Life and Lyrics

You mean for Jesus, right?

2009-12-11T08:48:00.006-06:00

I've been wrestling with some big stuff lately. Last night, someone said something to me that caught me off guard, made me feel a little uncomfortable and ashamed, and certainly gave me something to think about. Here's what happened:

I was at a dinner party with some friends and a senior pastor (Pastor Wayne) from our church. We were talking about work and I said things have been a little crazy lately doing my regular job and so much work on the 12 days of Christmas "for the church". To which he replied, "you mean for Jesus, right?" He stopped me right in my tracks. "Of course... you know what I mean", is what I remember replying, but honestly my head started spinning at that point and it's all I've thought about since then.

I've been going and going and going lately. Work meetings, YMCA meetings, church meetings, sending dozens and dozens of emails each week for the "12 Days of Christmas", feeling like I'm falling behind in YMCA commitments, and trying to squeeze in time with Matt, our families, and our friends. There are days when I look a week ahead in my calendar and can only find a couple of hours of unscheduled time. Individually speaking I am committed and looking forward to each of my activities, but collectively it gets overwhelming and so sometimes I end up dreading things instead of enjoying them. (I can't believe I just put that in writing.) And then someone comes along and says to me "You mean for Jesus, right?" and all of sudden my world looks completely different. Now as I'm thinking about the things on my to-do list, I'm thinking "This is for Jesus, right?". If what I'm doing is for Jesus, then I should be doing it to my best abililty, full of joy, with a servant's heart, feeling good about doing it for the right reasons. If it's for Jesus and my attitude isn't quite in line with what I just described, then I should probably check myself. But, if what I'm doing is NOT for Jesus, then I need to examine my motives. Am I doing it just to please others? Or for approval? Or to meet what I think others' expectations of me are? I fall into those traps all the time.

I plan to start making a lot of decisions based on "You mean for Jesus, right?". I'll keep you posted on how it goes.

More Life Wisdom from the Wizard of Ads...

2009-11-16T17:01:00.002-06:00

My Holiday Gift to You... For Real

Tom Hennen has a line in his poem, The Life of a Day, that says, “We examine each day before us with barely a glance and say, ‘no, this isn’t one I’ve been looking for,’ and wait in a bored sort of way for the next, when we are convinced, our lives will start for real.”

That line is a little bit frightening because you read it and realize you’re guilty. You’ve been waiting for that day when your life will start “for real.” The trouble with life is that it’s just so daily. I share this with you because I’ve been thinking about my two grandfathers who are dead and my father who is likewise and I’ve come to the obvious conclusion: Live while you have the chance.

“Papa was a rolling stone. Wherever he laid his hat was his home…” - The Temptations, 1971. In the final moments of his life, my father scribbled a note for me to find. In barely legible pencil he scrawled, “All the little things in life add up to your life. If you don't get it right then nothing else matters. It gets lonely in the promised land by yourself.” My Dad died lonely, I think, because he never made deep commitments. My father’s confession of his loneliness makes me sad, but his scribbled note tells me he wanted me to learn from his mistake. I meet a lot of people who sigh deeply and say they’re looking for their passion, something to set their souls on fire and send beams of light shining out through their eyes. But the people with light shining from their eyes know this: Passion does not produce commitment. Commitment produces passion. Solomon, that wise king, spent years of his life searching for passion. In chapter 9 of the chronicle of that search, the book of Ecclesiastes, Solomon writes, “Whatever your hand finds to do, do it with all your might, for in the grave, where you are going, there is neither working nor planning nor knowledge nor wisdom.”

People read that and think Solomon is saying, "Eat, drink and be merry, for tomorrow you may die," but that's not it at all. He's saying, "Throw your whole heart into whatever you do. Live while you have the chance."

This is my Holiday gift to you, I hope you will receive it: Find something that needs to be done and throw yourself headlong into it. Let today be the day your life begins for real.

Roy H. Williams

"May you live all the days of your life."- Jonathan Swift, author of Gulliver's Travels

12 Ways to Serve Others this Season

2009-11-09T11:28:00.003-06:00

I've been working on "The 12 Days of Christmas" for Point of Grace and yesterday we started presenting it to our congregation. We've chosen 12 opportunities for people to serve others this holiday season. I challenge everyone to make this Christmas season their family's best ever by experiencing the joy of giving to other people. What may seem like a small gesture to you, may make all the difference in the world to someone else.

Here are the 12 Days of Christmas opportunities...

1. Waukee Adopt a Family - Point of Grace is adopting 40 families from the Waukee School District and our congregation, along with friends and families, will be providing what the children in these families need and want this Christmas.

2. Festival of Trees and Lights - This is an annual fundraiser for Blank Children's Hospital. It takes place Sat 11/25 through Sunday 11/29 and they are always in need of volunteers to work 3-4 hour shifts.

3. Gift Wrapping for the Heart Connection - The Heart Connection is an organization that provides support for children with cancer and their families. One of their biggest fundraisers each year is a gift wrapping station at Valley West Mall. They are in need of lots of volunteers who like to wrap gifts!

4. Hope Ministries/Token for the Broken - Donate bus tokens (10 for $15) for those who are in emergency shelters, so that they can get to appointments, jobs, ect.

5. Christmas Gifts for Friendship Center - One Saturday each month, the Friendship Center (located at MLK and Meek) hosts a dinner for families in their area who are in need. In December, along with dinner, parents will be provided with a $20 gift card to Walmart so they can purchase gifts or food for their family.

6. Miracle of the Bell - Find out when and where you can ring the bell for the Salvation Army at http://www.ringbells.org/

7. Waukee Food Pantry - Monday nights from 6p-8p you can help sort food at the Waukee Food Pantry.

8. Deliver Christmas Dinner with Hope Ministries - From 9am-12noon on Christmas Day, volunteers will be delivering hot meals to those who are unable to leave their homes or afford Christmas Dinner.

9. Des Moines Dream Center Food Distribution - Saturday 11/21, 12/5, and 12/19 from 8:30am to 12:30pm, volunteers pack up bags of groceries at Eastwood church and distribute them at Evelyn Davis Park and Bates Park to people who need the assistance.

10. Christmas Party and Cookie Decorating - This is a great opportunity to show your children a special serving opportunity. The residents of Walden Point Assisted Living Center are hosting a cookie decorating party on Sat, Dec 12th at 1:30. Many of the residents don't get to see their own grandchildren very often and they look forward to sharing this special activity with your families.

11. Teen Challenge Wives Weekend - Teen Challenge is a Christ-based program that helps men who have fallen into addiction and lost their way to find hope again and get their lives moving in the right direction. In January they will have a Wives Weekend where they work on restoring their marriages and their families. We will provide each wife with a gift bag full of items such as lotions, soaps, Christian books and music, and more.

12. Christmas Caroling - Sat 12/12 and Sat 12/19 from 4:30p-8:30p, join us as we set out to visit those who are ill or homebound to brighten their day with Christmas Carols and goodie bags filled with Christmas treats.

If you are interested in being a part of any of these opportunities, let me know! I can give you more information or point you in the right direction.

Blessings for a wonderful holiday season! And may each of us never forget what has been given for us during this season when Christ first came.

Lightbulb Moment!

2009-10-22T17:20:00.003-05:00

Our small group is doing a study right now called "Life's Healing Choices" from Pastor Rick Warren. (You know, The Purpose Driven Life guy.) Last night we watched the study video and then we were talking about it when all of a sudden I made a connection I have never made before. The lesson was about letting go of your issues and giving up control to God. He said that the following five things typically stand in the way of giving up control... pride, fear, doubt, guilt, and worry. The more I thought about it, the more I made the connection between those five things and every drama I've ever had in my life. My plan is to write those five words on a card and carrying them in my purse so I can constantly check myself to see which of these is creeping up on me and causing me to react badly to any kind of situation. Ever since last night, I've thought about a long list of arguments with people or stressful times in my life and I can pinpoint every single one of them to one or a combination of pride, fear, doubt, guilt, or worry.

"You're blessed when you're content with just who you are—no more, no less. That's the moment you find yourselves proud owners of everything that can't be bought."

Matthew 5:5 (The Message)

Way better than Coldplay.

2009-10-16T08:57:00.003-05:00

Des Moines Dream Center

2009-10-12T09:05:00.007-05:00

Matt and I helped the Des Moines Dream Center with their food distribution program on Saturday. We have never worked with this organization before but I was VERY impressed. Their volunteers were so nice and made Matt and I feel very welcome. And considering the task of putting together 170 bags of food, they were very organized. The first thing we did was assemble the bags which basically meant putting one brown paper bag inside of another, putting a Dream Center stick on it, and then stacking half of them on one side of the room and half on the other. Then we packed half of them with dry foods and the other half with frozen foods. We had all of the food on tables and then we walked along the tables putting the food in. I only packed the dry foods so I can't tell you for sure what was in the frozen bags. In the dry bags, they received 1 large can of juice, 2 cans of veggies, 2 cans of fruit, 1 bag of rice krispies, 2 small cans of tuna, 1 can of tomato sauce, 1 jar of italian seasoning, and a box of pasta. In the frozen bags they put in a combination of pork patties, scrambled egg squares, cheese, hamburger, sausage, and chicken. I think there might have been some bread too. After we got the bags all packed, we loaded them onto a truck and drove over to Evelyn Davis Park. At the park, those in need would come up to the tent and provide us with information about their family size, names, address, ect, and we would give them food in accordance with their family size. If they had 1-4 people they received one dry bag and one frozen bag. If they had 5+ members in their household they received 2 dry bags and 2 frozen bags. Many people are regulars at this distribution and their information is already compiled so we just checked them off. The Dream Center does food distribution like this twice per month. They mail flyers to everyone who uses their services to let them know what dates and times they will be at the park. My job was to greet people and either check them off the list or help them fill out the correct form. I had so much fun! Every person I met was so friendly. They were funny and sweet and very grateful for the help. It was a wonderful experience and I look forward to my next visit with the Dream Center.

PEACE, LOVE, CURE

2009-10-06T17:32:00.002-05:00

Our Race for the Cure team is called "Peace Love Cure" this year. We have a team of over 20 people, but the really cool thing about our team is that we designed these t-shirts from Smash and we've almost sold 100! The t-shirts are $20 each and each purchase includes a $10 donation for breast cancer research via Susan G Komen for the Cure. Do the math people... we've almost raised an extra $1000 through these t-shirt sales! That's so cool. If you want to order one, let me know. Tomorrow is our last day for placing orders!

"Contemplation"

2009-10-02T15:27:00.004-05:00

Twenty-five years ago, my friend Richard Exley read me some words I've never forgotten.

Here they are:

If I had my life to live over, I’d try to make more mistakes next time. I would relax. I would limber up. I would be sillier than I have been on this trip. I would be crazier. I would be less hygienic. I would take more chances. I would take more trips. I would climb more mountains, swim more rivers, watch more sunsets.

