I never know what to title my blogs or how to say what I want to say or exactly how much to say. See to me my life is boring, hectic, and crazy. I would usually say there isn't much that goes on or is going on in my life but then again that means I am fibbing to myself. My life is anything but boring! When you are married to as Associate/Youth Pastor, have 4 kids, 2 dogs, and 30 - 50 youth ranging from 6th grade up to senior in high school life is anything but boring. It can be entertaining, crazy, lovely, insane, dramatic, and wonderful but never EVER boring!
Jaret has started taking courses through Moody Bible Institute. I am extremely proud of him for taking this next step in his life. I know God has wonderful plans for his future. He recently gave the message at Central Community Church last Saturday evening service. Our service times have switched to three services on Sunday's. A 9 am, 10:30 am, and 6 pm service all on Sunday nights. The change seems to have transitioned smoothly. Since the church now has a service on Sunday nights AfterGlow, youth group, has had to find a new location to have group on Sunday nights. Well that and we have just out grown our space, we now have 30 - 40 teens who regularly attend AfterGlow on Sunday evening. Some of you reading this may be from the Mattoon area and remember the Time theater in town, AfterGlow is now meeting here. Talk about walking down memory lane!
Some of you might be wondering what AfterGlow stands for........Well let me see if I can elaborate.....After hearing of Christ / coming to know Christ we Go Light Our World. So AfterGlow is the name of our youth ministry and our defining bible verse is 1 Timothy 4:12 Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith, and in purity. AfterGlow has blossomed into a wonderful group of young Christians who not only support each other in their faith & in life but who are determined to spread the word of God to others their own age. Many times it is through these young men and women I find the strength and courage to talk to others about Christ and the wonderful blessings He has bestowed on my family and I. This exceptional group of teens has been a wonderful example for our own four children also. I could not be happier or more proud of the kids than if they were my own flesh and blood. Trust me I pray, love, & worry for them just as if they were my own.
As for me, well my count down for leaving my current position with the school district is down to just the days now. I have less than a months work of work days left and I have to say that it feels great! I know that God is taking me down a much better path and has wonderful plans in store for me. I am looking forward to working at the church with my husband and helping in his ministry, to being home with the kids, and focusing on what God wants for me. December will be bittersweet......saying good~bye to a career I've worked for the last 12 yrs and hello to the wonderful surprises that lay ahead!
I Love This Life!
Friday, November 12, 2010
Tuesday, October 12, 2010
So I realized today as I sat at my desk at work that it has been a while since I last posted anything on this blog. About a month and a half to be exact. There are so many "things" floating around in my head that it is hard to get everything in order. While I love this life, this life is also extremely hectic and crazy, and I thank God daily for the blessings he has given us.
Jaret has settled into his position as Associate Pastor/Youth Pastor and usually keeps pretty busy. AfterGlow (youth group) has grown amazingly in the past months. We are averaging 30 - 40 teens on Sunday nights, Praise God! Please don't think it is about the numbers because it is not. Each one of these special teens has a wonderful heart for God, some stronger in their walk than others but each of them supporting one another in their walks no matter how new or how experienced. There has been so much going on with the group and I am so proud of the group as a whole. They support a young girl from Columbia (through Compassion International) by the name of Yorsireth and they are working hard to keep up her support. We are getting ready to send her and her family a gift for Christmas.
As far as family news......... The kids are doing good in school and they are enjoying their school year. Back in July we added a new puppy to our family, Thor who is a French Bulldog. On Sept. 30th we had to put our 2-1/2 yr old English Bulldog, Frankie to sleep. He had been sick for about 5 weeks and it was just to hard to watch him suffer any longer. While we could have taken care of the blockage they found in his lower intestine, we didn't know what to do for his extra thick stomach lining and the vet would have had to do exploratory surgery. At the time of our decision Frankie had not eaten anything in a week and was becoming increasingly week with each passing day. While it was a very hard decision for Jaret and I to make because he was a big part of our family, we know that it was the right one for his sake. I only have about 2 months and 1 week left till I am able to quit working for the school district. I am planning on working with Jaret at Central Community, being home for my family, and helping out at the kids school in their classroom for parties and such. The kids are so excited to have their mommy at home and that really warms my heart. I thank God daily for the opportunities He is giving me! Jaret is starting school through Moody Bible Institute the end of the month.
