I love my SCC family :)

Hmmmm. Where to even start. Today has been a great day! No, even better! :)
As I sit here listening to some dear Latvian friends lead worship, my heart is full. It is overflowing with love. There isn't really a lesson to this post. There isn't something I've learned. This post is purely about being thankful and praising God just because HE IS GOD!

This afternoon I left church completely full of joy. I spent the morning serving Jesus. I loved on kids and just enjoyed the community of fellow believers. I enjoyed the community of those who have become my family away from family. I am so incredibly blessed and humbled to be part of such an amazing church! South Community Church if you didn't know. I'm blessed for many reasons.
1. I've never felt so at home with a group of diverse people. Everyone has their own story. No one is perfect. No one seeks glory for him/herself. We realize that our lives are a mess, but together, with God, our mess creates something beautiful. :)
2. I've never been part of a church that is so giving. I would say almost a 1/3 or more of my t-shirt orders have come from SCC. And I have also had people whom I hardly even know, come up to me and offer to donate to my trip back to Latvia. Plus I've seen the ways that people have supported Joel and Tara in their adoption process and it just continues to blow me away! Not to mention the 205 turkey dinners we gave away. Now I know that the community had a help in this too but to think that we don't even have 200 families attending our church, yet supplying 205 families with a full Thanksgiving meal was a no brainer. Our goal was 100 and when we reached that goal and knew we still had 106 more families in need, the giving didn't stop. I am blown away by such a giving family we have at SCC.
3. I feel like this all goes back to one thing, Jesus. Our church is nothing if not for Jesus. I feel like every Sunday I get the privilege to worship, serve, and be filled next to great people who don't care if their name is heard. They only care about the name of Jesus. Now don't get me wrong. Our church is far from perfect, we are all human and humans are not perfect. But getting to see glimpses into the hearts of those I can call my church family, has blown me away. I couldn't ask for a better place to call my church home.
4....which leads me to my last point. While preparing to move, where ever that is God may be leading me and whenever. I have always said there really isn't anything holding me back. Why not go. Today, and for the last few months I've been shown a reason. South Community Church. These people I once considered strangers have become family. Some of them have seen me at my weakest moments, strongest moments, stupid moments, silly moments, intimate with the Lord moments, and have seen God grow in my heart. They are my family. I have been supported beyond anything I could have ever imagined. They see the passion God has given me and push me to keep my eyes on Him. They challenge me in areas that I need to grow in and constantly speak Truth into my life. When the day comes that I will have to say good-bye, I know I will not lose a family but it wont make it any easier. I'm so blessed to receive such a love that I feel every Sunday. Hallelujah!!! Praise God for He is good!

Not sure this came across that way it was intended but basically I love my church family! If you are in the Tulsa/Bixby area and are looking for a church home, check out South Community Church at 105th and Memorial at 10:30am on Sundays! Feel free to check out the website at www.scctulsa.com

I pray that you have a place to go to learn from God's word, praise the name of Jesus, and be real with a God who cares about you!

If GRACE is an ocean we're all sinking..

I've been pondering this blog for some time now. I've wanted to write, just never had the right words to form the sentences. God has been taking me on a journey. (aren't we all on one?) during this journey God has spoken tenderly to my heart, whispered to my heart, and taught me many things. Some which I will share and some I think were meant just for me. Either way I am overwhelmed by Gods' grace!
In the last month or so I have failed at many things. I haven't always been the best employee, the best friend, or even the best daughter. I have said things that have hurt those I love, I have been selfish, and I have turned the other way when someone needed my love. I don't have it all figured out yet and I don't think I ever fully will, but even through my selfishness God still continues to bless me with His presence.
I've read lots of scripture, heard many a sermon and the underlying theme of it all, an undeserving grace! When God saved the Israleties and led them out of Egypt, they doubted Him yet He still saved them. Grace was displayed. When Jonah diliberately tried running from God, He sent a big fish to swallow Jonah and spoke to Jonah's heart and saved him. Grace. When the adulterous woman was thrown to the street to be stoned, Jesus stepped in and said, let He who be without sin cast the first stone...Grace. And when Judas betrayed Him, the Romans whipped Him, mocked Him, crowned Him, crucified Him, He gave up His very life for them. Grace. You see all around in scripture we see evidence of God's grace. His love. No matter what, our lives are covered in His grace! This has been a hard thought to believe. Even though I have done all these bad things, (okay you may not think they are so bad), my life is covered in His grace. Grace I don't deserve but He gives me anyway. Grace I don't understand but the more I learn about it, the more I see I don't deserve it. And the more I learn about it, the more I want to show others His grace! The more I want to show others His love. The more I learn of His grace and His love, the more I want others to see more of Jesus and less of me. I have nothing to offer people. I fail everyday. But Jesus has everything to give!
Let's go back to the story in John 8 where the woman is about to be stoned. I can't even imagine being a disciple watching this take place. There is the woman who is naked surrounded by all these men, each one holding a stone. Now I imagine they aren't just holding pebbles but rocks the size of baseballs or grapefruits even. They are about to throw the stone. Now I could imagine the thoughts in this woman's head. Was it worth it? Sleeping around with all these men, feeling dirty, worthless, used, empty. Was it worth it for this? To be humiliated in public and stoned to death? I bet she was thinking it wasn't worth it at all. Then let's watch what happens next. Jesus. :-) Jesus steps in and says, let he who is without sin be the first to cast a stone. I imagine at this point you could hear a pin drop. Then one man drops his baseball sized stone and walks away. Then one after another they all drop their stones and walk away until all that is left is Jesus and this woman. Now imagine her thoughts, she's humiliated, feeling shameful, dirty, and now she's in front of Jesus, alone. He bends done to her level, lifts up her face and says I don't condem you. Now go, turn away from your sin. I could not even imagine looking into His eyes and seeing all that grace and love in them. Wow. This account has hit me much deeper than every before. This woman did not "deserve" any thing good. She was an adulterous. Yet, Jesus loved her. Jesus had compassion and grace for her. I could put myself in this woman's place. I don't deserve His grace. But He gives it anyway.

Now I'm not sure that made sense or if you even got much out of it. But it's the best I can do at this point. The more I learn of God's grace, the less I want people to see me. I pray my life is not remembered by what alesha nutter did. I pray my life is remembered only by what Jesus did, the grace He has poured out, and the love He has to offer everyone! I pray you are overwhelmed by His presence today and be encouraged God loves you more than you can ever imagine!