Tuesday, October 12, 2010
GoG 263: The Wonderful WOW Ladies
My Women of Worth study has been stinkin' amazing! What great ladies to discuss and hang out with! Andrea, Sarah, Katie, Jess, Kristy ... gosh. It's been so good! ... We just started our second study - A Balanced Life. And I'm excited to see what this study brings about in our hearts and lives.
GoG 262: The New Season of CHUCK has Returned!
Continuing with the GoGs! :)
Chuck.
What a great TV show!
I don't know if finding grace in a TV show counts .... but I really like this TV show. I never used to watch much TV, but when Uncle Mike introduced me to Chuck, I was hooked.
I bet the grace comes more from sharing a "hobby" with Uncle Mike than Chuck.
But either way ... I find grace when I hear that the next season of Chuck is coming out.
Chuck.
What a great TV show!
I don't know if finding grace in a TV show counts .... but I really like this TV show. I never used to watch much TV, but when Uncle Mike introduced me to Chuck, I was hooked.
I bet the grace comes more from sharing a "hobby" with Uncle Mike than Chuck.
But either way ... I find grace when I hear that the next season of Chuck is coming out.
Monday, October 11, 2010
The Way God Sees 'Em ....
"Jesus said, 'Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.'"
Matthew 19:14
See them the way God sees them.
These thoughts were going through my head this afternoon.
I've been so impatient with my after school kids lately. It's been so difficult. I love my kids. I really do. I just have a rough time be patient with them. I've got 21 kids in my group. Usually, 16 to 18 of 'em show up at a time, and that's a lot of kids for one person. Whew! And almost all of 'em are crazy! Put 'em all together, and it's utter chaos every Monday through Friday.
This is week #6 for me, and I just can't get the hang of this patience thing with these little people. It makes me really discouraged. Blah! But this afternoon, on my way home from after school, I was thinking about our lesson about patience yesterday during Sunday School. The first step toward developing patience in our lives was "See people the way God sees them." And that thought came to my mind as I was driving home from an afternoon with my little crazies! I need to change the way I look at my kids. Yes, I love them. But no, I'm not being patient with them. I'm not seeing them the way God sees them.
And when I think about me and my after school kids, I think of God and us, His people. Does God get impatient with us when we choose to do the wrong thing over and over again, when we act crazy, when the world these days is utter chaos because it's full of crazy people???? No.
NO.
God is ALWAYS patient with us. Sure, sometimes He gets stern with us 'cause we need that from time to time. But He always stays calm. He always loves us no matter what junk we've gotten ourselves into or how often we disobey Him.
If I could grab hold of that mindset and use it with my after school kids, oh, it would be so much better at after school. I can't hinder my kids anymore with my impatience. I must see them the way God sees them, and I must remember that, if I am patient with them, they might see Jesus in me. And they need to see Jesus, know Him, make Him their Savior, so that they will inherit the kingdom of Heaven someday.
Matthew 19:14
See them the way God sees them.
These thoughts were going through my head this afternoon.
I've been so impatient with my after school kids lately. It's been so difficult. I love my kids. I really do. I just have a rough time be patient with them. I've got 21 kids in my group. Usually, 16 to 18 of 'em show up at a time, and that's a lot of kids for one person. Whew! And almost all of 'em are crazy! Put 'em all together, and it's utter chaos every Monday through Friday.
This is week #6 for me, and I just can't get the hang of this patience thing with these little people. It makes me really discouraged. Blah! But this afternoon, on my way home from after school, I was thinking about our lesson about patience yesterday during Sunday School. The first step toward developing patience in our lives was "See people the way God sees them." And that thought came to my mind as I was driving home from an afternoon with my little crazies! I need to change the way I look at my kids. Yes, I love them. But no, I'm not being patient with them. I'm not seeing them the way God sees them.
And when I think about me and my after school kids, I think of God and us, His people. Does God get impatient with us when we choose to do the wrong thing over and over again, when we act crazy, when the world these days is utter chaos because it's full of crazy people???? No.
NO.
God is ALWAYS patient with us. Sure, sometimes He gets stern with us 'cause we need that from time to time. But He always stays calm. He always loves us no matter what junk we've gotten ourselves into or how often we disobey Him.
If I could grab hold of that mindset and use it with my after school kids, oh, it would be so much better at after school. I can't hinder my kids anymore with my impatience. I must see them the way God sees them, and I must remember that, if I am patient with them, they might see Jesus in me. And they need to see Jesus, know Him, make Him their Savior, so that they will inherit the kingdom of Heaven someday.
Thursday, October 7, 2010
GoG 261: The Many Moms!
Believe it or not, I have more than one mom.
