It's My Life

Had a great time at church today, so proud of my husband and our whole worship band for rockin' out a great set that started with a Bon Jovi cover!

Check them out...



Here's another video of one of my favorite worship songs...just so happens my husband is singing it - happy coincidence!

"Children are the living messages we send to a time we will not see"

I love when our church's youth pastor speaks on Sunday mornings because you can always tell exactly where his heart lies: with our students, teenagers and kids. It is an age bracket extremely close to my heart and I love being a part of a church that values them too.

That being said, I was convicted by Pastor Josh's message - I don't always view my weekly volunteering with the children in our church as positively as I should. To be honest, some Sundays all I want to do is get through an hour without having boogers smeared on my jeans and without having to wash my hands an innumerable number of times after changing too many dirty diapers. FYI - I work with 2-year-olds not the high school students! Some Sundays my attitude sucks about serving, giving up my time to spend with these little guys...and it shouldn't.

I've always enjoyed spending time with kids, have adamantly stated how much I value them and am easily angered when our society brushes off their opinions and upbringing as some type of burden. Yet, am I always consistent with my actions?

Josh's message focused on how we as a generation can take steps to guide the generation growing up behind us to be counter-cultural, a generation of change. One of his points really resonated with me and made me smile. I have said for years that kids have a seriously accurate bull**** meter. They know when you're lying or trying to pull something over on them. I should know, I was absolutely one of those kids. The most valuable thing you can do when spending time with kids, whether they are 3 or 16, is to be honest. Trying to "sell" them on an oversimplified version of Christianity that isn't accurate isn't going to cut it and all it will do is cause them to trust you and what you believe even less.

Another point he made that hit home is that our culture has set the bar of expectation so low for this generation. All the media and cultural influences are really asking our young people is to go to school, not get arrested and live up to the status quo. What happened to passion? What happened to making a difference? What happened to actively living what you believe? Don't get me wrong, I'm not saying I don't know kids who break that mindset, but unfortunately I see and know many more who don't.

As someone who will (hopefully) have kids of my own in the next 5 years, some of the statistics Josh was relaying freaked me out. The percentage of kids who spend time actually talking with their parents for more than 10 minutes a day is staggeringly low. The number of parents who are actively involved in their student's day-to-day school lives is another ridiculously low statistic...it crushes and convicts me at the same time about my attitude and actions toward this younger generation growing up in our world, not to mention the way my husband and I plan to parent our future kids.










I'm not a parent, I am blessed to be an aunt to 4 beautiful girls and 3 energy-packed boys and I love them like crazy. Even not being a parent myself, Josh's message really woke me up to just how much of a positive influence I can have on them by exerting more effort as they get older. On the other hand, what he said also reminded me of the harsh reality that I can have an overwhelmingly negative impact on them without even trying or being aware of my actions.

Ouch.

Josh's final challenge to us as a church was to be a generation to stand in the gap, being the ones to guide this generation coming up behind us to a real relationship with their God - to not let them slip through the cracks unnoticed. They deserve better. When I was in high school, I know full well I would have been one of those kids slipping away if it hadn't been through the amazing mentors I had to guide me, ask me tough questions and help me grow into an adult who knew what I believed. I was one of the lucky ones and having that background should make me that much more intent on being that type of mentor to the kids in my life who I love and spend time with.

If you want to check out Josh's entire message (and I hope you will - its a great one), just follow this link to the video: http://orbc.net/sermons and it will be at the top of the list on the page and titled, "To Reach The Next Generation".

Why Does It Matter?

This week our church's senior pastor, Brian, was back from a multi-week hiatus and I was excited to have him back. I've really been enjoying the summer series that has been focused on digging deeper into the theology behind the Apostle's Creed.

All of our pastors have preached at least once throughout the series, each bringing their unique point of view and preaching style to the topics. I thought it was great, this week, that Pastor Brian was back to wrap up the series by talking about why it does matter what we believe and how our worldview really plays a huge role in our lives.

