Two Housegroups

Revealing God in marriage

We recently completed our last home group gathering with couples learning Biblical principles for marriage relationship. We celebrated the time we have spent together by sharing communion. It was a beautiful time of renewal where the shed blood of Jesus cleansed the past, and it became a time of new beginnings for each of the couples.

Two weeks before we finished our times together we had the opportunity to meet alone with one couple. As we talked and fellowshipped together I (Karen) voiced a thought that Michael and I had been thinking about. We had been watching one of the couples for some weeks and noticed that this particular couple had a great potential to become mentors to other couples with struggling marriages. When our thought was expressed to them, this couple was momentarily silenced by astonishment and exchanged a significant look with each other. They had been talking together about that very thing. They told God that they would do nothing about seeking this ministry unless it was confirmed to them by someone else. We, of course, had no idea they were thinking this. When we communicated to them our belief that they would make good mentors they took that as a very solemn sign from God that they needed to take this seriously. They already have some couples who are looking to them as examples and they realize that this is a very significant ministry that God may be opening up for them.

What is the quintessence of a woman’s heart?

With the wrapping up of the house group, Karen was approached by 2 young women who wanted to know if she would be willing to lead a home group only for women that would explore what the Bible has to say about that which make us uniquely female. What makes a woman’s heart beat? And so, she began a new Bible study for young women.

During the 2^nd session one of the young women shyly shared that she was moved by Karen praying to God as her father. She said that she had heard of that concept, but had never done it herself. After personal contemplation she decided that she, herself, would pray to God and address him as father. The woman shared how when she did pray this way she experienced a monumental shift in her relationship to God, now as her father, and she felt a deep tenderness flow into her heart that she had never received from her earthly father. She said that much of the hurt from her past due to the lack of expressed affection from her own dad had been healed.

Please pray that Karen would have wisdom as she endeavors to help each of the young women discover the nature and depth of the Father’s heart for their own life.