Excitement Over a New Year!

I am so excited that a new year is just around the corner! This past year has been a year of transition for me and learning to leap out in faith and go after what God has for me. Although it has been a wonderful growing time in my walk with God, I am definitely ready for a bit of stability!

I'm at a wonderful new church, in an amazing new ministry, working with incredible people, and ministering to the most precious kids in the world! You might think I have rose colored glasses on and maybe I do, but I am so excited about 2009!

The year is planned with many incredible avenues of ministry! I'm planning the year's messages in Kid's Church and am excited about all the activites we will have this year! Our 4th and 5th graders will be learning how to minister in so many areas - puppet team, worship team, missions team, prayer team, drama team, mime team, handbells, and much more! Our K-3rd graders will be taking this all in and learning from the older ones how to worship God in all these many wonderful avenues! Our preschoolers will have a new room with a whole new look to Pre-K Kid's Church! They will have puppets, worship, mission's emphasis, prayer, drama teams visiting them and they will even learn how to play hand bells! Then, our nursery from 0-2 will have lessons they will be learning in a whole new, fun way this year! I can't wait until a 8 or 9 month old baby says "Jesus"! What an awesome year!

Not only will we have ministry for the kids, but outreaches as well! M-Pact for Girls and Royal Ranger for Boys will have a greater emphasis in outreach! Also, there will be mom and tot outings, Valentine's Party for all ages 0-5th grade, an all community Easter Egg Hunt, Family Movie Nights, WCAG Family Day at the Zoo, Kid's Country Expedition - for an entire week at night with an amazing Guest Speaker!, Kid's Camp in Southern MO District Campgrounds, Kid's Art Walk, Harvest Festival, Kid's Christmas Party and much more! What an amazing year this will be!

I guess you can tell by now...I'm excited! God is so good and I'm looking forward to one of the most amazing years I have ever experienced!

Blessed!

It has been a very crazy season in my life, but I am just so thankful! God has been truly good to me in so many ways this year and I feel extremely blessed!

I know that this my sound Thanksgivingish, but I am ending 2008 with many things to be thankful for!

• My family - My parents, siblings and their spouses, and my nieces and nephews. God has blessed us with love, health, and happiness. Even though we have had different scary bouts of illnesses, God has brought each one through.'


• My Friends - God has blessed me this year with both new and old friends alike. There are special people in my life that feel like their angels of encouragement, wisdom, kindness and love.


• My Ministry - God has blessed me tremendously in bringing me to WCAG as the Children's Pastor. It has been a long journey this year of listening for His direction in my life. Picking up and leaving Springfield in a major step of faith and waiting for God to open the door for me to minister. Little did I know how wonderful a plan God had for me! It is so true that His timing and His plan is so much greater than ours!


• The Kids - I love the kids at WCAG. What an amazing, amazing time I am having ministering to and loving on the kids here at WCAG! It has been a blast and I am looking forward to this next year with anticipation and excitement for the things to come!


• The Staff - The pastors and secretaries and maintenance team are amazing! I have been made to feel so welcomed and part of the team! When God brings you into a caring and loving place to minister...it is a blessing!

There are many more things to be thankful for, but this is what is on my heart and mind today. I hope you all are able to count your blessings this season and truly thank God for His amazing plan in your life!

The Circle of Life

Over the past few weeks and days, the circle of life has been on my heart and mind. What a deep sadness we experience when our loved ones are diagnosed with critical conditions or when we lose someone we love. It is a comfort knowing that we have our Heavenly Father to turn to at these times, but even though we have Him there is a grieving process we must walk through to heal the pain and loss.

It is natural to feel pain and loss even as Christians. Just because you believe in eternity, it does not make the feeling or depth of loss any easier. You still lose someone from earth that means very much to you. You go to make those phone calls to them and then realize suddenly that they are no longer with you on earth. Over the past several weeks, God has given me a realization in my heart like never before how precious this life is and how our relationships on earth should be cherished. Never take a day or a relationship for granted. "Don't let the sun go down with anger in your heart". How petty we are at times and we don't even realize that a tiff or an attitude with a family member, friend, co-worker, or EVEN someone in our church family could be our last conversation or interaction with them. Wouldn't you hate to know that your last conversation with someone that was not your kindness interaction was the last one you had with them?

