Consider It...

I was reading James today and wanted to share this:

2Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. 5If any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to him. 6But when he asks, he must believe and not doubt, because he who doubts is like a wave of the sea, blown and tossed by the wind. 7That man should not think he will receive anything from the Lord; 8he is a double-minded man, unstable in all he does.
James 1:2-8

It seems to be so hard to 'consider it pure joy' at first when you are going through difficult things. I realized though when you really sit down to think about it...it is a privilege that we get to go through tough stuff. That stuff makes us so much stronger in the end...it prepares us for what God has in mind for our lives and for anything that might come our way. I have learned that the stuff we go through brings us so much closer to God...in a way that can only happen through challenges and problems. Those times also reveal so much about those close to you. It shows who's really going to be there for you and who was befriending you because it was convenient for them. It's funny how people pop in and out of our lives based on convenience rather than being unconditional. It's so great though, to see those who are unconditional...to be able to know who the people are that you can truly count on.

I am grateful for those in my life that I can truly count on! The family and friend that Matt and I have that we know are there for us, no matter what...They rock :)

Prayer

So last night was a rough one...We found out that Matt's grandfather passed away. He was very sick and we were expecting it soon- not that soon. We had planned to go to Tampa and visit him today or tomorrow. He was a great person who lived a great life. We are grateful for him being around as long as he was. We are the most grateful for the fact that He knew Christ. What more could you ask for? He was a sweet and loving follower of Christ...I only knew him for a short 5 years but in that time I got to know his kind heart.

If you could pray for Matt and his family...more than just Matt but our hearts go out to his grandmother. They were married for so long and they were so happy...I couldn't even imagine. We are also praying for his mom...It was his mom's dad and they were very close. We know he's in a better place and in no pain anymore...but we just pray for comfort and strength for those who loved him.

Thanks to all our friends who are praying...we love you guys!

INSPI (RED)

Yesterday was an amazing Sunday! Pastor Byron introduced the C3 Christmas project. They gave away over $10,000 to the people at C3 to give out to help a need of someone's...wherever or whomever you feel lead to give it to. You just can't use it yourself or give it back to the church. I think this is going to be awesome and Matt and I are looking forward to how we are going to spend our money! We have thrown around options...I wish we could do them all! I can't decide. I am excited though...it will be great to hear all the stories, too!! I know God is going to use us all in amazing ways through this...what a great opportunity to show love to those around us. Being that is exactly what He wants us to do...I know He will bless in amazing ways.

It is so great to be a part of something so life-changing. You may not change someone's whole life with your gift, but you could show them the only love they have seen in a while, and you never know what kind of life change that could turn into. Maybe they will pass the favor on to someone else...how amazing would that be if you inspired someone else to be kind to a stranger. It's just like that Liberty Mutual commercial that Barry Oser blogged about a while ago. The commercial more shows how our kindness to others is seen by so many people...and just others seeing it can be inspiring to them. All that to say...I can't wait to see what God is going to do through this! C3 Rocks:)

Okay so you might be wondering why I titled my blog the way I did...that would be in honor of one of my favorite shirts and a great cause. GAP sells these shirts that have various words on them, in order to raise aids awareness. Half of the money from the product RED clothes goes to helping people with aids in Africa. Check out stuff about it here.

I couldn't agree with Angie more...Love does WIN!

Football Woes and Other Randomness...

Okay so this was not the best football Saturday! LSU lost yesterday...I like LSU for those of you who didn't know :) and then FSU lost today. What makes it even worse is that they lost to the Gators!

Of course...my Colt's won on Thursday so that rocks! :) That doesn't quite make Matt happy though. I think he's ready for a new season for the Seminoles! I think most 'Noles fans are...let's put this year behind...

We got up at 4am to go shopping yesterday. I love shopping on "Black Friday." We got some great deals on Christmas stuff...mostly decorations! I love decorating for Christmas... :) We put our tree and new decorations up yesterday, too. Tomorrow we're moving on to the lights outside! That's Matt's least favorite part of the Christmas decorating :)

We have so much leftover from Thanksgiving...it's awesome! That just means not too much cooking for me for a little bit. Plus, it is so yummy still...who needs to cook! We had so much fun having all our family over for the holiday.

I feel like I'm getting sick...maybe it's stress...maybe it's my sinuses. They have a tendency to flare up...a lot! Whatever it is, I hope it goes away.

This weekend has been amazing! I love all the time I have gotten to spend with Matt :) He is the greatest!

