Shifting Sand

These last ten days have been crazy. Last week, I turned in notice of my last days at work, we found a house - made an offer - accepted a counter offer, and are now in the inspection period. College started again, my husband and I traveled for the holiday and visited family, and now I'm sitting back home with a racing mind and dreadfully counting down the minutes until I have to leave for class. 

Reading others' blog posts, I have to agree that these few months have been hard, and that asking God why things happen is a lot easier than asking how He can use these experiences in my life to bring Him glory and bring me closer to Him. Its a crazy thought, and one I struggle with. I've gotten better at it, but some days I almost feel like I'm too laid back in trusting Him.... is that possible? As I walked to the lighthouse and back early this morning, I spent some time talking to my sweet sweet Jesus and praising Him for the beauty around me. Its only because of Him that I am where I am today - and what a blessing. He has poured out His love, been faithful when I haven't, and continuously blessed me beyond what I can imagine. But, still some days, I really get to thinking, and shooting up question after question.. why is life sometimes so hard?? Today is more of an open minded (and sad to say apathetic) day: I have class and lab, and then am meeting the inspector at the house while he inspects every little minute detail that needs to be in good working condition. I go back and forth in attitudes about being there. Sometimes I'm interested to see how he does it/what he says, and other times I tell myself how long it takes and how bored I'll get. Ha.. it'll be interesting. 

Last week I heard a song that pretty much sums up what I was talking about a little bit ago; struggling with questions and a doubtful human nature. If I ever sing in church again, this would probably be the song I would sing; I feel like its summing up my life pretty well some days. Anyway, here it is, Shifting Sand, by Caedmon's Call 

Blessings!

I have a few updates for you!!

My cousin Carson was brought to our hometown and put in a rehab center! After being told he would be in Hurley in Flint for months at least, this is great news. He is doing wonderful.

Our family was also excited to welcome a new member: Caleb's cousins welcomed a baby girl early this Tuesday morning named Klara Jane. Please keep her and her family in your prayers as they adjust to her arrival!

After working my summer away, I decided that it was to both my and Calebs benefit to give up my job at the market. This was a hard decision, as it has been a fabulous few months and I have enjoyed working there immensely. Problem with it was, that I was working to the point of exhaustion, never having a break or seeing my husband, and I would need to take some time off now and then - which I was told wasn't a possibility. After making this decision, I was curious as to how it would effect my income (and another major decision we recently made!). Well, not long after that, someone at church approached me asking if I would be interested in a major ministry opportunity. Although I can't share much, I was shocked to be one of the first people they thought of for this position, and feel blessed that they are considering. Nothing is for sure yet, as it has to be brought before the boards at our church, but this opportunity would be a great learning opportunity, and I would be blessed to have it. We'll see =] It's in God's hands.

The other major decision we recently made is about housing! We had been looking at houses since last fall, and made an offer that fell through on the other guys' end, etc., so by last week we were pretty sick of looking for houses. For a while, we actually didn't look at all because of busy schedules, lack of motivation, excess of frustration...   But, last week Caleb's parents spotted one online and we just had to go look at it! It's tucked back into a nice neighborhood a few miles out of town. Two of its sides are surround by woods, one looks out to the road, and another to the neighboring house. Its almost 3,000 ft sq., with five bedrooms and three full bathrooms. It sounded too good to be true for the price, so we got some more information. Well, a pipe had burst in the basement, which had spurred the spreading of mold up the walls to the basement and some of the main floor. A family of raccoons had called the attic home, so that was damaged also. We went to take a look and fell in love with the house and it's surroundings. Caleb had done a lot of restoration in the past few years, so he knew what has to be done, and after talking about it, we decided its do-able. So, we made an offer and received a counter-offer the same day. We accepted it, signed papers, and are now in the ten day inspection period. Hopefully everything goes well and right, and we get it! It would take a while to get it fixed up, but essentially (given everything goes well time wise) we could have most of it finished and be living in it by spring. That, too, is in God's hands =] We're on pins and needles though, waiting. I'm excited. I grew up in a tiny house, so a house this big and open is what I really wanted to find. The only downside is that I wish there was more property attached. I'm sure I'll keep you posted.

