Too Cool!

Love my family! My brother, Phil, took the pictures of the boys in their white shirts! He has a good eye for photography! If you are interested in his work, contact him at

Shoppin' Fun!

Went shopping with a few ladies from church Wednesday morning after acountability breakfast!  It was sooooo much fun!!!!  We went to Harris Teeter because they run a quarterly thing called "triple coupon days"!  My bill was $107.06 but I paid $31.86!  I saved $75.20 on stuff that I used everyday!  How cool is that!?!?!  I called my mom to ask her if she gets the Sunday paper because I thought it would be neat if she could mail me the coupon pages regularly!  This way, the next coupon swap night I have some to exchange!  

Here are the pastors' wives being good stewards with their money!!!!!

Of course, the fact that we had a BLAST shopping together is just a fringe benefit!!!

If anyone is interested in getting started with the "coupon swap" and this shopping spree we did, shoot an email to Kim (lady in the center) and she can give you more details!  She and another lady from church, Barbara Stokes, have been doing this kinda thing for awhile now so they know when the sales are coming, and when the next swap will take place!

It's Who You Know

Know that the Lord is God.  It is He who made us, and we are His; we are His people, the sheep of His pasture.  Enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise; give thanks to Him and praise His name.  Psalm 100:3-4

My devotion yesterday morning has been sitting on my heart so I thought I'd share it.  

Based on what Matthew 16:13 says, Christ asked His disciples "Who do people say the Son of Man is?"  What would we tell Christ if He asked us that today?  What are people saying about God in this day & age?  I say, some would say he was a good man.  Some might even say a prophet or a teacher.  Some may even say just some guy whose suppose to be this savior of the world.

But in verse 15 He asked "Who do YOU say I am?"  This one made me ponder and had me crying by the end of my writing.  I say He is the One who loved me so much that He was willing to leave the glory of Heaven to come to earth and save me!  He's my Savior!  He's my loving Father, the One who hears my heart's cry and comforts me.  He's the One who gives me daily blessings, the One who love me in spite of my ugly heart.  He's my King!  I belong to Him!  

So often, we as Christians, shout "I do believe!", but in the very next breath, we cry out "help me overcome my unbelief!"  My challenge for myself is to start taking God at His Word and to really know Him better.  (1 Kings 18:21)

Ever wonder?!?

Ever wonder what your pastor does when you don't see him at church functions?!?!?  Here's your answer!  Some dads & sons got together for some paintballing.  One of the boys in childrens church wanted to go paintballing for his birthday!  From the pics on his dad's blog (Jon Rennie), they look like they had alot of fun!!!  Isn't it nice to know there are still dads out there who actually enjoy hanging out with their kids!?!

What God does

Yesterday was Mother's Day.  I will admit that it's not my favorite day, but I love calling my mom and talking to her.  I love watching mushy "moms" movies.  I loved having my mother-in-law over for dinner (Claude grilled out!  IT WAS GOOOOOOD!!!).  

I received some pictures from my brother in FL.  He knows how much I miss my nephews & nieces.  I was amazed at how much they've grown just in the 6 months since I've seen them!  I just adore them so much!  Anyway, my brother knows that those kids fill a hole in me (you know, the "desire to be a mom" hole).  They are fun, energetic, happy, healthy, beautiful kids.  

When reading my devotion today, it talked about how God is in every circumstance and that He is in control of everything that happens.  As Christians, when we let worry, anxiety, or resentment in our lives, we sin.  WOW.  I didn't like that at all.  Let's be honest for a minute, we've ALL worried about something at one time or another.  We've ALL been anxious at one period of our lives.  We've ALL dealt with some form of resentment in our hearts for something we feel should/shouldn't have happened to us.  For me, Mother's Day is one of those "resentment" days.  Each year gets a little better.  I make myself look at the "kids" I DO have!  I love our children in childrens church!  I am nuts about our teens in Crosslink.  They fill the hole in me too!  

God KNOWS what He's doing!  He didn't see fit to give me biological children, but I've got a bunch of "adopted" kids!  He's blessed me with a husband who loves to work with kids.  He's a creative fun guy whom the kids adore!  What more could I ask for!?!

