thanksgiving on the west coast...

Well on November 17th I flew to Bellingham, Washington. There I surprised my Friend Joeybeth Wilson(pictured) for her birthday. Her Husband James and I planed this back in september. James actually was the biggest culprit i just got to be the surprise guest, that was very fun :D. SO lets see... here is a brief overview of my trip. I was in Surry, British COlumbia Canada on Saturday and Sunday, saw someother places in that area too. On Sunday night we went to Maple falls, Wa for the night. We then began our drive down the west coast, I-5 most of the way. We drove from Washington to Los Osos, Califronia where we would spend thanksgiving. Then On thursday evening we drove another 5 hours south to San Diego where i would catch a plane Friday early afternoon.

Lots of driving and fun... I got to go the a HUGE bookstore in portland, Oregan(Powell's). I could spend a week just there. They also had a big dollar store which was pretty cool too. Then there was altitude sickness in Northern California. That was the downer of the drive. Once out of the mountains i was better. i saw some great countryside. on thanksgiving day i went to the beach and road a motorcycle all in one day. Quite the exciting holiday for a girl from the freezing Northeast.
here are some pics...
So that was thanksgiving

Happy Fall Ya'll

Well life has been pretty Quiet recently nothing too hectic going on. I have been spending lots of time with my family which is always good. My one nephew plays football and my niece and nephew play soccer, then there is the cheerleading neice and the tennis playing neice. So sports even for the kids have kept me hopping. no i do not get to every game or match that would kill me. I would have no life of my own. Derek's,My nephew who plays football, team is undefeated so satuday they play in the playoffs and if they win they go to the Midget league Superbowl.

I REALLY enjoy this time of year the cooler weather, the leaves turning and the sunshining. The rain is not something i look forward to but its ok. oh yeah and the colds that come with the colder wheather, I really do not like those either. Battled a pretty bad cold last week. My voice is still recovering from the cold and the football game yelling. :)

And dont let me forget The INDIANS. Its October and Baseball playoffs are here. GO TRIBE. We've got to beat the Red SOx one more time. Then Rockies we will be coming for you soon. Life is good, you have football, baseball all around.

Work/church Life is good too. Much quieter then in past years but good. We are rebuilding our youth ministry which in some ways is a welcome break. It also gives me more opprotunity to just hang out and build relationships with students, and that is a blessing. We have been working on a building that was given to us a few years ago. It is taking shape. It still has a lot of work to be done but we are getting there. Friday we are haivng a community outreach/worship night at that building. We had church there this Sunday, it was good, not quite the same as our little church a few blocks away. It will be awesome when we can fill that sanctuary up one day soon. There is so much room there to minister to many different people.

LIFE IS GOOD, ETERNAL LIFE IS BETTER!

check out my pics

Where did the summer go?

Well it has been a while since I've been on here. I took a sabbatical from the youth ministry for the month of August. While i did that i spent some time getting away and asking the Lord for Direction and guidance.
At the beginning of the month I took some students to survivor games put on by a church a bit south of here, it was great fun.
My Sister had a baby. August 7th, 2007 he weighed 2lbs 10.5 oz. he was 16.5 inches long. His name is Ian James Moore. he was not due until october 10, he was 9 weeks early. He should be coming home soon though. he weighs about 4 lbs now. He is such a little fighter, he is cute.:) The last pics on the slide show are of him 2weeks ago bfore he got moved from the NICU. He is now in a stepdown unit, without the tube in his mouth. i have updated pics but i have not uploaded them to my pc yet.
I spent a weekend in a Youth hostel about 2hours from home in a national park that was cool. There are pics of the fallsI saw. And I went to a women's retreat. Above are the pics of my summer.

Missings "Flip-Flop"

Have you seen ME?

Brown 'Old Navy' Flip-Flop last seen floating in the 'Gulf of Mexico'

Friday June 15 12(noon)cst

IF YOUR GOING TO WALK ON WATER YOU BETTER GET OUT OF THE BOAT.

Here we deciding to walk on water in the 'Gulf of Mexico'. IM the second person in. well actually it is a broken peir that part of it is right under the water. This is where i lost my shoe. i took them off to "walk on water" and they floated off one of them was retrieved the other was not. THe funny thing is thats the only pair of shoes i still had, i threw my other pair away earlier that morning because they got a whole in them while gutting the house. SO I HAD NO SHOES. :) It was soo funny. but someone was nice enough to give me a pair of their flip flops.