I would eat more ice cream and less beans.

I would have more real troubles and fewer imaginary ones. You see, I am one of these people who lives prophylactically and sensibly and sanely, hour after hour, day after day.

Oh, I have had my moments and, if I had it to do over again, I’d have more of them. In fact, I’d try to have nothing else - just moments, one after another, instead of living so many years ahead each day.

I have been one of those people who never goes anywhere without a thermometer, a hot water bottle, a gargle, a raincoat and a parachute.

If I had it to do over again, I would go and do and travel lighter.

If I had my life to live over, I would start barefooted earlier in the spring and stay that way until later in the fall. I would play hooky more. I would ride on more merry-go-rounds.

I’d pick more daisies.

(These words have been attributed to Nadine Stair, Don Herold, an unnamed monk and countless other authors. The only person that I’m sure didn’t write them is me. - RHW)

Richard's reading of those words still echoes in my mind. I can hear his unique inflection on every syllable.

I was twenty-four when he read to me. We were sitting in his office, working on an ad campaign. On Saturday I'll be fifty.

I consider those words to be some of the most wondrous I was ever given.

And now I've given them to you.

Roy H. Williams (Wizard of Ads)
From the Monday Morning Memo - March 24, 2008

Created Not To be Broken

2009-09-28T17:24:00.006-05:00

Last Saturday, I went with a group of 15 other people from my church to do a service and mission project for Hope Ministries. Hope Ministries is an organization in Des Moines that serves homeless men, women, and children through a variety of programs. They offer shelter and recovery programs that are all Christ based. They also run the Hope Bargain Center which takes donations similar to a Goodwill and either sells, recycles, or gives away items to those in need. Our group worked for two hours at the Bargain Center on Saturday, then we ate lunch with the community at Hope Cafe, and then we took supplies to homeless tent camps along the river. It was an eye opening and heart breaking experience. People who live in the tent camps usually choose to do so because they are struggling with alcohol or drug addiction. They have shelter available to them, but they don't want to have to follow rules or give up their addiction. You can see the sadness and hopelessness on their faces and you want so badly to shake them and tell them that there's a better way. Instead we brought new socks and underwear, beef stew, sandwiches, bottled water, and cookies we baked and we sat down and talked with them for a little while. They are used to having people come visit them on Saturdays so they were open to us being there and they were pretty friendly. A few of them wouldn't come out of their tents, but they allowed us to leave supplies for them and pray over their tent and camp.

It was a great experience and it really made me want to do more to support Hope Ministries and all that God is doing through this wonderful organization! More than that though it made me so thankful that I understand that all things are possible through Christ and nothing is too hard to overcome through Him. It breaks my heart to see people struggling through life when they don't have to. According to the book of Ephesians, "even before God made the world He loved us and chose us to be Holy in Christ and without fault in His eyes." God didn't create anyone to be miserable and broken, he's given us a way to be complete and perfect in his eyes and all we have to do is accept the free gift of salvation that Jesus offers us. If we can humble ourselves before the Lord and confess that we mess up and we need help, the Holy Spirit is available to us and Jesus is there for us. I saw my father struggle through alcohol addiction and I saw the shame and hurt that he felt and even thinking about it now makes my heart hurt. He wrote a letter before he passed away detailing the things that he was most proud of in his life. Events or accomplishments that to him showed he was worthy of having lived. I wish I could have told him that even if he'd never accomplished any of those things, God found him worthy and there was nothing he could do to earn God's love. It's a free gift. No matter how much we believe or don't believe in God, God believes in us. My dad and I didn't have many heart to heart conversations, but I wish I would have told him about God's love for him because maybe it would have made a difference. That experience and that memory is one of the things that really makes me want to help people and really makes me want to share the message of Christ. I don't want to see people hurting and I don't want them to miss out on the greatest relationship of all time... a relationship with the creator of the universe who says he chose you before he even created the world. Wow, that's powerful.

Your Life Changes the Moment You Decide It.

2009-09-22T17:15:00.003-05:00

I watched a Tony Robbins web video a few weeks ago. He said "Your life changes the moment you decide it." So true.

Stop and Think

2009-09-17T10:24:00.002-05:00

Jolynn's Birthday Photo

2009-09-02T08:34:00.001-05:00

We celebrated Jolynn's golden birthday over the weekend. She turned 27 on the 27th!

You Are the Best Thing

2009-08-31T11:37:00.004-05:00

I discovered this song around July 4th. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Ray LaMontagne's voice. I would love to see this guy in concert. Thanks to Wikipedia, here's the story on this guy. He's 36 years old and he lives in Maine with his wife and his two kids. One day he heard a Stephen Stills' song "Hilltop Flyer" on the radio. He bought the album and decided he wanted to be a singer-songwriter. He quit his job at a shoe factory and in 1999 went on tour, keeping a side job as a carpenter. Now he has three albums. He has such a classic kind of voice. I think I might have to download some more of his music on iTunes. So far I only have this one, but everything I've heard him sing is great. So my tip for the day, download some Ray LaMontagne, sit back with a glass of wine, take it easy, and soak in the relaxing, mellowness of it all.

A Little Pain Makes a Big Difference

2009-08-28T14:36:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was a big day! I conquered my fear of needles and blood. I decided to VOLUNTEER to get poked with a big needle and give blood at the Red Cross Blood Drive at my church. Unless you're deathly afraid of blood and needles, donating blood is a pretty simple way to give back to the world. It only takes 10 minutes to pump out the blood and within 20-30 minutes you could be in and out and on with your day. If you're afraid of needles and blood and pain, like I am, then donating blood is a bit more of a big deal. I really had to psych myself up for this one. I knew I was going to volunteer about a week ago. So every day I pictured myself walking in and laying down and giving the blood like it was no big deal. I think my strategy worked! When I walked in yesterday I was a little nervous, but not too bad. The lady who helped me, Tammy, was the NICEST woman in the world. She knew it was my first time, so I think she was extra careful with me. There was also another very nice volunteer named Joleen who stayed with me the whole time and they both talked to me while I donated. I told Tammy that I didn't want to see the needle or the blood and I did NOT want her to tell me what she was doing or when she was going to poke me. I will say that it really hurt when she stuck me, but it didn't last long. And I didn't cry and I didn't even wince. She had to remind me to keep breathing, but other than that I was a pro. She said she wouldn't have known it was my first time if I hadn't told her. (I think she was just being kind.) All in all, I would say it was a successful experience and I would do it again. I won't be a regular, every 8 week kind of donor, but I would donate again sometime. It was very rewarding to know that just for enduring a little anxiety and a little pinch of pain, I helped save three lives!

2009-08-25T17:01:00.001-05:00

Make it so today is not like yesterday and tomorrow will be different forever.

- Tony Robbins

I HEART JOURNEY!

2009-08-24T08:44:00.002-05:00

Matt and I went to the Heart/Journey concert last night at the fair. We had the best time! It was my first time seeing Heart in concert. They were awesome! The lead singer might be the greatest singer I've ever heard. She was belting the songs out! It was my 3rd time seeing Journey and they never disappoint. My favorite part was towards the end when they sang "Faithfully" and "Don't Stop Believin'" back to back. I would say 99% of the crowd was singing as loud as they could. I know I was:)

It was the official end to the 2009 Iowa State Fair. I have to say, it was my favorite ending ever. Let's see if they can top it next year.

Speaking Louder than Before

2009-08-14T15:34:00.002-05:00

I got to see Jeremy Camp LIVE at the Iowa State Fair last night and it was all that and MORE! I've been a fan for quite awhile and have a lot of his music on iPod, so I was really looking forward to the concert. He did not disappoint! He shared a lot of his personal story and testimony throughout the concert. It was really cool to hear where he was coming from when he wrote his songs. It gave me a new perspective on some of them. My favorite song that he sang last night was "Speaking Louder than Before".

Here are some of the lyrics that really speak to me...

We are the hope that's been forgotten
We have the love that will be brought and
We are speaking louder than before

Take every chance that you can
Move together taking a stand
Never losing heart, we'll speak as one

We need to be the image of Christ
Show love and serve at all times
We can make a difference in these lands

This song gives me a lot of inspiration. I'm working really hard to find as many opportunities as I can for our small groups at Point of Grace to get out into the community and show people what following Jesus is all about. It's not just about going to church on Sunday, it's about showing people who are hungry, who are lonely, who are struggling with addictions or depression, who feel like something is missing in their life that we care and that more importantly God cares. He cares so much that He sent His one and only Son to pay the penalty for our screw ups and through faith in Jesus Christ we are able to live our lives with the hope and love that only Jesus can provide. For me it's not about preaching or trying to save people, it's about showing another person that I hear their struggles and I see their needs and I'm here to help them. I truly think that if we each dug down deep and looked around, we could find someone who needs us and make a difference in their life. In South Africa, I experienced unbelievable joy from helping others. It's that joy that has lit this fire in me and I so want to see everyone I know experience the same joy in their lives. God can do and will do, amazing things through us.

Love this song. Love the Muppets.

2009-08-10T09:39:00.002-05:00

I love Elton John's music and I'd love to see him in concert sometime. But something tells me that seeing him now and having seen him back in the days of this video would be two totally different experiences. I would love to see a concert like the one in this video where completely unexpected things happen with crazy costumes and crazy characters. And just as a side note, I really miss the muppets.

Meeting Rockstars

2009-08-09T14:26:00.002-05:00

Ed Rolland from Collective Soul is an amazing musician and he seems like a really great guy. We got to see him perform live accoustically at Flemings Steakhouse over the lunch hour a few weeks ago. The radio station I used to work for was hosting a special event and they invited us to come. Gotta love the perks of working in the entertainment business:)

We got to meet Gavin Degraw that same day. He was sooooo great! I have loved Gavin Degraw for a long time so it was cool to finally see him live and get a chance to meet him.

Top Ten: Iowa State Fair

2009-08-08T11:06:00.003-05:00

The Iowa State Fair starts this Thursday! Here's the top ten things I'm most excited about seeing/doing/eating...

1. Definitely gotta have a corndog.
2. Homemade, freshly shaken lemonade (to wash down the corndog)
3. Jeremy Camp concert
4. Matt Nathanson on the free stage
5. Journey/Heart concert
6. The butter cow
7. Seeing the GIANT vegetables that win blue ribbons
8. The BIGGEST bull and the HUGEST hog (I know technically that's two)
9. People watching
10. Seeing almost everyone I know on the First Friday

Greatest Movie Scene of ALL TIME

2009-08-07T10:55:00.001-05:00

Sixteen Candles - Final Scene - Movie Ending - Click here for another funny movie.

I found this March 20th last year...

2009-08-03T08:40:00.005-05:00

THE SPECTRUM
Dean Ornish M.D.
What Matters Most?
That simple question can play a powerful role in healing our lives.
Feb 27, 2008 | Updated: 6:25 p.m. ET Feb 27, 2008

An Exerpt from the article in Newsweek…

What matters most is love. And the things that matter are very simple—they're very old—and they're very, very important. These things that can't be measured are the foundation of our lives. There is meaning in everything we do. Most of us live far more meaningful lives than we know.

