Well, I ended my last post (yes, way back in 2013, just a few days shy of three years ago!) by saying that I'd be back in God's time. Thinking about the reality of that, it makes me laugh. God's timing is always the right timing, amen? But I wonder sometimes if he laughs at us when we try to impose our timing on His plans for our lives.. If so, He must've had a pretty good laugh at my last closing statement. I thought I'd be back sooner, but I guess I thought wrong haha. So, I should probably give a few updates.. considering it's been three years.
It's crazy how much can change in a short amount of time, and the following things are definitely not an exhaustive list. For starters, we were insanely involved in our church in various ministries. We gradually pulled out of those ministries over a two year period, and changed churches a few months ago. This has been a wonderful change (not that our previous church is bad by any means) and we are enjoying a new church.
In the fall of 2013, I accepted an offer to work full time for a company in the oil and gas industry and left my position at the bank. I worked for this company until late 2014 until they downsized and I was laid off. I was shocked, scared by the loss of income, and unsure what to do, but I knew God was in control and would provide like He always has. (And He did, and continues to do so.)
During the summer of 2014, we had decided to start a family and with great joy discovered we were expecting that same September. I was blessed with a great pregnancy. I wasn't sick, didn't have any medical conditions, and only had mild morning (err.. all-day) sickness that lasted until around 24 weeks. The only concern for the whole pregnancy was that our little man was awfully comfortable and didn't want to join us, so I was induced on his due date. He still wasn't ready, so they sent me home for a week (which was totally frustrating by the way.. being the size of a bus is not comfortable, then going through the induction process only to be told 24 hours later, "hey, we're sending you home without a baby.. better luck next week" only sends a sore, hormonal momma into tears and more frustration). So, our sweet Noah was born a week later, last May, healthy as could be, and we are SO in love! He is definitely worth the wait and we are loving every minute with him. He is such a happy boy! He loves his family, his toys, any kind of food, music, and pulling all the DVD's off the bottom shelf on his way out when he tries to escape from the living room ;)
After getting laid off, I realized I was able to go to MOPS (Mothers of Pre Schoolers) and really enjoyed being around all the other mommas. If you're not familiar with MOPS and you're a momma, please please please check them out! It is a fantastic ministry for mommas and incredibly beneficial. In fact, I'll make it easy for you, here's a link: www.mops.org. In late summer, I got a call from one of the committee members asking if I'd prayerfully consider joining the leadership team by being a discussion group leader and be responsible for a table of ladies at each meeting. I'd recently felt God preparing me for something to get back in the saddle of ministry and it instantly clicked ("duh"), so I said yes and am currently serving in that ministry. I absolutely love it. Its definitely not within my comfort zone, but that's part of what God had been preparing me for. You know that "tugging-at-your-heartstrings" feeling when God is saying "go" but hasn't told you where yet, but you know He's not going to tell you where until you step out in faith and say yes to Him? Yeah, that's where I was at. And I said yes to God. And He has blessed every step of the way. And He has showed me for the hundredth time that I don't need to be great at everything that my leadership role entails, because when I let HIM fill in the spots where I'm inadequate, HE gets the glory, and the mommas get pointed to HIM (crafty, eh?). He is SO faithful!
So, those are just a few things that have changed, but I'll hopefully write more eventually. Noah's been asleep for 2.5 hours.. so he's due to wake up any second!
Showing posts with label Love. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Love. Show all posts
Tuesday, February 23, 2016
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Just Love Them
Its crazy how busy life is. I'm sitting here listening to the rain and wind outside our cozy living room, just thinking. Life/Work/Church/Future/Family/Friends/Home.. Its 11pm and I could fall asleep right now, but I don't want to go to bed. My head is spinning..