Allie, Laina, Nicole, Malori, Brittany, Andy, Andrew, Eric.

Some new and old friends in Mississippi!!

Just after the shoe loss! we were in mourning, can you tell?:)

Mississippi

We have returned from Waveland, Mississippi. It was a good trip. Much positive came from it. This pic was a very common site, many homes were still in this condition. We were the Hands and feet of Jesus. We accomplished A LOT in the days we worked. We were able to 1)fixed the sewer break at the camp we werestaying, 2) make major progress in gettiong the facility ready for air conditioning, 3) Put an entire roof on a house, 4) sided another house, 5) prepared for and poured a concrete foundation, 6) almost completely gutted a house, and 7) helped cook and clean at 'Camp Salvage'. (volunteer center we stayed)

I am so very proud of the teens that went. There was another group of people staying with us (2 teams of AmeriCorps) and they comented about how positive everyone was and how the group rose above the difficult cercumstances. When we got to the camp we were staying at we had 2 toilets and 3 showers for about 45 people. I have never seen a group of people work so hard and not complain about it. We endured heat in the high 90's and humidity like I have never experienced before. I We may never know the impact we had on another persons life. The devistation was overwhlming even 2 years later. The people are hurting and their homesare still in shambles 2 years later. But they are still positive and looking at the good. i have nothing to complain about.

forgiveness

I got this email today from www.dare2share.org and it goes along with what i said on friday at Youth Group. God had really put on my heart that many of us live life full of guilt and shame and we often try to fix ourselves. The email talked about forgiveness from God. It begins discussing the new Lincoln Park CD, this cd contains a song which uses the phrase I've forgiven what I've done. This seem to be the popular catch phrase forgive yourself. Well this little email goes on to explain that true fogiveness comes from God ALONE through Jesus Christ.
a quote from the email... "The Bible promises something that no amount of wishful thinking, therapy, or self-slate cleaning can provide- *True* forgiveness. Why? Because in one single solitary act, Jesus Christ - the God-Man who never sinned, spilled His precious blood on the hill called the Skull as a sacrifice for every sin of every person in the past, present, and future. When Christ breathed His last breath on the cross, legitimate forgiveness instantly became available for all of humanity. How do I know? Because before His life expired, Jesus shouted the truest words of mercy in the universe: It. Is. Finished!!! "

The feeling that comes with true forgiveness is like no other in the universe. It's a feeling of freedom, release, and hope for the future all rolled into one. Check out these lyrics from a song called Forgiven by True Vibe-
Once I didn't know about You when I wondered where I'd go If I left this world behind, eohh When I trembled when I saw the destination of my soul And on bended knees I cried Then my inners eyes were opened then I saw my only hope is to Believe
You were sent to set me free And I am forgiven yes I know,
You are risen and opened up the door Into heaven,
I'm forgiven, ohh What a Lord You are,
A Savior full of mercy full of life Everlasting King of Kings,
eohh And what a price You paid To save the souls of those that took Your life
The very ones that You forgave With Your blood You washed me white as snow
And I don't worry where I'll go No power can separate me from Your love And I (am forgiven) I'm forgiven Yes I know oh yeah (You are risen) You are risen (and open up the door) Open up the door (into heaven) ohh yeah I'm forgiven Look down, look down, please look down on me Jesus I want to thank You and praise Your holy name (praise Your holy name) I look up, look up, up into the heaven, (oohhhh) And I know that's where I'm goin one day Cause I am forgiven, yes I know You are risen (and open up the door) Into heaven (heaven), I'm forgiven, eohh ohh.. ohh.. ohh... ooo Yes I know (I am forgiven) ohh (yes I know) I know (I am forgiven) (I know) I know I can face tomorrow (I am forgiven) because you live (yes I know) I know I can face my sorrows (I am forgiven) Because of that love you've give yeah (I know) Sweet Jesus (I am forgiven) gave His love to me, Sweet Jesus (I am forgven) died and set me free (I know) woah ohh (I am forgiven, yes I know) ohh... noh... (I am forgiven)
Check out this whole story on http://www.dare2share.org/students/linkin-park-and-our-need-for-forgiveness

I love that I'm forgiven because He was forsaken.
I'm going to Mississippi on Sunday, there are 6 from my church and 22 from another church going. We will be helping with construction and cleanup in Waveland, MS which was destryed by Katrina 2 years ago and are just now beginnning to rebuild. I'm very excited to see how God can and will use us to reach people with the love of Jesus Christ. Ill tell you how it goes when i return. much love..

