December 8

Pizza! This week we'll have pizza and discuss lesson 8 of James, Trusting God. Please bring $3 for pizza. Bring any other kind of side item if you want it. See you on Tuesday!

Jill

December 1

Hey, couples! We'll get back to the lessons this week by discussing Lesson 7, Sowing Seeds of Peace. I think this one will be great for our marriages. Please check the comments section for dinner plans!

Special post

Hey, everyone. Here is the link that Steve and Lacey wanted to post about the little girl with cancer.
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/Hannahgracecrumby/jc

November 24

Lifegroup Turkey Day! Yay! This Tuesday we'll meet at our house and have some Thanksgiving fun! Mike and Amber are providing the meat, so bring your favorite holiday side dish, dessert, bread, drinks, etc. and we'll have some good eats. Don't forget to post what you can bring!

November 17

We're finally volunteering! Hoorah! If you didn't get my email last week, we will be helping the Northwest Arkansas Children's Shelter organize stuff for a rummage sale on Tuesday. Please email me for more info: jillschilb@gmail.com.

See you there!

November 10

Hey, couples! We should have a pretty awesome lesson this week, "Taming the Tongue"! Mike and Amber will be bringing a surprise dinner so please bring $3 to cover that. See you on Tuesday!

November 3

I hope you all had a fun Halloween! We'll be going over lesson 5 this week. Mike and Amber are bringing a pasta dish so please bring $3 per person for that. Let us know if you can't make it!
See you soon!

Jill

Food Update for TOMORROW!!

Hey all!

Sorry such short notice, but we are actually going to do bring your own food tomorrow night. So go get your favorite drive-thru meal!! Mike and Amber (and lil Cooper too!) have been busy traveling for the last couple of weeks so we thought we could give them a week off! Look forward to seeing you all tomorrow night!

Steph

October 27

We're back this week for lesson 4! Please bring $3 to partake of Mike and Amber's delicious dinner. I hope everyone is staying healthy with all those sick germs out there!
See you soon!

Jill

October 20

Just a reminder that we will not be meeting this Tuesday. We will pick back up next week with lesson 4! If anyone has any ideas for getting together this week for fun, please post a comment.
Also, the church really wants us to get involved with a community service project. I am thinking of maybe helping with a local soup kitchen or an organization called Rebuilding Together, which helps elderly and poor families fix up their homes. Please let us know if you like one of these ideas or if you have any ideas of your own! Let's try to do something either on our next off week or a Saturday in November.

See you next week!

Jill

October 13

This week we will study lesson 3 of James. Mike and Amber are bringing pizza, yay! Please bring $3 per person if you would like some pizza. After dinner we will split into 2 smaller groups for the lesson.

See you on Tuesday!!

October 6

Wow, I am loving this study of James! What a great book that God gave us to reveal His truth and help us walk in His ways. We will go through lesson 2 of James this week and split up again into smaller groups. Mike and Amber are bringing a pasta bake and salad for dinner, please bring $3 per person or let us know if you won't be able to come!

September 29

This Tuesday we will get started on lesson one of James! After we eat, we will split up and half of us will head over to Mike and Amber's house for the lesson.

Mike and Amber have offered to bring dinner each week. The meals that they bring will be simple and inexpensive, just $3 a person ($6 per couple). This week they will be bringing beef, bean, and cheese burritos with chips and salsa from the Walmart Cafe. If you want to eat before you come, or can't make it to group, please post a comment so they will bring less food! We are so thankful that they have taken this on to make Tuesday dinner stress free and cheap! Please bring a beverage if you want something other than water and of course you can bring any other side items you would want with your burrito.

See you all on Tuesday!

September 22

Hey, couples! We will be meeting at Matt and Jill's house again this Tuesday at 6:30pm. Please bring your own dinner (drive thru, leftovers, etc.) and we will eat and play some games! We will hopefully have the books to hand out.
Directions are below if you are new.

See you soon!

Jill



Head west of Bentonville into Centerton. Turn right by the Sonic on Sienna Drive. Turn right on Asboth, we are number 500 on the right!

