church

Mid-Week Random

August 5, 2009 by Amy 2 Comments

I feel the need to do a brain dump. No fancy stuff today.

I’ve been on Internet overload since this weekend. I had all the Danny Gokey hoorah from the concert and then two of my other blogs were involved in the TCAs. Blogging has been a lot of work the past few days to say the least. I actually turned off Twitter yesterday afternoon. I guess all of us have a limit after all.

One of the funniest things I’ve seen in a long time is Scott teaching the girls how to give wedgies the other night. Their little Barbie undies stretching to their shoulders and their tanned bottoms were almost too much. It was one of those times Scott and I looked at each other and belly laughed at our kids.

Scott has ripped apart the hall bath and will be laying the tile for in there today.

The kitchen counter top should be in at any time.

My bathroom lighting still hasn’t shipped.

A diamond fell out of my ring again. I think it’s the same one as before.

Yesterday Lexi accidentally knocked my non-novel off my desk and it tore the back cover. It gave me the courage to actually write in the book to edit it. I’ve spent some time doing that. It really makes a difference reading it on paper. I don’t know why. But it’s more clear than ever that it needs a lot of work.

Emma goes back to school in two weeks. She seems to be ready to go back. I don’t care to see 7am any time soon.

Scott’s new motorcycle still won’t work. He’s gotten a new battery, replaced the gas and cleaned the spark plugs. He has a neighbor coming to look at it tonight. We’re still not sure whether it’s a keeper.

We visited a new church Sunday. We all liked it.

We haven’t been swimming much because the pool had a bad case of algae. Scott cleaned it and dumped all the chemicals in today. Hopefully this weekend we can return to the swimming.

Jesus Wants to Save Christians

July 24, 2009 by Amy 2 Comments

I can not get this book out of my head and it’s a good thing. It’s difficult to describe what it’s about. But I would say it is a theology book that begins at Creation, describes the Jewish history through Christ. He talks a lot about Egypt and Solomon and America. He talks a lot about the poor, the needy, widows and children. He hits at the core of what has always been close to my heart…we need to be Jesus to people. Christianity isn’t about pushing religion down people’s throat. It isn’t about making sure you’re right. It’s not about committees and classes and agendas. It’s about doing good (I wrote a post about this and I can NOT find it). Helping, giving.

There are a few quotes that I’m not sure will transfer out of context but they help me remember.

A priest shows you what his or her god is like.

The answer leads us to a universal truth: God needs a body.

Exile is when you fail to convert your blessings into blessings for others.

When the goal of a church is to get people into church services and then teach them how to invite people to come to church services, so that they in turn will bring others to more church services – that’s attendance at church services….Church is people. People who live in a certain way in the world. People who have authority in the world, but authority that comes from breaking themselves open and pouring themselves out so that the world will be healed.

A church is an organization that exists for the benefit of nonmembers. If our church was taken away – from our city, our neighborhood, our region – who would protest?

If I’ve said it once, I’ve said it a dozen times, God has blessed me and my family. Right now I’m trying to figure out how to convert it into blessings for others. And yes, Scott and I give a lot…time and money. But somewhere deep down I’ve done it because I want to but also because somewhere down there I KNOW that exile will happen if I don’t. God doesn’t bless for you to hoard. I’m so scared of wandering in the desert. Of Babylon. Of America. Of me.

And I’m scared for so many churches out there who would be missed by no one but their members. We’re not doing church right. Most of us aren’t doing Christianity right.

And just as I’m writing this, this song came on iTunes and it seems like a good way to close this one.

‘Cause we are not okay, we’re not alright, and we need to pray for help
Forgive us for our pride, Oh God, Oh God, please save us from ourselves

Something’s Got To Change:

Change is a-Comin’

June 30, 2009 by Amy 8 Comments

The thing about a blog is it’s therapy for me. But then when I need it most, I can’t use it. And I hate when people don’t and/or can’t share their heart on their blog when they’re hurting most. Being there for one another in our times of need is when the blogging community means the most. I guess it’s its own worst enemy. Because sometimes blogging and real life clash and you just can’t blog what you want. But let me say change is coming for us.

I can say our youth pastor resigned this week. I can say I’m hurt. And I can say my manager announced four people on my team at work including me may not have a job as of December 31. And really that’s probably all you need to know to figure out my heart hurts and I’m stressed and I could probably write another book about all of it.

Please pray.

