Name Change

Okay - so I decided to change the name of my blog. The old name was getting, well, old. I've decided on "The Journey". One definition of the word journey is: passage or progress from one stage to another. I think this would describe my life. This life of mine has been a journey. A passage or progress from one stage to another. I believe God has been taking me on a journey and I've been intrigued by each new stage He's taken me through. I wait in anticipation for the next stages. I trust where He's taking me.

Even more important than the destination is the journey...

Random Thoughts Thursday

Here's some things that are on my mind this lovely, um, I mean RAINY afternoon...

• I love the snow - but are you kidding me? It's actually sleeting right now and the weatherman's calling for 1-3 inches by tomorrow afternoon!
• I love my husband and I sure miss him when he's out of town!
• Tonight I'm taking my daughter on a mommy-daughter date night. Going to dinner and Staples! Hey - be quiet... it's only one of my favorite stores!
• I can't wait for Sunday! I can't can't wait for every Sunday! Volunteers... be ready for God-size stuff!
• d(is)Harmony begins this weekend at Crossroads. I'm looking forward to learning how to improve my marriage!
• Last week was ONE BUSY week! One morning we didn't even have a clean towel to take a shower with! My poor family! Trevor actually ended up using a beach towel one morning.
  
• I took some time to blow bubbles with my daughter this week. Do me a favor... if you have kids (I don't care how old they are), take some time out this spring to blow bubbles with them. There's something sweet and magical about bubble blowing. :)
• Did I mention that it's sleeting. Okay, now it's snowing.
• I heard a quote recently from the movie, Mr. Magorium's Wonder Emporrium. It now resides on the chalk board in my kitchen... "Life is an occasion, rise to it!"
• I'm loving this season of American Idol. My picks: Carly Smithson or David Archuleta.
• Oops... it's almost 6... let date night begin!
  

AWEsome Weekend!

Wow - - I am BLOWN away! This past week was powerful. I'm still trying to wrap my mind around all that happened. Here are just some of the highlights:

• Passion and Prayer on Wednesday night was incredible. Watching the suffering of Jesus Christ makes me incredibly humbled, honored and thankful to call myself His daughter. Not a dry eye in the place. There's just something about seeing that movie collectively as a church body that touches my heart! Wednesday night I was reminded of just how intense Christ's love is for ME and how much he endured for MY sin. Praise Him!
• Friday night... can I just say WHAT HAPPENED TO SPRING? As I pulled into the parking lot of the Christian Family Centre at 4 p.m., I was SURE this Egg Hunt would NOT be happening. I was sure that volunteers wouldn't show and even more certain that no one in their right mind would bring children out to hunt eggs in SNOW! Um - let me just say how WRONG I was! I had to keep asking myself, "Who's in control, Wendy?" Thank God it wasn't me! The Egg Hunt happened and it was AMAZING! Truly one of the best Egg Hunts that I remember! I was totally BLOWN AWAY by the awesome volunteers who came out to show Christ's love to Egg Hunt attenders! I am SO honored to be serving Christ alongside of these amazing people! I will never forget the sea of snowsuits that surrounded Pastor Scott as he gave a heart warming message before guests arrived. It was truly one of the most unforgettable Crossroads moments! (I won't too soon forget our fearless Kid Crossing Director on cross country skis and the 2-year-old kids I witnessed trying to get a grip on their wet, snow-covered eggs!)
• Easter experiences at Crossroads were unbelievable. Between all 4 service times, we recorded 1,800 people who attended. Fifty-Four families identified themselves as new to Crossroads. Forty-six individuals indicated a decision to accept Christ's gift of salvation. I tell you people - it doesn't get any better than that! THAT is why I do what I do. THAT is why I get excited every Sunday! It's all about changed lives. For two of those families who told us they were new to Crossroads for the very first time came as a result of the Egg Hunt - the SNOWY Egg Hunt - on Friday night. Did deciding to have the Egg Hunt, when every other hunt in the county was cancelled, have an impact on those two families? Absolutely!
  

My prayer is that we will NEVER lose sight of the lives we are trying to reach. May we continue to stay laser-focused on the 65,000 lives that God STILL wants to change and never forget why we do what we do!

Thank you, Crossroads - for being THAT kind of church where PEOPLE matter.