May my words be wise not foolish!

May 24-
I was reading in proverbs yesterday. Proverbs 18
The insight I received.
vs.
2 Fools have no interest in understanding; they only want to air their own opinions.
4 Wise words are like deep waters; wisdom flows from the wise like a bubbling brook.
6 Fools’ words get them into constant quarrels; they are asking for a beating.
7 The mouths of fools are their ruin; they trap themselves with their lips.
8 Rumors are dainty morsels that sink deep into one’s heart.
12 Haughtiness goes before destruction; humility precedes honor.
13 Spouting off before listening to the facts is both shameful and foolish.
14 The human spirit can endure a sick body but who can bear a crushed spirit?
15 Intelligent people are always ready to learn. Their ears are open for knowledge.
17 The first to speak in court sounds right—until the cross-examination begins.
19 An offended friend is harder to win back than a fortified city. Arguments separate friends like a gate locked with bars.
20 Wise words satisfy like a good meal; the right words bring satisfaction.
21 The tongue can bring death or life; those who love to talk will reap the consequences.
24 There are “friends” who destroy each other, but a real friend sticks closer than a brother.
Much of what I gleaned from this was the power of my words. I pray I become wise in my speach and not a puddle of trash.
My Words bring life or death, as do each one of our words. This is sucha convicting and helpful reminder. Be wise with your word. Build up don't tear down.

Weather:)- It has been very warm here in the 80's!
My sister is having a baby, soon i will tell you all what it is. She is not due until October. We are very excited to have another little baby in the mix. That will be 14 neices and nephews for me. They range from 23 to 2 years with a little one due in October. Im a Great Aunt already my neice who is 23 has a 2 year old. I say i have the title I deserve:) LOL!
I really enjoy my family eventhough they are nuts most of the time.
Idol update(5th Qtr Idol that is): we are down to 5 and this week we will get down to the bottom 2, for the finale next week. Some of the kids are predicting the winner.
(American Idol sidenote I will buy a cd with blake but probably just listen to jordan on the radio. She is a good singer, Good for her. Im glad she won. I did not really watch this week only the last few minutes and saw she won. I love Melinda Doolittle.)

messy marvins

Yesterday I saw an add for a new magazine. Organize, I only wish I was like this magazine. I am such a mess. I entered to win a free subscription from here. I love those shows on tv like "Clean House". My home usually does not get like those places, "foolishness" as the host always says. I often do feel like man this place is a mess. I have come to realize people are not embarrassed by their clutter as I am. I hate for anyone to see my clutter.:) I make myself have people over just so I can get over feeling like, "I wish I could do something with this place." I strive to have home decore. This is definately an area I am not so good at. :) I went to a single guy's house and his home is more homey and decorated than mine. I desire to do it but i just run out of creative juices before I get anywhere. It is very sad:(. Actually I laughed about my hodgepodge decore often, it is like a garage sale threw up. I would tell you about it then you would laugh at my silliness too. I want to do it but if I were honest I'd have to say it is not that important to me. I would have made the decore a bit more homey and my style, whatever that really is, if it were important. But I do not spend much time there anyway because i am very busy. It is a great place to sleep and watch tv. ;)
Here is Gabrielle my 7 year old neice showing off her "stuff". She and Sydney have the same birthday, July 23rd. Sydney was born on her 2nd birthday, she's in the background.

prayer of the righteous are powerful and effective

Prayer is one of the best free gifts we receive. There is no cost but a lot of reward. Make sure you pray, and pray believing that God will answer.
May today be all that you need it to be. May the peace of God and the freshness of the Holy Spirit rest in your thoughts, rule in your dreams tonight and conquer all your fears. May God manifest himself today in ways that you have never experienced. May your joys be fulfilled, your dreams be closer and your prayers be answered. I pray that faith enters a new height for you; I pray that your territory is enlarged and I pray that you step into your destiny within the ministry. I pray for peace, health, happiness and true and undying love for God.
"Life is not measured by the number of breaths we take, but by the moments that take our breath away"
I found this prayer in an email I was sent and thought thats the kind of prayer I want to pray for my friends daily.

Is my Chritianity Catchey???

