Lunch at the Best Place in the World

Today is Jon Smith's birthday - he's on our team! When anyone on the team has a birthday, they get to choose wherever they want to go for lunch...he chose Chuck-e-Cheese!!! Let me tell you this place is amazing...I LOVE IT! First of all, they have awesome pizza (and dessert pizza for your sweet tooth). Secondly, EVERY GAME IS 25 CENTS!! Can it get any better than that? Oh yes it can....cause they have SKEE BALL there!! :) I had a blast! I highly recommend it for a fun date night...if you don't mind spending it with kiddos running everywhere.

FYI - I will be leaving in 24 hours for home...see some of you all real soon! THERE'S NO PLACE LIKE HOME....There's No Place Like Home...there's no place like home....

Movies...

Some movies will just make you cry every time you watch them! I had another ridiculous girl moment today as I was watching one of my all time favorite chic-flicks...Beaches...you know the one with Bette Midler and Barbara Hershey?

It was a rainy day here in Louisville, so I relaxed a bit and soaked in a good movie. Being a girl and feeling the need to have a good cry, I went ahead and decided to stop the tv clicker on this heart-felt flick. I knew it would come...that rush of emotion...those stinkin tears...so I let em loose. I did, I cried at those key moments of sweet friendship and tragedy...and almost busted out in song like I always do when "The Wind Beneath My Wings" came on...I resisted this time though. But, I must admit that when "The Story of Love" song came on at the end...I hummed a little and have been singing that sweet song around the house tonight.

You must admit that it is a great story of friendship. Makes me think of all my best buds out there. There's nothing like a friend and nothing sweeter than a best friend. Couldn't live without all my special people, they are there through every joy and every pain...I love em!

Take a moment and call your best friend and tell how much you love and appreciate them...go ahead...do it...it'll feel good!! :)

Volleyball...The Game of Choice

The work week ended on a bright note last night. It was sand volleyball night at Southeast. I'm in a fall league and we're having a blast. We stepped it up a little bit last night and won 2 out of 3...we won't talk about the third game though:) I love our team...they are so fun! Kevin and Gina are volleyball extraorinares with their height and killer arms....and Steve, well, he's got hops and can do some amazing things when you tell him which way his hips need to face when he's hitting. He likes to do silly dances on the court - hilarious! Then you got Tracy and Sherry who are pretty awesome ladies. We also have John and Neal - who we don't see much of cause they play softball, but when they do play - they are all over the court! :)

Last night I also had the privilege of playing with Team #5 who were short some girl players. They are a ton of fun as well...most of them are from Student Ministries. Phil Heller, Josh Irwin, James Hauser...and some others. Found out that James Hauser is related to Bill Hauser from Keokuk and that James is also the Best Man in Jason & Whitney's wedding in December. Crazy small world!! Good times on the court and off:) Good way to end the week!!

Glad to hear incredible things are happening at Fuel...113...WOW!!! Yeah God! :)

By the way....6 more days!

Paranoia Issues

Isn't it funny how sometimes we go around thinking that everyone's talking about us? Maybe you happen to walk into a room and those in there look at you and stop talking...or their voices get softer as you approach...or it's obvious they just changed the subject cause you came near? Sound familiar to anyone?? Could it be that 99.9% of the time...the conversation really has nothing to do with us and yet we continue to allow ourselves to think that others are talking about us behind our backs? It's called "paranoia" folks and to be honest, I stuggle with it. And if other people were honest, I'm sure 9 out of 10 people would tell you they struggle with it too.

I hate being paranoid. I had an incident or two...or ten today alone! It never fails...Satan sees me in my weak moments and attacks. He tempts my mind to wander off to think these people are making fun of me, bad-mouthing me or critiquing me. It's ridiculous, I know...but this frustration is real and it's been haunting me for as long as I can remember. It would be nice to be free from this problem, but the chains stay attached....and even though I have the key in my hand, I struggle with the lock.

God is the key. His love and approval are exactly what I need to get past all this ridiculous paranoia. My worth and acceptance are found only in Christ Jesus and if I could just keep replaying that in my head through the day like a broken record, I would probably be a different person. But for some reason, I allow Satan to change the tune every so often and I revert back to finding acceptance from those around me....people...family, friends, co-workers, strangers even!!

Maybe this all sounds crazy to you, because you are the 1 out of the 10 who don't deal with this day in and day out...sorry you had to read this. Wait, no I'm not...it's probably good for you to hear about what other people deal with, so the next time you consider gossipping...you'll think twice. It's never fun being on the "talked about" end....I hope it never happens to you. I've seen too many friends' lives destroyed from gossip and senseless negative chatter. We'd do ourselves a world of good if we would have listened to our mamas in the first place when she told us, "If you don't have anything nice to say...don't say it at all!!"

