Ladies...

I was going through some things that I had written on facebook, and came across this...

Funny, because I really needed to read it today. I hope it can help someone else too :)

so last night we had ladies night at cru....it was amazing/great/spectacular/wonderful/faaaaaantasic. we did an exercise in which we all identified common things that women struggle with and then a super strong friend gave her testimony. we talked about God and what thinks of us as women, how we are seen as PURE and RIGHTEOUS by Him. it was such an uplifting night....we read from the book, "do you think i'm beautiful?" by angela thomas. the book is about her experience through the struggle of accepting God's unconditional love.

no matter what you've gone through

no matter what you struggle with

no matter what you've done

God sees you as PURE and RIGHTEOUS and....never forget! you are the DAUGHTER of the KING

Along with this entry...here are some verses that I plan to focus on...

“The LORD does not look at the things man looks at. Man looks at the outward appearance, but the LORD looks at the heart." -1 Samuel 16:7"

All beautiful you are, my darling; there is no flaw in you." -Song of Solomon 4:7

"The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your Lord." -Psalm 45:11

"For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." -Psalm 139:13-14

Top Five Reasons Why I Blog

Some may say blogging is dorky, some may think it's the coolest thing since sliced bread. Here's why I do it...

1. Sharing silly, fun, interesting, or useful things that are on the web

2. Being able to pick out a nice little picture that goes with each post (so fun)

3. To share with others a bit of wisdom that God decides to throw my way at any given time (mostly through mistakes I've made)

4. Two words.....analytics baby. For those of you regular bloggers out there...you know what I'm talking about. When people from across the world are checkin out your blog...you can't tell me you don't feel a bit like a superstar

5. It has helped me develop and grow as a person. Not only does it keep my writing skills sharp, but blogging helps me to continue to acknowledge what is going on in my life. I consider blogging to be therapeutic and a great way to reflect.

Happy Median

I just came across a pretty cool website today. Bascially, the website is a search engine that asks you to put in up to 4 addresses and then finds restaurants, movie theatres, lodging, etc that is an equal distance between the addresses. Having friends in different areas, I thought this website was great because deciding on a place to meet is sometimes difficult. The search engine provides you with the name of the place, phone number, website, and some of them even have coupons that you can print out! Check it out.
http://www.happymedian.com/index.jsf

Nanny Diaries

Summer jobs. Gotta love em. My job this summer is being a nanny for an extremely adorable toddler. Sometimes I like to get professional and call myself an Au pair...because I'm living with the family. Plus, it just sounds cooler.


I have been a babysitter for years now, probably since the age of about 14 when I started watching my little brother and sister for a few hours while my mom ran errands. The thing that is different about this summer is that I watch this little lady 9 hours a day, 5 days a week. I can't say that I wasn't a bit nervous about this situation. I love kids, but how would I keep her happy and content everyday, all day? So far, things have been going really well. We have become pretty good pals....as good as pals a 1 year old and 22 year old can be at least.


Through spending time with this little youngster, I have had to learn how to be more self-sacrificial. She depends on me all day for not only her basic needs, but for someone to make her laugh and comfort her while mom and dad are busy at work. Sometimes it's hard, other times it's amazing. I see myself developing a deep love for my little pal. I'm sure it's comparable, on a smaller scale, to what a parent feels for their child.


I guess what I'm trying to say is....being a parent must be hard, really hard...but it sure does seem to have it's rewards as well.


The hard stuff: temper tantrums that end with yogurt all over the floor or in some one's hair


The reward: watching her make a new discovery or getting an unexpected toddler hug


I appreciate God giving me the opportunity this summer to take a small glimpse into the life of a parent. I expect big things for this little lady...she has amazing parents and quite a vivacious little personality. I feel privileged to be able to assist in her development and growth...even if it's only a short time. I'm prepared for many more challenges...and rewards...the rest of the summer and I'm excited to see what God will do in my heart through this job.

A Coffee Catastrophe....Avoided

I love coffee. Over the years, my taste for coffee has become more....oh let's say....refined. I used to be okay with your run of the mill brands, I think I was even able to drink some generic stuff back in the day. Ever since an internship at my church last summer, spent with some coffee fanatics...I will never be able to return to these second rate brands. What I'm trying to say is...I am a Starbucks snob.


I never thought it would happen. I must have been a bit naive thinking I could just start drinking Starbucks and then go back to it's not so "gourmet" competitor. This is not the case. No, I cannot personally afford to buy myself Starbucks all the time...but I do try to buy one or two brands that I would say come close to measuring up to the greatness that Starbucks coffee is, but they aren't much cheaper.


