Laminin

Check out this youtube video where God is speaking through Louie Giglio. I have chills all over! This is exactly what I needed this morning. Praise God for Laminin!
"He is before all things, and in him all things hold together." - Colossians 1:17

"How Great Is Our God" - Louie Giglio

Four Square and Other Things

So, last night's outing was fun. Jonathan and I went all over the place shopping and spending time together. I definitely cherish those times when we can just shop and talk about anything and everything. I believe that is one of the great things about marrying your best friend. Anyways, Jonathan has introduced me to this new thing through Facebook called Four Square. I haven't quite decided what I think about it yet. It is basically an app that can be used on your phone to check in to places. So, when you walk into an establishment, you grab your phone, check in, and everyone on Facebook can see where you are. Sometimes when you check in at a place they might have a coupon that can be used on that trip. You also have friends on Four Square, and you compete with your friends to see who has checked in to the most places for the week, and who has the most points. You can even win badges. I know this all sounds rather crazy, but Jonathan and I were competing against each other last night since we had so many places we were going to. You get extra points for being the first person of your friends to check into a place for the first time. So, of course we were seeing which one of us could check in first. We are such KIDS! I have decided that Four Square is really invasive in so many ways. I mean, it tells everybody where you are. I guess it is a way for you to ask to have a creeper in your life. I don't know. I'm learning......

Tonight we had a student event called "Back 'N Style". Students came dressed in 1980s attire, and we had a night filled with fun and awesome worship. So, I got a chance to sport the side ponytail. It has been a LONG time since I have done that. I will have to dig up a picture. Anyways, I told my hubby that I didn't know whether I was dressed for the 1980s or just dressed tacky. He very quickly reminded me that they are the same thing. What is so funny is the fact that the style is starting to make its way back around. I can't say that's a look that I ever thought would come back around, but it has very slowly crept back in.

God has laid down so many things on my heart today. I am praying for every single one of them, but most of all, I'm praying for clear direction. This has been something that has been prayed about for months and months and hours and hours. I think there are so many of us who are in a place in their lives where they are just seeking God and asking him what is next. What an incredible journey God takes us on throughout our lives. Make sure to stay strong, and always follow His way because His way is always perfect!

Priorities, Friends, and Bible Reading!

Yesterday I talked with a dear friend of mine from long ago. I had not talked with this friend in a few years, and it is someone I would consider to be one of the best of the best! God has really been doing a work in me, and I just don't feel like he ever intended for our lives to be as hectic as they are! I began realizing that the order that I wanted my priorities in and the order they were actually in were quite different! Don't get me wrong. Being involved in church activities is not a bad thing, but there is also supposed to be a balance. I have found that I am so involved in other things that family and close friends are sometimes pushed to the side, or if I am really good, they are squeezed in to an already overflowing schedule. So, it's time to sit back, and reevaluate my priorities list and slow down!

Jonathan and I went on a double date with our next door neighbors last night to see the movie, Captain America. It was a good movie, and I'm really excited about what movie is coming next that they hinted at in the end of the movie. Then, we went to Outback to eat - YUM! It was a much needed night out. We haven't done that in a LONG time! I vote on doing that more often for sure. It's so healthy! :)

After our double date, we headed to church to stay up all night with the Bible Reading Marathon. We started reading at midnight, and we left around 4:30 this morning. It was a wonderful experience being up in the middle of the night listening to God's Word. Even more precious was the fact that 2 of our students showed up at 3 this morning to read with us. Hearing students read from Scripture is such an amazing thing. I was so blessed by that! The Bible Reading Marathon should end sometime tonight. We are already in the middle of the New Testament at this point. Last time the church did the Bible Reading Marathon, it took 77 hours. We are at 69 hours now. So, it won't be long!

As VBS Comes To An End...

