Happy Love Day!

Although many would think Valentines is just a holiday created by Hallmark, I believe that no matter the source in which it was created, we could all use a reminder to do something extra special for the one we love. Not that your affection for them should only blossom once a year but I still think it serves as a wonderful reminder to Love: Speak words that some times we forget to speak, take time to do on a date (yes they should exist after being married!) and spend the day making the other person feel special. 

I also saw a funny comment on this morning "Happy Valentines Day / Single Awareness Day!" I thought that was true and funny but to shine a brighter light on it... "Happy Valentines Day / Singles Save $ Day!" It is murder to see the prices of flowers double, and then you want to buy a card and to even enter the Hallmark isle you need to take out a second mortgage, but it isn't about how much you spend (Although for some Gifts are a part of it - especially if you Wife's love language is gifts - that greedy love language! but even then it's not the price it's the thought!) it's how you spend you time, words and affection. So I encourage you to do something special for your someone special, even if you decide that you don't do Valentines.. surprise them! I promise you won't regret it!

Happy Valentines!

Time logs...

As I had a personal to do list for this New Year, things I wanted to put into my daily life, weekly life and just change in my life I am finding that well it's february and nothing is done yet!

Yes I'm busy but so is life, so is everyone.. growing up and managing life is real, you can't not do it. Busy will consume you if you don't plan.  Although I haven't really thought about these things I've pushed them away with an excuse of being busy. Struggling, or wondering really how to find balance with life, Ministry, and Family. 

This weekend at Generation Unleashed Doug Lassit was doing a round table question and answer time with youth pastors and the main questions asked was exactly that.... where is the balance, how do you find it? Doug's answer changed my life and I'm so glad this mindset has changed in me so young and before my family grows bigger than just two! 

Doug's answer was THERE ISN'T... there is no balance, you can't balance it. This rocked my world. If you are trying to balance life in ministry you will always be consumed with busy and unfortunately most of the time the church gets blamed because of it. There is no balance, we have been called to do a certain job in the Kingdom, and so our family has been called and we need to live in the middle of our calling. Everything happens there. When we are living in the center of our call everything needs to be there with you. We need to carry our purpose into every area of our life, even the little things, and when we put our family in the middle of our calling our children grow up with an excitement for the things THEY are doing in the Kingdom, not a dissatisfaction because Mom and Dad are just too busy. If we approach our ministry and family as two different things they will always battle against each other, it just needs to all be our call.

So how do I get this into my life... well as much as I hated them in Master's I'm going to start a time log for a couple of weeks and see where my time is going and look at how I can use it better to accomplish that too do list.... Hopefully this won't be a difficult process... As scheduled as my life is.. I think scheduling out my free time is my answer...

Whatever your calling is, I believe that if we approach life busy... we will be busy we all are, but when we stop trying to balance and place everything under our calling and allow God to direct our steps each day, I believe it's going to transform our spare time, our lives, our stress and our families.

Truly Amazed!

Well I have another post that will be full of bragging of my FABULOUS students because well they just never cease to amaze me. I have the wonderful joy of working in youth ministry which gives me the amazing  privilege of being a part of the student's lives at Northgate! If you don't know them... well you should get to know them!! They are all fabulous people.

Tonight I had the pleasure of attending a Variety Night, at Highland for Guardian Angel. Guardian Angel is a Charity that was set up by our very own Sam Middleton to raise money for cancer research! Sam had a friend pass away from cancer last year and she has started this charity and put on this Variety Night in Honor of her friend. Tonight was amazing. It was organized, they had plenty of acts and Sam did an amazing job.  She raised over $800.00 tonight. This is one of our students who saw a need, knew she needed to respond to that need and did something practical. Sam not only am I so proud of you, I want you to know the example you set to others. Those who are older and younger. Your strength and passion is making a difference. 

At this wonderful night fully put on by a Northgate student, 2 Northgate students performed.

Seth Johnson did a fabulous job on the piano and was also the photographer of the night! Great job Seth! And the show finished up with 2 original songs by our very own Matt Powell! As he took the stage we joked about how we knew Matt pre-hair straightener and how it has been an absolute pleasure watching this young man grow. Matt performed his two songs which both had such a strong message to look beyond ourselves, notice the rest of the world and do something. Matt it is awesome to see you grow in your music and watch you allow God to shape you. It was hard to keep it together. 

Well Church, our youth are seeing needs and going after them. I've been challenged by them and I think it's time we allow there faith to stir us up a bit. If nothing else be praying for our young people because they are allowing God to capture their hearts in a radical way and they are changing the world around them. Once again I'm so proud of you guys. Great Job!

If you want to read the whole story of what Sam has been up to it was in today's paper!

http://www2.canada.com/comoxvalleyecho/news/story.html?id=63aaca97-8fa9-4d4e-bd82-8476ad1e5817

Proud!

Well although I have no real children of my own, I have ton's of students that call Thrive their youth church and as their leader I have a little protective mom that rises inside me. Not only does that protective spirit rise in me, so does pride, love, hurt, joy and excitement. I love being a part of such a large group that I can experience their stuff along side them. This month as you know we have been working through issues of social justice and it has made me very proud to see our students respond. 