So last Sunday I made an amazing discovery. I went through my normal Sunday morning routine...wake up....get ready...and then go down for breakfast and to brew up a good cup of joe to TAKE with me to church in a to-go mug (because I'm usually running late). The problem was, I was running much later than usual and so I didn't have time to even take coffee to go.

This could have been a disaster...because whether it's psychological or not...if I don't have a GOOD cup of coffee in the morning, I feel like I'm missing something. That's a bit hard to admit...but it's true. So I get to church and decide to SETTLE for some coffee that the hospitality team has brewed up. Now I am not by any means knocking the hospitality team. They are a great group of people who supply some good eats and hot coffee for us every Sunday morning. The reason I said I would settle is because in my mind, I'm thinking that they are using one of those second rate or even third rate brands of coffee that my sophisticated pallet wouldn't enjoy. ;)

As I'm pouring myself a cup...I notice that behind the carafe is a box full of coffee bags. I peer into the box to see which brand they decided to settle for. Inside the box are bags full of Starbucks....yes Starbucks....coffee. At this point...I think I may have scared the woman serving the coffee because I grab a bag, pick it up, hold it in the air, and literally yell, "YOU GUYS SERVE STARBUCKS! THAT'S AMAZING...I CAN'T BELIEVE IT!" and some other nonsense that decides to fly out of my mouth.



So yes...friends...if you are a coffee lover like myself and find yourself constantly craving "the good stuff" make sure you come to the hospitality table at CCV on Sunday morning because there my friends is the king of the coffee world....Starbucks...flowing freely for you to enjoy while chatting with friends or sitting in service.



Whoever is responsible for this...I thank you. :)

Yoga-Day 2

For the past few months I have been experiencing really intense back pain. For a young lady who likes to stay active, this has really caused me frustration because there have been days that I have spent my entire time on the couch with a heating pad. When I experience this back pain, I feel a bit older than my 22 year old self. Not only have I been using a heating pad, but I've been popping Bayer aspirin and using those sticky icy-hot bandages.

Nothing works.

I even went as far as to go to the doctor and get x-rays. Basically the doc told me that I have been carrying all of my stress in my back.

Anyway, I wanted to let you all in on my new endeavor. I am going to start a 3 week yoga commitment. I tried a quick yoga video the other day and felt pretty darn good afterward. My back pain was minimized and I felt energized. I just finished a 30 minute yoga video that was a bit more difficult....and let me say...I feel AMAZING!

Could this be the end of my back pain? I hope so! I'd like to not touch Bayer aspirin again for another oooh 40 or 50 years.

I'll keep you updated :)

p.s. no, I am not able to do what that lady is doing in the picture....yet ;)

we did it

Ignite....this was the name given to the group of young adults at my church. We just recently had a worship service to kick things off and get everyone amped about all the events we are having this summer. Unfortunately, I was unable to be there and experience it (I was at a wedding!), but I did hear that things went well. I must admit, I was really nervous about the outcome of our efforts. It's one thing to dream something up, and it's another to actually pull it off. We started off with some great music, a great speaker, more music, and then a barbecue to finish it all off. I was informed that there were some new faces there, which is awesome.

Why, do you ask, did we need to have a "service" when there is a perfectly good service given on Sunday mornings. Except for when the speaker is talking about marriage or parenting, most of the young adults are able to apply what they hear on Sunday to their own lives. The service we held was not because we weren't being "fed" or because we didn't think Sunday measured up. The reason, at least in my mind, was to be able to connect with other people in my age bracket.

My church offers an awesome program for elementary school children (Valley Kids), services for middle and high school (Impact and Riot), and finally a service (sometimes referred to as "big church" by the kids) for the rest of us adults. My small group wanted to start something for the in between ages experienced in your twenties.

Think about it. Most of us don't exactly fit in with all of the adults. We are still trying to figure out what we want to do for the rest of our lives, who we want to marry and live with for the rest of our lives, and just how to do all the stuff our parents used to do for us like finding insurance and taking care of our finances. While it's great to get guidance and wisdom from people that have gone through these stages of life, it's nice to know there is a group of people I can relate to that are going through these things with me.

I want the young adults in this area to get serious about what is important in life. So whether they know God or not, I hope that this summer brings a lot of new and interesting people to CCV to get connected with not only other people their age, but God as well!

I am excited about the future of Ignite and the young adults at CCV.