Due to the many illnesses that has hit my family throughout the years it has taught me to NEVER live with the possibility of regrets. If I'm having a bad day and I'm snippy with a family member, I call and apologize. If my family member is in the hospital and I am out of town, I come home to see them. Never do I want to live with a personal regret in my heart that I wasn't there, I didn't love them, or I had a petty fight with someone and chose to ignore the situation rather than straighten it up. My favorite motto in life is "In the realm of eternity does this really matter." I know it might sound weird to you, but to a black and white personality it helps to distinguish the important from the petty. If the answer is "no"...then I need to get over it. If the answer is "yes" then I need to deal with it and bring a resolution to it.

I guess what I'm trying to say is life is too short to not treat everyone how God has asked us to treat them. Life is too short not to cherish the special moments and those around us. Don't take people for granted...don't leave things unsaid...don't walk with anger or bitterness in your heart or your relationships. Enjoy life, cherish your family, treasure your friends, be caring toward your co-workers and neighbors and stand with your church family in unity. When you do this...you've done all you can do...and you are living a life that will leave no regrets!

Now...It's Time to Enjoy The Holidays!

Last night when I was talking to my mom, she made a comment that suprised me. I was talking about how crazy the last month has been in my life...new job, moving, her illness, my Christmas schedule and to top it all of a nice, wonderful winter cold! She said, "Yes, the last seven weeks have been insanely crazy for you." When she said that I thought she had added wrong. I told her that I had only been here at WCAG for four weeks. She laughed. When I thought about it, it has been seven weeks. Boy, time flies when you are busy!

It has been the greatest seven weeks of my life! It is so incredible to be in the center of God's will and to be at the place you know He has sent you! I love everything! The office staff is wonderful, the pastors are so kind and gracious, the congregation is so welcoming and the kids, the kids are so amazing! It feels as if the church opened it's arms to be and has embraced me as family. What a blessing...and what an incredible start!

Well, I am moved and as of tomorrow, everything will be unpacked, hung and in place! My mom is doing much better and my family and I are so thankful! God truly brought her through when doctors did not expect a favorable outcome. What an amazing blessing and gift this Christmas! My cold hopefully is getting better...and I'm eating up the cough drops so that always helps! SO...now I can enjoy Christmas!

I have not shopped for one thing! My family Christmas with all my siblings and nieces and nephews is Sunday afternoon and I have not bought one thing! Yikes! I have my work cut out for me on Saturday - purchase gifts for eleven people and wrap them all nice and neat! Another yikes! My parents and I will have Christmas together on Christmas Day, so I can wait to purchase their gifts until Monday or Tuesday! Yet, another yikes!!! I can't wait to hit the malls and stores and hear the Christmas music, the long lines, the lights, the parking spaces at the very end of the parking lot! I know, it doesn't sound fun to you, but to me...its time to begin the Christmas season!

It is my favorite season and hate that it seems it has been cut short due to unexpected events, but I'm going to enjoy my socks off the next nine days! Christmas here I come!

PEACE DURING THIS SEASON...

Have you ever had times in your life where the world is spinning and you're standing there shouting "slow down"? Well, I am experiencing one of those times in my life right now!

Over the past four weeks, I: 1) Began a new position, 2) Moved to a new place, 3) My Mom is in the Hospital, and 4) I have been sick. What a combination of things! Boy, has it been crazy! Living in boxes, at the hospital, and learning the ropes at a new job have been a bit insane and at times I stand there and try to figure out where to begin! Do I unpack, go visit my mom, sleep so I can stay well, or attend an event. However, in the midst of all of the chaos that life brings, I'm sitting at my desk looking at my constantly lit candles and just remembering God's goodness.

I don't know what it is about candles, but when I stare at the fire and sit there for a minute and smell the aroma coming from it, I began to relax. God's gift to my life...CANDLES (and pedicures...but that's another story)! Today, the candle on my desk focused me and reminded me that yes, life can be crazy, but in the midst of it and after the craziness of it, all God asks of us is that we remain "lit" for Him. Though troubles come or hard times, it is when our candle or our life should burn the brightest...because we come through those times not in our strength, but His. It was just the perfect reminder for me today to keep my focus. Don't allow the craziness to overwhelm me, but allow His Spirit to give me peace! I hope that makes sense...if not, it does in my mind :-)!

Hope you all have a great day being reminded how wonderful it is to have a Heavenly Father there for you constantly and carrying you during difficult times!