We Remember...

10% of what we read,
20% of what we hear,
30% of what we see,
40% of what we do
and...
100% of what we feel.

-- Dr. Karl Pribram

Am I The Only One Frustrated By This?

Okay - so am I the only one who is bothered by this?

I was at K-Mart today. Okay - it's not my favorite store, but I was looking for some inexpensive shorts for the summer for Chloe (we all know how kids wear shorts out so badly and so quickly in the summer - no need to go to the extra expense if I don't have to.) While I was there, I over heard a conversation that annoyed me. This is the gist of how it went:

K-Mart Employee (to her friend 2 lines down!): "So - did you get that new job yet?"

Friend: "No, I'm still looking. Is this place hiring?"

K-Mart Employee: "I don't know if we are or not."

Friend: "I thought you had received a promotion here at the store."

K-Mart Employee: "I did, but I changed my mind and didn't take it."

Friend: "Oh really."

K-Mart Employee (for MANY customers to hear her): "Yeah - this place really sucks! I am going to _____ down the street (didn't catch the name of where she was going) because they will actually give me the hours I want to work and give me more money."

You know, maybe this makes me so mad because I was once a business owner and cannot imagine having overheard this conversation in my store! I can tell you that if I were the manager/owner of K-Mart and listened to this conversation, I would have gently asked her to come with me, escorted her to the back room and asked her to remove herself from the store immediately. I know, I may be over-reacting, but COME ON! Where is the loyalty here? It would be one thing to speak with another employee about this in private, but once it becomes a public conversation in front of customers, that's when I would end it altogether!

I honestly don't know why I waste my energy being mad over things like this. I know I should just let it go - - but this kind of stuff really gets my blood boiling...

Top 10 Things I Couldn't Live Without

(in no specific order):

1.) Jesus Christ, my Lord and my Savior!

2.) My wonderful family. This includes my wonderful husband, my gorgeous daughter, my mom and dad and all of my extended family!

3.) My closest & dearest friends! (You know who you are... you are the few who actually read my blog! :))

4.) Air Conditioning! (I hate the heat! I would live in the LOW 70's all summer long if I could!)

5.) Email! (What in the world did we do before it's existence?)

6.) Donuts! Yum-O! (Did somebody say Krispy Kreme?)

7.) Coca-Cola! (I know, I know... I TRIED to quit and I can't - so WHAT?)

8.) Snow! (Shut up - I love the snow! I guess it's a good thing I live in Michigan now, isn't it?)

9.) Black eye liner. (If you've ever seen me without it, you'd understand why it's on this list!)

10.) Wal-Mart. (My daughter thinks of Wal-Mart as her 'home away from home'. Sad, I know!)

Another School Year Nearing and end

I can't believe that Chloe will be in her LAST week of school Tuesday of next week! It's amazing! Where has all the time gone? Didn't she just start the first grade like yesterday? Even scarier, wasn't she just born like last week? I didn't believe it when Chloe was an colicky infant when people told me that after having kids, the years would fly by. It was hard to see that while holding this precious little one who wouldn't stop crying! But my little girl will turn 7 - - YES SEVEN - - on June 27 and in looking back over those seven years - MAN have they seemed short! I just pray that I am able to soak up every MINUTE I have with her and that I can take the time out to really enjoy this most remarkable human being that God has blessed me with. That I can be the best mom I can be to her because God gave this miracle to ME and entrusted ME with her life. Thank you, God, for allowing me the greatest opportunity on the planet - - being Chloe's mom!

"Daughters" lyrics by John Mayer

I know a girl

She puts the color inside of my world

But she's just like a maze

Where all of the walls all continually change

And I've done all I canTo stand on her steps with my heart in my hands

Now I'm starting to see

Maybe it's got nothing to do with me

Fathers, be good to your daughters

Daughters will love like you do

Girls become lovers who turn into mothers

So mothers, be good to your daughters too

Boys, you can break

You'll find out how much they can take

Boys will be strong

And boys soldier on

But boys would be gone without the warmth from

A womans good, good heart

On behalf of every man

Looking out for every girl

You are the god and the weight of her world

So fathers, be good to your daughters

Daughters will love like you do

Girls become lovers who turn into mothers

So mothers, be good to your daughters too

Feeling Thankful

Today... I am just feeling thankful. Thankful for the wonderful, sunny day. Thankful for the trees on our 11 acres that have just started to bud. Thankful for my daughter, Chloe, who just gave me a special hand-delivery of wild flowers to put in our kitchen. Thankful that I have a wonderful family to share my life with. Thankful for the home I get to come home to every night and the sunshine that hits me in the face in the morning telling me it's time to rise and shine. Thankful that my parents are still alive and in good health. Thankful that I have been blessed with the opportunity to send me daughter to a state-of-the-art Christian school where she is safe, loved and gets to learn about Jesus every single day. Thankful for my friends who love me dispite my imperfections and a spouse who showers me with unconditional love that I sometimes don't deserve. I am thankful that I have a Savior who died upon a cross for MY SINS and that I have a friend in Him. I am thankful that I have a job in this uncertain economy and that I have been blessed with the ability to help others just as I have been helped by so many.

