Anna-thology

God's Plan

2012-01-26T09:35:00.001-06:00

(last week's message in our Knowing God series)

Have you ever spent a bunch of time with someone special, maybe family or friends that live far away, and it gets time for you to leave, and you just hate to go?

This happens to Pastor Rob and I every time we go up North. In fact, we are planning for our vacation time this summer, we are going to make the long trek to Iowa, stopping to see all our friends and family along the way there and back. And as much as I am looking forward to seeing everyone, there’s a little part of me that’s dreading the ‘goodbye’ process. It’s hard to hug someone and walk out the door knowing you may not see them for another 3-5 years. We usually linger over goodbyes.

And man, when I was a kid and someone would leave, we’d stand out in the driveway, waving wholeheartedly until their car was a teensy speck on the horizon, then rounded a corner and we’d see them the next time. In fact, my favorite aunt still does that. She stands in her yard, a big smile on her face, waving until you can’t see her anymore, sending all the love she possibly can with you on your way. And you feel her love right down to your toes. I mean, who does that, standing in the yard waving like a goober? She must really love me!

Soon, you’re a mile or two down the road and suddenly you realize you forgot to tell them something, something really important. Something you want to make sure you say face to face. What do you do then? You swing into the nearest parking lot, pull a u-ey and head back to your loved one, right?? This message is important!

Jesus did the same thing with his disciples. He’d walked with them for three years and poured out His life into theirs, even to the point of death on the cross. Death. He was gone, the car had disappeared on the horizon and his disciples had stopped waving in the driveway.

And yet, there was something crucial he still needed to say.

We pick up in Matthew 28:19-20; the very last scriptures in the first gospel. This is after Jesus’s crucifixion and resurrection. He tells His disciples this one last very important thing, sort of a honey-do list while He’s away preparing a place for them.

“Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very ends of the earth.”

We all know this scripture as the Great Commission. Let’s dissect that term a little bit. If you’ve grown up in church you’ve probably heard it so often that you don’t even ‘hear’ it any more. What does it mean to be great?

Well, let’s start by remembering that words used in the Bible are truer than words we commonly use today. Point in case, I love the word awesome. I’ve been using it since I was a teenager. In fact, at my first ‘real’ job, my boss always teased me about how often I used the word awesome. He’d be like, “hey Anna, how was your weekend, was it awesome?” Back then, and even a little now, everything was awesome. My friends were awesome, Dr Pepper was awesome, the last movie I had seen was awesome, and of course, Rob was AWESOME. I can even remember how delighted I was when I realized that the word ‘awesome’ was in the Bible, I just knew it was a God word!

You get the idea, I probably wasn’t using ‘awesome’ in the fullness of it’s ‘awesomeness’. When we throw around a word too often, and it begins to lose it’s meaning.

A perfect example of that in the Bible is the word ‘good’. You and I say ‘good’ when someone asks “How’s the pizza?” or “What did you think of last night’s Sing Off?” Good is just above mediocre and a far cry below excellent.

But when you see the word ‘good’ in the Bible, it must mean something different, something more pure and holy. Because the Word tells us that God made the world in six days and at the end of each day He said that it was ‘good.’

Hmmm. God whipped up the world in six days and said that it was good? Um, I think I’d use a more fantastic descriptive word, don’t you? I mean, Bob Ross, the painter would paint a tree and call it ‘happy’. God creates all the trees and all the plants and all the vegetation in one measly day and He calls it ‘good?’ I’d call it AWESOME!!

But God says ‘good.’ I think that’s a pretty healthy indicator that His definition of ‘good’ is more profound than mine. And since He’s God, I’m going to go with His standard.

Another Biblical example of ‘good’ is the fact that God is described as good.

In fact, Jesus said in Matthew 19:17 “There is only One who is good.” Referring to God the Father. God reveals His goodness to us in His love for us, His care of us, His mercy on us, and His grace to us.

Psalm 100:5 says “The Lord is good and His love endures forever.” The words good and love are interchangeable. God is good, in all things and in all ways. A good that you and I can’t describe, let along truly comprehend.

So I think we can all agree that when a word is used in the Bible it has a truer meaning than if it’s used at the lunch table or in a thread on Facebook.

So Matthew 28:19-20 is the Great Commission. Great meaning unusually large in size or dimension. Yep, that’s pretty accurate. ‘Go and make disciples of all nations.’ That’s a pretty large scope, isn’t it? Can you get much bigger than all nations?

Great also means unusual in degree, power or dimension. This commission requires a considerable amount of inertia. How can we reach the whole world?? We need supernatural power to even begin to achieve this goal! Thank God that He provided the Holy Spirit to empower our efforts. This task would seem utterly unattainable without the power of the Holy Spirit.

Great means wonderful, first rate, very good. The Great Commission is a noble task. It’s simply a good idea. Of course, that’s because it was God’s idea from the very beginning.

You may remember from the shiftAM Fundamental Truths classes last summer. Truth #4, the Fall of Man, when Adam and Eve take that first bite of forbidden fruit in Genesis, God mentions Satan’s head being crushed. It has always been God’s plan to reach all people with the love of Christ. He has always intended to pursue our hearts with the primary objective of a love relationship with us. What a GREAT idea, truly first rate.

So if we have biblically defined great, and perhaps rocked your world a bit, the next natural question is, what does it mean to be commissioned?

Commissioning is usually done when someone extremely important gives a task to a subordinate or inferior (little guy). It’s also a sign of power being given to the subordinate, like a knight being commissioned into service from a king, the knight now swears loyalty unto death to the king and his mission. The knight’s power comes directly from the king’s sovereign power. It’s an honor to be called into service of the king. Wow, now compare that Jesus’ great commission to His disciples. We are honored to be called to His service.

We are honored because you and I, by our own merit are not worthy to untie Jesus’ sandal or to wash His feet. Our sin and prideful heart should limit any contact with Jesus. Yet through His sacrifice on the cross, we are allowed into His presence. Considered sons and daughters with Him. We are honored to to be called into His service.

Another way to think about commissioning is to picture a warship being commissioned. When a warship is commissioned no longer just a ship, it’s been placed in active military duty, it’s now part of a navy that symbolizes the strength of a nation.

Christ commissioned us.

2 Corinthians 5:17 “If anyone is in Christ he is a new creation, the old has gone and the new has come!”

He’s pulled us out of ordinary day-to-day service into the highest calling – serving our Lord in ministry. We are on active duty, engaging in a real war with a real enemy. And there will be casualties in this war. The casualties will have names and faces. They are your lost friends and family. They are the unsaved masses filling the halls at Madison and Judson and O’Connor and Wood and Harris. They are the starving children in Africa and Haiti. They are the drug runners in Juarez. They are the politicians in Washington DC.

We need to start seeing the people around us as prisoners of war. Satan has them bound in their sin and their self-absorption and their ignorance of the truth. We have been commissioned to share our story, and with the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, they can make the choice to be set free. Just like you and I made that choice.

There is a verse in Revelation that haunts me. It’s found in Chapter 12, verse 11 and it says “They overcame him, by the blood of the lamb and the word of their testimony.” It’s referring to Satan. And the fact that we can overcome, we can defeat him by the blood of the lamb, which is a Bible way to say Jesus’ sacrifice and the word of our testimony. Meaning that the war on sin is surmountable. We WILL overcome with the knowledge of what Jesus did for us and the strength of our story of finding Him.

We simply need to be willing to believe in the power of the cross. To have faith that Christ’s blood was enough to cover our sins, to wash us white as snow. And to have the courage to share our story with others.

That is the Great Commission. Sharing the goodness of God with all the world. It will be difficult. If it was easy, it wouldn’t be the ‘Great’ Commission, now would it? But we know we will overcome, we will triumph. Another incredible verse reminding us of our certain triumph over sin is Romans 8:37 “In all things we are more than conquerors through Him that loved us deeply.”

We are going to win this thing. And if we put the effort in with our friends and family and the people in the halls of our schools, we’ll see miracles happen and lives changed. And when we give money to Speed the Light we equip missionaries to reach the lost in Africa and Haiti and Juarez and Washington DC and every other place the gospel needs to be heard.

You and I have been commissioned. And we’ve been empowered by the Holy Spirit. God wants each and every one of us in this room to participate in His plan. You personally have opportunities to touch lives that I will never come in contact with. And that’s true for each of you, just as I have opportunities that you’ll never have. You can see why it’s so important to take this seriously. God has called each of us to be used for His kingdom development in a specific way. We need to realize the greatness of this commission and make it our highest daily priority.

We need to understand the honor and the responsibility of being commissioned with God’s plan. I thought this clip from the first Narnia movie would paint a better picture in your mind. Peter has just saved his sisters from certain death, proving his commitment to goodness and Aslan. Aslan is about to call Peter into his service.

(video of a Peter being knighted)

Just like Peter, we have been commissioned by the King. But let’s not forget the end of today’s scripture, there’s a very important condition of this commissioning. Jesus tells us in verse 20 “and surely I am with you always, to the very ends of the earth.”

You do not have to fulfill this great commission on your own. Yes, we should each do our part, but Jesus is with us through this process. When you accepted Christ as your savior, you were sealed with His Holy Spirit. He is with you, even to the end.

So tonight, I feel like God is asking, who will accept His Great Commission? Who is willing to lay aside their stuff to go about God’s work? Who accepts His goodness and grace and receives His plan for their lives? The reality is, when you truly realize who God is and what He has done for your life, the natural reaction is serve Him. We have such an incredible debt of gratitude to our Lord and King.

If you are willing to accept Christ’s Commissioning this evening, I’d like you to come forward and kneel at the altar.

(wait a few moments – with Michael W. Smith’s ‘FREEDOM’ playing softly in the background)

Like Peter received his knighthood from Aslan, picture Jesus standing before you in your mind. Receive His plan and embrace it fully.

He says to you:

Lord, inspire these students to receive your Great Commission. Engrave Your mission in their hearts that they would be forever changed to see the world with Your eyes. Empower them with your Holy Spirit. Give them boldness and authority to speak truth into the lives of their friends, their family, and the people they come in contact with each day. Inspire them to give to missions and pray for the lost to receive You. Keep them in Your service until You return to establish Your kingdom. In Your precious name we pray. Amen.

Surprise for Janet

2012-01-14T09:33:00.002-06:00

This woman has been an incredible influence on my life. She is so good about doing for others, so when her birthday was around the corner I decided I wanted to plan the way for her that she would do for anyone else. We surprised her with a ladies luncheon at her favorite local restaurant. It was a lot of fun!

A Scrapload of Pages

2012-01-13T17:05:00.008-06:00

These are the pages I've done since August. Can't believe it's been that long since I've posted. Also can't believe this is all I've scrapbooked in five months. Craziness.

Holiday Highlights

2012-01-05T21:42:00.011-06:00

Please note, I only say holiday because it includes Christmas and New Year's as well as several events in and around. I firmly believe in CHRISTmas and wished a merry one to everyone I saw everywhere I went this season.

That being said, we had an absolutely beautiful and meaningful Christmas. It was precious to stay home and enjoy being a family.

These photos are in no particular order.

We got the kids all dressed up and took them to Cheesecake Factory for a very special Christmas meal. It was fantastically yum and I'm not even exaggerating a little.

Christmas Day we went to church of course. And Santa swung by our house for some additional gift giving since he'd been by the day before since he knows we are pastors. ;)

I took the kids for Christmas hot cocoa before church that day. They loved it!

My sister, Char, came to visit and run a half marathon in November. It was so good to see her!

We attended a rocking 80's New Years party. I got a good kiss on New Year's night, first time in 13 years of New Years. (we are usually with students at a lock-in).

I'm still crazy in love with this guy. He proposed to me fifteen years ago last month. How is that possible?? I remember thinking on our wedding day that I couldn't possible love him more than I did that moment. Glad I was wrong! I love him even more now and every day since!

Very excited little people on Christmas morning.

getting ready to read Luke 2, our pre-present opening tradition. Remembering that Jesus was the very best present ever!!

Hanging out with my dear sweet friend, Jen and her awesome family of awesome. We took in the lights down on the Riverwalk with about four million other tourists.

Doesn't everyone remember the Alamo at Christmastime? :)

Me and the kiddos at the Riverwalk. Rob had worship practice. sadface. But we still had a blast.

Birthday party for Jesus! We honored the true reason for the season! Thank you, Lord!

Beautiful lights on the river. A beautiful season we will treasure in our hearts for years to come.

On the Job

2011-12-27T10:16:00.002-06:00

My sweet friend, Jen, helped me with wedding a few weekends back. While we were working, she shot this photo of me doing my photog thing. I love it! :) Thanks, girl!

Our Two Shepherds

2011-12-11T21:31:00.001-06:00

These two kiddos did a fantastic job in the church play tonight. So much enthusiasm. Reminds me that apples don't fall far from trees. :) So excited to see the people they become. I love them sooooo much!!

Thanksgiving and Root Canal

2011-12-09T08:01:00.003-06:00

Well, we didn't spend Thanksgiving as we planned. I wound up having an emergency root canal that Monday. But we did really enjoy each other's company. And took this photo before we went to Golden Corral for dinner. (never again)

Styrofoam Cup Theology

2011-12-07T20:26:00.001-06:00

(tonight's message - inspired greatly by Jeanne Mayo)

Styrofoam Cup Theology

Part One

What is it that you are holding in your hand? These are cups, disposable cups. Can you use these again? Can they say, go in the dishwasher? Will they hold up over time? No, these are only good for temporary use, right?

Hmmm. You could kind of say that about you and me, couldn’t you? When you consider that time has stretched out for at least 4000 years already and you and I only last about 70 or 80 typically. Our bodies weren’t crafted for the long haul, were they??

Tonight we are talking about Styrofoam Cup Theology. Everybody say it.

1 Corinthians 4:5-7 tells us that we are like these cups. “We do not tell people of ourselves but Jesus Christ as Lord and ourselves as servants for God who said, ‘Let there be light out of darkness’ made light shine in our hearts to give us the light of the knowledge of God’s glory. But we have this treasure inside of us like throwaway cups and like jars that can be broken.”

The treasure is God’s glory and light. We contain Christ.

“Christ in you, the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:27

We are these weak, disposable cups. The Bible refers to us as earthen vessels, jars of clay, tents, grass that withers, flowers that fade, but a vapor. We are nothing on our own. What can we do?

We can contain Jesus. That’s right, Christ in you, the hope of glory.

It’s pretty ridiculously awesome that Christ’s Spirit dwells in us. Honestly, we have it even better than the disciples. Sure, they got to walk with Jesus. They ate with Him, hung out with Him. But Jesus was human and still needed to sleep, to spend alone time or down time. In His human form He was limited to being only one place at a time.

But now, because Jesus is IN us in spirit form, He is not held back by human limitations. He’s with you from the moment you open your sleep crusty eyes in the morning to when you lay your head on the pillow at night. You literally can walk every step, every day with Him. We all can. What’s more is that the Bible tells us the Holy Spirit is a deposit, guaranteeing our future in heaven. The Holy Spirit is a constant reminder of our future destination.

Because Christ is IN US - we can pour Jesus out to the world around us. I think you will find that as Christ pours His Spirit into us we can’t possibly contain it anyway! The natural reaction to ‘too much’ is to pour out.

So this evening we are going to talk about that pouring. We’ll start in 1 Samuel, talking about David and Jonathon. You all remember David, right? Rockstar shepherd boy who took out Goliath with five smooth stones?

Well, really that was just the beginning of his awesome rise to fame in Israel. And what often happens with rockstars, a few haters come to the surface. For instance, Justin Beiber is a modern day example. How many of you like Justin? Come on, we can all admit he’s talented, right? The kid is 17, and could sing circles around me and probably every person in this room. But a few folks just can’t stand him. My daughter, Sarah, is one of those people. She can’t stand the sight of his floppy hair and pretends to punch him every time she sees a cardboard cutout of the boy.

Well, back to our story. David had a hater as well. And unfortunately, he was a hater with a lot of power and influence. King Saul couldn’t stand to see David coming, and he wanted to do a lot more damage to David than punching a cardboard cutout! King Saul was determined to kill David.

But God had David’s back and brought him a smart and powerful friend; Jonathon. Jonathon’s main source of influence was the fact that he was Saul’s son. Did you catch that? Jonathon, David’s best friend, was the son of King Saul, the man who was out to kill David. Sounds like a soap opera, right? Not the Bible.. I’m telling you, you should read this book, there’s all kinds of fantastic stories in there.

Here’s a verse that tells you what kind of friends David and Jonathon were.

1 Samuel 18:1, 3- 4

After David had finished talking with Saul, Jonathan became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself. ² From that day Saul kept David with him and did not let him return home to his family. ³ And Jonathan made a covenant with David because he loved him as himself. ⁴ Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt.

God gave David a soul-knitting relationship with Jonathon. 1 Samuel 1:8 “And the soul of Jonathan was knit to the soul of David.” God knew that David needed a Jonathon if he was to survive King Saul’s attempts to murder him.

What does soul-knitting mean? Well, let’s start with what is your soul? Your soul is your mind, will and emotions. All of these ingredients combine to make your soul. Soul knitting is a combination of God’s supernatural plan with your day to day choices. It’s when your will lines up with God’s will and you act in accordance with His word and plan for your life.

Jonathon chose to daily care about David, even when it cost him dearly. I can’t imagine Jonathon had too great of relationship with his dad, King Saul, after he started hanging out with David.

You and I need to look for opportunities to develop soul-knitting relationships. There are people hurting all around us; at school, in your neighborhood, as you are walking down the street. I have started praying, “God give me eyes to see your souls.” as I drive or walk or go to the grocery store.

See, sometimes we are guilty of seeing people just as people. Sometimes worse than that, we see them as obstacles, in the way of what we want. It’s easy to do, there are so many of them. But God sees them as souls. He sees lost and hurting souls, in desperate need of a relationship with Him. And we have an opportunity to be the conduit (the link) between Jesus and people. God can use you and I to pour Jesus into people’s life through deep relationship.

But we need to be on the look out for opportunities to develop those relationships. And there are opportunities everywhere. My best friend, the one that I’ve been friends with for fifteen years now, well we met during the most boring sociology class of all time. Why? Because we took the opportunity to develop a soul-knitting relationship.

Part Two

So how do we develop a soul-knitting relationship with another? Is it magical? Does it just happen instantly? Is it like ‘imprinting’ in the Twilight books where you have no choice as to who or when?

Nope. You have to look for opportunities. Then you need to make unselfish covenant choices. Meaning, consistently choosing their best interests over yours.

We read on in 1 Samuel 18:3 “Then David and Jonathon made a covenant, because Jonathan loved David like his own soul.”

Jonathon and David made a commitment to place the other’s best interests first. They decided to love each other unselfishly. Did you hear me? Love is a decision before and after it is an emotion. Deciding to love someone daily is what builds a long term friendship, or one day a marriage. Deciding to love someone is what allows you to overcome the little irritants of the every day.