I'm excited for tomorrow...Sundays at C3 are just that way. They are something to look forward to. They are refreshing!

See you there :)

Happy Thanksgiving :)

It's going to be a very busy day...but I wanted to post some more of what I am thankful for:

* My Savior Jesus Christ...He saved me and gave me life.
* My amazingly wonderful husband, Matthew. I can't thank God enough for him being the one I get to spend the rest of my life with. He is the greatest husband I could ask for and my very best friend.
* My family...it is great to be able to be with them all today!
* My puppy Princess...yep I am so thankful for her. She is so cute and I love her very much!
* My sister...I know I already said family but my sister rocks! She might only be 11 but she is such an awesome little sister...I love her!
* The great friends that Matt and I have in our lives. God has truly blessed us with awesome people that we can do life with.
* C3...C3 is such an amazing community of faith. Matt and I are so glad we are a part of something so great and so...barbaric (what better word is there to describe it?!) We can't wait to see what the future holds!
* For the staff at C3 who all work so hard to pursue Christ's vision for C3.
* For all the people who make our country great...Soldiers who fight for us, teachers, doctors...all who work for something greater than themselves.
* For food :) Shouldn't we be so thankful for having food to eat...so many don't.
* For technology...not facebook or myspace...but technology has made many things possible in so many areas of life.

* These are just some of the things I am thankful for...God is awesome and I am so thankful for how much He has blessed and for His love.

Happy Thanksgiving

Week of Thanks...Pt 2

I wrote yesterday a couple things that I am very thankful for...today I wanted to write about what I'm thankful for the most. Christ's love for me. I am blown away when I think about His unconditional love...The fact that He loved us all enough to die on the cross...for our sins...our shortcomings. It is amazing and there has never been a greater act of love.

I think back to the person I was before I let Christ into my life...wow...I was so different. It's so hard for me to imagine that part of my life because I am so different now. I now understand the amazing freedom of living with Christ being in my life...of course it isn't the easiest...but He never said it would be.

Not only do I think about how much I changed when I accepted Christ into my life, but also how much He has changed me throughout my walk with Him. I have grown so much, learned so much, and become someone so changed through Him. It is unbelievable to me to think how much Christ has done in my life...

I am so thankful for His unconditional love and grace.

Crazy Week of Thanks...

This week has already been crazy so far! We have so much to do before our family comes in town tomorrow...I really should be cleaning instead of blogging but...oh well :)

I have been thinking a lot lately (not much else to do while you clean) and remembering how much I am thankful for. Also remembering that my problems in comparison to some people's are nothing at all. There is a family at C3 who just lost their husband and dad. My heart goes out to them and I would ask that you would be praying for them and she has two young children. I can't even imagine...I just pray that God would comfort her in this time and that she would have friends and family be there for her to support her through this most difficult time.

I am so very thankful for those people that God places in our lives to support and comfort us in difficult times. Those people He gives us to do life with. As Madea would call them...our roots. Madea is a smart woman! :) As Travis talked about on Sunday with the students...we all have a God-shaped hole in us...but we also have a human shaped one. God designed us to have community with others. He knows we need other people around us to do life with and connect with. I am grateful for those people in my life.

Of course, I am thankful for my wonderful husband! I don't know what I would do without him. He is there for me always and loves me unconditionally. Sometimes I don't know how he does it...I can be difficult at times ;) No matter how difficult I am...He still loves. His birthday is coming up very soon (Dec 7) and I can't wait to celebrate him...He is too amazing for words. I can't be thankful enough to God for placing us in each other's lives.

I will post more on my thankfulness later...these are just a couple things :)

-Love and Thanks to you

Barbaric Sunday!

This Sunday was another great one! Powerhouse was awesome...the lesson was all about salvation and what Jesus did for us on the cross. The kids had the opportunity to pray to receive Christ and it appeared that many of them did! God is so awesome and He used Doug and Adam in awesome ways during the skit. They did such a great job communicating what it means to be saved by Christ and what it meant for Jesus to die for us and our sins.

Then, in small group time they made salvation bracelets...the small group leaders did an awesome job of helping the kids have a better understanding of Christ's love for them and helped them answer any questions they had. As I looked around the room and took pictures of small group time I saw so many of the kids laughing and having a great time. That is priceless...They are at church and having a blast! So many parents never thought their kids would actually like church. I am so thankful for our small group leaders...God is using them in awesome ways to connect with the kids and make church a blast!

