91 posts tagged “church”

This morning Daniel sang in our churches Christmas Choir. Daniel has a lovely singing voice and plays the guitar. He doesn't really like people to know that though. He can be a little shy. Well about a month ago as we were sitting down after our worship time at church, the lady in front of us turned around and told Daniel that he had a great singing voice and that he should be in the choir. She was also the choir director :). Daniel prayed about it and thought it would be a great way to meet more people and to serve at church. I was shocked, this was way outside of Daniel's comfort zone. However i was proud of him, for stepping out in faith to do something he had never done before. 

So after weeks of practice today was the big day. The choir would be singing at all three church services. I enjoyed seeing two of them and loved being there to support my hubby. Daniel has been so supportive of me over the years with my many endeavors. I was proud to be there for him for a change. The music was fantastic and moving. Truly worshiping God through their songs. It was great to see.

I also enjoyed having visitors at church, Daniel's parents and our friends Mary and Jeff came out to see Daniel sing. It was a blessing to have them there and show them our lovely church. Plus i know Daniel enjoyed seeing some familiar faces out in the crowd as well. I really enjoyed my morning at church, hearing the sermon twice was great as well, getting different things from each time i heard it. Plus i got to hear Christmas music twice as well. It was a great way to spend my Sunday morning! Can't wait until Easter, maybe Daniel will be in the choir again, you never know.

Tonight our church hosted The Jingle Jam. A childrens Christmas Production with singing and dancing. Sienna loved it, and was so excited to bring Grandma Lorie to see our church. The evening was filled with friends, and fun. Listening to some great music and hearing an amazing Christmas message. We loved seeing several of our youth group kids in the performance. They worked hard and did a great job, so proud of them! There were over 800 people who attended the two performances. God is doing great things at Discovery Church and He is bringing people to our doors to hear about Jesus Christ. I am looking forward to the many Christmas events that will be going on at church over the next few weeks. If you are interested in any of them please check out our church website www.discoverychurch.com and check out the upcoming events. 

Two thousand people showed up to help wrap 100,000 toys for under privileged children today. What an amazing site that was to see. Thousands of people coming together to serve others all in the name of Christ! This was Daniel, Sienna, and I's fourth year attending this wonderful event. The first year we went Sienna was only three months old, and now she is able to wrap presents on her own. We went with our youth group, and had a group of over twenty people. For all but one of the teens, this was their first time attending such an event. It was so neat to see their excitement over serving and making a difference. We have a great group of kids, with big hearts. They really made a differnce this morning, and I am so proud to be apart of such an awesome group!

The morning was a blur of toys and wrapping paper. But it was fun, the time flew by so fast and then all of a sudden all the toys were wrapped. God is so amazing! This is such a great event for the family. Daniel and I truly believe in serving the Lord and others as a family. We want our children to be involved in what we are doing. You are never to young to help others and serve the Lord. Sienna had a great time and is really learning the true meaning of Christmas. Last year was a little harder for her, not understanding why she didn't get to keep one of the toys. However this year she really understood, that these toys were for children who weren't going to get anything else for Christmas. And she even told me that Jesus is her present for Christmas, so she doesn't need a toy. Wow! She's three and she gets it. Doing this project every December is our family tradition for kicking off the Christmas season. I look forward to many many years of taking our children to help wrap presents for the Children's Hunger Fund. What are you doing this Christmas to show glory to Jesus Christ and help others in the process? Christmas isn't about the tree, cookies or even presents. It's about the Son of God being born, so He could die for your sins. Make sure you take time this Christmas to make Christ the center of your Christmas. Because in the end that's all the matters.

Tonight my co-small group leader Laurie and I hosted a "Girl's Night In" for our small group girls. We had the girls over to my house for a super yummy pasta dinner and to watch the movie "Up". We had 6 out of 10 of our girls show up and we had so much fun together. We are all still getting to know each other and this event was prefect to talk and just hang out. Dinner was great and the movie was so funny, i really enjoyed it! These girls are so awesome and willing to love and care for Laurie and I. It's so sweet!

I really believe in nights like tonight. It's the time we spend with youth group kids outside of youth group that counts. Showing them they are special enough for adults to make time for them. Special enough to have someone take notice of who they are and want to know them better. I really am getting my footing in this group and I feel like i have come leaps and bounds over the past few months in getting to know the kids and making sure i spend time with them outside of youth group.

