Who do YOU know?

Easter has always been one of my favorite holidays. Since I was a kid. I remember waking up on Easter morning to a HUGE, over-stuffed Easter basket (okay, I'm an only child - be quiet!) dripping with peeps, jelly beans, chocolate eggs and other ooey-gooey treats that kept my dentist in business! Then there was the egg hunt, and I don't mean hunting for those plastic filled eggs we use today - I mean the REAL HARDBOILED eggs we decorated. Mom would "strategically" place them around the house and my job was to find them all. It never failied, though, that I would forget one (and mom would too) and we would find it like 2 days later - usually by that time smelling pretty ripe! Oh - those were the good 'ole days. Or were they?

If you grew up in a family like mine, Easter was about a big bunny, too much candy and a ham on the dinner table. Oh - and those HOLLOW chocolate bunnies. Do you remember these? My mom ALWAYS got me the hollow ones - never the SOLID ones. You know the ones I'm talking about. I yearned for the solid ones and year after year I remember sticking my finger in the bunnies ears and hearing the crunch it would make! Darn it! Another hollow bunny!

Just like that hollow bunny, we were hollow inside. For many years, my family was missing something - we just didn't know what it was. We longed to be solid and complete, but it wasn't until years later that we discovered that it was Christ Jesus! It is Him and Him alone that makes us solid and complete. Easter has a whole new meaning to us now, as Christians. When Jesus paid the price for us years ago upon that cross - - he thought of me - - he thought of you - - and Easter is no longer about a hollow bunny - it's about celebrating a solid life with Christ!

So who do you know who doesn't know? Who can you share the Easter story with? We all know someone who doesn't know the joy of living a solid life with Christ. Who will you choose to share your story with this Easter season? Maybe it's a phone call to those family members who will spend their Easter Sunday alone. Maybe it's an email to a friend who, for whatever reason, has been on your mind lately. Maybe it's your neighbor who is going through a divorce or maybe it's even a gas station attendant who has never heard that Christ died for her too! Get out there! Share your story. Share Christ's love with someone today! You never know the impact you might have on their forever!

The SON is shining

So yesterday was just gorgeous! I was almost tempted to not even take a lunch for fear that I wouldn't want to come back to work! I am glad I took the time to at least drive to get lunch. Isn't springtime amazing? It's like people just poor out of the woodwork. Here are just a few of my observations from my 15 minute drive... a mom pushing her baby in a stroller, 2 men jogging and laughing together, a teenage girl walking her beautiful Golden Retriever puppy, a biker couple enjoying the opportunity to get a good ride in. Just ordinary things on an ordinary day. But what it did for me was cause me to stop - - look - - listen - - and BE THANKFUL I'm alive! Spring is a reminder of God's amazing love for me. A reminder of His grace and mercy and His daily blessings in my life!

The SON is shining today! What do you have to be thankful about this spring?

Mom My Ride

If you haven't seen this yet- you can check it out here. This is hilarious!

The Bridge

So Chloe has been asking and asking me to take her to see the newer Disney flick, Bridge to Terabithia. I saw the previews, and I've gotta be honest, it didn't look like anything I thought I would enjoy... boy was I wrong! What a great movie! I love those ones where you're watching and things are good and then WHAM! something changes and out of nowhere the movie takes a totally different turn! Yeah - I know, I'm weird. This one was like that! I've gotta warn you though, moms, bring your tissues! Go check it out and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

Hey Jodee!

OK - this is for my newest bud, Jodee! I told you to go to my blog and warned you that I have been quite lazy on posting recenlty. Okay - so I didn't realize it had been since October!! So - here's just a note you welcome you to my blog and I PROMISE I will get back on track by next week! :) Love ya!

Well, We're Off!

Well - in just a couple hours almost 100 women of Crossroads Community Church will be headed to the annual Women Who Worship Fall Retreat! I am pumped! I am looking forward to see what God has in store for us this weekend as we gather to worship Him! I am blessed to be able to be traveling with my good friends, Faythe and Tracey to Camp Michindoh and then sharing a cabin for the night with these wonderful ladies. Don't know if the cabin will be able to handle all the laughter that will most likely continue into the wee hours of the night - - so we'll see! :) Please pray for us as we prepare to our hearts and minds for this wonderful experience and may we be able to feel the Holy Spirit's presence during our time together. Blessings!