October brings the fall, I love the fall season! It also brings back so many memories. October is SIDS/Infant Loss/Miscarriage Awareness Month. On October 22 it will have been 11 yrs that my son Peyton went to Heaven because of SIDS. Each year has gotten a little easier thanks to a loving / caring God, supportive family, and a husband who can just hold me and let me be upset when the moment hits. While I miss my Jellybean greatly, I take great comfort in knowing he also helped to save a life in the midst of our sorrow. God knew what he was doing when he sent me Peyton for almost 7 months and when He gave Maddie Grace his heart.
I am going to try harder to post more often.
Jaret has settled into his position as Associate Pastor/Youth Pastor and usually keeps pretty busy. AfterGlow (youth group) has grown amazingly in the past months. We are averaging 30 - 40 teens on Sunday nights, Praise God! Please don't think it is about the numbers because it is not. Each one of these special teens has a wonderful heart for God, some stronger in their walk than others but each of them supporting one another in their walks no matter how new or how experienced. There has been so much going on with the group and I am so proud of the group as a whole. They support a young girl from Columbia (through Compassion International) by the name of Yorsireth and they are working hard to keep up her support. We are getting ready to send her and her family a gift for Christmas.
As far as family news......... The kids are doing good in school and they are enjoying their school year. Back in July we added a new puppy to our family, Thor who is a French Bulldog. On Sept. 30th we had to put our 2-1/2 yr old English Bulldog, Frankie to sleep. He had been sick for about 5 weeks and it was just to hard to watch him suffer any longer. While we could have taken care of the blockage they found in his lower intestine, we didn't know what to do for his extra thick stomach lining and the vet would have had to do exploratory surgery. At the time of our decision Frankie had not eaten anything in a week and was becoming increasingly week with each passing day. While it was a very hard decision for Jaret and I to make because he was a big part of our family, we know that it was the right one for his sake. I only have about 2 months and 1 week left till I am able to quit working for the school district. I am planning on working with Jaret at Central Community, being home for my family, and helping out at the kids school in their classroom for parties and such. The kids are so excited to have their mommy at home and that really warms my heart. I thank God daily for the opportunities He is giving me! Jaret is starting school through Moody Bible Institute the end of the month.
October brings the fall, I love the fall season! It also brings back so many memories. October is SIDS/Infant Loss/Miscarriage Awareness Month. On October 22 it will have been 11 yrs that my son Peyton went to Heaven because of SIDS. Each year has gotten a little easier thanks to a loving / caring God, supportive family, and a husband who can just hold me and let me be upset when the moment hits. While I miss my Jellybean greatly, I take great comfort in knowing he also helped to save a life in the midst of our sorrow. God knew what he was doing when he sent me Peyton for almost 7 months and when He gave Maddie Grace his heart.
I am going to try harder to post more often.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
From "Job Oriented" to "Mom" to "God Follower"......I Love It
I find myself with so much so say but so few words to say it when I actually go to put it into print. It has been a wild, crazy summer and while I have loved every minute of it I have found that it has slipped away from me all to fast! So I will recap from the start and try not to take too long, lol. (Some of this may repeat from an earlier post, I apologize.)
In the beginning of June, Jaret finished his internship through Central Community Church and was ordained as a licensed pastor in the state of IL. He quit his job at Midas after almost 7 years to go into full time ministry as an Associate Pastor/Youth Director at CCC. I am so proud of him for following what God is calling him to do in his life. It is such a wonderful experience for the both of us because as much as he has grown in God, so have I.
I began a Girls group Ministry at CCC in June. Wow, was I scared but God knew what he was doing when he laid this group/study on my heart back in February. Myself along with four other wonderful women of God lead a bible study of 10-20 teenage girls and I think we learned as much as the girls did. Watching these wonderful young women learn that God designed each of them unique and special to shine just for him was breath taking. So many of the girls had major break through and have realized the God's plans are so much better than what we have planned for ourselves. I am so proud of each one of them!
We were blessed once again to be able to go to Jamaica on a mission trip. I have to say it felt like "going home" again. I didn't realize just how much last year had impacted me till we landed in Jamaica again in July. This year we built a house for a family with 3 teenage daughters. Now a house to us has a living room, kitchen, bathroom, 2 or 3 bedrooms, etc.........but for them it is a one room (10' x 14') for 5 people......there was no kitchen, bedroom, or bathroom but to them is was a mansion! God blessed our team with life long friendships and new family there. if you ever have a chance o go on a mission trip to help others I highly suggest you take it. Whether it is in the USA, Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican, or China I promise you God will not let you down. It will change your life!