Eggs, Eggs and MORE Eggs!

66,000 Eggs!

Lots of candy!

Lots of fun with friends!

Can anyone guess who this is??

11 Years Ago Today

Eleven years ago today I married my best friend. March 15, 1997. Here are the top ELEVEN reasons why I love my husband so much... (in no particular order)

• He is my best friend. He's the one with whom I can laugh with, cry with & be myself with.


• His love for me is unconditional. He loves me in good times and in bad times and most importantly... he loves me just the way I am. He's not interested in changing me.


• He's trustworthy. I trust him with my heart completely.


• He's a GREAT father. Chloe adores her daddy!


• He makes me laugh. Trevor has one of the best personalities of anyone I know AND the best sense of humor.


• He's thoughtful and kind. He's always thinking up creative ways to show his love for me.


• He's gentle and caring.


• He protects and defends me. I always know he will be on my side no matter what.


• He's a great listener.


• He's an awesome role model.


• He loves Jesus!

I love you, Trevor. Thank you for eleven wonderful years. I look forward to MANY more wonderful years with you!

Good Listener.... (what did you say?)

Are you a good listener?


I think about this a lot.


As a leader, my prayer is that I will always be a good listener. Good leaders are good listeners.


I have struggled with this from time to time. Sometimes, when I am in a conversation with someone, I am also thinking about what I'm going to say next. This isn't a quality of a good listener.


A mentor/teacher/boss/friend once gave me some great advice! He said, the art of listening is making sure that the person with whom your communicating with KNOWS that they have been heard. Here is what he will do. When he is in a deep conversation with you about something, he will often say, "So, Wendy, what I'm hearing you say is..." This tells me he is listening. It also tells me that he values what I have to say and is interested in making sure I know I am heard!

This was very eye-opening for me.

I now find myself saying that when I'm in a conversation with someone, especially someone with whom I'm in leadership over... "So, what I'm hearing you say is..." This makes people feel valued, heard and important.


I recently read a quote that says...


"If God had wanted us to talk more than listen, He would have given us two mouths rather than two ears." Ken Blanchard

How are your listening skills?

I'm Tired!

Why is it that the Monday following Daylight Savings Time beginning is SO hard? I mean - Sunday wasn't as hard as it is today! For some odd reason, I am more tired today. One hour shouldn't have made THAT big of a difference - but I'm telling ya - I'm exhausted!

One more sip of that caffeinated drink!

Oh look - only 20 more minutes and it's quittin' time.

Well... until my 6:30 p.m. orientation meeting.

Back here in a bit.

Probably with another caffeinated product!

I Love These Things!

These are my favorite candy in the entire world! They're only out at Easter time and I have been DYING for one!

So You Say It's Your Birthday... Well it's MY Birthday too!

I've been singing that song all day. Well - actually all weekend. See - around my house, when it's your birthday - you actually get a birthday week or weekend - so for me - that was this past weekend. It was a really nice weekend spent with family and friends. I am blessed beyond words!

Today marks my 12,320 days on planet earth! Wow - what a ride it's been! Here are some of the highlights from birthday's past...

• My parents once flew me and my boyfriend (at the time) to Chicago for a day trip. We ate lunch at the Hard Rock Cafe and took a stroll through Bloomingdale's. I was 20.
• I remember that I got an Apple computer for my 17th birthday. My mom individually wrapped each part to that computer... the mouse, mouse pad, monitor, keyboard... it was awesome. I remember thinking how COOL I was to own my very own computer (and this was long before Internet).
• I had a birthday party at Burger King one year. I think I was in the third grade. It was fun, but the highlight was watching my friend, Denise, throw up her lunch!
• My wonderful husband bought me a beautiful diamond ring a few years ago. It was really too big for the finger I wanted it to fit on, so I forced it on another finger, thinking it would fit better. It didn't. It got stuck! I mean I couldn't get it off my finger for the life of me! I panicked and of course, that made it worse. We spent that night in the Emergency Room getting my new ring CUT off my finger! Now that's only something I would do!
• I was pregnant on my 27th birthday. I tried to be happy - but truth be told, I was miserable! I'd chosen my favorite restaurant, at the time - Chi Chi's and I couldn't eat a thing! I was so sick! Pregnancy sick and throwing up! I was glad everyone else got to celebrate with nachos and burritos... while I hurled in the women's restroom!
• I had a sleepover party when I was 13. I remember having a Madonna Look-Alike Contest and of course, I won! Oh - and I think that's the night my 4 best friends and I formed our own band, 'Timeout'. :) Oh those were the days!