Charisma!

This was taken from a book I am currently reading, "The 21 Indispensable Qualities of a Leader... Becoming the Person Others will want to Follow"...

The Cleverest in England

During the second half of the nineteenth century, two strong men vied for leadership of Great Britain’s government: William Gladstone and Benjamin Disraeli. The two politicians were intense rivals. You can detect how they felt about each other based on a comment once made by Disraeli: “The difference between a misfortune and a calamity? If Gladstone fell into the Thames (River), it would be a misfortune. But if someone dragged him out again, it would be a calamity.”

Many people believe that Gladstone, leader of the Liberal Party for three decades, personified the best qualities of Victorian England. A career public servant, he was a great orator, a master of finance, and a staunchly moral man. He was made prime minister of the United Kingdom four different times, the only person in the nation’s history to achieve that honor. Under his leadership, Great Britain established a national education system, instituted parliamentary reform, and saw the vote given to a significant number of people in the working classes.

Benjamin Disraeli, who served twice as prime minister, had a different kind of background. In his thirties, he entered politics and built a reputation as a diplomat and social reformer. But his greatest accomplishment was masterminding Great Britain’s purchase of shares in the Suez Canal.

Though both men accomplished much for Britain, what really separated them as leaders was their approach to people. The difference can be best illustrated by a story told by a young woman who dined with the two rival statesmen on consecutive nights. When asked her impression of them, she said, “When I left the dining room after sitting next to Mr. Gladstone, I thought he was the cleverest man in England. But after sitting next to Mr. Disraeli, I thought I was the cleverest woman in England.” Disraeli possessed a quality that drew people to him and made them want to follow him. He had charisma!

I don’t know about you, but I know I want to be just like Mr. Disraeli. When others are around me, I want THEM feel clever, special, loved and valued.

Beware of Dogsitter!

Okay... so I am more than a little concerned about my dogsitter. I think she has gone off the deep end this time. She claims she makes him happy when she's there and that he really enjoys being dressed up, but come on, now, does he look happy? You be the judge!

Oh - and why is he on my couch? I can't decide if the look on his face is because he is afraid of this doggy-dress-up time with the dogsitter or if it's because he knows mama 'aint gonna be happy when I see that he has been on the couch! :0

Ten Things I Love About You!

So, a few weeks ago, my family started a daily ritual at the dinner table. What we realized was - the dinner table can too often times become a place for "complaining" about our days/weeks. We tend to bring all the "stuff" from our days to the dinner table and unleash it all. Okay - NOT HEALTHY! So, we decided to try something different. Every evening at the dinner table we start with prayer and then go around the table sharing one thing we love about each other. It can be anything at all! Just spending time appreciating one another is such a great booster and has really worked for us! I decided to come up with a 'top ten' list for the members of my family and would like to share them...

10 Things I love about - TREVOR
- Your sense of humor
- Your honesty (even when it hurts)
- Your patience (even though you don't think this one is true!)
- Your constant support
- Your devotion to our family and marriage
- Your humbleness
- Your generosity
- Your calming spirit
- Your helpfulness
- For being my best friend and confidant!

10 Things I love about - CHLOE
- Your sense of humor
- The way you light up the room!
- Your giggle
- Your spunky personality (I bet you get this from your dad!)
- Your cuddles at nighttime and in the morning
- Your generosity
- Your happy spirit
- Your thoughtfulness
- Your contagious joy
- Your smile!

Thank you for being my FAMILY! I thank God every day of my life for both of you. I don't know where I'd be without you...

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!

Okay - I must be the world's worst daughter! In the midst of my own "stuff" I TOTALLY forgot that today was my parents anniversary! I cannot believe it! It's been 35 wonderful years for them today and I totally blew it! Mom...Dad... if you're reading this - please forgive me.

But really - I have two of the most incredible parents on the PLANET EARTH and I am grateful to them in more ways than I can count! They are truly a blessing to mine and my family's lives! I am thankful to them for their love and support and encouragement over the past 33 years! For their patience and guidance and understanding. For always being on my side - NO MATTER WHAT!

