Our family-at work & play!

Here's the family...working to break down the old stepsin front of our house. What fun??!! We are also building closets, painting and moving rooms. Who's idea was this anyway???











Here are my guys! Sean came into town for Susan Ezell's wedding! Congrats Susan! We had a great time going to Larosa's and O'Charlies. Sean also hit The Works with his dad. He always has to get to these great places to eat while he is home!

I want to thank God for my family! Love you guys LOTS!

Late Night/Early Morning

I just looked at the clock...12:30am Saturday morning, or Friday Night??? I haven't gone to bed yet, so I am counting this as still Friday.

It has been a busy week. Trying to get caught up with all that needs to get done in the office, at home and at the city. Along with all the new things: Getting the General Store ready to open in NP-3, trying to get a 08 budget ready, working on getting a new copier for the office, looking at all the monthly bills we have that could be lessened. Working on moving and cleaning rooms at the house, getting ready to build closets and get new windows, scrubbing bathrooms. (yuck!) Working on piles of filings at the city, along with other duties. Seems like I will be catching up for quite awhile. So, what did I do tonight?

Went out to dinner with Kelly and then to a Worship Concert! I shirked all my "needs to get done" list and worshiped for 90 minutes with LOTS of other people at the Vineyard. It was great! My friend, Linda, from the city, met us there and so did part of my small group! It was so very nice to sing, pray, sing, pray, and sing! Now I feel energized to get my work done! (or, at least work on it all!)

I came home and worked on the General Store points for the children of NP-3. Some of them have been working very hard to get points to trade for their goods! I think they will be excited to see it opening soon! Tomorrow (later today) I will be working on the rest of my list! Hopefully it will shrink down quite a bit this weekend!

Oh, and HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO DARREN & RANDY!!! May this be the very best year ever!!

If God Asked YOU to Build an Ark...

what would you do? This is the question I gave my 2nd & 3rd graders as homework. They are to ask their parents this question. And...if they say they would build one, then ask some more q's. Like...Where would you build it? Where would you get the money? Would you get a permit? What would your friends and family say?

When I gave this assignment, I never relized it would start raining and not quit! We are already 3 days into the 40 days to get that flood going! (Good thing God said He wouldn't do it again...I would begin to wonder!)

But...yep, there is always a but! Even tho we know that God won't flood the whole earth again, He never said we wouldn't get flooded! That's what happened today. LCC had a great flood!

I woke up this morning thinking I would work on my Bible Study homework, drink my coffee, and relax a little before I hit the shower and then go on in to work. I was sadly mistaken!!! I get a nice little phone call from Emily about 7:30am saying the preschool side of the basement is full of water and some in the Fellowship Hall is moving into the NP-3 side quickly! She had already pulled up the edge of our carpet and put down a towel stopper to try and slow it down!

Well, needless to say, my small retreat was totally forgotten! I gulped down my coffee, threw on some clothes, put my hair in a ponytail, and high-tailed it up to the church! I called my husband to see where our wet vac was...he said he would pick it up and meet me at the church. I also called Ponchot to let him know to bring a wet vac. At the church there was probably 2-3 inches of water in the basement! The preschool side and the kitchen were full with the foam puzzle mat floating on top of the water! You missed it...Sharon could walk on water! Emily and Sharon were squeeging the floor. I met Mark Jacobs there and he worked on the sump pump and I tried to slow down the river that was flowing down the ramp all the while it was pouring down rain...what excitement!!!

Anyway...the office was closed today for the holiday. It was Noah's Day! Dan and I worked with a vac while Emily and Sharon used the squeegies. What a team!!! Mark went out to get some really FANtastic fans! There was one that I would like to keep, it was great! After Sharon and Dan left (they both had to shower and get ready for meetings and class) Emily and I kept on going till 1:00. (Sharon thanks for the Pepsi and aspirin!) Then...I had to get some stuff done in the office then get home for a shower and off to the city so I could come back later to the church. When I left, the floor was dry, but we were still using the fans on the baseboards and Em and Tawnya were cleaning with bleach.



Who says working at a church is boring and nothing ever happens?!? Then, tonight I was watching the news, and they are showing this company (I won't name) that has been cleaning flooded basements at houses all day. They said it costs between $500 and $1000 to get your basement de-flooded! Wow...we were worth LOTS today!!! I feel pretty good! Maybe our "team" could start a side business for every "Noah's Day"???

Life's a BEACH!

OK, so I talked about slowing down. Maybe a week at the beach would be really great for me? Yep, I think we all should slow down at times, but when it seems that my usual days come to a screeching halt, and I'm not at the beach, I am definitely not very happy!