I've had some wonderful birthdays, that's for sure!

THANK you to all my wonderful family and friends for another blessed birthday!

Blessed Are the Pancakes...?

So... there I am working with my daughter on her March Bible Memory verse for School and she's reading along on her own (and doing a marvelous job I might add) and then I heard something that didn't sound quite right. Here's what I heard (Matthew 5: 7-10)... "Blessed are the merciful, for they will be shown mercy. Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God. Blessed are the PANCAKES, for the will be called the sons of God."

I had to laugh! I think THIS is what she meant, "... Blessed are the PEACEMAKERS, for they will be called the sons of God."

I kind of like pancakes, though. :)

I love that girl!

Sleepover!

I guess it's been a while since I've had a sleepover. Maybe I'm showing my age. Friday night, 9 little giggly girls, too much sugar, lots of movies, nail polish, hair spray and Nintendo Wii equals one tired mama on Monday morning! It WAS a good time, but I think it's safe to say that it will be a while until the next one. (It might take that long to catch up some my sleep!)

Invitations to the Sleepover: $20

Food for 9 little hungry tummies: $30

Sleep lost: 3 hours

Creating magical moments with my daughter that will last a lifetime: PRICELESS!

Do it Anyway!

God's been working on me this week.

You see - I don't have much patience. To those who are frequent readers of my blog, you know this already. I've spoken about my lack of patience many times. One of the things that I don't have much patience with is poor customer service. I just don't get it. Rude people. Lazy people. Passion-less people. People who don't smile and can't say thank you. These are the types of things that drive me nuts! Seriously! It can just send me off a cliff when I run into a rude person behind a service counter. It can honestly set the tone for my entire day.

But didn't I say earlier that God has been working on my this week?

Oh but He has!

This week as I was pondering yet another encounter of rude and un-loving behavior, I heard the voice of God say to me, "Do it anyway."

At first, I didn't understand what it meant.

I tried ignoring it, but it kept coming to me, "Do it anyway." (Let me just insert here that when God is trying to get your attention about something... it's really hard to ignore. My advice: don't try to ignore Him.)

So - when I got home that night, I wrote it on a sticky note and put it up on our refrigerator door - DO IT ANYWAY.

As I began drifting off to sleep that night, it dawned on me what God was trying to say to me. I believe it was this...

When people don't treat me the way I think I deserve to be treated - treat them lovingly anyway!
When people don't respond kindly to me - treat them with kindness anyway.
When people don't listen to me - listen respectfully to them anyway.
When people don't trust me - trust them anyway.

Do it anyway! Why? Because didn't Jesus die for THOSE people too?

Wow - what a lesson, God. Thank you. I needed that this week. You love us even during those times when we don't show you our love back. You're kind to us - even when we don't always show you kindness. You listen to us - when we don't always listen to you.

You teach us in your word in Matthew 25:40,

‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

I'm so thankful today for the God who loves me and who shows me grace even when I don't deserve it.

Fell off the Wagon...

...Saturday night! Wow! I can't tell you what

happened. My body was just craving chocolate - so I caved!

Had a Swiss Cake Roll!

It was good!

Felt a little guilty.

I'm over it!

It's a new day!

A Better Way

Watched this today. I need to watch it every day. I love the words to this song, but I think the lyrist forgot to include an important part. Jesus laid down his life for his friends, yes, but you know what part blows me away? When laying his life down for his friends, he also laid His life down for those He KNEW would reject Him. He laid his life down for those who would later try to distroy Him. Those who would later become murderers, liars and thieves. He suffered the greatest pain for those who would mock Him, deny Him and use His name in vein. And amazingly, he still called them His friends?

Yes.

He did.

He did it for you - and for me. He calls us friends when we aren't worthy enough to be called friends. Jesus loves us THAT much. It's incredible. It's indescribable. It's amazing.

This morning I am so thankful He calls me His friend.

THAT is the true definition of friendship.