On a sidebar - I do teach 2-year-olds during our 11:30 AM service and am a big fan of Pastor Brian (and another pastor who will remain nameless) for more than his preaching style...he almost ALWAYS ends the worship service on time! Those of you who volunteer with our uniquely energetic toddlers know exactly how wonderful that can be. Don't get me wrong, I love my little ones, but after about an hour we all start getting tired of each other!

Back to Brian's message...

One of the things I really found beneficial were the examples of popular worldviews (the belief systems we build our lives around). He not only explained the concept, but matched each with a Biblical passage that explained why each worldview isn't satisfying and doesn't work.

#1 - Materialism: "The one with the most toys wins"

#2 - Individualism: "I've got to think of ME first"

#3 - Hedonism: "Do whatever feels good"

#4 - Naturalism/Atheism: "God doesn't exist or matter"

#5 - Pragmatism: "Whatever works for you"

#6 - Humanism: "You are your own god"

As far as materialism goes, unfortunately, it does run rampant in our culture here in the US. Is there really a better example of how damaging this worldview can be than our insane national debt situation? Luke 12:15 - Beware! Guard against every kind of greed. Life is not measured by how much you own.

Individualism is another popular concept. This really came into play in the 1980s...my decade - goody! Yep, I made my debut smack in the middle of the original self-indulgent revolution. We really have developed a culture of narcissism and it is something I personally have to fight on a near daily basis. Let's be honest, in the short term, it feels great to think of myself first! However, the longer I wallow in that lifestyle, the more shallow and dissatisfying it is. Matthew 16:25 - If you try to keep your life for yourself, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for Me, you will find true life.

Hedonism. Brian made me laugh for sure when he mentioned the inherent southern-action old school Baptist-style of that word! Can't you just hear it? Do yourself a favor - scroll down and watch this message and get a good laugh out of his accent when he talks about hedonism...oh and the rest of the message is a great watch too!

Hedonism is an emotions-driven lifestyle. If it brings you pleasure you should do it. Unfortunately pleasure was never meant to be the extreme focus of our lives. It is the by-product of doing right, not the ultimate goal. Proverbs 21:17 - You're addicted to thrills? What an empty life! The pursuit of pleasure is never satisfied.

Pragmatism has become extremely popular in our culture. The concept of tolerance has been extremely overblown into the whole "whatever works for you is fine" idea. Pragmatism has no emphasis in moral boundaries of any kind - sort of a fly by the seat of your pants way of life. Proverbs 14:12 - There is a way that seems right to a man, but in the end it leads to death.

Naturalism/Atheism is one of the most depressing worldviews to me. If God doesn't exist or matter, then neither do you! Such a sad concept and way to live. God has left his fingerprints all over this world if you are intellectually honest enough to look. Ironically it takes a lot of faith to be an atheist and ignore God's influence all around us. Romans 1:20-22 - From the beginning of creation, God has shows what He is like by all He has made. That's why they don't have any excuse. They know about God, but they don't honor Him or even thank Him. They claim to be wise but are fools.

The idea of humanism really centers around lifting ourselves up as being the center of our own universe by claiming God's own attributes as our own. It really is the ultimate idolatry. It's also an easy trap to slide into with concepts like "I am in control of my life" rather than accepting God's hand in our world and our lives. Romans 1:25 - They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the Creator.

So what is the correct worldview? It is called "Theism" and simply means believing that God made you for His purpose and placing Him at the center of your world. Colossians 1:16 - For everything, absolutely everything, above and below, visible and invisible...everything good started in Him and finds its purpose in Him.

Why does it matter what we believe? Because our beliefs determine our behavior, they determine how I am blessed by God and also determine my believability to the world.

When it comes down to it, if someone asked you why you believe what you believe, can you answer?

I feel so fortunate that I do feel equipped by God and the experiences I've had in my life so far, that I can absolutely explain why I believe what I believe to anyone who asks. I have had some wonderful mentors, teachers and friends who have patiently taught, challenged and shown me through example who God is and why I believe in Him and His Word.