You know it is funny how we will pass on forward about this or that and even about God but we struggle to speak about Christ in our everyday lives. I know this is true in my life and in the lives of many people I know.

I do not suggest we become obnoxious jerks and pretty much make anyone who does not have a personal relationship with Jesus to feel like a huge LOSER. Let love them and speak to them about our relationship with Christ.

5th Qtr Idol is now underway. We have 11 contestants left, actually we started with that many and have not had the heart to get rid of any yet. so this week we are getting rid of 6 to get down to 5. I figured that would be easier for those who get cute to get cut with a friend. :)

My little Niece Sydney spent the night on Saturday, she's 5. This is her self portrait. That was fun. we got home pretty late. we did not have time to do much except take a bath and watch part of a movie before it was time for bed. She asks a LOT OF QUESTIONS. So finally i told her Syd we have to go to sleep. she is sooo cute. she called me today too. she is a fun kid. Saturday I was the good aunt and went to 2 baseball games for my nephews as well. One won the other lost, but it was fun. I enjoy summer stuff like that.

Spiderman rides again :/ ?

What a weekend busy, busy, busy. Life seems to just fly by here. My Friday began the weekend with 5th Qtr. 'Idol'. We had about 10 students i think tryout so they all made it.:) I shared the gospel and one new student prayed to receive Christ. Pray that seed would take root and grow. Saturday was 'Cinco De Mayo', we had a Mexican fiesta fundraiser to raise money for a group of adults and students going to help with hurricane Katrina relief in Mississippi, June 10-16. It was not the most provitable fundraiser but God is in control. We have one more a car wash the first weekend in June. Well I was reading some emails today and I came across one about Spiderman and his evil nemesis and thought yep that's all of us. I am not that good at making such great parallels but they are at www.dare2share.com/soulfuel , it was this weeks soul fuel. May we be led by the Holy Spirit and not our flesh.
He talks about how "spidey" wishes to be rid of this goo that falls from the sky. We have no goo falling from the sky just our sin nature attached to us daily. Thanks be to Jesus it no longer has power over us, I quoted some of it here but take time to read it all, it is good.

it says at one point..... "But make no mistake, this movie is more than a treat for the eyes. There are thoughtfully developed plot points that strongly parallel divinely developed spiritual truths...and that's where I come in!"
.........we don't need to worry about an outer space substance that attaches to our bodies, but we do need to be aware of a dangerous and deadly entity that is already fastened to our souls. It is called your sin nature: the inherited and ingrained part of you that rebels against God and pulls you towards self-destructive behavior...and make no mistake...it poses a greater threat than anything Marvel Comics could ever dream up. Here's the way the Bible describes the sickness of our soul:
The heart is deceitful above all things and beyond cure. Who can understand it? (Jeremiah 17:9)
The sinful nature wants to do evil, which is just the opposite of what the Spirit wants. And the Spirit gives us desires that are the opposite of what the sinful nature desires. These two forces are constantly fighting each other, so you are not free to carry out your good intentions. (Galatians 5:17 )
..............Oh, what a miserable person I am! Who will free me from this life that is dominated by sin and death? (Romans 7:24)
Don't you feel the same? Like Spider-Man, we would love to defeat the monster inside us by our own efforts, but for the Christian, that is impossible. So impossible, in fact, that only God could make it possible.
And He did. Jesus' death and resurrection is the only cure for our sin nature. That's why Paul wrote these words right after his cry for help:
Thank God! The answer is in Jesus Christ our Lord . (Romans 8:25)
When you trusted Christ as your only hope of salvation, you were given a new power though the Holy Spirit to overcome the rebellious and destructive nature inside you.
The question is...will you? Will you wake up each day and ask God to give you the power to defeat your sin nature? Will you commit to avoiding the people and places where the venom of sin seems to saturate your life the most?
There is one scene in Spider-Man 3 I'll leave you with. At one point the black symbiote is trapped under a glass, but when freed it quickly slithers towards Pete r. Dr. Connors responds by saying, "It seems to want you..."
And so does your sin nature... the question is - what are you going to do about it?

Well as I have said i enjoy 'American Idol' so we at the 5th Quarter Café in Ashtbaula are doing our own version of idol.

5th Qtr. Cafe 'IDOL'

Singers and Dancers needed!!
TRYOUT- May 4
Do you sing in the shower? Then tryout!
Can you dance? Then come tryout
Tell all your friends.
Music, games, prizes.
Come join the fun, 8-11pm.
417 W. 46th
Ashtabula, OH 44004
Please provide your own performance music.