This is a serious entry and probably one that will step on some toes...it's out of my usual realm...I know, but it's just on my heart today. Praying for deliverance in my life from this daily struggle. If you have any thoughts or comments or any helpful tips of encouragement...feel free to spill it!!

It's Wednesday

So are you feelin my creativity this morning?? As you can see by my title, my mind isn't working like the energizer bunny quite yet today. Went to bed by 9:00 last night and still don't feel rested. Just a truckin along at a turtle's pace...
I had website training this morning...they want me to learn the "trade" so I can help update when needed. Had it been about 5 hours later, I may have learned something!
No big happenings lately...just lettin you know it's now 8 days and counting... :)

Countdown

It's down to 10 days...that means...
10 more days and I get to go home!
10 more days til I get to see my family!
10 more days and I'll be hanging out with friends!
10 more days til I sleep in my own bed (or at least on my couch)!
10 more days til Tom & Whitney's wedding weekend!
10 more days til I get to see my bridesmaids dress for Matt & Melissa's wedding!
10 more days til I get to rest from hustle and bustle of Southeast life!
10 more days til Building U:Home becomes a word used alot less in my vocabulary:)
Looking forward to seeing everyone back in Q-town...miss you all!!
It'll be here before you know it!

Girly Day

So I took the day off yesterday...and it was wonderful!!! I got to spend it with two of my good buddies - Karla and Shelli. We completely made it a "girly day". Here's a little of what we did...
-Went out to eat
-Went and had manicures and pedicures done. It was Karla's first time for both, so it was fun to experience that with her. Her hands look awesome...have her flash em for ya! And I got to have little flowers painted on my toenails...they're so bee-u-ti-ful!
-Then of course, we had to go to the mall:) Shopped around at some of my favorite stores (Old Navy, Victoria Secret...real girly)!
-Headed to a Single Women's Event at church - which really wasn't the highlight of the evening, but we tried to make it fun. (We left early - shh!)
-Headed back to Karla's house, ordered pizza and ate ice cream while watching Little Women. We cried, we laughed, it was great!

Girly days are so much fun and so needed:) Be grateful for the girl friends you have in your life - cherish them...and definitely remember to make time for them...even when life gets crazy!

I GOT FLOWERS!

My best buddy Karla brought me this gorgeous bouquet of flowers this morning. I wish you could see and smell them...they are beautiful!! She is such a special friend...love her to pieces! What a God-send she is :)

Seriously...

I am so ready for a vacation! I have 16 more days til I head back to Quincy...the countdown has begun. Never in my life have I been more ready...that's probably an exaggeration, but today I'm feelin it. Haven't had a "full day off" in literally weeks. Some brought on by self, but mostly brought on by the nature of the job and the season of summer/fall kick off. Ready for this DVD project to be finished...that's for sure. Had a meltdown today...thankful for Karla's listening ear.

I got lost in the midst of this project today. I completely lost focus and got frustrated because I found myself wanting to please man with this...get man's approval. I was extremely negative and caught myself tearing down others on the team...I was ashamed. Then, I was reminded thru a song on the way home that..."it's all about You, Jesus". The realization set in that some things I did today probably were incredibly repulsive to Him.

Forgive my attitude Lord, forgive my tendancy to be self-sufficient, forgive my impatience, and help me to trust You...help us to rely on You to accomplish this project. We know that without You...all of this is in vain and impossible!

Happenings...

Seems like alot happening this week. Still filming for the Building U:Home Family Bible Study DVD, getting ready for Fall Kick-Off this weekend, saying goodbye to our most incredible volunteer and good friend, Brandon, this week before he heads off to college...it all seems to be happening at once!

With the fall kick-off comes change...change in age break-ups for worship, change in rooms, change in set-up. It seems like just when I finally started getting the hang of things around here, it changes...that's the theme around here! And you know what...I'm grateful it is the theme of this church. Always looking how to better reach out and equip those who come through our doors is an incredible mind-set to have. I'm thankful we're not stagnant and stuck in ideas from the 70s. Just my opinion. Just praying that with all the changes, everyone will get on board and realize we are looking out for the best interests of their children.

Personally, I will be switching up responsibilities on Saturday from previously leading the 2nd/3rd grade worship to leading the 3rd/4th/5th grade worship service. I'm pretty excited cause I love working with that age, but also a little nervous because it is such a large service and the kids are older. I'll have to get rid of some of the cheesiness I've been using and put on the "cool act" for the older kiddos. :) Please pray all goes well!