It’s a dangerous thing to pray “Brand me with unselfish covenant choices.” But that is what God wants for our lives. In fact, it’s exactly what Jesus modeled for us by coming to the earth as a baby and dying on the cross as a sinless man.

Our society says, “Love is an emotion. When you fell a certain way, than you act unselfishly.” This is a problem for sure, because as soon as that feeling starts to fade, you stop acting in the other person’s best interests. What happens next? The relationship starts to fail.

This is what happens in over 50% of all marriages. The couple starts out feeling like they adore each other, and when the feelings fade or the honeymoon wears off, they stop making unselfish covenant choices and suddenly the marriage ends.

I used marriage as an example but what about friendships? I’m sure the statistics on friendships are even higher, but that’s not something that anyone has tracked. Because unfortunately, I would guess the rate of failed friendships is even higher than the rate of failed marriages in this country. How many of you have had a friend that is no longer your friend? And how many of you have been married and no longer are married? See, point proven. Friendships die all the time, because you and I are are unwilling to make unselfish covenant choices.

Styrofoam Cup Theology tells us instead that right choices will eventually bring right emotions. See, when we are constantly pouring Jesus into our life (by reading the word, and praying, worshipping) we are compelled to do right things. Even when we don’t feel like it. When you start doing right things, eventually you will start to feel really good about those right choices.

I remember when I first rededicated my life to Jesus. I was sixteen. My dad and I had a way bad relationship. It pretty much consisted of yelling at each other. After I rededicated my heart, I knew it was wrong to yell at my dad. So I stopped. Cold turkey. It was really hard, especially since my dad didn’t stop yelling at me. In fact, he was annoyed that I didn’t fight back and so he yelled even louder. Those first few months of being yelled at were really hard, I had to fight my emotions not to yell back every day. But eventually, my heart got in the right place and I had no desire to yell back. I just felt really bad for my dad that he was hurting so much that he felt he needed to yell in order to release it.

Right choices will eventually bring right emotions. The only way to learn to consistently make right choices is by spending time with Jesus and allowing Him to teach you right ways.

Part Three

Jonathon was willing to lay down his life for David. We find this in verse 4. “Jonathan took off the robe he was wearing and gave it to David, along with his tunic, and even his sword, his bow and his belt.”

At that time, when you gave someone your robe you were saying “I give you myself.” But when you gave someone your weapons, you were saying, “You have conquered me. I will serve you.”

Styrofoam Cup Theology teaches us to be willing to genuinely lay down our life for others. To give them our robe and our weapons. In our stewardship series last month we talked about how everything we have is God’s and we need to be willing to give it away. Being generous is vital. But the higher standard is laying down your life for them. Considering their needs above your own.

Does this sound at all familiar? John 15:13 “There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”

Jesus set this perfect example for us, didn’t he?

What if you look around and think, there’s no one here worth laying my life down for. Well, Jesus probably could have thought that about us, too, right?

Sometimes we need to be a friend rather than to have a friend.

Pastor Rob knew this kid in high school. His name was Nate Hanlon. He was a little slow. You know, kind of talked funny.

“I don’t know what you be talking about. I talk just fine.”

He tried to be a tough guy, wearing his leather jacket and all. He was kind of mean. But Rob noticed that Nate got picked on a lot. In fact, one day some bigger high schoolers were picking on Nate and Rob happened to be nearby. And because Rob was walking with Jesus, he had a swell of confidence and stepped in – asking the guys to leave Nate alone. Nate started hanging out with Rob. Rob invited him to the bible study he led on campus. Then Rob invited him to youth group. Nate gave his heart to Christ not long after that. And Rob and Nate made many great memories together in those years.

Often times our friendship can be a help up to a person around us. Just the fact that you have Jesus and are extending that to the people around you – you have something awesome to offer. You can be a good listener. You can genuinely care. You can be an encourager. You can just be there consistently. You can be honest. All of those things are qualities that people look for in a friend.

In fact, best selling author, Carol Ladd composed a list of seven qualities that people look for in a friend. They are as follows.

1) Genuine interest in others.

2) A giver, not a taker.

3) Loyalty.

4) Positivity.

5) Ability to appreciate differences.

6) Common interests.

7) Honesty and openness.

Wow, six of those seven qualities are built into the Christian life. And the one that’s not, ‘common interests’ can easily be resolved by making the other person your common interest. People are always interested in talking about themselves, it’s the subject they know the most about!

If you want to be like Jesus.. as we practice this Styrofoam Cup Theology.. we need to pour our lives out into others. Your friend will be the one whose need you can meet.. Not the one who meets your needs.

Altar/Prayer

God, tonight, place people in our hearts and minds. Help us to see the people around us as souls that are precious to you. Give us a deep appreciation for each one, as well as a burden for their salvation. God help us to see the individuals around us as Your masterpieces, objects of your affection. God we know that you loved each of us enough to die on a cross to restore relationship with them. God give us that love for the people around us. Allow us to be your hands and feet. Let us pour out our lives for the people in our world. God, give us opportunities for soul-knitting friendships. Help us to make covenant choices for the people in our lives. Keep us from abandoning relationships, but allow us to serve the needs of the people around us. Help us to be willing to lay down our lives for our friends as Your Word says. Help us to be good friends that continually point others to You.

Stewardship Series: Financial Responsibility

2011-12-07T11:30:00.000-06:00

Turn the Key.

Tonight we are starting a new series on Stewardship. Stewardship is kind of one of those ‘church’ words that we don’t use outside this building too much. Anyone know what it means?

I like definitions. Webster’s says stewardship is “the conducting, supervising, or managing of something; especially : the careful and responsible management of something entrusted to one's care”

God’s Word challenges us to be good stewards. Everything we have is ours at the blessing of God. That may be a new thought for you, but God literally has placed every good thing in your life. Your home, your family, your finances, your friends, your school, even your body are all gifts on loan from God. You need to treat them as such.

Considering that all you have is at the grace of God keeps perspective in your life, lends you towards thanksgiving, and stewardship. You realize that you need to be responsible with these gifts that God has given you.

Tonight we’ll be unpacking a great set of scriptures, taken from Psalm 37:21-26

²¹ The wicked borrow and do not repay,
but the righteous give generously;
²² those the LORD blesses will inherit the land,
but those he curses will be destroyed.

²³ The LORD makes firm the steps
of the one who delights in him;
²⁴ though he may stumble, he will not fall,
for the LORD upholds him with his hand.

²⁵ I was young and now I am old,
yet I have never seen the righteous forsaken
or their children begging bread.
²⁶ They are always generous and lend freely;
their children will be a blessing.

So what can we learn about stewardship from these verses?

First off, the wicked borrow and do not repay. Borrowing and not repaying is not a trait of the godly. It’s important to repay whatever you owe. Really, it’s best if you just never borrow to begin with, you’ll save yourself a lot of heart ache and stress. Pastor Rob and I have tried to live by this because we didn’t early in our marriage and it was PAINFUL! Since we started living by the principle of not borrowing, it has been a very big blessing to us. It’s also an awesome opportunity for God to show Himself faithful in our lives when we refuse to use credit to solve our own financial responsibilities.

A cool example of that was last summer. I was having some tooth pain and went to the dentist and found out I needed two crowns, like immediately. Crowns are extremely expensive; about $1400 a piece by the time they are seated an all. We did not have that kind of extra money. I told the appointment lady that I needed to go home, talk to Rob about it and pray with him about it. She handed me a credit application and encouraged me to fill it out. I stood my ground, said I’d call back with an answer in a week.

The week passed. Rob and I prayed and believed and asked you guys to pray to. By the time came that I needed to make the appointment, God had provided all the money we needed, without borrowing a penny. We paid cash for the crowns, and got a discount because of it. See, God is faithful! We depended on Him to provide, rather than rushing to solve it on our own. And He did, and now I have this cool sermon illustration and two shiny, paid-for crowns!

The opposite of borrowing and not paying back is what the righteous do, giving generously! God has really been challenging Pastor Rob and I in this area of our life. So much so that I have found myself looking for opportunities to bless others. It’s fun!

One time, when we were first married, we had some friends that were really struggling financially. They were in Bible college, had three kids, and had just hit a hard time. We decided to buy them some groceries. So we went to the store and picked out kid friendly foods and then snuck down the back alley behind their house, quick unloaded the groceries on the back porch, rang the bell and drove off as fast as we could. To this day they have no idea where those groceries came from. It was such a fun thing to do! Way better than tp-ing or forking someone’s yard! Although, that is fun too!

The scripture goes on to say that the Lord makes firm the steps of those who delight in Him. This has been our experience as well. As we grow in our walk with God, the firmer our steps are. The closer we live to His biblical principles for our life and especially finances, the less frightening our finances have been. We still depend on Him completely, but there’s no fear. We have a legacy of His provision in our lives, meaning we can look back over the past almost 14 years and see all the ways He has taken care of us. Trust is firmly planted because He has been faithful all those years.

The next portion of that verse says “though he may stumble, he will not fall, for the Lord upholds him in His right hand.” This is so true. Rob and I have tripped up in our finances. Lots of times. We’ve messed up, we’ve stumbled. But God is faithful, and He is our restorer. He has allowed us to learn from our mistakes and to learn to trust Him more and more. And He’s even gone so far as to allow us to teach others from our experiences, which is so much how the Lord works. He’ll allow you to go through things to grow your character, and to enable you for the ministry of others.

The last part of this verse describes how the writer is a very old man, but has never seen the righteous forsaken, or their children begging for bread. Instead the righteous give freely, and their children are a blessing.

God provides. Miraculously and faithfully. And we can give to others out of the trust that God is going to continue to provide. Remember how I said PR and I were really working on this area of giving more freely? Since we’ve been doing that, God has blessed us both so incredibly. I seriously could write a list of all the ways He has rained down physical blessing in our life in the past few years, but what would be harder to articulate is all the ways that He has emotionally, relationally and spiritually blessed us. Meaning, He’s healed hurts, given us vision and favor, allowed us relationship with people, provided understanding and wisdom.. All of these things that we aren’t capable of on our own, He has poured out on our lives. We are truly blessed in ways I don’t even know how to express, but I know it’s a direct result of being generous.

I know Pastor Rob says it all the time on Sunday mornings when he receives the offering, but you cannot outgive God. It is the one thing in scripture that God tells us to ‘test Him’ in. Malachi 3:11

Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the LORD Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.

When we are faithful to God to give our tithe (ten percent of our income) He will bless you. Not just financial blessing, but every kind of blessing you can imagine. Giving unlocks God’s blessing in your life. This verse talks about floodgates. If you aren’t familiar with floodgates, they are giant door-type walls that control water in a river, specifically to maintain a specific flow or water stage. When you ‘open the floodgate’ all the pent up water comes rushing out. I see giving, specifically tithing, as the key that turns the lock on the floodgate, allowing it to rush God’s blessing all over your life. So much that you ‘won’t have room enough to store it’.

What do you do when you run out of room to store things?

It’s an opportunity to start giving things away. So picture this with me. God has all this blessing, literally just ready to pour out all over your life, so much so that you won’t be able to help and give it away to others. He’s just waiting for you to tithe, to give, so that He can respond by opening the flood gates. It’s a pretty awesome image, isn’t it?

The other aspect of giving is that giving allows the church to move forward in it’s mission. We all understand that we are part of the Great Commission; going and telling all the world about Jesus. And hopefully, each of you are doing your part in the going and telling in your school and home, with your family and friends. But Jesus called us to tell all the world. Now how can you and I in San Antonio obey that call? If you can’t physically go, you can SEND. Giving is one of the ways we send. By giving, we empower the church to do the work. By giving to missionaries, they can tell the world. And our church, ct|church, supports 33 international missionaries, as well as about 15 home (or United States) missionaries or missionary organizations. See, you may not be able to go to Africa or Cambodia or Thailand to tell someone that Jesus died for them, but your dollar can go to fund the missionary who will.

The truth is giving is how church works. Realistically, it’s a reflection of how God works. He loved us so much that He ‘GAVE’ His one and only son to us. When you love, you give. You and I are called to love and called to give.

You know in your heart if you are being faithful to give to God, and to others. You know what you are supposed to do. Lately God has been pressing on my heart, asking me, is there anything I have that I’m not willing to give? God has given me everything that I have. There should be nothing that you are unwilling to part with for His glory. Because the truth is, it’s just stuff. It’s just money. You can’t take it with you. We talked about death last week. None of this temporal stuff goes with you to the next phase. We need to remember that as we deal with money and things. We worship God, not money or things. Let’s remember that our relationship with God and others are the only things worth hanging on to in this life. Loosen your grip on the other things and let God bless you for your trust and faithfulness in him. Start giving generously, start tithing. Turn the key to open that floodgate in your life, and then stand back and enjoy the outpouring.

(lay the keys on the altar, have students come up and take a key and pray as a symbol of being willing to give whatever they have to God)

Stewardship Series: Social Responsibility

2011-12-07T11:27:00.000-06:00

The Planet, the People and Papa.

The Planet

God gave us this planet. We reach back to Genesis and can see that He built the planet from scratch. In fact, put a lot of effort and creativity in it. Don’t believe me? Look around at all that has come from His imagination! Let’s think about crickets for a moment. Can you name a few types of crickets? There are lots of varieties of crickets house crickets, field crickets, cave crickets, ground crickets, camel crickets, mole crickets, snowy tree cricket and the northern mole crickets. Honestly, I didn’t know all those names of crickets, but google is a handy tool and it turns out there are over 900 varieties of crickets! Just knowing that God designed 900 different types of crickets is enough to make you stop and go, whoa! God used his best efforts when He created this planet!

Anyone know what God told us to do with His earth? Are we supposed to use it up? Abuse it? Trash it? Ignore it?

Well, let’s see what scripture has to say about it.

Genesis 1:28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it.”

So God told us to fill it, right? Be fruitful and multiply. Make babies, fill up the earth. And man, we are doing a great job. We just hit the population point of 7 billion people on the planet about 2 weeks ago.

The next part of the verse tells us to subdue the earth. Subdue means to bring under control or overcome. Another translation, the Message says be responsible for the earth. God wants us to care for His planet. He’s put it on loan to us and you and I are to be caretakers, or stewards of.

Pastor Rob used to be a caretaker of a church camp while he was in Bible college. (we always joked that the job title caretaker sounded like a horror movie title) His job consisted of yard maintenance, pool care, keeping the plumbing working, and just overall upkeep. The camp belonged to our church, so he was very diligent because he knew that really, the camp belonged to God.

Our planet is the same way. God has allowed us to live here. We need to properly care for this treasure that He has created. Taking care of the earth is wonderful way to say ‘thank you’. What are some simple things that you can do to care for His planet?

Not littering is a big one. Shutting off the water while you brush your teeth. Some of you might think ‘take less showers’ but let me promise you, everyone around you needs you to take a shower every day, so don’t cut any corners there. But say with food - you can take what you need and eat what you take. Or even with napkins and ketchup packets at your favorite fast food restaurant. Shut off the lights when you leave a room. Shut the door when you walk out of the house. You don’t want to air condition the state, right?

An easy way to tell God ‘I love you’ is by taking care of this planet. Another one is to thank Him for it regularly. Take a walk and just enjoy the sights and sounds of all that He created and say ‘thanks’.

The People

We also have a social responsibility to people. What do I mean by that? Well, you can’t just do whatever you want whenever you want wherever you want. Hopefully you guys have already begun to figure that out on your own.

See, God placed us in homes and families and schools and communities according to His time and purposes. Scripture tells us so.

From one man he made all the nations, that they should inhabit the whole earth; and he marked out their appointed times in history and the boundaries of their lands. Acts 17:26

And in living according to His purpose for our lives, we have certain responsibilities or duties to the people around us. Can anyone tell me what God says about how we are supposed to treat our neighbor?

Luke 10:27 says ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’

We need to love the people around us. We have a responsibility to get our heads out of the sand in our lives and start paying attention to the people in our world.

How do we love the people around us? Let’s start with your family. When we first start talking about this you may think ‘well, I don’t even know if I like my siblings, or my parents’ but let’s pretend for a moment that your cell phone just rang. It’s the police chaplain and he’s calling to tell you that your whole family had taken the car down to HEB to get a few things before church. But as they rounded the corner in the grocery store parking lot an explosion took place at the gas pumps and your entire family was proclaimed dead at the scene. I bet if you had the phone in your hand and heard that in the receiver you’d change your mind real quick about how much you love your family.

Why do people wait until it’s too late to love the people God placed in their lives? Decide right now that you genuinely love your family. Start treating them with love; honoring them, speaking kind words, avoiding arguments or tantrums.

Romans 12:18 tells us “In as much depends on you, live peaceably with all men.”

God wants you to get along with your family. And a lot depends on you. The truth of the matter is that it takes two people to argue. You are in control of your end of that relationship.

But that verse doesn’t just apply to family. It says ‘all men’. God means everyone you come in contact with, everywhere you go; at school, at practice, at church. Get along with people, don’t pick fights, don’t stir up drama. Obey your teachers, listen to them, you might actually learn something! Respect the authority that God has put over you. Remember, He set you exactly in the life you have to form you into the person He wants you to be.

And as special as you are, He uniquely and lovingly designed the people around you too. Treat them like they are the God creations that they are, because you have a responsibility to them as well.

The Papa

You have a social responsibility to the Papa. Papa is another word for daddy, or father. And I’m not talking about your earthly dad, we covered him in the last section when we talked about loving people. I’m talking about your spiritual father, your creator. You have a responsibility to God.

God created us as objects of His affection. Meaning, He loves us. He longs for us to return His love. Deuteronomy 6:5 tells us “Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.”

In fact, Jesus tells us 1200+ years later that this commandment is the greatest commandment God has given us. God told us to do or not do a lot of things, but Jesus (His son) told us that this is the most important, this loving the Lord with all your heart, soul and strength. Probably because Jesus knew that if we got our relationship with God in proper perspective, all the other things would come into place.

If you love God with everything you have, it’s hard to sin. God probably knew that, since He knows all things. His goal isn’t only to keep you from sinning, but to help you become everything He’s created for you to be.

We don’t love God out of compulsion, it’s not because we have to. You and I have a choice. Each person on the planet has that choice. But the best for your life and mine comes when we choose to love God with everything we have to offer.

God loved us so much that He did what?

John 3:16, God so loved the world that He gave His one and only son.

Right? Can you imagine with me for a moment that you have liver cancer. It’s killing you, slowly but for sure, unless you receive a new liver, you are going to die, a long, drawn out painful death. And my son, Eli, is a perfect match (actually,the only match) for your liver. Of course, keep in mind that he is currently using his liver and needs it to live. But I decide, because I love you so much, that Eli will give you his liver. Even though, if Eli give you his liver, he will die.

That is exactly what God did for you, to cover your salvation. You were dying of a disease called sin. And Jesus was the only cure, because He was the only one without sin. So God offered up his only son to cure your disease. Wow. He loves us.