How so?

Recognizing that we are all connected and, because of that, we have the power to make a real difference in the life of a total stranger without even knowing their name. We often feel powerless in today's society--that you have to be wealthy, or educated or somehow more than you are in order to make any kind of significant difference in the world. And the reality is that we've already made a far greater difference than we know, we have changed the lives of many more people than we realize because there is a web of connection between us.

We have a culture that values celebrity over compassion; that values notoriety over caring. What can we learn from all of this? The entire advertising industry is based on the idea that if only you buy more, get more, do more—then you'll be happy.

Well, it's never enough because it will never fill the emptiness that only a sense of meaning can satisfy. At the end of life, when people look back to see what mattered for them and brought meaning, it's not about what they bought and what they owned. It's about what they did to help other people to live and how they related to other people and grew in wisdom. It's all about the love they gave and received, not anything else. One heart at a time.

Here's a link to the full article: http://www.newsweek.com/id/116684

**********************************************************
I don't remember finding this article, but I was checking an old email address today and I found that I had emailed it to myself with the subject line "blogworthy". How weird that I saved it and how weird that it directly applies to something I've been struggling with lately. I'm not sure why, but I've been feeling like I'm working and working and doing more and more, but I'm not making a difference anywhere. This article was just the reassurance that I need to remember that only God can see the whole picture of how we're all connected. My only job is to keep working to serve others and God will take care of making sure He uses me to make a difference "one heart at a time".

A Few Fun Pictures from the Family Reunion

2009-08-03T08:25:00.001-05:00

I Am Second

2009-07-20T18:05:00.003-05:00

I was watching a video on IAmSecond.com and at the end of his testimony, this guy said something about what Jesus means to him. I started thinking, "What does Jesus mean to me?" I haven't planned out this post. I'm writing as it comes to me and I'm searching my heart to see what Jesus really means to me. I hope you'll be encouraged to think about what Jesus really means to you.

Jesus is God's one and only Son. He is God born in human form to save mankind. He was born to the Virgin Mary and lived the perfect life. He travelled around with his disciples and performed miracle after miracle. He was the King foretold in the Old Testament, but he was so radically different from any human who ever walked the earth and so different from the king that everyone was expecting, that almost everyone questioned whether or not he was the Messiah. His teachings were those of love and forgiveness. He befriended those who society cast aside and threw out the rules of old and taught that the most important rules in life were to "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself". He did miracles showing time and time again that he was God. He was ultimately brutally killed for claiming to be Lord, but no guards, no tomb, no stone could keep him from being resurrected. Jesus is Lord. Jesus is savior of my soul. He's the reason that I know I'm going to be in Heaven with God when I die. He was perfect, but he took on all the sin of the world and paid the penalty for every bad thing I've ever done and every wrong choice I'll ever make. He knows all the answers. No athlete, no celebrity, nobody who's ever lived or will ever live will be a better role model. He gave all he had for others, including giving his life. He loves with grace and truth, but just the right amount of both. He loves the unlovable. His love has changed the world. His love is still alive today in my heart and in the heart of every Christian. He is the living God. What Jesus means to me is love. He means that I don't have to be perfect, he loves me anyway. He means that I can love other people with all my heart because I am overflowing with His love. He means that I can love people I don't even know because He has given me enough. There is nothing that can't be done through faith in Jesus Christ. Jesus is first, I am Second. That's what Jesus means to me.

Somebody's Gotta Be the One to Step UP

2009-06-15T17:02:00.001-05:00

My New Challenge

2009-06-10T08:22:00.003-05:00

Last fall I started leading a small group bible study at my house. Our group has grown bigger and bigger since we started and we've moved from strangers who meet every Wednesday to watch a video and discuss Jesus to a group of friends who support each other and look forward to learning more and reaching out. Yesterday I was meeting with Wade, our pastor of small groups, and he offered me a new challenge. I will now be on the Small Group Leadership Team and my role will be to find service project opportunities in the community for our small groups to get connected with. It's a toss up whether I'm more excited to get out there and meet with non-profits and see what needs to be done or meeting with the group leaders and getting them to bond with their groups by going out and impacting the community. It all sounds like the perfect job to me! I'm so honored that God has given me this opportunity and I will pray and pray like crazy that through these small group service projects lives will be touched and changed. If anyone reading this knows of an organization or person that could use our help, please let me know!

Song of the Day: Jeremy Camp, "Take a Little Time"

Brad Paisley: Then

2009-06-04T09:34:00.001-05:00

This is one of the sweetest songs I've ever heard. Enjoy!

Addison Road: This Could Be Our Day

2009-06-01T15:33:00.001-05:00

I've lost my blogging spark!

2009-05-28T15:51:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure if it's time spent on Facebook or a lack of interesting things to say, but blogging has not been a high priority lately. OK, I think it's mainly a lack of interesting things to say. Clearly I've temporarily lost my zest for deep thought and life changing "aha" moments. I can't say that I've got anything dramatic to say today, but I did have the urge to blog, so instead I'd like to share a couple of new (new to me) artists I've been listening to. I definitely recommend checking these out on iTunes.

Matt White Band
Matt White has his own solo album out and it's great, but then I discovered the The Matt White Band. Excellent stuff. Definitely download "Make me Happy".

Meredith Andrews
First I bought the song "Lift up your Head" and I listened to it a hundred times on my iPod. Then I decided to download the whole album and I love every song! "You're not alone" and "You invite me in" are my other two faves.

Veritas Magazine - Brainstorming - In Search of Chivalry: Gone are the Days of King Arthur and Princesses to Rescue

2009-05-28T15:47:00.002-05:00

If you're a woman who's ever dreamed of having a chivalrous man in your life, read this article. It gives such great reasons why chivalry is great for not only the woman, but the man too. I'm all about backing up my requests with facts and benefits:)

Enjoy!

Veritas Magazine - Brainstorming - In Search of Chivalry: Gone are the Days of King Arthur and Princesses to Rescue

Shared via AddThis

No news, no worry

2009-04-30T16:59:00.004-05:00

If you didn't watch the news, read the newspaper, see the news on the internet, or turn on the radio would you have any clue about the recession, the failing bank and auto business, or the swine flu? I don't think I would. I keep finding myself panicking a little, but then I remind myself there's really nothing to panic over. If I wasn't constantly hearing about the horrible "threats" of what might happen should any of these things get out of control, I wouldn't have a clue they even existed. My bank is still in business and my money is still there. My commissions have taken a bit of a hit this year due to the auto business, so even without the news I might have figured that one out. Other than a bit of a headache and a stuffy nose the past few weeks, I feel perfectly healthy. Every year around this time I usually get a mild cold. But if my chance I did get the flu, I'd probably just think it was flu season and move on with my life. I understand that in Mexico this flu has been deadly and that is worrisome. But so far in the US it hasn't been deadly and I think the panic it's causing is almost worse than the actual illness. The panic is certainly affecting a greater number of people than the virus so far.

When I was in South Africa I had very little access to the news and I must admit that it really took my anxiety level down a notch. The world kept turning and whatever was happening in the world didn't change my reality a bit. I think we should all take a break from the doom and gloom of the news and remind ourselves that worrying changes nothing. Regardless of what it says on TV, my life is still rolling along just as it was yesterday. I'll deal with whatever happens tomorrow when it happens.

Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life ?Matthew 6:26-28

I am definitely an Idealist.

2009-03-27T16:32:00.004-05:00

The Idealist core needs include identity, self-actualization, meaningfulness, and significance. Idealists look to the future, focusing on what might be. They engage in activities because they are meaningful rather than because they are routine, mandatory, efficient, or entertaining. They search for identity and meaning in life. They want to experience life but want the experiences to have meaning beyond the mere event. They tend to romanticize their experiences, their lives, and the lives of others. They want to know how the world works in personal, spiritual terms. They seek to grow and reach their own potential. Living a life of significant and making a difference in the world is the way Idealists achieve their unique identity. Idealists want their significance appreciated or at least recognized. Integrity is important to the Idealist. They focus on human potential, ethics, culture, quality of life and personal growth. At their best they are empathic, caring, warm, and seek harmony. Idealists are supporters for the people and ideas they care about. They are extremely insightful into others, having an ability to reflect and anticipate unspoken issues and intentions of others. They are good at seeing the possibilities in others and helping them draw out their potential. They are effective communicators and inspire others, sharing in participatory leadership and empowering and facilitating growth in those whom they work with. Idealists strive to unify by understanding and resolving deeper issues. They are naturals at building bridges between people and can see how two different views are alike. They often communicate with symbols and metaphors. Idealists are seen as creative because they like to express their unique identity. They tend to take criticism very personally.
Idealists do best in environments that convey positive regard, recognize their uniqueness, and provide validation, interaction, receptivity, and support. A confrontive, argumentative or competitive atmosphere offends them. Idealists operate out of their values and intuitive perceptions and can be surprised when others lack awareness of the deep issues below the surface. Because they need work that matters to them and to others, the Idealist might have difficulty placing limits on the amount of time and energy they devotes to work. This type works toward a vision of perfection. And once the vision and work is completed, it sometimes just doesn’t seem to live up to expectations.

http://www.wnc.edu/studentservices/counseling/styles_types/43_idealists.html

I'm Not Participating.

2009-03-16T10:25:00.002-05:00

I'm loaded.
It's official.
I'm the 51,263,593 richest person on earth!

How rich are you? >>

Yesterday in church I got an awakening that I've been needing to have for awhile. I'm rich. Ridiculously rich. And so are you. In fact I doubt I know a single person who is not within the top 5% of the richest people in the world. Is it bad to be rich? It is if you never think you have enough. If all your life your only motivation is to get more and more. If you're hoarding all you have and not being a blessing to those in need. Or if you're replacing God with money by trusting in your money more than God who has given you every drop of what you have. Being rich is not a sin. It's not a bad thing at all. It's a gift and a blessing if you stop to actually be thankful and realize that you're rich. I'm so embarrassed that I've been crying and moaning over all the commission I've lost this year. Even with the loss, I'm still within the top 1% of the richest people in the world. So there is no need for crying or stress or worry. I'm no longer participating in this so-called recession, or the fear, or the crazy save-save-save/keep-keep-keep mentality. So far this year I have learned more responsible spending and saving. I have learned that there are luxuries that I don't need. And I'm very thankful for those lessons. But because I'm already rich and have far more than I need, I'm going to be looking for every way that I can to be a blessing to others. I don't have to worry whether I have enough food to eat or clothes to wear or a place to live. Those are issues that millions of people in the world face everyday. I have a job. I have wonderful friends and family. I really have it made. When I wake up in the morning from now on, I'll wake up realizing that I'm so rich. I can't wait to find ways to bless others. And what a different perspective it gives me. Thanks be to God who has so overwhelmingly provided.

