I'm excited about this new conversation we just began this morning in our Sunday morning small group. We're looking at some of the basics about the Holy Spirit & His role in our lives. I think that because this is such a foundationally important topic, coupled with the fact that the majority of our group were raised in faith traditions and churches where the Holy Spirit was majorly under-emphasized, will lend itself to some really good discussion and growth! Next week we take a look at some of the common questions people have about the Holy Spirit. Then we'll conclude on Easter Sunday morning by taking a look at the crucial role that the Holy Spirit played in the life of Jesus - including His death and resurrection.

I think this is one of those areas that God has truly grown me more in the last couple of years and one that I'm excited to see Him work in the lives of our group as well.

We'll be using "Life in the Spirit" by Robertson McQuilkin to fuel a lot of the conversation. This is such a great book! If you've ever wanted to learn more about Who the Holy Spirit is, this is the book for you! Not to spoil the ending, but I love this story that he uses to conclude the discussion in the book with. He has just finished talking about Heaven as the final resting place for the Holy Spirit's work in our lives - the moment of final culmination. Enjoy!...

"When our children were small I would occasionally take speaking engagements away from our home base in Japan. The children developed a celebration response when I would return. Once, when I came in the gate, four-year-old Kent was playing in the back yard. He'd flooded it to make a gigantic mud pie and was thickly coated with sticky black goo from head to toe. He sighted my entrance and sounded the alarm: "Daddy!" he shouted and ran to embrace me. Here I was, all dressed up in my one preacher-suit. What should I do? Oh, hug him good, of course.

His older brothers and sisters - all five of them - swarmed out to greet me. Then each dashed to prepare my welcome - one got a chair, another plugged in an electric fan. As if that weren't enough, another got a fistful of hand fans and began to vigorously churn the hot, humid air. Someone else took my mud-spattered jacket. Kent stood in the background and silently watched. Suddenly he disappeared. In the kitchen he pushed a chair over to the wall cabinet where he knew the powdered drink mix was stashed. He'd never done it before, but his daddy was hot and thirsty. He poured an ample supply into a tall glass and, though he didn't know about stirring, he did know about water. Chair to the sink. The glass was too tall, so he anchored it with two chubby, muddy fingers grasping the rim on the inside.

When Kent brought it to me, what do you suppose I did? No, I couldn't pitch it out into the garden, for the little guy was watching me like a hawk.

"Did you make this all by yourself?" I asked. Standing first on one foot, then the other, twisting his grimy T-shirt up till his whole dirty midriff stuck out, he nodded two silent, quick jerks. Under his close surveillance I took a sip of the gritty, brown drink. Kent waited a moment and then, with eager anticipation, he asked, "Did you like it?" You think I lied, don't you? But I didn't. I told the very truth.

"Kent, I loved it!" Oh, I didn't love the gritty brown water, but it was his love-gift to me. I loved it!"

When the Lord returns and we gather to celebrate, the gift offered by the best among us will have in it a muddy finger or two. But if it's the gift of our true love, He'll be well pleased. "I love it!" He'll say, and our joy will be complete. Our next stop on the spiral up is the marriage made in heaven. Rejoice! Don't be afraid."