Monday, Monday

Hello blog world! It's so nice to be back....

I guess I kinda disappeared for a while there. Things got a little crazy in my life, and since everything is so new, I got overwhelmed. I really missed sharing my life, and reading about yours, and I am making a stand on this rainy Monday in Mobile. I will blog again!!

I will just post the highlights for now....I don't want to overwhelm everyone with everything all at once.

First, we had to give our dog back. My adorable Smooter is gone to a new home.  We had an altercation with her, and she bit me and drew blood (and left a scar!) and then the kids were afraid of her. After she drew blood, she seemed to change in personality too....so we are a pet free home once again. *sigh*

We took our first road trip since we've moved. We got to go to SC to visit our family for Thanksgiving....and we enjoyed every second of it! My only complaint about the trip is that it was way too short!

Things have been going well for us all the way down here in Alabama. We are getting more and more settled, and still building all of those deep, meaningful relationships that we so desire. But the longer we are here, the more we are certain that God is doing something awesome in our lives, and through our church. We couldn't be more grateful to have gone through what we did, to get to where we are, so we have the ability to be what God has called us to be!

I guess a lot of this has been very general, and big picture....but I'll get to details later. I am just happy to be writing again.

Well, I hope everyone enjoys their Monday! I know that seems quite paradoxical to say, but I pray it will happen for you!!

Staff Retreat

Well, tomorrow is the big day....the start of our staff retreat! I have to admit, I am a little nervous. This is our first time away with our new staff (we have only been here for a little over 4 months!), and we don't know what to expect. It will be fun, and challenging, and nerve-racking, I'm sure!

So, for the next few days, I will be off-line. This is my short post to say, there will be no post for a good week or two, because we are going away.

If you happen to think of me this week, pray for me. I want to be myself, and have fun, and not be nervous and worried about what I'm saying and what everyone else is thinking the whole time. Thanks!

Wordless Witness

"You are the light of the world. A city that is set on a hill cannot be hidden. nor do they light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.  

Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven." ~ Matthew 5:14-16

God has really been dealing with me about this subject lately -- Am I an example of His love and power in this world? Can people see Jesus in me when they walk by me in Wal-Mart? Do I need to actually open my mouth for others to know that I love Jesus, and Jesus loves them?

I have to say, I honestly don't know. And that disappoints me. I want to be so full of the love of Christ, that when someone walks by me, they can tell there's something different about me. I want to be able to smile at someone and change their life. I want to be able to look at someone and make them feel like they are worth a million bucks! I want a continuous flow of the love of Christ to be coming out of me!

There are so many hurting, hopeless people in this world, and we come into contact with them EVERYDAY! How are we, as Christians, making a difference in this world? These are the questions that have been bothering me lately, and I don't have any easy answers for them. I do know, that for the first time in my life, I really care about them! God has been changing my heart from being selfish, and self-centered, to begin looking toward others. I know how good I can be at hiding when I'm having a bad day, so how many people do I run into that are even better at it than I am!?! And how many of those people have it so much worse than I do? Dear Jesus!

The world we live in is so desperately wicked, and produces many who are living in survival mode - not the blessed life! I said in my last post, I really don't know how people can make it in life without Christ as their focus and stability...especially when the going gets rough! I wanna be an agent of change! I want to be able to be effective in seeing the brokenhearted restored, and full of love, and then sharing their love with others! I want to see a drastic change in the world we live in!

So, I am going to challenge you, who have taken your time to read this post, and I include myself in this challenge, and say - be the light in this world! Be the example of Christ that can't be mistaken! Be the only love that someone may see today, and make a difference in your community! Let your light shine before men!!

Crazy Week

(this is Smooter the day we brought her home....she is now over 25 pounds!)

Hello friends! Sorry I have been a bit absent...I am amazed at times that I made it through this week alive! It has been eventful, to say the least. Let's do a quick recap....