***
As for the rich in this present age, charge them not to be haughty, nor to set their hopes on the uncertainty of riches, but on God, who richly provides us with everything to enjoy. They are to do good, to be rich in good works, to be generous and ready to share, thus storing up treasure for themselves as a good foundation for the future, so that they may take hold of that which is truly life.
—1 Timothy 6:17-19

Happy Birthday James!

2009-03-09T10:18:00.003-05:00

It was James's birthday a couple of weeks ago and we celebrated with a party at Jolynn and Mark's house. James started walking a week or so before his birthday; the party was a great opportunity for him to show off his new skills! It was a lot of fun watching him open all of his gifts and it was fun to see family that I don't get to see often. I can't wait to see how he grows this year and how different he will be at his next birthday party!

Rise...

2009-03-03T08:33:00.002-06:00

It's tough being in sales right now. It's really tough when 75% of your business comes from automotive clients. I keep getting knocked down lately and so far I've done a pretty good job of getting back up to keep trying and keep moving forward. Yesterday I got another cancellation and it really discouraged me. This morning on the way to work this song came up on my iPod and reminded me that "the call is to give all you are, to give love away". The call isn't to make money, to get stuff, to worry, to be fearful. The call is to give love away, to give all you are no matter what your circumstances. I guess that means I need to suck it up yet again and keep moving forward because I know there are a lot of people out there who are in much worse situations and they need people to reach out and help them, people willing "to give love away".

Love this song...

2009-02-20T14:50:00.000-06:00

Something interesting...

2009-02-16T09:25:00.003-06:00

I learned something this morning and if you really think about it, it's a little disturbing.

Our bodies contain approximately 100 million sensory receptors that allow us to see, hear, taste, touch and smell physical reality. But the brain contains 10 thousand billion synapses. This means we’re roughly 100,000 times better equipped to experience a world that does not exist, than a world that does.

Bon Jovi: Livin' on a Prayer

2009-02-05T08:10:00.001-06:00

Today's Song of the Day...

There's nothing like a good 80's song to get you going in the morning. Plus, I'm pretty sure a lot of us are livin' on a prayer these days:)

Lincoln Brewster: Today is the Day

2009-02-04T08:30:00.000-06:00

Today's song of the day...

2009-02-03T10:11:00.002-06:00

In London, T Mobile staged two hundred dancers to "randomly" start dancing in the train station. The marketing ploy was that bystanders took out their cell phones and started getting it on video. Take away the fact that it was marketing. How cool would it have been if you were in the train station that day? I don't know about anyone else, but I am aching to have an extraordinary moment. Things seem so mundane right now. Every day is work, workout, eat healthy, more cold weather, get some sleep, start over. I feel like a hostage in my own life. Being practical and responsible, it's my duty to keep my job and pay my bills and be healthy. But lately I have this nagging desire to just let it all go, pack my suitcase, and use my new passport to go somewhere beautiful, exotic, exciting. Along the way I'll eat whatever I want and my only forms of exercise will be trekking through the mountains, swimming in the ocean, and doing yoga on the beach. I'll leave all my dress clothes behind and stick with sweatsuits, jeans, flip flops, tank tops, and summer dresses. I won't care if I don't have any money. I'll get by waiting tables here and there, being a part time nanny, cleaning, whatever. I won't bring my watch. I loathe my watch. I'll wake up when the sun hits my face. I'll eat breakfast and drink coffee watching nature and praying, thanking God for my freedom. I won't read the newspaper or the internet. I'll go where I feel led and I'll greet everyone with a friendly smile and a curiosity as to why God may have brought us together. I'll find ways to make a difference.

Oh can't you just imagine...

Matthew West: History

2009-02-03T08:45:00.000-06:00

Song of the Day...

From the Wizard of Ads Monday Morning Memo...

2009-01-19T08:50:00.002-06:00

"All men dream, but not equally. Those who dream by night in the dusty recesses of their minds wake in the day to find that it was vanity: but the dreamers of the day are dangerous men, for they may act their dream with open eyes, to make it possible." – T. E. Lawrence (of Arabia)

Hunker down or dream. It's your call.

The 7 Steps to Hunkering Down:
1. Stay scared. Call it "street smart."
2. Cultivate cynicism. Call it "straight talk."
3. Praise pessimism. Call it a "reality check."
4. Believe you are wiser than everyone else.
5. Feel secretly superior.
6. Take no action that might improve your condition.
7. Crow "I told you so" when things get worse.

The 7 Steps to Pursuing Your Dream:
1. Know what you're trying to make happen.
2. Expect good things to happen for you.
3. Plant seeds of good things daily.
4. Trust that some of your seeds will grow.
5. Measure success by your own criteria.
6. Make progress daily without fail.
7. Believe in the power of the Elbs. (Exponential Little Bits)

A Whole Year in Forty Seconds...

2009-01-15T10:27:00.000-06:00

One year in 40 seconds from Eirik Solheim on Vimeo.

A good reminder that these FREEZING temps and snowy days won't last forever...

Song of the Day

2009-01-14T09:11:00.004-06:00

Robbie Seay Band
"Love Wins"

Leave Your Regrets Behind

2008-12-31T08:33:00.000-06:00

Regrets from Igniter Media on Vimeo.

A Lesson Learned

2008-12-30T11:00:00.004-06:00

“Anyone who seeks his own happiness will not find it. But those who seek the happiness of others will find happiness in all they do.”

–a transliteration of the words of Jesus from Mathew 16

2008 is coming to a close and a brand new year will be unveiled tomorrow night at midnight. As I was thinking about 2008 something stuck out to me. Every day this year, the news was filled to the brim with stories of ecomomic uncertainty, concerns about the election, war, and violence around the world. And I admit that at times I was nervous and even anxious about some of it. But amidst all of that, my life went on and even thrived. I think it has a lot to do with the fact that I finally understood what Jesus was saying in the quote above from Matthew 16.

I was able to recover from divorce and my dad's death. And even better than just recovering, I learned great lessons from both events. I was blessed to meet Matt and our relationship has grown into something so much better than I could have ever imagined. It has benefited greatly from the lessons I learned over the past year. The number one lesson being that our relationship is not filling a hole in my life. I finally understand that it's no one's job to make me happy. (That sounds horrible, doesn't it??) I think our relationship is a gift of every day love and friendship.

In 2008, for the first time (that I can remember) I truly listened when God called on me. My trip to South Africa was the most amazing experience I've ever had and it showed me the truth in Jesus' quote above... "Anyone who seeks his OWN happiness will not find it. But those who seek the happiness of OTHERS will find happiness in ALL they do." The feelings I got from serving others on that trip have inspired me to keep finding ways to make other people happy. The greatest lesson I've learned this year is that when I start to feel overwhelmed, exhausted, nervous, or fearful it's because I'm spending too much time thinking about myself and my circumstances. It's only when I look outward and start thinking of others and what I can do for them that all of those negative emotions melt away.

I'm so looking forward to 2009 and what it will bring. I wish everyone a wonderful and prosperous New Year!

So Bored...

2008-12-26T14:43:00.003-06:00

It's the day after Christmas and I'm stuck working... by myself. Our whole department closed today and everyone had to take a vacation day (no freebies around here). Unfortunately, I have zero vacation days left because of my South Africa trip, so I'm here working all alone. I've discovered that working alone is not something I would ever care to do permanently. It's super boring and way too quiet. The lights aren't even on. I'm sitting here at my desk in the dark with just my desk lamp on. I'm thinking about maybe blaring some music just to liven the place up a bit. It's not like it would be bothering anyone:)

Looking forward to five o'clock...

I Elfed Us!

2008-12-23T13:24:00.001-06:00

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Good advice...

2008-12-15T11:08:00.000-06:00

Time Tested Beauty Tips
For attractive lips, speak words of kindness.
For lovely eyes, seek out the good in people.
For a slim figure, share your food with the hungry.
For beautiful hair, let a child run his fingers through it once a day.
For poise, walk with the knowledge that you'll never walk alone.
We leave you a tradition with a future.
The tender loving care of human beings will never become obsolete.
People, even more than things, have to be restored, renewed, revived, reclaimed and redeemed.
Never throw anybody out.
Remember, if you ever need a helping hand, you'll find one at the end of your arm.
As you grow older, you will discover that you have two hands, one for helping yourself, the other for helping others.
Your 'good-ole-days' are ahead of you.
May you have many of them.

Written by Sam Levinson

South Africa Slide Show

2008-12-15T10:10:00.003-06:00

Bart Weller, who was also on our SA trip, made this slideshow and posted it on You Tube. I can't even explain what unbelievable timing he had in sharing it. I've really been struggling to remember all the lessons I learned, all the feelings I had, and all the love I felt on this trip. Seeing these photos and hearing the songs took me right back there and it all came flooding back. What an amazing experience we had! I'm so thankful for every second of it. The number one thing I took away from this trip is that God loves each and every one of us more than we could ever hope to understand and we're so lucky because he uses ordinary people to spread His love around the world... and I got to be one of them.

This always makes me laugh...

2008-12-09T16:38:00.000-06:00

The Bridge

2008-12-04T09:26:00.003-06:00

There's a lot to celebrate at Christmas. Watch this video.

Top 10 Things I Am Thankful For

2008-11-26T16:32:00.003-06:00

Since it's Thanksgiving tomorrow, now seems like a great time to think about what I'm most thanksful for this year. Here's the top 10, but not necessarily in this order...

10. For the joy that has come through healing a broken heart.
9. For Matt.
8. For all of my friends.
7. For all the laughter and fun times I've shared with my friends.
6. For good health, a safe place to live, food to eat, and clothes to wear.
5. For my YMCA small group who I've learned so much from this year.
4. For my job.
3. For the opportunity to experience South Africa. (I could write a top 10 ten list just about SA)
2. For my family.
1. For who God is and what he's done in and through my life.

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!!!

Baby Mya!!

2008-11-26T16:19:00.002-06:00

Matt's niece, Mya, was born on Tuesday, November 25th at 8:59pm. She weighs 8.15 oz and is 20.5 inches. She has A TON of black hair and dark brown eyes. She's adorable! Matt is very excited to be an uncle and just entering into "aunthood" myself this year, I would agree that having a new little one in the family is a lot of fun!

Hope Exists

2008-11-24T08:51:00.004-06:00

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

- Jeremiah 29:11

It's tough out there lately and it sounds like all the predictions say it could get a bit worse before it gets better. I have to admit that I thought I was recession proof for awhile there. But it's official, I'm just like everyone else. My biggest account placed their 2009 advertising last week and they are down almost 50%. Without going into the nitty gritty details, I lost thousands and thousands of dollars in commission on just that one piece of business. Although the shock of it was brutal, the panic I got from thinking about the potential cancellations from the rest of my clients really got me going last week. The more I thought about it though, the more I calmed down. My faith came through reminding me that God will never leave me or forsake me and that He's God in both good times and in bad. There are lessons in financial responsibility to be learned here and I plan to take full advantage of being forced into learning to get by on less and being much less frivolous. We're all in the same boat here and together we'll get through this stormy weather and move on to calmer waters. My hope is that we'll all help each other through whatever comes our way. I love the verse from Jeremiah that says "For I know the plans I have for you. Plans to prosper you and not to harm you. Plans to give you hope and a future." It's a reminder that God isn't trying to punish us or make us suffer. He has great plans for us and wants nothing but the best. Times may be tough, but God will be with us through it all and those who trust in Him will find comfort in knowing that we're not alone. Hope does exist.

