It's 10:10

Here it is 10:10 on a Monday night. I've almost turned into a pumpkin. . . a grumpy one at that. . . naaaahh. . . just kidding.

I did just get home from my core/grow group meeting.

The house is quiet.

My heart is full.

I go to my bedroom. There lies Jon, Ashley, Hanna, and Cookie. No where on the bed for me to lay my head.

I put Cookie in his crate, and wake Ash to go to her bed. I leave Hanna. She was actually in a position where I could get on the bed. Ash was sprawled from here to yonder.

I go check on Alec. His light is on. He is reading. . . . his Bible. Praise you LORD!!!

Tonight my core/grow group started out as normal. . . with gab, food, chattiness, and laughter. GREAT way to start an evening.

We are reading a book called, "What is the Gospel?"

I'm learning alot.

We finish and rather than just one person close in prayer, we took a few requests. Each person was to take just one request and pray over it. Choosing whether or not you would pray out loud was not an option. Each one of us one.by.one shared our hearts before our LORD and before our friends.

Have you ever been in a room and have 8 women pray before our LORD? To stand in the gap for someone? To cry out to our Father on someone else's behalf? To hurt for them? To mourn for them? To rejoice with them?

To say it was a precious time is quite the understatement!!! To say it was humbling doesn't do it justice!!!

To study God's word together will definitely draw you all closer. To pray before Him just brings you all the closer.

I'm so thankful for that group of ladies. I don't deserve to be apart of their core/grow group. I don't deserve their friendships. I don't deserve their investment into my life. But, I'M OH SO VERY THANKFUL!!!

I'm sure there are some in the group I've made mad.

I'm sure there are some I've offended.

I'm sure there are even some who I may have hurt their feelings.

We're women. We are emotional creatures. We can get mad, get our feelings hurt, get offended and sometimes friendships will end right there. Right where the heart got hurt. Even some of the longest, deepest friendships will end over a gnash of the heart. I know personally. I've been there.

God sent EACH of these ladies to me at just the perfect time in my life. He knows I NEED them! I'm learning so much from each one of them individually. I know I am very, very, very far from perfect, and I can't promise I won't make anyone mad, or hurt anyone's feelings, or offend them. However, for this season, I'm thankful they love me. . . warts and all. . .and they take me and accept me just the way I am.

If I can just take those things that I admire in them. . . things that I lack so much in. . . I pray God will plant those seeds in my heart and water them. I pray the iron I see in these ladies will sharpen whatever iron I have . . . even if it is just a dull, blunt, fragment piece of iron. . . that God will use us to sharpen one another and make us more and more like Christ.

91. For Faith's pure sweetness, sweetness in one of the purest forms I've ever seen. . . of her heart.

92. For Lisa's heart of service.

93. For Jennifer G's meekness.

94. For Angela H's knowledge and love for the Word.

95. For Jennifer S's humility and courage.

96. For Angela L's boldness.

97. For Patty's heart of compassion and tenderness.