Current Missions

The SanFam is currently on many mission these days...

Getting out of debt
Sacrificially living and giving
Partnering with a new church plant
Homeschooling
Raising Godly girls
Potting training our 2 1/2 yrs old (initiated visit to the potty on her own today, yea!)
and well, whatever other mission the Holy Spirit calls us to.

Father, may we be obedient to the call!

Remembering Our Babies

October 15th is Pregnancy and Infant Loss Remembrance Day. We remember
                   
Mary Elizabeth-May 1995
Micah-May 2004
Isaiah-June 2006
Bella-October 2011

http://www.october15th.com/

How the journey began...

January 2001, new single parent Bible study class meeting in an aerobics room at Second Baptist Church Woodway Campus, Houston Texas-Bible Study Director-David Sanders. David became a member of the Second faith family as a new believer in Christ about a year prior and I joined the Second family on Nov. 23, 2000.

I will always remember my first impression of David-passionate. Not passionate in a sexual sense but passionate for the Lord and the role God had entrusted to him-Director of a Bible Study class. I immediately knew he was a man after God's own heart. In God's timing...I would know him to be the man who captured my heart.

January 2002. It's my birthday-the big 3-0. Dinner at Buca di Beppo planned by none other than...David Sanders. Many of our single parents friends and their children were there to celebrate with me. Weeks later, a group of us were out riding bikes. I watched David on his bike with his cap turned backward, relaxed and enjoying the great outdoors. He had captured my heart! David had been pursuing me for sometime. However, it was not until that moment that my heart asked, "Hmm, what about David?" A short time later, after many long talks, David and I agreed to enter into a courtship.

September 26, 2003 Romantic proposal in an aerobics room? David asked me to be his wife in a aerobics room at Second Baptist. The very same room we met 2 years and 8 months ago. Except this time David had prepared the room with a path, lite by candles and covered in rose petals. The path led to a chair with a Bible and bowl of water. David not only asked me to be his wife but was prepared to wash my feet, signifying his willingness to be my help mate for life.

November 23, 2003 Exactly 3 years to the day after, I, Gina, joined the Second family. David and I married. That date was not a part of my plan, but I like to think it was a part of God's.

Summer, 2011 After 7 1/2 short years of marriage, God has grown our family in number and in vision. We want to be a family who gives glory and honor to God the Father, and magnifies the name of Jesus Christ in all we do, in our marriage, our parenting, in our community, in the way we live, work and play.

May, 2011 We said goodbye to our Second family and said hello to a new faith family, a new church plant, Cross Community Church in Katy Texas. Our hope and prayer is that God will use us for his glory in Katy and in all the nations.

Father, help us to keep our eyes set on You and to live out the mission You have set before us, today and everyday. We don't want to live the American dream. We want to live the great commission. Give us a hungry  for that which brings glory to the mighty name of Jesus. We want to live this life for You and for Your glory. Holy Spirit, we want to go where You lead, do as You lead, and speak, only as You lead. Amen.

The Children Yet Unborn Psalm 78:6

As I reflect on the celebration of freedom in the great U.S. of A...I am thankful. Thankful my maternal grandfather made the decision to bring his family to America over 50 years ago. Thankful to be first generation made in America. Thankful my children have the freedoms and privileges as American citizens. Even more, I am thankful for the freedom and privilege of being a citizen of God's Kingdom, through Christ alone.

My reflection then turns to David's Platt message -The Children Yet Unborn. "In freedom we want regulation against anything or anyone that would seek to abuse freedom by harming some one else." Oh, how we as Americans have failed the children who have been and will be denied the freedom to live.

Yes, this message speaks heavily on abortion. It addresses Abortion and God, Abortion and the Gospel, and Abortion and the Church."Abortion is an affront to God's sovereign authority as Creator...an assult on God's glorious work in creation...an attack on God's intimate relationship with the unborn."

1995 Houston Texas. I made the "choice" to affront God. I assaulted God. I attacked God, when I decided to play god and abort the life He so wanted to entrust to me. My choice is one that I must live with for the rest of my life, to be replayed in my mind so vividly when I think of what could have been.

Yet, I know what IS! Who IS! Yesterday, today and tomorrow. Our Creator and Heavenly Father is the "Savior of sinners"- of those of us who make wrong choices, mess up, take the easy way out, do what we feel or think is better. Glory and honor to Him who, "forgives entirely, heals deeply, restores completely, redeems fully." What freedom! Eternal freedom from the bonds of guilt, shame, and sin.

Father, thank you for the freedom we have, I have, in Christ Jesus. Lord, please make it clear to our family and each of us as your people, your Church, a mission for the "children yet unborn." May we "look around, step forward, speak up, reach out." In Your name and for Your glory. Amen

http://www.disciplemakingintl.org/media/series/view/516/the-children-yet-unborn

Thank you Redeemer Community church!

Going to start meeting Sunday nights at Redeemer church from 3:45 till about 6:30 at http://www.redeemercommunity.org/ for worship and training (Gospel-Centred life http://www.bobthune.com/resources/). Looks like this will start Sunday July 9th. Can't wait!!

Gina and I will be leading the kids in a study of Luke 8 from the Jesus Story Book Bible. Memory Verse will be John 3:16.

Let us know if you plan on checkin it out...

For His Glory,
David Sanders
713.542.8703

shallow small groups

This is funny...but you have to live the small group life to get it...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NMyTMTmJU6E

The Journey Continues...

Gina and I are excited to announce... we have joined Cross Community Church, a new Acts 29 (acts29network.org) church plant in Katy.

The decision to leave Second has been bittersweet. We love our Second family and have brothers and sisters that will be our friends for eternity.

However, we know that the Lord has been preparing our family to be a part of Cross Community Church.

Video from our lead pastor, Ryan Prater introducing the vision of Cross Community.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ErV8mVwwToo

For the month of June, we will have Sunday morning family worship that will include Cross Kids Bible study. Sunday evenings, the adults will have Seed Group training as we seek clarity for our vision frame-our mission, values, strategy, and measures.

Please pray:

• That we would depend on the power of Christ and His resurrection, moving only as He leads.

• That prayer and Bible study would be a "part of the natural rhythms of our lives".

• Supernatural courage and perseverance for our lead pastor, Ryan Prater, his wife, Kara, and their 3 daughters. That their home in League City will be sold in June.
• That the Lord would bring 8-10 more Christians for the Cross Community Seed Group (church plant leadership team).

For His Glory,
David and Gina Sanders