As VBS comes to an end, I am thinking over all of the precious blessings from VBS. The community center has not seen activity like we have had this week in a long time, and I am so thankful that volunteers came together to make VBS a reality for the children in the community. It was worth it a million times over, and the response was overwhelming. On Monday, the first day of VBS, children literally swarmed the place. Everyone of the adults had the same looks on their faces -- a mixture of joy and panic all at once! Ha ha, it was a wonderful thing, and I am so blessed to have been a part of it. The most important thing of all was the fact that 4 of the boys accepted Christ as their Lord and Savior! When children genuinely accept Jesus, it is one of the most beautiful things to experience. :)

After VBS, Jonathan and I went back to our church where we started a Bible Reading Marathon. People are in our sanctuary reading from God's Word starting tonight all the way until sometime Saturday when we expect the Bible will by then be read in its entirety. The Bible reading continues on until the Bible has been completely read. There will be people reading 24 hours a day until it is complete. There are even people stationed to sleep at the church during this time for security purposes. We listened and read tonight. If you haven't experienced anything like this, then I can tell you that there is not anything like it. We will be back to read in the morning before we take our student ministry for an all day kayaking adventure. It was a perfect ending tonight, and I know it will be a perfect beginning in the morning. Oh, how I wish I could end every night and begin every morning in our church sanctuary listening to church members read God's Word!

VBS Planning

With the craziness of VBS planning, I have not had a chance to breathe. I really don't have the chance now, but I was feeling SO guilty for not having a recent post in the past 9 DAYS! So, here it goes....

Our church has a community center that was birthed from it. The community center sits in the middle of apartments and houses of many families who need to be reached with God's amazing Word! The community center has not been able to have a VBS in 4 years, and a lot of that is because of the lack of volunteers which is so sad. Anyways, that changed this year, and we are making VBS happen! The community that is around the center is FILLED with children. So, it is important that we reach the children, and then reach the families through that.

I have stepped up to the plate as VBS Director in order to get things rolling. I didn't want another year to pass without the children in the community reached. So, needless to say, it has been a LOT of work. I have really enjoyed it though, and it has only reconfirmed my call to reach and teach children the Gospel. I feel that very strongly, and I ache for it! It is a wonderful thing!

VBS will start this coming up Monday and will end on Wednesday night. We are kicking things off tomorrow night (Sunday) with a Block Party which will include games, food, pre-registration for VBS, music, etc. Please pray for the children, their families, and all of the VBS Volunteers throughout this week. Pray that things will run smoothly, and children will begin to understand what an intimate relationship with Jesus is all about!

On another note, I don't know how much I will get to update this next week with VBS. I will be back at blogging regularly the next week though as we start renovations on our house, and we get it ready to put on the market. It is such a beautiful home, and I'm excited to see the next family who will be here to take our place in it! That's all for now!

As One Moves On....

As a wife of a minister, moving is always a very sensitive subject because it occurs more than other people. You build relationships with people, and everytime you leave the people you have grown to love, it can be a very emotional experience. It is a very difficult situation that almost everyone in ministry has experienced at one time or another. The important thing is to remember the purpose of your ministry -- to reach people and guide people into having a genuine, constant relationship with Christ. No matter how many moves you make, remember the relationship that only grows with time and "many moves", and that is the relationship with Jesus Christ! That is such a comforting thing for me when it comes to moving for whatever reason, and I am SO very thankful for it each and everyday!

So, the move is on! We are in the process of making some improvements on our house and are hoping to put our house up for sale very soon. It is so difficult to find the extra time within a day to put into getting your house "just right". The question is....do we ever truly get to that "just right" point? I don't know that we do, but we are working hard on it. Building cabinets, painting, organizing, etc. I think we are going to try to make these projects fun Friday and Saturday projects until we are done. I also think we are in GREAT need of a yard sale! More to come on all of this soon. In the meantime, PRAY!

Lazy Friday and Loving It!

So, I have been EXTREMELY LAZY today, but I'm loving it! I think we all deserve some lazy days every once in awhile. Jonathan got up and played golf with some friends. Our student ministry is hosting a golf tournament all day tomorrow. So, Jonathan decided he better go play half a course today to get ready for the full course tomorrow since he hasn't played golf in 12 years! He always does great at whatever he does in my opinion. So, I know he will do well tomorrow!

While he was gone, I started working on his birthday present. It isn't until September, but it will never get done unless I start working on it now. I'm excited about it, but unfortunately I can't give too many details because my luck will be that he will read this.

It looks like we are going on a date night tonight which is super exciting! If you are wondering why we still date when we are married, let me tell you something girls. Date nights are some of the best medicine for a marriage! It doesn't matter whether you have a house full of children, it is crucial that you setup date nights with your hubby. Get a babysitter, and get out of there! Sometimes we need some quiet, alone time to ourselves. This is just one of those ways to do it, and we need that with our husbands too! If you are in the ministry, it is even more important because your time is split in so many different directions. Make time for each other!

I think ending a blog with some good, wholesome preaching is exactly what is needed sometimes! ;)