Crave was awesome tonight, too! The worship was awesome...the students love having Josh lead worship. Travis laid out the vision for Crave for after we move. I think it is going to be awesome...our students seemed pumped about it! :) They all rock...I know God is going to continue to use them in awesome ways to grow the student ministry.

It was an amazing, barbaric, Sunday! God is doing amazing things through C3!!

Musical Saturday

I don't normally watch music videos but once I saw this one I loved it! I love this song and have posted about it before but never realized how much I would like the video.

Check it out!

Winter-Filled Friday

~ So...The Office is hilarious! I love the part when Michael is giving his deposition and they ask him: "So you were working under Jan..." Then he proceeds to answer the question with a "That's what she said!" Of course, then they have to go back and forth because it confuses everyone. And you had to know that the court reporter would mess up the delivery! :)

~ Oh man that show cracks me up. I am so sad because The Office is part of the TV writers strike so they will not be showing any knew one until it gets resolved! So, hopefully that will get resolved soon...The Office is a must! :)

~ I am excited about the weather today...I absolutely love cold weather. I would go to Colorado every winter if I could. I loved being there...it was so beautiful. We had a view that overlooked the snow-capped mountains. I will have to post some pictures soon. One day we were there it was -8 degrees. Maybe that was a little too cold, but oh well, it was still breathtakingly beautiful!

~ Anyway...I am also excited about the holidays. I love Christmastime! It will be great to see all of our family next week. I am ready to put up my Christmas decorations now, but Matt says it's too early. I could leave them up all year to remind me of Christmas!

~ I need to go...I'm having lunch with a great friend today. I love spending time with friends that just get it and get you.



Enjoy your Winter-Filled Friday!

Lovin' My Mac!

I love Apple products...I'm somewhat of an 'Apple Junkie' or so Matt tells me I am. I guess he's right...I have an iPhone, iPod, and MacBook Pro laptop.

Anyway! My whole point of this was to say that I love my Mac...It lets me create websites and although I haven't figured everything out, I have figured out how to create picture websites. Of course I love pictures and I love sharing them so I think this rocks!


Check out my website here.

Apple Rocks :)

Funny Wednesday!

Okay...Most people know I like Peyton Manning so I figured it would be only natural for me to post this funny commercial!

Laugh Away!

Random Love

* Tonight was a fun night...I actually won in the poker game we played at! I was pretty excited.

* This week has been crazy...difficult...but God is bigger than it all. I am so thankful for that.

* I'm thankful for Matt...he is amazing and is so unconditional with his love. He represents Christ in amazing ways, and I don't know how he puts up with me...I can be high maintenance.

* I am also thankful for C3...difficult week or not...C3 is amazing and I couldn't imagine a better church if I tried! By the way...life doesn't end with difficult...we move on from that and Matt and I couldn't ever imagine leaving C3, our friends (who mean the world to us), and a community that is impacting and reaching out to the community around them!

* About difficult stuff...I just have to say again that our God is so much bigger than all of that. He grows us in so many ways through those times and, I believe, that after we go through tough stuff...We are so grateful for it. We can be grateful for how we grew and what we learned that will help guide us through life.

* Well...enough about that...Matt and I just needed to get out that we love C3 and we support and love the staff :)

* Did I mention yet that I won at poker tonight?! I should be way more excited than I am...well I am actually pretty excited!

* I love our puppy...she is too cute! She is always grabbing my clothes and gathering them in an area together...She loves me. Well, she does the same with Matt's socks, I'm not sure what that means but I'm sure she loves me more. :-)

* Okay...I need to get to bed. I think I'm just rambling now and that's enough random for one day!

Love Wins :)

I love The Office!

I thought this clip was so funny from last week's episode!

Laugh Away!

Random Monday...

Yesterday was a great C3 Sunday! I really enjoyed the new series (and last series at our building) called Barbaric Grace. I must say...I also love the new shirts! The sermon was really encouraging...Barry gave a great summary of the it on his blog here. It was great to be reminded how barbaric Christ was in his love for us. It is so exciting to be close to moving to the theater. I think about Powerhouse and how we do that now...It will be so much more effective in the theater. How cool is it gonna be for children to tell their friends they go to church at the movies?! I am so excited about seeing what God has in store for C3...I can't even imagine how awesome worship and the main service are going to be!

Today was a crazy day...Matt and I went biking tonight. I now remember just exactly how out of shape I am! I was out of breath pretty fast and Matt was like "I don't feel tired at all." He gets in shape so quickly...I'm a little bitter :) It'll take me weeks!

