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I'm thankful for...

• special time with family the next few days
• being part of a special church that God is using to change lives
• Tom Noll (who is preaching Thanksgiving morning so I can worship Wednesday night and then help cook and get ready for the family to come over on Thursday!) 
• Turkey - and dressing - and potatoes - and... you get the idea 
• Christmas movies (our family tradition is to watch Christmas movies Thanksgiving evening) 
• Pie 
• More Pie 
• an awesome staff - incredible partners in ministry 
• and last but not in any way least - a God who has blessed me with more than I could ever list in a blog post!!!

Feeding Yourself...

In worship this weekend we are talking about feeding ourselves - learning to let God grow us through his Word on our own, without any help. Don't know where to start? Here are some ideas!

Read a book - I'd recommend How to Read the Bible for All It's Worth by Gordon Fee or Rick Warren's Bible Study Methods: 12 Ways You Can Unlock God's Word. (We also have some pamphlets describing three or Warren's methods at the Connecting Point at Trinity.)

Start a daily Bible reading plan - for four different possible plans go here.

Right now my favorite Bible reading site is Youversion. Not only is it free, but it has a place you can journal right online, as well as see the thoughts and ideas about the section of the Bible you are reading that others have contributed. It even has a version of the site for my iPhone!

Take an online analysis and figure out some next steps for growth. To do that go to Trinity's website.

Want something more traditional and devotional? We have Portals of Prayer  and Our Daily Bread in the bookstore.

Or, just open your Bible and try this:

• Read a few verses (Not sure where to start? Try John, Ephesians, or 1 John.)
• Write down a verse or phrase that jumped out at you. 
• Write why it jumped out at you, questions you have, or how you think it applies to your life. 

God bless your time in his word! 

All I want for Christmas is...

This Christmas our church will partner with other churches to make a real difference in the lives of people in the name of Jesus. Watch the video to learn more!

Small Group Summit

I had the joy of doing the keynote address at the NID Small Groups Summit today. What an exciting event! Over 21 churches were represented, most from Illinois, but some from Indiana and even one from Minnesota. 

It truly was thrilling to spend time with so many people excited about what God was doing in their lives and in their churches through small groups. I heard some great stories. My favorite was the young man who came up to me after the session to tell me how he and his wife had been unchurched and far from God. It was a small group invitation that God used to get them connected to Him. Now they are leading their own group! God is good.

I don't know where my faith life would be without the Christian community I've experienced in small groups. Betty and I are in a great group right now, and I eagerly look forward to each meeting. 

God could have done a lot of things when He created us - but I am so thankful that He created us to live in relationship with Him and with one another. 

It's Election Day!

In case you've missed it - there is an election going on. Today's the day to cast your vote. 

I love election day. I love that this is how we decide things in our country. I love to see all the polls try to figure out what people are thinking and what is going on. I love the speeches at the end of the day - watching some of the best (and sometimes worst) communicators either concede defeat or celebrate victory. I love that the campaign adds are finally over (grin). I'll be up real late tonight watching it all happen.

Did you vote yet?