So there’s that, and also a couple hundred other verses in the Bible tell us that God loves us. God knows we need to hear it often, I guess. So how should we react to His love?

We respond with love in return, and gratitude. Take a moment and think of three reasons to be grateful for God…

That’s easy, right? Especially this time of year, we are all thinking about what we are thankful for anyway. For me, it’s actually hard to just stop at three. The first three that pop into my brain are my savior, my Rob and my kids. But then I start thinking about how I have good health, and a job I love and hair on my head and a happy life and chocolate and it just starts blowing up from there. Wow, God, You are so good!! To me!!

You can see how just having an attitude of gratitude grows your love for God, right?

So as we wrap up this evening we have a couple things to consider. First off, are you showing God your love by the way you treat His planet? Are you being respectful? Are you showing Him gratitude or thanks by being a good caretaker?

The next question is how are you treating His people? Are you loving and kind, slow to anger? Or are you quick-tempered and mean spirited? Do you need to get a better grasp of how God views the people around you?

The last but probably the most important question of the evening; are you being responsible to the Papa? Because honestly, you can be the biggest tree-hugger on the planet, so green that your hybrid car runs on sunshine and lollipops, but if you don’t know God, what good is it? Or maybe you love people really well, you’re a huge people person and you have an infectious personality and tons and tons of friends but you don’t give God the time of day. Hell is going to be a really lonely place if you are people person who didn’t know God.

We need to love God with all our heart, our soul and our strength. We need to love Him when we wake up in the morning and when we lay our heads down at night. We need to realize that every tiny detail in our life from the sun streaming across your desk in study hall to the best friend that shares your exact sense of humor is a gift from Him. When you start to wrap your mind around that, you will find all kinds of reasons to thank Him, and love Him.

If that sounds a little far fetched to you right now, just begin to ask Him to show Himself in your life. Take a few moments in your chair and ask Him to help you love Him more. Remember that He is faithful and He longs to be in right relationship with you if you will open your eyes and see His fingerprints all around you.

(altar - Fingerprints of God)

Me and Jeanne

2011-11-30T14:26:00.003-06:00

So two weekends ago I was in the restroom at Youth Convention. Truth be told, I was hiding out a bit from the bass tones of worship. I was in some pretty tremendous pain from a tooth that was about to have a root canal (unbeknown to me). But as I'm in the stall I hear the lady in the stall next to me talking at her cell phone "Text so and so.. tell her..." but the phone was not cooperating. I laughed to myself and asked across the partition, "trouble with Suri?". The lady laughed and we struck up a conversation. After we both imerged and washed our hands it suddenly occurred to me that she was Jeanne Mayo, a female youth pastor that Rob and I have been learning from for over a decade. Holy cow, right there in the ladies room!! I introduced myself and we hugged (that's just Jeanne for you, never met a stranger) and she asked me to take a photo. Right there in the ladies room. Well, for once I had left my camera in the convention center and couldn't oblige for one with her. But she was our speaker for the next session. Rob and I sat right up front and got a photo with her and she signed our books and everything. We actually had opportunity to have two different conversations with her and she personally invited both of us to Cadre, her leadership training program. Then she spoke, and it was epic. Very encouraging. She's kind of all over the place, but amazing. It was really eye opening to me, because my personal style of speaking is super similar. :) So here is a photo of us. My hero.

Day Ten - Thankful

2011-11-16T14:19:00.001-06:00

Today I am thankful for Pinterest.com It has been such a source of inspiration to me! Especially as I prepare for the holidays and this ladies luncheon.

the Slow Kid

2011-11-15T06:11:00.003-06:00

Lately I've been thinking a lot about how God allows us to partner with Him in ministry. Just going through the credentialing process itself has been extremely humbling and eye opening. I've been reveling in the joyous truth that God invites us into this process of 'going and telling'. I mean, He's God, surely He could evangelize the world more efficiently without us. Consider Saul and his Damascus Road experience. God doesn't need our help in evangelism. He allows us to participate in this great miracle.

This morning, during my quiet time, I felt like I received a better understanding of this concept. See, it's kind of like when you are in middle school and the teacher divides you up into groups to work on a project. God is the smart kid with all the answers. He doesn't need any help with the problems, in fact He had a solid understanding of the problem and the solution long before He came to class that day. But He partners with us, the slow kids in class, for our benefit. It's opportunity for us to grow and learn.

So this morning, I am grateful to be in God's small group. I am praying to be a humble and quick learner, and to make Him proud with my efforts. To hear "Well done, my good and faithful servant." is my goal. I will always be His student. I'm hoping to graduate with honors one day. ;)

Day Nine - Thankful

2011-11-09T11:25:00.000-06:00

This morning I am thankful for Berean School of the Bible. Even though it kicks my rear all over the place, these classes have been a tremendous challenge and blessing to me. I now know just how much I don't know. LOL.

Day Eight - Thankful

2011-11-08T11:22:00.000-06:00

Today I'm thankful for my productive mind. It's crazy, in jr high and high school I was a slacker as far as a student. I had trouble focusing, I was distracted, and extremely unreliable. I still have some of those qualities, but I've definitely learned how to manage my time better. I really enjoy finding a challenge and rising to it. I know that it is a gift from God and I couldn't manage my life without it.

Day Seven - Thankful

2011-11-07T11:19:00.000-06:00

Today I am thankful to live in this house. This HUGE house. In fact, as I clean it in preparation for my sister's visit I can't help but think about just how thankful I am. I'm probably the only person who mops their floors with thanksgiving but I still can't believe we get to live here. :) What a blessing!! And it's been so fun to be able to host people in our home again.

Day Six - Thankful

2011-11-06T11:04:00.000-06:00

Today I am thankful for children with amazing personalities. They are such a delight to watch and learn from. The other day I noticed them playing Monopoly together and it amazed me that they are old enough to play a complicated game without direction from adults. They are growing up so fast, but just delighting me in the process. I constantly post their little quips on Facebook because they just crack me up. Here are a few samplings from the past couple weeks.

Sarah's dinner prayer: "thank you for this food and that mom has the talent to make this good stuff." #homemademacandcheeseisahit

Sarah got new church shoes and she just asked Eli "Do you like these shoes? Do you think they are supreme??"

looking at the kiddo's Christmas lists.. Sarah put "to go to Paris. PS - I want to see a mime." #applesdontfallfarfromtrees

and Eli put "a surprise present.. (a good one!!)"

Sarah is reading the story of Moses and Pharaoh and when she gets to the tenth plague Eli looks at me and says "that STINKS!"

Eli is Lot. Connor is Noah. I asked to take their pic together and Eli says "But we are from different timelines!" #gatekids

Eli's teacher told me that they were discussing slavery in class today and E said that if he lived during that time in US History he would buy slaves so he could free them. #lovethiskidsheart

Just saw my kids pass each other in the school hallway and they totally high-fives each other nonchalantly as they passed. #coolestkidsontheplanet

Have some leftover desserts and I told Rob we could take them to the neighbors and Eli says "Give it to the neighbor that has the POOL!"So Eli asks me this morning if Rob and I will handle the kids inheritance in a Biblical fashion: "you know, where the firstborn son gets everything." #hiswheelsarewaysturning

Listening to Eli Thoreson explain on the phone to Papa Charlie Sheats how he's using reverse psychology on his teachers. (as long as it's only his teachers)

My kids just asked me "Mom, who put the ABC's in order?" (my kids think I know a lot more than I actually do)

See, they are amazing, right?

Day Five - Thankful

2011-11-05T11:02:00.000-05:00

Today I'm thankful the the Holy Spirit wrecked our service this week. We started singing "My Soul Sings" which was totally new to the students and they were overcome. I personally felt out of control and completely dependent on God for the direction of the remainder of the service and it was scary and exciting at the same time. I'm so thankful to serve a living God who has blessed me with His Holy Spirit as a guide towards truth and righteousness.

Day Four - Thankful

2011-11-04T10:58:00.000-05:00

Today I am thankful that God always hems me in. When I'm off kilter, or just plain out of line. My personality is sometimes simply too big for my stature. But God always draws me back to Himself, softens my rough edges, and gives me next steps. Most days, I need all of the above.

"You hem me in behind and before,
and you lay your hand upon me"

Psalm 139:5

Day 3 - Thankful

2011-11-03T22:01:00.000-05:00

So today I am incredibly thankful that I just discovered the blogger ap. i have been hoping they would make one for a long time now. Sadly, it's only for iPhone right now, but I hope that means iPad is around the corner. I've wanted to blog away from home so many times, this will be helpful!

Day Two - Thankful

2011-11-02T12:04:00.002-05:00

Today, I am extremely thankful for life in San Antonio. The weather is beautiful at least six months of the year. I'm able to shoot almost all year round. I can walk my kids to school. The people are so friendly. I'm amazed by how much I love it. It's not Iowa, but it's a close second and I'm thankful that God put us here.

Day One - Thankful

2011-11-01T12:01:00.001-05:00

Tried to do this on FB last year, but didn't seem like the appropriate place. I like the idea though, and I'm going to try to be more creative than "I'm thankful for my family, my husband, my kids." Of course, I am thankful for all of them, but I want to dig a little deeper.

Today, I am thankful for our new Mac. Not only is it a visual reminder of God's faithfulness in my life, but it has already cut my post-processing time in half. And that is a gift from God, especially right now, during my busiest season of the year. Plus, it's just a dream to use. And paid for in full. God is so good!

Ten Minutes

2011-10-27T12:19:00.006-05:00

Looking back at my blog it looks like all I do is post sermons lately. And this blog was never supposed to be for that. :) So I decided to quick give myself ten minutes to check in, say hey, and tell you what is on my heart. The sermon thing is pretty realistic though, seems like that's all I do lately, writing messages. It's ridiculous how long it takes me to carve out one twenty minute message. oh well, at least I take it seriously. Oh, and last night on the one hand was super annoying because the power point that I had spent three hours preparing didn't work. Grrrr.

On the other hand, in the second service, our students hi-jacked it for a few minutes, did the most awesome skit 'Homecoming' and then at the end crowned us King and Queen, homecoming class of 1996. I was almost in tears, it was so sweet and genuine. We really serve some amazing students. They also presented us with a giant check 'for all their love' and a babysitting voucher and a gift card to Panera for a date night. It was super thoughtful.

In other exciting news... We have been saving for a new iMac forever. Every time we get close, something happens and we have to spend the money in other ways. Well, with Pastor Appreciation (man, we were appreciated, ct|church does a terrific job of loving their staff, service and the dinner were beautiful!) and then the extra ATP work lately, we were finally ready to press the 'buy' button on our Amazon cart with a new 21inch Mac. Something caught in me and I suggested we quick look at Craigslist. We found two month old 27inch for just a teensy bit more than what we had been prepared to spend on the smaller 'economy' iMac (if there is such a thing). The best part is that it's still under warranty and transferable.

Here is my new baby, which I actually have only put eyeprints on because the tiny bit of time I have been home I have had too much going on to play with it. But Rob is still setting it up (which is his favorite part) so it's all good. Isn't it beautiful?

To me the best part is how we waited on the right timing... Not going into debt and not touching the emergency fund. I feel like those extra six inches (which is HUGE, this desktop is giant, my iPad is there to give you perspective) are God's special blessing to us for doing this the right way. He's so good to us!

Ok, so I'm out of time but that was fun and I need to do this more often! And just because the kiddos always make everything better, I'm throwing in a quick pic of them and me from last Sunday. We were coordinating and I was going to shoot Dr. Starner during the service, so we grabbed a shot real quick of the three of us. BTW, my kids are amazing and huge and I love them oh-so-much!!

PS- I don't think I have posted any photos since I changed my hair! my bad. Jen took out my highlights (at my request) about two months ago. The brunette is still a tad dark for me, but actually really close to my natural color at this stage of my life. Crazy, cause it used to be Sarah's hair color growing up. But the best part is my one crazy streak! Keepin' it funky!

Supernatural Series: Afterlife

2011-10-27T12:15:00.004-05:00

(this was a tough one to write. Heaven and Hell is some pretty tough subject matter.)

Heaven, Hell, and a Choice.

Part 1) Heaven.

Have you ever thought about happens when you die? Sometimes we are so busy living that we don’t spend much time thinking about it.

See, life is like a standing in line at Six Flags for the Superman. We stand in line for so long we start to think that this is all there is. But the reality is, the real ride begins when we pass from this life to the next.

When you die, you don’t just cease to exist. Although some people would find that more comforting. When you die, you go one of two places.

I want to tell you about the first place. It’s a place that most of humanity hopes to go, but few people have a very clear understanding of what it’s truly like, and even fewer people have a real understanding of how to get there.

This place is called Heaven. It’s a real location. In fact, it is THE place.

Some people wonder why astronauts or airplane pilots haven’t found heaven if it’s real. To that I would tell you that God is over time and space, do you think He can’t hide heaven from us? We know that God is bigger than us, all we need to do is take a look around to see all that He is capable of so much more than we do. Keeping heaven a perfect secret (like a parent keeps a Christmas gift from their child) is not a difficult task for Him.

Because it’s this perfect secret, we have limited information about it. But, let me be very clear, the Word of God has dozens of references to the kingdom of heaven. And when we study the Bible, we can learn a few major things about heaven.

First off, God dwells in heaven, and it is where Jesus went when He ascended after He was risen from the dead. John 14:2 tells us that Jesus went to prepare a place for us, in a house that has ‘many rooms.’ A big house. Like the Audio Adrenaline song. Lots of rooms, lots of food, lots of fellowship.

We know that we will have perfect relationship with others. John 17:21 tells us we will all be as one as the Father, Holy Sprit and Jesus are one. There is no sin there, no division, no selfishness. We will live in unity together. I picture Facebook, only in real life, hanging out with all our peeps and no negativity, no fighting, no arguing, no drama. This is an especially exciting concept as you get older. Right now probably most of you are still running with the same friends since preschool, but as you grow up situations change and people move, life changes. Pastor Rob and I have friends all over the country that we never get to see, only through Facebook are we even still in touch with them. But in heaven, we’ll all be together again. It’s an exciting thought!

Another thing we know about heaven is that there is treasure there. In fact, how we behave here determines our treasure there.

Matthew 6:20 tells us:

But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal.

Your treasure in heaven doesn’t expire. It can rot or fade or be stolen. In fact, heaven itself is a treasure.

Revelation 21:10-11 tells us about the vision that was given to the apostle John about heaven:

And he carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high, and showed me the Holy City, Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God. ¹¹ It shone with the glory of God, and its brilliance was like that of a very precious jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal.

Heaven is a beautiful place, far beyond any beauty we can experience here. In fact, studies have shown that we only use about 15-20% of our brain’s capacity. It’s my personal theory that in heaven we will tap into the rest of our 80% and it will be incredible to see, hear, taste, smell and touch the experiences of heaven. There are verses in scripture that talk about how life here on earth is a mere shadow of life in heaven and that is how I’ve come to that conclusion.

What’s more is that heaven will be a place of rejoicing. Luke 15:7 tells us:

I tell you that in the same way there will be more rejoicing in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who do not need to repent.

There will be parties in heaven. And worship of the one true God. Revelation 7:10 tells us All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God..

Heaven sounds awesome, right? Someplace you want to spend eternity in, and a place you want to take your friends and family, right?

Part 2) Hell.

Well, the downside to this message is that if heaven is real, hell must be real as well. And that’s a bummer because it’s a nasty place run by some nasty people. I’m going to pull a description of hell from a story that Jesus tells us in Luke 16:19-27. I know that’s a lot of scripture, but hang with me, it’s a good story.

¹⁹ “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen and lived in luxury every day. ²⁰ At his gate was laid a beggar named Lazarus, covered with sores ²¹ and longing to eat what fell from the rich man’s table. Even the dogs came and licked his sores.

²² “The time came when the beggar died and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried. ²³ In Hades, where he was in torment, he looked up and saw Abraham far away, with Lazarus by his side. ²⁴ So he called to him, ‘Father Abraham, have pity on me and send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in agony in this fire.’

²⁵ “But Abraham replied, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, while Lazarus received bad things, but now he is comforted here and you are in agony. ²⁶ And besides all this, between us and you a great chasm has been set in place, so that those who want to go from here to you cannot, nor can anyone cross over from there to us.’

Man, hell sounds awful, doesn’t it? Let’s unpack those verses a little bit, and make sure you got the whole story.

First off, hell is separation from God. Don’t minimize this. Your entire existence you have enjoyed relationship with God, even if you were unaware. You have relied on His favor and love and creativity to fuel your life. You were created, by Him, to worship Him. Being denied access and opportunity to have relationship with Him, that will be a futile existence. Being removed from His presence is hell all on it’s own.

Furthermore, you are removed from relationships with others. I’ve heard people joke “Well, I want to go hell, that’s where all my friends are going to be.” I cringe when I hear that. I think that the person has no real idea of God’s grace and love and mercy, and even moreso, no idea of how bad hell is going to be. Your not going to be hanging with your bad friends. You will be cut off. Alone.

Here’s another scripture on hell:

Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

. Have you ever smelled sulfur? We had to use it in chemistry when I was in highschool. It’s nasty stuff, smells like rotten eggs, only much stronger. The Lake of Fire is also referred to as a lake of sulfur, so it will STINK. As much as heaven will engage and delight all the senses, hell will torment all the senses.

If you’ve seen StarWars, episode 3, I thought the scene where ObiWan and Anakin (who grows up to be Darth Vader) was a pretty stunning example of Hell. The entire planet looks horrific! I can’t imagine the heat and discomfort of visiting there, let alone living there.

Another verse in Matthew tells us a bit more about hell: “But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.

Who in here is afraid of the dark? I’m not terribly afraid, but when it’s crazy dark, it definitely freaks me out. One time at camp I was sleeping in the big room (think 50 girls in bunk beds in one room) and I woke up in the middle of the night. Some genius had decided to shut off the emergency exit lights. But it took me a while to put that one together. What I realized first was that my eyes were open but I could see nothing! I then felt my face, yep, my eyes were open, but NOTHING. Couldn’t even see my hand in front of my face! I started to panic, did I go blind in the middle of the night? Finally I decided to test my theory and fumbled for my phone, as soon as I hit the button, light burst from it and I was so relieved. I guess I was more scared of the dark than I thought!

Hell will be dark. Like pitch dark, scary, things that go bump in the dark, DARK.

This scripture also tells us that you will be tormented; ‘weeping and gnashing of teeth.’ In agony, with no end. Think about when you are sick. I mean really sick. Like out of both ends. I remember one time Pastor Rob and I were so sick we were just laying on the bathroom floor, heads pressed against the tile floor. I just wanted to sleep, or die, to end the sickness. In hell, it will be worse than that. But there will be no sleep or death, no end to the torment. It will be continuous and for all time. As bad as this life gets, it has no comparison to hell. Weeping and gnashing of teeth. Absolute torment.

Alright, so now, knowing all that, who here wants to go to hell? Realistically? No one. In our next segment we are going to talk about your choice.