Ok, on to this weekend! About a month ago, we were told a birthday party was going to be thrown for Calebs grandpa, so we decided to attend. His grandparents live on the other side of the state, about an hour north of my hometown. After deciding to go to the party, what else did we decided? To make a weekend out of it and go see my family also! =] So, I get to visit home and meet a bunch more family on Caleb's side I haven't got to meet yet! It should be a really good weekend. It sounds like it'll be busy already though. We won't get there until late tonight, and tomorrow is the party. After that will be Sunday church services and visiting more family. I have Monday off of school and work and Caleb has the holiday off for work, so we won't have to head home until Monday afternoon! That is one of the best parts, because usually we have to head back Sunday afternoon to get to work on Monday. Anyway, we'll be visiting a lot of family and just taking it easy. The only downside is that I have a lot of work to do for my online class this weekend, but that can be done at a coffee shop or McDonald's, when all else fails. =] haha. Please pray for traveling mercies for everything traveling (especially this holiday weekend!) and have a great weekend! Hopefully I'll be able to post pictures later!

Added Misery

"The girl you just called fat? She's been dieting religiously & has lost 30lbs. The boy you just called stupid? Has autism & all he wants is your acceptance. The girl you just called ugly? Spends hours putting makeup on hoping people will like her. The boy you just tripped? He's abused enough at home. The girl you just called "Jesus Freak" spends hours in prayer for you. There's always so much more to people. Stop the spread of added misery!"




Good 'ole facebook. I found this quote as someone's status in my news feed. It made me think for a minute. Read it a few more times, let it sink it. Realize how true it is. We need to stop the spread of added misery. I'm not going to go through every sentence, but think back about high school. That quote is exactly how school is/was! Instead of caring about each other, people tease, taunt, ridicule, and make fun of others. Why? There are so many reasons, and so many of those reasons we can't explain. As humans, our nature isn't always to be kind, but I've learned to think about it differently in the last two years: our new demeanor, the one that should continually be becoming more Christ-like, needs to be characterized by love. The Jesus Freak mentioned above has the right idea, because praying for someone shows a genuine care for them and their lives. Why can't we all do that, and why can't we do it more often? Instead of spreading gossip, calling each other names, etc., we should be loving each other, regardless if we are different or not. Get over the differences. Jesus loved others who were different. He hung out with lepers, tax collectors, people who had disabilities, and people who couldn't speak or see. Our first reaction to people like that is to shrug them off and go on our own merry way. Well, it shouldn't be. We should be absolutely psyched to have the chance to love them in any way. We don't know whats going on in their lives at home, or outside of the venue where we see them, and that shouldn't matter. We need to be eager to be like little Jesus', ready to love, help, and support every single person we meet, in any way we are able. We need to stop the spread of added misery, because no one person deserves to be made fun of, ridiculed, taunted, or teased. However, every single person deserves to feel loved, and experience the love of Jesus Christ. 


Think about it. 

Ch-ch-changes!

No Tuesday morning post?! Crazy.. I know. I was super busy so I didn't have time to write one. Well, a lot has happened since my last post. Some good and some bad, but mostly good, I think ;) Here are a few of the biggest happenings:
1. I'm no longer in Medical Transciption Editing classes
2. I've applied to Cornerstone University, and keep in contact with the transfer counselor there
3. Menial it seems, I know, but this is a life changer: my cell phone officially died, and I have no other way to communicate with the outside world.. haha. But really, that stinks. I'm almost lost without it.

