" Many people recognize each other's faults rather than choosing to see the image of God. Hope colors the way we see each other. Grace is the lens through which we must see one another. When we see someone, we look beyond the evil of the past. We have to look through the blood of Jesus into the heart of every man-we have to peer through the eyes of the Master." 

                                    ~
                            Heidi Baker

Did you hear about the Peace-A-Nator showing up in Children's Church last week? Wow, it was fun and the kids learned a lot about the peace of God. We are very excited about the great job Franie Deaton is doing among our children and of course as you can tell by the photo, her husband, Jason, is in the thick of things too. We had a great time with them and our children's workers at an appreciation dinner this past Tuesday night. 

Since this is my weekly newsletter, I want to make a proud "Poppie" announcement. Our son, Andrew, and His wife, Anna Laura, are having another baby which will be their second child and our second grandchild. We are all very happy about this good news and blessing from God. And.....Audrey is happy too as you can tell from the photo.

We will be having another baptismal service on Sunday, February 24th at the conclusion of our worship service. If you need to be baptized, this would be a wonderful opportunity for you to do so. Please let me know. This is always a very encouraging and celebratory experience for us all. 

Another North Alabama Men's Encounter is coming up the first weekend of March. I have attended the Men's Encounter and it is correctly named. You will encounter Jesus, his love, and his power. I encourage any of you men who have not had the opportunity to attend to prayerfully consider doing so. There are a number of our men who have participated and several who are leaders, so let us know if you desire to attend.

Well it looks like we are heading to Carriacou which is located just north of Grenda. A small Island of about 6,000 people Carriacou is one of the overlooked places that we feel led to go. We have been in contact with Pastor Happy and Denise who live there and the plans are to carry a ministry team around mid-April for a 6-7 day trip. We will only be able to carry around 10 people due the limitations of lodging and transportation once we arrive. The cost will be somewhere around $1200.00 per person. If you would like to be considered for this trip or need more details, please see Sam Lerch. An informational meeting will be held soon.

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 recently 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.