Part 3) The Choice.

I’ve almost died twice in my life. Like literally, tunnel of light, life flashing before my eyes, summing up my existence in a moment died. Twice. And I believe God allowed both circumstances in my life for a very specific purpose.

See the first time, I was fifteen. I had known Jesus, but I was mad at the world and living in rebellion. I was making some lousy choices, but the bigger issue was in my heart. I knew who God was and was living against Him purposefully.

I was in a movie theater, watching a dumb movie. Literally, it was Dumb and Dumber. I laughed so hard during that movie. Turns out laughing and eating milk duds, which turns out to be a lethal combination. A funny part happened as I had just thrown a milk dud in my mouth, and sucked that puppy right down my esophagus at the perfect angle to completely block it. I couldn’t cough, I couldn’t breath, I couldn’t yell for help. I’m making the international choking sign and my friend was just laughing and laughing. The theater grew darker and darker and the screen was further away and smaller by the moment. My life (all fifteen years) flashed before my eyes, and this cold, dark feeling came over me, darkness just seeping in. I could tell this was not heaven bound.. Thankfully, the fear in my body took over and jerked the milk dud out of my throat and I was suddenly sucking in air again.. So thankful to be alive. To this day, I can’t stand that movie and can barely tolerate milk duds.

Two years later, after I had rededicated my life to the Lord, I was in a pretty intense car crash. As the crash was happening, time just seemed to slow. I was calling on Jesus’ name, depending on Him so completely. Again, my life flashed before my eyes, but this time all I saw was brightness, light. I had no fear, because I knew if I died I was going home.

I feel like God allowed me those two experiences so that I would believe in heaven and hell. And that I would know where I was going, as long as I am serving Him.

You can know where you are going. It doesn’t need to be something you live in fear about. Decide you are going to know Jesus and serve Him daily, and then the matter is settled.

I know I’ve thrown a lot of scripture at you tonight, but it was purposeful. I didn’t want you to think I’m just giving my opinions out there willy-nilly. The Bible should be your source for all truth, and I wanted you guys to know that everything I’ve said about heaven and hell is straight from the Word of God. Go ahead and research it yourself.

The thing is, you have a choice. Tonight is all about that choice. See, when you die, Jesus has two questions for you. Not unlike the skit we did earlier tonight.

The first question is very simple.

Did you know me?

This is not a hard question. Did you know Jesus? Did you have the saving knowledge of what He did on the cross for you? Did you accept Him as your savior? You know in your heart right now whether or not you know Him.

If the answer to this question is no, then your destination is hell. If you have rejected the knowledge of Christ in this life, then it is too late in the next. Your life NOW determines your destination.

The second question is a little more complicated. See, he’s going to ask, did you know me, but then..

What did you do about it?

Meaning, what did you do about your knowledge of me? Did you hide it? Did you keep it to yourself? Or did you spread His love around? Did you tell others? Did you live a life worthy of someone who has been saved from hell?

I’m going to pass this card out. I want you guys to hold it in your hands and pray about it. Answer those questions in your head right now. Decide if the answers you have currently are the right answers. Then when you go home, tuck this card in a place you’ll see it often, where you can remind yourself to answer those two questions each day.

Supernatural Series: the Helper

2011-10-19T20:40:00.001-05:00

Tonight I want to talk about the Holy Spirit and how having the Holy Spirit in your life will make you a superhero of the faith. But I don’t want to just preach about it, I want to give each of you an opportunity to seek the infilling, as evidenced with speaking in tongues. So I am going to preach fast, you ok with that?

First off, I am hoping that you all are familiar with the Holy Spirit. It’s a gift that Jesus promised us in multiple places in the new testament. Let’s read John 14:15-19 to give you an idea.

“If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live.

Understand that the Holy Spirit is a secondary gift. The first, of course, is salvation, which comes from belief in Christ, and what He did for you on the cross, covering your sins with His innocent blood.

The Holy Spirit is what draws you to Christ. And it dwells in you when you receive Christ. But the Holy Spirit can do much more than that!

A great way to explain it is with this iPhone and a paper bag. For this example, let’s pretend the iPhone is the Holy Spirit (it’s powerful, can do a lot of things) and you are the paper bag. When we accept Christ, the Holy Spirit comes in us. (place paper bag over the iPhone) But there is a greater purpose than just being in us. The iPhone is a powerful device, just like the Holy Spirit is extremely powerful, effective. When we become infilled (ask for the lights to shut off and turn on flashlight ap) then the Holy Spirit spills out of us and effects the world around us. We have suddenly tapped in to power that we had never had before.

See, those first verses we read in John are such a great testimony to us. When Jesus went to be with the Father, to prepare a place for us, He didn’t leave us alone to fend for ourselves. He sent this great helper. The scripture says “I will not leave you as orphans.” Jesus didn’t abandon us. He left us in great hands.

So why do we need the Holy Spirit? That collection of verses gives us several great reasons.

First off, the Holy Spirit is a Truth Serum. Ok, so the Word calls it the spirit of truth, but I thought truth serum sounded pretty cool. You can’t lie with a truth serum, it seeks out the whole story.

John 15:26 When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father—the Spirit of truth who goes out from the Father—he will testify about me.

This truth serum testifies to the truth. Like a witness in a court of law, the Holy Spirit points the way to the truth, illuminates truth. How handy is that? It also exposes untruth, meaning it brings lies out into the open. Remember last week, we talked about how Satan is a deceiver? The Holy Spirit is your best weapon against Satan’s lies. When you are filled with the Holy Spirit, you are lead into all truth, you are able to discern lies from facts.

Secondly, the Holy Spirit is our Trusty Sidekick. Counselor is the biblical word for it. Think Robin to your Batman. The Holy Spirit is there to help us and strengthen us. Just like any trusty ally. He intercedes in prayer for us. What does that mean? Have you ever needed to pray and you just couldn’t find the words to speak? The Holy Spirit helps you pray from deep down in your heart.

Romans 8:26 tells us

In the same way, the Spirit helps us in our weakness. We do not know what we ought to pray for, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us through wordless groans.

When you are beyond words– that’s when your prayer language, speaking in tongues, is such a blessing. The Holy Spirit will help you negate your circumstances and deal with your heart. He’ll help you pray the things that you can’t find the words to speak.

The Holy Spirit is our trusty sidekick in more ways than just intercession, which is pretty awesome on it’s own.

He also promises to be with you. He’s going to comfort and encourage you in difficult situations. I found an amazing example of that one of my favorite books, The Shack. In the book, there is a little girl, about five years old, who is violently kidnapped and taken into the woods to be tortured and killed. As the little girl is being driven into the woods, she’s tied up in the back seat of the killers truck, terrified. She has a vision of the Holy Spirit, whispering comforting words to her, alleviating her fears, strengthening her. I understand that the book is fiction, but that is exactly what the Holy Spirit does. He reminds us that this world is not our final destination, He continually comforts us by pointing us to Jesus.

Another role the Holy Spirit plays in our life is that of Teacher. Really cool, relevant, wise teacher. Think, Professor X type teacher. Because Professor X can read minds, he’s extremely powerful and wise. The Holy Spirit knows all as well, and leads us into truth, leads us into knowledge. He teaches all things to us, and explains the mysteries of faith.

Professor X is also very good, always fighting for justice. The Holy Spirit is, well, holy. And His holiness leads us into holiness. Just walking in the Holy Spirit (with His infilling) brings dramatic life change.

The last role the Holy Spirit plays in our life is that of the arc reactor. You know, from Iron Man. It’s the glowy thing in the center of his chest that provides him with excessive strength and keeps his heart going. The Holy Spirit does the same thing for us, He powers us up! The infilling of the Holy Spirit is an influx of power unlike any other on earth. The point of this power is to be witnesses for Christ. With the infilling, you will obtain a boldness you never thought possible of your personality before. And that boldness will bring others to Jesus.

(altar workers come forward)

So the Holy Spirit illuminates truth, comforts us, teaches us and empowers us. That is why we want Him in our lives, need Him. So I promised I would preach short tonight, I want to give you opportunity to spend some time seeking the Holy Spirit. The word promises us in Acts 2:39 that the Holy Spirit is for every believer. All you need to do is surrender your life to God. Ask Him to fill you. Tell Him you long for greater relationship with you. God longs to give you this gift.

If you have already received it, it’s time to use your gift again. Speaking in tongues is not a one time experience. If you’ve done it once, you can do it again. Any time you choose to. Begin by praying and seeking God. Ask Him to fill you again. Start praying for your neighbor.

I have purposely built time into this service to pray and ask for the Holy Spirit. If you want to turn around in your chair and seek Him, you may, or you may come forward to pray with one of our leaders. The altar is a great place to seek God. There’s something about that act of submission, getting out of your comfort zone, getting down on your knees. It shows your submission to His lordship.

I urge you to pray out loud. Begin to worship Him, call out His name. Tell Him what you love about Him. What you are thankful for in Him. Ask Him to fill you up. Don’t sing. This is not a time to sing, this is a time to praise and ask for His Spirit. At some point you will need to just make a noise that doesn’t make sense. Don’t be afraid of it, just allow it to happen. It doesn’t matter if you sound silly, just let the Spirit flow through you. You’ll sound silly for a few moments and then the Spirit will take over and do something beautiful with it.

Leaders, pray for these students. Call on God with them, ask God to fill them up! We are participating in a miracle!

Students, don’t give up. Just keep pressing in! He longs to give you this gift! You need this power in your life, you need the Holy Spirit!

Supernatural Series: Lucifer

2011-10-19T14:38:00.001-05:00

1.) Any of you watch crime shows? CSI? Special Victim’s Unit? Criminal Minds? All of those shows have to do with Criminal Profiling.

Criminal profiling, is a behavioral and investigative tool that is intended to help investigators to profile unknown criminal subjects or offenders. Basically, it’s getting a clear picture of the motives and thought processes of the enemy, or criminal.

Tonight I’d like to do a criminal profile on Satan. Why on earth would I want to do that? Because Satan is real, and he’s after you and I and will not be content until he’s captured our souls. In any battle, it’s important to know your enemy. So this evening, we are going to explore three characteristics of Satan.

First, he is a distracter. Well, where is the harm in that? We all get distracted. In fact, some of you are distracted right now. J But Satan knows that if he can distract you, he can keep you from your true purpose, which has everything to do with God and giving Him glory through your life.

How does Satan distract you? He’ll keep you busy. Too busy putting out fires in your own life to even think about the people around you. “Because of my house, which remains a ruin, while each of you is busy with your own house.” Haggai 1:9

Our personal plans and feelings and stuff keep us focused on our own life, rather than the great commission. Satan doesn’t even have to entice you to sin if he can just keep you too busy to be about God’s work.

He will also distract you with temptation. Temptation is tricky, because it is everywhere and you can’t control that. But you can control your reaction to it. What should that reaction be? To FLEE!! Run away, run away!! (monty python blip here?)

Another way to deal with temptation is to pray and ask God to remove it from you. Matthew 6:3 “And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from the evil one.” Our public enemy number one is who the Bible is referring to as ‘the evil one’. Another verse in 1 Corinthians promises us that God will always provide a way out. Always.

So we now know that Satan is a Distracter, He’s either keeping us busy or tempting us with sin. Be on the lookout for this tactic, it’s probably his sneakiest.

2.) Satan is a deceiver. 2 Corinthians 11:14 says “for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light.” He pretends to be a good guy. He promises good things; an easier life, no consequences, better opportunities.

He misleads us, misrepresents. Presents false information or information out of context. He’s a big fat liar! Ah, but he’s a sneaky liar. He’s a good liar. And a good liar will mix just enough of the truth into their story that you will buy into it, hook, line and sinker. Do you know what that phrase means? Hook, line, and sinker? It’s fishing phrase. It’s when a fish takes the bait. They swallow everything that the fisherman has put in their path. What happens next? Jerk! The fisherman is tugging that line and hard as the fish may try to swim away, he’s getting reeled in and tossed into the frying pan for supper. Or at the very least, a good chunk of him is getting left on that hook.

It’s the very same for us. Satan feeds us a line. It usually starts with something minor, say, if you cheat on this test no one will know and I’ll just do better in the class. He usually throws in a supporting argument, or a justification. Besides, you’re a really good student anyway, you do fine in your other classes, this teacher is just really unreasonable. And soon enough you’ve compromised yourself. It may not be cheating on a test. It may be lying to your parents. Or shoplifting something minor like a lip gloss or a lighter. It may be dating the guy or girl that your parents explicitly told you not to date. It may be trying that first beer or smoking that first cigarette.

See Satan is a smartypants. He knows that if he can just get you to compromise a little bit the first time, then the second compromise will come easier. Meaning he won’t have to work so hard, and you will let your guard down faster. And soon, you will be compromising so often that you don’t even think about it anymore.

Our youth pastor growing up told us that sin will always take you further than you ever wanted to go.

I have an interesting example for you. How many of you have been bitten by a flea? I’m not saying you have fleas, but maybe you have just been bitten by one. I have. It’s not a huge deal, just a little pinch and it may itch for a bit afterwards, right?

How many of you have heard of the Bubonic Plague? Or the Black Plague? It was responsible for 75 million deaths in the 1600’s. Turns out, the Black Plague was caused by flea bites. The fleas caught the infection from rats, when the rats died, the fleas looked for a new host and gave it to people. 2 out of every 3 people infected from a flea died within four days.

Sin is kind of like that first flea bite. It just seems like a small deal at first. You don’t realize that you’ve infected yourself with something that will ultimately consume you and destroy your life.

The first tiny bite is one of Satan’s favorite tactics. Because he is a deceiver who looks for opportunities to entice you into sin.

3.) The last attribute of Satan I want to discuss with you tonight is that he is a destroyer.

The reality is that Satan’s fate has been decided. God shared his end-game with us all the way back in Genesis 3:15 when he told us that the offspring of man will ‘crush the head’ of the serpant. The serpent is Satan and Jesus is the offspring of man that will crush his head. It is only a matter of time before Satan’s destiny is fulfilled and it is a Lake of Fire. Revelation 20:10 tells us just that: “And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.”

Satan’s promised demise is no surprise to him. He knows his destiny. He sealed his fate long ago. Now he’s just seeing who he can take down in the process. Like that movie, Drag Me to Hell. Rob and I were appalled at that movie, why would anyone want to see it? Because that is what Satan truly is trying to do.

If he’s going to have to suffer hell, he wants you to as well.

So Satan is a destroyer. He is doing his best to drag you along with him on his path of self-destruction. He’s proving the old saying “misery loves company.” Satan longs to make you as miserable as he is.

There is a scripture that paints a very clear picture of Satan’s plan for your life. It is found in 1 Peter 5:8. “Be alert and of sober mind. Your enemy the devil prowls around like a roaring lion looking for someone to devour.”

I had dream about this one time. I dreamt I was swimming in a public pool, early in the morning. It wasn't crowded. I was really enjoying the cool of the morning and the cool water against my skin. Very invigorating. I finished up my swim, climbed out of the pool and walked out of the fenced in pool area towards my car. Right away I felt like something wasn't right. I could see people up in trees, and after a moment I realized the object of their terror - a tremendous hungry lion was out of his cage. I know this because he was dragging a big chain from a collar on his neck, along with a chunk of his iron cage. Of course, he immediately spotted me and I knew I was lion bait. Quickly, I assessed that running wasn't an option (he'd only be playing with his food before he devoured it) so I pulled my towel over my body and huddled on the ground as still as I could. I could feel him approach me, sniffing me out. I was terrified for a moment, at the sound of his pads approaching. I felt the lion open his cavernous mouth and place it over my head, literally encompassing my head is his open jaw. In this moment I was no longer scared, all the Bible stories of lions and salvation downloaded into my brain. I just whispered an internal prayer, telling God if it was my time to go and it was going to be like this, I was ready. But I also told Him I believed He could still save me if He wanted to. We hung there for an eternity, long enough for me to wonder if I had already passed from this life to the next. Then, the lion picked himself up and closed his mouth and walked away, distracted by some other more interesting food perhaps? As soon as he had left the immediate premise, I quickly climbed the nearest tree, which wasn't very tall and probably no trouble for a hungry lion. The rest of my dream was spent debating whether or not I should take the risk of changing trees or running to my car (several hundred yards away) and wondering why no one had called animal control yet. My cell phone was in my car...

I realized when I woke up how the dream was exactly like real life. We just go about our daily lives and forget that Satan is seeking who he may destroy. The reality is, a hungry predator is on the loose looking for it’s next meal. Satan is a destroyer.

Altar:

So how do we counteract the fact that Satan is a distracter, a deceiver, and a destroyer. Is it hopeless for us?

Not at all. Remember Satan’s future? He is fighting a losing battle.

Romans 16:12 “The God of peace will soon crush Satan under your feet. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with you.”

The son of God reigns in your heart. Jesus is with you. He will guide you if you just allow Him. If that weren’t enough, He also sent His Holy Spirit to empower you, and we are going to talk a lot more about that next week.

We can overcome Satan’s accusations by Christ’s blood and the word of God. Reading your word, understanding the battle plan for the fight you are in, that is huge in defense against this enemy. In fact, with an accurate understanding of the battle, you can move from defensive to offensive, where you are actually taking territory back from Satan!

Mark 3:27 says “In fact, no one can enter a strong man’s house without first tying him up. Then he can plunder the strong man’s house.”

In this scripture Satan is the strong man and the plundering refers to taking back the lost. Armed with scripture and the Holy Spirit, we literally have the authority to reclaim what the devil has taken from us.

So tonight, have you realized that the devil is a distracter, a deceiver and a destroyer? Do you need to kick him to the curb in your own life? Do you need to call out the names of lost loved ones that he has claimed? That is what we are going to do right now.

Divide into small groups. Share together if Satan has been winning the war in your life. Share the names of loved ones that need to be won back to Christ. Pray together over your own lives and the lives of the lost loved ones.

Supernatural Series: Miracles

2011-10-19T14:32:00.002-05:00

(I was sooo pumped about this message!)

Tonight we are kicking off a new series, Supernatural. Yep, it’s a little freaky because it’s October. This first night we are going to talk about miracles. So what exactly is a miracle?

1. an effect or extraordinary event in the physical world that surpasses all known human or natural powers and is ascribed to a supernatural cause.

2. such an effect or event manifesting or considered as a work of God.

3. a wonder; marvel.

So tonight we are going to take a closer look at miracles, and just who might receive one.

Let’s dig into John 2:1-11

Jesus Changes Water Into Wine

¹ On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, ² and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. ³ When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

⁴ “Woman,^[a] why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”

⁵ His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

⁶ Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.^[b]

⁷ Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.

⁸ Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”

They did so, ⁹ and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside ¹⁰ and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

¹¹ What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

This is incidentally one of my favorite stories of Jesus in the Bible. And it’s not because there’s drinking in it. I’m sure that is a distraction for you right now, so let me just say a few things about that so that we can move on to the good stuff.

