Hanky please!!

This last weekend started out with helping out with babysitting at the Peoria church so that couples could take some time to be with one another. It was a most blessed time...especially since I really, REALLY love kids. Saturday I spent the morning reading and hanging out with the Koch family on their farm. We toured their grandma's farm next door, ran on ice til it fall in on us, had snowball fights, and crawled through waterways. I then went to Walmart with the Morton young group to shop for a couple of hurting families. We then went to Brittany and Morgan Kaiser's house to wrap the presents and hang out. Several of the group graded bible studies from the prison ministry, while most of us wrapped and played games(they joined in afterwards). I went to Morton church and had a wonderful time talking with the ministers, older gentlemen, and a couple of guys my age. This mainly included Paul Grimm, Dane Zeller, Ted Witzig Jr., Ted Hirstein, and Dennis Fike. I then hung out at the Koch's house again and read more. Back to the Morton church for a wonderful time of caroling in the community and then a chili supper.

Where the hanky comes in is returning to work today after being with friends (family) the whole weekend, it has been hard in the first day to not have someone to talk to 'right there'. I have been living on my own and the feeling(s) of loneliness come and go. Sometimes it hits like a ton of bricks...it is also included or accommpanied usually with guilt from sin and selfishness. As I continue to grow and learn as a Christian, I am trying to understand how God is talking to me. He of course speaks through his word and the Holy Spirit. How though does he use friends and people, media, etc? That is were I am feeling at a total loss. I do not feel any particular leadings in this area. From a reading today, a man's son got his leading from a billboard and a bumper sticker. The reflection of the day is: Am I engaged in those spiritual disciplines that can help my spirit to be attentive to God's leading? I am such a 'child' in this area!!!! Prayer from reading: Holy God, there are many 'signs' that might be from you --or might not. Grant us the discernment to seperate the imagined from the real, and the wisdom to test everthing according to your revealed Word.