Otis, My New Friend

Our Team is in the process of producing an in-home DVD bible study for families coming this fall. Every day Nevan and I have been shooting scenes at various locations in Louisville and yesterday we began filming the lesson on fear. So you may be trying to figure out what kind of illustration we would film for a lesson on fear??? Well, let's just say my new friend Otis is a tarantula:)

We set up the scene at Brandon's house. Here's the situation...Brandon and his family welcomed home his best friend from Iraq. Austin, little brother, has new pet tarantula. Otis, gets loose in the night and crawls in bed with best friend Pedro. Otis wakes Pedro up in the morning by crawling on his chest and his face. Seriously, the guy who played Pedro (his name is really Gerado, but we called him Larlo cause we couldn't pronounce it right)...he is my new hero. He played with Otis, picked him up, let him crawl all over him...crazy ridiculous!!! I about wet myself a few times during the shooting...unbelieveable!!

Then came time for the funny "behind the scenes" shots, where we all had to touch/hold Otis...I refused for awhile, but then was succumbed by peer pressure. We all went upstairs and held out our hands for Otis to crawl across...please remember we are talking about a BIG, HAIRY TARANTULA!!! Otis begins to crawl...first Austin, then Krista, then me. Krista pulls her hand away too fast and starts screaming which meant that Otis clings on to me for dear life and is dangling from my wrist. OK...seriously...FREAK ME OUT!!! I started screaming like the girl that I am and jumping and shaking...of course, scaring poor Otis out of his mind. Larlo saved the day and rescued me:) The best part about the whole thing...Nevan got it all on tape. So you may see me make an appearance in the bloopers reel!! I'll let you see the finished product someday:)

Release...and Hope

These are two key words that describe my weekend at FACES of Christ. This retreat was the most intense 67 hours of my life...spiritually, emotionally and physically. Without giving away too much detail of the events, I can say it was a life-changing weekend. God poked and prodded at my heart and soul and helped me to "purge" so much junk from inside that had been harvesting itself there for years. I took many "trips to the basement" and God met me there. He revealed sins, shortcomings, horrible habits and behaviors, and issues I've never acknowledged. It was a time of Sweet Release ! I left my burdens and my sins at the feet of Jesus and He washed my spirit clean.
The Hope came Saturday night...
During a time of quiet personal devotion, I received a stack full of letters of love and encouragement from team members, friends, loved ones back home and from my sweet Savior. As I read these precious gifts, I had friends come to my room and surprise me (one after the other) and they prayed for me. I even had friends call me on the phone to pray for me. This was all a surprise to me - my team leader, Steve, orchestrated the entire thing - in kahoots with my mom...I was blessed beyond belief! Thank you to all who wrote those sweet letters of love and encouragement. These things I will cherish the rest of my life.
Through all of it, I realized the genuine love that Christ has for me...it is real and it is true. I've been ignoring this perfect love before me for so many years, and now I have been changed.
He is good...He is faithful...He is wonderful...He is all-sufficient!

Checking In For a Moment

So I've been home for a brief 21 hour period resting up from the long stretch of camp and now am headed back out to Country Lake for a weekend retreat called FACES of Christ. I will be staying at the lodge retreat center on the other side of the lake and hopefully will be experiencing an incredible weekend of spiritual renewal...a much needed thing!

Coming home from camp yesterday was bitter sweet - body was saying YES, but heart was saying NO! It was an awesome summer full of memories and new friendships. I will have to show you all the DVD collection of all the memories when I come home - it was incredible!

Came back to read in an email that a family back in Warrensburg suffered a terrible loss this past Saturday. Luke and Lori Ford became new members while I was there, a young family with 2 young children and Lori was one of my key volunteers in children's worship. Wonderful people - sweet and willing! I received the news that Luke, 31, died Saturday after collapsing at church a week or so before. He never recovered from his unconsciousness and was announced completely brain dead about a week ago. They took him off life support last Tuesday and he passed away this past Saturday. My heart goes out to Lori and the boys and to the church family for their loss. Please keep them in your prayers.

Got an email from my dear sweet sister, Erin Shaffer, when I got back from camp. She was just checking in, but it was great to hear from her. She's been in Africa the entire summer and just returned a couple weeks ago. I love her and miss her so much. Since she went to college...our "keeping in contact" skills have diminished, but hoping that will change here very soon! Hoping Sha and the girls had a lovely time in St. Louis today (and hoping a decision was made too!)

Random entry today, but trying to condense my life the past couple weeks into one entry. I promise to get back on a regular schedule once my life gets back to normal next week! Hoping this finds you all doing well:) Blessings on your life!