They have opened up their hearts to the hurting and the broken.

They have allowed God to stir up passion in their prayers for the things that break his heart.

They have planned fundraisers and got right to work practically!

I am so proud of all of them, but I want to just give honor to a young lady who's heart brought me to tears the other day as I read through our very own community newspaper.

Samantha has allowed God to break her heart for his people. She has allowed him to change her life not just her thoughts. Over the last year it has been my pleasure to watch Samantha grow, ponder and seek out the things of God and allow them to  impact her. Her heart for social justice can not hide, it bubbles right out of her. She has been on missions trips, she has prayed, she has sought out area's to help in. Anything and everything she can do to help, she will. Back in the fall she came up with an idea to make and sell bracelets, a few weeks back she held a movie night with a $5 donation to help raise money that went to her third practical fundraiser, her valentines baskets! These are practical ideas that ARE raising money for the International Justice Mission, who is truly doing something about these real issues in our world.

Samantha I am so proud of you and I'm so excited to continue to see the things that God is going to do through you! Thank you for encouraging me to seek more, You are an influencer and I want to honor you for using that influence for the Kingdom.

If you still want to support IJM in this way there is still Valentines Baskets available in the church office Tues.- Fri 9-5, saturday at our 6pm service and sunday at our 10am service.

If you want to read the whole article and missed it you can check it out here online:

http://www.canada.com/comoxvalleyecho/news/story.html?id=e780ec8d-6df2-4878-9b91-0a01e165e3f3

Bling to my Blog!

After a venture from Alison's blog to the best site ever... I now have some bling!

It's fabulous!

Well maybe new looks fro time to time will help  my blogging skills! If I can decorate and blog at the same time.. :P

Side Note: Really excited for Youth tonight, gone over stuff with some leaders and receiving some stuff in prayer.. it's going to be great! Expectation is key... leaders that are reading start praying into youth tonight, cause if we want more.. we just need to ask!!!!

Using my snooze button for Jesus!!

Well like many people I am a SNOOZE BUTTON LOVER!!! For as long as I have been using as alarm clock I've had this love for that little round button! Press it and it gives sleep!!! Now in my world that is the best gift given! I've loved this gift so much that I purposely set my alarm early so that I can have that dozy snooze time to wake up fully! Although this brings me much joy it has always been a struggle with getting up early enough to get everything done in the morning. 

Yesterday as I was snoozing.. (of course :P) I had a thought! If I would use my first snooze in worship, my second snooze in prayer and my third snooze in the word, not only would I get my snooze time.. it would be with Jesus which in the end will make me feel way better than a rushed chapter in front of my breakfast! So today was the start of snoozing with Jesus and I loved it!!

1st snooze- put in my worship music, and allowed my spirit to wake to the glory of God and choosing to follow him with all I am today, giving him my yes and just welcoming holy spirit.

2nd snooze- climbed out of warm bed on to my knees and prayed. This morning a spirit of Honor just came into my prayers and I started to pray honor over my parents, my leaders, the staff at our church, our government and my family it was just really cool!

3rd snooze- I opened my bible (I cool bible in the form of a magazine I got for Christmas! Thanks mom and dad E) and It started in Job, and I read about how Job kept his faith through his trails, and I love how he says "should we accept only good things from the hand of God and never anything bad?" I really love that when things are not going well Job kept his faith! We need to run to God, not run away when life throws us the things that look impossible!

Anyway thats an update from my snooze with JC! Loved it and I'm sure I'll blog about my snooze findings more, I think it's my new favourite time of the day!

Mexico Bound!

Well our first mexico meeting was last night and I am so excited to head down on our 2nd youth missions trip!! What a great joy leading students into a life changing trip! Anyway we are trying to take two vans this year which means we can take up to 22 students and we have around 12 so far hopefully everyone interested will be able to come!!

I had lunch with two of the girls that are planning on coming today and just that excited anticipation of not knowing what's coming next is really fun to watch and it also got me thinking of what it felt like to embark on these type of trips.

Missions has been a part of my life for awhile and I know it will continue to be in my future. I'm only 21 years old and I have been to the LA Dream Center, Mexico- twice (#3 in  7 weeks), Across Canada, and Haiti- twice. 

THATS 7 Mission Trips!!! Not only did that get me thinking about how blessed I am that God put me in these situations but that I've seen a lot more than a lot of people my age.

But looking into these girls eyes at lunch I remembered that excitement, blended with some fear and really no idea what to expect. Worrying about bugs and dirt.... not really what was going to change my heart.

God has used every single trip I have gone on to shape my personality in a huge way and I am so thankful. He has changed my heart for others, social justice, evangelism and my own maturity has grown immensely!

I just want to encourage our students that are planning to go to start praying into your trip now, not for what we are going to do or the people we will see but for your heart to be open because it's going to change you. You will not come home the same person but your heart needs to be ready to respond to God. We are going to have a blast,  as much fun as you will have, I'm sure I will have more fun watching you grow, ponder and seek out what God has for you!!!