May 4th -5th Qtr. Idol tryouts
11th Top 15 perform
18th Top 10 perform
25th Top 5 Perform

June 1st Idol Finals- Winner announced
Top two performers receive a CD package, gift certificates, and other cool prizes.

Things that can take place of God in our lives bombard our culture. “Idols” are everywhere. We at 5th Qtr wanted to do something fun to get this point across. On Friday May 4th we will have tryouts for a “5th Quarter Café ‘Idol” competition. Students who enjoy singing, or dancing can come try out. We will pick the top 15 acts to continue for the next 4 weeks. Each week some of the nominees will be cut, just like over time we should cut idols out of our lives. As the weeks progress, leadership students, at the 5th Qtr., will share what the idols in their lives are and how they are allowing God to take the place of those things. We will crown “5th Qtr ‘Idol’ Winner” on June 1st. One of the leadership kid suggested that no one should win because then we have an idol outside of Jesus. I thought wow that's deep. Im not sure we should do that to some poor soul. :) Jesus will always be our #1 though.

I sure hope we get 15 kids to try out. I have sent information to a lot of the churches in the area. We are a pretty small little church and a pretty small youth ministry. I think it will be great if the community gets into as much as myself , volunteers, and the 4 leadership students are. Praying for God to be glorified even in the silliness.

April showers bring May flowers :)

You know my goal is to do this blogging thing every few days or once a week. well so far im not that good yet but i hope to get there.

The picture: this is my new car and my nieces and nephew being silly hanging out of it. "Good times" as sam my 13 yr old niece always says. :)

God totally blessed my socks off with this car. It is exactly what i wished i could have but thought i could never afford it. God gave it to me at t apirce that i could afford and it is not 15 years old which was the critera for all the other cars i have had.

My scripture forthis week is

Deuteronomy 10:12-16

12 “And now, Israel, what does the Lord your God require of you? He requires only that you fear the Lord your God, and live in a way that pleases him, and love him and serve him with all your heart and soul. 13 And you must always obey the Lord’s commands and decrees that I am giving you today for your own good.
14 “Look, the highest heavens and the earth and everything in it all belong to the Lord your God. 15 Yet the Lord chose your ancestors as the objects of his love. And he chose you, their descendants, above all other nations, as is evident today. 16 Therefore, change your hearts[c] and stop being stubborn.

God does not require much of me, really. Considering all he has done for me. Just love, serve and obey him, I pray daily that i am that person. He really is a good God.

The beauty of summer is just around the corner and the drab, yuck winter is over. The weather here seems parallel to life around here at times. Winter bring hards times and times to trust GOd more. Then the spring and summer always renew my hope and bring me to a point of celebrating GOd's goodness.

I was reading this blog from a friend the other day and thought wow!! this is cool. It had a link to this youth ministry called matchbox minitries. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cg7pVWi6Vn4 I was inspired to remember why I do what I do but also think of ways the ministry I work with daily can be the light of Jesus Christ Right here in in my town. May God's ministry in Ashtabula be effective for the cause of Christ.

bloggin'

So what is this? how do you do this? Is there a right way to do this? Is their a wrong way to do this? Today I decided why don't I start my own blog so here goes.........

I like American Idol it is entertaining. Yesterday Sanjaya was awful like most of the time.
I am a youth director and was reading today about how to bring up and discuss with youth the VT massacre. Man what sin does to us. Sin causes people to do all kinds of CRAZY things. I wondered will the students be impacted about it as I have been. will they be moved by such tragedy.
My biological family and my church family are both very important to me. I wish sin did not plague their lives as often as it does as well.

I was reading in my Bible today and here are some things the Lord laid on my heart....
Isaiah 57:15 I will live with those who spirits are contrite and humble. I refresh the humble and give new courage to those with repentant hearts.
May this be true of me. OH! Lord God make my heart contrite and humble.

Isaiah 58:13-14
Honor the Lord in everything you do, and don't follow your own desires or talk idly. If you do this the Lord will be your delight. I will give you great honor and give you a full share of the inheritance, I have promised Jacob.
I am praying that no matter what life bring I will bring honor to the Lord God. I pray my mouth does not get me in trouble and my life is motivated by the Holy Spirit and not me.