So check out Brian's entire message at http://orbc.net/sermons "Why Does it Matter What I believe" and let me know what you think! What worldview do you hold or struggle to overcome?

Getting Back to the Basics

There is something to be said about getting back to basics...whether it involves simple and effective cleaning methods or perfecting classic recipes, basic foundational principles are vital.

A few weeks ago our church started a new series focusing on the solid foundational basics of our faith, "These Things We Believe". Having grown up in the church, so many of these principles are familiar, yet all too easy to forget and forget how important they are...how awe-inspiring having a personal relationship with the Creator of the universe is. I'm enjoying being able to delve into the basics of my faith, the history of those who have gone before us and how I can apply these solid principles to my daily life.

In the first sermon of the series, Pastor Brian, gave us an overview that started with The Apostles Creed. I have never attended a church that regularly recited this ancient statement of the Christian faith (written in 140 AD) and was surprised how much it resonated with me.

I believe in God the Father almighty, the Creator of heaven and earth.

I believe in Jesus Christ, God's only Son, our Lord, who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died and was buried; he descended into hell.

On the third day he rose again; he ascended into heaven, he is seated at the right hand of the Father and he will come again to judge the living and the dead.

I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy catholic church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body, and the life everlasting.

AMEN

One of the first things our pastor touched on were two points in the Apostle's Creed that could be easily misinterpreted and confused. The first is the mention of "hell"...as in "he descended into hell". This has caused so many arguments and confusion in the Christian community, many claiming that after Jesus was crucified, He was sent to hell. This is theologically incorrect and also directly contradicts what the Bible says about Christians and what happens when we die.

When the word "hell" is looked at in the original text, the translation means "the grave". Literally, "the place of the dead". It was a term in the original Greek language that was commonly used to describe death, not the "hell" described in the Bible as eternal separation from God.

The other point that gets confused is the term "catholic", leading many Christians to shy away from this early statement of our faith, claiming that they "aren't Catholic". The term "catholic" (note the lowercase "c") means "universal" in the original Greek, not referring to a denomination - as in the Catholic church as we know it now.

After briefly giving us an overview of The Apostle's Creed, Pastor Brian dug into the second part of his message - focusing on why truth matters. One of his points was reflected in one of my favorite scripture verses - Colossians 1:23 Continue in your faith, established and firm, and do not move from the hope held out in the gospel. This is the gospel that you heard and that has been proclaimed to every creature under heaven.

Truth determines our eternal destiny, will set us free, gives us the ability to serve in ministry...when it comes down to it, what I believe determines how I behave. It becomes a constant balance of making sure that what I do, how I behave and what I think reflects what I say I believe...much easier to say than do some days!

I'm really looking forward to digging into these foundational beliefs as our church works through this new series. If any of you are thinking of checking out our church (Oak Ridge Baptist in Salisbury, MD), this series might be the perfect time - since we're really stacking up the building blocks of our faith.

Mom Really Does Know Best...

It is fitting that on Mother's Day, our pastor would preach a sermon that I swear half of sounded like it came directly from my mom's mouth. I kept flashing back to memories of her throughout the years while I was growing up, teaching me the principles coming from our pastor's mouth over and over again. I say over and over again because I was (and still am on occasion!) an outrageously stubborn child when it comes to listening, obeying and softening my heart to God's principles.

This morning's message was focused on forgiveness. I have never been moved to tears during church...until this morning. It was so amazing too because I almost didn't go this morning. I wasn't feeling well, my stomach was a wreck and I had to drop my husband off at work, then attend alone...which isn't nearly as much fun. I was this close (picture my pointer finger and thumb pinching a tiny space here) to just blowing off church this morning and staying in bed. I am so incredibly thankful I didn't. I needed to hear this message.

Forgiveness and I have an odd relationship. In many ways I am quick to forgive, accept and move on. Still, there are several people that immediately jump to the forefront of my mind who I have stubbornly refused to forgive over the years for various reasons. Before I get into that, I want to mention a few points from Pastor Brian's sermon, the second message in our church's new series "Redeeming Love".