VBS 2009

June 26, 2009 by Amy 1 Comment

We’ve been attending our church’s VBS every evening this week. We did Go Studio if you’re at all familiar with the curriculum available out there. If you remember last year, Emma had a really hard time. I’m happy to report both girls have loved VBS this year. They were excited to find out they’d have a Bible story, food, crafts, games and music, oh my! It also helped Emma knowing her best friend from Sunday School was going to be there.

I was moved from 3rd/4th grade to 1st/2nd. I was willing but hesitant at first. I’ve always thought that 3/4 were so well-behaved, compliant and independent. I have to say though my 20 1st and 2nd graders have been little angels. They’ve eaten up the Bible Stories, shocking the teachers in that class and the missions class at how much they remember and comprehend. And I found they are just as independent as the older group.

So, in all, it’s been a great week. My girls are enjoying themselves and I’m having a good week as well.

I do have to say since Emma is in the “big kids” lessons, I’m paying MUCH more attention to the lessons and trying to find out what she’s learning. It’s never been so important to me that the gospel is shared clearly and other moral lessons are given. VBS might seem like a chore to some workers, but now as a mother of a school-age child, I can tell you that it’s one of the most important weeks of the year!

And for less important things, our opening and closing song this week has been “Ice Cream and Cake”. It apparently was a hit with teenagers during the youth missions trip this year as well. So if you want to know what song and dance is sweeping through the youth of America, here ya go. Imagine 100 kids (and adults!) doing this all at once in a gym. It’s actually pretty fun…and addictive.

Sunday on Monday

April 27, 2009 by Amy 3 Comments

The last 3 weeks we spent time watching Mel Gibson’s Passion of the Christ. We had seen it years ago when it first came out. I cried like a baby when we saw it. In particular, watching the relationship between Jesus and his mother affected me as a young mother. How could she watch him suffer so?

Most of us in the class had watched it before but yesterday. We discussed the things we had missed the first time and there are two things that I knew but just hit me hard.

One, in the movie and in most arenas, Satan is portrayed as someone dark and ugly with hands that need a manicure and an evil sidekick. Sometimes he has horns and tail. Certainly we’d know to stay away. But isn’t that exactly opposite to Satan in our lives? He and his temptations are beautiful. Like Bella to Edward in Twilight (oh yes I did) she was his own brand of heroin. That’s what Satan does. He makes sin gorgeous. That one specific sin we could fall to. You think you’d love it. You’d think it’d be fun. You think you HAVE to do it. Never does Satan make sin look like the horrible thing that it is. Only when you’ve said yes and you’re miles down the road does he show his true nature. Then, he looks ugly. Then you see the consequences of what you’ve done. Then you see the hurt and the regret and the pain. Never doubt that Satan can be beautiful. The Bible says Satan is like a lion prowling for us. It also says we like sheep have gone away. It is when we close our eyes and go blindly into sin that we are entrapped. Let us be wise to the nature of Satan and have our eyes wide open to what we are being drawn into. And not saying that the things of God are not beautiful but that’s just it…we need to be discerning!

The second eye opener was realizing why Jesus says “My God, My God, why have you forsaken me?” on the cross. Why indeed? Can God forsake his Son? Did Jesus regret what he had done? No, in fact, that is the moment that Jesus, fully man, took on the sins of the world. God, in his holiness, could not look on him in his sin and for a split second in history had to turn his face from him. For me, even more proof that Jesus took on MY sin on the cross.

We went on from Sunday School to a church service yesterday where God showed up and we actually had church instead of playing church. Can’t tell you how much I needed that.

Recap of Winter Jam 2009 – Charlotte

January 12, 2009 by Amy 3 Comments

We were able to figure out the kids being juggled between our parents (thanks, ya’ll!) and were happy to be off at 4 yesterday for the concert. Toby Mac was the headline artist and I’ve been a fan of his since the early 90s during his DC Talk days. I thought I’d never seen him but I remembered going to a concert at a church in Charlotte sometime when I was in high school I think. I definitely hadn’t seen him since he went solo.

By the time we got there, the doors were already open although we heard a few of our college students had been there since 1:30 and had 4th row seats. The youth group had to go to the upper deck to sit together. Scott and I and another couple in the youth group moved to be more centered on the stage. A few minutes in our seats, and the college students text us and say they have 4 open spots. Yippee!

The only downside was that we only had our zoom lens assuming we’d be far away so all of our pictures are REALLY close up. From 4th row, I couldn’t get any wide shots at all. No complaining…just sayin.

So here’s the line-up.