My tests came out ok, but ended up giving me a few complications that sent me with my husband to Bethesda North. I must say, it was horrid! We arrived at noon and finally came home the next morning, driving through the thunder storm and possible tornados around the town. Before we left the hospital the electric went out and they were on their backup generator. I wanted to go home so badly, but was afraid that with the weather we would end up back at the hospital and have to start all over again. (not good!) The hospital was so full they had no beds, so we spent the first 7 hours sitting in the emergency waiting area. Even the extra 800 beds they had just added were full! People were told by their doctors to come to the emergency room to get admitted into the hospital. One of those people was Jean Conley Wille. It's kind of weird to meet a friend in the emergency room while you are both waiting to see a doctor! If you can, please keep her in your prayers! There were soooo many people there...it was unreal.

I want to thank everyone for all your prayers while I was at the hospital and the ones that some are still sending up for me! It was a bit scary for me, not knowing what was really wrong and I greatly appreciate everyone that offered to help us out with work, home, William and just calling to see how I was. It was difficult at times for me to talk because I would get short of breath. (You gotta know that drove me crazy, since I've been known to talk...a lot!) I apologize to all who I didn't get to call back, I promise to return all my calls this weekend! Thanks to Emily for taking my call first thing in the morning and letting people know I wouldn't be at work! Thanks to Kelly for answering your phone and offering prayers and help! Thank you Geneva for doing the bulletin for me! Thanks to Dan for the hospital visit on your day off! Thanks to my Mom for taking William out to dinner and staying with him till the wee hours of the morning! And, again thanks to all of you that offered to help out and prayed for us! I am SO VERY BLESSED to have such great people in my life!

I am better! (Not normal, since I never have been) I am still pretty tired and sore and achy, but the pain has subsided and I can breathe better. I don't have everything done I really needed to do this week, and feel bad about that, but the wisdom (?) of Dan and Brian (thanks for the call, even tho you are on vacation!)said not to worry about it all. So, if I was suppose to do something for you or your ministry this week, be prepared that it's not ready yet. I will get to it all this week and hopefully catch up soon.

Again and again...THANK YOU...THANK YOU...THANK YOU!!!!

Slowin' Down...

Sometimes it's just good to slow down...In the world we live in today, everyone is always running to do another activity, work at a job, at home or at your church. Grabbing a bite at McDonalds, or a PB&J brought from home, and then off to your child's practice, game, teacher's conference, concert or the like. We do get to sit still long enough to enjoy the game or concert. What about running to the doctors, or the orthodontist or dentist? I noticed that I even bring my books to study or lessons to write with me. I have written cards while waiting for the doctor, and even while I was at my small group. The doctor's office seems to also be a great place to do VBS work. (It has helped to bring up the church subject with people I don't even know)I always try to multi-task...just ask Geneva! (I think I drive her crazy!!?!) I can't even talk to people on the phone without doing something. It could be opening the mail, cutting papers, or if nothing is close...I MUST DOODLE!!

So, today, it happened...I had to slow down...BUT...it wasn't by choice. I had to have a test run today that put me on the inactive list. No, nothing terrible, it's all ok...but...it drives me CRAZY not to be on the go. You know, I have laundry to do, and we are in the process of switching out rooms and building closets. Our house was built in 1880 so has no closets...yep, I'm serious. I will be estatic when it is all finished! (Bill...that is a hint!)I had to lay around, in and out of sleep and look at all the things around me that needed to be done. Plus, there is plenty to get done at the church. Letters to write, schedules to make, bulletins to print, and on... and, of course there's a never ending pile of stuff at the city...

What is it??? Why can't I just take that extra time and relax and enjoy myself? I did watch Oprah today. She had a doctor on there that said if we (women) want to really take care of our families, we should be taking better care of ourselves. I know that I have always put my family before me, and I have always felt great about that. Now, I'm getting older and I'm not sure if I will always be the crazed multi-tasker that I am now. I know that our body is God's, so maybe I should be taking better care of it for him??? (1 Corinthians 6:19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own.) I do want to thank Emily for trying to keep me moving at lunch time and to Patty for helping take some of my work load. I am excited to see what the next month will bring.

Maybe I will even learn how to take a day and just enjoy myself!! (And not feel guilty) Is there anyone else out there that can come along with me on this journey of joy? Let me know & let's try it together!

NP-3 IS LOOKIN FOR SOME OUTLAWS!

This is the week we begin our "penny wars" for our kids in NP-3! I finished the wall of outlaws today...it will be an ongoing task for everyone to vote just who should get SLIMED in December!!! What a GREAT Christmas Present for one of our fabulous leading groups! I will put a big red bow on the slime bucket!

If you need more information on the penny wars, just read the Huddle from last week and I will have more info through the next few weeks! Right now Keith, Steve & George are winning, cuz I had a few pennies in my pocket!!!

Here are a few pictures of our outlaws!!





We will be seeing Jokster Jill and Vicious Varmit Vicky this week! we hope you will come join us at 8:45 or 11:15am! It's gonna be a rootin tootin good time!