Over the last several months Jaret and I have been in prayer regarding my job. I have felt a constant pull away from my current position over the last year. It's funny how God seems to change everything you ever thought you knew about yourself when you let Him in completely. God has answered us and in December I will be leaving my job and I will begin concentrating on my family and helping Jaret out at the church. I am so excited! I am also planning on going back to school but we will see where God leads us.
Our children have been pretty busy this summer as well, mainly just being kids as they should. It's so great to be able to spend time with our children and not have to worry about the next errand or appointment to run to. To laugh with them, play in the fountain with them, go get ice cream together, play on the slip-n-slide together. Which by the way I highly recommend doing if you haven't in a while, I had forgotten just how much FUN they were! I loved being a stay-at-home mommy! As school starts back up we now have 2 - 4th graders, a 3rd grader, and a 1st grader. Colin is 10 yrs old now, Hannah is 9 yrs old, David is 8 yrs old, and Faith is now 6 yrs old. We have a very full house and I LOVE IT!
I think I will call it a night at this point till I get the rest of my thoughts in order. Till then I have to say not only do I love being a mommy but I love being a pastor's wife as well. God really knows what he is doing even when we think it's crazy!
I Love This Life!
In the beginning of June, Jaret finished his internship through Central Community Church and was ordained as a licensed pastor in the state of IL. He quit his job at Midas after almost 7 years to go into full time ministry as an Associate Pastor/Youth Director at CCC. I am so proud of him for following what God is calling him to do in his life. It is such a wonderful experience for the both of us because as much as he has grown in God, so have I.
I began a Girls group Ministry at CCC in June. Wow, was I scared but God knew what he was doing when he laid this group/study on my heart back in February. Myself along with four other wonderful women of God lead a bible study of 10-20 teenage girls and I think we learned as much as the girls did. Watching these wonderful young women learn that God designed each of them unique and special to shine just for him was breath taking. So many of the girls had major break through and have realized the God's plans are so much better than what we have planned for ourselves. I am so proud of each one of them!
We were blessed once again to be able to go to Jamaica on a mission trip. I have to say it felt like "going home" again. I didn't realize just how much last year had impacted me till we landed in Jamaica again in July. This year we built a house for a family with 3 teenage daughters. Now a house to us has a living room, kitchen, bathroom, 2 or 3 bedrooms, etc.........but for them it is a one room (10' x 14') for 5 people......there was no kitchen, bedroom, or bathroom but to them is was a mansion! God blessed our team with life long friendships and new family there. if you ever have a chance o go on a mission trip to help others I highly suggest you take it. Whether it is in the USA, Jamaica, Haiti, Dominican, or China I promise you God will not let you down. It will change your life!
Over the last several months Jaret and I have been in prayer regarding my job. I have felt a constant pull away from my current position over the last year. It's funny how God seems to change everything you ever thought you knew about yourself when you let Him in completely. God has answered us and in December I will be leaving my job and I will begin concentrating on my family and helping Jaret out at the church. I am so excited! I am also planning on going back to school but we will see where God leads us.
Our children have been pretty busy this summer as well, mainly just being kids as they should. It's so great to be able to spend time with our children and not have to worry about the next errand or appointment to run to. To laugh with them, play in the fountain with them, go get ice cream together, play on the slip-n-slide together. Which by the way I highly recommend doing if you haven't in a while, I had forgotten just how much FUN they were! I loved being a stay-at-home mommy! As school starts back up we now have 2 - 4th graders, a 3rd grader, and a 1st grader. Colin is 10 yrs old now, Hannah is 9 yrs old, David is 8 yrs old, and Faith is now 6 yrs old. We have a very full house and I LOVE IT!
I think I will call it a night at this point till I get the rest of my thoughts in order. Till then I have to say not only do I love being a mommy but I love being a pastor's wife as well. God really knows what he is doing even when we think it's crazy!
I Love This Life!
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Wed AfterGlow and Designed To Shine
Tonight was the last Wed evening AfterGlow event before school starts back on Aug. 16th. Some of the AfterGlow members went to Megan's house for a swim party, we also celebrated Sean's birthday. It was great to just get together and act like goofballs! Thanks to Megan and Sam for opening up their pool to us. We had a great group tonight: Johnny, Reaghan, Alex, Blake, Carrie, Suzie, Emmy, Kyle, Sean, Josh, and Zac. Then of course you add Jaret and I, along with our 2 boys, to the mix and the pool was pretty full. It was a great way for AfterGlow to end their summer break.
