The Life of Davis-Williams

2007-12-20T08:47:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas!

Stories of Suffering

2007-09-27T07:07:00.000-07:00

That's right! The Blog is back. Hopefully we can use this as an opportunity to dialogue more on the subject of our latest topic as a life group: Suffering & The Sovereignty of God. I have heard of several stories recently that touch on this topic. I will share one with you.

The first story is from a guy I went to college with, who for the past 10 years has struggled with several brain tumors. His name is Tripp and he is actually the brother of one of our members at Uptown Church, Ashley Mink. Below is the latest journal entry from his wife upon getting news that he has another brain tumor that is stage III. I hope you find this helpful as we process God's purposes in the midst of suffering.

MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 24, 2007 09:57 PM, CDT
Psalm 33:20-22 “We wait in hope for the LORD; He is our help and our shield. In Him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in His holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you.”
We heard from Duke today…the pathology report showed that the tumor had progressed from a Grade II to a Grade III. Somehow, though it was hard to hear, both of us seemed a bit prepared for the news. Our doctors at Duke are recommending radiation and chemotherapy immediately, so we will be talking to various doctors and making a plan this week (along with getting a post operative MRI), and will begin treatment as soon as possible.
I (Anna) have always considered myself to be an intuitive person, so as the Lord has been teaching me that He is with me ALL the time, and that He is good no matter what our circumstances, I feared I might be learning these lessons for a reason. Just this morning, before we had received the news, some women and I were talking about how hardship and trials, despite their trouble, usually end up bringing us closer to the Lord as we learn how to truly depend on Him and recognize that we are not in control. And so we have experienced some peace today, not from ourselves, but from the Lord, who is with us now as we receive this news just as he was with us before we heard the news.
We (Ella, Tripp and I) went out to dinner tonight (Tripp’s first venture out in public with his cute little cap on), and had such a special time together eating a casual dinner at Elizabeth’s Pizza. We came home, and Ella wanted to put on music and dance (she has always been a little Tripp!); she picked out her Vacation Bible School CD and we danced to every song. The life that was in that room tonight was so full, and Tripp and I were both at once so filled with inexpressible joy and the feeling that for this moment, all is exactly how it should be; we were dancing, singing praises, and laughing like only little children can.
We could write pages and pages about how it is all at once scary and disappointing and chaotic and crazy, and then in the next moment calm and okay and peaceful and real, but for now all I’ll say is that we are grateful to have each moment that we have together, and we are grateful that we know our Maker, who is the ONLY one who can fill us up and give us joy and peace.
So we pray that the God of hope may fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13)
We'll keep you posted...have a good night.

So, Let's Try This Again...

2006-11-11T11:18:00.000-08:00

Hello Fellow Life Groupers(ies)!
We started this blog about a year ago with much fanfare. Once the fanfare settled so did use of the blog, so today I'll ask a question to see what you all think!
The question is coming...wait for it...
As we near Christmas we are coming to the end of Tozer's The Pursuit of God. What would you be interested in studying next?

We Need More Questions...

2006-01-26T18:10:00.000-08:00

After the wonderful times we've been having at the Davis Williams Life Group with the weekly Q&A with Lindsey why don't we continue some Q&A here at our lovely and practically unused blog?
The idea is simple. Someone post a question and we respond by leaving comments to the blog.
So I'm going to start off with a question that I'm asking the Life Group (and whoever else has suggestions that may happen upon the blog) first. So...
What are appropriate ways for Christians to respond to culture? Can I watch whatever I choose on television? Can I read and look at anything I want?

12 Days of Lifegroup Christmas

2005-11-18T09:39:00.000-08:00

On the twelfth day of Christmas, my lifegroup gave to me...

12 months of lifegroup
11 quick ice breakers
10 KARAoke songs
9 fabulous desserts
8 girls' nights out
7 reprimands to behave (per meeting)
6 husbands needed
5 hysterically funny stories
4 references to "neked" (naked)
3 baby/wedding showers
2 stomachs growling
1 shucked oyster... MEOW!

2005-10-06T15:16:00.000-07:00

It's a girl!! Marion & Mommy are doing well.

Baby Williams

2005-09-29T04:52:00.000-07:00

When will the newest addition to the Williams Clan come? Based on solid Biblical evidence, here are the predictions:

Thursday, 9/29
Teresa – 9.38am, GIRL, 7lbs, 3oz
Lisa - 11.11am, GIRL, 7lbs, 5oz
Krista – 3.05pm, GIRL, 7 lbs

Friday 9/30
Shannon – 6.02am, BOY, 6lbs, 8oz
Kathy – 11.46pm, GIRL, 7lbs, 9oz

Saturday 10/1
Melissa R – 2.17pm, GIRL, 7lbs, 9oz
Christina – 4.03pm, GIRL, 8lbs, 3oz

Sunday 10/2
Chris 8:12am, 7 lbs, 6 oz
Katie – 5.30pm, GIRL, 8lb, 8oz
Laura - 8:30pm, GIRL, 7.5 lbs

Monday 10/3
Kate – 5.17am, GIRL, 7lbs, 8oz

Wow- so we've all missed the time... let's see how everyone does on the other details!

