God is Present and at work!

On sunday, I shared with the Ignite Jr. High about God's Power and how to stay plugged into it. P=Pray in all circumstances, O=Obey God's Word, W=Worship Him, E=Expect Him to show up in mind blowing ways, and R=Remain in Him every day not just on sundays.

Well, one of my student's family has been having a particularly rough patch lately. They are hanging in there and trusting God through all their circumstances. But that hasn't knocked this particular 11 year old down! Just this week, she embraced the courage to invite one of her school friends to youth group on wednesday night. The kid has never been to church. He decided to go with her.......and had a BLAST! He can't wait to go again and couldn't stop talking about it all the way home.

Why do we doubt it? Why are we so afraid to step out and step up to what God puts in front of us? Maybe it's a friendship or a moment to share our faith or a situation where truth needs to be said in love. Maybe it's a supportive word or a coffee date or a service project that we just don't think we have time for. Maybe it's taking a stand for what's right or a committment to invest as much in our relationship with Christ as we invest in... (fill in the blank for whatever your thing is).

Someone reminded me recently that regardless of our circumstances, God is constantly being good. But we forget. We forget that there is this ALL POWERFUL God that wants to be working through what we think is a meager and insignificant existence sometimes.

I have plenty of moments when I feel insignificant and sorry for myself. But, for each minute you think you have nothing to give, you lose sixty seconds of giving. For every hour you feel sorry for yourself, you lose sixty minutes to comfort another. For every day you wait to get going in the ministry to which God has called you, you lose twenty-four hours to bless the world.

I am challenged by one 11 year old this week to put feet to my faith and action to my words. I want to tap completely into the POWER that is waiting for me to embrace. I want to use my imperfect self to encourage and embrace those around me. I want to be humble in every success and failure by always pointing to the One that saved my life.

Catch up in Fast Forward!

Today is Jan 1, 2012. Since I haven't blogged in over 4 months here's a short review.

In September, the kids started school. Mikayla is in the 6th grade this year, Jordan is in the 4th and Isabella is in the 2nd. All are doing a great job and thriving in their studies.

I also went back to school. We were overjoyed to find out early in August that I had been accepted to Pacific Lutheran University's School of Nursing. Being a Lute has been a wonderful experience so far! And I'm already done with my first semester. Only 2 1/2 more years left~


October and November were full of opportunities to help out in the kids classes at school. I am so thankful that they actually want me around them and their friends. Greg and I have also continued serving as the Ignite Jr High Leaders at our church. We are so blessed by the students and their families. We did some serve projects in October, Uturns are always a blast, and we did some caroling in December.

Our family got to enjoy some great camping trips in September and Greg has been trying to convince me to go as recently as last week. That man LOVES to camp!

December has once again been a wonderful month of holiday traditions, old and new.

This year was the first year we got to go to Journey to Bethlehem. Well, we were all supposed to go and then Jordan got sick. So, it ended up being a daddy/daughter date. They absolutely LOVED it and we can't wait to go all together next year.

The Christmas Tea is something that Mikayla and I have done together for 4 years now. Isabella will FINALLY be old enough to join us next year and she can't wait to be a part of the tradition. It was wonderful as always.

Grandma was in the Singing Christmas Tree this year so that became a new tradition for us as well.

Gingerbread Houses is another favorite for our three kiddos. This year we could tell they are definitely getting older as they really put some thought into those houses!





Ever since the kids were born, Greg has read Twas the Night Before Christmas to them on Christmas Eve right before bed. He loves it and so do they.

And of course, Christmas morning! Jordan's big thing this year was LEGO Rock Band for the Wii. The boy was overjoyed. In fact, all three were as they screamed for over a minute when the gift was opened. Mikayla got her electric scooter that she was hoping for. And Isabella loved her Squinky playhouse.

YEP! Right up and down the hallway she went! There was no waiting for the rain to stop!!

So, that brings us to today. NEW YEARS DAY~2012! Pictures, and taking short trips down memory lane, can be fun. But, they are merely snapshots of moments that existed amidst many others. Some good and some challenging! God has met with me at the peak of the mountain at times, and at others, he has reached out to gently pull me up again. I have seen and experienced losses of great magnitude in my life and others during 2011. I have wittnessed God's hand at work in the honest conversations of real people. I have let tears fall and held the hand of the frail. I have been reminded often that I am a work in progress.

My God is Faithful. Life is precious. I am but a servant of the Most High King. God has shown his favor over me. I am married to the most AMAZING man I've ever known and I love him with all my heart. I have been blessed with three INCREDIBLE children whom I also love with all my heart. I have breath today and for that, I am thankful.

Happy New Year!

The River Walk

There is this really cool trail that leads along the Puyallup River. We have lived here for a long time and I had never gone down to the river. That all changed tonight. Greg and I took a walk on the trail and finally made it down to the river. There were people fishing, kids playing, super soft sand to sink your toes into, and nice people all around that didn't mind talking about the fish they were catching.





For me though, the best part was being with Greg. He is still the man that makes my heart flutter. When he grabs my hand and pulls me into himself......well, I just melt. He's strong and protective. He's dark and handsome. He's gentle and kind. He treats me like a QUEEN which is nice too. He loves to serve me and he makes it so easy for me to serve him. Thank you God for the man that you chose for me.

What, 35 already?

Wow! Where does the time go? My birthday comes around every year just like everyone else. But, I think this one snuck up on me a bit. I turned 35 this year. Now, I don't think that's super old or anything. But where has all the time gone? I remember being 20 and getting married like it was yesterday!

What I can say, is that the last 15 years have been especially good to me. I got married to the man that God had handpicked for me, I have been blessed with three wonderful children, and I have learned a lot about myself and others. I've definitely been stretched and grown a lot, but I'm thankful for those moments and challenges.

My birthday this year was one of thankfullness. Not because I was given some elaborate gift but because my perspective is a little different this year. Whether it was miracle babies born into our family recently, or the gift of education, or just the love of friends and family......there is much to be thankful for.

So, as I celebrate my birthday this year, I want those of you reading this to know that I am also thankful for you. I go over my blog list often and just pray for my friends and the lives that they are living. I think about some of you who are walking through those tough moments that challenge us throughout our lives and I pray for God to grant you peace.

Here's to us. To a year of great things and fun memories. A year of incredible moments to grow us. A year of fitting our lives into God's plans instead of trying to fit God into ours!