Who/What do you Worship?

Seems like an easy question. But is it?

Most believe you must pray, or sing worship songs to someone, or something to worship it. Guess what? That's not completely correct! There's so much more that you can do. You could probably tell what you worship by looking at your day planner (I'm kinda old, so most of you might now have a blackberry) your calendar, email, Outlook and/or your checkbook.

Where do you spend most of your time and money? What are you responsible for? Where are you scheduled and responsible to be? Is that game the most important thing in your life? Will you remember the final score in a year or two? Is that what you want your children to see? Responsibility and team work, they are great things for our children to learn. Is it more acceptable to not miss a practice, game or concert than it is to miss church?

In today's society we trudge along with the rest. If a child signs up to be a part of team, then that team is relying on them to show up and be a part of the team. If you agree to head up a program or outing, then there are people expecting that you would show up and do what you said. What if you don't show up? What if you don't call? Who does it hurt? Who will take your place? How many will it effect? Will the team notice you were gone?

Church is the same as everyday life. People use their gifts to further the kingdom of God. Are you using your gifts to serve God? Are you following through on your responsiblities? Are you letting someone in your family down? Satan loves to keep you away from serving in the family. He loves when the games, practices, sleep, work and play keep you away. He loves to see you forget your responsiblities to God and your church family. He loves to keep you away from studying His Word.

Who/what do you worship? The Bible tells us that He knows the plans He has for you. Are you following the plan He has for your life, or are you taking a different path?

The great thing is...it's easy to change lanes and make a legal u-turn...now's the time! We have many places available to serve in our family that could be filled by you and your gifts! God wants to use YOU! Are you ready? U-TURN!!!

Sunday's are Always Full!

This past Sunday was no exception! I always get there early, this week in the sky you could see Saturn & Venus next to the crescent moon before sun up! (I saw them Saturday morning too...we had a meeting at 7am!)Angi, Ben, Toni & Jen were in NP-3 this week. I set up our new "Wanted" posters for our penny wars and got my Sunday school lesson together in the classroom. Then, off to the Worship Center to check on the attendance! Jared put together a wonderful, meaningful, beautiful video...yea right! Everyone got to see the staff (and Julie & Rhonda) today & what we looked like at High School graduation! Can you believe the things they put us through??

Sunday school was a bit of a crazy time for me. I decided to check out another class to make sure the substitute teacher was there, and they weren't, so actually taught a different class. I want to thank Emily Ayers for filling in the first hour, Mr. Mike for teaching our class without me, and Karen Huffman for helping me out during Sunday school. Karen...thanks for always helping in that class! I got the chance to spend a bit more time with some of the children I haven't got to know very well. We had a great time eating foods that were similar to the foods Abraham might have packed for his journey. Raisins, sunflower seeds, flat bread and (yucky) figs. (No Karen, I don't like Fig Newtons!) We had a couple of new faces in class...Garrett and Seth-thanks for coming to join us!





Church time was busy, we saw lots of new faces on this holiday weekend. It was great too! In our 3rd hour we had lots of children and a couple of families joined us too! Our "Spotlight" family this week was the Weber family! Kurt, Alicia, Austin, Meredith & Evan, we are sooooooooo very blessed to have you as part of our LCC family! Thank you for all you do!

After church Lisa & Randy got married!! Yep, they are now Mr. & Mrs. Randy Hopkins! Congratulations!!! Then, off to Larosa's for our family lunch! We had a great time, and ate the great chicken barbecue pizza! YUM! On the way I met up with Doran who was in search of Toni's glasses. Apparently they flew out the window of his car while he was driving. So, I met up with him and Emily later and we walked up and down W. Loveland & Lebanon for a few hours. It was a bit warm, and a little depressing that we couldn't find them. Just where could they have gone?? Mary did bring us water...it was sooo good and sooo cold! Still, no glasses though. If you find any...please bring them to the church! Keep an eye out!

Back to the church I go to work on attendance and then...IMPACT! I love to go and listen to the worship band during our teen service. It is always a great pick-me-up and wonderful way to end the day. If your child is 6th grade to 12th grade and doesn't attend Impact, you need to take them! Dan does a great job and is a wonderful influence for our teens! Thank you Dan!

Must I say...I went home, did some laundry, read and worked on my Bible Study lesson, and hit the bed! I was exhausted! Thank you God for a wonderful day!

Why? Oh Why??

You would think that I for one would always know when God is leading me to do things I believe are impossible for me. I believe that He guides us, so why should I be totally amazed when things fall into place and/or go smoothly instead of the wacky way I am expecting? No, it's not always smooth and sometimes there is a little "heat" involved. (like the last post) But, sometimes you do or say things that you "just wouldn't do or say" in any usual setting or circumstance. Sometimes God just says MOVE IT NOW!

