We have led a Monday morning prayer group for all of our staff members since our company started. We keep a corporate prayer journal to record our prayer concerns and document our praises. The staff prays Scripture back to Him and delights in hearing how He hears our prayers and answers them. We practice confessional prayer and hold one another accountable so that we can claim God's promises to covenant keepers. Our staff delights in watching how God blesses our careers and families, the lives of our clients, and the plans for our role in the marketplace.

While our group has not done anything earthshaking, we are definately feeling the LOVE

For instance, one group member recently took the time to point out to someone in her office parking garage she had dropped a paper

Another member let someone ahead of her in line at the store -- several times in a row!

And other group members are working on "fixing" long overdue issues with family members

AS Pastor Rick pointed out we can change the world just by being nice!

We are blessed to lead or participate in 4 small groups. One of my former coworkers first started working with me 35 years ago and we just retired together, looking forward to spending time with our spouses. Her husband just fell from a scaffolding at work and was in a coma for several days. In the midst of this crisis, all of our groups, filled with people who are complete strangers to them, have joined in a huge circle of love to pray for them. Our friend came out of the coma and is starting to regain his speech and motor skills. Our friends and their children are witnessing the power of prayer and are drawing closer to God. They are publicly asking for more prayer and their hearts are opening towards God. These comments are being posted on the internet, giving glory to God. Prayer is a mighty force to knit our hearts together!

Our group has been meeting for approximately 5 years. I am a single mom of 2 and our group mainly consists of singles over 45 (mostly women). We have a member in our group who use to be a neighbor of one of the ladies in our group that she invited to join us. He was so quiet and rarely shared with the group but was extremely faithful in attendance. He attended for over 3 years before we found out he was going through a very painful divorce and was suffering from major depression. He shared with us during this 40 days of Love how the only thing he had to look forward to every week was our small group meeting. We didn't even know how much we were ministering to him with just letting him sit quietly and listen to us talk about our issues ( you know we are women and like to talk). He also found a ministery that he is involved with that he loves at church.
We aren't a very formal group, but we have all become so very close and far beyond the weekly meetings we are all friends.

Being a single mom that travels they help me so much with transportation challenges and I love them all so much!

Loving people just as they are and where they are at is what God calls us to do. He can do the rest.

Hi,
God has helped me in 40 days of Love by showing me that I can't forgive others, but I need to pray and ask others to pray that God changes my heart to truely forgive others that have wronged me over the years.

I have tried over the years to forgive, but now I see that God has to change my heart. I can't do by myself. Until 40 days of love, I thought I could forgive and forget by myself. The lessons brings it to light that I need God to change my heart and make me love like God loves.

To God be the glory!

Ricky Martin (Host)
Tustin, Ca.

I was prepared in advance to host my 40 Days of Love group by reading the study materials ahead of time. 'The Releationship Principles of Jesus' was gobbled up like a tasty meal. Craving for more tidbits, practical and Biblical knowledge filled me up and it satisfied my hungry soul. Tom's Godly wisdom came flowing out from the pages like fresh water from an undergroud spring. One could hear the tender personality and love Tom feels for everyone throughout the entire book. This book is not a book to read and toss, but one to keep and pass on to the ones you love. I pray that these 40 days will not only change my family life, but the lives of the ladies in my small group as well, forever. I wish you many blessings Pastor Tom, thank you for sacrificing your precious family time to write this book.

During last night's discussion of forgiveness, I sensed an image of a fishhook. After sharing this with our group, we all agreed that after getting hooked by either a wound or being wrong, forgiving
the offense is not as simple as merely snipping the line, but having to remove the barb.

As you know, because of a fishhook's design, it not only stings going in, but stings on its way out. Therefore, there is a natural resistance to not letting go...

You can easily draw apt comparisons (which we spent time considering), but suffice it to say, we all agreed that in discussing the facets of forgiveness, it was helpful to see the picture of a fishhook holding us to the hurt/violation. It also facilitated others to release the hook and find forgiveness for long held grudges.

It was quite an evening indeed.

Blessings,

Mark Jordan Koeff
Host - Rancho Santa Margarita

{Learning to Love through a Small Group}

This October marks the one year Anniversary of our small group through Saddleback Church.

What an AMAZING year it has been for each and every one of us!!

Over the passed year we’ve come to realize that through God’s plan for each of us we were brought together for a very specific reason; to learn how to love and serve others. Why else would such a diverse group of people find such a strong and loving since of family in one another? We are all of different ages, ranging from early twenties all the way into the sixties. We all come from greatly different backgrounds and have many different interests, life experiences, hobbies, relationships and occupations. But the one thing that has brought us together and made our bond with one another so tight is our divine passion and will to serve others.

Through out the passed year we have all grown spiritually through serving others more than ever before. We have come to know ourselves and our own path with God though serving as if it was what we were all put here on earth to do. For each of us, it has truly become our Purpose Driven Life.

It’s hard to believe that we have only known each other for a brief year as it feels like we have been family our whole lives. We even met through serving others, as a part of Saddleback’s So-Cal fire clean-up crew in October 2007. From that point on we have had countless opportunities to continue to serve and love others through Saddleback Church.