It was a different culture, a different time. Think, life without refrigeration. Your beverage choices were water, or various forms of grape juice. I did a little more research and most wine at this stage in history had an alcoholic content of about 3.5% where today’s alcohol it’s more like 14%. Most biblical time wine was much less potent than today. Our official statement on alcohal is that it’s a gateway to sin (meaning it leads to so much more) so you might as well flee from it. God’s stance on wine is pretty clear, there are more than 600 verses in the old and new testaments that preach against drinking to excess or drunkenness. More than that, all of you are underage and therefore alcoholic consumption is illegal so why should we waste any more time on this subject.

Whew, glad we got that out of the way. Now let’s move on to the meat of this story. We will reap several truths, if we just dig in a little bit.

First off, the servants were obedient. Seems like a simple thing, but what Jesus’s mother was asking them to do was pretty crazy. These ceremonial jars were HUGE and not needed at the moment. This wasn’t a time for ceremonial cleansing, this was a time for celebration, for partying. The servants likely wondered if this Jesus guy was off his rocker. Why on earth should they fill these giant jars with water? What, were they going to fool the drunk guests into thinking it was real wine?

Understand that just filling these jars was an undertaking in itself. They each could hold 20-30 gallons. They were stone as well, so it’s not as though they could pitch them over their shoulder and carry them to the nearest faucet, or even run a hose over to them. Nope, they had to haul water up from a well, or from a nearby stream or lake, and fill these jars a bucketful at a time. This was a serious endeavor that was time and labor intensive. These servants were faithful to the task that Jesus had asked of them.

Have God ever asked you do something that in your natural mind didn’t make sense?

For Pastor Rob and I, one example was leaving our last church. See, things were going well there. We had a solid youth group, about 25 kids. We enjoyed our church, had good relationships with people. We had a cute little house that the bank still owned most of. Our kids were happy. We were happy, comfortable.

And God wound up calling us here. Any time you face change (especially as an adult) it’s nerve wracking. In fact, I’m taking conflict management right now and my book said that change almost always brings about conflict. It’s just tough, for all of us. We were facing the unknown. Trying to sell our house in a down market, living apart for a few months. All of that was hard. In fact, I remember one phone conversation about 5 weeks into our transition where I was whining to Rob about how hard it was and he says to me “Well, do you want me to quit? Is that what you want, me to come back to Baytown and just forget about what God told us to do?” Well, of course I didn’t. The next thing he said was iconic. “Anna, you don’t know how awesome it is here. You aren’t here yet, you don’t see what I see, you aren’t experiencing what I’m experiencing. I promise, it’s worth all the misery you are going through right now.”

I hung on to that promise until we sold our house got here. And you know what? He was right. We’ve experience more satisfaction and success and joy in ministry here at shift then anywhere before. God’s miracle for our life happened because we were faithful to listen to His voice, to be obedient even when it was uncomfortable.

Likewise, these servants were obedient. The scriptures don’t say “they hemmed and hawed and finally decided to what Jesus told them to do.” Nope, their response was to ‘fill them to the brim.” There obedience was both immediate and complete. Which is truly the only kind of obedience that exists. Anything other than immediate and complete is actually disobedience.

In fact, filled to the brim implies best effort, doesn’t it? We are always telling Eli and Sarah, ‘give your best effort’ when it comes to homework and really anything they put their little minds too. Why? Because that’s what God expects of us in everything He’s asked us to do. Best effort is just a great work ethic to develop and maintain. It’s also a sure way to live without regrets.

So what can we learn from their obedience? What was the result of their obedience?

They received a miracle.

That’s the big lesson in this scripture. Obedient servants can expect a miracle. I heard my mother preach that particular phrase, Obedient servants can expect a miracle, on this passage fifteen years ago and it’s been etched in my brain like a scratch on fine china ever since. All I need to be is obedient, and God will supply the rest. I can expect His miraculous provision in my life.

See, miraculous provision is always God’s best, and God’s best is always better than you expected. God’s best is always more than you hoped for, and more than you dreamed possible.

Remember my story of leaving our last church? I was hanging so tightly on to what I had, scared to step out in faith. I want to show you this next slide to give you a physical example of God’s best in our life. Remember the tiny house? This is the house we live in now. And it costs less than the tiny house. God’s best is more than we imagined.

God’s provision is always more than you imagined. He’s God, He doesn’t do anything half way.

So let’s get back to the story in John. Remember the servants? So they’ve gathered the water and filled the jars. And they are probably waiting for the other shoe to drop when the host finds out they are serving nothing more than well water.

Can you imagine their faces when they went to ladle out that first glass of water and it was actually wine? Moments before they had been mucking this water out of a well and suddenly it was the choicest wine of the party. Do you think they suddenly took notice of who Jesus was?

Well, we know they did because the scripture tells us so. “What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which He revealed His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.”

Miracles bring Jesus glory. They are like kind of like fireworks over a baseball game. The fireworks aren’t there to bring glory to themselves, they are there to bring attention to the main attraction, which is the game itself. Fireworks say “hey, something important is taking place here, you should check it out!” Miracles bring attention to Jesus. When Christ’s glory is revealed, it causes others to have faith in Him. This was the first moment his disciples truly believed in Him. Miracles were proof positive that He was the messiah that all of Israel had been holding their breath for.

So we all agree then? Obedient servants can expect a miracle. Provision through God’s miracles is always greater than we can imagine. And miracles reveal Christ’s glory.

Is it possible that there is even a greater purpose in miracles? Do they affect our lifelong story? I would say yes. I know the miracles in my life have had a profound long term affect. If not, I wouldn’t be standing here and you wouldn’t be sitting there, nodding your heads in agreement.

But especially this miracle at Cana. There’s a lot of debate as to why this was Jesus’s first miracle. It may seem kind of trivial. But upon further investigation, we can uncover a greater truth and purpose in this miracle.

The jars were used for ceremonial washing. This meant special cleaning before you went to the temple to perform sacrifices, to repent and be forgiven of sin. The jars represented old ways of purification and old standards of clean before God. Jesus came to change all that. He would instigate a new covenant with us. New wine in the old jars. Opportunities for true relationship with God, no longer bound by our broken ways. This miracle at Cana was representative of all that Jesus was going to do. Blood and water in Bible are always important, so you should pay close attention when you see them occur in scripture.

How can you be obedient? (read the Word daily, ask God to reveal a plan for your life, steps for obedience)

What miracle do you need right now?? (healing, finances, restoration, power to overcome addiction)

New Song

2011-10-19T14:31:00.003-05:00

Rob has gotten this song in my head and it's absolutely haunting me. I so can't wait for heaven. just sayin.

Your Social Network

2011-09-27T15:25:00.004-05:00

(last week's shiftVARSITY sermon)

So how many of you have heard of Delilah? Not exactly a name you want to give your kid, right? It’s right up there with Lucifer or Jezebel or Judas.

Can anybody tell me what Delilah is famous for? She robbed Samson of his strength. So how in the world did a big guy like Samson get hooked up with a lying, cheating mess like Delilah? Let’s take a closer look at his story.

Judges 14:1-3 Samson went looking for a Philistine wife. This was a problem, because God had told the Israelites not to marry unbelievers, so he had no business even looking at a Philistine. (God tells us not marry unbelievers as well, so you shouldn’t even date one) He found a doozy in Delilah. Delilah turned out to be a whining, conniving, manipulative and self-serving wife, who eventually cost Samson his strength, his freedom, and even his very life. Samson should have seen this coming when she sold him out on their honeymoon. He had made a wager with the Philistines (Delilah’s people) and Delilah bellyached and moaned until he shared the answer to the riddle with her. She shared the riddle and in turn he lost the bet. This loss fueled a lifelong quest of revenge on the Philistines. But, instead Samson continued to pile bad choice on top of bad choice when it came to Delilah. Funny how that works, isn’t it??

Here’s a little song to summarize it for you.

So that is one example of a relationship gone wrong. But the Bible has another great example of a godly relationship for us to look at.

Everyone remember David, the shepherd with the smooth stones who took out Goliath? Well, after that story, David goes to work for King Saul. King Saul has a son whose name was Jonathon. Jonathan and David became very best of friends. So much so in fact that 1 Samuel 18 tells us “After David had finished taking with Saul, Jonathon became one in spirit with David, and he loved him as himself.”

See, God knew that David was going to need a friend. Because God weighs our hearts and judges our motives, God already knew that King Saul was beginning to have some jealousy issues with this new giant slaying star in Israel. In fact, in the very next chapter, King Saul tries to kill David. But Jonathon had David’s back, and let David know about his father’s evil plans. Jonathon even took it upon himself to speak kindly of David to his father, but his father was crazy with jealousy and went on hating David the rest of his days. Jonathon swore to aid David as he ducked multiple threats on his life from Jonathon’s father. They were best of friends, and their relationship built each other up, supported one another, and grew them as people.

Friendships are born out of need or love.

A friendship born out of need is usually self-serving. You have a desire, and the person, for a season at least, fulfills that desire. Maybe it’s to be a part of the cool group, or to not sit alone at lunch or maybe it’s just to blend into the background and not to draw attention to yourself. The problem with with need-based friendships is that you are basing the choice to be friends with that person on what you can get out of them.

A friendship born out of love is an animal of a different sort. Love-based friendships are life-giving. You see that person, and you recognize that they are a unique creation of God, they have special characteristics and personality. You desire to nurture and protect them. You enjoy spending time with them, because you both build each other up. It’s not about fulfilling your need as much as it is about enjoying who they are, and celebrating who you are when you are with them.

I’ve definitely had both kinds of friendships. In junior high, most of my friends were need based. See, I was a nerd, with a capital N. I wore glasses since the 2^nd grade! And when I hit jr high I realized that the people around me could dictate quite a bit. So I found some friends that had a better life than I did. My one friend, in particular, we'll call him Bob Jones. He had a Super Nintendo, which was a really big deal back then. He was the youngest of two, and his family had significantly more money than we did, being pastors. He made me feel included, funny, and part of a group. I also got in more trouble with him than any other friend up to that point. You see, I was using that friendship to prop myself up. I didn’t genuinely care about Bob Jones as a person, I was enjoying the privileges of being his friend.

Fast forward to college, I met my friend, Lori Camiolo. We were in sociology class together. The night I got to know her it was because we were sharing a dorm room at retreat and she was going through a bad breakup. She needed someone to talk to, she was hurting. And I just listened. Encouraged. Turns out we had a lot in common. She’s smart, funny, and a little nerdy like me. I met her through youth group. And over the years, God has shown me so many cool things about her. We have cried together, prayed together, hoped together. I still talk to her every day. She holds me up. I hold her up. I’m invested in her as a person, I genuinely love her! She challenges me, and I do the same for her. In fact, she is so loyal. I bet I could call her up right now and she’d just be thrilled to talk to me.

[at this point in the message I picked up my phone and called Lori, we just checked in with each other. it was pretty cool]

If you remember back to our definition of love, it is a deep desire to nurture (grow) and protect someone. I definitely have that with Lori. And honestly, most all of my friendships are that way now because I have finally learned to stop weighing people by what they can offer me, but to start looking at people as the unique creations of God that they are. Remember how you are a masterpiece? Well, the person sitting next to you is too! And the person next to them. In fact, every person in this room!! When you start looking at all the people around you as God’s masterpieces, and considering His heart for them, soon all of your relationships will be born of love. You’ll stop using people to step up, and start offering your hand to others.

My guess is that most of you aren’t to that point yet. You are likely still choosing friends on a need basis. I’m not trying to insult you, that’s how I chose my friendships at your age too. But the big problem with that is when you choose a friend based on a need, you are likely to make the choice hastily and foolishly. Like Samson.

Samson chose Delilah because he wanted to get some. I know that’s vulgar, but read the scripture, he looked, he like her, he went against the advice of his folks and married her anyway. And he produced a miserable life from there on out.

Building a relationship based off of a need will likely result in a crash and burn. Sadly, the more invested in that need-based relationship you are, the bigger the burn will be. Say, if you start hanging out with the wrong crowd because you are desperate to be a part of any crowd that will accept you, you are likely going to be caught sooner than later doing wrong things. You guys know what I’m talking about.

Maybe you are already hanging out with the wrong crowd. You know what I’m talking about. If the kids you are hanging out with are pressuring you to make choices you wouldn’t normally make, or choices that you know break God’s heart.. well those are friends you need to ditch while you get your life together. You figure out who you are in Jesus, and what He says about you, and about them, and when you are stronger, (ready to stand up for what God says is right) then you can go back and begin a love-based relationship with that person. Love based meaning that you see them as a hurting child of God in desperate need of the saving knowledge of Jesus. But if you don’t have that story straight in your own life right now, you aren’t ready to pull that person up cause you are barely swimming on your own. I’m not a very strong swimmer, I couldn’t save someone from drowning if it was more than about 5 feet deep.

What you need is some love-based friendships with people who know Jesus. Love based relationships add value to your life. These folks will be the ones who see you for who you really are. They are willing to invest in you, and you will do the same for them. You’ll begin to see relationships as something of eternal value, because they are truly the only earthly treasure you get to keep on the other side. These kind of relationships will last a lifetime, bring you hope and encouragement every time you even think of them.

So now is your decision point. Do you have some need-based relationships that need to go? It may not be the wrong crowd at school. It may just be one boy or one girl who is encouraging you to compromise your values, God’s values. It might be an older sibling who keeps getting you into trouble. Decide today that you are going to stop basing your relationships off of selfish desires.

Maybe you are lacking a love-based relationship, where you genuinely see the other person for who God sees them as. Love-based relationships are fewer and farther between (at least in the beginning) and may be harder to find. But we serve a big, awesome God who gives good gifts. And He’s given you an awesome one by bringing you to shift. We’ve got a lot of students here who love God and want to see you as the person God created you to be. Students, and leaders, who will link arms with you and encourage you towards growth. These are people who will hold you accountable and ask the tough questions. But you need to be willing to do the same.

How do you start building those love-based relationships? Coming to shift is the best place to start. Come early, hang out in the snack shack. Open up, talk to us. Come to shiftAM, we are changing the format a bit and I know you’ll make some great friends in there. Join a ministry team. That’s one of the best ways to get to know other people for who they really are. Pray about it, ask God to bring you new relationships with people who will help build you up in the faith. No one needs a Delilah, but everyone needs a Jonathon, and everyone can be a Jonathon. In fact, Acts sets up an awesome example of what happens here at shift each week. The word tells us in Acts 2:42 that “They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” That is what we are all about here at shift; teaching, fellowship, communion, and prayer.

So tonight’s altar is simple. The first question is, do you need to give up some friends? Do you have some of those need-based relationships and they are holding you back?

The second question is are you conscientiously building love-based relationships? Are you being someone’s Jonathon? Maybe you are just lonely right now. I understand that, I”ve been there at different seasons. Stop focusing on your loneliness. Instead, look for someone to build up, to invest in. Start seeing the people around you the way God sees them.

Credentialing Interview

2011-09-26T16:33:00.004-05:00

I woke up this morning with the words, "Today is the day" in my brain. After a year and a half of working through Berean, I was finally to the last step of the first level of credentialing. Today was my interview. I was nervous, but confident in my calling, if you can be such a thing. Turns out it wasn't nearly as stressful as I had imagined in my mind. But I took it seriously, cause it's me. :) The best part of my interview was the prayer that Dub Jones prayed over us at the end. I was shaking, simply because I am all too aware of the spiritual brevity of the calling of 'pastor'. He prayed thanksgiving for my life, for the way God carefully knit together the events of my youth to create the woman He's called me to be. He prayed for my children and my husband and our ministry. He called on spiritual gifts to be evident in my life, specific gifts that I have been privately seeking the Lord for and hadn't even shared with Rob just yet. It was powerful. I definitely had an experience with God during that prayer. I was again, filled with humility and awe of God's hand on my life.

On a less intense note, here is the outfit that Jen so carefully crafted with me. I was wearing a great pair of black pointy pumps too, in case you were wondering.

The whole interview went really well and my paperwork has been sent off to Springfield. Someday soon a little card will come in the mail saying that I now have authority to marry and bury. Hurrah!! God is so faithful! Even as this step is solidifying, I am half way finished with my next step - licensing. 14 more classes and I'll be ready to step up to ordination. I am so excited for this process!!

It made it all the more awesome that Autumn was here through this day. She came for Section Council and spent the night with us. We are going out with missionaries (and former co-workers) Matt and Stacey to celebrate successful interviews here shortly. We are having Thai food, which is a first for Rob and I!

The Next Twenty Years of Your Life Are Going to be the Most Fruitful

2011-09-23T13:27:00.003-05:00

Those were the words spoken over me at lunch today by my new friend, Ardell Fleck. I'm still turning them over in my brain, like precious pearls plucked from an oyster. When I think about the future in ministry, it is incredibly exciting. I think about the past fifteen years, sixteen really, since I rededicated my life to Jesus in the darkened sanctuary of First Methodist in Sioux City, IA. It's incredible what He has done in my life, the experiences He has brought me through. And then even more the past year and a half.

Since that morning I got filled in my bedroom back in the Baytown house, I feel like He has turned my life upside down and set me on fire. All in a good way, of course. And to think, that the next twenty years will be even more fruitful. How terribly exciting!!

I met Ardell at a minister's meeting two weeks ago. The wives gathered together to share and encourage one another and it was just an awesome time of testimony. Ardell shared about her recent loss of her husband and the love and pain in her story tugged hard at my heartstrings. She adored her husband (I can relate!) and they did ministry hand in hand for over fifty years. I said a little prayer right then and there that Rob and I would have fifty years. Listening to her grief over the loss of her best friend just really got me, I can't imagine losing Rob and we've only been married thirteen years at this point. Anyway, she went on to share about her involvement in Teen Challenge ministries. Janet shared about what Rob and I are doing with the youth here at ct and with credentialing.

After our meeting Ardell approached me to ask if I would speak at Teen Challenge. I accepted, of course, what an opportunity!! And we emailed back and forth and set up a lunch for today. What a blessing that was. She is wise. She is humble. She is in love with Jesus. And after she prayed for me, I prayed for her. We were both blessed.

And now I am just thinking about what God is going to do next in me. In Rob. In us. Makes me so excited!!

Please remember to pray for me on Monday at 2:20pm. I will be in my credentialing interview with the sectional presbytery. I'm nervous, excited, prayed up, and ready for it to be 3pm that day for it to be a done deal! At this point, God has done so much in my heart to prepare me for ministry (especially with preaching weekly now) that this just feels like a formality, although I am very aware of the responsibility of what I am taking on. I'm humbled and blessed and in awe that God wants to use me.

Anyway, time to finish up my shiftAM lesson and get back to preparing the shiftJV message for Wednesday night.. Thanks for your prayers, I covet them!