Pure NRG. These kiddos were helping to promote PreciousGirlsClub.com, a web site for girls…Emma was already signed up there. Their performance was….well organized yet….peppy. I didn’t even upload a picture of them I just realized.

Stephanie Smith. She was cute as a button (see tutu) and definitely has a big voice. She sang a prayer type song mid-way through the concert and it was amazing. We were still up in the upper deck at this point and I took a picture from the megatron thingy.

Francesca Battistelli. I didn’t get to hear her because I went and ate. Friggin’ $17 for chicken, small fries and a drink. Rip-off. I did hear a lot how pretty she was when I got back. Sorry, that’s all I got. LOL

NewSong sang some great worship songs. I’ve seen them several times in concert. I still love that Nate Sallie is singing with them. I love him! They also sang Arise, My Love and man, that song gets you every time.

Hawk Nelson came out and I have seen them a time or two before as well. Every Little Thing is still my favorite of theirs. They are really fun on stage.

Brandon Heath came out and WOW I was really impressed with him. If you listen to Christian music you might recognize a few of his songs..”I’m Not Who I Was” and “Give Me Your Eyes”. They played a video during that one and it was very thought-provoking.

Finally Toby Mac and his band Diverse City came out and WOW. They did not stop from beginning to end. I may as well and get this out of the way and say Toby looked OLD. And if not old, VERY tired. I wanted to tell him to drink some water and go to bed. See?

Turns out he’s 44. Man, does that make ME feel old?! But he’s still cute as a button when he smiles.

The show was a ton of fun.

And Toby ended it well by jumping it to the crowd at the end. Scott caught him mid air.

Overall a very good concert. Toby Mac was definitely the star of the show and made the night.

I’ve uploaded all my videos although I haven’t labeled them all.

If you’d like to see all the (very upclose) pictures we took, have at it.

Sunday School Changes

September 6, 2008 by Amy Leave a Comment

I’m really not sure if I’ve mentioned this, but Scott and I officially stepped down as Sunday School teachers for this year. We have been teaching the high school students for the past 3 years. I have really enjoyed it and learned so much from it. But I think we are at a point we are getting burned out and need a break. We’re planning to go to a couple’s class which a lot of the younger couples attend and all of them rave over it.

While I will miss my class a lot–especially the few I’ve had all 3 years–tonight it feels really freeing to know I don’t have to plan a lesson, 15 people won’t be watching to see if I’m late for class, I don’t have to bake or buy food in the morning and I can just go in, sit and soak up someone else’s teaching/discussion.

VBS 2008

June 27, 2008 by Amy Leave a Comment

VBS Week 2008 is ov-ah. Well, not really. We still have a 3 hour block party to attend tomorrow. But no more responsibility! We had a great week with about 90 kids and 60 workers. It was one of the smoothest ones I’ve seen. One thing I really liked was that crafts, missions, bible class and rec were taught by one person in each for all age groups. Then people like me just carted them around to each. So much less stress.

Emma ended up not doing so great this week. Monday she cried at first then was ok. Tuesday she was fine. Wednesday I found out on Thursday that she cried on and off the whole night. Thursday she floated between Scott and I. I took her to crafts, Scott took her to bible, she stayed with me some and Scott took her to rec but she wouldn’t play so Scott just brought her back to the gym. Tonight Heather agreed to go with us and stayed with her the whole time (thanks Heather! But I think she ended up liking VBS as much as the kids). It worked out great even though Heather said she still wouldn’t play with any of the other kids. I think the problem was the preschool got broken up in to 3s, 4s and 5s and the other 5 year olds are not really her friends since she’s actually an early 5 year old. She’s used to being with the 4 year old class.

She just got so scared and shy when you tried to leave her by herself. She’s fine for Sunday School and preschool but this week was tough. It really, really makes me nervous for school this year.

Emma, in LOST terms, need a constant. She needs one person..whether it’s an adult, a teenager or even another kid that’s her “buddy”. Someone she can always turn around to and say something to or ask questions or hold their hand. And she just didn’t have it this week and she was lost (no pun intended). I am sure in school she will find a little girlfriend and do just fine but wow, she was definitely the high maintenance child this week.

Lexi, on the other hand, was great. When it was time to start, I told her to go sit down with her age group and there she went, not even looking back or saying bye. When the group was singing, she was up and at ’em trying her best to do all those hand motions and singing. Cute as could be! Oh, Scott told me he saw her grab this little boy she’s been friends with (and I think he goes to their preschool too) and hug him and they kissed each other on the lips! In VBS! That girl, she is something!