"If Jesus Christ be God and died for me, then no sacrifice can be too great for me to make for Him." - C.T. Studd

"He is no fool who gives what he cannot keep to gain what he cannot lose."- Jim Elliot

"God uses men who are weak and feeble enough to lean on him." - Hudson Taylor

"Expect great things from God; attempt great things for God" - William Carey

                                    ~

My plans are to share with you a message on Sunday morning that will take us a little deeper into what Christ has done for us through the giving of himself for us. There is a shift that occurs in our lives when we move from trying to get something to the understanding of what we already have. We will look together at some foundational transformational truths which will help us live more fully and more freely the wonderful Christ life. Please plan to attend and consider bringing a friend with you.

What a wonderful baptism service we had this past Sunday when we saw 7 people bear witness to the saving power of Christ in their lives. We have several more people who have come forward, so we will have another baptism service on Sunday, January 27th immediately following the morning worship service. If you desire to be baptized, please let us know.

We are very close to launching our new LIFE GROUPS ministry at Grace House. This will bring together various groups we have that already meet in addition to the formation of some new groups. Hillard and Charlotte Matthews will be overseeing this ministry and helping our group leaders.

I encourage you to come and pray anytime from  3 p.m. - 3 a.m. any day in January. You will discover that these times are refreshing and good for your soul in addition to the fact that your prayers matter. Come expecting to meet with God in the place of prayer. Come expecting your passion to be stirred. Come expecting to see the Shoals area changed by His glory and presence.

Wednesday nights are so refreshing. This past week we had a great time of just basking in the Lord's presence in worship and then I shared a message entitled, DRAW NEAR. It was truly a precious and powerful time together. Join us this week for worship service or participate in one of the groups which will be meeting. Come and be a part. We will have worship and the word in the worship center, a couples' group, and children's and preteen groups that meet.

Pastors Phillip and Marsha Clemmons along with Pastor Brian Shields will be traveling to South Africa to begin work on a Fervent Life conference which will be held there later in the year. Please remember to pray for them that God's peace and protection would be upon them and that the trip will go well and to the glory of God. We love sharing life with our ARK family and appreciate all they do for the Kingdom.

We rejoice with another dear sister who received good news from some problems that had arisen and some medical tests which did not look so good. In this case, the Lord spoke to one of our members concerning a strategy of prayer that that was to be pursued. A prayer meeting was arranged in obedience to the vision that had been seen. The small group acted on what had been shared.  A couple of days later, an all clear was given to the dear lady. Praise the Lord for all the different ways He brings blessings into our lives.

I have been invited to speak at a wild game supper at a church in Moulton on Friday night, Feb. 1st. It would be great if a group of you guys would like to attend. They usually have around 300 men from the community who come. It'll be a lot of fun and an opportunity to see some men come to know Jesus. Several of our guys are going so please let me know if you are interested.

We are very excited about the forthcoming School of Power and Love which will be hosted by The ARK and Grace House. This is an awesome time of training and activation. It's a revival atmosphere where love abounds.

Eighteen of us Grace House folks traveled to Trinidad last Spring and saw God change so many lives including our own. Now we are making preliminary plans to travel to Carriacou to minister to the people there on the islands of Carriacou and Petite Martinique. These small islands lay just North of Grendada.  It has been about five years since I was there with Pastor Happy and his congregation, and I am looking forward to being with them again. We experienced such a powerful flow of God's Spirit and love when we were there before.  We may even combine a trip to Trinidad and Carriacou. I appreciate your prayers for all this to come together in God's way and for Him to put our team together. More details later....

Continue to keep Ross Smith who is currently in South Africa ministering in your prayers. God has opened some amazing doors for them and miraculous provisions have been made concerning facilities for their ministry there. Shirley has just arrived back from South Africa, so please encourage her as well. God is so good and we love how He is using the Smiths. Father bless Ross, Shirley, and Lisa!

For over 4 years now, we have been meeting as a group of men to connect more deeply with God and each other. I invite any of you men to join us any Tuesday morning. We meet at Grace House at 6:30 a.m. This is a very informal, interactive, and open time around God's Word. I always enjoy leading this group. Come and join us. Contact me with any of your questions about this group.

Each Wednesday, beginning at 9 a.m., we have a faithful group of people who meet and pray. This is a time of intercession. prophetic decreeing, and engaging God's heart through prayer and worship. You are invited to join with the ladies who lead this time of prayer for our congregations, city, region, nation, and the nations. Contact Charlotte Matthews for more information.

We have an excited married couples class that meets each Wednesday night at 6:30 p.m. in the Grace House Children's Center. Bryan and Melissa Gregg lead this group and there is rich fellowship, an interactive style of Bible study, and an atmosphere of love and acceptance. If you are a 20 to early 40 something couple, jump on board and see your marriage enriched! Contact Bryan and Melissa if you have questions.

We are so excited about "Rooted" which is our ministry to preteens led by Allison Fisher. They are currently working on a human video which they will be sharing in one of our services soon. Each Wednesday they meet to study the Bible together and learn how to live a life rooted in Christ during this important transitional time in their lives. Our preteens are awesome.  All preteens are invited to attend this weekly gathering to build relationship with Christ and one another. Contact Allison Fisher with your questions.

Franie Deaton, who directs our children's ministry, does a great job of teaching our children truths that will help them build their lives on Christ and the truths of His Word. Each week's lesson is packed with object lessons, biblical truths, and lots of interactive fun. Our children begin the service with we adults at 9:00 a.m. and then transition to their own children's worship around 9:45 a.m. or so. See Franie if you have questions and to let her know if you would like to be one of her assistants occasionally. We also can use good helpers.

We have some awesome little ones in our nursery. Jesus instructs us to love these little ones and to create an environment where they are coming to him. Anna Laura Lawrence leads our nursery team. Please let her know if you would like to help with this important ministry at Grace House.

Our worship team does an awesome job leading us in worship week by week. If you have gifts and abilities in this area, and have been faithful in attending Grace House for a while, and are willing to meet with someone to help access your skill level, or if just would like to know more about our worship team, contact our Worship Pastor, Andrew Lawrence, and he will be glad to help you.

If you have a heart for missions, whether it is to go on a mission trip or to support those who are willing to go, stayed tuned for announcements about upcoming mission opportunities here at Grace House. Eighteen of us saw God do tremendous things in our lives and the people in Trinidad on our last mission trip. We are planning now for a possible trip to Carriacou this coming Spring. Sam Lerch is our point person for our missions trips, so contact Sam for more information.

Food is a staple for all our lives and some people have needs in this area, especially in these economically challenging times. We desire to help more and more people inside and outside of our congregation in this area. Larry Bullard is our point person in helping with this important ministry. We are building a list now of those who need help as well as those who would like to help in this area.