He began by dispelling popular misconceptions of forgiveness running rampant in our culture and even in the church these days:

1. A person should not be forgiven until he/she asks for it...FALSE! As believers we are to forgive...period. Forgiveness is not conditional, we are commanded to forgive.

2. Forgiving includes minimizing the offense and the pain caused...FALSE! Just because you forgive someone who has hurt or wronged you does not mean you give them a "free pass" to abuse you. It does not restore a relationship immediately and diminish the fact that you have been wounded. (which brings us to the next point)

3. Forgiveness includes restoring trust and reuniting a relationship...FALSE! Forgiveness is not a cure-all bandaid to slap on a relationship and "make it all better". What heals a relationship and rebuilds trust is the process of the person who hurt you to recognize and take ownership of causing that pain and destroying that trust, restitution and the tenuous task of rebuilding trust in a relationship. It will take time to get to that point.

4. You haven't really forgiven until you've forgotten the offense...FALSE! I love what our pastor said about this one...it was something to the effect of, "I don't know who came up with this saying, but they were an idiot!" This is an idiotic and impossible concept. You will never forget, that isn't a principle tied to forgiveness at all.

5. When I see someone else hurt, it is my duty to forgive the offender....FALSE! This one really hit home with me. There are two people on that mental list I have of those I haven't been able to forgive who directly hurt someone I love more than anyone else in the world...but they didn't hurt me. They hurt him. He has moved past it, but I haven't...and that's wrong. It is not my responsibility to forgive them. It's not my right to wrestle with the burden of forgiveness...in fact it is a sin to take up the offense of another person.

A big ouch on that last one, right?

The rest of Pastor Brian's message focused on why we must forgive and how we are to forgive. We must forgive those who have wronged us because God has forgiven us, because unforgiveness will affect us personally (I can attest to that!), and because we will need forgiveness ourselves.

One of the things my mom continuously tried to pound into my brain (figuratively!) is that by holding onto my anger and resentment, by refusing to forgive, all I do is hurt myself. I don't hurt that person - they don't notice at all...all I do is let that resentment fester into bitterness. She also constantly taught me that I was the only one who could control my emotions and feelings. That others couldn't "make" me feel anything, that I always had a choice, even when it didn't feel like it. Our pastor hit on that point this morning too (he and my mom would get along well I think!) when he said, "every time you hate something or someone you surrender control. You are basically saying that you give them the power to control your emotions."

As I mentioned before, the hardest thing for me to let go of, the people who I have the hardest time forgiving are those who have seriously hurt the ones I love...I'm freakishly protective of my family and friends (at least that's what I've been told) and when they are hurt, I have to struggle to balance my God-given gift of empathy with the anger building inside me directed toward the one who caused that hurt. Unfortunately long after my friends and family have been able to forgive those who hurt them and move on, I still find myself wresting with that bizarre third-party resentment.

That brings us back to the ever-important concept of HOW do we forgive? How do I let go of this anger and resentment?

1. By relinquishing my right to "get even". Paul says it best in Romans 12:19 - Do not take revenge, my friends, but leave room for God's wrath, for it is written: "It is mine to avenge; I will repay," says the Lord. It is not my responsibility or right to judge others, leave that responsibility to God.

2. By responding to evil with good. We are commanded to love our enemies, do good to those who hurt us and even to pray for those who hurt us. My mom also told this to me more times than I can count...my response was always, "but I don't feel like it!" Guess what...God doesn't say to live by our feelings. To be honest, feelings suck most of the time! We are to live by FAITH which means we are to live by obeying God's Word, which commands us to (guess what?) forgive...and pray for those who hurt us. Right again Mom...

3. By repeating these steps as long as necessary. Forgiveness is not a point, it is a process. It could take years of constant prayer, asking God to help me forgive and let go. For an impatient person (ahem...me...ahem) this concept makes my stomach sink. You mean forgiveness won't just happen because I say I forgive someone? Crap. Like so many lessons and life events, it is a process.