Today... I am thankful and I just wanted to share some blessings with you.

Marriage Mentoring

Trevor and I have been a part of a Marriage Mentoring Small Group for the past 7 months. It's been so enjoyable, I can't even tell you! The Small Group was built around a training period with 3 other couples (including the Marriage Mentor leaders). We meet 1-2 times per month to receive pre-marital mentor training. This training will help us to be able to meet with couples who wish to take advantage of the Pre-marital Mentoring Program provided by Crossroads Community Church.

What's been amazing is the way the process has brought Trevor and I even closer together! I feel as though we have learned so much more about each other by simply discovering how to identify some of the most common relational issues. Both Trevor and I are excited about meeting with couples who have a desire to get their marriages started out on the right foot and we are thrilled to be able to provide them with resources to grow and strengthen their marriages for years and years to come.... couples who wish to put Christ in the center of their relationship!

Our prayer is that we will be able to share with couples the challenges that we have overcome as well as to be able to reflect Christ's love and the deep, committed love we have for one another.

Postage Stamp Increase

I was in our local post office yesterday morning and I was witness to something that made me very sad. I had to get in line to pick something up behind the counter and I was behind a man who, obviously, wasn't having a very good day. I could tell that he was very impatient during his wait in line... very fidgety and seemingly agitated. When he got up to the counter he asked for a roll of stamps. Because the price of stamps will be increased on May 14 to 41 cents, he was being sold a roll of "Forever" stamps (which are good for the price of a 39 cents stamps now and good for the price of a 41 cents stamp in less than a month). OK - "duh", I thought to myself, "makes sense... "glad they made it easier than having to purchase 1 and 2 cent stamps for all of my "outdated" stamps that I purchase between now and then." Well - it was obvious that this gentleman did not agree and seemed very irritated when his balance due was $41.00. I've heard of people going "postal" but COME ON! This guy began yelling at the post office worker. That's right - he was YELLING. He was rambling on about "just another way that the government sucks us dry!"

First thought... "Dude, it's a postage stamp, it's only 2 cents!" Second thought... "I feel really sorry for the post office worker." Third thought... "We are SUCH a blessed nation, how dare we complain about the price increase of a postage stamp!"

When it was my turn to be waited on (at the station next to my irritated friend) I looked at the lady behind the counter and she looked at me and said, "We get that all the time! Like we have control over the price increase!" It was at that time I got very sad. Sad that people treat other people that way... sad that we live in such a blessed country and we don't even realize how good we have it. It was at that moment that I stopped to pray for that man and for the entire country - - for our eyes to be open to all of the wonderful things God has blessed us with in this life that we take for granted every day. I believe God used a simple thing, like a price increase of a postage stamp, to stop me in my tracks and cause me to be thankful.

Today... take time to be thankful!

Sunshine and Flowers and Love... oh my!

Well, this weekend I was honored to help my friend, Faythe, with her debut "official" wedding of her Wedding Consultant business! It was the PERFECT day for a wedding, let me just tell you! It was a balmy 75 degrees, sunny and absolutely gorgeous!

My role was "Wedding Consultant Assistant" and boy - what fun I had! It was truly a great time and I thank Faythe (and Joy and Josh) for allowing me to serve in a role that felt so natural to me! I LOVE event planning and organizing and coordinating - so this whole "assistant" role was right up my alley! Faythe... I will be waiting for my next 'job' soon! (Just don't torture me again by making me stand RIGHT next to a chocolate fondue fountain!!)

Oh - and I need to mention the fact that I even purchased (AND WORE) a dress for the event! I couldn't tell you when the last time was that I wore a dress - but it was nice! My husband even gave me a little whistle when I left... now how cool is that? Maybe I am missing the boat by not wearing dresses more often!

So, here's where I give my sista' a free plug....

Faythe Emens
Wedding Consultant Extraordinaire
(okay, those were my words not hers)
For the wedding of your dreams.... call 902-xx45
(okay - actually just respond here and I will give her YOUR number)
(hold your applause... faythe, you can pay me later for that!)

C-ya!

Jesus Painting

This is great! It's a little long - but make sure you watch ALL of it!

Showing my age!