BTW, my niece, Rose, LOVES CLAUDE!!!!!  Don't mind ME, her biological aunt, she's enamored with Uncle Claude!  

And, although he would never get mushy about it, he adores her too!  She got to him like none of the boys ever did!!!  I guess it's the Father/daughter thing that happens to a man!  Or perhaps it has something to do with the fact that she is SO MUCH LIKE ME when I was her age!!!

True Love Waits...

Last night we took 17 of the Crosslink students to a True Love Waits conference in Wilson, NC.  

It was AWESOME!  We had one girl from our crew accept Jesus as her Savior!  Another girl accepted Jesus 2 weeks ago and finally felt the courage to share it with her peers!  3 of the guys rededicated their lives to Christ!  I am sitting here typing this and I have goosebumps!  I am so happy and in awe of Christ's power even when you don't feel it!  I had talked earlier to my Mom and told her that I was anxious & nervous about the conference because I had never been to a conference about sex!  I thought & prayed about it all morning and even while we were there, I was asking God to move in at least one of our kids!  Well, God obviously doesn't care what the topic is!  He can touch hearts no matter what as long as they are open to the Holy Spirit!  I have to go now and call my Mom and tell her the "Good News"!!!!!

Kelsey & Bama... I am so happy and proud of you that you stepped up and accepted Jesus!  

John, JC, & Craig...You guys are leaders with a direction now!  Be true to your rededication.

I love you guys!

What a week...

Well, it's been a interesting & challenging week!
Sunday morning before church, I received a call from my brother in FL. My mother was at the emergency room in Tampa having severe pain when she tried to breathe. OK... I needed to panic right about then. I had this information and could do NOTHING to control it or help. I was 800+ miles away, couldn't contact my dad to find out more details, and we are about to start children's church. OK...
Monday, we went to dinner with a couple from church who have been talking with Claude & I about their relationship and their future plans. OK... we love this couple, but they are young and it's a bit nerve-wracking to think that they are planning their future at such a young age.

Tuesday, I went to a impromptu bridal shower for a young lady. OK... don't know much about their relationship except they haven't known each other very long so. OK... I am praying that the Lord is and will be the center of their marriage. I hope/pray that they realize there is more than a wedding that happens... there's a marriage and life after the honeymoon.

Wednesday, worried about my mom. OK... still couldn't do much and hadn't heard much from the doctors about why she was in pain when she tried to breathe. Had breakfast with my accountability partners. Shared things, realized there are quite a few marriages that are in dire need of prayer and God's help. OK...

Thursday, went to lunch at SCHS with Claude & Laci. We had "4" lunches! Our youth group is spread out amongst ALL 4 lunches and we didn't want anyone to feel left out! It was fun, but I definitely am glad I don't have to eat cafeteria food!!! Even chick-fil-a was EEEWWW!
Also, went with Stricklands to look at a bus for church. OK... loved it! Still, there are several different things to consider and the price was higher than we want to spend. All in all though, loved it!

Today, took the day to go and visit Claude's mom in New Bern. It's relaxing and fun. OK...

So, thru all the things that have gone on this week, I've determined a few things.
PRAYER is so vital to me!
I could do nothing but pray and cry out to my Father to be with my mom. I prayed for strength to help me not to take on worry for something unknown.
I could do nothing but pray and beg the Lord to be with the couples who are planning futures. Pray that their lives are so filled with Him, that their futures would glorify Him NO MATTER WHAT!
I could do nothing but pray for the handful of marriages that are falling away from Him. Ask my God to open eyes and soften hearts. Cry for the mistakes and pray the Lord's healing of those hearts.
I could do nothing but PRAISE GOD! He allows us so much by working with the students at DC. These children & students are like our own! (Except we can give them back when we're done!!!)
I could do nothing but ask for God to guide and provide. He knows our hearts and desires with the bus! We only need to seek Him for the right decision.
So, my lesson learned this week was I COULD DO NOTHING...but pray. (Phil. 4:13)