At the end of Pastor Brian's sermon he challenged us to think of who is still hurting us today. To ask ourselves who it is that we are struggling to forgive. Just like that, 4 people popped into the forefront on my brain...3 of which have hurt people I love. The fourth person has passed away and I struggle with how to forgive someone who wounded me so badly for so many years when they have since died?

It's going to be anything but easy, but today I am going to start taking those first steps toward letting go...to forgiving that one person and letting go of those other 3 who I have no right to try to forgive in the first place.

I pray that God will not only help me to let go and forgive, but that He will help me balance my empathetic nature with the Biblical concept of not taking on "third-party" resentment and anger...to love and cry with my friends and family when others hurt them, but not to take that grief and pain onto my own shoulders.

If you want to check out today's message (and I highly recommend you do!), go to www.orbc.net/sermons.

To wrap up, let me say a final thank you to my awesome Mom, who I wish lived closer. Thanks for putting up with my stubbornness as a kid and not literally strangling me when I was even worse as a teenager. I love you so much and wouldn't be the fully-functioning adult I am today without you...here's to you Mom (and my older sister Kate who's also featured in this photo)!

A Dynamic Easter

I've been putting off blogging for a little while because I honestly have way too many things to blog about! Too many ideas and experiences over the past week and a half are blog-worthy. Yet here I am...finally sitting down and deciding on what to start with.

Easter.

One of those times each year where, as a believer, it is easy to reflect on God's love and power. Our church was wrapping up our "Overcome" series with a fantastic celebration. The music was fantastic and the speaker, Scott Rigsby, who has the most inspiring and incredible story I've ever heard. He spoke in two services Saturday night and a total of 5 services on Sunday (counting our video venues), sharing his amazing journey - how he overcame physical, spiritual and emotional odds to achieve what he has today.

Easter 2011 from Oak Ridge on Vimeo.

I hope you take the time to watch him speak, you won't regret it! When we first found out he was coming to speak, I immediate thought of all my friends who are runners and wished more of them lived close enough to make the trip to hear him speak!

Easter this year was amazing, our church had more than 2,700 people attend services with many attending for the first time. Praise God!

Who Said Failure Isn't An Option?

The first memory I have of failure comes rushing back to me at the tender age of 5. Let me preface this story by explaining my personality as a child...two words: Imaginatively Stubborn. My long-suffering parents and sisters will attest to that heartily!

Now I'm sure I "failed" before this early memory...what child doesn't fall down repeatedly trying to learn how to walk? However, this was a big, slightly epic "FAIL" that included some fairly serious physical ramifications.

I love Peter Pan...I have loved that story since the first time I heard it (right around 4-5 years old) and wholeheartedly embraced the characters in that story as a child. Unfortunately at age 5, my line between fantasy and reality was nonexistent. We had just moved to our new house in Bowie, MD - a suburb of Washington DC and we had a big backyard, lots of trees, a sandbox and a swingset. Basically mecca for a kindergartener! One of our huge maple trees had branches that hung over our swingset and provided the perfect "handle" for a 5-year-old eager to test out just how accurate the story of Peter Pan really is.

You can see where this is going, can't you?

I climbed up the swingset, balanced on the top of it, clutching the tree branches, squinched my eyes shut, screamed "Christmas!"(my chosen happy thought) and flung myself out into the air spread-eagle style ready to take flight!

Epic. Fail.

My ribs still sting a little when I remember that teeth-shattering impact with the unforgiving ground. Other than that I don't remember that much...other than my older sister shrieking for our parents...then I think I blacked out.

First failure...pretty painful one at that! So why am I sharing my epic fail with you? This week's message at our church (Oakridge Baptist Church) focused on how to overcome failure.

If you haven't kept up with this blog in the past few weeks, I'll fill you in. Our pastor has been preaching an incredible series titled "Overcome". The past three weeks have included powerful messages on overcoming depression, defeat and doubt. This week's message was another incredible segment focused around the story of Peter.

