He is in control

To say the least, this last month has been crazy.  

Actually there are several words I would use to describe this last month, but for every emotion the opposite feeling was to follow. There were scary times followed by peaceful moments. Mountain high experiences to valley lows, joyous experiences to sorrow, emotional and spiritual lows to an overwhelming presence of the Lord. Happy to sad, crying to laughter and the list goes on and on…

When the doctors told Jonathan, my 19 year old little brother that all signs point to Leukemia, I was scared, sad for Jonathan, angry, emotional etc. As Jonathan lay in the hospital bed, our hands held tight, tears of sadness streaming, heart monitors beeping in the background we did the only thing we could do. We prayed. We gave it to God, and that is when we knew. I wish I could describe the peace that I felt after our prayer. It is something that Jonathan and I will forever hold dear to our hearts. We knew in that moment, God had this and was in complete control. 

Throughout the Bible the word Peace is used in almost 250 verses. These are several verses that have been dear to my heart these last few weeks.

Romans 5

 ¹ Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, ² through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. ³ Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; ⁴ perseverance, character; and character, hope. ⁵ And hope does not put us to shame, because God’s love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.

Romans 15:13 

 ¹³ May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.

Philippians 4:6-7

⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

I have felt the peace of the Lord that scripture talks about, but I have also felt conviction, there are so many people that do not have this Hope. My dear friend Brittany and I were talking about the hope we have in Christ. She stated what we would do if we didn’t have that Hope in Jesus? There is so many people who are hopeless, who do not have the hope and peace we have in Jesus. My heart breaks for those who have not heard the gospel. I long for them to know the love that Christ has for them. How no matter what life brings you, you are a child of God. Through Him and only Him can you experience eternal life. 

I am not really sure the best way to close this. Actually I am not sure this makes any sense, my brain feels as though it is spinning. This has been a whirlwind the last couple of weeks. Sometimes it feels like just yesterday other times it feels like it has been a year. Jonathan’s courage, attitude, strength, and faith are something that amazes me daily; I pray that he knows how strong he has been. I pray through his testimony others may know the Hope and Peace that is only found in Jesus. 

Goodbye perfect vision, hello glasses.

Confession: 

I haven't been to the eye doctor in years. Yes. I know shame, shame. I am pretty sure you are suppose to go every 3 years give or take.  Needless to say, don't follow my rebellious ways...I have my reasons. Basically I am terrified of people touching my eyes, watching other people touch their eyes, something going in my eye... you know normal stuff. Plus, I had a horrible experience the last time I went to the eye doctor...Blah Blah Blah, long story.

So it's been awhile. (5ish years)

Well folks, I went and turns out my eyes are not well. Not bad, but not good. So I got glasses. bah-hum-bug. Honestly, they aren't awful...But just an adjustment.

For all of you who have glasses, you should check out this awesome website. www.zennioptical.com Fun, stylish, affordable glasses. I ordered two pairs for 27.95 that includes shipping. Woot! Here they are....

The black pair.... 

and the brown pair...

   Side note--- Check out the couch in the background of this pic. My new roomie, Phoebe and I snagged it from a friend/dumpster...another long story.

So, yep. Glasses. Neat...

Farewell dear readers.

Entertainment Stand to TV Stand

When ever my mother comes to visit me down here in Joplin, I make a "mommy-to-do-list. It is so nice to get a lot of things accomplished when she is here. But the reality is I do this for her. Admit it Mom-You would be so bored with out my lists. You are welcome! 

My mother was here a couple weeks ago. And we worked on this little project. For all those with a old school entertainment stand, this project is so easy and cheap. 

This is what it looked like at Christmas 2 years ago. Because this was a cheap entertainment stand, my mom and Kyle were able to take it apart in a billion pieces. 

We had to saw off to long pieces on the edges. Thanks to my friend Tom, it was super easy. Then we went to Lowes to pick up some paint and primer. I had a gift card so the total came out to be $16.00. 

I painted, and painted, and painted. Due to how cold it was outside that paint seemed to take forever to dry. But once it was dry.... 

Wah-Lah!

Yeah, for the finish project-Thanks Mom!

Happy Creating!

2010 woot!

 

I know that it is 2011, but technically it isn't even the first week  I mean month, so I can get away with this right? 2010 has been a great year.  What better way to do that then with pictures.

Over the last 3 years, Kyle and I have been able to bring in the New Year together along with some of our good friends Luke and Lauren Lowe. This is us at Baileys Chocolate Bar in St. Louis. It is quite the delicious place to eat/drink and a great atmosphere.  I would recommend it for those of you near the great area of St. Louis.

This was a exciting one for me. I bought a new camera finally. My old one had seen its day, so I saved up and got this little number. It suites me for now, maybe I will upgrade later after some practice.

