And We're Back

We came home last night from our snow retreat at Stonewater Ranch. It was an awesome time of snow, tubes, conversations, snow kitchens, new relationships, Christ and sleep deprivation. I really feel like this was a successful weekend. God moved and I believe that many of the relationships that were began are the beginning of a new journey with God. I hope that as the students came out of this weekend that they will choose to take the step and not look back. I pray that they will not come back with a mountain top experience that fades away, but that decisions that were made will be like decisions. I will have pictures soon as well as some great stories as soon as my brain starts functioning again in a coherent fashion...so I am apologizing now if this makes no sense at all.

Snow

We are off Stonewater Ranch this weekend for our snow retreat. I am really excited for this time. We are taking about 15-20 kids and are hoping for a good time. The focus this weekend is Story and the fact that we all have one. I am excited for students to hear that everyone hasn't come from an easy life and that God has written us into his awesome, amazing and wonderful story. I am also excited for sometime of real conversation. Please pray while we are gone that God will guide the weekend, the conversations and the time. Please pray that God will be able to take hold of the hearts of some of these students and help them to realize that they are worth something, that they have a purpose and that they are loved.

inevitable

Have you ever heard news about someone that you knew was inevitable, but still hits you hard? That happened today. It isn't bad per say, just something that you never really wanted to hear or that you knew you would hear, but always wanted to avoid. I always wanted to avoid this, but avoidance isn't the answer to life, living is and I am living. With living comes emotion which sucks most of the time, but reminds me that I am living and I love that part of it. So hear goes the inevitable that can't be avoided...

Rest

Resting has not always been something that I have been good at. I have always been one to go, go , go and not stop until I have been kicked in the face. I am now coming to realize how vital rest is and how much I lack it. I mean I get enough sleep. I don't need to rest in that sense, but more in the way I live life. Not adding more onto my plate because I think that I can handle it, not trying to do more that I should, but taking time to sit and be still. To be quiet and alone, to enjoy life and not make everything about having to get something done.

Beginning today I am going to be making the choice to learn how to rest, how to enjoy life and live life to the fullest, enjoying life and not making it a burden. I believe that God has given me this life as a gift and it needs to be enjoyed. Beginning today I am looking for that really cool rest area in my life where it is beautiful, sunny and hopefully has clean facilities.

So my question is how do you rest? Do you rest? What do you think rest is? Let's talk.

Stuart Tagged me

01. One book that changed your life
Boundaries by John Townsend and Henry Cloud
02. One book that you’ve read more than once
Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt
03. One book you’d want on a desert island
Camping and Wilderness Survival...I would have to agree with Stuart on this one
04. Two books that made you laugh
Left Behind by Jerry B. Jenkins and Tim Lehaye (it is seriously cheesy)
Where the Sidewalk Ends by Shel Silverstein (this is just an awesome book)
05. One book that made you cry
Story by Steven James
I have to add one more...Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
06. One book that you wish had been written
How to stay out of the middle of Family drama
07. One book that you wish had never been written
Animal Farm by George Orwell
08. Two books you’re currently reading
Management Essentials for Christian Ministries by Michael Anthony and James Estep, Jr.
Never the Same by Steven James
09. One book you’ve been meaning to read
Sex God by Rob Bell
10. Now tag five (or so) people:Jess, Noelle, Morgan, and Lucas.

Before I die

A while back I made a list of things that I would like to do before I die. I am working on this being a list of at least 100 things, right now it is at 60. I posted this list in 2006 and am still working on it, so here are the first 60 and I will have the rest very soon. Oh and the cool thing is that some of these have been accomplished in the past year...



1. Go to India

2. Get married

3. Have kids

4. Speak at an event

5. Earn my maters degree (this will be done in about a year)

6. Go to San Francisco (I will be there next week)

7. Go to Ireland

8. Do missions work in another country (I went on three trips to Mexico this summer...I would still like to do more though)

9. Have at least one year with one Sabbath day a week

10. Write my mom a letter expressing my gratitude

11. Live somewhere besides Orange County, CA (I have moved to Arlington, WA)

12. Meet the love of my life

13. Write a book

14. Work at a summer camp

15. Be content with who God has made me (I have gotten closer to this)

16. Camp in Yosemite (I spent a night there this summer and Katelynn and I are planning on a trip this summer.)

17. Own a home (with a red door)

18. Write a letter to my children declaring my love.

19. Ride my bike down the California Coast

20. Kiss my husband on top of a mountain

21. Write good youth Bible Study curriculum (this could be potentially happening very soon)

22. Home school my children for one year (at least).

23. Raise my children (not let the school)

24. Disciple (this is happening in many different ways)

25. Be a disciple (God has been working on me with this and it has been awesome!!!)

26. Befriend an enemy

27. Share God's amazing love with students (that is my job now...how cool is that?)

28. Create a photo mural

29. Drive across the country

30. Jet ski

31. Para sail

32. Backpack

33. Take pictures of God's amazing creation and create a book.

34. Take students on a mission trip (I took the young adults and the youth this summer to Mexico...it was really awesome. I am ready to go again.)

35. Take time to experience Creation

36. Make an effort to show girls that they are beautiful

37. Do disaster relief

38. Wear a size 9

39. Read the Grapes of Wrath

40. Develop a Camp

41. Learn not to worry

42. Learn to play the guitar

43. Learn to play the piano

44. Give something that is important to me to another person

45. Write Nell a letter to tell her how much I love her and what an amazing friend she has been

46. Fly the para plane

47. Drive the entire West Coast (I almost did that from Orange County to Arlington...not quite though)

48. Take Katelynn on vacation

49. Play Tyrone at my wedding

50. Get to know my nieces

51. Get a doctorate degree

52. Fast

53. Create a strong prayer life

54. Create a strong quiet time

55. Learn to be still before the Lord

56. Tithe regularly

57. Love

58. Be loved

59. Live an honoring life to God.

60. Learn to listen to God.

It is really awesome what happens in a year. There has been alot that I have learned and done this year and the exciting thing is that there is still more. I will have the rest of my list soon. What about you? What would you like to do before you die?