Build Endurance - Horizon West - Newsletter
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Life often is accompanied by hardship and suffering, and many women are facing hardships every day. Sherri Crandall, VP of Global Ministries and Leadership Experience at MomCo believes there is a formula that can take us from suffering to hope when we build our endurance muscle.
PRAYER REQUESTS
If you have a prayer request, please fill out this form so we can prayer for you.
2024-2025 CALENDAR
UPCOMING EVENTS
RSVP to any of our events HERE on our Facebook Events Page
Thurs, Feb. 13 at 6:30pm-8:30pm - Meetup 9 - Broken Crayons Still Color - Downtown
Raising our kids when we are still dealing with some of our own hurts and hang-ups is challenging. Author and speaker, Toni Collier, shares some of her journey in parenting, going from feeling completely unqualified to finding grace.
Fri, Feb. 21 at 7pm - 9pm - MNO Galentines! - Jennie Hanson's House
Thurs, Feb. 27 at 6:30pm-8:30pm - Meetup 10 - Digital Detox - Horizon West
Sat, Mar. 1 at 11:00am - 5:00pm - Horizon West Fest
Thurs, Mar. 6 at 6:30pm-8:30pm - Meetup 11 - Craft Night - Downtown
Sat, Mar. 8 at 10:00am - 11:30am - Park Play Date - R.D. Keene Park
Fri, Mar. 28 at 7pm - 9pm - Bunco Night! - Taryn's (TJ) House
FBCWG EVENTS
Check out all of FBCWG's upcoming events HERE.
EXTRA INFO
FOOD SCHEDULE AND TABLE GROUPS:
Please refer to our Google Sheet for your Table assignments and food rotation schedule. When it is your turn to provide food, please put what you will be bringing or if you will be chipping in money to help contribute. If for some reason you cannot make it to the meeting, please drop off your food to someone else in your Table Group.
See schedule HERE.
ORGANIZATIONS WE SUPPORT
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DEVOTIONAL
It’s Not the Race that Kills You
Stacey Morgan // staceymorgan2000.com
I had a moment of insanity and decided to run a marathon. Ask any marathoner, and they’ll tell you it’s not the race that kills you; it’s the training. It’s hours upon hours of simply putting on your sneakers and grinding out the miles needed to build the endurance to finish the race.
On race morning, I was as ready as I could be. After the crack of the starting pistol, I settled into a steady pace, and the miles went by in a blur. But at the mid-point, I started to feel it in my legs. I got slower. I began to pass limping runners, and my knee began to ache. By Mile 21, I was exhausted. After over four hours of running, I fantasized about faking an injury so I could stop. I just wanted the race to be over and the pain to end. I had hit the wall.
Being a mom is like running a marathon; only as soon as you cross one finish line, another race begins. More often than not, it’s not the significant life events that wear us out; it’s the endless daily grind. It’s the laundry and the making of dinner. The million parenting decisions that are minor on their own but compiled are overwhelming. Every mom hits the point of exhaustion at some point. You pray for the stress to end. You hit the wall.
Back at Mile 21, just as I was about to give up, I heard a familiar voice. Up ahead, jumping up and down, were two friends waving their arms and cheering like they were witnessing Olympic history. Their loud confidence in my ability to finish the race was contagious, and I felt my energy level surge back up.
“I’m doing it! I’m going to make it to the finish!”
“Yes!” they screamed. “You are doing it!!!”
I jogged off and finished the race, each painful step fueled by the love and encouragement of my friends.
Sometimes, we lack the endurance to keep going. In whatever marathon you may be in, whether that be mothering, marriage, work, financial, or spiritual marathons, you don’t have to run alone. God offers us another option, one that does not depend on our own inner fortitude as the sole source of our strength.
“Now faith is being sure of what we hope for, and certain of what we do not see.” (Hebrews 11:1, NIV)
Faith is believing that you will break through that wall with God’s help. It’s a willingness to surrender your attempts to do it all by yourself and instead rely on his promise that He will give us the endurance we need. Sometimes, that will come in the form of supernatural peace, a miracle, or a Bible verse. Sometimes, it will be his divine love, taking the shape of a dear friend, cheering you on from the sidewalk as you take a deep breath and keep running.
What kind of marathon do you feel like you’re running right now? How’s your energy level?
Are you trying to run this race alone, or have you asked God to help you? If alone, take a minute now to surrender and ask for his help and endurance. If you have, take a minute to reflect on the many ways He is encouraging you in your race, for example, through scripture, family, or your friends.
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The MomCo Winter Garden
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