i’m back December 19, 2009

Hello fellow bloggers,

I feel as though I need to try this blogging thing again since it’s been a year.  I stopped doing it because I thought I had nothing to write about.. but thats not really an excuse. This blog needed a purpose.  My main purpose for this blog is to be able to read more.  I enjoy reading, but just never read enough.  I want to push myself and I think blogging will help me out.  When i read, I want to comment of on what I read or saw.  I like the idea of posting pictures on here as well about things I love or want to talk about. So this is my purpose. It’s not a blog about complaints, or strive but more of a blog of my life and what i am doing.. i feel a renewed sense of purpose.  I hope it lasts. Keep  me accountable!

One of those days… December 9, 2008

Have you ever had one of those days where nothing seems to go right?  Your computer crashes, you get in a fight with loved ones, your parents get a divorce, your boss yells at you.  Not that any of this happened to me yesterday.  I  had a lot of little annoyances pushed at me that made me explode a little bit.  What I thought was interesting  is that I was reading my devotion last night and wouldn’t you know, it talked about being joyful in hard times.  I also had that old hymn stuck in my head last night as well…  ” Rejoice, Rejoice and again I say rejoice.  Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say Rejoice!”.   I bet you know how hard it is to always be joyful ( especially when you are in Chicago weather).  God tells us to be joyful because this world is not permenant.  It is never going to be perfect here.  Their is always going to be something that you are worried about or frustrated about because of sin.  I am,  however, bleesed to be where I am and who I am at the moment.  I am not being bruised for my faith or being chained in prison so I am very blessed.  Romans 12:11-13 says ,”Never be lacking in zeal, but keep your spiritual fervor, serving the Lord. Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Share with God’s people who are in need. Practice hospitality”.

Step It Up December 1, 2008

  One might assume that going to a Bible college is a very priest like endeavor.  The student sits in class and soaks up the knowledge of biblical truths that he/she gains from the professor.   It is good to know the stories of Jesus’ upbringing, Pauls leadership skills, and everybody’s theological views on everything in the Bible that you can think of, but frankly Christianity is not about this.  Yes, Knowledge is awesome.  Some might say that knowledge is power.  I think we as Christians are lacking in Action.  Once we gain the knowledge, wires are getting crossed towards the action. 

 Christians have an obligation to share our faith with others.  I don’t need to recite the Great Commission to you in Matthew and and I am not trying to make assumptions.  I see the plain truth that surrounds me as I walk around the mall and see empty faces.   They are hopeless and in need of Christ and in this post-christian world, we are going to have to step it up a few notches to light up this world.  Do they know you are a Christian at work?  Do you make a conscious effort to help people?  God see’s who we truly are… ”You are the salt of the earth, But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again?  It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled by men.  You are the light of the world.  A city on a hill cannot be hidden.  Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl.  Instead they put it on it’s stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house.”  Matthew 5:13-15           Let your light shine! 

Simplify October 20, 2008

We are always searching for things to do and places to go.  When I was a little girl,  I would  drive my mother nuts because I was ” bored”.  I had things like my bike, video games (atari) and the first Nintendo(which rocks),  roller skates, but in the summers things were boring.  As we get older and get jobs, go to school, and so on.  You come to realize how precious those times of ‘boredom’ really are.  In college, I used to feel weird if I wasn’t out with a friend.  I love being around people. 

Recently I have discovered that life can be too much.  The busyiness that we surround ourselves with is too much.  I am not sure that God wanted us to be this way.  He wants us to take time to just listen to him.  To be silent and still.  This is something that I am sure most people struggle with because it is not in our culture.  I think it is so cool that in Spanish cultures they have Siesta’s.  This is when they stop working for a time in the afternoon to eat and just enjoy their surroundings.  I think that  most people do not work during that time.  That is awesome.  They actually breath and live a more slow paced life.  Some days I wish I was a Farmer( the ground plowing variety)!  

In all seriousness, if you don’t already have a family day where you can just be around eachother then please plan one.  it is important to the wellbeing of your life, your family, and your future!

Be Thankful! October 8, 2008

 

Aren’t you glad we progressed a bit?  This is an ode to the Christian Osmonds!

You should probably thank Mick on Sunday for his good work!  HAHA

The Best of Life! October 2, 2008

Being thankful is an interesting concept!  I don’t thank God enough for the things that I have. I should wake up every morning with Praises and thanksgiving, but some times I grumble.  Hey, I am only human!  So here is my bests about my Life.

The best parts about my life are- working with people I love and care for (most days), being in a relationship with Jesus, hanging out with kids, acting like a kid, random cinnamon Dolce Latte runs, hanging out with fun people, watching movies, watching Smallville as a nightly event, doing new things for the church, hanging out with the High schoolers, Being on the Joliet trails with our bikes, taking pictures, sleeping in, road trips, listening to music, finding new musicians that mIck would actually like, scrap booking, Sunny days, Seeing family and old friends/new friends, Naperville Riverwalk, Finding new restaurants, getting rid of debt(love hate relationship), eating food, having money to be able to do all of these things, The chicago land community.