Pictures from the weekend

2008-11-23T14:36:00.002-06:00

Kyra's sister, Heidi, was in town from Georgia this weekend. A bunch of us girls went to Bonefish for appetizers and martinis to celebrate her visit to Des Moines. Afterwards, we went to Cabaret West Glen and Tonic. Matt met up with us for a few drinks. I was very impressed that he was able to hold his own at a table full of girl talk:)

The Mousetrap

2008-11-21T15:14:00.003-06:00

This was a forward I got this afternoon. I thought it was so cool, I wanted to post it for everyone...

A mouse looked through the crack in the wall to see the farmer and his wife open a package. What food might this contain?' the mouse wondered - - -he was devastated to discover it was a mousetrap. Retreating to the farmyard, the mouse proclaimed the warning : There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!' The chicken clucked and scratched, raised her head and said, 'Mr.Mouse, I can tell this is a grave concern to you, but it is of no consequence to me. I cannot be bothered by it.'

The mouse turned to the pig and told him, 'There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!' The pig sympathized, but said, 'I am so very sorry, Mr. Mouse, but there is nothing I can do about it but pray. Be assured you are in my prayers.'

The mouse turned to the cow and said, 'There is a mousetrap in the house! There is a mousetrap in the house!' The cow said, 'Wow, Mr. Mouse. I'm sorry for you, but it's no skin off my nose.' So, the mouse returned to the house, head down and dejected, to face the farmer's mousetrap . . . alone.

That very night a sound was heard throughout the house -- like the sound of a mousetrap catching its prey. The farmer's wife rushed to see what was caught. In the darkness, she did not see it was a venomous snake whose tail the trap had caught. The snake bit the farmer's wife. The farmer rushed her to the hospital, and she returned home with a fever. Everyone knows you treat a fever with fresh chicken soup, so the farmer took his hatchet to the farmyard for the soup's main ingredient. But his wife's sickness continued, so friends and neighbors came to sit with her around the clock. To feed them, the farmer butchered the pig. The farmer's wife did not get well; she died. So many people came for her funeral, the farmer had the cow slaughtered to provide enough meat for all of them. The mouse looked upon it all from his crack in the wall with great sadness. So, the next time you hear someone is facing a problem and think it doesn't concern you, remember ----when one of us is threatened, we are all at risk. We are all involved in this journey called life. We must keep an eye out for one another and make an extra effort to encourage one another.

REMEMBER. . . EACH OF US IS A VITAL THREAD IN ANOTHER PERSON'S TAPESTRY; OUR LIVES ARE WOVEN TOGETHER FOR A REASON.

Oh he's just so cute!

2008-11-17T20:01:00.002-06:00

Here are some photos of JR and Matt from last Friday night. JR is almost 9 months old in these photos. He's getting so big! He kind of scoots/crawls and he was waving the other night. It was adorable! He babbles, but I haven't heard any clear words yet. According to Jolynn, he has quite a loud voice and he likes to hear himself be noisy. Having little JR in our family is such a blessing... I just love him like crazy!

Who Needs Pockets?

2008-11-17T14:31:00.000-06:00

This is TOO cute!!!

Here's what's new...

2008-11-17T13:26:00.005-06:00

It's been awhile since I posted anything, so here's what's going on these days...

I hung out with my family, Matt, and JR last Friday night. Wow, he's getting big! (JR, not Matt.) Guess that's what happens, right? He's almost 9 months now!

Saturday night I celebrated Amanda's and Jill's birthdays at Ohana's. Yum! It's our tradition to do birthdays at Ohana's and it might be my most favorite tradition of all time. At one exciting point in the evening the chef let me stand behind the grill and try to crack an egg by tossing it in the air and breaking it on the side of the spatula. I need a bit more practice to master that one:) It's definitely harder than it looks.

I've been on a roll at work lately, which has been awesome. I've been calling on lots of new business to try to offset the business that's down for 2009. Just trying to keep the dream alive. (It's a full time job, you know.)

I'm working on finding some service projects that I can jump into. It's not too tough at this time of year because there are so many opportunities to serve around the holidays. I haven't nailed down exactly what I'm going to do yet, but my goal is to do that before next Monday.

I guess that's about all I've got going on for now. I'll keep you posted!

Happy Holidays... It's never too early to say that, right?!

"My Wish"

2008-11-09T00:19:00.003-06:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Looking Back to Look Forward

2008-11-08T21:22:00.004-06:00

It's been a really special night. Brian and Lois Niehoff are back in the States from South Africa visiting for the next couple of months. This weekend they are speaking at all three church services at Point of Grace and tonight we got to have a dinner with them. Everyone from our church who has travelled to South Africa got together for the dinner and it was a lot of fun catching up with everyone on my team, hearing stories of other teams, and spending time with Brian and Lois. It was almost surreal seeing them walk into church tonight because when I left South Africa I left with a sadness in my heart knowing that I might never get to see any of those people again. (I knew that Brian and Lois were coming back to visit, but it was hard to picture them anywhere other than SA.) We saw a lot of photos tonight of our trip, other teams' trips, and the kids at The Pines. It was so much fun to take a trip down memory lane but it was also kind of sad because I miss the kids so much and I also miss my time there.

I've readjusted to my life here, but I will never forget my time in South Africa and my heart has been forever changed. I find myself searching for what God is calling me to do next. Not a day has gone by since I've returned that I haven't thought of the people I left behind in South Africa. And not a day has gone by that I haven't thought about all that God has entrusted me with here and because of that, it is my life's passion and purpose to serve God by serving other people. The feeling that I get from doing God's work is indescribable. It's a feeling of pure joy. It's a fulfillment deep within your soul that gives you a glimpse into understanding God's love and how perfectly complete it is.

How awesome is it that God created us to do His work? God is perfect. His love is perfect. His intentions are perfect. And yet He chooses us. We are not perfect and he chooses us to do His work in serving other people. I never understood before going to South Africa what it was like to fully give yourself over to God for His agenda and His work. I can assure you that I was given so much more than I gave. I pray that I won't miss a single opportunity that God gives me to serve. And I pray that each and every one of you will discover the joy of giving and serving that I'm talking about and that together we will be able to really make a difference in the world in the name of the One who gave us the greatest gift the world has ever known, His Son, Jesus Christ.

For God so loved the world that He gave his one and only Son so that whoever believes in Him will not perish, but will have eternal life. -John 3:16

The "We" Generation. Inspiring.

2008-11-07T11:45:00.001-06:00

Song of the Day from Iowa's Very Own

2008-11-07T11:33:00.005-06:00

Today's Song of the Day

Leslie and the Lys
How we go Out

This girl is from Ames, Iowa and she's clearly CRAZY! She was featured in Juice this week and is apparently an internet phenomenon. After seeing her videos on YouTube I can see why. You have to see it for youself!

You're all invited!

2008-11-06T11:10:00.003-06:00

This weekend at church we'll be showing a photo slideshow of our South Africa trip, showing the video of Troy's baptism, hearing a testimony from Steve Miller (who was on our team), plus the Niehoff's are back in the States from South Africa and they'll be speaking briefly as well. We are in a series right now called Whyi and this week's topic is "Inspire". I'm sure the services will be great! I'm planning to attend all three services and I'd love nothing more than for you to join me for one. The services are at 5pm on Saturday, 9am on Sunday, or 10:30am on Sunday. Email me if you want to come!

Do Your Part

2008-11-03T13:30:00.002-06:00

No matter who you're supporting, I hope everyone goes to the polls tomorrow and casts their vote. The whole world will be watching as we American's enjoy the freedom that has been hard earned for us. Not everyone around the world is so lucky to enjoy a democratic government that gives them the right to let their voice be heard. Each candidate has sacrificed much over the past year to run for the presidency and I'm sure they both have a plan that they believe will help the USA be the best it can be. Please remember that we're choosing someone to lead us, not do and fix everything for us. America has been a success through hard work and the dedication of many to uphold the Constitution and the Christian values we were founded on. There is only one man who can save the world, Jesus Christ. Vote tomorrow for the man you feel will best lead our country into the bright future we're all capable of through faith and hard work.

That's my voting speech... glad I was able to get that out:)

I'm back... officially.

2008-10-29T10:58:00.006-05:00

I should share the good news... I'm officially back to being my pre-South Africa self (hopefully an improved version even)! It took a little while for me to shake the "I miss South Africa" blues. Going back to work was tough!! About a week ago, a good (and very brutally honest) friend pointed out to me that I do not have a single thing to be miserable about and while I was gone my friends and family really missed me and it was not cool of me to come back and be down and out. I agree with her. Sometimes it just takes a little tough love to shake me back into reality I guess:) Thankfully, I can always count on Renee to call like she she sees it.

Song of the Day

2008-10-27T17:08:00.003-05:00

God Rests in Reason
Jason Mraz

This is a beautiful song. It's kind of deep and you have to listen closely because he says a lot in the lyrics. It's definitely worth a listen. I don't think this is one of his most well known songs, but you can find it on iTunes.

Here's my favorite part...
Think not you can direct the course of Love
itself directs the course allowed
Believe not god is in your heart, child
But rather you're in the heart of god

How cute are these guys??

2008-10-25T15:59:00.003-05:00

Every kid at The Pines is absolutely adorable! South African children are certainly blessed with cuteness if nothing else:) I just had to share some of these photos. I have over 3500 photos (thanks to a whole team of camera junkies) and I've slowly been digging through them all. These were just a few of my favorite ones of some of the kids. It took awhile to memorize all of their names because there were so many children and their names are so unusual (for an American to remember anyway). I'm proud to be able to tell you that the top photo is Rafiloe, Nontembisa, and Gladys. The middle picture is Nobisa, and the bottom photo is me and Laratto. I can't promise that I spelled them all correctly, but I'm happy that I was able to learn all of their names!