OK... so last night we were on our way home from school and I was asking Chloe how her day was. She proceeded to tell me that it was good and that her first grade class (at LCS) would be doing Chapel next Wednesday (April 25). She started to share with me some of the songs they are going to sing. Now I can't tell you what the name of this song was, nor can I tell you what most of the lyrics were, but what I can tell you is the part that stuck out in my head. Somewhere in the middle of the song the kids say, "Motley Crue, eegh!" Through my laughter (she's so darn cute) I asked her, "Who's Motley Crue?" She said, "This band from the old days." OLD DAYS? I just laughed... "Those weren't the old days! They were around when mommy was younger." She looked up with her innocence and said, "Yeah, mommy, like I said, the OLD days!" KIDS!

The Starbucks Experience

So - I have this goal for the summer to read at least 15 books! I visited Amazon.com last week and made my first order of 7 books. I'm on my way - AND - getting a head start on my reading! I'm starting with "The Starbucks Experience" and as of last night, I am on page 55. What a GREAT read! Check it out here. It's all about the 5 BASIC principles for turning ordinary into extraordinary and Starbucks seems to have the market cornered on customer service! I don't even like coffee and I enjoy going to a Starbucks simply for their exemplary service!

The five key leadership principles that transformed an ordinary idea into an extraordinary experience are:

Principle # 1 - Make It Your Own
Principle # 2 - Everything Matters
Principle # 3 - Surprise and Delight
Principle # 4 - Embrace Resistance
Principle # 5 - Leave Your Mark

One of my favorite sections in the book (well, so far at least) comes from a quote from Starbucks Chairman, Howard Schultz. He says, "We are not in the coffee business serving people, but in the people business serving coffee... we continually are reminded of the powerful need and desire for human contact and for community... the Starbucks environment has become as important as the coffee itself."

Wow - let's take that in the church environment. We have the MOST important message on the face of the planet, bar none! How can we learn to incorporate the thoughts and ideas from Starbucks to create a fantastic experience for our "customers"? After all - couldn't we say that we are not in the God business serving people, but in the people business serving God? I think we can learn a lot about serving God to people in and through our churches from Starbucks and I am prepared to absorb all I can from this book and put it use within my serving/leadership role in my church.

At Starbucks they have what they all the "Green Apron Book". It consists of 5 basic principles that Starbucks managers have provided to their employees to infuse themselves into their work, so that they can inspire customers in legendary ways. They call these the "Five Ways of Being":

Be Welcoming
Be Genuine
Be Considerate
Be Knowledgeable
Be Involved

These same principles could apply to us as a church body. When serving our guests in church, who have come to hear, possibly for the very first time, the most relevant message on earth, we need to make sure that all of the above are taken into account to ensure a quality experience!

Okay - so you just need to go out an buy the book! I'm giving too much away... more to follow on this topic later. :)

I Bless This Food

My daughter, Chloe, loves to pray before meals. I think it's mainly because her prayers and short, to the point and heck - she wants to eat! Lately she has been asking God for a blessing on our food and this is how she does it... "Thank you God for this food, I bless it to our bodies." My very patient husband told her the other night, "Chloe, you are doing a great job, but you are not doing the blessing of the food, we are asking God to bless the food for us." So, in an attempt to correct herself, she repeated with this... "God, can I bless this food to our bodies? Amen!" We're working on it! :)

What a weekend!

I love True Crossroads Stories weekend at my church! It's always amazing to hear about the many ways God is changing lives! This weekend we heard many God-size stories that simply BLEW ME AWAY! Everyone has a story to tell and I am convinced that He is using these stories to transform lives! We watched 8 people demonstrate their faith through Baptism... how exciting! I HAVE to share a line from one of the True Crossroads stories that really had an impact on me. In talking about her coming to Christ and overcoming her feeling of 'loneliness', she said this, "I don't know how He thinks I'm worth it, but I'm glad!" I thought about this line for the rest of Sunday. It really resonated with me. I don't know how He thinks I'm worth it. I don't either, Karen, but I'm glad He does!

Her Legacy

On November 12, 2006, I lost one of my best friends, Roxanne, to a cranial aneurysm. Roxanne left behind a husband, Rob, and her darling daughter, Jamie. You know, those of us left behind focus a lot on what we've lost... but we should be focusing on what we gained from knowing Roxanne and her wonderful family. Personally, what I gained was a wonderful friend... someone I loved to laugh with, scrapbook book, share stories with and just simply do life with. Anyone who knew her loved her and I miss her so much!

It's been almost 5 months and it's still just as hard today as it was on the day we lost her! But I know that my life is richer for having known her and loved her and shared her life with her.

Here is her Jamie... the legacy that Roxanne leaves behind.

Miss you, Rox!

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!