Monday - I went to the doctor, diagnosed with kidney infection, made it through the day, had a great small group meeting at my house at night, went to bed

Tuesday - went to work, left 10 minutes early in extreme pain, did nothing the rest of the night, I was done

Wednesday - horrible pain + fever = emergency room visit....the infection was gone, and they could give no explanation for my pain except that my kidneys were irritated and hadn't caught up to the antibiotic yet....not fun

Thursday - our day off, actually had a pretty good day!, finally watched The Blindside (great movie!), got bit by dog (my Smooter!) that night....and she drew blood

Friday - back and forth all day about whether or not to keep Smooter, decided we can't trust she won't bite again....have to take her back to the Humane Society tomorrow.....have very mixed feelings about this

So, that's my week in a nutshell! Aren't you jealous!?!? :o)  Thank God I have a sense of humor, and his grace is sufficient for me - otherwise, I'd be a cooked goose right now!

This whole week has just been an all out attack of the enemy on our church staff and leadership! I went to the ER, another staff person's son was hospitalized, there have been several different-household cases of a stomach bug, a sinus infection, an unidentified rash, power outages, and financial strain to the breaking point! And that's just the stuff we know about!! It's war time!!

I am thankful that I have a God who is strong when I am weak, who is my joy when I am sad, who gives me grace to make it through the day when I don't think I can, who meets my every need! I have said it before, and I'll say it again....I don't know how people survive in this world without a personal, intimate relationship with the Lord! It seems impossible to me!

So, myself and the rest of my church staff would appreciate any prayers you would like to send our way! My personal, immediate concern at the moment is the children's reactions to giving up the dog. Gabe has totally bonded with her, but does get sick of her pretty quickly, and they all lock her out of the room that they are in more often than they play with her. Libby did admit to me today, that after seeing Smooter bite me, she is a little afraid of her. So.....please pray for us! Thank you!!

"He who dwells in the shelter of the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty. I will say of the Lord, "He is my refuge and my fortress, my God, in whom I trust." ~ Psalm 91:1-2

I'm back!

So, I have decided that I miss blogging, and I am back baby! I don't know exactly how often I will update, maybe once or twice a week, but I need to write!!

Friday is October 1st. Already. Amazing. I can't believe it! We will have been in Alabama for 4 months next week. I can't believe it's only been four months, but at the same time, it feels like we've been here all along. It is also just beginning to feel like fall here, a little. It's still in the 80's during the day, hot enough to swim! Love my pool!!

The kids are settled into their school routine pretty well. We are getting a handle on our schedule as well. Having a bigger house means more responsibility, but I am happy to take it on! We are both working at a thriving, busy, useful church, which means more hours spent in and out of the office, but we are humbled just to be a part of it all! Libby has begun gymnastics, and she is loving that. We have a small group meeting in our house on Monday nights, and I love having people in my home again! Gabe is in Junior Bible Quiz, and doing very well. In his first match he came in the top ten (number 9), and he has never quizzed before!!! (he is also doing 30 point questions) Gideon is just growing like a weed, and picking up the cutest southern accent around! Oh, and he loves to sing all the time now!

God has been doing so much in our lives, I don't even know where to begin. So, I will start with the amazing healing work that God has done in my body! There has been a revival happening in Mobile since July-ish. A couple of weeks ago, I was having a very tough time, both physically and emotionally, and Jon urged me to attend the service on my own. I was kinda uncomfortable with that, but we don't have our support system in place yet, so one of us could go, and the other would stay with the kids. My husband was very gracious to me that night!

Anyway, I was there, and we were in praise and worship time. The evangelist, Nathan, got up and started praying corporately for some specific needs/illnesses, and proclaimed that there was a healing anointing in the room. I didn't skip a beat, and just put my hand on the top of my head and received my healing. Nothing major or dramatic happened.....I just continued to worship. I sat for the Word and then at the end of the service I went toward the altar for more worship and prayer. Well, at the end of the evening, I realized I was dancing and moving with NO PAIN AT ALL!!! That was the first time I was ever completely pain-free in over 2 years! I can wear heels again now too!!!! :o)