I really feel the Lord has put me in this church, with this youth group and with these girls for a real and powerful purpose. And tonight i saw a glimpse of what God wants to do. I keep having to remind myself that this isn't the same group of kids i used to have, and that they will never be the girls i had before. And that things will be different and that's ok. God has a plan and I am learning with each Wednesday night and each youth event that everything is new and i need to not dwell on the past or wish for things to be the same. Because i am learning that staying the same is boring. I am so thankful for the Lord pushing me into a new world with new teens. He knew better then i did, and this is where i am needed and where God needs me to be. Here i am Lord use me in any way you wish to love these girls and to show them the love of your Son! I'm ready and I know these girls are ready to be used by you too!

Tonight all of us youth leaders were left to run Canvas as Pastor Dan had the night off. He works so hard and makes such a BIG difference in teens lives, that I am so glad he was able to have a night off. So of course since Dan wasn't their i planned a really big messy game! haha, Dan knew about it, but i'm not sure how he would have reacted if he was actually there. We played "Snow Relay". Living in southern California these teens don't get to play in the snow like teens on the east coast. So i thought i would bring a little snow fun to Canvas with a bucket of paper confetti. The teens sat in circles and were each given a cup. They had to pass confetti over there head to each other to fill a bucket. This made for great fun since the confetti did not want to stay in the cups, but rather flouted away every time they poured it. The teens had a blast! After the game was over they all enjoyed a little snow fight. It was awesome to see them play like little kids again and have so much fun at youth group. The mess was so worth it!

After the game we had a guest worship leader and speaker. I think it was nice for the teens to see other people in the church interested in them and wanting to be a part of their lives. They know all of us leaders love them, but they need to know they are loved and appropriated by other church members and staff. So often youth groups are shoved aside by adults in the church and brushed off as not a "real" ministry that the teens feel separated from the church, and after high school never become a part of the church. So having others outside of Canvas come, serve and love the teens was a blessing!
When we were almost done for the evening three count them three teens were baptized! Now that is AWESOME. We have had four teens baptized in the past three weeks. God is working in this group, teens are bringing friends to youth group and teens want to be baptized or make new commitments to Christ. I am so blessed to be apart of what God is doing at Discovery church and Canvas!

Pastor Scot gave a great lesson on Temptation tonight, he also showed a really hard hitting video. Check it out by clicking here. 

The Battle Within week 3
Bottom Line: We are tempted to believe we know how God works and how we think we can work Him.

In the boxing world, sometimes things aren’t always what they seem. Sometimes the winner is known before anyone walks into the ring. Sometimes the outcome is pre-determined by a person who has manipulated things behind the scene. Sometimes a fighter takes a dive. Sometimes a boxer throws the fight. And if each one of us were completely honest, sometimes we try to work things as well in our fight with temptation. And who or what we are manipulating isn’t the temptation, it’s God.

Scripture References: Matthew 4:5-7; Psalm 91:12; Exodus 17:2-3

Question for the week: Are you cooperating with God or are you manipulating him?

Since having to say good bye to our old youth group, I haven't seen many of the kids. Most of them have moved away for school or work and go to school and lead very busy lives. However one of our old youth group kids attends youth group at Discovery with us now, and that has been a big blessing!

Today i got to have lunch with Kiersten, Matt, and Jessica. It was WONDERFUL. I have missed them so much and loved getting to hear all about their lives. So much has happened in just a few months and i so loved getting to catch up. I have had a few coffee dates one on one with several of the kids over the past few months. But it was so nice to go out with a group of them. I loved every moment of our time together and didn't want to leave In N Out. Just wished the time would last longer. However I know we will make time to get together soon. Hopefully more youth group alumni will be able to join us.

How do you know if you have touched teens lives? When they let you be apart of their lives even after they aren't in your youth group anymore. I love Youth Ministry!

Last night after an amazing message from Pastor Dan on temptation, we broke up into our small groups as usual. I have an amazing co-leader Laurie and a great group of about ten girls. We had a deep discussion on temptation and what it means to be pure. I was surprise when i saw Dan telling me to wrap it up. We almost always go over, but it's never a problem. So we finished the discussion and headed back to the youth room. Which was dark and quite, not normal at all. I open the door and hear 50+ teens and volunteers scream "Surprise!". I was shocked, i couldn't believe that the whole youth room was decorated and set up to be a Baby Shower! Gifts, cupcakes, balloons, drinks and games all to welcome Daniel and I into the Canvas Family. I tried not to cry or pee in my pants, i really needed to use the bathroom. hehe :)

I was overwhelmed by the love that this church showed to us. I just couldn't wrap my mind around the whole thing. We have been volunteering for a little over three months there, and love it. However i just couldn't believe they would go to so much trouble to make me feel loved. It was so sweet. The pastors and staff here at Discovery work so hard to make sure everyone feels loved and appreciated, which many churches forget to do. It is my hope and prayer to be able to show them all my deepest gratitude and repay them in love for their love.