God is teaching me so much lately! I know my last few posts have discussed that...I am so thankful for His patience with me and His grace. During those times when you have to fully rely on God He teaches so much and it is a constant reminder that His love is unconditional. I'm also thankful for all that God uses C3 for...I learn things all the time through C3...even through Powerhouse sometimes. It is amazing what watching and listening to kids can teach you. I love watching their kindness for one another as they help each other during small group time and I love seeing their childlike faith.

Then we had Crave at the movies last night....we went to see Fred Claus. It was surprisingly funny and it was fun to be able to hangout with the students for a while. They are so awesome and a few of them brought some of their friends. This Sunday at Crave will be a great one...I am excited for it! It was a great weekend.

Time for me to cook dinner...even though I feel like I can't feel my legs! :)

Happy Monday!

Reflections From the Week

This week has been one of learning for me. God has truly done a work in my life, He has taught me so much this week, and answered prayers. He has also really shown me that I have to be patient. I am not always a patient person...Matt can attest to that. But God has been teaching me that He isn't always going to answer my prayers immediately. I'm going to have to wait...sometimes much longer than I would want to. Of course, He has also shown me that when He does answer the prayers, it will be at the most perfect time. I have always know that we have to wait for questions and prayers to be answered, but I feel like I am learning to appreciate the waiting so much more. I have realized how much I grow in that waiting time, and how much I lean on Christ while not knowing all the answers. Not only do I grow closer to Christ, but closer to those around me that He has placed in my life to help me through times when I don't know all the answers. It is such a blessing to have people to count on and talk to. It may not be talking about problems...but just someone to share life with.

God has truly blessed me with Matt. I don't know how I would get through times of uncertainty without him. He is the one always reminding me how much he loves me. He is always there for me unconditionally and listens to me...even though I may say the same thing over and over again, or not make any sense at all, he still listens. I am so thankful that I get to spend my life with him!

So all in all, this has been a great week...I have gotten to spend a lot of time with different friends, spend time with Matt, and we got new furniture this week! :) Of course, most importantly God has really taught me so much lately...He has really opened my eyes about certain parts of my life...and I couldn't be more grateful.

*Thanks to all of you who prayed for my mom. She had her surgery and she is at home resting. From what my dad says she is doing just fine. :)

Prayer...

Please pray for my mom as she is having surgery tomorrow...nothing too major, but of course I can't help but be concerned.

They (my parents) don't know Christ and we do our best to show them His love. I have learned so much in the past year about the right and wrong ways to reach lost people. I have learned if you just treat them like people...regular people...instead of "sinners" (which we all are) they are more likely to respond. If you just love them, not love them like you will pray for their "sins" but love them like you would anyone else. Show them that you are just like them....you make mistakes too. Don't judge them! That is so huge to me because I remember when I didn't know Christ and I remember the feeling I had when I walked into church for the first time. I remember feeling like all the people around me were looking at me funny and that they all had to know that I wasn't a "Christian." I felt like they were judging me. Maybe they were, maybe they weren't...but I just remember how I felt. In reality, all of these things apply to how we should treat all people, Christ-Followers or not.

By the way...I, by no means, think I know it all about reaching people nor do I think I do all of these things perfect always....I just wanted to share what I, personally, have learned. It seems like these things would be a given...who wouldn't know these things. I knew them...but how did I apply them to my life? That is the difference now. I am still learning and am thankful for that. I love being able to learn new things and correct mistakes I'm making.

Anyway...I just wanted to ask for prayer and share my thoughts for the night...Thanks for the prayers.

Much Love

Barbaric Grace

I cannot wait for this Sunday!!

C3 Rocks!

What a Story!

I was reading through some blogs today and I read a few posts from Vince Antonucci. I usually read his blogs but a couple I read tonight really encouraged me so I thought I would share one:

"Tonight is our service in the bar (and we wouldn't mind your prayers). Yesterday I heard about something I had somehow missed.

There's a bartender/waitress at this pub where we're meeting who is very pregnant. She used to be a stripper. (Let me make it clear that I have this information second-hand. I have seen her wait on tables, but I have never seen her strip.) Apparently there's not much call for pregnant strippers, so she had to find a new job, which is why she's now at the pub.