Early Riser

2011-09-21T15:05:00.003-05:00

So, I've been a little grumpy in the morning with the kids. Got pretty convicted about it yesterday and decided that I'm really no good before my quiet time. Plotted to wake up at 5:30 daily instead of 6am. Starting that on a Wednesday was not my wisest moment. By about 2 this afternoon I was yawning. :) Oh well, can't wait to preach!!

and here is the recipe for sheet cake. oh, it's so yummy. I think I need to make some for the weekend since Bart and Jen are coming. Yay!! I can scarcely believe that I don't have to go anywhere this weekend. That's huge considering that I've been in Houston the past four weekends. I'm so ready to be home! And to spend it with amazing people, yay! We are doing their family photos, which officially kicks off the Christmas photo season for me. woohoo!

Sheet Cake and other Spiritual Truths

2011-09-18T06:29:00.004-05:00

So last night I scurried home from Accelerated Ministers Training. After 8 hours in intense classes I drove the four hours (250) miles home and realized that I needed to make a dessert for this afternoon's youth leadership meeting. So after changing out of my heels and snappy sweater to a much more forgiving set of worn jammies, I set about the business of fixing a Texas Sheet Cake, one of my favorite and most popular desserts.

Rob sat in the kitchen with me while we post processed the past few days. As we chatted, I worked on the cake. If you've ever made Texas Sheet Cake you'll realized it's a bit of an edeavor - not completely complicated, but definitely one that requires full attention. Rob and I discussed, and I stirred, heated, poured. Finally as I was whipping up the icing, the timer dinged and I pulled my greatly-anticipated cake from the oven to add the final delectable layer and I knew in a second that something had gone terribly ary. The cake, which should be fluffy and moist, was instead the consistency of a tortillia. Somewhere in my fervancy, I had missed a step. It is amazing how crucial the baking soda is in a rising cake recipe.

Sadly, I had wasted an hour of my time. I'd dirtied dishes, (quite a few, it's an involved recipe), trashed the kitchen, wasted ingredients (the butter alone was about $3 worth), heated the oven, and it was all for naught. I can't serve this cake, no one would eat it!!

So this morning, as I am cleaning my kitchen (before I prepare for church, cleaning your kitchen in church clothes is a whole other lesson in itself) as I washed the pieces of cake down the disposal I realized there had to be a lesson in this failure. It's come to my attention repeatedly lately that God always uses failure as teaching opportunities. So what was the lesson in my failed sheet cake?

I had forgotten the baking soda. I'd busied myself with preparations, getting out the ingredients, prepping the pan, pre-heating the oven. I knew the plan, I was focusing on the end goal, but I'd forgotten the power of the baking soda to allow the cake to rise to it's full potential.

It's just like the church and Holy Spirit. We can busy ourselves with Sunday School programs and bulletin covers, making sure the power point is just so. We can have committees and volunteers and take large offerings. We can preach sermons and fill pews. But without the Holy Spirit, without Pentecost, we will never rise to the full potential God has called the church to. We will always wind up with some weak imitation that people will just bearly tolerate, a poor representative of what God has truly called us to be.

So this morning, as you take your shower, primp your hair, polish off your church clothes, don't forget to invite the Holy Spirit to church with you. And if you are leadership, in all your fervored plans and efforts, remember to seek His support, leading and guidance. Remember, without it, all your best laid plans will fall flat. Blessings this morning!

2011-09-14T10:36:00.002-05:00

Lately I feel like I'm on that old tv show "This is Your Life." Things are just so crazy and amazing. I haven't been posting because it seems like I've spent about half of September in Houston thus far. With District School of Ministry starting back up and Accelerated Minister's Training, that isn't too much of an exaggeration. But more exciting than that, we just started doing two services in youth; a jr varsity and a varsity service. Last week was a rocky start, but I think things will tweak out as we get a groove going. Last week I preached the varsity service, and this week I will preach JV. I've loved it!! I totally see why God called me to pursue ordination. His timing is so perfectly perfect, I am amazed.

Ok, just wanted to check in. I'll be back! (said in my best Arnold voice)

Who Are You??

2011-09-14T10:33:00.001-05:00

(last week's senior high message, first in the Identity series)

What do you see when you look in the mirror?

I know for girls, we tend to be hard on ourselves. Freckles, awkward features, disproportionate or unhappy about color, shape and size. Boys mostly see awesome. :)

Have you ever wondered what does God see when He looks at you??

The Word, which is the only truth you can build your life on, says this about you.

Genesis 1:27 So God created mankind in his own image,
in the image of God he created them;
male and female he created them.

You may think that was about Adam and Eve, but you were created in His image too.

Let your brain sink into that for a moment, made in the image of God. To be like Him, not to replace Him. We were created to be companions with God, to have relationship with Him.

You all know the story of Adam and Eve. And you probably know about their great fall. Let me refresh your memory.

Genesis 3:1-7 Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the LORD God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

² The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, ³ but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

⁴ “You will not certainly die,” the serpent said to the woman. ⁵ “For God knows that when you eat from it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.”

⁶ When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to the eye, and also desirable for gaining wisdom, she took some and ate it. She also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate it. ⁷ Then the eyes of both of them were opened, and they realized they were naked; so they sewed fig leaves together and made coverings for themselves.

So thus, Adam and Eve lost right relationship with God and opened themselves up to sin and sickness and ultimately death.

Fast forward 4000+ years and enter you.

You were born into sin. Hate to say it, but that’s just the way the world works. Want to challenge me on that? Have you ever taken something that wasn’t yours? (stealing) Ever wanted something that belonged to someone else? (envy) Ever stretched the truth a bit? (lying) Ever thought you were better than someone else? (pride)

You see, thanks to Adam and Eve, we are all sinners. Don’t get too upset, you probably would have made the same choice. In fact, at first opportunity, you did. The first time you wanted a cookie and your mom said no and you threw a fit, you entered into sin all on your own.

Now let me share the good news. Even on that day, way back 4000 years ago, God knew we’d choose sin. And He had a contingency plan all along. Genesis 3:15 is His first reference to His salvation plan. Jesus came and lived a perfect life free from the entanglements of sin. And He died on a cross in our place, paying our cost for sin, for all mankind.

See, you were so valuable that God was willing to pay anything to restore relationship with you. Jesus was His most valuable asset.

Even when you didn’t know who God was, He knew about you. While you were living it up in sin, doing whatever you wanted whenever you wanted, He had His eye on you.

It’s kind of hard to picture it.

Let me share a clip with you from a favorite movie of mine.

(set up, Jean Valjean is a broke prisoner who has served his time. The bishop opens his home to Jean, and during the night Jean steals his silverware and runs off. He is found the next day and this is the bishops reaction.)

See, we were liars, thieves, idolaters and haters before we met God. And He loved us anyway. He loved us so much that He bought us with a price. A tremendous price. A price that could only be paid in blood. Just like Jean Valjean, you have been given a new future. It is your choice what to do with that future.

“You were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.” 1 Corinthians 6:20

Remember that a very high price was paid for your life. Honor God with your life in response to that sacrifice.

(Pass out silver forks with ‘paid in full’ tags on them.)

Altar: There are two kinds of people in this room right now.

1.) Maybe you are listening to this and thinking “this is all new!” or “man, I didn’t think of this in this way before.” Maybe you are at a place of making a decision to accept the price Jesus paid for you tonight and move forward in your life with Him. I want to give you that chance now. If your heart is pounding in your chest and you feel like you might want to run out the door and throw up, there’s a good chance God is dealing with you about your salvation. This is your moment. Make a decision now that will affect your eternity, just as much as the silver affected Jean ValJean’s. See, he went on to live a full life, impacting many people around him with love and compassion.

2.) The second group of students in this room have forgotten the price God paid for your soul.. Or cheapened it. You know what Jesus did, but you have let the message of the world sneak in the cracks. You have stopped at salvation and never moved forward to lordship. We need to walk in the light of our salvation every day. Responding to God’s love and mercy, sharing our life with God, allowing Him to lead us, and sharing our story with the people around us. Remember the high cost God paid for you. You need to start living like Jean Valjean, passing out compassion and love to the people around you. Declaring Jesus Lord of your life. Living your paid for life to the fullest, and enjoying relationship with the creator.

Second and Fifth

2011-08-22T21:16:00.002-05:00

wha! Where does the time go? We were excited to send them off to school today, especially to the new school, but of course, missed them by the end of the day! They both had a great first day, love their teachers. Yay!! And tomorrow, I launch back into the world of full-time employment. crazy. I am officially excited to do my job better, with more enthusiasm and lengthier hours. I am very nervous about keeping up with the house and the kids and the eternal laundry. But Claire Huxtible could do it, so can I! BTW - we've been on a big Cosby Show kick at our house and loving it lately.

New Music

2011-08-19T12:47:00.002-05:00

It's been a bit since a new Christian artist really got my attention. The kids and I have been really into this song. I'll be interested to hear the rest of hr album when it releases in September. :)

Sarah's Birthday Bash

2011-08-17T08:08:00.009-05:00

Oh, it was a party! We'd been scheming for weeks now, especially fueled by my recent addiction to pinterest.com. We found lots of owl inspiration. It all started with the cake. At a doctor appointment in May we noticed this cake in Family Fun magazine and Sarah said she wanted to do an owl birthday party this year.

I may have gone overboard a bit. Turns out, it's really easy to draw owls and I'm pretty good at it. So we had owl everything...

balloons.

Crafts.

gift bags.

Magnets to go home with the kiddos. (they were especially hard to part with)

cups for the kiddos to use and keep.

owl sandwhiches.

and a one of a kind tshirt for the birthday girl..

This is what the living room looked like.

we had four guests.

and made wishes.

and opened gifts.

This was Sarah's big gift. I'd hunted on Craigslist for three months and then one day Rob's mom called and said she'd like to help with it. yay!! So we wound up purchasing a brand new one for a great price on Barnes and Noble.com It literally came in at 2:45 on the day of the party. Rob went into covert operations and had it put together before her friends arrived at 4pm. She was more than a little excited!

New Family Photos

2011-08-12T10:34:00.006-05:00

So a few weeks back, close family friends and fellow photographer, Shane and Becca Monohan came for a quick weekend with us. Wow, we had a busy weekend and a blast. The best part was that we exchanged services. This was an incredible blessing for me because Shane is extremely talented. It was so fun to have someone crawl around and shoot my family the way I do so many other families. His work is fantastic and I know I will treasure these pictures for years and years to come. Thank you Shane, you have given us an incredible gift and we are unbelievably grateful. Here are a few of my favorite shots.

To see more of Shane's work, or to book him for a session, find his info here...

(he's located in Sioux City, IA)

craftiness and more

2011-08-09T22:13:00.005-05:00

The craft bug has bit at our house. I have been keeping two extra kids on Tuesdays all summer long. The bummer is, 5 people don't fit in my convertible. So crafting has been my goal, but the move took up considerable more time than I had anticipated. But finally, I'm to a place where crafting is great fun with the extra kiddos. In fact, this week I took in one more.

The fish tanks were last week, and the macaroni skeletons were this week.

We also did yet to be photographed jellyfish. Very cute.

The owls are part of the many projects for Sare's seventh birthday. We are very excited!!

Last but not least, I finally got around to finishing my dining room table. Rob tells me it looks like Punky Brewster's house, but I'm ok with that. Don't worry, I cleared the colors with him before. I just don't know if he realised what he was agreeing to. ;) We have three more chairs coming, and yes, they will be three other colors. Hey, the walls are beige, a girl's gotta have a little color!!

Last week's Pages

2011-08-09T21:58:00.001-05:00

a whole two days early! counting down to scrap time on Tuesday!

Last Week's Pages

2011-08-05T07:48:00.006-05:00

Ok, so I haven't photographed yesterday's pages yet, but here are last weeks. I have loved scrapping with Lori on Thursdays. It's been so great to have a regular appointment with her, we get a lot done! I feel like I'm starting to catch up and it's really nice to do something just for me that I love so much.

August Already?!?

2011-08-05T07:48:00.002-05:00

I look at my iCal and think, how did we get here?? 2011 has seemingly flown by. We are over the halfway point through the shift events calendar. We've almost finished our second summer with these teenagers. I just can't hardly believe it.

In some ways I feel like we've wasted the summer. The move took a lot of effort and time. More than I anticipated. But we've done a lot of awesome things too. I think it's time for a quick recap..

We started the summer with a trip to Six Flags with our youth group. Oh so sadly, that is the only time this summer that I have made it to Six Flags. We need to remedy that! Perhaps tomorrow evening??

Next we went to youth camp. Man, that was amazing. It's always neat to watch God move in the lives of our teenagers. Relationships with God and eachother are built at youth camp and I consider it an honor to be a part of the process.

Got home from camp and it was time to pack like crazy! We moved into our new place on June 21st (can't believe it's been a month already, I still occasionally drive to the wrong home). We took a week's vacation, but we worked like crazy the whole time, pausing long enough to take in Marriage Encounter in Houston. That was a really special time for Rob and I. We didn't really have any major issues to work on, it was just nice to slow down and have uninterrupted quality time.

Next we were in the midst of July 4th festivities. Yes, that is Rob playing an United States of America shaped guitar. It's always a special time at church, and then Pastor and Janet invited us over for swimming. The kids are always big fans of that! We are too, for that matter. Always good food and great conversation with the Roberts.

Later that week we hosted Spring First Church for a youth rally. It was a great time, their students showcased their ministries from Fine Arts. We got to catch up with some great friends of ours, Matt and Heather Rule.

Then I started a series of dental appointments to fulfill a treatment plan involving two crowns. Ouch! But I found an amazing dentist and I am super grateful to him and his staff pandering to my tender teeth. God abundantly provided for the ginormous bill and I am amazed again, even though He has a thousand cattle on a thousand hill, I'm still blessed to be His child. :)

Did a few photo shoots in and around there, including a family of fourteen, and then a HUGE family reunion (say 200 people or so).

Then our dear friends, Becca and Shane (Becca was a childhood friend of Rob's and one of my bridesmaids) did a whirlwind trip to San Antonio. Shane is a fellow photographer, in fact we've been talking shop every six weeks or so for about six months now. Anyway, we had a blast together, and wound up trading photo shoots. His pictures of our family are INCREDIBLE and I cannot wait to see the rest!!

We also did CT's Got Talent (I performed my vintage mime from highschool) and then the next day we loaded up 20 kids to take to Mustang Island to the beach for the day. It was epic. My children had a blast too. They are not afraid of sand or jellyfish or baby sharks... all of which we saw that day.

In and around all that we've had Frantic Friday every week, alternating hanging out at the church and various activities around town (bowling, Landa Park, Amazing Jump, Northstar Mall). And of course, Momentum, our summer long point based competition for shift. It's been a little intense. But good.

Oh, and my precious car got dinged pretty bad in the parking lot, but it's repaired now. whew!

So all in all, I think we've packed a bit in this summer. So yes, it went fast, but we lived it hard and made lots of fun memories. I am so grateful for our life, every insane minute of it!!

Tomorrow, I register the kids for their new school. yay! I don't know who is more excited about it, me or them. I also have an early dental appointment to fix my bite, boo. I do have another $600 worth of treatment to go, so I'm praying about that.

That is certainly not the extent of our summer, but a good chunk. We've had an awesome time, but it's not over yet. Still working on the end of Momentum (a crazy game night and formal dinner for the winners next weekend), the Health Fair, and of course, Sarah's birthday party. :)

Anyway, we are blessed. And fall is around the corner, we have some awesome things in store for us. God is so good.

Sarah's Birthday Invitations

2011-08-03T16:42:00.001-05:00

Getting ready for a birthday party at our house. These are Sarah's sweet invites!

Before and After

2011-08-03T16:41:00.001-05:00

I picked up these owls at a flea market last week for $3. for the pair. :) I've refinished them for Sarah's party in a few weeks. After the party, I plan on painting them again, bright red, to hang on my kitchen wall. LOVE!

Thursday Scrapping With Lori

2011-07-28T14:59:00.005-05:00

The last couple weeks Lori and I have been trying to start a new tradition. Now that I have a designated scrapping space (yay!) and she does too, we are hoping to scrap once a week for at least an hour. In fact, I am waiting for her call now. I've missed this part of my life so much lately! Anyway, these are last week'spages. We only scrapped for an hour, but then we had annual scrapping night at church that evening, so I got a bit more done.

ct|woman contribution August/September 2011

2011-07-22T11:29:00.001-05:00

Help! My teenager won’t listen to me!

I can’t tell you how many times I have heard this statement from a frazzled parent of one of my students. I completely understand the frustration of feeling like your child is simply not hearing, or caring what you say. How do you cope with a teenager who doesn’t listen? Here are a few guidelines.

Pray before you say anything. We have a tendency to react in the heat of the moment. And often times that first reaction may not be our best reaction. We also have a tendency to lean heavily on human reasoning, rather than our relationship with the creator of the universe (who happened to design your teenager as well). Before you decide what to say, especially on the critical issues, consult the Counselor. Make sure your words are lining up with His heart for your teenager.

Whatever you say, say it in love. You may have the best intentions, and even say the right things, but your tone or body language can instantly undo everything your words are communicating. Studies have shown that up to 93% of communication happens through tone of voice, facial expression and body language. Remember from consulting the Counselor, that His motivation is always love. Ours should be as well. 1 Corinthians 13: 6-7 paints a picture of what real love is and isn’t. “Love is patient and kind. Love is not jealous or boastful or proud or rude. It does not demand its own way. It is not irritable, and it keeps no record of being wronged. It does not rejoice about injustice but rejoices whenever the truth wins out. Love never gives up, never loses faith, is always hopeful, and endures through every circumstance.” We should speak truth to teenagers, but always with love. Make sure all of your person is engaging this conversation with love as the highest aim.

Say it often. When you, have decided what to say, and learn to say it in love, remember to say it often. You may begin to feel like a parrot in a pet store, but that’s ok. In youth ministry, we repeat a point over and over, for weeks, sometimes even months or years. How many times? Until they start to repeat it back to you. Until you see them start to live it in their own life. Then you know that they’ve caught the message.

Stay strong, be vigilant. It may help you to remember one of my favorite proverbs, Proverbs 22:6 “Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” I repeat this verse often as a personal mantra over my own children, and I encourage you to hang on to it as well. We serve a mighty God and it is His desire that not one should perish. We can trust that He is working in our teenagers lives with every bit the fervor that we are. The best part is, that He has a much stronger success rate that we do. Go ahead and lean on His strength.

Thoreson La Mansion

2011-07-17T14:14:00.012-05:00

[the name lovingly given to our new place by my friend, Jen]

So, this is by no means a complete tour of the house.. But I figure it's at least time to start with some sneak peaks. I have been cleaning, sanding, painting, hanging, measuring and planning. :) We have a strong start, but it's a big house and I have at least five rooms that I've barely touched. It's ok though, I am enjoying the process!!

So here is the view from the street. That's my rental car for the week in the driveway. Had an unfortunate mishap in the church parking lot on Friday, my convertible is at the body shop and should be good as new early next week.

Also, check out the roses at the front door - a sweet reminder of Baytown??

And an upgrade, perhaps these are hydrangea? Not sure, but they are lovely!