IT'S A GIRL! Marion Blair Williams... Thursday, October 6 at 3:22pm, weighing in at 7lbs and 13 oz!

I think Krista is the winner - just a week off. I'm SURE she meant this week and not last.

Linz's Foot

2005-09-22T17:04:00.000-07:00

I rarely offer prayers with great faith. But I am slowly learning that our prayers should only be as small as the God to whom we pray. So, after having gotten the diagnosis that it was fractured earlier this week, we decided to pray more boldly. Kara and I had been praying that I would go to the doctor today, and he would tell us that it was actually not fractured at all. Sure enough, the doctor said it was just a sprain. It reminds me of James 5:15, "And the prayer offered in faith will make the sick person well; the Lord will raise him up". The doctor gave me a walking boot, so I'm off the crutches and soon to be back to wearing spandex on the bike! As you can see, my foot doesn't look that bad to begin with.

Who Wins The "Worst Injury Award?"

2005-09-21T15:38:00.000-07:00

If you missed life group last night, our icebreaker was, "What is your worst injury?: Broken bones edition". So who had the best story? Was it Lisa's story of her grandfather finishing his lunch before taking her to the hospital with a broken arm? Or was it the gut-wrenching story of Shannon "unofficially" breaking her pinky toe while in the bathroom with a dozen other girls parktaking in some mysterious activity sure to have made the 6 'o clock news?

Were There Superheroes In The OT?: A Brief Analysis of Genesis 6:2

2005-09-21T14:17:00.000-07:00

NIV Genesis 6:1 When men began to increase in number on the earth and daughters were born to them,
2 the sons of God saw that the daughters of men were beautiful, and they married any of them they chose.
3 Then the LORD said, "My Spirit will not contend with man forever, for he is mortal; his days will be a hundred and twenty years."
4 The Nephilim were on the earth in those days-- and also afterward-- when the sons of God went to the daughters of men and had children by them. They were the heroes of old, men of renown.
5 The LORD saw how great man's wickedness on the earth had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil all the time.

So who are the "sons of God" referred to in Genesis 6:2? Is this a reference to creatures who are not human, as opposed to those of "man"? Are they super-human creatures, more than man, but less than angels? Or perhaps superheroes such as X-men, spiderman, or superman are myths who find their basis in real people who existed long ago. There have been many interpretations of this text. One theologian, William VanGemeren, believed the "sons of God" were indeed angels who had taken human wives, and their offspring were known as the "nephilim". The sin involved here would have been angels leaving their proper heavenly abode. Meredith Kline took them to be a reference to earthly kings, those who represented God. The sin in view here would be the implication of polygamy in verse 2. The "nephilim" were offspring who were tyrants who propagate violence. However, the most likely interpretation is that the "sons of God" were simply those who came from the godly line of seth. The sin in view here is primarily that of people being "unequally yoked", as godly people were marrying the ungodly. The reference to Nephilim are not necessarily related to the "sons of God", but were simply men who were excessively violent. This interpretation seems to fit more naturally with the tenor of the Genesis narrative. The obvious focus of Genesis 4-5 (Cain & Geneology) is that of the development of two distinct lines. The main point of this passage then is not to be used as a proof-text for the legitimacy of superheroes. Instead, it fits with the overall theme of Genesis leading up to Noah, which is to show the state of the world prior to the flood, as being one of man's increasing depravity.

2005-09-20T13:32:00.000-07:00

To Blog Or Not To Blog

2005-09-20T07:49:00.000-07:00

We are finally entering the 21st century as a life group. But more than that, we are now on the cutting edge of small group ministries. But is this a good thing? Are we not succumbing to the ways of the world, by using forms and mediums which are not prescribed by the Scriptures? Some might say that we should be very wary of computers, technology, and the internet, as they are tools of the world, the flesh and the devil. However, I would argue that it is for this very reason that we should engage these devices, as it will serve to redeem that which is fallen. As we have studied in Genesis, the fall resulted not only in alienation from God, but in our alienation from each other (see cain/abel), ourselves ("I was afraid because I was naked, so I hid"), and creation itself ("cursed is the ground because of you"). Computers would primarily fall into the category of our relationship with creation, however we see throughout the Scriptures that Jesus came not only to restore our relationship with God, but to redeem all that was broken by the fall. Psalm 96, Isaiah 65-66, and Revelation 21 speak to Jesus redeeming creation itself. Romans 8:19 states, "The creation waits in eager expectation for the sons of God to be revealed. For the creation was subjected to frustration, not by its own choice, but by the will of the one who subjected it, in hope that the creation itself will be liberated from its bondage to decay and brought into the glorious freedem of the children of God". These scriptures are a promise that Jesus will redeem all that was broken by the fall, even computer viruses. This means that for our life group to use a blog spot is to join Jesus in the process of redeeming that which he will ultimately redeem. The Israelites themselves were commanded to do this during the Exodus. In Exodus 3:22, God told his people to "plunder the egyptians", meaning to use all of their creations for the benefit of the Israelites. And so the answer to the question is: "To blog!" We shall plunder the internet to the glory of God! And blog we shall!