Haha! Well, obviously, I only have one mom. Yes, and she is the best!!! But I found that over time, I acquire more moms.
~ When I was in high school, Pastor Mike and Shelley took SoZo to the rehab center in town for a fashion show. We put on the fashion show for the residents. Afterwards, we went out into the crowd to talk with the residents. I was talking to a few old ladies, and they asked if Pastor Mike and Shelley were my parents. We all laugh about it to this day because they are not old enough to be my parents. So PM and Shelley call me Junior ... and I call Shelley, Shelley Mom.
~ After becoming friends with Judy Nilsen ... e-mailing, reading each other's blogs, being great friends with Ben and James, walks in the park ... she's told me I'm almost like one of her kids. And I'd definitely put her on my "mom list." :)
~ And a few weeks ago, I discovered that I have yet another mom. An older couple at my church, Richard and Carol Swenke, come up to me every Sunday and give me a hug and tell me how pretty and special I am. One Sunday, Carol's sister was visiting from Florida, and they introduced me to her as "their daughter." Ha! It was incredibly flattering. And it was at that moment, I told my mom that she's sharing me with other moms. :D
Haha! Well, obviously, I only have one mom. Yes, and she is the best!!! But I found that over time, I acquire more moms.
~ When I was in high school, Pastor Mike and Shelley took SoZo to the rehab center in town for a fashion show. We put on the fashion show for the residents. Afterwards, we went out into the crowd to talk with the residents. I was talking to a few old ladies, and they asked if Pastor Mike and Shelley were my parents. We all laugh about it to this day because they are not old enough to be my parents. So PM and Shelley call me Junior ... and I call Shelley, Shelley Mom.
~ After becoming friends with Judy Nilsen ... e-mailing, reading each other's blogs, being great friends with Ben and James, walks in the park ... she's told me I'm almost like one of her kids. And I'd definitely put her on my "mom list." :)
~ And a few weeks ago, I discovered that I have yet another mom. An older couple at my church, Richard and Carol Swenke, come up to me every Sunday and give me a hug and tell me how pretty and special I am. One Sunday, Carol's sister was visiting from Florida, and they introduced me to her as "their daughter." Ha! It was incredibly flattering. And it was at that moment, I told my mom that she's sharing me with other moms. :D
GoG 260: The SoZo Canoe Trip
Youth ministry is great! It's not easy, but boy, is it awesome!!!
I love hanging out with teenagers! It's probably my favorite thing to do!
September 18th was our SoZo canoe trip. We had a great time tipping canoes and racing each other to the finish ... eating oatmeal cream pies and stopping for ice cream on the way home. I just really had a good time with my kids. :)
GoG 259: The Extra Time with the 'Rents :)
Since most of my friends are getting married, moving away, and having kids, I've been spending a lot of time with my parents lately. It's been a huge blessing ... not only do I have buddies in the midst of my "season," but I've gotten to spend more time with them - going out to eating, watching movies, lots of chats. Chats that we may not have had if my season of life were different. And I've just really appreciated the time.
Now ... where are my friends????
;)
Now ... where are my friends????
;)
GoG 258: The Bethesda Soccer Game
I've only been to 2 or 3 of Jon, Levi, and Super Dave's soccer games this season. The first game I went to was the best. I got there right as the game was starting, and I saw Pastor and Mike and Penny Marshall and Marge. I stood behind them for the game, and we all cheered loudly for our guys - they for their sons and me for my SoZo guys - one and the same. Oh, it was great! They were all laughing at how much louder I was cheering than them and WHAT I was cheering. I'm a crazy person when it comes to supporting the people I love! Man, if you only knew the lengths I went for my brother's senior year of high school. ;) Good times!
I just love cheering for my guys!
I just love cheering for my guys!
GoG 257: The Autograph Picture of Zachary Levi!!!
Hahaha!
So way back in April or May, I wrote a short letter to Zachary Levi ... the star of NBC's CHUCK. Such a great show! Love it!
I felt like such a nerd writing to a celebrity ... but for some reason I felt compelled to ... maybe 'cause I have a tiny crush on the actor. Ha!
I said something to the affect of ...
"I don't know what a guy like you would need, but this verse has helped me through a lot. I hope it encourages you.
Psalm 73:26 - My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Sending up a prayer for you right now.
Mical Masterson"
Too funny!
Well, last month, I received a reply!!!! It was an signed picture of the guy! What!? Are you kidding me!? When I sent my letter, I wondered if it would even reach him at all ... and I get an autograph picture???? Awesome! Needless to say, it made my day; I showed it to Uncle Mike; and it's hanging on my wall in my room. ;)
So way back in April or May, I wrote a short letter to Zachary Levi ... the star of NBC's CHUCK. Such a great show! Love it!
