46 posts tagged “god”
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!
"Give thanks to the LORD, for he is good; his love endures forever." Psalm 107:1
What are you thankful for on this Thanksgiving Eve?
I truly believe that Thanksgiving is a day that should be spent in complete praise of our Heavenly Father for all He has done and will do for us. Although i enjoy the food and family on this day, i think the day should be centered in Christ Jesus and what He has done for us. I hate the fact that we get so swept up in food and traditions, that people think it's silly to go around the table and say what we are thankful for. It's not silly and we should be doing it everyday.
Well since November 1st Daniel, Sienna and I have been writing down what we are thankful for each night at dinner time. We talk about what God has blessed us with and make a point to say it out loud and praise Him for His blessings. We have been keeping a thankful tree and today i wrote down all the things we have been thankful for over the past 25 days. The one rule about the tree is we can't repeat any of the things we are thankful for, this has really helped us to see all that the Lord as given us.
Daniel is thankful for: My Job, My parents, Tickle attacks with Sienna, A creative wife, Saturday's with family, My beautiful wife, computers, A Christ centered church, laughter, Jesus, Being able to have multiple translations of the bible, cell phones that work in our home, Rides to and from work, Our family, warm blankets, 24 hour convenant stores, Eli being healthy, Our Armed Forces, and Encouragement from friends.
Laura is thankful for: Living close to family, Sienna, My camera, being able to have a home birth, my friends, God taking care of us, Our youth group kids both past and present, All that we have been given for Eli, Eli, Baby showers, God protecting us, my sisters, long walks as a family, Daniel being home on weekends, Our Home, ears to hear, massages, God letting me be a mom, and a healthy family.
Sienna is thankful for: Singing & Dancing, school, animals, church, toys, Cubbies, Slides & swings, my lion, Grandma's, Discovery Kids, Papa, Candy, cousins, My mommy, food, grapes, playing, band aids, bread, Daddy, chicken nuggets, not being afraid of monsters and her very special Bear.
So take some time tomorrow and think about what you are thankful for and make a list. You'll surprised what you come up with.
Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!
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!
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?
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.
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!
From the days of John the
Baptist until now, the kingdom of heaven has been forcefully advancing,
and forceful men lay hold of it.
Matthew 11:12
It’s easy for all of us to unconsciously slip into
the mentality that our words, thoughts and actions only affect us.
That it is only our
world and our kingdom
that is affected. But there is a much bigger picture! Whenever we
make decisions in our lives to live in the kingdom of God, we are
participating in God’s ultimate plan to bring the kingdom of God
permanently to this world. Every time we make “upside down”
decisions, we are demonstrating to a watching world what it will be
like one day when God makes everything right once again. Every
decision matters and affects a much larger picture.
That is what we talked about tonight at youth group. It was our last night in the "Upside Down" series. This series has been eye opening and challenging for the students as well as for myself. Truly making me think about how i live my life and what changes i need to make. We didn't have very much small group time tonight, but that was ok, because Pastor Dan had a great message and even an awesome video for us to watch. The night was powerful.
We started out with a giant game of "Guess Who?" and then had a special guest lead us in worship. Ben Kolarcik, our worship pastor lead us in worship tonight. It was awesome, I love to hear him on Sunday mornings, and it was a treat to have him at Canvas tonight. The kids really enjoyed it as well, it was most defiantly a blessing! Thanks Ben for taking time out to be at Canvas tonight!
Tonight was another powerful night at Discovery Church. It is amazing to see God moving in teenagers lives.
Meet my small group, photographed to the left. They are a mix of ages and personalities, however they all get a long and seem to really connect with each other. They go to differnt schools, have different hobbies and would other wise never really associate with each other. This is such a great way to broaden their friend base and learn that God created everyone to be different. I can't wait to get to know them more and build relationships with them.
Tonight I lead games again, i think i might be the official games person! Super excited about that! We played "Musical Chairs" my way! hehe! Which meant that each person wasn't trying to get a chair, but instead trying to get as many people in one chair as possible. This way they work together, instead of against each other. We started out with 30 chairs and 50 kids. We ended with six kids on just one chair. However I'm pretty sure if they did it again they could have gotten 10 kids on one chair. Most defiantly a game we need to play again!
Tonight was Discovery Church's High School Ministries (Canvas) Open House. We had youth group as usual, however the parents got to be included and see how we run our Wednesday Nights. It was beyond awesome to meet the parents and make connections. To both Daniel and I all these kids are new and so are their parents, so i loved the opportunity to meet their parents now and start building relationships not only with the teens but their parents as well. The best surprise of the night was Russell Wood a teen from our old youth group came with his mom and sister to check out our youth group. He wants and needs a place to fellowship with teens and learn more about Jesus. I was so excited to see him there and I am hoping that he will call Canvas home!