February is a busy time for Kyle and I. We celebrated our 3rd year together as well as Valentines day. I tried to get a little creative/save money this past year. This is what I came up with. A candy bouquet  full of his favorite candy and a last name picture frame, taken with my new camera!

Dakota and I rocking it out in Times Square. 

New York City. The college I attended offers a church planting class in NYC. I would absolutely recommend it for all you students still attending OCC. We were able to meet men and women doing amazing ministry in the big city. It was incredible to learn and gain wisdom from them.
These are my good friends Dakota and Charlie (not pictured Greg Hull). What a weekend. I don't know if I have ever laughed so hard. 

For those of you who don't know, I love John Mayer. And yes, I went to his concert. A-MA-ZING! Some of my best friends and I went to Kansas City for his concert. We ate at a Dives, Diners and Drive In called Grinders. So delicious. What is with me a food?

In March I ventured to the Northwest for the first time. I visited the great area of Tacoma/Seattle Washington. What a beautiful place. A group from Indiana came to serve alongside a awesome ministry called Network Tacoma. This is the group on one of the missionaries houseboat. Yeah, he lives on a boat in Washington. Pretty cool. This week we worked on several low income apartment units, fixing them up so that new tenants could move in.

My dear friend Julie was awesome enough to drive up and see me in Seattle after the group left. Spent a few days there and then venture down to Portland. It was pretty much the best time ever. We ate a lot, relaxed a lot and talked a ton. The doughnut picture is in Portland at a swell place call Voo-doo doughnut. Yum. Yum. Yum.  

I am so proud of Kyle. He is a great youth minister, and it has been awesome to see him work with our students. This is one of our girls Twyla being baptized by Kyle. We are so proud of her! 

  I graduated. Still weird. We have gone over this...moving on. 

This summer I had to the privilege of leading a team to Cambodia, a place that is very dear and near to my heart. These two girls mean so much to me. They are both doing tremendous ministry for Christ. Man, I have some great friends.

Ankor Wat entrance. I really like this little artsy picture...I promise, its not me. Just a lucky shot. 

For those of you who don’t already know, I love our youth group.  Kyle and I feel truly blessed to share life with these students of Afton, Oklahoma. God placed us there almost 3 years ago, and we thank God all the time that he opened the doors for us to be there. I love youth ministry more than I ever thought I would. We have learned a lot over the years here. What it is like to serve at a small rural church. How we work in ministry together. How to love these kids and guide them through life. It has been a journey, one that I cherish every day. This past June we took our students to Michigan MOVE. Here we are enjoying our free day on the beach…yeah, in Michigan! Fantastic. I spent most of the day sleeping on the beach do to my little parasite friend I picked up in Cambodia days previously that resided in my stomach. Don’t worry I got rid of him, with time.

Seattle/Tacoma has become one of my favorite trips. I have had the privilege to build a relationship with people here and to serve alongside them. The team over the summer was from Georgetown Ohio (insert shout out!). Man they kicked butt. It was truly a blessing to work with them. Look at all the cool stuff they did.

I was able to travel down to Oregon after Seattle with my good friend Levi. We road tripped down to see Julie and Jared in Medford! God is good and has provided me several times to see Julie, considering we live many hours and many miles apart. While I was there we saw The Swell Season, which was so good. You may know this band from the movie “Once”. Both of which I recommend. Also while I was there, Levi got a tattoo and me, well I re-pierced my nose. Yeah, were pretty tough. Pssh.

For my graduation gift, Kyle bought us Cubs vs. CARDINALS tickets. Even though we are on opposing sides, don’t we look cute? We had a blast!

Roommate date night, always a good time! The three of us lived together for 21/2 years. So many memories at Club Norman. We know how to go out in style!

This is my brother Bobby. Yes, I look short compared to him, that’s because I am. He is 7 ft. Impressive. Well, he got married! I am extremely proud of him. He has been through a lot, but perseveres through it all. I couldn’t be more proud of the man he has become. He and his adorable wifey were married in September. I had the privilege of being a sister and a bridesmaid. I wish them the best in life!

Road trips are something that I love. Especially when it’s with some of my best friends. Lauren, Liss and I headed out to Kentucky to see some incredible people who I admire very much, the Walker family.

This year Afton did really well. We are proud of our boys! You can't tell, but we are freezing in this picture! Yeah for Friday nights! 

Woot! Woot! MJ got married. Doesn't she look ravishing? Her wedding was a blast,  it was so Melissa. 

My sweet, sweet Theara. A beautiful girl inside and out. She is one of the most amazing, faithful women I have ever met. She came to the USA for the first time. It was so fun to spend time with her. I miss this girl so, so much. 