I love this craziness. This world is insane, and as much as we all sometimes want to deny it, we can't. I often think about the students in the high school youth group I work with. Some of their lives are unimaginable. So are the lives of many of the middle school students that come to our Jr. High program. It hurts to hear about their lives and wonder what it must be like to live daily in their situations. We don't give some of them enough credit for just living. Coming from families with one (or no) parent(s), raising siblings, taking care of the house, dealing with drugs, gangs, wrong crowds, etc. Todays youth face so much more today than they did just a few years ago. Can you imagine how strong some of these individuals must be? And they're not even technically adults yet. We each face our own battles, so those of us who didn't grow up in situations like theirs have no idea what its like to live in their 'world,' and its hard to bridge that gap because many students from those situations have walls built up around them. Our church recently hired a new youth pastor after searching for over a year. He grew up in the area and really has a heart for students, and people in general. In a conversation with him early this summer, we were talking about how to get through to students like I mentioned above. This is what he said: just love them. 'Just love them?' I thought about this for a very short time before it clicked. Just love them. Thats what Jesus did; He just loved people. Like the woman at the well, and Zacchaeus, and everyone else. We're all drawn to Him because of His love that seems so unimaginable to us. So it made sense that the way to get through to our students is to just love them. They're not going to open up to someone who is judgmental, rude, not genuine, and doesn't seem to care. No, they're going to run to the person who has repeatedly made it know to them that they have value, and that they matter. And I'll tell you, it works. So, needless to say, "just love them" are three of the most valuable words I have ever been given in ministry advice to this day.
Just love them. Three words, just for ministry, right? Wrong. After thinking about loving these students it really made me think about just loving people. At some point in the last few years I made the decision to love people like Jesus did, but it never clicked as much as it did this summer. Lets get real, as adults - or anyone for that matter, to 'just love them' is harder than it seems. We deal with so many people per day; young, old, smart, challenged, rude, etc., that sometimes we flat out don't want to show them love. We want to be rude just they like were to us, we want them to get paid back for the wrong they did, and on and on. But thats our nature, as humans, and its a daily battle. Loving can be a very hard and conscious choice, but can be easy for some. I'm not one of those people, and I'll be the first to admit it. Loving people isn't always easy, but its one of those things that drives me. Even within my family, its hard. Growing up I fought with my siblings, parents, extended family,.. everyone. I wasn't exactly agreeable. And then I moved out. And I realized how big of a jerk I was. I realized that the love I needed to be showing them should imitate the love of Christ. I still don't succeed in always showing that love to them, my husband, or others, but I can look back and see the progress I've made, and know that God's not finished with me yet. I make a conscious choice to love, and move on. Its one of those one-line prayers we utter, mine being "God help me to just love them" and rely on Him to guide us and grow us into a more loving person. After all, we're all just people trying to live, survive, and figure out where we're supposed to be; so lets cut each other some slack. Give grace, give love.
Just love them. Pure and simple.
Just love them.
I love this craziness. This world is insane, and as much as we all sometimes want to deny it, we can't. I often think about the students in the high school youth group I work with. Some of their lives are unimaginable. So are the lives of many of the middle school students that come to our Jr. High program. It hurts to hear about their lives and wonder what it must be like to live daily in their situations. We don't give some of them enough credit for just living. Coming from families with one (or no) parent(s), raising siblings, taking care of the house, dealing with drugs, gangs, wrong crowds, etc. Todays youth face so much more today than they did just a few years ago. Can you imagine how strong some of these individuals must be? And they're not even technically adults yet. We each face our own battles, so those of us who didn't grow up in situations like theirs have no idea what its like to live in their 'world,' and its hard to bridge that gap because many students from those situations have walls built up around them. Our church recently hired a new youth pastor after searching for over a year. He grew up in the area and really has a heart for students, and people in general. In a conversation with him early this summer, we were talking about how to get through to students like I mentioned above. This is what he said: just love them. 'Just love them?' I thought about this for a very short time before it clicked. Just love them. Thats what Jesus did; He just loved people. Like the woman at the well, and Zacchaeus, and everyone else. We're all drawn to Him because of His love that seems so unimaginable to us. So it made sense that the way to get through to our students is to just love them. They're not going to open up to someone who is judgmental, rude, not genuine, and doesn't seem to care. No, they're going to run to the person who has repeatedly made it know to them that they have value, and that they matter. And I'll tell you, it works. So, needless to say, "just love them" are three of the most valuable words I have ever been given in ministry advice to this day.