In the good and the bad, be thankful!

Just a little rant… September 18, 2008

So this recession thing.. Is this really happening?  I do know that people are freaking out over gas prices and that people can’t sell their houses.  I am not too sure it is affecting much, other than that,  I think it might be helping rather than hurting. For example, Starbucks had to cut people because they were losing some money.  They got rid of some crappy locations they shouldn’t have built in the first place anyways. People are spending more on the things that matter rather than the needless stuff(not that Starbucks is needless. I have two family members that reap those benefits)   Maybe it is good for us to reevaluate where we are spending our money. Like at the gas pump.  Ride your bike!

As far as church goes,  more people should be putting faith in God and not worrying about their funds, but in all reality that tends to not be true.   We want to live the American dream.  Like having a house and two cars, and tons of food and clothes.  Is this what God really wants for us?  Maybe it’s ok to move to a town home and have one car.  Start relying on each other.  Thats what they did in Biblical times.  They lived in a community!  I think I like that.

Favorite Verse… September 14, 2008

Psalms 121- “I lift my eyes to the hills.  Where does my help come from?  My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of Heaven and Earth”

This is probably one of my favorite psalms.  I wrote this on a lot of things when I was in highschool.  I would repeat it in my head when something bad happened.  He is watching over us and protecting us.  Through trials and tribulations, he is there.

Sometimes I just need to know that he is there guiding me through the hard things!

whats your favorite verse?  What gets you through the day?

How we came to Crossroads……… September 3, 2008

Panic comes to mind when we were looking for churches to spend time of sweat and tears in.  Mick actually interviewed in a church in Cincinnati where he would have been a junior high worship leader.. They acted like we were getting it and then they dropped us!  The funny part was when they emailed Mick like 4 months later,they didn’t remember him and asked him for an interview.. needless to say..they needed better PR skills.

Then we interviewed with another church in Indiana.  Another, hopeful church in a dinky town where hunting was a great past time.  As you can tell, Mick might of fit in nicely with those bright orange coats and camoflauge outfits! haha  He did connect with the main preacher really well though.  We did some more investigating and that church had some leadership problems as well as a very old, stuffy church mentality. 

Finally, As Mick was emailing his mentor for more ideas.. A little man with a big voice caught Micks attention.  Matt was looking to launch a church real soon.  So Mick and I visited and met with Lance,Summers, and other Summers.  A very quick interview, and pretty quick visit.. Not more than a week later, Matt asked us to come to his church to stay!  It was exciting to have somewhere to be and now Mick’s year anniversary just passed.  (Mine is in a couple months)!!!  We appreciate this church and all the people in it!

So I guess the third times a charm!

Fighting through Faith August 19, 2008

So this is what I am reading right now, Restless Faith, by Winn Collier.  It is a pretty good book(thus far) that talks about how faith is not a fairytale, an easy path to walk on.  The mini title says,”Holding on to a God Just Out of Reach’.  I thought that very curious as I was looking at the book.. What does he mean, out of reach?  God surrounds us in all that we are, but then I started thinking about those days when you pray to him and nothing ‘gets answered’?  Or a friend dies in a car crash.  What about these days? Here is an excerpt from the book that caught my eye. 

“We knock up against the brutish reality that there is a well-entrenched distinction between God as good(loving, caring, faithful, fatherly) and God as safe(predictable, easy, cozy).  Goodness is inherent in God’s core essence.  Good is one way of describing what he is.  Safe, however, is something God has never promised.  His is a dangerous goodness.  What kind of God is this?  One who abounds in mercy, yet also ravages and destroys”(Winn Collier, 25).

A kid from my youth group asked me,  Since their is a devil and God is supposed to love everyone(and he does), Do you think God loves the devil (would forgive him)?  Yes, this question came from a 5 year old and yes this is hard to answer. Have you ever heard the saying, I love you, but I don’t have to like you?  God is a just God.  He also knows the plan. 

He loves us in ways we can’t even imagine.  He gave us life, which we don’t deserve.  The BIble shows us stories of mass killings of other tribes and nations to lay the foundation for the Isrealites.  A ton of people died for the sake of Christians progress. But through it all, he was there.  Through plaques,  Christian persecution, he was there. Have you ever noticed that when everything in your life is grand, you tend to struggle with communicating with God?  AS soon as a tragedy strikes or even a minor scrape appears you cling to God and ask for help.  We are born selfish (give me that toy-no it’s mine!), yet he loves us.. IF we have faith in him through all these things, life will still be hard, we will still struggle, and one day we will still die.  The promise that was given ,however, should make our minds clear to all of the problems in the world.   We are always going to be connected to him eternally. Not a safe faith, but rusty nail faith.  I still think it is a better path than not knowing him at all.