We are also coming up on our last night of Designed To Shine girl's bible study. Just two more nights after tonight. This is the first study that I have done and I think it has gone well. While we started out with 19 girls, it had become a smaller more intimate group but this is a group of girls that I feel have gotten pretty close and have grown to rely on each other and that warms my heart. I have enjoyed watching the girls grow in God and I see them getting a better/closer relationship each week.
I am hoping to recap the summer for AfterGlow soon. Right now I just don't have all the words.
1 Timothy 4:12
We are also coming up on our last night of Designed To Shine girl's bible study. Just two more nights after tonight. This is the first study that I have done and I think it has gone well. While we started out with 19 girls, it had become a smaller more intimate group but this is a group of girls that I feel have gotten pretty close and have grown to rely on each other and that warms my heart. I have enjoyed watching the girls grow in God and I see them getting a better/closer relationship each week.
I am hoping to recap the summer for AfterGlow soon. Right now I just don't have all the words.
1 Timothy 4:12
Monday, August 9, 2010
Sunday Superb
Sunday morning service was great as usual. Last week was VBS for Central Community Church so at the 10 am service any of the VBS kids & workers went up front to perform one of the songs we learned last week. Everyone had a great time, even Colin and David enjoyed it even though they were only there for the last 2 days of it.
Sunday evening was AfterGlow, what an amazing group of teens we work with at CCC. We had a record breaking 42 teens last night for youth group and everyone seem to really enjoy themselves. A lot of new faces last night and I hope they will return. We have been working with Afterglow for going on 3 years now and have watched many of them grow up before our eyes. We have 4 that will be graduating this year and while this saddens me a bit it also makes me a very proud surrogate mom! I know they have a wonderful foundation in Christ and I know they will make the right choices. I couldn't be more proud of our teens.
After youth group we loaded everyone up and took them to Lytle Pool for the all church swim party. We had a whopping 250 people there last night. Might have been more but that is the amount that signed in at least. It's always a fun time when the church gets together like this for fellowship, food, and fun!
http://www.mattooncentralcommunity.org/
Sunday evening was AfterGlow, what an amazing group of teens we work with at CCC. We had a record breaking 42 teens last night for youth group and everyone seem to really enjoy themselves. A lot of new faces last night and I hope they will return. We have been working with Afterglow for going on 3 years now and have watched many of them grow up before our eyes. We have 4 that will be graduating this year and while this saddens me a bit it also makes me a very proud surrogate mom! I know they have a wonderful foundation in Christ and I know they will make the right choices. I couldn't be more proud of our teens.
After youth group we loaded everyone up and took them to Lytle Pool for the all church swim party. We had a whopping 250 people there last night. Might have been more but that is the amount that signed in at least. It's always a fun time when the church gets together like this for fellowship, food, and fun!
http://www.mattooncentralcommunity.org/
Saturday, August 7, 2010
Busy Summer
So I am completely new to this. Not sure what I will have to say or if anyone will even be interested but this will at least be a good way for family and friends to keep up with us.
Ever since school let out in May we have been on the go. The kids are always busy and on the go. Jaret quit working at Midas in May when his internship at Central Community Church was finished. He is now a full time Associate Pastor/Youth Pastor at CCC. It has been an interesting change of events in our lives. He is much happier working for God. We have wonderful youth leaders helping us with AfterGlow, which is our youth group at CCC. They are a great bunch of teens!
As for myself, well, I have enjoyed watching our 4 children this summer and am rather sad school is getting ready to start back up. Luckily, Jaret and I have decided that in December I will be able to stop work and begin helping him out at our church. I am very excited for this new opportunity in my life.
So when I think of more to say I will be back. This may take some time to get everything up and going.
Ever since school let out in May we have been on the go. The kids are always busy and on the go. Jaret quit working at Midas in May when his internship at Central Community Church was finished. He is now a full time Associate Pastor/Youth Pastor at CCC. It has been an interesting change of events in our lives. He is much happier working for God. We have wonderful youth leaders helping us with AfterGlow, which is our youth group at CCC. They are a great bunch of teens!
As for myself, well, I have enjoyed watching our 4 children this summer and am rather sad school is getting ready to start back up. Luckily, Jaret and I have decided that in December I will be able to stop work and begin helping him out at our church. I am very excited for this new opportunity in my life.
So when I think of more to say I will be back. This may take some time to get everything up and going.
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