Just love them. Three words, just for ministry, right? Wrong. After thinking about loving these students it really made me think about just loving people. At some point in the last few years I made the decision to love people like Jesus did, but it never clicked as much as it did this summer. Lets get real, as adults - or anyone for that matter, to 'just love them' is harder than it seems. We deal with so many people per day; young, old, smart, challenged, rude, etc., that sometimes we flat out don't want to show them love. We want to be rude just they like were to us, we want them to get paid back for the wrong they did, and on and on. But thats our nature, as humans, and its a daily battle. Loving can be a very hard and conscious choice, but can be easy for some. I'm not one of those people, and I'll be the first to admit it. Loving people isn't always easy, but its one of those things that drives me. Even within my family, its hard. Growing up I fought with my siblings, parents, extended family,.. everyone. I wasn't exactly agreeable. And then I moved out. And I realized how big of a jerk I was. I realized that the love I needed to be showing them should imitate the love of Christ. I still don't succeed in always showing that love to them, my husband, or others, but I can look back and see the progress I've made, and know that God's not finished with me yet. I make a conscious choice to love, and move on. Its one of those one-line prayers we utter, mine being "God help me to just love them" and rely on Him to guide us and grow us into a more loving person. After all, we're all just people trying to live, survive, and figure out where we're supposed to be; so lets cut each other some slack. Give grace, give love.
Just love them. Pure and simple.
Just love them.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Free to Struggle
My sister-in-law texted me late on a Monday telling me about the concert that Friday night, and by the next morning five tickets had been bought. Exciting? Very! So we headed down on Friday night to see Tenth Avenue North, Rend Collective, and Audrey Assad. It was a great concert. There was an energy surging through the air, and so much was talked about. Mike Donehey (lead singer from TenthAve) spoke in between songs explaining some of the meanings. The man definitely has a way with words, and a way with conveying God's love in a way people can relate and understand. I think that sometimes we are so used to hearing about God's love only in sermons that we start to just think "yeah, God loves me, I know" but we don't process it, act on it, and really bask in His love. I mean, hey, we are His children. He died for us, knowing that we may reject Him.
He also talked about how many of us have hurts, shame, and so many other things that make us feel far from God. Friends, the fact is, God is never far away. In fact, He's so close we can't even imagine His proximity. He died to forgive the things that we feel shame for. He died to give us life. He died out of love, and that same love is waiting for us to run to Him and ask Him to heal our hurts. He longs for us to come to Him, and He will always be there, never giving up on us, or failing us. Our egos, shame, sin, and so many other things make us feel like we're not good enough, that we we're not worthy to come to Him. But He died for those reasons, so we can come to Him. He's there, and always will be. He loves us. And always will. I pray that you not only believe that, but act on it in a way that gives love back to Him.
The new album is called 'the Struggle', and talks about how we're free to struggle, but we're not struggling to be free. Christ has already set us free. We're free to fail, because we fall into an ocean of grace. What a huge relief. I think so many people are afraid of failing... terrified, of failing. So, they don't act. But we can miss out on so many amazing things if we fear failure and don't do anything. We're not perfect, we're going to fail; but when we fail, it means we tried. God doesn't call us to be idle. Don't fear failing.. fall into an ocean of grace.
Check them out here: http://tenthavenuenorth.com/home
"Hallelujah we are free to struggle
We're not struggling to be free
Your blood bought and made us children
So children drop your chains and sing"
Thursday, July 12, 2012
Hard To Love
I've been procrastinating on writing this post for a long time. I just can't seem to find the right words to say. I know exactly what I want to say, but this is one of those times when I worry about how readers will read this post. Crazy? Not really. I know many people who have felt or feel the same way, and hey, we're only human.
Something I have been struggling with lately is loving in general. Yes, I love my husband, family, God, others, and (yes, I'll say it...) tourists. But sometimes showing it is completely different. I think its safe to say that we all have days when we just feel crummy, grumpy, or non social. In those days I've found it either incredibly hard to show not only kindness and love to people, but also Christ's love, or have just found myself apathetic. I do not want to live and apathetic life at all, but on those days I've found myself feeling worse about how I come across.
Upon feeling all those things, it really makes me think. If, as Christians, we are to reflect the love of Christ, why is it so darn hard? Of course I know the answer; because we're human, and have a sin nature. Becoming more like Christ is a journey, a process of growth that is always happening. I've come to the conclusion that loving is sometimes a very conscious choice; especially if we are choosing to reflect the love of Christ. Why? Because its not always easy..