Fall Lifegroup begins!

The blog is back in action! We are so excited to get to see everyone again this week! Like the email said, we will have pizza and fellowship at Matt and Jill's house in Centerton. This will be a great time to get to know each other and talk about final plans for this fall.

See you soon!

________________________________________________

May the God who gives endurance and encouragement give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with one heart and mouth you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Romans 15: 5-6

due to a family emergency amber and mike will be out this week, and could use our prayers. we will be meeting at ray and monica's instead....

we decided since it's our last meeting, let's have some fun and grill out. we will still finish up the study, but we'll make it snappy:-)
the chapters are guys, 13, 16, 18,19
and girls 21, 25 ,26, 27.




kev and i will bring some hamburger meat and condiments, and jill said her and matt have got hot dogs. so we'll need buns, cheese for burgers, chips, drinks, a dessert....whatever!

THE PLAN!!!


ok, since we are speed this bad boy along, kevin and i just sat down with each other's books and picked out what we thought WE needed prayer on and went with those chapters. does that make sense? so kev picked what the girls are reading, and i the guys. made sense to us.
so 4 chapters a week[but you know how short they are] for 2 more weeks and we'll call it done:-)



for tues the 27th---
guys need chapters 7) her submission, 9) her priorities, 10) her beauty, 11) her sexuality

girls read chapters 14) his integrity 15) his reputation 16) his priorities 20) his attitude

FOOD--let's be simple and do another "do your own food" night. leftovers, fastfood, eat before you come...whateva....



fyi the next week's will be guys, 13, 16, 18,19 and girls 21, 25 ,26, 27. but i'll update again with that next week.

happy praying

we hope you guys are enjoying the study so far!


let's do one more study week and then a fun night. maybe we'll go bowling for real.

this week boys are reading the next 3 chapters : 4, 5, and 6
girls are reading : 7, 8, 10, 11
[read 9 if you have time, but it is very similar to 'his work' and finding purpose...which we've already discussed.]


now on to the really important stuff. FOOD.

how about another sandwich night? different breads, meats, cheeses, chips, sodas and a dessert.

TUESDAY!

sorry i forgot to post sooner guys!

we'll be meeting at 6:30 on tuesday at mike and amber's again, and italian is the theme. pastas, salad, breadsticks, some desserts....and maybe some drinks will be needed.

GIRLS: we are reading chapters 2-6. don't worry, they are short!!

GUYS: only chapters 2 and 3, and catch up if you didn't have a chance to read the first chapter.


looking foward to it!

BREAKFAST AGAIN!!

next tuesday we will start our new study on the power of a praying wife/husband. we will meet at mike and amber's[two houses down from ray and monica's] at 6:30.

breakfast was a hit, so that is the menu again!! post what you'll bring.

for the study, guys and girls please read the 1st chapter.

girls - praying for his wife

guys - praying for her husband

it's a pretty meaty chapter and should allow for great discussion. the other chapters are much lighter and shorter and we'll do a few at a time in future weeks. this is all about preparing your heart for the rest of the study. God's going to do some great stuff in our marriages i believe!!

March 31

We're going bowling this Tuesday! We will meet at the Rogers Bowling Center on Walnut at 6:30pm. (3500 W Walnut St Rogers, AR 72756 - (479) 636-2320) Eat before you come or grab a hot dog at the alley.

Also, we decided last week to do The Power of a Praying Wife/Husband as our next study. Kevin and Kelly will be leading and posting about what we need to read to prepare for the lesson. Please try to get the books soon, we will start the new lesson next week, April 7.

We are so excited about it and know that God is going to do some awesome things in our marriages as we seek Him in prayer these next 8 weeks.

Jill and Matt

3.24.09

Hey everyone! I hope you all enjoyed the guest speakers last week. I know that I really enjoyed hearing about Roca's plans and current needs. For those of you that were not able to make it, Murray and Melodee shared their hearts on Roca Blanca (http://www.rocablanca.org/). Check it out if interested...

