YD video

Stuart made this video for the banquet. I thought that you guys might like to see what is happening here in Arlington and what we are doing. Enjoy.

And the Results are in...

Well, this years banquet went quite well. Over all it was a great event. Our goal was to raise $30,000 dollars and right now we are at about $25,000. Which is awesome. Some people are still deciding on things also. I am now at 95% supported, which is awesome!!! I have about $390 a month left to raise to be at 100%. It is awesome to see how God has provided in this time and process. I am excited because this also means that I can cut back ours at my side job and spend some more time with the students. I have to admit that daily god continues to blow me away with what He is doing here in Arlington and the people He is using in this process.

Banquet

Today is the big day, today is Arlington Youth Dynamics annual fundraising banquet. We have been working on this for the last few weeks and it is finally here. There are still a few loose ends that need to be tied up, but other than that I think that we are ready.

Please be praying for this event tonight, please pray that people will want to be a part of the ministry here in Arlington and become a part of our support team. Our goal is to raise $30, 000 for our ministry to run here in Arlington. Please also be praying because 3 table are dedicated to my support. As of now I need $800 a month to be at 100%. Please pray that people will be a part of my being here in Arlington. Please pray that people will have a good time and that we get everything done.

How to catch a polar bear

So my Step dad likes to take pictures and photo shop them and make strange pictures. I found this amusing and thought that I would share it. In case anyone ever wanted to know how to catch a polar bear...he has given you 3 easy steps. And please don't forget the very last and most important step....RUN!!!!

Random Question

So here is my random question of the day...when you meet someone new and you think that they are pretty cool...when is is ok to ask them to hang out sometime? Is it ever not awkward at this point? How do you make this exchange less awkward? Do you have to see each other a few times before it is ok to ask to hang out? Ok I am done with the questions for now...anyone have any input?

Relationships

"When you summarise the Great Commandment with one word, it would be relationships. Nothing matters more to God than relationhsips.
They are the source and context for eternal life. Having right
relationship with God results in having relationships with others."
- Erwin McManus

Rhythm

"The song is playing all around us all the time, the song is playing everywhere,
it's written on our hearts, and everybody is playing the song. See the
question isn't whether or not you're playing the song, the question is 'Are you
in tune?'" - Rob Bell

I recently watched the Nooma video "Rhythm" which related God to a song with different parts all working together to create a beautiful, masterful piece of music. The type of music that reaches deep into your core, the music that you can't help but feel. We are all a part of this orchestra, but the issue is if we are intune with the music or not. Christ's song is one of love, compassion, acceptance, authenticity, passion, desire, creation and hope. How many of us live intune with this song? Does our song sometimes consist more of judgement, condemnation, and hate? How much does our being out of tune mess up the beauty of the song that is on our hearts?

"Maybe you have this sense like you have no sort of relationship with God
because of all these things, these ideas you have about what that means, all these things that you've been told about what is or what isn't. And an
infinite, massive, kind of invisible God, that's hard to get our minds
around, but truth, love, grace, mercy, justice, compassion- the way that
Jesus lived, I can see that. I can understand that. I can relate to that. I
can play that song."- Rob Bell

So my question to you is are you intune with God's song? Can you hear
it, feel it, live it? Or are you still out of tune squeeking and making people cover their ears?

My new Fashion Accessories

A friend sent this to me. It is amazing...I didn't even know what to say except "WOW". I am running out to get mine today!!! Gotta look good for Jesus.

Worth thinking about

"The greatest enemy to the movement of Jesus Christ is Christianity."-
Erwin Raphael McManus

And the race continues

Do you ever feel like you are in a never ending race? It just keeps going and going and you never see the finish line? Your body begins to get tired and you feel as if you are never going to make it until the end?

When I swam in high school I remember this feeling very well. The first couple laps would be awesome and I would feel as if I could keep going forever, but then a few laps into it my body would become drained of oxygen, my muscles would become tired and I would become weak. I would begin talking to myself, telling myself that I was going to make it, that I could finish the race. I would remind myself that I had been training for this and had done it a million times. Each time I would hit the wall I could hear my friends and coaches cheering and somehow it would give a little bit of energy to go another lap. That final lap was always the worst though, because I would put all the energy that I had left into it, pushing and yelling until I would stretch my entire body to reach for the wall at the very end. Finishing was amazing, but I remember that I would be so tired that sometimes I wouldn't even be able to get myself out of the pool.

My life feels like that right now. I feel like I keep going and somehow every day make it though even though I really don't know how. Those little conversations of encouragement, the yells and screams that are heard through muffled water. The small voice of the Lord guiding me through another day, not knowing how I keep going. I am tired, my body feels weak and my mind is going in twelve different directions. There seems to be no end to this race, the month is young and so much needs to happen, but somehow I continue and I know that it is not through my own strength that it happens. I have to say that God is amazing and His small voice, simple words and amazing love and hope provide what is needed to keep enough energy to finish this race. When will this race be over and the next one start, I don't know, but I do know that He has prepared me for this one and I can finish even when every fiber of my being says other wise.

I know the Lord is always with me.
I will not be shaken, for he is right beside me. Psalm 16:8

Completely Content

I have come to realize over the past few days that I am completely content with my life right now. It is awesome. I don't feel as if I need anything more than what I have here and now. I have found it completely amazing how God continues to work in ways that I will never understand and leaves us totally at peace even when the surrounding circumstances say that we should not be at peace at all.
I mean to be completely honest I am living in a strange place, in a trailer with my dog where it is very cold most of the time. I don't really know anyone except married people and the prospects of friends or even dates are very slim. I mean people are a little strange out here sometimes. I really don't have much money and I work alot.
The funny thing is that I love it. I love the people that I have met and am friends with. I work with a great friend, and I love every minute of ministry. I am also completely happy and content being single. I have come to realize that other people are more concerned with it than I am. I am not looking at the past and longing to be there, but am excited about the future and what God is doing in it. I love the excitement of what is around the next corner and I have to say that the view here in Arlington is beautiful. The only complaint that I do have is that things close way too early around here. Seriously Starbucks closing at 8pm...come on now.
Anyway, it is an amazing feeling to be so content and excited. I think that this is the first time in my life where I am not searching for more or the next thing, but am happy growing in God and learning each day more and more about His vast and amazing love and hope. It is awesome and I hope that everyone is able to experience it at some point in their life.

Newsletter

I am getting ready to send out my quarterly newsletter. It is an awesome way to see what has been going on here in Arlington, Washington with Youth Dynamics. If there is anyone who doesn't already recieve my newsletter and would like to let me know. Send me an email and I will get you on my mailing list. It is a great way to stay connected and know what our prayer needs are up here also. Email me at jmaher@yd.org if you are interested.

I also send out periodic email updates, if you are interested in recieving those let me know and I will get you on that list.

There are awesome things happening here and I don't want you to miss out.

Passion

How is it that some people can live with what seems like no passions in life at all? How can a person live and just not care about anything at all? What drives this person? What makes them get up day after day? I just don't understand.

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?

Seriously Frustrated

I have to share that I am really frustrated with airline companies right now. Apparently they no longer work with people on their airline flights when there is a medical emergency. See, my dad is going to be having an angioplasty and a stint put in on Friday morning. This was not known when I booked my flight to California 2 months ago. I have been trying to work with and talk to the airline company and they are going to charge me $227 to stay until Sunday to be with my dad. I could buy another plane ticket for less...this is completely ridiculous. I don't understand. Anyway it is needless to say that I am really annoyed right now, as well as frustrated, angry and stressed. Now my dad has to do this on his own.