Next we wander up to the front porch. These chairs aren't my final hope for the front porch, but we had one and easily found a companion. A great place to take in the stars and an ice cream cone after about ten pm in the heat of the summer.

Swing on in the front door from there and here is the unfinished living room. We will have an entertainment center eventually, it's being given to us, it's white, about 8 feet long and built by our one and only, Pastor Doug!

Just beyond the living room is the formal dining area. We were blessed a few weeks ago with a pedestal table and four chairs. I have big plans for this table, a multi-colored managerie of color. It needs a minor repair, and therefore hasn't been done just yet. :)

Across this large front room is this huge wall. It is home to my antique shelves and telephone chair. I am hunting for an antique window to hang in the archway. It also tends to be a fallout shelter for random things that wander in the door. I'll have to work on that.

Just beyond the formal front room is a quaint doorway that leads into my favorite room of the house. The kitchen. I could (and do) spend hours in this room. The tile floor is so fun! And my red spots of color seem to work well. The best part is the built in cabinets around the desk, my new scrapbook nook! I used it last week and now Lori and I have a weekly appointment to scrapbook! yay! This kitchen is a dream to cook in. On Friday I had six people mixing and stirring and chopping and it wasn't even crowded! Then we hosted a fabulous dinner of spaghetti and meatballs with nine around the table. It was so fun! I love being able to have people over in our home again!

h, and in the kitchen, I found the table and chairs (they used to be french provincial white and maple) for $75 on craigslist. Add about $25 worth of spraypaint and laquer and ta-da!

Around the corner there is a built in bar area. You can see that the home is perfect for entertaining. And the kitchen joins up with a large family room. Our large tv is there, and this oversized couch and chair that I found on craigslist for $150. They are perfect for snuggling as a family or having a late night snack while watching 24. :) (our latest addiction)

You can see that our desk is in that space, as well as a beautiful fireplace. I love my offset Monet up on the wall, but other than that this space is bugging me. I have run out of 'stuff' to put on the wall. LOL. I'm thinking some floating shelves above the computer would be awesome, and maybe some bookshelves around the tv, maybe a different console altogether. I'm not in any hurry, craigslist is a lot of fun to hunt on. :)

There are grand sweeping stairs down to the heart of the house. And this wall of photos is my favorite, it just kind of came together. I'd like to add another 2-3 frames eventually. Down this hall is my French Quarter. LOL. I love France, and there is a purple half-bath (not at all decorated) and this lovely laundry room with the black and grey tile floor. Also, I found this amazing shelving unit for $45 on craigslist right before we moved.

The only other room I really have finished is Sarah's room. I spent most of last week on it and she loved it. The actual room was painted with this lovely mural by the owners of the home.

The centerpiece of the room is this armoire that I found on craigslist. With the help of one of my students, Genie, we transformed it into the wardrobe from the movie Tangled. On the outside.

On the inside, it is Narnia. Of course. Which absolutely delighted her. :)

We also painted her dresser, the shelving unit (with paper) and her doll chest.

Then to top it off, there are glittered butterflies alighted all over the room.

Ok, well, that is it for now. I'm almost through with Eli's room, and ours. The rest of them (the guest bathrooms, the guest bedroom, the studio, the laundry room) all have a long ways to go. I will continue to post pictures as I make progress. :)

Overall, this house is a tremendous blessing. We can't believe we get to live here!! It's so exciting to have a guest bedroom, we plan on having visitors as much as possible! :)

Need a Moment?

2011-07-08T13:09:00.002-05:00

Grab a Twix.

Oh dear. I'm there this week. Actually, the last couple weeks, teetering between getting it done and throwing in the towel. I keep telling Rob we need another vacation, just to catch up! :) And then I remember that my God is bigger and I don't need to finish any of it today, or at least very little today, and I just need to concentrate on those few necessary things first. Whew. Good place of dependency to be.

Sometimes I need to just stop and focus on the blessings, rather than being overwhelmed by my inability to manage it all. We are truly, insanely, blessed. These kids. Wow, they are just incredible little people. When I think about the responsibility, the trust that God has placed in us to raise them. That's pretty humbling in itself.

Then I think about my hubby. We attended Marriage Encounter a few weekends back, and for me the very best part was getting to spend 44 hours with him. After 13 years, you all know he's still my best friend. But it was nice to revel in it for a few days. I'm so glad we did, because we've been going 90 to nothing since. (which, btw, he hates that phrase and says it doesn't make any sense, but I don't care, I love it anyway. I guess that's me being my non-sensical self?)

Then I think about our church. I cannot describe to you the joys of pastoring at such an awesome church. We are truly blessed. We love our staff, we love our people, we love the facility, the city, the culture. We love. :)

And then I think about our house. It is so much awesome. I know I haven't posted pictures and I'm sorry. I've take a few. It's just that I am in the middle of like forty two projects right now (and I'm not even exaggerating) AND I have not found my sd card reader just yet. I think I've narrowed down the box it is in, and have even half unpacked it, but I have not been home long enough to finish that project.

The house is incredible. Each room has a plan and a purpose and all of them make me smile when I think about the way they will be whenever I get to it. :) Probably a long way off. We have some friends that are chatting about visiting in October and I'm hoping we are a bit more there by then. I love that we can have people stay, isn't that amazing? And there will be space to talk and laugh and eat and sleep. What a breath of refreshing air that is!

See, glass half full. I just needed to stop and think about all the awesome. God is so good to us and we are so undeserving. It's so good to revel in that and pursue a life that brings Him glory always.

Blessed Beyond My Mess.

2011-07-01T15:45:00.003-05:00

Well, we survived the move. It was a bit hairy, probably one of our more complicated moves, but we've made it to the other side. And as of today, the entire house has air conditioning. Yay! We are slowly unearthing, at least it seems slow to me. But usually we move into a place and get settled immediately. But that just wasn't in the cards this time, maybe God is trying to tell me something? :)

Now I am looking at this HUGE house and just pinching myself that we get to live here for the next who-knows-how-long. What a blessing. It's of course, still a disaster, but I'm starting to see all the potential. And I was surfing a bit on pinterest.com and finding some pretty neat motivators. I can't wait to start getting creative!! We have a commitment this evening and then a long weekend stretched out before us and I can't wait to get started!!

Just wanted to check in and let you all know we made it!

Tomorrow's the Day.

2011-06-20T06:23:00.003-05:00

We've been counting down for six months. You see, in January, a family in the church contacted us about the possiblility of renting their home when our lease was up. It is a dream house at a dream price and we are so excited to move in and do real ministry in our home again. Our two bedroom condo has been just a season in our life to get us to San Antonio. It's so neat to see it all boxed back up with bare walls again. No remorse in my heart this move, only upward and onward.

There have been a few snags on the other end of this move, so please be praying for the transition for everyone involved. We know God is in this (that has been very apparent from the very beginnning) and He'll work everything out according to His plan.

Meanwhile, we officially started a week's vacation this morning. And ironically, an alarm that our sweet Sarah helpfully packed, started beeping at 5:45am from the deep recesses of a box in our bedroom. Rob's my hero, he dug in the dark till he found it and disabled it. But there was no falling back asleep for me, I had a hard enough time disengaging last night, but now daylight is about to burn and my list is at least a mile long, starting with cleaning the oven (boo) and toilets (double boo). The best part of this day is that Bart and Jen and the kiddos will be here about noon. (double yay!)

Will post pics on the other side. Blessings!

A Power Leak

2011-06-01T08:04:00.004-05:00

After over a year of living a Spirit-filled life, I am still amazed by the power made available to me through the Holy Spirit. I can see why the Word refers to it as a gift, because that is the truest expression. Each time I exercise this gift, I am humbled by it again, and I wind up being disappointed in myself for not using it more often!

I had a really rough day yesterday. And this morning I set out determined not to repeat it. So after I dropped Rob and the kids off at work I started my usual ACTS (adoration, confession, thanksgiving, supplication) structured prayer. I've been determined not to allow this prayer to become flat or routine, so I just started praising God for all He is and all He's done. I didn't get too far in this process before I realized that mere english wasn't going to satisfy my need to praise Him, so soon my heavenly language soon poured forth. Immediately the car was filled with such peace and I just felt the stress and strain I'd been walking with the past few days melt away.

Why did I wait so long? How come we forget to recharge and let the power just leak out of our lives. I picture a helium balloon with a slow leak. Pretty quick we are hanging at three feet looking sad and wondering how we got there. When we are supposed to be scraping the ceiling, busting with life and purpose - TO PROCLAIM HIS GLORY!

I think so many people have bought into the lie that they can only receive from God at the altar, or in a camp or revival service. They don't realize, that once you've been filled, you can use that gift any time. And you should! Some of my most incredible moments with God have been in the privacy of my own bedroom or in the car while I am driving down the road. (I like to think there is a supernatural hedge of protection around me when I'm driving in that condition) The hangup that snares most people is that you have to set aside time to truly seek Him.

As soon as I felt like I could, I began praying, in English, to confess my lack of dependence on the Lord. I realized that I had drifted from the power source. Sure, I had done my bible readings, and said lots of breath prayers in the past few days. But I hadn't lingered, and I certainly hadn't experienced that vital fresh touch from the Spirit.

You might think, "well, Anna, you are a pentecostal pastor's wife, you have to live a Spirit-filled life in order to be effective." And I couldn't agree more. But ironically, where I needed the touch the most is in the mommy aspect of my life. I realized this morning that I can't possibly hope to raise these children successfully in my own strength. And once again, I am so grateful for supernatural access to the throne of God.

"Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from your the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Ephesians 5:18-20

Birthday Lunch

2011-05-19T08:50:00.004-05:00

These sweet ladies all took time out of their busy day to come and have lunch with me, it was awesome! We had such a wonderful time!!

Bonus!!

2011-05-18T08:00:00.003-05:00

While I was cropping today's pages in iPhoto I noticed these pages from earlier in the year that I hadn't shared. Also, I have a couple more that I haven't photographed yet, so maybe when I get that last page finished, I'll snap photos of them all and get them up on here. :)

Birthday Scrapping

2011-05-18T07:43:00.004-05:00

Well, I hit the big 32. And despite gaining two age spots this year (grrrr) and numerous additional moles (double grrr) I've seemingly survived the transition from 31.

Rob made it special, on Monday he blocked off the day for me and took me shopping at San Marcos Outlets, where I found several new (CUTE) t-shirts and a couple pairs of Fossil earrings on clearance. Then we went to Plato's closet and I found a pair of shorts and a light brown summer cardigan (big shock there) as well as a super plaid pair of Rocket Dogs that will be awesome for camp in a few weeks.

On Tuesday, I shuffled everyone off to school and then proceeded to drag out tons of scrapbooking stuff. Lori and I sat on the phone on and off most of the morning and early afternoon, and I produced four finished pages, with a big start into a fifth (hoping to finish it up later today). We had a blast. I really do miss my good friends that live around the country, but I got phone calls from two of them yesterday, and it made the miles melt. As much as I long to hug their neck or go shopping with them or sit down to a meal with their shining faces across the table, I am so grateful that they are in my life, and that God has brought so many new friends across my path here in San Antonio. He has built a beauitiful life for us here, and I have the double blessing of keeping my long distance friends while adding to my local friends. Today I get to go to birthday lunch with a bunch of San Antonio ladies and I'm really looking forward to it!!

So here are the first four pages from yesterday's adventures. :) Hope you enjoy!

new camera documentation! (which I am LOVING it!)

This page takes it for the most work, I stamped all those flowers and cut them out, but I love it! Totally worth the effort.

Remembering our adventures in Hill Country this past fall.

documenting my ridiculous love for my iPad.

Mother's Day gift..

2011-05-10T22:07:00.001-05:00

Rob hit it out of the park this year with these two sweet figurines, a boy and a girl. They've already found their place of honor on my shingle shelves in the living room. :)

Will it matter in ten years??

2011-05-10T21:59:00.000-05:00

Will it matter in ten years??

So the other day, one of my sweet and mostly innocent children did something exceedingly brainless. Shocking, I know. My reaction was to fret about how Rob would react, mostly because the offense would affect him more than me. I was with a dear friend at the time and she said, so simply, “Will it matter in ten years?” Her comment threw me off kilter, I believe I had to ask her to repeat it. “Will it matter in ten years?”

Well, no, truth be told. It won’t. And honestly, it probably won’t matter in ten days. In six small words she altered my parenting worldview. I spent the rest of the evening turning this thought over in my head. How much time and anxiety and effort have I spent through my lifetime on things that wouldn’t matter in the long haul? Especially when it comes to my children.

Instantly I thought of how this ten year thinking would altar my daily priorities. Dishes and laundry suddenly didn’t seem as important as conversations and laughter, family Bible study and prayer. I was reminded again how my time with my own children (already six and ten) is slipping through my fingers like sand. How much time have I spent on the ten minute plan in lieu of the ten year plan?

Then I began to realize how looking at the big picture would affect parenting a teenager. Little things could slide, if we learned to identify and prioritize the ten year plan. Taking out the trash, cleaning their room? Not so big of a deal as being honest and making God-honoring choices.

You know what I’m talking about. Sometimes we just pick on the little things in our children, especially our teenagers. Take a moment to think about it, are there some things you can let go? Maybe take that time to affirm them instead of reprimand, or better yet – catch them doing something that does matter in the ten year plan.

I find myself often quoting the first part of Ephesians 6 to my children; “Honor your father and mother…so that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.” As parents we tend to overlook the rest of the context of this scripture. There are directions for mom and dad too, “… do not exasperate your children; instead, bring them up in the training and instruction of the Lord.”

So I encourage you to keep the long term goal in mind when it comes to your teenager. Take some time to identify your ten year plan, write it out and post it somewhere you can regularily check in on your progress. Hold yourself accountable to it, and let your teenager in on the plan. The wonder is, as they see you consider the ten year plan, they will learn to consider it for themselves. It may help with longterm decisions like tatoos and girlfriends and indebtedness.

Praying for you friends, as we consider the ten year plan.

Happy Anniversary Baby...

2011-05-09T09:44:00.000-05:00

I've been slaving away on this project for hours and hours. But I think the end result is worth it, what do you think??

In case you are wondering, the top stitching a cross-section of a tree. It has 13 rings, one for each year of marriage. The heart of the tree symbolizes our dating/engagement season. The twig sewn below it, well....

Back in Febuary of 1997 Rob and I had one of our most fantastic dates ever. We lay out under the stars (in the cold night air) on a deck at Intervarsity Camp. We held hands and realized that night that we had begun planning our future together. It was an amazing evening.

The next morning, he came to breakfast with something behind his back. He told me that he was so blessed by our conversation the night before that he wanted to bring me a token of his love, a flower. But being February in Kansas City, there were no flowers in bloom. Instead he found this twig and he presented it so proudly.

My heart was melted. Obviously.

14 years later I still have the very twig. And (by the grace of Jesus) our love has grown into a fine and mighty oak tree.

13 things I love about Rob..

2011-05-09T07:17:00.002-05:00

(in honor of our 13 years of marriage)

1.) His love for the Lord. This was the very first thing I noticed about Rob, he passionately serves his Savior. I had never met anyone on fire for Jesus to that extent.

2.) His sense of humor. He has such a wonderful sense of humor, and it's so perfectly aligned with my own, we wind up really setting each other off. It keeps us from taking life too seriously. Also, he has the best high pitched laugh when he's really tickled. I'd love to hear it every day!

3.) His astute sense of right and wrong. Rob has a crazy strong sense of justice. It makes him fight for truth and stand up for the weak. It makes him passionate and determined.

4.) His gentle nature. I love watching him play with our children. You can see the tenderness in his heart. I love it when he holds me if I've had a bad day or even a bad moment. You can also see this in his worship. He's so open to the things of God, it melts my heart.

5.) His willingness to grow and change. We've hit some bumps along the way, and neither of us are perfect. He'll take an honest look at himself and strive for better.

6.) His passion for ministry. This guy is ministry minded. He loves people, he loves the church. His mind is always churning; how can we do this better?

7.) He is a tireless worker. For the ministry, for the family, for any project he's put his mind to. He has a very strong work ethic and everyone he works with is blessed by it.

8.) He loves me. That sounds simple, but I see so many lackluster marriages, and I am so thankful to be smack in the middle of such a great one. Rob constantly tells me that he loves me (the end of every phone call, a gagillion times during the day, before we go to sleep at night and first thing when we wake up in the morning) and I know by the way he says it, he really means it. It's incredible to me that we can be married for so long and still be so incredibly in love with one another. We never get sick of each other, or need a break, in fact, even when he's away for a little while, I miss him! Working together in the office this year has probably only made this stronger, which is a miracle in itself!

9.) He challenges me to grow. Rob will never leave me where I'm at. We are always trying to love each other and our kids more. If I'm in error, he's the first to tell me, and lovingly discuss how we can do better. He challenges our children and students to grow, too.

10.) He engages in conversation. We have had so many incredible conversations over the years. Many of them long after midnight laying in bed. He is my favorite person to talk to. We've solved the world's problems many times over by now, I'm pretty sure. Especially this past year, with me taking Berean, he's been an incredible tutor and mentor.

11.) His giftings in areas that I'm not gifted in. God really knew what He was doing when He brought us together all those years ago. Rob and I compliment each other perfectly for ministry and I'm so grateful that he fills in all my gaping shortcomings.

12.) He's in touch with his inner child. Take a walk through his office and see all his Star Wars toys, or browse through his many games on his iPad, find him wrestling our kids on the living room floor. He knows how to relax and have a good time. This is why he's such a great youth pastor, because in some situations, he really hasn't grown up. I mean this as an absolute compliment. He still loves to play, and it makes him a great daddy, too.

13.) He is my favorite. And when I tell him that he always answers "you're mine", it makes me smile every time. He's the one I want to share all my secrets and joys with, the one who makes me laugh, who holds me tight, who whispers sweet nothings in my ear. He'll wink across the room at me, he'll give me that look that still makes my insides jiggly. He shares my highs and my lows. He is my better half and I will always, always thank God for that!!

Favorite Scripture.

2011-05-05T14:17:00.003-05:00

"You hem me in -- behind me and before; You have laid your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain. Where can I go from Your Spirit? Where can I flee from Your presence? If I go to the heavens, You are there; if I make my bed in the depths, You are there. If I rise on the wins of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there Your hand will guide me, Your right hand will hold me fast." Psalm 139:5-9

I have loved this verse for years. Over a decade in fact. I came across it today as I was preparing my shiftAM lesson and I want to put it someplace I will never lose it. It speaks to me because I am always a mess, and yet God is constantly hemming me in, pulling together the places I unravel, making a neat edge where I would otherwise be torn. He brings beauty out of rags. I love Him so much.

In Tha Motherhood...

2011-05-05T09:19:00.002-05:00

heard this song on the radio and I could just so relate. Love my kids!

You are Entering Your Mission Field...