I felt like such a nerd writing to a celebrity ... but for some reason I felt compelled to ... maybe 'cause I have a tiny crush on the actor. Ha!
I said something to the affect of ...
"I don't know what a guy like you would need, but this verse has helped me through a lot. I hope it encourages you.
Psalm 73:26 - My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Sending up a prayer for you right now.
Mical Masterson"
Too funny!
Well, last month, I received a reply!!!! It was an signed picture of the guy! What!? Are you kidding me!? When I sent my letter, I wondered if it would even reach him at all ... and I get an autograph picture???? Awesome! Needless to say, it made my day; I showed it to Uncle Mike; and it's hanging on my wall in my room. ;)
GoG 256: The Candy Land Games
Babysitting for Keri is always fun ...
A couple weeks ago, I hung out with Caleb while Keri and the kids were at Bible Study Fellowship. It was fun to hang out with Caleb, watching Prince Caspian, making waffles for lunch, and playing FIVE games of Candy Land, in which he beat me 4 out of 5 times! We had a great time ... he laughed at me for losing to a 6 year old, and I laughed at him for beating me so many times.
A couple weeks ago, I hung out with Caleb while Keri and the kids were at Bible Study Fellowship. It was fun to hang out with Caleb, watching Prince Caspian, making waffles for lunch, and playing FIVE games of Candy Land, in which he beat me 4 out of 5 times! We had a great time ... he laughed at me for losing to a 6 year old, and I laughed at him for beating me so many times.
GoG 255: The Success of Joshua 1:5-9
Joshua 1:5-9
Umm ... yeah. I was gonna type this out ... but it is stinkin' long!!! So you're on your own for this one. But seriously, take the time to read this passage. It has some good stuff in it! Go ... now.
Okay ... are you back yet? Did you read it? You better have read it .... ;)
Andy Schnur, one of the coolest guys in the world and a member of SoZo (yes! He's one of MY kids!), has been leading a senior high Bible study at Calvary for several months now ... but you should know that if you keep up with my blog because I've mentioned him a few times before. The Bible study is awesome! He does such a great job with it! ... We've been taking a look at Joshua, and with him, leadership. As part of our study, we took a look at the first chapter of Joshua. And man, oh man ... lots of conviction from the five verses I mentioned above. I carried those verses with me for over a week; I was that convicted!
The greatest conviction I gathered from the passage ....
If we would just read our Bibles and soak up what God says and live our lives by it, then nothing and no one could stand against us AND we'd have great success at whatever we put our hand to.
Seriously? That is amazing!
Let's read our Bibles, people!!!! :)
Umm ... yeah. I was gonna type this out ... but it is stinkin' long!!! So you're on your own for this one. But seriously, take the time to read this passage. It has some good stuff in it! Go ... now.
Okay ... are you back yet? Did you read it? You better have read it .... ;)
Andy Schnur, one of the coolest guys in the world and a member of SoZo (yes! He's one of MY kids!), has been leading a senior high Bible study at Calvary for several months now ... but you should know that if you keep up with my blog because I've mentioned him a few times before. The Bible study is awesome! He does such a great job with it! ... We've been taking a look at Joshua, and with him, leadership. As part of our study, we took a look at the first chapter of Joshua. And man, oh man ... lots of conviction from the five verses I mentioned above. I carried those verses with me for over a week; I was that convicted!
The greatest conviction I gathered from the passage ....
If we would just read our Bibles and soak up what God says and live our lives by it, then nothing and no one could stand against us AND we'd have great success at whatever we put our hand to.
Seriously? That is amazing!
Let's read our Bibles, people!!!! :)
GoG 254: The Grace in Freedom
Well, I don't know what the goodness it's gonna take for me to stay caught up with my GoGs. I don't think I can. It would have to be my #1 priority every single day of the year ... and it's just not. But I do enjoy blogging. So here are some thoughts (glimpses of grace) from the past couple of weeks ...
September 12 - Sundays are awesome! Extra time with Jesus, my family, my church family, my SoZo kids, my naptime .... always grace that we live in a country that allows us freedom to do such marvelous things!
September 12 - Sundays are awesome! Extra time with Jesus, my family, my church family, my SoZo kids, my naptime .... always grace that we live in a country that allows us freedom to do such marvelous things!
Friday, October 1, 2010
Thankful at 1:27am :)
Well, it's another late night ... and I just don't want to go to bed. A night when the mind is goin' and the body won't stop movin' ... blah. I love to sleep, but I've been tossing and turning in bed more often lately ... and I find myself not wanting to go to bed at night a lot lately too.
