This is not one cookie. This is about 5 or 6 pounds of dough....

 

Only a short 50 days until graduation, and our senior class of 23 students is raising money for our class project, helping provide some New Tribes missionaries with literacy materials to teach the Gospel to those who do not yet have God's Word in their language. On Thursday we held a bake sale, so on Wednesday, Zeke and I spent the afternoon in the kitchen, making 8 dozen M&M cookies, and 2 trays of Espresso Chunk brownies.

I froze a couple dozen cookies for our Bible study we began in our home 2 weeks ago. This past Tuesday, we were very blessed to have 3 young families join us, in addition to our 3 friends who came the first week! It was a whole new dynamic--having 4 children, ages 3 months to 3 years, in our small home! It's a challenge which we are eager to embrace, and we hope to make our home, and this Bible study a place where these parents can come, relax, fellowship, and dig into God's Word.

When God began laying this Bible study on our hearts, Gray and I laid it before the Lord, not having any idea what He desires to do with it. We're so excited to see what directions the Lord will take this. We're encouraged to see the Lord working in the lives of believers through His Word and His Holy Spirit. We're also praying to have unbelievers join us in our home, and come to see His great grace and love through this ministry. In the past 3 months, we've had 3 new families move into the houses right next to ours. We've been praying for opportunities to develop relationships with them, and invite them to the Bible study. We have invited our landlord and his girlfriend, who live upstairs from us, and we're praying that they'll accept the invite and join us one of these nights. They've also commented on the "good smelling coffee" always emanating from our apartment, so hopefully we can have them over for coffee sometime soon. Please pray for our neighbors and our relationships with them.

Today I was very encouraged in class as we went over specific verses dealing with how we come to know the Truth.

We come to know God's Truth through the ministry of His Word, along with the ministry of His Holy Spirit.

The Truth in God's Word

"If you abide in My Word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; and you shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." John 8:31-32

"Sanctify them in the truth; Thy Word is truth." John 17:17

The Truth, Revealed by the Holy Spirit

"But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all truth..." John 16:13

"'Things which eye has not seen and ear has not heard, and which have not entered the heart of man, all that God has prepared for those that love Him.' For to us God revealed them through the Spirit; for the Spirit searches all things, even the depths of God." 

1 Corinthians 2:9-10

"When the Helper comes, Whom I will send to you form the Father, that is the Spirit of truth, Who proceeds from the Father, He will bear witness of Me." John 15:26

As we pursue God through His Word and His Spirit within us, may He be at work to bring us to a greater, more intimate knowledge of Himself.