Happy Anniversary mom and dad - I LOVE YOU!!!

Quotes...

I received this in an email yesterday afternoon and I really enjoyed these and wanted to share them...

"The only thing worth stealing is a kiss from a sleeping child." Joe Houldsworth

"There is no point in being grown up if you can't be childish sometimes." Doctor Who

"When you are content to be simply yourself and don't compare and compete, everybody will respect you." Lao Tzu

"You don't stop laughing because you grow old, you grow old because you stop laughing." Michael Pritchard

and my FAVORITE...

"I am careful not to confuse excellence with perfection. Excellence, I can reach for; Perfection is God's business." Michael J. Fox

First Day of School!

It's hard to believe that my BABY (and I say this very quietly so Chloe doesn't hear me call her this) is in First Grade this year! Where does the time go? Someone once told me that time would FLY once I had kids... I never would have believed it until I sent her into that big girl school all by herself just one year ago.

This is Chloe's first grade year and that certainly means a lot of "frists" for her. The first time she will eat in the big cafeteria with her class... the first time she will actually have an art class outside of her regular classroom... the first time she will have homework (four nights a week of math is what I heard today!) It's a milestone year for her and I thank God every day for blessing my life with this remarkable daughter! I cannot wait to see what God has in store for her life this year!

I love you, baby!

Goofy!

My friend, Roxanne, just got back from her DISNEY cruise!! I am so jealous that I have decided to put her picture here on my blog.. I know she will appreciate it. It's really a portrait of her true self.. :) GOOFY! You know I love ya' Rox!

Chloe's 6 Year Pictures

Got Chloe's 6-year pictures taken the other day - even though she won't turn 6 until June 27th. I always like to have them in my hand on the day of her party - so to avoid rushing, I got them done a bit early this year. It was such a fun time and I must say - the camera loves her. Must be she is so used to me clicking that flash in her face for so many years now.. :) She was very good and they turned out great! Here is my favorite one.

Our friend, Kathy, went with and here is a posting she had on her blog about the days event....


"Miss Chloe... it's time for your shoot"

I had the privilege today of watching Miss Chloe, a beautiful, soon to be six year old, have her photos taken to mark the milestone event. Chloe is the darling daughter of my "boss" Wendy at the church office where I love to volunteer. I help her with mindless, time consuming things and fill in for her so she can go get lunch, do errands and the like. Anyway, Wendy has become a Godsend to me. She has become a friend, confidant and someone to talk to when there is only self, me and God. Anyway, back to Miss Chloe....she chose to wear her Easter dress for the shoot...a darling pink floral chiffon and white sandals. She looked picture and princess perfect!
Mom and I watched the baby ahead of her appointment get her photos done and were absolutely giddy and silly with this baby's chubby little legs and cheeks :) It was such fun but then it was the star of the hours turn. I can honestly say in my 49 years on this planet I have never seen a child take to a camera more naturally than Chloe. She was AMAZING! She did as she was asked like "bring your smile down a notch". "How is a nearly 6 year old supposed to know what that means?" I thought to myself. But she did it perfectly, beautifully, amazingly naturally. She is such a sweet and happy little girl who loves life, God, her family, her friends and even looking at herself in the mirror. Not a thing wrong with that...she was looking at one of my favorite little people too! Thank you, Chloe, for allowing me to watch you today. You made my heart smile :)

Proud Parent Moment!

For the past several months, we have been talking to our 5-year-old daughter, Chloe, about what it means to be a Christian. She has had some really fascinating adult-like questions and at times, it has been a real challenge. You really have to put yourself in the shoes of a 5-year-old and be very strategic about the way you answer - in a way she can really understand. Well - last weekend we were preparing our Sunday afternoon meal together. We were making tacos and she was pretending to help me cut up the lettuce. Totally out of the blue she said to me "Mommy, I forgot to tell you what I did at last week... I asked Jesus to come inside my heart!" I don't think I will ever forget those words and how sweet they sounded coming from my Chloe! As a parent, I cannot think of a more proud moment than that. I immediately dropped everything, as did my husband, and began asking her more questions... "Where did you do this, honey, when, how...?" She sweetly explained that she had been out on the playground at recess and was playing on the grass by herself and it reminded her of being on her knees praying so she simply asked Jesus to come live inside her heart! I can't explain the joy I felt listening to her explain about this decision to me and what a thrill it was to rejoice with her and to celebrate God's presence in her life! "She gets it!" I kept saying to myself - - SHE GETS IT! Often times we underestimate the depth of her understanding. Her mind had been absorbing more than we were giving her credit. We are so looking forward to seeing all God has in store for her life!