Here's an example; how a couple treats each other. Those days when we feel crummy (well, any day really) it's a lot easier to snap at your partner than to be calm and patient. But, it can be so hard to take that breath and smile while you're calm and patient. Its engrained in us, the concept of self-gratification, leading us to want what we want, when we want it, and not always care about others in the process of obtaining it. It's hard to love when its includes serving, giving, and putting others first.
All in all, the thing I have found most profound in all my thoughts and days scouring the pages of my Bible, is that loving is a very conscious choice. It's stopping and thinking before acting and speaking that helps volumes. Remembering that we reflect the God of the universe, and the people we are around are made in Christ's image just like we are. They're human, and trying their best just like we are, so we need to give them a break. When we saw them last month in concert, Mike Donehey, lead singer of the band Tenth Avenue North, said something like this;
But the question is, will we?
Something I have been struggling with lately is loving in general. Yes, I love my husband, family, God, others, and (yes, I'll say it...) tourists. But sometimes showing it is completely different. I think its safe to say that we all have days when we just feel crummy, grumpy, or non social. In those days I've found it either incredibly hard to show not only kindness and love to people, but also Christ's love, or have just found myself apathetic. I do not want to live and apathetic life at all, but on those days I've found myself feeling worse about how I come across.
Upon feeling all those things, it really makes me think. If, as Christians, we are to reflect the love of Christ, why is it so darn hard? Of course I know the answer; because we're human, and have a sin nature. Becoming more like Christ is a journey, a process of growth that is always happening. I've come to the conclusion that loving is sometimes a very conscious choice; especially if we are choosing to reflect the love of Christ. Why? Because its not always easy..
Here's an example; how a couple treats each other. Those days when we feel crummy (well, any day really) it's a lot easier to snap at your partner than to be calm and patient. But, it can be so hard to take that breath and smile while you're calm and patient. Its engrained in us, the concept of self-gratification, leading us to want what we want, when we want it, and not always care about others in the process of obtaining it. It's hard to love when its includes serving, giving, and putting others first.
All in all, the thing I have found most profound in all my thoughts and days scouring the pages of my Bible, is that loving is a very conscious choice. It's stopping and thinking before acting and speaking that helps volumes. Remembering that we reflect the God of the universe, and the people we are around are made in Christ's image just like we are. They're human, and trying their best just like we are, so we need to give them a break. When we saw them last month in concert, Mike Donehey, lead singer of the band Tenth Avenue North, said something like this;
"Do you really love people? How do you forgive, what's your attitude? When you're around people and they hurt you, and you forgive them, whats your attitude? Friends, your attitude of forgiveness, and love; that is evidence if you have truly been changed by the love of Christ."And it still sticks out in my mind. I can tell you exactly where I was sitting, where he was standing, the weather, the crowd, etc.; the details of what was around me, when he spoke those words. It wasn't a guilt trip, it was a challenge to us. Do we really, consciously love? For me, it's sometimes hard, as I'm sure it is for others. But, to be honest with ourselves and our Maker, we want to love like He does. We want to reflect His love to those who may not know Him.
But the question is, will we?
Tuesday, February 14, 2012
A Valentine's Day Reminder
Happy Valentine's Day! I hope your day is filled with love and warmth; regardless if you have a special someone to share it with! A friend of mine posted this on Facebook, and I just thought I'd share it. It is a great reminder of true love, and I think it fits to add a little more perspective for Valentine's Day. Enjoy =)
Happy Valentine's Day <3
God, our romancer and lover of our souls.
"Every song you love, every memory you cherish, every moment that has moved you to holy tears has been given to you from the One who has been pursuing you from your first breath in order to win your heart. God's version of flowers, and chocolate, and candelight dinners comes in the form of sunsets and falling stars, moonlight on lakes and cricket symphonies; warm wind, swaying trees, lush gardens, and fierce devotion. This romancing is immensely personal. It will be as if it has been scripted for YOUR heart. He knows what takes your breath away, knows what makes your heart beat faster. ......And we must choose to open our hearts so that we might hear his whispers, recieve his kisses." -from the book 'Captivating'
Happy Valentine's Day <3
Monday, January 23, 2012
Hands Of The Healer
Earlier today I was looking for songs to sing this Sunday during worship at youth group, and I came across this song. I had never heard it before, but really like the artist so I took a listen. It is such a beautiful song.
