Ground Level at the LA Dreamcenter

I went to the airport today to say goodbye to all our teen and leaders heading off for a week of missions at the LA Dreamcenter in California.

We sent approx 20 student and 4 adults. Just about all of our core teens. They are so amazing. This is their picture. I love them all so much. They really do amaze me. We are going to miss our 10 outgoing seniors!

Please pray for them this week as they minister to the people of Los Angelos. For many of them, this is their first missions trip, their first time to reach out to people they do not know. Pray their words would be effective. Pray for boldness and favor. Pray for the Spirit of the Lord to pass before them on the street, protecting them and softening the hearts of the people. Pray for salvation, for deliverance, for miracles. Our God is a God of the impossible. Pray for people's hearts and eyes to be opened to His love, mercy and righteousness. I love Him.

Here is their trip blog that they are updating while they are there. Go check it out! :)
http://ladreamcenter.glyouth.org

Senior Lunch

Yesterday was a fun day.

We celebrated and congratulated our graduating seniors from Ground Level pretty much all day. :)

<--- Lemon smiles
(Yes, that is our youth pastor on the far left.)

I love these guys so much! This is my first group of students (during my time with Ground Level) that I have seen grow from being freshman all the way up to seniors. Let me just tell you, they are an amazing bunch of men and women who love Jesus.

Anyway, after church, we took them out to lunch at the Spaghetti Warehouse. There was much fun to be had from lemon smiles to rocking out to David Crowder on the way back home with the windows down.

<---- All of us!
(except for me...I'm taking the picture!)

Hmmm.

I want to write and at the same time, I don't.

I'm really stuck on the Lord's goodness and His presence right now.
Hebrews 10:19-23
Psalm 73:ALL

"Let not our longing slay our appetite for living"

What, Lord?

Fireflight.

I took Chris Davis' challenge during GroundLevel on Wednesday. Pray when you have a few moments instead of just hanging around. Good stuff. I've been blessed, I love the Lord. I need Him. It's good to remember him in the free moments, good to talk to Him all day. I had forgot how much I loved talking to Him all the time. Good stuff.

Praying lots of things through, coming to terms with other things, wrestling with God a bit is what you could call it. But then again, when aren't we doing all those things? Life constantly changes, we constantly change, the Lord stays the same, we just discover new things about Him.

Life.
is good.
Challenging.
Convicting.
Frustrating.
Annoying.
Good.

You?

Again...hmmm

So, I totally hurt my back - again. At work. MAN!

I can't sit/stand/lie for very long in any position and I am WAY drugged up on stuff so it doesn't hurt as bad. I've got ice packs, heating pads, Misty Edwards and my mom on the way, so I'm ok.

Do me all a favor though and pray for the "Get off your But weekend" that is happening this weekend with Ground Level. I was supposed to be there. I'm not leading it, but my Student Leaders are. My wonderful, amazing, brillant Student Leaders. They've done a seriously awesome job of planning and executing this entire event completely by themselves.

Vic, Katie, Myranda, Kiera, Kelsey, Steve, Marshall, Garrett - You guys are awesome. I am SO proud of you. I know Jesus is, too. :)

Other than that, I'll be home, on the couch getting better. Feel free to call. If I'm not sleeping, I'll pick up.

I might post pictures later.

lack of posts

Sorry for the lack of posts.
i've been busy lately.

I worked overtime at work this week
Ground Level had a missions trip fundraiser dinner
Someone hit my car
I hurt my neck (a little bit)
And I started making a scrub top from CUTE dumptruck fabric!

:)

everyone needs a cute scrub top made from dumptruck fabric. :)

This is the verse that has been running through my mind lately:

No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 8:37-39

the end!

P.S. - I'm still in dishwasher heaven.

Overnights and Holy Spirit

Okay, this is an overnight post.

I am at work, fighting to stay awake, and every little child who should be sleeping, but is not, does not seem so cute right now. I offered to switch places with them. They could go be the nurse, and I'd sleep, but this 11 month old right next to me didn't seem to like that idea very much. My 9 year old jumped at the chance, but I had to turn her down....she didn't know how to plug in the heart machine. Very important detail.

(Hey, I just looked down, the 11month old who has been screaming since midnight WENT TO SLEEP!!!!!!!!!!!!!)