MTE.. yeah, I strongly disliked it from the first minute of the on-campus orientation. A week went by, and I had no desire to finish up the online orientation orientation. I was talking to one of the advisors in the office where I work while trying to figure out my fall work schedule and I had mentioned that I had no desire to do it, disliked it, and wasn't motivated to do the course - and voiced that because it was online my motivation level shrank drastically. I had considered dropping it before, but I didn't know what I'd do/where I'd go. She told me if I wasn't passionate about it, get out now. So I did. Instead I looked into the transfer program and starting looking at programs offered at other colleges that were close enough to commute to. My goal was to find something working with children in ministry. I was on Cornerstone and Calvin's websites, and lo and behold I found what I was looking for. The "Art of Ministry" program at Cornerstone can be modified by the elective courses you take, and one of the areas you can do that in is with children. Working in Student Services at my current college, I knew what I needed to have to be prepared to talk to a counselor, so I gathered my stuff and called up the transfer counselor. We had a long chat, and figured out that commuting could work, and I may even qualify for a graduate program (which would be great, because thats mostly online classes and a seminar one night a week. = less commute for this girl!). I'm pretty excited to see what happens. Transcripts are in the mail, I'm in contact with the right people, and can't wait to see what God has in store for us.

Yes, my phone literally died. On my way to work yesterday it started blinking, so I plugged it in on my lunch break. Well that charger didn't work so the battery died and I plugged it in when I got home. That charger didn't work either, so I went straight to the Sprint store to see what was going on. They didn't know and told me I had three options: 1. Pay for the replacement fee to get another refurbished phone (emphasis on another), 2. Pay to upgrade and renew my contract for another two years, 3. Get a completely new plan and new phone. Soo none of my options are cheap. I've had so many problems with Sprint =S If you're reading this and considering switching to Sprint, DON'T! All of our phones have had major issues, we've had terrible service, and get the run around when we try to work it out with Sprint. However, the two guys at the Sprint store here in town (Brandon and Alix) pretty much know us by name, are honest, and are very helpful. All that to say, if anyone has a Sprint phone laying around the house that they don't need or would like to get rid of, please let me know - I will gladly take it off your hands. As of now, I'm looking for other options also - let me know if you have any suggestions - please!

Another update I have for you is about the Tween Ministry. Caleb and I will be doing A LOT with this ministry as we have been put in charge (while accountable to the childrens ministry director) of most of the happenings. We will be planning events, Bible Studies, Jr. Church lessons, etc., and we are PSYCHED! As the school year approaches, we have already started planning the kick off event and hope to see many 4th and 5th graders come and join us in the fun and fellowship! While across state last month, we bought a few books with age appropriate lessons, fun stuff to do, and games in them. One of the books combines cooking up something yummy while learning/teaching a lesson. I'm really excited to see how effective these lessons and activities will be - knowing some of the kids who will be attending, I figured something with food would work great for object lessons and applications they can understand.. we'll see! I'll keep you updated =]

On a different light-hearted note, last night was fun. I worked until five, and then after the whole phone ordeal, my husband and I went out for pizza with my mom, sister, and grandpa. Grandpa had graciously taken mom into town to drop her lawn mower off, and they just kind of never made it home. I met up with them and we went out for pizza. Well, it just so happens that there's a family fun center attached to the pizza place. I had joked with my grandpa about a go-kart race earlier, and then we just decided to do it and hope he wouldn't object.. haha. So, after we ate, we went over and bought the tickets. He just kept shaking his head, and when we got in line, he walked in and got down into a kart. He laughed/grinned throughout the whole race (*sarcasm* -> I'm sure my husband bumping him and racing neck and neck the whole time had nothing to do with that). It was a lot of fun. He even walked over to the gate and watched another group of people race after we did ;) After that we tried to get him on the bumper boats... but I guess the go-karts were enough of a rush for him for one night =]

Grandpa in his go-cart



Me, Caleb, and my sister in the bumper boats

Fun and Uncertainty

Its just one of those mornings... the snooze button was hit three times, a warm shower only made me more tired, I packed a quick lazy lunch, and when I stopped at Wesco on my way to work, they had breakfast made and waiting for me ;) Normally I don't eat donuts, but today I didn't have time to eat at home. Anyway, I'm just tired, and thoughtful. And I have a lot to share =]