2011-04-19T21:50:00.003-05:00

I've seen a sign like this as we've left churches before. But today I was studying Colossians for Prison Epistles, and reading about how our greatest area of Christian witness is our our own home. And I was suddenly inspired to make this sign and put it on the garage door, leading INTO our home. You see, we've struggled with living lives of love here in our household lately. And I wanted to remind all of my family what the Word says about loving one another. They all got the message right away, and it's a great reminder for me, too!!

PS - Sarah brought home these spring flowers for me not too long ago. Aren't they dear??

Full-Time Mom for the week.

2011-04-15T21:11:00.002-05:00

This week has been a rough one in some senses. Eli has been down with a sinus infection. I had given him some prescription cough medicine (given to us by our dr's office) to help him sleep on Monday night. He awoke Tuesday covered in hives. We took the first available appointment of the day (hives had almost disappeared by this point) and got him started on a prescription of Omnicef. Later that afternoon he was busted out in hives again, much worse this time. A call to the office and they said to watch his breathing closely because his airway could get restricted. I woke up with him over and over the next two nights to check his breathing and administer Benadryl. Finally, yesterday his hives cleared and stayed clear. He's slowly recovering from the sinus infection, without any antibiotics because we are trying to clear his systen.

There is good news. I am so grateful that now we know he's allergic to codeine and omnisporens. We learned in non life-threatening dosages, thankfully. I've gotten to spend more time with my favorite son this week than I have in a long, long time. He is such a joy.

And I've gotten some serious time to catch up. All of my photography is edited and sent to clients. My kitchen is clean. I made supper tonight and chocolate chip cookies. And now I even have a moment to blog. I've been working on a top secret anniversary project, too. I can't remember the last time I had an opportunity to craft for the love of crafting!

I feel like I can breathe again. I, of course, miss work and church and my students. But I am grateful to regain some ground here at home. I'm thankful to spend time with my sweet kids (when they aren't torturing each other). We worked on projects for the grandmas today, and we are all so excited about them!! It's just nice to be a normal mom for a week again. It makes me appreciate where I came from, and reminds me how much I love what I do during a normal week. I'm wrapping up this week feeling very content and blessed and only the teeniest tinge guilty. It's all good.

Jesus Manifesto

2011-04-11T21:38:00.002-05:00

Delighting in this book, although I have no business reading it while trying to carve my way through Prison Epistles... Found and cherished this quote today:

‎"We ought to read the scriptures with the express design of finding Christ in them. Whoever shall turn aside from this object, though he may weary himself throught his whole life in learning, will never attain the knowledge of the truth: for what wisdom can we have without the wisdom of God?" John Calvin

Life As We Know It..

2011-04-10T11:51:00.004-05:00

HATE that I abandoned Photo 365. It was probably too ambitious. Shocking considering my personality, isn't it?

Got convicted this morning, read a message board thread about taking everyday photos of your family. Not just the posed, portraits. I stink at this. Need to work on it.

So in that spirit, I took a few pics of Sarah playing with Legos this morning. She stayed home from church this morning with a foul tummy..

The crazy Lego collection is her and Eli's private world, called Lego City. It's pretty awesome!

Eating Elephant and other Ramblings..

2011-04-08T14:20:00.002-05:00

Finally, a moment to record a few thoughts. It's a shame, really, that I've missed so much blogging lately. God has been doing some incredible things in my life and I just haven't had time to write them down.

For starters;

I am working on my Beginning Ministerial Internship. This is a class that I am working through with Pastor Doug, and also starting a mentoring relationship with a woman pastor in our section. I'm halfway through the internship and it's already been impactful on my life. One of the biggest issues we've learned about is the issue of pride, and how this can be such a huge stumbling blocks, especially it seems for pastors. I've been praying about this issue in my own life for several months... It's always exciting to see how God prepares you before He schools you. :)

The biggest highlight thus far in this experience was definitely getting to preach on Women's Ministries Sunday. That was such an honor; terrifying, exhilarating, and addicting all at the same marvelous time!

I'm simultaneously finishing my last certified level course; Prison Epistles. This is proving to be another difficult course. But the challenge is always rewarding. The crazy thing is, as I finish this class I'm applying for credentials and starting the testing/interviewing process. (eeee!) Nothing makes you analyze every past mistake and misstep like applying for ministerial credentials! Just filling out that application was a lesson in humility!!

I honestly can't believe I'm already to this point. It seems like just a couple months ago I received my calling at youth camp and nervously phoning Berean to enroll for classes. The past nine months have been challenging and overwhelming at times.. In fact I reached a breaking point in November where I really had to receive a pep talk to keep going.. But God is faithful and He proves Himself over and over to me!! He sent just the right person to speak into my life and refresh me. I finished that course strong, and even accepted my only sad little B+ on a harder than average class.

I seemingly gain momentum with each course and at the halfway point I could begin to ascertain my progress. It's a bit like eating an elephant, you just have to keep eating elephant, one bite at a time, even if there reach's a point that you begin to wonder why you like elephant in the first place. LOL.

The reality is, as you near the end of the process, (or at least the first level in the process) you realize how very worth it it's been. I'm there. I look back at the last nine months and am floored, amazed, and blessed by the personal spiritual growth that God has done in me through these classess. It makes me so grateful!! I'm excited that I have two levels to go, because I am not ready to say goodbye to this season of my life. I say that, and some days I am ready to pitch a textbook to the wall, but most days I love it!!

Beyond school...

Photography has been really awesome lately. Thus the missing blog posts. All my spare time has been consumed with editing. I had six photo sessions last weekend. I've busted my rear and edited 3 of them, have a good start in the fourth. Last night (after about 9 nights of five or hours of sleep) I hit a wall and laid on the couch at 7:45pm. Rob looks at me and said "what are you doing?" I said "I thought I'd watch some tv." and he replies "You don't do that." He was so surprised to see me set down for a few moments, I guess because I never do. At 9:30 I crawled upstairs and into bed, out within a few minutes. I think it all caught up with me, slept like a baby last night.

I've got another session this weekend, so another week or so of insane editing and I should be caught up. But it's so worth it. You see, a couple weeks ago we paid off Rob's car. That's right, now we own two fully paid for vehicles. :) Again, I sing God's praises, He is so faithful! We started paying extra on his car in October. We had $7000 to go. And God honored it. Six months later it's finished. Now we are working on building our savings back up. This is unbelievable if you know anything about Rob's and my financial history. We got married extremely young and have made just about every insanely stupid financial choice you can make. The year that Ike hit we were taking Financial Peace University classes - one week in and Ike passed right over our home. We evacuated with $200 to our name and a credit card that was too close to credit limit. I vowed that week that we were going to turn things around. And by God's grace we have. I give Him all the praise and glory for that!!

I don't know why I am being so transparent today. I guess it's just reading all this scripture about having our lives point to Jesus. If you look at me and see anything worthwhile, I implore you, it's because of HIM..

I exist because of His mercy. I have talents and giftings because of His creativity. I serve out of love for Him. I work and love and photograph and smile out of thanksgiving and appreciation for all that He has done in and for and through me.

I pray that this is the case for you as well. And if it isn't, it's not too late. Take a moment to understand your sin, your depravity that separates you from His righteousness. Realize His tremendous sacrifice on the cross, that paid the price for sin. Understand that He is reaching out in love and offering you relationship with Him. Repent, turn from your sin, cast it aside, and accept the new, better, life that He offers; both now and with the hope of glory. And let Him flood your life and heart and mind the way He has mine.

A Wild Ride..

2011-03-08T14:17:00.004-06:00

Gosh, the past few months have been amazing and it's sad that I haven't been on here, recording it all. Sometimes I just feel the need to stop and pinch myself to make sure it's all real. And it is. God has been so good to us, and either as a result or a precursor, I only find myself longing for more of Him.

Feeding that need right now:

*daily time in His Word. This has been a staple in my life for years now, but never before to the point of intensity that it has been this past year or so. The Bible has come alive to me in such a real way, I'm beginning to better distinguish the scarlett thread that runs through it from Genesis to Revelation, and it's so marvelous to discover that for myself!

*getting my groove back on with Berean and Acts; The Holy Spirit at Work in Believers. I can tell that it's going to be a tough course, the first chapter alone took me over two hours this morning, but that's a good sign that I'll learn a lot!

*LOVED getting to preach last Sunday, it was scary and fun and nervewrecking all in the same breath! Can't help but wonder how God is going to use these next steps in my life. Still not really sure where I am going with credentialing, but being faithful to step forward in the process. Can't begin to describe the thrill when Pastor Doug said '2 classes away from credentialing', eeeee!! On one hand, the past 9 months of classes have crept by, but really, they've flown. It's been a tremendous amount of work, but I've loved the process!!

*discovered the book Jesus Manifesto by Leonard Sweet and Frank Viola. It's currently rocking my world, even though I know better than to try to read a textbook and a non-fiction discipleship book simultaneously. It's simply too good to put down and wait for until summer.

*getting psyched for photography season. After this weekend, it really amps up and I have several large projects I'm working on. Yay!

*THRILLED to realize that with our tax return, and a little out of savings, we will be saying forever goodbye to Amegy and our car loan! Thank you, Jesus! God is so faithful, we got intense on this loan in October and have been kicking it to the curb ever since. It is our goal (and prayer) to never have a car loan again.

*Women's Convention is starting on Thursday, and my dear friend Jen is joining us this year. I can't wait to see what God does! The last two women's events I attended were phenomenal, God moved and it was awesome. I fully expect it again this time around!

*We attended Acquire the Fire last weekend, bringing 35 people with us. It was pretty awesome, our students really experienced more of God and were challenged in the area of purity. It was a perfect wrap up to our February purity focus.

Anyway, you can see it's crazy and good and we are just loving how God is using us. I can't believe this is our life and I'm so glad God brought us to CT. It's incredible.

You Will Recieve Power

2011-03-08T14:15:00.001-06:00

Had the honor and joy of bringing the Word this past Sunday... If you'd like to listen, here's the linkie to the podcast. (what a rush, God is good!)

linkiepoo

A Quick Post

2011-02-23T16:41:00.003-06:00

to let you know I haven't forgotten about you! I think about blogging, it's just trying to find time to actually do it that is the problem. :)

On a high note, I have gotten my tax paperwork sent off to be dealt with (whew) and I'm only one shoot behind editing. This week I'm working on shared speaking with Rob tonight, a Girls Night message for Friday night, and finishing up the message for next week's Women's Day. woohoo, can't wait to preach that one, it's brewing upstairs for a long time and I'm introducing the church to Prezi. Should be interesting!

BTW - this is my favorite photo from our staff retreat last week. We had an amazing time with harrowing adventures. I have a half-written blog post on my iPad I'll need to share eventually. :)

I'm Not Quite Dead!!

2011-02-12T21:20:00.004-06:00

sorry, we recently re-watched Monty Python and the Holy Grail (editing out the yucky parts) and now I have quotable lines from that movie traipsing through my head. :)

Autumn was in town for the Light for the Lost banquet, so we had the honor of hosting her in our tiny home. Rob tracked down the movie because she had never seen it. We had a responsibility to show her. We had a lot of fun.

This is the card I gave Rob for Valentine's Day, a few days early. I thought it was so us. We celebrated with our kiddos this evening, it was really nice. Fettucini alfredo, asparagus, crustry french rolls and strawberry shortcake. mmmm... happy tummies.

Got a cute Valentine's story to share. Last week we had dinner with the Morgans, whom we love. Anyhoo, our kids are all friends so they wanted to ride from the church to the restuarant together in the Morgans van. So Rob and I went on our own, got there first and as we got out of the car they were all walking into the restuarant laughing at us. Asking why, Pastor Aaron told us that he and Shannon wondered what we were still doing in the car once we got there. Sarah told them "They're having a moment. They do that a lot."

priceless. I'm glad she notices, and knows that we need moments. I pray all the time that we can be biblical marriage role models for our kiddos. It's important that they know what a healthy Christian marriage looks like, and hopefully they'll pursue that in their own lives one day.

Photo 365 01.25.11 Birthday Boy

2011-01-25T21:26:00.004-06:00

Well, an obvious post today. My sweet birthday boy. He turns ten tomorrow. And I can close my eyes and remember us strapping his infant seat into the ramshackle Geo and heading home from the hospital in a snow storm, still hopped up on pain meds. I thought to myself at the time, "I can't believe they are sending us home all by ourselves with this tiny defenseless baby!"

And now he's ten. sniff. And we haven't messed him up too badly just yet.

Eli is seriously one of the most amazing people I know. He is worth every one of those 22 hours of labor. :)

photo 365 01.24.11

2011-01-25T12:45:00.005-06:00

Always happy to get these in the mail... Updated some photos around the house, and did some Valentines-ing too!

Photo 365 01.21.11

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with aforementioned cake.

Sarah's Best Effort Photo 365 01.23.11

2011-01-24T20:42:00.004-06:00

She was trying to find a YouTube video...

Birthday Cake

2011-01-24T20:39:00.003-06:00

Not the most amazing photo, but it was taken pretty late and I was doing well to drag out the camera. :) E's birthday cake. It's a yearly tradition, dating back to a terrific snowstorm in IL. He wanted chocolate cake for his special day, and not a box in the house was to be found. So I looked up 'Ultimate Chocolate Cake' recipe online and had the ingredients to make it from scratch. Didn't have any frosting or decorating stuff, just green M&M's on sale for St. Patty's Day. I figured he liked green, threw it on a green Fiesta plate and voila! He's loved it and asked for it every year since. He'll be away at college and I'll be bringing him chocolate cake with green M&M's. :) Ten on Wednesday, where does the time go??

Photo 365 01.19.11

2011-01-24T20:22:00.003-06:00

My hubby loves me! One day I came home and found my pantry super organized. He asked me to keep it that way and I said fine, if he'd put away the groceries. So now we have a system that works! I love him!

photo 365 01.18.11

2011-01-18T16:21:00.003-06:00

my to-do list for today. sadly, I wound up filling the page. I probably have accomplished about half of it, but some tasks are larger than other and I'm afraid my larger tasks still remain. boo.

Photo 365 01.17.11

2011-01-18T16:10:00.004-06:00

We brought a brown bag lunch to shift Manic Monday yesterday. Brown bag is too plain for Sarah, she insisted on her picnic basket. :)

Photo 365 01.16.11

2011-01-18T16:05:00.003-06:00

Life necessities lately. the cell phone, for obvious reasons. (still praying about that Verizon iPhone release next month, I'm soooo cheap) the iPod touch, essential for organization and music, of course. and the hot coffee my sweetheart prepared for me before church on Sunday morning.

Photo 365 01.15.11

2011-01-18T15:36:00.004-06:00

happens to be my latest obsession. this is my reward for finishing schoolwork at the end of the day. or housework. or photography work. or just making it through the day. I like to play it while watching tv or a movie with Rob. It's a good motivator, although it is highly addictive, similar to crack cocaine, I believe.

Photo 365 01.14.11

2011-01-18T15:30:00.002-06:00

Photo 365 01.13.11

2011-01-13T20:01:00.001-06:00

You can find today's photo over here.. Very busy day. Date night tomorrow, woohoo!

Photo 365 01.12.11

2011-01-12T17:26:00.003-06:00

Feeling pretty overwelmed today. See the state of my home office? Work desk isn't much different.

Photo 365 01.11.11

2011-01-12T17:10:00.001-06:00

We had Starbucks yesterday in honor of Eli's 100% on his writing Benchmark. Way to go, Eli!!

PS - thought it was too cute that the starbucks folks wrote Batman on his cup for him. ;)

Photo 365 01.10.11

2011-01-12T17:04:00.002-06:00

In honor of my new love of Macy's. It is an expensive replacement for beloved Younkers, but in a pinch, it will do..

A Little New Song LOVE!!

2011-01-11T10:55:00.000-06:00

heard this at Youth Convention and was anxiously awaiting it's release. Available on iTunes now!!

Photo 365 01.09.11

2011-01-11T09:20:00.003-06:00

Getting ready to walk out the door for church on Sunday morning.

Photo 365 01.08.11

2011-01-11T09:17:00.001-06:00

Sarah playing Barbies on the living room floor.

Photo 365 01.07.11

2011-01-10T15:52:00.001-06:00

A photo of dear hubby in his office at work. :)

ct|women's article

2011-01-06T10:23:00.001-06:00

My contribution for the February/March edition...

Well, it’s February and parents, you know what that means! It’s an opportune time to talk to your teenagers about dating and relationships. At least, that will be the topic we’ll be covering in shift the coming weeks. Even though we will be discussing this in youth, it’s crucial to that you don’t neglect your responsibility as a parent in this important area of life training.

So as a parent of a teenager, where do you begin?

Get a Biblical perspective. Be reading the Word, consult it on matters of sexuality. There are many great verses that map out very clear directions on ‘keeping you from the immoral woman’ and ‘rejoicing in the wife of your youth’, ‘fleeing from sexual impurity’ and of course, ‘anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart.’ The Bible is a road map for every area of our lives, including sexuality, but like any good map, you need to study it to reach your intended destination.

Here are some tips to help you broach this difficult subject.

Bring the Holy Spirit into the conversation with you. Pray about how God wants you to speak to your children, to give you discernment when and how to discuss matters, and what depth to go to. Information about sexual relations can be heavy baggage for a young person to carry, so as parents we must ascertain how much they need to know and when is the right time to discuss particulars. At the same time, consider that your teenager is being bombarded with the world’s message of sexuality all the time. We both know that the world’s message is quite different than God’s. The world is shouting their message, how timidly are you representing Gods?

Realize that this will not be a one time conversation. I hate the term ‘The Talk’ because it implies that it’s a single, harrowing experience for both teenager and parent. Having one conversation about sex with your teenager and thinking you’ve educated them completely is like having them read a paragraph about parachuting and deciding they are ready for their first solo jump from an airplane. You may have had notes and covered everything, but your young person may not remember one thing from that first conversation because they are so stunned by the subject matter! When do any of us listen and learn the first time we hear something? You will need to start early, talk clearly, and talk often. I tell my children they can tell me anything and we’ll talk about everything. We’ve done this since they were toddlers, so they know within the four walls of our home, any topic is open for discussion.

Set clear boundaries for your teenager and hold them accountable. Again, it’s important to remember that the world’s message of sexuality is loud and constant. We need strategize for success for our teenagers. Make an agreement with your teenager on guidelines for them to follow such as; group dating only, specific curfew times, modest clothing requirements. Guidelines give your teenager a sense of security and a clear understanding of your expectations. Hold them accountable to these guidelines. If they want adult privileges such as dating or makeup or phone calls with the opposite sex, they need to behave in an adult way, respecting the boundaries you have established and they have agreed to. Give them a clear end–goal; reaching the altar with purity intact, and honoring God a lifestyle of integrity.

References; Proverbs 1:6:24, Proverbs 5:18, 1 Corinthians 6:18, Matthew 5:28

Scrapbook Pages

2011-01-05T17:40:00.003-06:00

About five of these are from this past week at home. A few are from earlier in December.