Our first meeting......and our next......

We had a great first meeting last Friday night. Thank you for sharing your hearts so openly and honestly! I know I was encouraged and faith was stirred in my heart for all that God is going to do and what He is going to show us in the next few months.

We talked about our current struggles and what we are asking God to do in us as we walk this road together. Even though our struggles look different our need is the same......More of HIM. I love watching the Spirit move as He uses each of you to bring encouragement and strength to others.

One of the things we talked about was the importance of accountability and our commitment to be a "cheerleader" for each other. We wont be perfect in our attempt to mortify sin. There will be times that we fail. As partners, we're there to encourage each other in the good days and bad days.....and be a reminder of the empowering Grace that God so freely lavishes on us. What a privilege we have to be our "sisters keeper".

Sarahs testimony of how God transformed her perspective on food was especially encouraging! Only God is able to do what is impossible in our own strength. In regard to accountability, Sarah gave us some great practical questions to ask your accountability partner as a means of seeking to serve her the best way you can. Here are some of her suggested "starter" questions:

What time of the day are you most tempted to overeat (or whatever the temptation may be)?
How long does the temptation last?
What are you thinking when you are tempted?
What type of food is it?
Do you pray in those moments?

Once you have an idea of the specific issues involved, then together you can come up with a more specific plan for change and help each other put it into practice.

Some points on the more specific plan may include:

praying before your particularly difficult time
making a meal/snack plan
calling your accountability partner during particular struggles
memorizing and meditating on certain scriptures

As we said, each plan will look different for everyone. Lets pray for Gods wisdom and guidance in this. If you need help in this, you can always ask for input by posting a comment. We're all here to help each other.

Last Friday night, we also attempted to plan future meeting dates. Please check you calendar and let us know if these dates will work for you.

October 29th (evening)

November 15th (morning) or 16th(afternoon) or 22nd( morning)

December 20th (morning)

January 23rd (evening)

Feb 27th (evening)

March 27th (evening)

At our next meeting we will talk about chapters 3 and 4.