Anyways, at the very end of group last week I suggested that we wrap up the topic of missions and begin to discuss what we want to do next. This seems to be great timing as the core message of the book is understood, we had a guest speaker on missions, and now Stephanie will be going to Africa on Thursday! Let's be sure to pray for Stephanie as a lifegroup on Tuesday night and lift up her work to God.

So....for preparation Tuesday, feel free to read as much (or as little) of the remainder of the book as you would like. I hope that the book did challenge your mindset and open your eyes up to a new perspective (I know it really did refresh my thinking as well). Be thinking about what we would like to learn as a group for coming weeks.

Lastly....FOOD. Kevin and Kelly are going to bring pizza from Eureka. If each person can chip in $4 that should cover the costs (we'll do a final calculation Tuesday). See you all then!

March 17

What a terrific Tuesday it will be! St. Patrick's day, guest speakers, and breakfast for dinner! Woohoo!

That's right...we'll not be having a reading assignment because Melodee and Murray Papke will be sharing their hearts and experiences with us about missions. Also, we will be having breakfast foods for dinner! Please post what you will be able to bring.

Jill

March 10

Let's read chapters 14, 15, & 16 for this week. They are pretty short chapters. Let's do B.Y.O.D. (bring your own dinner). Fast-food and leftovers are awesome. See you all soon!

Jill

FUN NIGHT, HOLLER!

i have not discussed this with the others--but thought i'd jump the gun and post anyway. it's FUN NIGHT this week! so we'll play some sweet games and just hang out and visit.

let's go mexican again. it's just pretty much the best food anyway.
post what you can bring!

February 24

Hello, church family! This week we will cover chapters 11, 12 & 13. Also, we will just be eating rice for dinner. Hopefully this will put us in a new mindset, allowing us to appreciate the wonderful food we are blessed with every day. We will also be more aware of how much money we can save when we don't have a buffet for dinner. Matt and I normally would spend about $3-8 for our part of dinner so that's how much we will save on Tuesday. We will either bring the $3-8 on Tuesday to combine with other couple's savings to donate somewhere (Monica's uncle in Colorado, the Bible translating organization, etc.), keep it and consider it money that we saved, or add it to a donation going to one of the organizations that we support as a couple. Please pray about what the rice dinner means to you and your spouse and act on what you feel lead to do.

The Malouf's are providing the rice and we will have water to drink.

Can't wait to see you all this week! What a blessing you are to us!

Jill

February 17

Hey Everyone! Happy Valentine's Day! I hope you are all having a great day so far and having fun with your spouses.

I wanted to go ahead and post for Tuesday to make sure everybody has time to read. Next week (17th) we will be covering four whole chapters (chapters 7, 8, 9 and 10). I am going to become not-so-popular if I keep assigning so much reading, but it is only 30 pages....we can make it. Many of you have already read that far anyways. Right?

I'm excited that everyone is enjoying the book. Look forward to seeing everyone Tuesday night!

Matt

***Info on food coming soon. Let us know if you have any ideas.***

February 10

Hi, everyone! This Tuesday we will not cover the reading. Instead, we will have Melodee and Murray Papke coming to share with us why missions is important and how to make it a part of our lives. They have been partnering with Roca Blanca Mission Base for several years. You can check out the website at www.rocablanca.org. Matt will also remember to bring the Chatino and Amuzgo audio Bible for your listening pleasure.

Italian is our dinner theme! Please post what you can bring. Matt and I can bring a crockpot of spaghetti sauce if others can bring pasta or ravioli!

Can't wait to see everyone again!

Jill

February 3

Hey, all! We are excited to see everyone again after the snow holiday. We will pick up where we left off - fun night and a brief chapter 6 review. The potluck idea still sounds awesome. Matt and I can bring some cornbread and maybe something else.

See you soon!

Icy Roads

Hey Everybody! It looks like we are going to have to cancel lifegroup tonight. The roads are bad and it doesn't look like things are going to get better any time soon. More than likely we will have a fun night next week, but we'll figure that out as time gets closer.