Thank you Jesus!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Last week we did a Volunteer Celebration for the wonderful volunteers of Crossroads Community Church. It was a nice evening of celebrating the lives that make our church what it is. A time to honor the men and women who so selfLESSly give of themselves week in and week out to help people who are far from Christ take that one step closer to Him. It was a nice night.

During the course of the evening, my husband was approached by a dedicated volunteer who told my him "thank you." Looking at this man a bit confused, my husband said, "why are you thanking me?" to which the man replied, "the staff spouses don't get much recognition and I just wanted thank you for all you for all you guys do and go through, too." (I'm paraphrasing here.)

I was blown away by this comment. And it's so true. Husbands and wives of church staff don't always get the recognition they so deserve. I've said it before and I'll say it again, ministry work is, by far, the hardest work I've ever had the privilege of doing, but by far, the most rewarding. Staff spouses have to endure a lot of sleepless nights, long Sunday's and short vacations. They have the distinct gift of listening and get signed-up to do things they, sometimes, didn't ask to be signed-up for.

Without a doubt, my husband deserves a gold metal for having put up with me for 11 years now (in March). I cannot tell you the times I've kept him up until 2am just listening to me ramble and the nights he's foregone sharing his day with me because I just couldn't wait to get out all I had to share out to him the minute he walked in the door! He's been patient, encouraging, supporting, understanding, sympathetic, realistic, honest, gentle and uplifting. He's been my comfort, my rock and my best friend.

The reality is, I could not do ministry without the love and support of my better half. He is truly the better half. He has made me a better person and I thank God every day for him. Thank you, Trevor, for loving me, for supporting me, for dreaming with me and for serving Christ alongside of me. I cannot imagine doing life with anyone else. Happy Valentine's Day! I love you!

Living with Passion

This has to be one of the best posts I've ever read (if not the best!) God doesn't want us to be luke warm when it comes to our faith and trusting in Him - - - He wants us to live out passion-filled lives! He desires for us to live with passion for what is right. In my opinion, this is what the world lacks - PASSION and enthusiasm.

I have been accused of being many things over the course of my life and being passionate is one of them. But I'm not going to apologize for that passion. When I work - I do it with passion. When I play - I do it with passion. When I devote myself to anything - I do it with passion. And I want to be a person who is accused of living with that same passion for Christ. I truly, passionately, desire to be all that God has called me to be. I'm not apologizing for that. This is my favorite part of the above post: "...the world needs churches with men and women FULL of passion, who actually believe that God loves people and sent His Son Jesus to prove it…and do EVERYTHING it takes to get that message out!" Jesus had passion for what He came to this earth to do and with every ounce of my being - I want to live out that same kind of passion for Him.

So the next time someone accuses you of being too passionate about what you feel God has called you to do, turn to them and say, "Thank you." My guess is that this will leave them scratching their heads.

20 Smart Snacks...

for 150 calories or less (might I add!).

Got this from a really cool website. Been thinking of ways I can incorporate more healthy snacks into my daily routine. This way, I am boosting my metabolism AND eating less at meals. Here's that list...

1 Dill Pickle Spear
1 Jell-0 Gelatin Sugar Free Snack
1 Kiwi fruit
1 Chocolate Sugar free Jell-O Pudding Snack
1 Mozzarella String Cheese Stick (reduced fat)
1 cup Orange Sections
1/2 cup Post Grape-Nut O's with 1/2 cup blueberries
2 Strawberry Newtons
Jell-O Smoothie Snack
1 Pear
1 Banana
10 baby carrots dipped in low fat Ranch dressing
1 Kraft Single with 1 medium apple, sliced
1 container of Breakstone's Cottage Doubles - Pineapple
3 cups air-popped popcorn sprinkled with Kraft Reduced Fat Parmesan Cheese
3/4 cup Post Brand Flakes with 1/2 cup fat free milk
2 Tbsp. Hummus with 1/2 whole wheat pita
1 South Beach Diet Cranberry Almond High Protein Cereal Bar
1 Oreo (yes - I said Oreo) Thin Crisps 100 Calorie Pack with 1/2 cup fat free milk
1 oz. Planters Mixed Nuts Trail Mix

I Love Lucy!