Still Getting Back to "Normal"

2008-10-22T16:24:00.004-05:00

Getting back to normal has not been as easy as I hoped it would be. I've been feeling very rundown and tired lately. A headache and a sore throat seem to be lingering since I got back. I haven't been getting great sleep lately either thanks to a constant stream of South Africa dreams. None of the dreams are scary or anything, just dreams about being at The Pines or dreams about the Niehoff's, the O'Tool's or the kids. On one hand, it's wonderful that I get to keep seeing them in my dreams, but on the other hand it's making it very difficult for me to get back to my regular life. I keep wondering what they're all up to and thinking about my time there and what I would be doing if I were still there. Before we left, we were warned that a piece of our heart would always stay in South Africa and I can see the truth in that now. I'm starting to think a part of my mind stayed there too:)

I still haven't figured out what God wants me to do next. I miss the feeling of accomplishment and fulfillment that I had in South Africa. I miss it so much. I'd do anything to get it back. Coming back to work has been the toughest. But I keep plugging away and trying to do my best. I'm blessed with a wonderful job that provides me a life far greater than I need or probably deserve. If nothing else, out of appreciation, I want to do the best I can everyday.

It's important for me to keep in mind that while I might not think that I'm doing anything extraordinary here, just by living the life God gave me and doing the best I can, I might be doing all that He intended for me to do at this point. Until the next opportunity arises, I'll just keep going.

Today's Song of the Day

There's Hope
India Arie

Song of the Day

2008-10-20T16:37:00.002-05:00

Time in Between
Francesca Battistelli

"But it’s the time in between
That brings me to my knees
Knowing you came for me
And all that I can't be I'm amazed, so amazed
And I thank You for the time in between
Don't take much for this crazy world To rob me of my peace
And the enemy of my soul Says You’re holding out on me
So I stand here lifting empty hands
For you to fill me up again"

Song of the Day

2008-10-17T10:56:00.003-05:00

Today's Song of the Day:

Crazy (Acoustic Version)
Seal

Before I went on my trip, I was searching around on iTunes for acoustic versions of songs that I like. This one is a great one! It's not 100% acoustic because about a minute and half into the song it gets a little techno beat. But, it's a pretty cool song. I listened to it on the airplane about 25 times. Now it's got special meaning because it reminds me of my trip.

Back to Real Life

2008-10-14T08:30:00.004-05:00

I've officially been back since Sunday afternoon at 4. Nothing has really changed. I still have the same job, the same family, the same friends, the same house, the same everything. But, something feels a little different. I can't exactly put my finger on it and that's been a little frustrating. I want to share my trip and my experiences with everyone, but I find myself having a hard time putting it into words in a way that can fully explain it. I had such a wonderful, yet(apparently) unexplainable time in South Africa and I'm disappointed that I can't express it correctly to people. People ask me if I had a good time and I say "yes" and they ask if I would go again and I say "absolutely". And in some instances, I leave it at that. Because there's not really a short way of saying what it truly meant to me. I almost find myself guarding some of the stories about the kids or conversations we had amongst ourselves because I don't want people who can never understand the full picture to take small parts of what I tell them and draw conclusions that don't fully represent how things really were there. I'm not sure if that will make sense to anyone but me:) I also find myself struggling with the fact that I'm proud of my faith and I'm proud that I spent a week serving God and learning more about Him and I loved being surrounded by other Christians for two whole weeks, but I don't want people to think that somehow I'm a completely different person that I was before. In some ways I do feel a little different. I have more of an understanding of God's power. I see how life can be if you follow the directions God gives in the bible. I've seen and felt the rewards of living that kind of life 24/7. But that doesn't mean that I'm a crazy-holy-roller-judgemental-weird-bible girl now. I wasn't perfect before and I'm still not. I would never expect anyone else to be either. If anything I'm less judgemental now because I recognize my own shortcomings and the fact that we're all a work in progress.

Just like everyone else, my life is a constant evolution. My trip to South Africa gave me a lot of insight into how other people live and how blessed I am to be an American citizen and a follower of Jesus Christ. What I'm trying to sort out now is what do I do next? I'll keep you posted.

Just a few more days

2008-10-09T16:30:00.003-05:00

I spent pretty much all day today painting. I'm exhausted. I started this morning around 8:30 and now it's 11:30pm. I worked on our team mural in the hallway leading into the kids activity room and I also spent a lot of time painting 3 year old Meredith's new bedroom two shades of pink. Meredith is Amber and Louis's daughter. She's adorable. Hilarious really. Everything she says is "you must do this" or "you must not do this". She spends quite a bit of time in time out if you can't tell. One of her other funny things is that she starts and ends a request with please. For instance, "Please Jamey can I have some more of that please". I guess she thinks if she doubles up on the pleases she might be more likely to get what she wants. I don't know, it works on me:)

Tomorrow is our last day here. We have quite a bit to finish up on the project we've started and our goal is to be done by 230 when the kids get home from school. It's a big goal. We've still got a lot to do on finishing the addition to the O'Tools flat. I'm sure we'll get it done though. We're a pretty hardworking team. Tomorrow night we're hosting a pizza party for everyone and that should be a lot of fun. We'll probably take a gazillion photos too. I think collectively we already have over 1000 and they're mostly all saved on my computer, so get ready for the hour long slideshow. I promise I'll try not to bore you guys too much:) By reading the blogs, you already know most of what I would tell you anyway. This way you'll get to see what it all really looks like.

Well, I'll be home in just a couple of days. I can't wait to see you all. And I can't wait to work out. I feel like I've gained a hundred pounds. That was so not my plan by the way. I was supposed to be going the other direction. Oh well, what are you gonna do? I can definitely say that I don't plan to pick up a paint brush for awhile. Thank goodness we got Matt's house painted before I left. I'm all painted out.

I might not get a chance to write again until I back. So just in case I don't, thanks to everyone who's been following along on this journey. It's certainly been the experience of a lifetime and I appreciate all of your support. I couldn't have made it through these two weeks here without your emails and your prayers. I look forward to seeing each and everyone of you very soon after I get back. Especially you Matt:)

Love,

Jamey

So Much to Think About

2008-10-08T16:40:00.002-05:00

There are so many thoughts, questions, concerns, and more going through my head tonight that it's tough to get it all out on "paper" in an organized fashion. So bear with me here.

First of all, I had an amazing day today. I was one of three team members who designed and painted a playroom at the public hospital (ie poor people's hospital) and I'm so proud of the work we did. It turned out absolutely beautiful and the nurses and the children were stunned and so appreciative. They loved it!

I'm so overflowing with gratitude right now that I can barely get through this without crying. I feel so blessed to be here and to be having these experiences. So blessed to be able to witness the worst of circumstances, but the best of people. I'm so thankful to have the time and the resources to lend a helping a hand. I feel like I'm gaining so much more than I'm giving. That's a feeling that can be hard to come by sometimes. (Especially as a professional salesperson.) Seeing how the people live here and how I live back home makes me unbelievably thankful. At the same time I feel ashamed for how I've managed all that God has given me. I haven't given nearly as much as I could and there are so many better ways that I could be investing God's resources that I have been. I've learned many lessons here.

I wrote earlier this week that while I like it here, I haven't decided to pack up and live here. I still haven't decided to live here, but I wish I could have a little more time here. I really enjoy the slower pace of life. I haven't really missed my phone, or my Tivo, or the news, or any of the other things that I've been semi-addicted to at home. Here it's so much easier to live life God's way and it's a really great feeling going to bed at night feeling like you've really accomplished something to be proud of. I'm really starting to worry about readjusting to my American life and how will I be different than I was when I got on the plane two weeks ago. I won't really know until I get back and comprehend all that I've seen and done and spend time back in my regular life. I suppose it's not really worth worrying over. All will work out in the end according to God's calling for my life as long as I listen to what he's whispering to me.

I wish you could all experience this with me. I'm excited to show you the photos and tell you all about it, but it will never quite live up to seeing it in person. I would really encourage everyone to step out of their comfort zone and do something that you've always wanted to do. Something that will make you proud and something you think God might have in mind for you. I promise that you won't be disappointed. We only get one life. One chance to do all that we dream of doing. Don't waste your chance here on earth to make a difference. God created us to praise him, to love him, and to love one another. I can testify that when you're doing those things, a feeling that is indescribable comes over you and you want to do all you can to keep it going.

That's what I'm really working on now... how will I keep this going?

It's Serious

2008-10-06T09:16:00.002-05:00

We've had a lot of fun on this trip. We've laughed and joked a lot and had so much fun with the kids. But there are some very serious problems here in South Africa and last Saturday we saw them firsthand, up close and in person. We took a trip to the cemetary and we visited some local villages and the dump.

The top photo above is a picture of the dump. People live there. It absolutely the most horrific thing I can imagine seeing (other than maybe war). You can't see any people in the photo, but at times there are children sitting amongst the garbage and the fires and some of them do not have any parents or family. The people there sort through all the trash saving the plastic they find and selling it to the recyclers for money. They eat the edible garbage they find and they feed it to their children. If you bring water, food, or money and give it to the children, the adults will steal it. If you are a child there, you probably have only a very small chance of surviving unless you are rescued by a social worker and even then it's not guaranteed. Half of the adults here in Welkom have HIV, that means roughly half of the children if not more, do too. It's horrible. The adults are dying by the dozens every day and leaving the children with no parents, no home, no food. And many of the children are very sick as well. Once their parents die, they are often passed off to another family member who may also be ill or very likely to abuse them. It's such a sad situation. I was very disturbed by what I saw at the dump and it was difficult to comprehend how people could live that way. I'm having a very tough time understanding why so many people here live in such poverty while in America we are throwing food away left and right and wasting so much money on things that are not necessary. I know the world is always going to have poor people and I can't stop the spread of HIV here, but I really wish there was a solution to these problems. It's so unfair to the children.

When I get home, I'll tell you about some of the children here and their backstory. When I show you their current photographs you won't believe it's the same child. The Niehoff's and the O'Tools have used their service to God to provide these children with childhoods grander than they could have ever imagined. It's pretty amazing stuff. I'm definitly inspired.

The Gold Mine

2008-10-06T08:56:00.004-05:00

First of all, let me tell you about the gold mine. It was AWFUL!!! I have never been so scared in my entire life and that is NOT an exaggeration. It was terrifying. First we had to go down a mile and a half in an elevator. Yes, your ears pop. On the way down we were in the elevator with just our group. On the way out, we were packed like sardines in there with 20 miners. None of them spoke english, but we kept hearing them say "Americans" and laughing a bit of an evil sounding laugh. It was a little creepy and it's pitch black. I latched on to Bart's shirt in front of me. I would have been horrified to have been in there by myself. Anyway... it's also pitch black down in the mine. We had these little lamps on our helmets, but if we turned them off, you couldn't even see your hand in front of your face. We walked about 2 miles underground in these tunnels that had already been mined out. A good majority of it is held up by criss-crossed rows of lumber. I'm sure it's fairly safe because hundreds of men have been working down there for years and years and it's never collapsed on them, but I was terrified. Another interesting thing, there are trains under there that carry materials around and when one comes by you have to suck yourself up against a wall until it passes. Seriously. Next came the really horrible part, we had to climb up a pile of rubble to get to the "face" of the mine where they were actually digging and looking for gold. I never actually got all the way up because halfway there I couldn't believe we were actually allowed in there that's how harsh and dangerous it was. It was SUPER SUPER hot and humid and treacherous climbing. Every step up you took, rubble fell down. I was 75% convinced the place was going to collapse. I'm gonna confess it here... I didn't have a meltdown, but I was totally shaking and I had a few tears. It was really the scariest experience of my life. I might never buy gold again. I felt a little embarrassed that I was so scared and no one else seemed to be all that concerned about the danger level, but then I reminded myself that I was scared when we were in the elevator, so the fact that I sucked it up and made it only a few feet away from the face of the mine and all the way back out was a VERY impressive thing. I went WAAAAYYYY past my comfort zone limit. And I'm happy to say that I never plan to visit a gold mine again. Been there, done that. Doubt many other people ever will. Check out the bottom photo... It shows exactly how I was feeling. It's funny now, not so funny at the time. Time plus tragedy equals comedy, right?

