JANUARY SCHEDULE

January 2: Sunday service at 11:15 a.m.

January 9: Sunday services at 9:30 a.m., 11:15 a.m., and 8:00 p.m.

January 10: Community Group Kickoff Dinner @ Warehouse, 7:00 p.m.

January 28-29: Married & Engaged Couples Retreat @ Warehouse

We're having our community kickoff on January 10th at 7 p.m.  Come out and learn about upcoming groups and enjoy some Piggy's BBQ fr only $5.00.  All community groups will meet this night and we'll offer our 2011 Community Group Leader Program.  Groups will begin meeting at regularly scheduled times throughout the week of January 17th.

::COUPLE RETREAT 2011

Married and engaged couples: join us for an in-town retreat on Friday and Saturday January 28th and 29th.  We'll be welcoming Jason Dukes, a pastor from the Orlando area, as we take part in teaching and discussion about marriage, families, and everything in between following our Jack and Jill: It's Complicated series.  Childcare will be provided in Well Kids, and registration is open here for only $20 per person.

::CLEANUP CREW
We really need more people to help clean the warehouse.  Volunteers will be scheduled to help every few weeks. Please contact Rebecca Stewart at 561.543.6171 or rebecca@thewelltallahassee.com if you're interested in volunteering.

I never knew real worry until I became a parent.  Actually, it all started with the firstlook at a plus sign on a pregnancy test (of course my husband rushed me out to go buy additional tests because he did not "trust it" - side note).  Obviously we were very excited and promptly told everyone right away.  A few weeks later we experienced some complications and my heart sank.

"How am I going to face everyone and tell them it was a fake out?"

Scared and discouraged my husband and I went to see the doctor.  To our surprise they found a tiny little heart beat (best sound in the world).  The doctor told us that the complications could be a sign of trouble, or completely normal and we would just have to wait.  Ugh!  Now we were in this crazy place where we did not know if we should get excited or prepare for disappointment.  We prayed for complications to subside, but they continued.  We began to ask why God would put us through this emotional roller coaster.

One special Sunday, while singing at the Well (with my hand on my belly), it hit me. I don't want "my baby," I want the one God has chosen for me. My best bet was just to be patient and realize that he is in control. We cannot be with our children at all times, but God can and will. Any child that I have is truly his. From then on my new prayer was simply that God would just give me the opportunity (now or later) to raise a child for Him. I wanted the chance to show that child all the wonderful things God has made, so that one day he might accept him into his heart.

Needless to say, August 31, 2010 at 10:01 PM baby Sills was born.  Now that he is here, the worry has just begun!  As a new parent I must remind myself daily that God will never give me more than I can handle. At night I check our video monitor a hundred times to make sure his chest is still rising and falling. Whenever worry sets in I just remind myself that it is useless when God is in control. We all say that God is in control, but many times we fail to truly accept it. It's not God's plan for us to be filled with stress and anxiety. We are actually disobeying him when we worry. Every day I work harder to trust in him. The sooner you accept that your plans mean nothing and that he is in charge, the sooner you can stop worrying and start living.

...do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Philippians 4:6-7