We all had a great time, playing silly games and opening gifts. I was shocked that the teens spent their own money on gifts for baby Eli. My heart was so full of emotions i thought it would just beat out of my chest. I can't tell you how much it meant to me, that they would want to do something like this for me. God is good and I praise Him for giving us such an AMAZING church family. Thank you so much to all the staff and students who made last night so wonderful.

Love you all!

Tonight was awesome, there was just something special happening tonight. I was standing in this room full of teenagers and we were singing songs of praise to God. When all of a sudden i stopped singing and just sat down and listened. I lost my breath, because as i just sat and listened I could hear ALL and i really mean all of the teens singing. It wasn't a group of teens mouthing the words, it was a group of believes pouring their hearts out to their Savior. I was in awe! Truly in awe of the Lord and what He was doing in this place. I have been in large groups of teens singing praises, but i had never seen so many hearts open to the Lord singing with every fiber of their being. It was truly an amazing moment. I only wish you could have been there to see and feel it. Almost indescribable.

After our Christ centered worship time we continued in our study on doubt. Here is what Dan taught on:

Bottom Line: Faith grows when you learn how to view doubt through both what you know and what you’ve been through.

So what do you do when a doubt is too big? How do you handle a doubt that you just can’t seem to move past? You look back. You draw on the things you do know, the things that God has shown you. The things you have learned about Him in the past, both through information and experience. And you hang on to those things you do know, even when you’re left with questions about the things you don’t. Once we are able to see what God has done and is doing through both our experience and our knowledge, we are better equipped to manage the doubt.

Scripture:
Psalms 13:1-2 & 5-6
Psalms 71:16-17

It was an amazing night and I had a great time with my small group we went about a half an hour of time while discussing this topic. It really hit home to my girls and they had a lot to say and ask. They are awesome. Each and every week I have just grown deeper and deeper in love with these teens and this awesome ministry!

Raise your hand if you’ve ever doubted God. Everyone got their hands up? That’s because it’s human nature to doubt. It’s just in us to ask questions and to reevaluate. A lot of times doubt gets a bad wrap because of its ability to make us negative, and because we think once we start to entertain it our entire system of belief will collapse. But doubt, in and of itself, is not a bad thing. When used in the proper way, doubt helps us formulate an authentic and personal faith. That’s why it’s important to learn to express our doubts to others and to deal with them in the context of Christian community, so that God can work with our doubts to help strengthen our faith.

Tonight we started a new series on Doubt. Who among us don't have doubt? And i know that it's something most teenagers deal with. I am super excited to see what Pastor Dan will be teaching and how this will effect the teens. We started out the night with a fun game of "Human Knots" The kids loved it and all the teams except for one was able to undo their knot. In the end everyone had a great time, even if it was hard.

I really enjoyed talking with my small group about doubt and the struggles they have in their lives. This series is coming at such a good time in their lives, if they can over come their doubt and fully rely on God as a teenager, it will be a great beginning to their lives. It felt like we didn't have enough time to talk about all that we needed to and I am so glad that we will be doing this series for a few weeks, because i know my girls need it. Please pray for our youth group as we go through this series, let them see How Great our God is and how much He wants to be in their lives.

Our church has been going through the book of Ephesians each Sunday and the series has been called "Life Rocks". Learning how to take a life that is on the rocks and turning it into a life that ROCKS! Pastor Todd Clark has been doing an amazing job over the past few weeks, but this morning Pastor Scot Irwin preached and man was it powerful and convicting! We went verse by verse through Ephesians 4, learning about having friendships/relationships that Rock!

Scot gave us five "rocks" to build on:
1. Live Authentically (Eph. 4:25)
2. Respond Patiently (Eph. 4:26-27)
3. Act Selflessly (Eph. 4:28)
4. Speak Positively (Eph. 4:29-31)
5. Live Graciously (Eph. 4:31-32)

I need a lot of work in each of these areas!

He stressed living a life of GIVING not TAKING from others. And one big thing that hit home to me was that we need to build a new strong foundation on Christ to be able to put these "rocks" to good use. Because if you put these "rocks" on a weak and weathered foundation, it will only crumble. But if these "rocks" are put on the firm foundation of Christ you will be living the life God meant for you to live. A life that truly ROCKS! Thanks Scot for letting the Lord speak through you in such a powerful way. I needed to hear this sermon!

Love Jesus and worship Him with your Life!