Thoughts from Today

2008-10-03T13:07:00.002-05:00

We worked all day today on painting one of the boys' flats and a bathroom/laundry room that got remodeled yesterday. Tomorrow morning we're going on the mine tour at 6am and then we're going to the dump and to a couple places in town. It should be a very interesting day.

It's almost 8pm here now and we just finished dinner. We had hot dogs (they're called Russians here... weird) and baked beans and jello. I'm afraid that my plan to lose 5 lbs is not gonna happen. We've been making way too much good food. Tomorrow night we're making some kind of South African stew called something that starts with a "p". We're going to eat with the kids so that should be fun.

Just in case you were wondering, I haven't decided to give up life in the States to move here yet. But I will say that it's inspiring to see Brian and Lois and Amber and Louis (people my age who run this place) living out their dream of serving God and they're so happy doing it that they feel like they've given up nothing and are in fact cheating the system by not having to go sit behind a desk every day. Kinda makes you want to find your true purpose and passion in life for doing what God has always planned for you. The most amazing thing is that they trust God 100% all the time and I am not kidding you when I tell you he has given them absolutely everything they could ever need here. It's unbelievable!! They are so far removed from the United States and a lot of the conveniences we have there, yet somehow they've managed to acquire everything they need and it feels like a mini-US inside these gates.

I've really been thinking a lot today about something Brian said to us this morning which was "You should never be thinking about how much (time/money/ect) you should give to God because God has given us absolutely everything. What you should really be thinking is how much of all this should I be keeping for myself? Everything already belongs to God." That statement really changes my perspective on a lot of things.

I've really been missing you all today. It seems like it's been forever since I saw you and it seems like I have a long way to go til I'll see you again. I'm sure the time will start to fly now that we just have one week left until we start heading home again.

Thanks for all of emails and prayers. They make my day. I can't wait to check my email and get notes from home. Keep them coming! I still have a week to go! I miss you... I miss you... I miss you!!!

Getting to know the kids

2008-10-02T13:51:00.002-05:00

I spent almost my whole day today playing with the kids and getting to know them. They are absolutely awesome kids! You can see how much each of them appreciate being here in this safe, clean place. I don't know all of their stories, but the ones I do know are absolutely devastating. So many of the children here know more and have seen more death in their short little lives than any of us could imagine in a whole lifetime. But you would be so amazed at how happy and resilient they are! I have the coolest video in the world of a couple of the girls singing a South African praise song and another of two little girls singing "Jesus Loves Me". They can't get enough of seeing themselves on our cameras and in videos. They'll sing, dance, jump up and down... you name it, they'll do it to get on camera. It's hilarious!

I was a little disappointed this morning when we divided up the work plans and I wasn't going to be doing any physical labor. But as soon as I started playing with the kids, I was no longer disappointed at all. They were so much fun and so happy to have more American friends. They love it when teams come in and work for a couple of weeks so they have more people to play with them. We played tag, we played basketball, baseball, jumped on the trampoline, swam in the pool, played UNO, put together puzzles, and the list could go on and on. So even though I wasn't tearing down walls, tacking down carpet, or any other hard labor, I am exhausted tonight! No wonder kids sleep so well, being a kid is tiring!

That has been today's greatest gift... getting to be a kid again.

"Today is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it. Today is the day the Lord has made and I won't worry about tomorrow, I'm living for today. This is the day!"

-Lincoln Brewster (Today is the Day)

We made it safely!

2008-10-01T14:22:00.003-05:00

Thanks to everyone who was praying for our safe arrival... we FINALLY arrived at The Pines today. We had a quick lunch, got showers (after 48 hours without one), and played with the kids in the swimming pool. After that, we got a tour of the facility and sat down with Brian and Louis (who run The Pines along with their wives) to talk about our itinerary and the work we'll be doing while we're here. It sounds like we'll have plenty to keep us busy with lots of construction on an addition to one of the apartments, plus painting, building a fence outside to keep the toddler's in, and much more. We're also planning to visit Camp 7 (the squatter's camp) down the road and visit the hospital as well. The children are on spring break this week, so we're lucky that we'll get to spend extra time with them. They are all such cool kids! After we got here today, they put on a little show for us (that they organized themselves) and sang "You Raise Me Up" and some of their South African songs. I wish I would have gotten it on video, it was very cool! There's probably much more I could write, but I'm going on very little sleep and to be honest I'm incredibly overwhelmed and not sure what to make of things quite yet.

I miss you all terribly and while I'm happy to be here and excited to see what God has in store for me, I wish you could all be here with me. Being 8000 miles away sure makes you appreciate the people you love.

PS... for the person who asked about the time difference - It's 7 hours later here than in Iowa. Right now it's 2:30 in Iowa and 9:30pm here. Everyone is getting ready for bed while you're all still at work. Weird, I know.

xoxo

Song of the Day

Today is the Day
Lincoln Brewster

Stuck in the Airport

2008-09-30T11:22:00.002-05:00

We've been stuck in the London airport ALL DAY! Boring. Boring. More BORING. When we got here it was raining which didn't make us too excited to go out and explore the city. Plus we needed to make sure that our luggage was being forwarded to South Africa and there wasn't anyone working at the South Africa Airlines desk until just a couple of hours ago. Basically since I left Des Moines last night at 7, I've sat on an airplane for 9 hours and in an aiport for about 5. Our flight leaves for Johannesburg at 7. It's 5:25pm here right now. It's an 11 hour flight and we'll arrive in South Africa at 7am tomorrow morning. Let me tell you that sitting in a cramped seat all night last night was not easy and it was only an 8 hour flight. On the brighside, I did get to see the Sex and the City movie. I'm not looking forward to this 11 hour flight at all. But we're here for a reason and it will all work out fine I'm sure.

South Africa Here I Come!

2008-09-29T08:30:00.003-05:00

Today's the day... I'm leaving for South Africa at 6:55 tonight. I'm definitely feeling a range of emotions this morning. Part of me is super excited to get going and start having some adventure. Another part of me is really nervous and not so excited. I'm worried about what it's going to be like to travel that far away and be in flight for so long. And of course there's the big worry about getting homesick. Everytime I think about leaving my family and friends to go away for two weeks I start to cry. How am I going to do this??? I'm gonna have to take a big leap of faith here and trust God to get me through this. I'm sure that other members of our group are going to have some homesickness too. Most of them have children and I couldn't imagine leaving my children. So I guess knowing that I'm not the only one who probably feels this way helps a little. We can all depend on each other, right?

I'll be at the airport in about 8 1/2 hours. Here's hoping that the excited part of me takes over and squashes the nervous part before then.

Song of the Day

2008-09-25T11:26:00.002-05:00

Francesca Battistelli
Behind the Scenes

I know I just posted a song from this artist a couple of days ago but now that I've gotten a chance to listen to more of her songs, I had to share this one too. I wish you could all hear this song. It's so beautiful. I don't think just posting the lyrics does the song justice because the lyrics and the melody together are what make it so great. The verse that really caught me was "Sometimes I can’t see anything through the dark surrounding me and at times I’m unsure about the ground beneath my feet. If it’s safe and sound. When it’s hard to find hope in the unseen, I have peace in knowing it will find me". I have a feeling this song will get a lot of play on my iPod while I'm in South Africa because those lyrics speak to me and say that even though I don't know the experiences that are awaiting me on this trip, God is working behind the scenes and everything will work out just as He intends it to and my hope lies in believing that with all my heart.

Here's the chorus...

Things aren’t always what they seem
You’re only seeing part of me
There’s more than you could ever know
Behind the scenes
I’m incomplete and I’m undone
But I suppose like everyone
There’s so much more that’s going on
Behind the scenes

Song of the Day

2008-09-23T20:35:00.002-05:00

Sexy Love
Ne-Yo

This song has been out for a couple years, but I just found it and I love it.

When I am Weak, He is Strong

2008-09-21T22:40:00.002-05:00

We started a new series today at church called "Identity Theft". The lessons are all about the lies that we believe. Today's lesson was called "I have to be Strong". As I prepare for my trip to South Africa, this couldn't have been a more fitting topic.

Isaiah 40: 28-31

"Do you not know? Have you not heard? The Lord is the everlasting God, the creator of the ends of the earth. He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom. He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak. Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall; but those who hope in the Lord will renew their strength. They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint."

I'm so excited to go on this trip to see what I can do to help people and to see what God has in store for me, but I'm really going out of my comfort zone here. I get cranky when I'm tired and cranky when I'm hungry. And I get homesick when I go out of town for one night. And I'm outgoing and everything, but I'm not 100% sure about spending two weeks with people I don't know... halfway around the world. And flying on a plane for 21 hours... don't even get me started. What was God thinking asking me to go on this trip? Seriously. I got teary in church this morning thinking about it and I'm getting teary now as I write this. The only explanation I have so far is that he knows my weaknesses and he's asking me to stop trying to be strong and do everything myself. And he's asking me to trust Him this time and know that in my weakest moments He will be strong. And finally in those moments I'll see His true power.

Here goes nothing...

Song of the Day

2008-09-21T22:38:00.001-05:00

Free to Be Me
Francesca Battistelli

I discovered this artist on The Hills last week and I liked her so much that I downloaded her whole album. It's called "My Paper Heart". Check it out!

It's Garage Sale Day!!!

2008-09-19T08:31:00.002-05:00

Today is opening day of the BIG garage sale fundraiser for my trip! If you need a new wardrobe and you'd like to get it for SUPER SUPER cheap... you must come to this sale! If you would like to redecorate your home and you don't want to spend much money... you must come to this sale! If you like to read and you're looking for newer releases for under $3... you must come to this sale! If you're in need of a new purse... we have about 30, so you must come to this sale!

My friends and family were all SOOOOOO generous. They donated so many items that are such great quality... some of them still have the tags on them. The sale is today until 2pm and tomorrow 7am to noon. Please come by and say hello and see if there's anything you can't live without!

Meet the Kids!

2008-09-18T10:35:00.003-05:00

Here's a great photo of the kids at The Pines Christian Centre in South Africa! These are the kids that we've been supporting through our ministry at Point of Grace. And through our upcoming mission trip we'll be renovating space for another apartment so that even more kids can come to live at The Pines and grow up healthy and safe and able to go out and change their lives and their country through the greatness of Jesus Christ!