One of the best things our pastor mentioned was the fact that in this success-crazed, fast-paced society of ours, we must remember...EVERYONE FAILS. That's not something to brush off lightly, it is a Biblically-based concept.

Ecclesiastes 7:20 - No one in this world always does right.
James 3:2a - We all stumble in many ways.

It is not a question of IF you will fail, it is a question of WHEN...and that's not always a terrible thing! Failure can be incredibly fruitful, God causes everything to work together for our growth and good...often the fear of failure is so much more crippling than actual failure!

Many of you who know me well also know that I was in an incredibly difficult job situation for more than 3 years out in Indiana. The job itself was great, I loved what I was doing...but the work environment itself was toxic to say the least. I worked for a director who refused to accept that humans make mistakes. Our staff was so terrified to actually go to her and tell her that we made a mistake (i.e. didn't order enough paper originally for a printing project and needed more) that we would all scramble around trying to hide it from her.

It was horrible! Once I left that job and moved out to MD getting a job in an atmosphere that was the polar opposite of that job I realized just how awful that employment atmosphere was...and along with that, not every job is like that!

I don't want you to think I advocate using "It's ok to fail" as an excuse not to do your best work. That is not Biblical and wasn't the focus of this week's message at all. Our pastor hit hard on the ways God can use our failure. He can educate, motivate and cultivate us all through those bumps in the road, those miscalculations and mistakes.

Romans 5:3-4 - We can rejoice, too, when we run into problems and trials, for we know that they are good for us - they help us learn to be patient. And patience develops strength of character in us and helps us trust God more each time we use it until finally our hope and faith are strong and steady.

The first step toward allowing God to really work in our failures is to ask for and receive His forgiveness for failing in the first place. Failure is never the end, is never final unless we allow it to be. God will never walk away from us...EVER. That is a promise we can hold dear.

Ok, I'll end this post on a chuckle-worthy note because as I've been typing, I've been remembering one other slightly epic fail...

As a kid and all the way through high school, school always came pretty easy to me (with the exception of advanced math!). College went that way too...until I took Drawing 1.

I. Cannot. Draw.

Seriously...my two-year-old Sunday school class out performs me in that way! However, if I wanted to graduate with a graphic design degree from my chosen college I was forced to take traditional art classes.

Which by the way is completely insane!

*AHEM*

So I started taking the class and about halfway through my professor asked to meet with me...he was nice enough but basically said something to the effect of, "Em, it's killing me because you are working so hard at this, but you have no artistic ability and I honestly can't teach you enough to get you to pass this class."

Ouch!

Needless to say I failed my first class...and last class...at least so far! Drawing continues to be the bane of my existence. I can't even draw a straight line with the help of a ruler! However, without that failure, I never would have changed my major to Journalism and English - discovering my true strength and passion in the written word.

God has a funky way of directing us...even through our failure!

A New Church Experience...The Right One!

I am reminded weekly how blessed I am to be a part of a church that focuses on loving God and loving people. That really resonated with me again this morning as our senior pastor started a new series titled "Overcome". Over the next few weeks we'll be hearing messages and focusing music around how we as believers overcome and help others overcome serious struggles in this life that aren't often talked about freely.

The first message in his series this week was on the weighty topic of depression. Too often, I've seen, in "Christian" circles and churches there seems to be this stigma about discussing this very real-life struggle. No one wants to admit they have struggled are or having problems in this area largely due to a fear of judgment. I've had very close friends and others in my life who have felt the weight of trying to deal with depression on their own because they are afraid to open up to other believers due to that fear.

It breaks my heart. Who are we to stand in judgment of those who might struggle and be hurting in an area we haven't experienced? Why is there such an outrageously un-biblical and un-Christlike need to urge those who are hurting to bottle up their problems and pretend everything is fine because they are a "Christian". Almost nothing makes me more upset than the encouragement of this pretense. It hits close to home as I've seen so many people hurt by so-called believers in Christ as they shun those who struggle with depression and other emotional scars. Obviously this first message struck a chord.

