A handful of tokens lay ordered in a line across the movie room counter. Our group members were encouraged to ‘glance’ at them while collecting this week’s handout of discussion questions.
And no, one of the items was not this poor, once beautiful functioning iPhone 5c. Do you remember what happened to it?
Our week’s focus on memory was tested as we went round robin at the discussion table sharing something we remembered from the lesson video. We also wrote down any items we could remember from the countertop. When we think about it, it sure does feel like we have a bad memory right?
Do we remember people’s names? Do we remember the pain our friends or family are going through?
Through sharing our earliest memories, we learned that points of pain or pleasure we easily remembered. Do you remember any of the stories we shared Monday night? I’ll give you some clues: being stung by a wasp then falling down stairs off the stage in the rain dropping your action figure in your batman underpants while you ride in the special ambulance to the ER for stitches. Turns out we all had the same memory!
(Sorry if I couldn’t remember a piece from *your story!)
We remember pain. Do you ever wonder if Christ remembers His pain from dying for us on the cross? As we read in I Cor 11, we reminded ourselves that we take communion in remembrance of Him. The pain that He went through to bring us together; to restore us to God; to unite us in Him.
No one likes pain. Don’t let there be pain with the Spirit within in you and your walk with God. Don’t let there be pain and brokenness in your relationships with others. Determine now that there is no pain too great to keep you from harmony with others and unity in the body of Christ. Christ’s body was only broken and torn once…don’t allow brokenness in your body the temple or His body the church. Remember His pain during communion, and continue to break bread in fellowship with our Father and those He allows to move through our lives.
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Please remember ~ if you are part of our group, to pray for our Prayer Requests from this past week
Jenny Maass 
As I sit here and read all of what went down in connect group this Monday. God is good. Only He knows why I came this week and missed the week before that. I feel that lately I have been very frustrated with all that happened and how fast it happened. I was not able to grasp everything that happened, was not able to talk about it, it all hit me way to fast. My heart and mind was not ready for all of that being that I had other stuff going on. Stuff that we as adults to deal with being grown ups but we should do it alone. I have been very distant and did not know how to handle all that happened when it happened. I was being difficult to deal with myself and so I was being difficult for others to be around me and I did not like who I was being and I apologize in advance for being the way that I was being. I am usually very strong when it comes to things like this but it was eating me up inside so bad that I was frustrating myself and frustrating others around me that they did not know how to approach me and I did not like that about myself and how I was acting. It was bad to the point that i was at church Wednesday and I felt that certain people we’re mad at me and that was not the case. Shame on me for acting the way I did and for thinking things I should not be thinking. I just was not given the time to take everything in. Grandmother passed away on Friday, service Saturday, church Sunday and than rays game with Joy Kelli and Karen and my family was there as well but I sat separate from them but I still managed to make the time to see them and carry my baby nephew that Kelli Joy and Karen got to hold and meet for the first time(Such a blessing to have them in life), and than went back to church picked up some things and headed home to my younger brother’s house where my whole family was at, we had dinner and just talked and a had good time and than Monday morning everyone went back to miami and everything was back to reality. I cried myself to sleep Sunday night because i knew that everyone would be leaving and it was all just happening way to fast for me. Monday I did have to work at La Fitness so I was able to sleep in a little bit which I can not go past 8 or 9 so it was not really sleeping in, than went to connect group my mind was in two different places while I was there, I was trying to share something but I could not finish sharing, Tuesday I had la fitness 8-12 came home took a power nap because I have not been sleeping well the past nights and than I got up and went to practice at 5 to practice the team that I coach with now(one of the teams that I coach) and than came home, la fitness Wednesday 8-1, had to leave at 11 because I had to take a cpr training class(which I am now a certified cpr person and if something happens to someone at work I know what I am doing and can help them, if I am outside out of work it is my choice to help someone) went to church for harbor games which my mind was at two places at once. I still was unable to talk to someone and let everything out and I needed to do that and than finally I was able to meet with a friend on Thursday afternoon for lunch and she allowed me to talk and just vent and just let everything out that has happened the past days. I felt so much better that I was able to do that because If I did not let everything out It was just continue to stay bottled up and stuff will continue to pile up and it will just make things worst on myself, but I am so thankful to this friend that met with me out of her busy schedule and allowed me to just talk, of course she give me her feedback from time to time which helped me a lot and I appreciate her and she is such a blessing. I am not saying that she was the only that was free I am sure my other friends would have done the same thing, taken time out of their schedule and allow me to talk. Only God knows why everything happened the way that it happened. I continue to trust Him and He is in control of all things. I would not be who I am today if it we’re not for Him. I love you LORD! Thank you so much for my church family and for the amazing people that you have placed in my life and how they are such a blessing to me, I pray that I have been a blessing to them in return and to my family. Never for granted those that the Lord has placed in your life. Treasure them and treat them right. Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. I love you all. May the Lord continue to bless you abundantly. Never keep your eyes off of HIM!!!
Blessings to all of you who read this. No matter where you live or where you are in your life and no matter where you are in your walk with the Lord remember to always seek Him with your heart and keep your eyes on Him!!! He will never leave you nor forsake you. Be a blessing always to those are a blessing to you and just want to be there for you and show you love which God is love!!! AMEN!!!
Love your sister in Christ
Nat Rod or Coach or Nataytay(to some) or Tia Tasha(to some), Tasha, Nat, even my full name Natasha(Jennifer-Jenny Maass,Jonathan) 😀 even Zapata(from the Nicaragua team, I am still not sure how I was given that name)
lol I have a lot of names lol 😀 blessings 😀
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