Busy is Good

2008-09-17T16:46:00.005-05:00

I've officially decided that busy is good and totally wins out over laziness any day! I've had all sorts of projects lately and I feel so accomplished and motivated to keep going. For the past two weeks, Matt and I have been working like crazy to get his new house move-in ready. We've painted, cleaned carpets, cleaned walls, and lots of other small projects here and there. Matt and his dad built an island in his kitchen too, which I thought was pretty impressive. Don't you just love a handy guy! You should see how great his place looks!

And on the days I haven't been helping Matt, I've been getting ready for the big garage sale this weekend. Wow... garage sales are a LOT of work! First I had to gather all of my own things and then drag them over to Kyra's. My family and friends (who I love immensely!!) drug their stuff over to Kyra's too. We priced it all and organized it on tables and racks and now we've got ourselves a fabulous sale all set up and ready to start on Friday morning at the crack of dawn. I'm praying that the sale will go very well and we'll sell ALL of our stuff and raise lots of money for South Africa. And bonus if we sell everything, we don't have to haul it all away:) My goal is to raise enough to pay off the last $600 of my trip. If we make more than $600, we'll use all of the extra money to buy medicine for the kids at The Pines. The families that run The Pines said they always need Tylenol and other over the counter medications for the kids. Our group already has a huge collection of beany babies, shoes, crafts, and other items to take to The Pines, so I figured that medicine would be an excellent way to use the garage sale profits to help the kids in South Africa.

I'm down to only 12 more days until departure. It's getting pretty realistic all of sudden and I'm getting SOOOOO excited!

Well said...

2008-09-15T16:14:00.003-05:00

Disturb us, Lord, when we are too pleased with ourselves,
When our dreams have come true because we dreamed too little,
When we arrived safely because we sailed too close to the shore.

Disturb us, Lord, when with the abundance of things we possess
we have lost our thirst for the waters of life;
Having fallen in love with life, We have ceased to dream of eternity
And in our efforts to build a new earth, We have allowed our vision of the new Heaven to dim.

Disturb us, Lord, to dare more boldly,
To venture on wilder seas where storms will show Your mastery;
Where losing sight of land, we shall find the stars.
We ask you to push back the horizons of our hopes;
And to push back the future in strength, courage, hope, and love.

This we ask in the name of our Captain,Who is Jesus Christ.

– Sir Francis Drake who sailed in 1577.

Meet My South Africa Team...

2008-09-15T10:00:00.002-05:00

Back Row: Me, Bart, Troy, and Steve

Front Row: Robyn, Wynde, and Julie

We leave two weeks from today!

Today's Song of the Day

2008-09-12T10:10:00.000-05:00

Sleeping to Dream
Jason Mraz

18 more days...

2008-09-12T09:51:00.003-05:00

Only 18 more days until I leave for South Africa! I've prayed quite a bit asking God to prepare my head and my heart for this trip and he has certainly showed up for me. For awhile I felt more worried than excited, but I'm over that hump now and I'm getting more excited every day. At this point I'm most worried about the following things...

What if I get motion sick during that LONG LONG flight?
What if I can't sleep and I get really tired and cranky with 6 people I don't know?
What if I get really homesick?

The good news is that none of my concerns have a worst case scenario that's all that bad. If I get motion sick, I'll just have to deal with it for a day or so. If I can't sleep and I get a little cranky, I'll just have to suck it up and keep going and try to keep my crankiness to myself. If I get homesick, I'll just have to stick it out and try to keep my mind busy and remember that I'll be home in no time and everyone and everything will still be here when I get back. Promise me you'll all be here when I get back!!! And if you could send me emails while I'm gone that would really help me too! You can send them to jameydeen@live.com.

Last night our team got together to take our group photo. As soon as it's emailed to me I'll post it so you can all see who I'll be traveling with. There are seven of us total, three men and four women. It's going to be so strange traveling for two weeks with 6 people I don't know very well, but they are all so nice and we now have a common bond that will last a lifetime thanks to this adventure in South Africa. I'm sure that God chose each one of us for a reason and as the trip goes along those reasons will be revealed. I'm really looking forward to seeing everything that He has planned for us, it's going to be unbelievable!

Song of the Day

2008-09-02T13:19:00.003-05:00

Today's Song of the Day:

East to West
Casting Crowns

I've been listening to it on repeat for the past week. Definitely download this one.

Monday Morning Quote

2008-09-02T10:12:00.003-05:00

We judge ourselves by what we feel capable of doing, while others judge us by what we have already done.

-Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

For years I have been trying to put my finger on why I'm so hard on myself and why others never seem to view me as I view myself. This quote is the perfect explanation, I wish it would have occurred to me sooner. I very much judge myself not based on how well I've accomplished a task, but by how much better I think I could have done it. What a shame that is! It keeps me from ever truly being proud of my accomplishments and to be honest it does make it impossible for me to ever see myself as others see me. Sometimes I wonder how I've gotten to where I am in my career, which I really shouldn't wonder about. I have worked hard and put a lot of time and energy into my job. My problem is that I spend a lot of time thinking that I'm capable of doing so much more new business, so much better at negotiating, so much better at this or that and I completely let those thoughts overshadow the bigger picture of what I have already accomplished. On one hand being hard on myself is what has pushed me to this level, but on the other hand it's sad that it stops me from really enjoying what I do. This quote and thought process doesn't apply only to my work, it applies to my personal life as well. Towards the end of my marriage, I had no idea why anyone would want to be married to me. I'm being serious. I could not see myself as other people saw me and my self esteem had plummeted. It was tough enough to get through some of the challenges Joe and I had to deal with, but putting on top of that a whole pile of "I had no idea who I was", did not help at all. I've come A LONG way in that aspect since my divorce, but it still pops up every once awhile. I'm sure everyone struggles with it a little from time to time, so I'm probably not that strange. (Try to hold your laughter.) So now that I've found this quote and the truth of it seems so obvious, I'm going to post it in my office and do my best to do my best and be happy with what I accomplish everyday... not judge myself so much on what I might have left on the table. Wow... that's deep for a Monday (oh wait, it's Tuesday) morning.

Rock O'Donna

2008-08-28T13:25:00.003-05:00

My friend Angela's four year old called Barack Obama, Rock O'Donna. How funny is that?? I'm still an undecided voter at this point and thanks to Matt (who I think is a great political teacher) I'm becoming much more educated this week. I am proud to say that I've seen all of the key speeches during the Democratic National Convention so far. I've seen Michelle Obama, Hillary Clinton, Bill Clinton, and Joe Biden, plus a few others. I plan on watching Barack's speech tonight and I'm actually kind of looking forward to it. Weird, I know. I used to think this stuff was kind of boring. I'm a registered voter and not registered as a democrat. However I plan to vote for whoever I think will do the best job. I'm still not sure who that will be yet. I know these conventions are all choreographed to be as inspirational and moving as possible, and I have to hand it to the speakers I've seen so far... they've inspired me to actually care enough to get educated. I've voted in every election I've been eligible for, but I can't say that I've been very knowledgeable in the past. I mainly just voted for whoever I thought my grandpa would vote for. My grandpa's a smart guy and very politically knowledgeable, but I'm sure even he would rather I did my homework and made my own choice. So, next week I'll tune in for the Republican National Convention and then I'll make my choice. McCain or Obama? I'd like to believe that they will both do everything in their power to make sure our country starts heading up instead of down, it's just a matter of which one has the better plan and the ability to inspire our country to keep moving forward and keep the American dream alive.

Today's Song of the Day

Everybody Wants to Rule the World
Tears for Fears

So cute!

2008-08-27T08:20:00.001-05:00

Here's another cute picture of my nephew!

Today's Song of the Day

2008-08-22T12:57:00.003-05:00

Just Dance
Lady Gaga

Definitely download this one. It's a good one to get you going for the weekend!

Five things I wish I knew before college...

2008-08-21T17:27:00.003-05:00

My little brother is going to college. He moves in tomorrow. I can't believe it! I can still remember my fourth grade teacher pulling me aside to tell me that she got a note from the office that said my mom had a baby boy, my brother. Weird! I remember when he went to preschool, when he broke his leg jumping off my bed, when we used to sing the theme to the Loveboat because we heard it on Sister Act 2 a million times, when he started tee ball, and when he started high school. I can't imagine how my parents must be feeling because I'm only his sister and I feel like the time has flown.

I'm so proud of him. He's been such a great kid from day 1. He's stayed out of trouble, done an unbelievable job with his grades, and put so much time, effort, and heart into being the best he could be on and off the field. More than that, I know he's been a truly good friend to people and that really impresses me.

So with Kyler getting ready to move to Grandview tomorrow, I started thinking about what I wish I knew before I went to college. Here's what I came up with...

1) You should come home for dinner once in awhile. You won't miss anything at school. Your friends will still be there when you get back. (Or you can bring them with you.) It's just for a couple of hours and Mom and Dad will be really happy you made time to come home.

2) Just because you're on your own and you can do whatever you want, whenever you want... don't do whatever you want whenever you want. Maintain your discipline with school and work and sports. Just because you can stay out all night doesn't mean you should. It's true that not much good happens after midnight.

3) Don't let anyone talk you into doing something you don't feel 100% comfortable with especially if it can't be undone. Some things you only get one shot at getting right.

4) Enjoy everything and every minute of your time in college. And I mean EVERYTHING! Enjoy being broke. When else is it cool to scrounge and scrape to get by? Enjoy being able to wear sweats every day if you want to. Enjoy random times hanging out in your dorm with your friends doing nothing. Enjoy staying up late and studying. The "real world" isn't nearly as flexible as college life and some of the things that seem crappy like studying and having no money, seem like a great trade off when you have to start getting up for work every morning and you can't stay up too late or hang out all afternoon with your friends. So enjoy it... all of it. It goes way too fast.

5) Lastly, don't be afraid to meet people. Don't be shy. Be yourself. People like people who are authentically themselves. You don't have to be like everyone else for people to like you. Don't be afraid to put yourself out there. Most people are just as self conscious as you are and they'll be relieved that you were the one to approach them and say hi.

Those are my words of wisdom. Nothing really original in my words, but all things I wish I would have thought about before I started college. My brother's cool...he'll be just fine.

Today's Song of the Day

What If
SafetySuit

One forward out of a hundred...

2008-08-21T16:08:00.003-05:00

As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down probably will. You will have your heart broken probably more than once and it's harder every time. You'll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken. You'll fight with your best friend. You'll blame a new love for things an old one did. You'll cry because time is passing too fast, and you'll eventually lose someone you love. So take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you've never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back. Don't be afraid that your life will end, be afraid that it will never begin.

Someone forwarded this to me today and I loved it. I thought it was worthy of posting. I wish I could have been there to see the rainbows in person.