My Jesus

This is a great song that I just heard for the first time today on the radio... It really hit me - LOVED it! and wanted to share it with you -

My Jesus
Todd Agnew

Which Jesus do you follow,
Which Jesus do you serve
If Ephesians says to imitate Christ,
Why do you look so much like the world

Cause My Jesus bled and died
He spent His time with thieves and liars,
He loved the poor and accosted the arrogant
So which one do you want to be

Blessed are the poor in spirit,
or do we pray to blessed with with the wealth of this land
Blessed are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness
Or do we ache for another taste of this world of shifting sands

My Jesus bled and died for my sins
He spent His time with thieves and sluts and liars,
He loved the poor and accosted the rich,
So which one do you want to be

Who is this that You follow,
This picture of the American dream,
If Jesus was here would you walk right by on the other side,
Or fall down and worship at His holy feet
holy
Pretty blue eyes and curly brown hair and a clear complexion,
Is how you see Him as He dies for Your sins,
But the Word says He was battered and scarred
Or did you miss that part,
Sometimes I doubt we'd recognize Him

My Jesus bled and died He spent His time with thieves and the least of these,
He loved the poor and accosted the comfortable,
So which one do you want to be,
Cause My Jesus would never be accepted in my church
The blood and dirt on His feet might stain the carpet,
But He reaches for the hurting and despises the proud
And, I think He'd prefer Beale St. to the stained glass crowd
And I know that He can hear me if I cry out loud

I want to be like my Jesus
I want to be like my Jesus
I want to be like my Jesus
I want to be like my Jesus

Not a posterchild for American prosperity, but like my Jesus
You see I'm tired of living for success and popularity
I want to be like my Jesus
but I'm not sure what that means to be like You Jesus
Cause You said to live like You,
love like You but then
You died for me

Can I be like You Jesus?
I wanna be like you Jesus
I wanna be Like my Jesus

Tag I'm it! WHAT?!?!

Thanks for the tag, Kyle Brooks! :) Although mine won't be nearly as interesting as Petes!

Four Other Jobs I've Had:
Title Clerk for a car dealership
Nanny (I loved this job!)
Real Estate Assistant
Ice Cream artist (this was my first job and I think I earned much of my wages in the consumption of the ice cream I made!)

Four Movies I Can Watch Over and Over:
Titanic (okay, so I am a hopeless romantic. I also think Leonardo is one cute dude... wait, somone just told me that "dude" actually means the hair on an elephants butt, so forget it, he's not a dude!)
Steal Magnolias (a CHICK flick!)
Napolion Dynamite (Me, TOO, Kyle!!! Yes, I am a NERD!)
Anything with Adam Sandler

Four Places I've Lived:
Tecumseh, MI
Adrian, MI
Only two - sorry. I know, HOW DULL!

Four Shows I Like To Watch:
CSI rocks!!!
Crossing Jordan
Numb3rs
30 Minute Meals with Rachael Ray

Four Foods That I Like:
Anything mexican... Tacos, enchilladas, nachos... YUM!
Lasagna
Homemade Mac and Cheese
Homemade mashed potatoes
(Okay, is it lunchtime yet??)

Four Sites I Visit Everyday:
ilovemychurch.org
lenconnect.com (it's my only source of local news!)
fellowshipone.com (our church database)
http://www.charthouse.com/ (this one is maybe not everyday - but once a week, rather)


Things I Want To Do Before I Die:
"I went sky-diving, I went rocking mountain climbing, I went 2.7 seconds on a bull named foo-man-choo!" Oh wait - that Tim McGraw tune popped in my head. I really don't want to ride a bull - EVER!
Travel the countryside with my wonderful husband.
See my daughter grow up to be happy and healthy.
Be the best person I can be.
See my community band together for the purpose of worshiping our GREAT GOD!