:)

Life has been good and busy lately.

Taught a class on Holy Spirit on Sunday, which went well. Honestly, I wish it had went better...sometimes it's hard to know if you are connecting, and it's hard to think of creative ways to make it all interesting. I mean, it's the Holy Spirit, so it's VERY interesting (and quite frankly amazing!), but at 11am, you've GOT to have something to wake them up. They were responsive, and ultimately, I have to trust the Lord with what He asked me to say, and then for the change in them from it. I've already had one student asking questions from her devotional, so that's good. That actually makes me REALLY happy. I love when others learn new things about the Lord.

I love when I learn new things about the Lord.

Today's Quote: "You never graduate from the school of God."
- Dave Hasz

Who Am I?

It's been an Identity and Purpose weekend at our church. Not officially of course, but it seems that's all the Lord's been putting on our hearts to talk about. It was a great weekend (thank you for your prayers!) and I just wanted to share with you some great quotes.

Girls' Retreat (Friday - Saturday)

• You were created to fit and be bound to the Lord as a belt fits and is bound to a man's waist. The Lord created you to fit to Him. (Read Jeremiah 13:1-11)
• When you are created for something, nothing else satisfies you but that thing.
• You will never know what you are supposed to do with your life until you understand who you are. When you know who you are, you know what you are called to.
• If you are a daughter/son of God, then your FIRST and PRIMARY purpose/calling/destiny in life is to be in loving, intimate relationship with God.
  
• God didn't create Adam so He wouldn't have to name all the animals. He created Adam to have fellowship and relationship with.
  
• Everything that is "expected" of us as Christians falls secondary (and flows out of) to the primary purpose of knowing Jesus in relationship.
  
• We do the "expected" things as Christians because we ARE part of Jesus' family, not to gain an entrance pass to or maintain our status in His family.
  
• When we ask "what is our purpose in life?" as it pertains to job and career, we are asking the wrong question.
  
• The question you should be asking is "What do I need to do with my life in order to best accomplish the things Jesus has asked me to do based on how He has made me?"
• The Lord sits at our right and left hands and whispers in our ears "go right, go left, you're on course." We need never fear (or fear messing up) our destiny with the Lord.

Hello, my name is (Sunday morning)

• If you had to introduce yourself based on your identity in Christ only, what would you say?
• How would your life (and actions) introduce you?
• The Father doesn't want/need another hireling or servant. He wants a son/daughter.
  
• Stop performing (keeping score in your head) and starting living as a son/daughter of God.
• There is no community service when it comes to grace and mercy
  

Sigh. It was such a good weekend.

I love it when the Lord shakes up things I thought I had a handle on. You never stop growing and learning in the Lord. It's like any other relationship. I think I will be 89 years old still trying to grasp hold of how the Lord thinks of me. His love is just so HUGE!

SO, I know those quotes were long, but really, if you can just grasp a small iota of how Jesus views you and who He created you to be, it will change your life.

Today's Thought: If you stopped "keeping score" in your head and simply lived as His child, how would your life change?

Girls Retreat 2008

Girls' Retreat 2008 in 4 hours!
I am so excited...nervous and busy, but so excited. I am expecting Jesus to move in these girls hearts. To change how they think, to move their hearts to fall more in love with Him this weekend.

Pray for us, please.

Pray for our 8 girls that they would clearly experience God this weekend. Pray for protection and favor over us and for hearts to be softened.

See you after the weekend!

Dirty Dishes and Princess Hats!

These are my numerous dirty dishes in my kitchen, that I am not so excited about. I seem to be rather busy right now, with the Girls Retreat 2008 coming up at church this weekend, and the dishes seem to have gotten left behind in the dust. Poor little dishes. Thank goodness for roommates who sort, organize, rinse and then clean section by section. :) Also thank goodness for paper plates.


Speaking of the Girls' Retreat, this is my Princess Hat for it and I am SUPER excited about the pink-ness of it! :) You see, we are all supposed to bring our best princess outfits. I saw this today while I was out with one of my girls, loved it and just knew that I had to have it for part of my princess outfit. I tried it on when I got home...it's totally awesome. Yay for princess hats!

Today's Thought: How much growth would we see in our lives if we worried about what the Lord was concerned about, instead of all the other stuff that we worry about?