Ha! It's probably all the sweet tea I drink, now that I think about it. ;)
But either way ... whether it be too much sugar and caffeine in my system or a mind constantly pondering my season of life ... I don't want to go to bed tonight.
I've been in an extra good mood the past couple of days. Since my chat with my dad and my "pruning," I've just been thinking UP. Excited about life. Thankful. And wow ... what better way to spend a late night than to thank God for my many blessings.
Yes, let's go! :)
God,
I thank you for my parents. I think I have the best parents ever! My dad is an encourager by nature, generous, slow to anger, passionate about You, always takes care of me and mom and Wes. My mom is a perseverer whether she thinks so or not, has a great sense of humor, goes out of her way to love me in light of my love language (receiving gifts), a great listener. I am excited to be living at home when most 20-somethings don't like, maybe even hate, living with their parents. I am incredibly blessed not only to have a great house to live in and a town I love but an awesome HOME.
Thank you for my friends. I struggle from time to time with my friends getting married, having kids, moving away, even just getting busy with school and work ... but I have amazing friends! They love me, get excited for me when I'm doing what I love, more than tolerate my shinanigans, pray for me, encourage me. Oh, they are great!
The list could go on and on, Lord, because you have blessed me with so much - far more than anything I could ask or imagine! So for now, lastly, I thank you for changing seasons - yes, the weather seasons (I'm lovin' the 50 degrees blowing through my open window right now!) - but more importantly, the seasons of life that you give me. This "single, 20-something, 'what the heck am I gonna do with my life!?'" season has been difficult, to say the least. But, God, I find so much grace in it - through Your provision of hope and excitement for what's to come, the focus I can have on YOU, the calling I can live out even more passionately and undistractedly (yes, I just made up a word), the time with my parents and brother and friends and church family and SoZo that I wouldn't have if I were married and having kids, the lessons I cannot learn in any other season. Lord Jesus, You are just AWESOME!!!! For growing me, loving me, teaching me, dying for me, giving me purpose. Thank you for Your hope and grace and strength and provision and joy and peace and lessons and Your word ... thank you for giving me courage to withstand the trials and disappointments ... and to face each new day. Your grace is more than sufficient and more than amazing. Your might is more than I can comprehend. Thank you, Lord God. Thank you, Jesus!
I love you.
Ha! It's probably all the sweet tea I drink, now that I think about it. ;)
But either way ... whether it be too much sugar and caffeine in my system or a mind constantly pondering my season of life ... I don't want to go to bed tonight.
I've been in an extra good mood the past couple of days. Since my chat with my dad and my "pruning," I've just been thinking UP. Excited about life. Thankful. And wow ... what better way to spend a late night than to thank God for my many blessings.
Yes, let's go! :)
God,
I thank you for my parents. I think I have the best parents ever! My dad is an encourager by nature, generous, slow to anger, passionate about You, always takes care of me and mom and Wes. My mom is a perseverer whether she thinks so or not, has a great sense of humor, goes out of her way to love me in light of my love language (receiving gifts), a great listener. I am excited to be living at home when most 20-somethings don't like, maybe even hate, living with their parents. I am incredibly blessed not only to have a great house to live in and a town I love but an awesome HOME.
Thank you for my friends. I struggle from time to time with my friends getting married, having kids, moving away, even just getting busy with school and work ... but I have amazing friends! They love me, get excited for me when I'm doing what I love, more than tolerate my shinanigans, pray for me, encourage me. Oh, they are great!
The list could go on and on, Lord, because you have blessed me with so much - far more than anything I could ask or imagine! So for now, lastly, I thank you for changing seasons - yes, the weather seasons (I'm lovin' the 50 degrees blowing through my open window right now!) - but more importantly, the seasons of life that you give me. This "single, 20-something, 'what the heck am I gonna do with my life!?'" season has been difficult, to say the least. But, God, I find so much grace in it - through Your provision of hope and excitement for what's to come, the focus I can have on YOU, the calling I can live out even more passionately and undistractedly (yes, I just made up a word), the time with my parents and brother and friends and church family and SoZo that I wouldn't have if I were married and having kids, the lessons I cannot learn in any other season. Lord Jesus, You are just AWESOME!!!! For growing me, loving me, teaching me, dying for me, giving me purpose. Thank you for Your hope and grace and strength and provision and joy and peace and lessons and Your word ... thank you for giving me courage to withstand the trials and disappointments ... and to face each new day. Your grace is more than sufficient and more than amazing. Your might is more than I can comprehend. Thank you, Lord God. Thank you, Jesus!
I love you.
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