Four People I'm Tagging:
Kyle Mitchell
Shari Glass
The Hiatt Family
Sorry - I am tagging only three. The other ones I liked to hear from who have not yet been tagged don't have blogs! :)

SNOW DAY!!!!!

I just LOVE living in Michigan. It has always made me laugh when people in Michigan complain about the weather. It's really quite amusing. You know, we complain in the summer because it's too hot, we complain in the fall because there are too many leaves in our yards to have to rake, we complain in the winter because it's too cold and the snow it too deep and then we complain in the spring because the winters months have left the ground muddy from the snow. We Michiganders are never happy! Well - my family is happy today! We got our first official SNOW day and we are loving it. Let's see - we have already been out in the snow playing with the dog (who undoubtedly loves this white stuff) and we have had our first round of hot cocoa! It's a great day! I did not have to go into the office today due to the weather and neither did my husband, who, by the way, arrived home early this morning from his over 11 hour drive from Indiana in this winter wonderland! Our family loves the snow - and all the snow sports that winter brings... like sledding and snowmobiling! I can tell that my hubby is itching to get his sled out for the the first time this season. He used to say that the snowmobile started up by itself when the weather got to 32 degrees, but he has been too busy this season, yet, to enjoy it. Maybe we can get it out today yet and play in the "powder". What a great day!!

Why We Do What We Do

Ask just about any one of us at Crossroads Community Church to give a brief description of our church and I would bet that you would hear a common thread among us all - it's about LIFE CHANGE. Week after week, I am in absolute awe of the God that we serve. He is so awesome and I feel so blessed to be able to serve along some of the greatest people on the planet - literally! But about this life change - let me shed some light on what I am talking about. As of Sunday, November 27th and since only the beginning of 2005, 385 individuals have communicated to us, their personal commitment to accept Christ as their Savior! And these are just the ones who communicated this to us via our Communication Card on Sunday mornings! That number just blows me away! For some reason I cannot even get my mind around how many people this really is. 385 changed lives...385 more reasons for angels to rejoice...385 more people that we will see in Heaven! I am blessed beyond words to be serving on staff at Crossroads and to be able to be a small part of the big picture. When we have a troubled day or when we are feeling low, all we at Crossroads need to think about is that number - 385! We have 385 more reasons to do what we do day in and day out. Whatever role you play in this church body ~ know for certain that WHAT WE ARE DOING TRULY MATTERS. It is by no accident that I am at this church...No accident that you are at this church and no accident that we have played a part in reaching 385 people to Christ this year!

To all Crossroaders reading this blog - YOU are awesome! You are loved and appreciated more than you will ever know. It is because of you that we can reach our goal of reaching out to the more than 65,000 unchurched individuals in Lenawee County for Christ!

I love my church!

Always in a Hurry!

Do you notice that everywhere you go now adays, everyone is in a BIG HURRY? It simply amazes me. I see people in lines at grocery stores and they actually look like they are in competetion with one another. I will admit - I am a little like that - but when you stop to think about it - why are we always in such a mad rush anyway? What is it inside of us that causes us to go go go - - get to the finish line? I am not competetive by nature AT ALL, so for me, this part I just don't get. One of my goals is to slow down a bit. Take time to "smell the flowers". I don't want to rush through my days so quickly that I miss all the wonders of the day - like the colors of the fall leaves or the smell of the rain outside or the beautiful sunset. I can't remember the last time I just stopped and listened to the sounds around me - and I don't mean the television set! I mean - the birds and the wind and the rustling of the leaves falling from the trees. I want to take time to listen to my daughters laughter and the praise songs she learns from school (even though she pronounces most of the words incorrectly!) I want to ask people about their days and really listen to them. I want to drive for a day with the music OFF so that I can think about all of things I am grateful for - like the car I have to drive me to work each morning - with heat in the winter and air conditioning in the summer. These are the things I want to pay close attention to and if I am hurrying - I will miss all of this.

"Be still and know that I am God."