Lovin' it! It's Friday night and I just discovered an "I Love Lucy" marathon on TV Land! Kicked back in my lazy boy, home all alone (hubby took Chloe to the Daddy-Daughter Dance). Let the good times roll! :0)

Losing it!

I'm losing it... weight that is. I'm actually amazing myself. To date, I have lost a total of 12 pounds. I don't know where I'm losing it from... but it's come off and I am geeked! Been eating less carbs, more fruit and veggies and no snacks. Drinking lots of water and been downing O.J. like it's going out of style. Why O.J., you ask... because I've been afraid of catching one of the nasty bugs going around. So - in my effort to remain healthy, I've been drinking 2 full glasses of O.J. a day with my b-complex and b-12.

My friend Jen shared with me last week about this awesome website - www.e-mealz.com. THANK you, Jen! You have to check it out! It's a neat website that allows you to choose from several different menu "plans". In addition, you even get to choose the shopping location you wish! For instance, I have signed-up for the low-carb menus from Wal-Mart. What e-mealz will do is every Thursday, they will email me a menu schedule for each day AND a shopping guide specifically designed for Wal-Mart SuperCenter. All I need to do is take my handy dandy shopping list with me to Wal-Mart and shop for the items on the list and then go home and follow the low-carb recipes for a new dish every night! I KNOW my hubby will be excited about this! It seems we have gotten stuck in a "chicken and rice" rut. I get home to defrosted chicken, stare at it for a minute and think to myself, "Okay, now what?" Taking advantage of e-mealz will allow for more variety in our week-to-week meals. Good news - it's only $15 per month (which equates to only 50 cents per meal! Yeah! I'll keep you posted as to how it works out for us.

In the meantime, I would appreciate continued prayers for my ongoing weight loss. I am fully relying on God to get me through. Discipline is not always easy, but I can do anything through Christ who gives me strength.

Pressing On...

W

Some Things Going on in My World

I know, I haven't posted anything in a few days. I have been incredibly busy. The weekend was a blur - heck, January was mostly a blur. It's hard to wrap my mind around the fact that Friday is February 1!!


So - here are some things going on in my world..

• I helped my friend, Faythe, do a Bridal Expo on Saturday, January 19. It was pretty fun. Met a lot of brides-to-be and talked to some pretty neat people.
• I started a couple new books. This one and this one. Both seem really good so far... but when I am going to learn to not read 2 at a time?
• Got to eat at this place on Saturday night with my hubby, daughter and my parents. YUM-O. It's only my favorite place on the planet!
• Played a game of "Would you Rather?" with my family this week. Hilarious game! You should get it if you don't have it!
• Got to serve with my amazing CLASS Serving team this past Sunday night. What a great group of people! They give so much so selflessly and it's something to see!
• My hubby won the door prize at the Bridal Expo. How funny is that? He just stopped by to see Faythe and I and upon coming through the door had to register. We got a call this week that he had won! I picked it up today... 84 Crest Teeth Whitening Strips! I'll be checking those out! Look for my brighter smile soon! :)
• Stepped on the scale this morning and I've lost 6 pounds in a little over a week! YEAH! Feeling good. Feeling energized. If I could continue to lose like that - heck yeah, I'd be in my bikini by May! (yeah right!)
• I've discovered that Taco Bell has a new "Fresco" menu. It's actually 9 items for all under 8 grams of fat! Loving it! (I'm a Taco Bell junky!)
• Anyone ever tried that Airborne stuff? You know - those little tablets (effervescent) created by a school teacher? Their packed with vitamins and good to take to build your immune system. I have been taking them for the past week in addition to my B-Complex and my energy has sky rocketed. With all the sickness going around, I figured I could use all the help I could get to try to remain as healthy as can be. No time for sickness in this house!
• I'm taking my daughter along with my niece this weekend to see Hannah Montana in 3D at the movie theatre. Should be lots of fun and the tickets were nothing close to what seeing her live would have cost us! Holy Cow!
• Getting ready for the upcoming Volunteer Celebration at church. Crossroaders - you don't want to miss out on a great night celebrating... YOU! February 9 at 7 p.m. RSVP by calling me at the office or sending an email to: volunteercelebration@ilovemychurch.org. We're planning a fun night - hope to see you there!

That's about it for now. Have a great week!