Just a few of our amazing experiences together have been Feed the Hungry in Fullerton, an International P.E.A.C.E. Mission to Independencia, MX and the Pei Pei Reservation, Habitat for Humanity Woman’s Build, Workday in Compton, the World Vision Tour’s Step into Africa Exhibit, Operation Gratitude’s Sending care packages to out Troops, being Church Camp Leaders, and probably the most dear to our hearts has been a monthly visit to Tijuana, MX to serve the most inspirational and incredible group of Orphaned boys and girls that we have ever known. It’s been an overwhelmingly humbling and uplifting experience to see the passion that comes from these children who have so little, yet give so much in love. Being a part of that mission has truly changed our lives forever and it is love that has made that change in all of us. Our eyes have been opened to the mighty love that God provides throughout the world and for that we are blessed beyond expressing. We even have a few members who have branched off and become actively involved with the youth ministry at the Irvine Campus and are now leading a small group for young teens every week.

Through love we have become united as family and driven to serving others forever. We have also learned how to love ourselves for the unique gifts that we have been given in life. When Pastor Rick spoke of how important it was to join a small group I had no idea the positive impact it would have on my life beyond studying the Bible. My life has been dramatically changes and I feel I have just begun to live the life I was always meant to live. I have grown to know God better through others and together our small group has learned how to celebrate life through kindness and giving back. Because of love our lives have meaning, passion, unity, guidance and most of all… our lives have purpose.

It has been uniquely amazing to experience and see the change that has occurred in all of our lives through simply loving others. If we have come this far in just one year, I’m inspired beyond words to imagine the positive change that we can make in this world through a lifetime of loving others.

Thank you Saddleback Church, from the bottom of our hearts, and thank you to all of the beautiful people who come together in love to make a difference in the world each day. My life has forever been changed for the better because of the endless opportunities to serve God’s people and the opened doors that Saddleback has provided me with. We are all brothers, sisters and children of God and at 22 years of age I have discovered the meaning of life; to love your neighbor as yourself and to never stop loving!!!

“But my life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus––the work of telling others the Good News about God’s wonderful kindness and love.” Acts 20:24

Much Love,
Jessica Loux

Hi Rick!
I've been a member at Saddleback since 2002, and have passed over hosting a small group for many years. Well, the Lord tugged pretty hard on my heart in Sept. when you and Tom were asking and encouraging members at a Sat. evening service to sign up to host for the 40 days of LOVE. I prayed about it at the service, and said "Lord, I only have Friday nights open, I know this is not a popular night, but if 1 person comes you shall be glorified...and it's just 1 more for you Lord". I walked over to the table after the service and signed up, as I was walking away I heard a man yell out, "YOU WILL BE BLESSED!" I knew the Lord was happy with my decision! Well, 1 person did come. It's a good thing that we started with just her and I, because she had been traumatized during her service time in the military, and is suffering from post-traumatic shock, she shared with me that if there had been more members in the group, chances are she would never have come back. We easily open up to each other, share reading out loud from the study book and our discussions are deep and very meaningful. She is now attending church services...praise the LORD! My teenage daughter frequently walks through the living room, stops and listens especially when the DVD is in and your speaking, and that's a very GOOD thing!! I go to bed on Friday nights, after our small group meeting, with the most incredible presence of peace in my home!! As the study continues, our group is growing...1 more at a time! Yes, Pastor Rick...."I AM BLESSED" God bless you - Wendy Saunders
"I have been chosen and appointed to bear fruit" John15:16

Dear Pastor Rick, I cannot imagine my life without these wonderful people that have come to my home for our couple's small group on Wednesday night. My husband and I host it and for a while we were not getting much of a comittment. That's when Mark our community leader met with me and talked with me and prayed with me, he also warned me to be careful for what you pray for because our group has grown and flourished. My family is going through a crisis right now and we are truly Blessed to have each and every one of our members, they are amazing. Just recently I was speaking to one of our members and stated that I finally know now what Pastor Rick was talking about way back when stating that he couldn't imgagine life without his small group. We have volunteered as a group at the "Someone Cares" soup kitchen and even helped "ice" the pointsettias on the campus at Christmas time last year. We started this group 3 years ago but honestly the last year we have been getting closer and closer more like a family. We are praying for your family during your family's crisis and hope for complete healing and recovery. God Bless you Rick and Thank you for emphasizing how important joining/hosting a small group is. Love, Ed and Cherie Thiers..Newport/Mesa Couples small group.

Hi Pastor Rick and spiritual members of Saddleback. Well, our 40 Days of Love group has evangalized to others at work and within the community by sharing what we have learned and have reached out to others in need by donating shoes (We call it Shoes for the Soul), called those who have been ill and prayed for them and have committed to stay in contact with them to assit them in their time of need. Our group in now involved in "Angel Tree" ministry. I have metnew friends that would not have been possible if it was not for the 40 Days of Love study. Thank you Pastor Tom for the book you wrote that we used for the 40 Days of Love study. What a great big wonderful family of Jesus we have at Saddleback Church.