Now, for the history to all of this. I had surgery on my right foot in August 2008. I had a bunion removed from my foot, and have a small screw in the joint. My foot never healed properly, and I had constant pain in my foot, and limited range of motion in my toes. I had to become very selective with the shoes I wore, and was unable to wear my beloved heels! Also, at the same time, I was dealing with pain in my back. I had been diagnosed with an inflamed sacroiliac joint, and had a steroid injection in the joint to help the pain go away. I had also been seeing a chiropractor when we were still living in PA. I had to squat down to pick anything up off the floor, instead of just bending at the waist. When we moved to AL, both of these issues began to flare up pretty badly. I was starting to have days where my foot just plain hurt, and my back almost took me out for the day. Also, I started dealing with migraines again, and hadn't had many of those in recent years.

After that night at the revival service, God completely healed me! I have not had one headache, I can bend over and touch my toes, and I can wear heels again!! I simply chose to believe and leave it in God's hands, and didn't even realize I had been healed right away!

Now, I know all of these things seem trivial to some people. I think I had disqualified myself from healing in the past by dismissing the pains I had as "not as important as a disease", but the truth is, they totally affected my life and mobility. I had days where I had to call out of work because I couldn't move or my foot hurt too bad to be on it. There were days I couldn't play with my kids because I was unable to move....it made a difference to me!

So, with all the craziness that is our life here.....I am healed and at peace, and I know that I am able to handle whatever life throws at me because my trust and my hope are in the One who is my source. My God is able!

Blog Break

Ok....I am sad to say, that as much as I enjoy my blog time, I need to hang it up for a bit. My life has quickly overtaken me, and I can't seem to keep up as well as I would like. The kids have started school, I have started work, the kids are doing Junior Bible Quiz, and kids praise team, I am hosting a small group and I am singing in the choir. I don't think I forgot anything except for PTA and trying to take care of 3 kids, a husband and a dog. So, for now, I must take a break, and try to order things so I can fit the time in. I hate to do it, but my sanity is on the line.....goodbye, for now!

God bless all of you who have taken the time out of your schedules to read my posts....

Invasion - Finally!

So, I have been not blogging a whole lot here lately. I think I need to cut back to once or twice a week. I am now working part time, the kids have all started school, and I am still on a roller coaster ride with my emotions. In all reality, we have done A LOT in the 2 months we've lived here. TWO months....that's it!! It's crazy to me that it's only been that short a time. We have dived into life here full steam ahead in that short time period.

Anyway, so Invasion week. This was a totally transforming week for me. First of all, I got recruited to help coach the softball team for Mega Sports Camp. That was so much fun! A huge stretch for me, but TONS of fun! I also enjoyed getting to know my partner in crime better....I made a new, good friend!

So, Invasion.....our church, and the teens who came from across the bay, totally touched our city, and it won't ever be the same again! Praise God! The entire week is outreach driven, focused and fueled! Topped off with amazing services in the evenings, and it made for an exhausting, transforming time in my life! I had the privilege of singing on the worship team for the services, and being able to be there for every one of them....including the one at the beach! I have never, in my entire life, seen teens go so hard after God, and serve Him with so much passion! After hearing some of their stories, I can see why they do....God has pulled them out of the pit, and they are grateful, and want the same thing for everyone they know, and don't know!

There were multiple outreaches going on around the city of Mobile for 4 days straight, and every teen was involved in every outreach, every day. It was such an awesome opportunity for them to learn to reach out to the city while they are young, so they're not as afraid to do it when they get older. Fear stops us from doing way too many things!

I need to give a shout out to my Music Man here for a second....he led youth worship, hard-core worship, for the first time ever, and he was amazing! (the only picture I have of him from that week was the beach worship, which he did not lead and I did not sing) He totally led those kids into the presence of God, and created an atmosphere that they could relate to and get lost in the presence of God in. He was awesome! (Today is also his birthday.....happy birthday honey!)

I feel like I am rambling here....my brain is short circuiting...I need to try to get some down time and then try to revisit this.....

So, I'll leave you with a snap shot of my kids on the first day of school. I feel as though I am consumed by this stark routine change....and need to come up for air! The lazy days of summer are surely over....