Tabs Table Group

Does that sound like a strange name for a small group at church? It might to you, but that's what our table group has become. (We call the small groups at our church table groups because that's the place where families gather to talk about "family" things.) Our group began as a "needs" group because we had several new people at church who basically had no church background and no Bible knowledge. We spend a great deal of time every week searching for scriptures pertaining to whatever topic we're studying on that particular night. Because most of the people in our group have difficulty locating the scriptures, we've begun buying tabs for their Bibles so they can find the books of the Bible easier. This group is such a blessing to me because it makes me realize daily what kingdom work is all about. I pray God will continue to send us more and more people so we'll need more and more tabs for our "Tabs Table Group." And, while we're searching for scriptures, we'll be growing closer in our relationship with each other, and, more importantly, closer in our relationship with God.

Washington D.C.

We recently returned from a trip to DC with our four grandchildren. We toured the Capitol, the White House, went to the monuments, the museums, and Arlington National Cemetery, as well as Mt. Vernon. It was David's first plane trip so that and the escalators might have been the highlights of his trip---well,his souvenir shopping might even top those. He bought a stuffed panda bear and named him Pandi. The girls are older and while walking to the Capitol on our first day, one of them said "I feel like I'm dreaming since I'm really in Washington D.C." They enjoyed seeing things they've learned about in school (as well as shopping for their souvenirs). On Sunday morning as we were getting ready to have our own family worship service, I was reminded of all the accounts of bloodshed we'd seen during our stay---the monuments, the historical accounts of war, Arlington, etc . As we kept trying to impress upon the children the price that had been paid and is still being paid for our country's freedom, it occurred to me that the blood shed for our country's freedom is, in many ways, similar to the blood shed for our spiritual freedom. The men and women who have given their lives for this country offered a huge sacrifice. Of course, Jesus offered the ultimate sacrifice to free us from our sins and to give us eternal freedom and the hope of heaven. In both cases, there had to be blood shed in order for us to be free. We do live in a blessed nation in so many ways, but that pales in comparison to the "nation" we'll live in one day because of the blood shed on the cross. I hope and pray our grandchilren can understand that more completely as they get older and I hope and pray we made wonderful memories for them on our trip.