So, did I already ask...why are we so amazed???

One of my favorite parts of the Bible, which I shared with my second & third grade Sunday school class, is in Genesis when it says that God was WALKING IN THE GARDEN IN THE COOL OF THE DAY. Can you imagine, God walking in the garden????? Wow! How many times have I thought what it might have been like to actually have Him walking with me in the Garden of Eden...but then, what am I saying??? He is walking with me! He says He will never leave me! He has my name written on the palm of His hand! He guides my steps! What have I been thinking???????

My other favorite part is when Peter gets out of the boat, walking on water to Jesus. He takes his eyes off Him and begins to sink. (Matthew) No, that's not my favorite part yet, here it is. The Bible says "immediately", immediately Jesus reached out His hand and caught him. Even though Jesus gives him a hard time by telling him he was "of little faith" and "why did you doubt?" He still IMMEDIATELY put out His hand to save him from sinking. Many times in the Bible you can see the words immediately, straight away, and forthwith...Jesus says or does...and immediately they are healed, or believe.

So, back to me...why don't I, as a Believer, and a close friend, always know that He is always there with me and there for me, guiding my steps, trying to keep me afloat, and...He will always be there to catch me when I doubt???

Oh, me of little faith!

Here it is...God is good, all the time & all the time, God is good! I pray today that anyone and everyone reading this blog entry will keep their eyes on Him. That He will be the first one you go to for everything. That you know that He is the one that gives us EVERYTHING we have. He has been so good to us all. Do we have the faith that He will always be with us and catch us when we take our eyes off of Him and his Word?

Could that be a problem for you??? Will you trust Him today with your life and let Him hold your hand while you walk on water??? Keep Him in your sight!

Fire!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Well, I'm finally back. It has been a rough week and I really had many things going on. While trying to figure out why things go the way they do, and how to deal with it all I have learned many things. Now, I get the chance to share what I feel in my heart and what I have learned with you.

Why do we have difficulties? Our fiery tribulations...as they call it? We all go through the rough times, even though they are difficult so that God can prepare us to be who He expects us to be. It's mainly how we deal with those things that can bring us into the place that He needs us. He brings us through the fire...when I think of being in the fire, I think of Hell...yep, it's that bad sometimes! But fire is not always bad. God tells us that he will refine us like silver to make us clean. That, even though it is difficult, it helps to make us better. What about being the clay for God to mold us. I can't imagine that moving, working and forming the clay into a usable piece would feel too good getting pushed and squeezed and pulled into the right shape. Then, to finish the piece it goes into the oven for the "fire" to set it in that shape. Yep, more fire...ouch! It's getting hot in here!

How do we deal with it? That's what God is really looking at. Have we learned enough through His Word (Bible) to know how we are "suppose" to deal with it? Or, is the question really, do we "DO" the things we "KNOW" we are suppose to do when going though these difficult times?

If the difficulties are things in your life, do you meet them head on and not hide? Sleep was a thing of choice for me...If I hide in bed, maybe it will just go away... I would be so tired...lay there, cry and feel sorry for myself and cry out to God ...why??? Does it make it better? No, it just makes it take longer to find the solution and doesn't really accomplish anything, and we do not grow. Prayer, prayer, prayer is the best!!! Prayer and ACTION on my part works soooo much better. This is one lesson I have learned. I am blessed with many prayer warriors out there. You know who you are! Thank you for ALWAYS being willing to pray for me and my ministry, asking for God's Will to be done, and boy have I kept you all busy through the years! Things aren't always easy, but God does help us through, if we ask.

If the difficulty is with another Believer, God has asked us to "GO" to that person. Not talk with others, not cause a ruckus, not make it a topic of conversation and more of a war against others. This only lets Satan in the church and makes a division within it's family. Sometimes there is a "problem" that the other person might not even know exists! If, after you meet together you cannot come to an agreement, then take another with you and finally go to the leaders of the church.

I have learned these lessons. As a leader it is always my responsibility to go to my brother or sister in Christ to talk it over. I have learned over the years to talk to them, but more importantly to listen. I used to "listen" by finding something in the conversation that I disagreed with and was forming my "rebuttal" while they were still talking. So, I for sure was not even listening to the rest of their conversation. Now I know how to listen better. That is one lesson that has definitely allowed me to grow. I thank God for my "fires". It's not so great while I am going through them, but the result, and the reason I am experiencing them is making me a better person, (if I look for them).

Do I think I'm perfect? No. I have a long way to go! But...with God's help, and probably more fire, someday I may even hear Him say to me...Well done, good and faithful friend!

I am hoping that today, this pouring out from my heart, will help others to stay out of the middle of the fire. That you could see my mistakes and maybe only be a little singed on the edges during your "firing". I pray that you will always ask God to help you though and act the way He is asking you to. I know we all want to be a light for Him...lets do it...together!