Pastor Brian shared a story from the life of Elijah, an incredible prophet and man of God whose life is recorded in the book of I Kings (in the Old Testament/first half of the Bible). Elijah quite obviously suffered from emotional highs and lows, deep dark depressions...yet look at what God was able to do through such a broken man! We don't need to hide when we're struggling with this very real issue - we need people who will lift us up, point us back to God, insist on helping us seek medical treatment if necessary and be with us on the journey toward finding help. The most important thing you can communicate to someone you love who is in the midst of depression is that they are NOT alone. And back up that promise with some very real friendship and support.

I am so thankful to be a part of a church that welcomes absolutely everyone from any walk of life, at any point in their life with open arms and a desire to help heal those wounds. Our pastors and church leaders are some of the most "real" leaders in Christ I have ever seen. They are not only open about their own personal struggles, giving God the glory for any success the church has, but they are eager to pass along those experience and get each person involved in the church plugged into a ministry where they can not only serve others, but grow and be served themselves. It is truly an amazing experience to be in a Christian/church environment that is "doing church" the way it should be done according to God's Word. Check out the messages online if you can't make it to church to hear them in person.

Our church is Oak Ridge Baptist and it's in Salisbury, MD. You can find out more by checking out the website: http://www.orbc.net/. Here are a few of the Bible passages that Pastor Brian used in his message this morning, just in case you'd like to check 'em out:

1 Peter 5:7 - "Cast all your cares upon Him (God), for He cares for you."

Colossians 3:4a - "Christ gives meaning to your life..."

John 16:33 - "I have told you all this so you may have PEACE in me. Here on earth you will have many trials and sorrows. But take heart, because I have OVERCOME the world."

We can overcome because Jesus Christ has already overcome anything we may face in this world and it is His power to do so through us every day.

Ways...

"God works in mysterious ways"

I roll my eyes automatically when I hear that phrase, mostly because it has been said to me by well-meaning people who are at a loss to explain why life is hard or doesn't make sense. To me it always seemed like a platitude rather than a truth.

Let's be honest...

God works in some seriously bizarre messed-up and not-so-fun-at-the-time ways...and I have to say I'm actually thankful for that. Because it means that even in the midst of mistakes and crushed hopes and struggles, I can actually hang onto that truth that somehow God is working through this, through me and Aaron to move us in the next direction of our lives.

As we started this week, we were collectively holding our breath...waiting to see what disaster would hit us, since last week held so many pitfalls - culminating when a deer collided with our car. Amazingly this week really only had one disappointment, which we took in stride.

I can't really put my finger on what exactly helped change our outlook and attitudes, but I'm betting it is on our decision to stop reacting and being overwhelmed by things we cannot control. That doesn't mean we sit back and do nothing to find Aaron full time work or stop searching for a creative solution to finance the repair of our deer-bashed car. It really just means that we finally just let go. For two people who really enjoy controlling our lives, it hasn't been easy!

But when we finally agreed to let go of all that worry over finances and our future, just keep putting one foot in front of the other and most importantly give all of that over to God...we both felt like a weight had been lifted. Of course things aren't perfect. Of course we'll have rough days and frustrating times. The difference is the change in our perspective.

Today was interesting. We spent almost the entire day at church and are exhausted...Aaron led worship in 4 different services while fighting a chest cold and I spent plenty of time running after my favorite 2 year old Sunday school class while trying not to get sick to my stomach.













Our pastor's message was incredible, you can check it out here: http://orbc.net/messages.htm

This was the first Sunday we decided to tithe in a long time and its something that we plan on doing regularly and are looking forward to seeing how God is going to use that in our future.

We decided to join a small group and went to a "connection" event at the church to try to get synced up with one and guess what? Aaron is now LEADING a small group.

Ok God. Seriously? Are you chuckling up there?

Its a 6 week group we're trying out, so we'll see how it goes - I'm excited to see how being involved in a small group is really going to grow us in our faith and in relationships with the rest of the people in our group.