Saturaday I had the day off work. I was super excited, and Caleb and I had planned to do something. By the end of the week, we'd decided on Michigan's Adventure, and then it got changed to hanging out with his sister. But Saturday morning it rained, so we ended up at a little harbor cafe at about 11:30. By a little after noon, we realized a couple from church were sitting a few tables from us, so we smiled and waved, and finished up. Upon the waitress telling us our check had been taken care of, we went over to talk for a bit and say thank you ;) That was a blessing. They are so sweet, and I'm thankful to know them - they brigthen my day, everytime I see them. They also told us about a house by them thats for sale. Anyway, after brunch, we went home to decide what to do, and ended up deciding on going shopping. So we got loaded up and headed for Muskegon. We ended up saving more than we spent (woohoo sales!!!) at the mall, and used it to buy a window air conditioner we'd been looking for for about a month. We were excited about that =]  (our house is now a comfy 74 degrees, instead of 85!) After that (and a stop at Sam's Club) we decided to call it a day, and headed home to gear up for Sunday's usual business.

Sunday started out the same as all Sundays: busy! Get up, get ready, go! Caleb left about 7:30, and by the time I was ready and had gathered up supplies to teach PreSchool, when I left at 9, I was already late.. haha. That usually doesn't happen, but since I planned on stopping at RiteAid for a birthday card, I wanted to allow myself a little bit more time. Oh well =] Last week, the assistant pastors wife, Jenn, had invited me to start coming to an adult Sunday School class. I had been attending a college/career class, and I liked it alright, it just didn't seem like the right fit, so I wasn't very motivated to go. So, when Jenn had asked me about her class, I had considered, and planned on going Sunday. However, I didn't want to walk in late, so I decided to wait until next week. Well, I didn't exactly get that option, because when I walked into church looking for Caleb, she was in the hall looking for me =] So I succumbed, and went with her. (One of 'my things' that makes me cringe is walking into unfamiliar places late, so this was uncomfortable, but I figured I'd do it. Whats one more thing out of my comfort zone, right?.. haha). It was good... I really liked it, and am sure I will frequent that class. After that, I had to scoot across the hall to teach PreSchool. I started out with three kids, and was then informed that the Kindergarten teacher for Jr. Church hadn't showed up, so I put a sign on the door telling parents where the class was, and had the kids come over to my room. By the time the service started, I had thirteen rowdy kids and a rather short lesson to teach on a long communion Sunday. But, I was prepared. The lesson was about helping others and how Jesus had washed the disciples feet. We started out by saying one thing we could do to help someone else, and then I explained the lesson, telling the story. In front of me sat the pail of water, a doll, and a dish towel. When I got to the part where Jesus washed the disciples' feet, I washed the dolls feet, and then let each child that wanted to wash them also. I had planned on making pictures saying 'I can help others' and having each child trace their bare feet, but by that time they were still pretty rowdy, so I popped in a movie about helping others (it went right along with my lesson! and friendship). After church, we had a quick lunch and then went to tube the river with a group of friends. There wasn't much of a current, and our friends tube deflated, so Caleb let her use his and he swam/pulled us down the river =] I ended up sunburned and tired, but it was good to do something with friends so I wasn't complaining. By 4:30 we were settled into a youth leaders meeting and getting geared up for Jr. High youth group, and then Sr. High youth group. At 5 the craziness began with "Crud Wars" for Jr. High. This is where the sprinkler system is turned on, and you run through it until you're soaked. Then its literally war with each other, trying to get everyone else covered in courses of gross stuff. First, big tubs of flour are set out, then soggy oats, then shaving cream, and then soggy dog food. Its basically every man for himself as you run around throwing everything on the person nearest to you, and then go get more and repeat. It was really fun though.. and we all ended up soaking wet covered in a flour/oat/shaving cream/dog food mixture. A couple of the Jr. Highers actually threw up... haha what a great welcome to youth group ;) After we were done, we had to clean up, using the sprinklers and a hose. Let me tell you, the sprinklers are freezing and no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't get all of the dog food out of my hair, and the flour/oats out of my ear. It was fun though, and the kids really had a good time. Sr. High was a bit more mellow, as they started the building of their cardboard boats to race on the 21st in Lake Michigan. Some of the students had really great ideas, and I'm eager to see how their boats will turn out. After youth group, sixteen leaders went to Applebee's for some late night fellowship and food. We got to pass along a little blessing of paying for someone else's meal, and had the chance to brighten the day of two guys who'd had a rough week. Seeing their faces when the waitress told them their meals were taken care of was priceless =] and we were glad to pass along the favor. All in all, it was a great day. Maybe thats why yesterday and today are 'blah days' =]

