What stirs your affections for Christ?!

We have started "house groups" at our church! what is a house group you may ask? on Sunday nights we meet with a small group of people at our church at someone's house and our main goal is to make disciples! These groups are all multigenerational and the first night we started, some of the people in the group had never even met! What a wonderful way for the church to grow together and learn more about each other and disciple the generations. It has been awesome! Dave and I have been meeting at Scott and staci hutchesons home and....wow are they amazing hosts! Last night she made a huge pot of chili and we had petros and amazing desserts, Yum! I love each person in the group so much! We are going to start serving the community together and it's exciting to think about 11 different house groups in our church out serving the community! 

We are going through a series called "gospel revolution." In our discussion last week we started talking about how we hate sin and ways to turn your heart towards God and away from your sins. Which is so difficult and something we will never fully grasp until we enter heaven. But one thing we discussed was stirring your affections for Christ so that you are so in love with Him and close to Him that it makes it harder for you to sin. Stirring your affections for Christ does not just have to be sitting down reading scripture and praying, which are great things, but Dave challenged us to think of things that just made us marvel at God and draw close to Him just throughout our daily life. 

For me, I loooove to walk! But even more, I love to walk and listen to Hillsong blasting in my ears and I almost want to shout and sing along but people around me may think I'm crazy! :-) but I just love to marvel at Gods creation being outside and listening to worship music! Dave on the other hand hates to walk, he would rather run and he loves to put in a good sermon in his phone and run and listen to sermons. Can you see how stirring our affections for Christ is different for each person! Lol! Lori talked about how she loved to sit on the patio near the beach at night and marvel at God while listening to the waves crashing! And Carolyn loves to read hymns and think about the words and how God inspired those words in people so long ago. Another thing I love to do is to go out to coffee with women a little older than me and hear about their walk with Christ and just find encouragement in them. Tessa Shaw has been such a blessing to me when we have our coffee dates and I am learning so much from her! Dave's nana and I get together regularly for coffee and meals and her stories are just amazing! We have so much to learn from the older generations and it really brings me closer to Christ being around mentors in my life because I thank Him so much for placing them in my life! 

I also love being a labor and delivery nurse! How can I not be amazed at God each night when I see the birth of a baby! Wow! What an honor to be in the room when two people become parents for the first time and their parents become grandparents! I don't want to take it for granted that God has blessed me with this job and I want to make each families experience the best it can be. I'm thankful that each night at work my affections can be stirred for Christ while doing something as simple as getting the baby's first weight and length and getting their footprints! Awesome!

Ultimately, I want to do things that bring glory to God! I want to live my life filled with the spirit and intimate with Christ! I want to grow closer to Him every day and I'm so thankful for His creation and ways He has given us to marvel at creation, enjoy His creation and the people He created that we get to live life with!

So, what stirs your affections for Christ? What can you take time to do on a daily basis that will make you marvel at God and thank Him for His blessings and just make your heart so filled with love for Him?!

Where did time go?

Ironically, I am sitting here drinking a cup of HOT TEA and decided I needed to blog again. Working the night shift, I usually can switch back to sleeping through the night when I am not working, but tonight I am just wide awake. So, I decided to reunite with my "Tea with Chrissy" site. I am not great with the internet world so I was pleasantly surprised when my passwords worked and I was able to find my blog page online. So, here I am!

Last time I wrote a blog, I was Chrissy "Duncan." It has been awhile! But, I still love hot tea (come over and have some and chat with me sometime) and I need to have more relaxing moments like this where I sit down and write some of my thoughts. Even if it is the middle of the night... lol.

Our Women's Ministry at church has challenged all the women to memorize scripture together this year, with accountability partners to encourage us and "quiz" us on our memorization at church or facebook or wherever! We are starting with two a month and Tessa and Jessica wrote the most beautiful applications to go along with each verse.
My index cards with all my verses sit in my kitchen window. I can't claim that I cook a lot and that is why they are in the kitchen, but I do LOVE to look out of my kitchen window into the yard everyday! Today I found myself standing in the kitchen just saying the three verses I have memorized so far out loud over and over again. I was just praying them into my life and was so encouraged by them. I want the verses to be true in my life and having them memorized is so beneficial to thinking on them throughout your daily life.

The first verse is "So, as those who have been chose by God, holy and beloved; put on a heart of compassion, kindness, gentleness, humility and patience; bearing with one another and forgiving each other. Colossians 3:12-13" I love this! It is so challenging!!! As a christian, God has called me to live a life that is compassionate, kind, gentle, humble and patient. I need to treat everyone in my life like this, from my husband, family, friends, church family, co workers, patients at the hospital and strangers but I fail everyday!! It is so hard when you are stressed, frustrated, tired, busy, overwhelmed etc but I need to be obeying Christ and treating others with the respect and kindness they deserve. This verse has definitely challenged me and I pray everyday that God will work on my heart in this area!

The second verse is "Oh taste and see that the Lord is good, blessed is the man who trusts in Him! Psalm 34:8" We all have so much to be thankful for! We have to remember this verse and promise when life is challenging us and Satan is beating us down! The Lord is GOOD and He blesses our life even when stress, frustration, battles, anger, loneliness, and hurt all turn us away from having a grateful heart.  Even in our most ungrateful and lowest moments, we can always find SOMETHING to be thankful for! I have seen very close friends go through miscarriages, cancer and divorce this past year. Heartbreaking... but "Blessed is the man who Trusts in HIM!"
I love this song we have been doing at church recently and I hope it encourages you!

There is strength within the sorrow, There is beauty in our tears
You meet us in our mourning, With a love that casts out fear
You are working in our waiting, Sanctifying us
When beyond our understanding, You’re teaching us to trust

Your plans are still to prosper, You have not forgotten us
You’re with us in the fire and the flood
Faithful forever, Perfect in love
You are sovereign over us

You are wisdom unimagined, Who could understand your ways
Reigning high above the heavens, Reaching down in endless grace
Youʼre the Lifter of the lowly, Compassionate and kind
You surround and You uphold me, Your promises are my delight

Even what the enemy means for evil
You turn it for our good, You turn it for our good and for your glory
Even in the valley You are faithful
Youʼre working for our good, Youʼre working for our good and for your glory

This song is so hard to sing when we are going through trials, but what a blessing it is to know we can trust in God who is in control of our lives and uses trials to show us His faithfulness.
Speaking of God's goodness, I encourage everyone who happens to read this blog to think on the things you are thankful for today! Spend some time counting your blessings today!