Oh Christmas. I love the holidays. Seriously…Birthdays, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Easter and Christmas bring it on! I am a sucker for traditions. Maybe I will blog about some of my favorite traditions, because that could be a whole blog in itself. I love making a big deal about holidays…ask Kyle he probably hates how much I love them, but he is a good sport nonetheless. Christmas is a crazy time, especially on my mother’s side. Try cramming 40 people into a small house. We do this every year. Here in this picture my brothers and his sweet girlfriend Anna are taking a break from the chaos happening downstairs. What a funny looking word...chaos. Anyways. I love my family. As CRAZY as they are…and I mean nuts. I love them, and I am proud to claim them!

Thus the last picture of 2010. Ending 2010 and starting 2011 on a fantabulous road-trip with some of my best friends.I will try and make a post of its own about our adventure to Utah. Because it was epic, and it deserves its own post. I would say 2010 was a win. 

Confession...

I am a terrible blogger.

Let's face it, I am. I suck at life. I mean really, over a month? eh.

I apologize dear readers...all  five of you. :)

Anyways...soon, maybe, eventually, someday I will write about something.

Until then, farewell.

You know you're getting old when....

You know you're getting old when…..

1)   You laugh so hard at writing this post with your roommate because all of this is true!

2)   You plan on doing fun, spontaneous things like watching a movie or having a dance party. But instead you sit on your computer…and then realize you’re to tired to do any of those “fun, spontaneous things you once talked of”.

3)   You question if you’re to old to have a dance party.

4)   You talk yourself into thinking that 9:00pm actually sounds like a good time to go to bed.

5)   You wonder if it’s to late to have dinner, and then realize its only 6:00

6)   Catnaps are the highlight of your day, or used as a reward.

7)   You’re stuck in between the “old lady” section and the “teen section” at the mall and wonder where you belong. Then you realize you prefer the once feared “old lady section”.

8)   A girl you once babysat is getting married before you.

9)   You actually enjoy crocheting and might use them as legit gifts for people.

10)Your favorite part of the week is when the latest issue of “Martha Stewart living” has arrived, finally.

11) You realize that coffee is no longer just for fun, its necessary.

12) You lose your keys and your phone way to often.

13) Your favorite movie is the 1998 classic You’ve Got Mail.

14) You realize that your once beloved TV shows are now playing on Nick at Night.

15) Your students in your youth group have never heard of things like, The Spice Girls, Saved by the Bell and Full House.

16) You are seeing certain clothing styles come back around and you’re excited for stirrup pants to return again.

17) You are sore after an all staff clean up day, and may or may not have pulled a muscle.

18) You wonder if your parents will get you Christmas presents this year or if you have been out of the house to long?

19) Birthdays are no longer as exciting.

20) You hate driving past 7:00 at night.

21)You realize that your metabolism isn’t what it used to be.

22)  You notice that no one asks you “what do you want to be when you grow up”

23) You realize that you're only 23…this can’t be good...

woowhoo! Fist pump to life!!

Insert title here....

Remember that time I thought I would have free time….

That was a good time, joke was on me.

That is ok, I am not complaining. I actually think I function better stressed or busy.

 Crazy talk right?

Don’t get me wrong I have had some down time. But nothing like I expected. Hence my disappearance from blogging….anyways…

I love my job. Seriously I love getting up for work everyday. The people I work with and the work that God allows me to do is awesome. I recently had the privilege to be a part of a planning process for one of the programs at CIY. A group of about ten people from all over the states gather for about a day and a half to plan out the summer 2011 theme. Highly influential people who are wise and creative beyond their years surrounded me. We focused in on the book of Ephesians. A book that is completely rocking my world. We hewn in and focused on a key passage. We read over this passage countless times, I would say 50 plus times. I feel in love with this passage of scripture. I feel in love with God and how great his love is for us, we cant even begin to understand.

During this time we began talking about Jr. High and high school aged kids. How so often our society overloads their schedule, with the hope that they are constantly entertained. As a group we sat back and realized that is not always a good thing.  That is why this passage in Ephesians was perfect for them. It was different. It causes them to slow down. Honestly it caused me to slow down. God has a sense of humor like that. But seriously. We should slow down in life. Reflect on what God is doing. Not only do we see the need to slow down, but to see God’s greatness. I mean we cannot even fathom how great the surpassing knowledge of God is. Frankly, I love that about my God. He is infinite. He is a God of love. He is a God of grace and mercy. His is all knowing, and powerful. I don’t fully understand him. I can’t put him in a box if I wanted to. Do we take to the time to slow down and actually reflect on that?

This was a great time of renewal and reflection. Yeah, essentially it was a "meeting", which everyone loves meetings….right?  Who doesn’t? But seriously, it was a great time of refreshment. I met some incredible, gifted people. I met amazing women who were outside of CIY doing ministry in a church. I walked away pumped. I am extremely excited for the summer, for the students and the ministers to be a part of something so amazing  Plus Know Sweat is a kickin ministry. You should check them out!

Did I mention I love my job?