Everybody be safe and have an ice day :)

***My gosh is that witty or what! I just crack myself up!***

hey guys!!

this week we'll be doing an old fashioned pot luck.



comment and tell us what you're bringing...we'll need a main dish or two, some sides, some drinks and some desserts.

kevin and i will bring a pitcher of sweet tea and some cookies[or dessert of some kind].

don't forget we will be discussing chapter 6 of the book, then having a FUN NIGHT of games. we may have some new couples this week, and if that's you, just read over the last few posts to get the idea! looking foward to good food and fellowship.

peace out.

Bible Translations

Here are two websites for those of you interested in Bible translation. This one: http://www.ethnologue.com/country_index.asp has pretty much every language on the planet researched. It tells how many people speak the different languages and where they are located. It's really neat if you get the chance to look at it.

Wycliffe is the organization that is working on translating the Bible in different languages. Really cool.

http://www.wycliffe.org/

We'll see you all next Tuesday for fun night and chapter 6 review at the Malouf's house!

Jill

Dinner for 1.20.09

Hey Everyone!

We talked about it during time last week, but just in case you didn't know, tomorrow we are doing a "Bring Your Own Food (and drinks)" dinner. That means you should either swing by some fast food or bring something from your house.

No need to bring any more than you can eat and drink...everyone should provide for themselves tomorrow. Look forward to seeing you guys!

Recap from Tonight (1.13.09)

Chapter 1 was all about our overall ignorance to the spiritual realm. As Americans, we hear stories about demons being cast out and witchcraft being used to control entire towns, but it is hard for us to imagine. However, just because we don't see it (in that form) in America does not mean that it doesn't exist. Also, we talked about how it would be wise for us to evaluate our current environment. Here I gave the example of a frog in a pot of water. If heated gradually, the frog will die in the boiling water. If the frog is dropped into boiling water, it will immediately jump out and be ok.

Challenge 1: What is our environment like around us? Is it getting dangerous without us being aware of it? Evaluate your environment and make sure it is healthy.
_____________________________________________

Chapter 2 is all about passion for Christ and a greater cause. We all desire for a more Christ-centered life with total abandonment for Him. However, the reality is that this is more difficult than it sounds. K.P. was willing to stand on a rock to tell the Good News of Christ. While we will likely NOT do this, what is something we can do that may seem extreem to the world? Also, we talked about seeing others as Christ sees them (p.27)...loving despite imperfections and sins.

Challenge 2: Do one thing that may seem extreem that would benefit your spiritual life, marriage, witness to others, etc. This could be something as simple as getting rid of Facebook or signing up for Internet accountability software (covenanteyes.com)...my examples.
_____________________________________________

Chapter 3 was about diligence and floods of blessings....AND Marriage (depending on your takeaways). Trust in God to provide and watch how God answers our prayers.

Challenge 3: Write down one sentence about the single most important thing your life should be focused on. Share this with your spouse.

ola!

the idea of giving me access to the blog was to get the menu worked out more than a day ahead of time. well my bad! i blame my sick kid.

lo siento.

the theme is mexican tomorrow...if you are fasting, obviously don't feel like you should bring anything!

comment and post what you'll bring, so others don't bring the same...monica and ray said they'd take care of drinks.

looking foward to seeing everyone tomorrow!

-kelly

Happy New Year

Hey, life group family. Here is an outline for the next few months of what we will be studying. We hope God uses this book to open our eyes and change our hearts. It's bold and sometimes overwhelming, and we might not agree with everything completely, but overall it is mighty awesome. Please read the chapters ahead of group for discussion. We will have groups at Ray and Monica's house unless we decide otherwise and we can discuss food when we meet each week. So excited!

January 13 - Chapters 1-3 *Mexican food

January 20 - Chapters 4-6

January 27 - Fun night!

February 3 - Chapters 7-8

February 10 - Chapters 9-10

February 17 - Fun night!

February 24 - Chapters 11-12

March 3 - Chapters 13-14

March 10 - Fun night!

March 17 - Chapters 15-16

March 24 - Chapters 17-18

March 31 - Fun night!

April 7 - Chapters 19-20

April 14 - Chapters 21-22