Brand New Month!

Wow. Tomorrow is the start of a November, a brand new month... woohoo!

Lots of exciting things have been going on, which makes Lifegate Church a hoppin' place!

Lifegate just released their official CD, "Brand New Day"! And the crowd goes wild!!! It is incredible, and I am personally excited to have extraordinary worship to listen to in my car! (Bonus feature: My mom is on the back cover of the CD... What can I say? The camera's love her ;] )

More exciting news: starting November 3rd, IBEX is putting on IBEX Family Dinners on Wednesday nights at 5:30! So please, come visit us at The Goat Trough! Meals are jsut $3, and you can come fellowship, find out what is going on in IBEX, and eat a great meal! All proceeds go towards our Global journies to Kyrgyzstan and Thailand!

As far as IBEX goes, we are still busy, busy, busy! The 1/2 marathon is creeping up on us like none other! Just a little over 3 weeks now I do believe. We are counting on God to give us the strength to press on, because we are very tired! We ran 9 miles this past Thursday! To be honest with you, I never would have seen myself doing this in life! It's crazy!

I am really enjoying my classes this cycle! Learning all about discipleship in Pastor Tracy's class. This past week, we dug really deep into a passage, and looked at the context of things, including some Jewish customs that really explain the scriptures more. I was so intrigued! I really want to do Biblical studies now, because just that little tidbit was eye opening, and really understanding the background of who wrote the Bible, and when it was written really opens your eyes to what the scripture means!

In Dr. Deb's class, we took our strengthfinders test and are now learning about our strengths. We also are working on a genograph, which is sort of like an in-depth family tree! It is cool seeing where you came from, and looking at your strengths, and really just allowing God to show you how he sees you, and how he is forming you!

I feel like, for me personally, IBEX is really peeling back the layers and showing me who I really am! I am learning so many things about myself (some good, some not-so-good!) that I had never seen before! I am definately being shaped and formed right now, and to be honest, some of it hurts! But God is good and I trust Him!

Y'all should be proud of me- I am taking a sabbath! It was hard for me to arrange it, but I got most all of my "work" related things out of the way on Friday and Saturday, so I could rest today! And I'm not gonna lie, it is reeeeaaallly nice to sit and do what I want to do!

I think that is all I have to update you on for now! I'm looking at another busy week ahead, but I feel energized and ready to face whatever may pop up!

Prayer requests
~Financial provision
~Energy and motivation to finish my training and run the marathon to the best of my ability!
~Healing of injuries- shin splints, pulled tendons, and the aches and pains that come with running
~Sleep- and dreams and visions from God!
~Purpose- I don't want to lose purpose in what I am in IBEX for- I want to continue seeking God and what he has for me
~Open ears to hear God's voice, and then quick obedience!
Once again, I thank you profusely for your support and encouragement as I walk through this crazy adventure. I am so blessed to have friends and family like y'all around me!

In closing, I have a verse that has been speaking to me, and I would like to leave you to ponder on:

Romans 5:5 And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.
Chew on that, and I hope your week is filled with great things!

~Rebekah