Last week my class also started, which is bittersweet. It was nice to see what it would be like, but I really dislike it already. Its 20 credits, all online. Medical Transcription Editing just doesn't interest me, but I was told it would be a good 'mom job' when that time comes. Buuut, I really don't want to do it. I genuinely have no desire, no motivation, no interest in it at all. What I am interested in is children. I love them. And I love ministry. I've been scouring the websites of all the colleges within a few hour radius looking for classes, majors, anything to do with youth/childrens ministries that doesn't entail pastoral training, but I haven't come up with much so far. Its a waiting game, I know, and a matter of trusting God and what He has in store for me, but so much uncertainty makes me uneasy. Should I drop my class for now? Should I look elsewhere for schooling? What about a house, moving, etc? Yeah. Questions I have to pray about. To top it off Caleb asked me what I thought about moving. Just to breach the question, nothing more. He just wanted to see what I thought about it, but it really got me thinking. I was shocked that he's open to the idea; he's established here. He has multiple jobs here, family, friends, his whole life is here... I was just shocked. If God wanted us to move, and provided the opportunity, I'm sure we would take it. We've talked about ministry before, and are both open to it, but I never realized how easy it would be to just move at this point. Definitely a  crazy thought. [For any family that is reading this; don't worry! We're not planning on going anywhere right now! We would tell you first, and it wouldn't be a rash decision!]

So, while we wait and see where God wants us, these are some of the things going through our heads, and some of the things we are involved in: school, work, moving, ministry, job opportunities, house searching. We face so much uncertainty right now, that the only thing I can tell you we are certain about is that we are right where God wants us for the time being. Who knows what will happen next, but I'm sure I'll post about it when that happens =]

Laffy Taffy

Realizing I hadn't even thought about a Wednesday morning post, I looked down at what I was doing, and saw a Laffy Taffy wrapper. So, how about some corny jokes.. ;)

Q: What kind of shorts do clouds wear?
A: Thunderwear!

Q: What do pigs give on Valentines Day?
A: Valenswines!


Laugh. You know you want to. Ha.. Have a good day =]

HE Amazes Me

I have a Jesus story to share  =)

It started Sunday, at our senior pastor's retirement party. I saw this couple who I hadn't seen around church before, who I didn't know (which isn't unusual..haha), and who I wouldn't necessarily expect to be in attendance for the night. I didn't think much about it, I just went on talking to my in-laws, and then after we finished our dinner, we left the fellowship hall. We played with the cousins for a while and then we went into the sanctuary for the program. It was a phenominal farewell to pastor and his wife, and even though I didn't know them as well as many of the others, I was even saddened to know they would be moving to Kentucky the next day. There were stories, music by pastor's children, a DVD presentation of their ministry, and a wonderful time of fellowship. The gospel wasn't shared with the whole group, but I know it was shared and evident within the group. How do I know that? The same couple I mentioned above came into the store where I work yesterday and I struck up a conversation. I asked them if they had liked the program, to which they exclaimed "Oh, you were there too!?!! It was wonderful! We loved it!" As that warmed my heart, we kept talking for a few seconds, until the man leaned forward, looked me in the eyes, and said "...and guess what!" to which I replied "What?", unsure of where he was going in conversation. He paused, and then a wide grin spread across his whole face as he said simply but joyfully, "I got saved last night." It hit me, sunk in, and then his contagious grin spread to my face as I congratulated him. We talked for a few more seconds and they left the store, leaving me standing there with a grin on my face and in awe.

I had been having an off day, so that news not only brightened my day, but made me smile to know the angels were rejoicing for the new soul that had been won. I also knew that pastor would have loved to hear the news I had just heard, and I hope he had already been told.

Well, that was my Jesus story for the morning. God is good!