
Questions?
For any questions or suggestions regarding our newsletter please email berthoudfoursquarechurch@gmail.com or call (970)405-3053
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