Anyway, a couple of our Forefront ladies decided to throw her a surprise baby shower. So a few weeks ago they showed up early on Tuesday night, with all kinds of presents for her! (How awesome is that?!? No offense to any one else's churches, but we have the coolest people on the planet!) So, as you might expect, this lady is all shocked and surprised and grateful. But then she tells our girls that no one else has thrown her a baby shower! Not her stripper friends, her bar friends, no one. The only baby shower she's had is the one a few Christian women from Forefront threw her; women who had met her just a few times.

Okay, seriously, that's one of the best stories I've ever heard (typically you have to hang out with Tony Campollo to get something that good), and it happened at my church (!), and I didn't even hear about it until a couple of weeks after it happened (!!)."


What an amazing story! If people were more like this...well if "Christians" were more like this they wouldn't have the negative stereotypes associated with them now. Anyway...you really should also check out the post of his before that one. You can read it here. That is another really great story.

Blogging is so awesome because although I have never met this guy or been to his church....I get to see the amazing things God is doing there! I love hearing about churches that will do what it takes to reach the lost! No matter what that might be...even if they don't do church exactly like C3, if they're reaching lost people that is awesome. These stories make me so grateful for having a church like C3...that does do what it takes to reach the lost and uses the best methods for our area. I love getting to see how God is working in lives and how He has changed so many people's outlook on the church and the way it can be done!

Love really does win

Childlike Thoughts on Love...

I got an e-mail from a friend the other day with some funny quotes from children on love. Well, some were funny but some struck me...here are a few:

"Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening the presents and listen." (age 7)

"Love is what makes you smile when you're tired." (age 4)

"Love is when you go out to eat and give someone most of your french fries without making them give you any of yours." (age 6)

"If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend you hate." (age 6)

"Love is when mommy gives daddy the best piece of chicken." (age 5)

I thought these were so cute...it is amazing what kids know and what kind of faith they have in love.

Just wanted to share...

A C3 Sunday

It's so late and I am exhausted but I can't sleep. Sunday nights are like that for me. By the time we get back from Crave and start to wind down...I then find myself wide awake!

I heard this morning was awesome. Eric has such a great story. Pastor Byron wrote about his story on his blog here. God's grace and forgiveness is amazing! The work God can do in lives when it seems as if there is no hope never ceases to amaze me. I am so thankful we have a God who loves us so unconditionally that He will forgive us...no matter what. I hope people heard Eric's story and remembered that God does love them, no matter what the mistakes made in the past, and that there is forgiveness and grace in Christ.

I was in Powerhouse this morning which was amazing! I love being in there...our volunteers do such a great job of making it a fun and exciting environment for kids. I don't know what we would do without all of our awesome volunteers. God has truly blessed us with some great people with great hearts for kids. I will be posting some pictures soon on the Powerhouse blog.

Then we had Crave tonight. The band was so amazing! Our students were so pumped and into the music :) I teach high school girls at Crave and I love it. We had so much fun tonight just playing some games and getting to know each other. We just did some ice breakers and talked for a little bit. It is great to get to know these girls and I love seeing them get to know and trust each other. They rock :)

This Sunday was so C3...amazing morning services in Powerhouse and in the main service, Crave was awesome and we had a ton of students, and God is doing amazing things and changing lives...it doesn't get much better than that.

Well...I do have to work tomorrow so the bed is calling my name...with a little Man vs Wild on the side :) I love watching that show while in the comfort of my home...

Have a Happy Monday!

Stand

I love this song...The lyrics inspire me and the music video rocks. I'm just going to let the song do the talking...I'll just leave you with my favorite lyrics in the song:

Cause when push comes to shove
You taste what you're made of
You might bend, till you break
Cause its all you can take
On your knees you look up
Decide you've had enough
You get mad you get strong
Wipe your hands shake it off
Then you Stand

An Office Thursday!

It has been a long week, but what better of a way to end it than with another hilarious episode of The Office. If only Michael was a real boss somewhere...well he wouldn't be for very long. He would have been fired already and sued...probably for sexual harassment! Some of my favorite moments from tonights episode were:

* Jim with his mustache on.

* Dwight in the backseat of Michael's car...who would do that in car??!

* The finer things club and how desperate Andy was to get in.

* Michael and Dwight trying to break the copier...they just cared enough to fight for Stanley. :)

* Michael on the phone with a salesman from the other branch trying to persuade him to come to the Scranton branch...and then Michael proceeds to tell him he'll be fired soon.

Those are just a few...

I am so glad tomorrow is Friday! That means sleeping in and spending the day with Matt :) ...That makes for a great day...now I just hope the sun will come out for a bit.

Have a happy Friday!