I found it especially fitting for my thoughts today as I have been dealing with a few situations that are just heart-wrenching. Please keep our students in your prayers; they are going through some crazy things. Sometimes as adults I think that we assume middle and high school students have it soo easy. They really don't. Some are facing family issues, depression, suicidal thoughts, self-image issues, etc., and we don't even realize it. What we, as staff, keep asking is; "what is the root issue" and time and time again find out more situations our students are enduring. Their lives aren't as simple as some people think, and they are champs for not giving up. These kids are tough, but their souls are screaming for help. That's why we're here, for them. My desire is to love on these kids and show them they not only matter, but that they have worth, and that worth is from redeeming hands where blood flowed down, from the hands of the Healer. My prayer is that they will find themselves in those very same hands, bask in love's embrace, surrender, and let Him take care of them.
Please join me in being a prayer warrior for these students.
Friday, October 28, 2011
Broken Girl
I was sitting at work doing what I do, and this popped up in the right hand column on youtube. I had never heard it before so I thought I'd take a listen. I was shocked at how powerful this song is. There are so many girls out there that have been broken.
They need to know there's healing, there's a man who won't hurt them, and a man who will be the love of their life.
They need to know they are beautiful gems created for a purpose, and they will always be beautiful.
They need to know they can give up their fight with the past, give it to someone else, and be free from it. They can be made whole again.
This song tells them that. If you know any girls that would benefit from hearing this song, please share it with them.
"Broken Girl" by Matthew West
Look what he's done to you - It isn't fair
Your light was bright and new - But he didn't care
He took the heart of a little girl - And made it grow up too fast
Now words like "innocence"- Don't mean a thing
You hear the music play - But you can't sing
Those pictures in your mind - Keep you locked up inside your past
This is a song for the broken girl - The one pushed aside by the cold, cold world
You are - Hear me when I say - You're not the worthless they made you feel
There is a Love they can never steal away - And you don't have to stay the broken girl
Those damaged goods you see - In your reflection
Love sees them differently - Love sees perfection
A beautiful display - Of healing on the way tonight - Tonight
A beautiful display - Of healing on the way tonight - Tonight
This is a song for the broken girl - The one pushed aside by the cold, cold world -You are
Hear me when I say - You're not the worthless they made you feel
There is a Love they can never steal away - And you don't have to stay the broken girl
Let your tears touch to the ground - Lay your shattered pieces down
And be amazed by how Grace can take a broken girl - And put her back together again
This is a song for the broken girl - The one pushed aside by the cold, cold world - You are
Hear me when I say - You're not the worthless they made you feel
There is a Love they can never steal away - And you don't have to stay the broken girl
You don't have to stay the broken girl
Monday, September 19, 2011
Home and Students
Last Friday my husband and I officially became homeowners =] The house that I posted a picture of (that looks like a big red barn) will be our new home as soon as we get all the fixin-up done that needs doing! Thanks to all who prayed - we are super excited to start this new chapter in our lives and can't wait to see what God has in store for us!
Now on to ministry stuff! Yesterday, we took our youth group to see "The Grace Card" at another church with a few other youth groups. It was a fantastic movie, and even a great learning opportunity. The movie focused on concepts like grace, forgiveness, guilt, blame, relationships, loving others and second chances. We even had a time after the movie to split up in small groups and talk to our students about these concepts, the movie, and how it applies to their lives. The students had fantastic feedback for us, and their answers to our questions were encouraging - they had not only paid attention and grasped some of the concepts from the movie, but they had already thought about how they could apply them to their lives! Pray that they will continue to focus on these topics outside of the church atmosphere and and keep applying them to their lives.
Now on to ministry stuff! Yesterday, we took our youth group to see "The Grace Card" at another church with a few other youth groups. It was a fantastic movie, and even a great learning opportunity. The movie focused on concepts like grace, forgiveness, guilt, blame, relationships, loving others and second chances. We even had a time after the movie to split up in small groups and talk to our students about these concepts, the movie, and how it applies to their lives. The students had fantastic feedback for us, and their answers to our questions were encouraging - they had not only paid attention and grasped some of the concepts from the movie, but they had already thought about how they could apply them to their lives! Pray that they will continue to focus on these topics outside of the church atmosphere and and keep applying them to their lives.
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