I'm believing

So here's the deal.... Tonight we had our small group and it was my turn to steer the discussion. I was a little nervous about how it would go. But God showed up. Doesn't He always show up if we just get out of the way. I don't often give advice about youth ministry because there are so many amazing people with such great ideas, but this one time I just can't resist because I see such a huge difference in this small group vrs ones we have done in the past. We started this group by getting up on the stage and saying if you want to be a leader in this student ministry meet right over here and sign this paper. Then we called the names on the list and said meet at our house tues. night 7pm. We eat dinner together, then our worship pastor leads us in worship. This totally sets the mood! We read scripture together out loud then silently. Then open the floor for discussion. The adults can hardly get a word in. Then we always shake it up. We try to have a creative aspect every single week. For example tonight we passed out plates of sand for the kids to write in. This went along with our lesson in John chapter 8. This creates meaning and experiences for the kids. With this group of kids we have really been focusing on quiet time with God, prayer, journaling, bible reading, accountability groups. The next step for this group is to reach out to the other kids at the uprising. This means they have to step out of their comfort zones and lead. Andy, Chad and I are expecting big God size things from this group in the Fall.

The snake

My oldest son Cameron will be 7 next month. He loves camping, swimming, bike riding, the ocean and beach and ALL kinds of animals. He is always catching something, but he never keeps it. He always wants to return it to its natural habitat. Well today he found a snake in our back yard. I hate snakes so I told Chad to kill it. Cameron begged me not to kill it. He said it was God's creation and that we could catch it in a coffee can and let it go in a field across the street. So I agreed as long as it was out of my back yard. Chad went over to the side of the house to catch the snake in the coffee can. He bravely bent over to scoop the snake up, but the snake jumped and scared Chad so he hit with a baseball bat. THEN he scooped it up in the coffee can. As soon as he came inside Cameron asked "did you get the snake into the can?" "yes, it's in there", replied Chad. He had good intentions! lol

student small groups

I'm so amazed at God's perfect plan. His willingness to use imperfect humans to express his love to the next generation. Chad and I meet with 12 students on Tues. night in our home. This group of high schoolers have been a huge encouragement to me. They are so willing to be transparent about their lives. They discuss the scripture with such passion. They are eager and hungry to draw close to God. Each week has been a unique experience that I find myself savoring every moment of. I have seen them worship God and be moved to tears. They have reached out to hurting kids in the group. They offer each other encouragement and accountability. This group is the base group that our small group ministry will be founded on in the Fall. In Sept we will launch small groups to student ministry. We will all meet together for food, worship, and an intro to the lesson. Then we will break into our small groups which will be student led by the 12.

Happy Birthday Cooper

As I laid in a hospital bed three and a half years ago Chad and I were a whirlwind of emotion as the doctor stood before us announcing that I was probably having a miscarriage and because I was only 4 months along " the baby wasn't viable". As I spent the night alone in the hospital that night I remember thinking I can't believe that in a hospital where they have all kinds of drugs and know all kinds of procedures they won't do anything to save this baby. Crying alone in a hospital bed that night I prayed " God, you are the only hope this child has. I know this this baby is viable to you. I know you have a plan for him. God work a miracle."

After months of bed rest and weekly appointments with a specialist it was determined that when the baby was born he would have issues with his kidney's. One kidney was missing and the other was under developed. So the plan was to whisk him away for exams and x-rays to determine the severity. As long as he had one working kidney he would be okay. So we prayed...........

On the day Cooper was born everything went as planned. They whisk him away for testing and a few hours later they brought him back placed him in our arms scratched their heads and said " this child is perfect. He has TWO fully developed working kidneys" God, you are so big!

Happy 3rd Birthday Cooper Brady! You ARE "viable" to God.

mother's day

Today was the Mother's Day party at Cameron's new school. Don't you like my southern bell hat? As you can plainly see this hat was made for style not comfort! lol I couldn't see a thing, but I wasn't about to take it off. The class drew pictures of their mom's and we guessed which one was us. I guessed right on the first try, only because that is the only smile Cameron ever draws. He also made a book about me. He said " My mom is 23. Her favorite food is brownies. She likes to shop at HEB. She looks pretty when she wears her skirt. Her favorite show is Grey, Adam, and Eve. (Grey's Anatomy) I love my mom because she is always there for me!" It was really sweet. I felt so special to Cameron today. It's a privilege to be his mom.

(the inside of the hat)

forgiveness

Have you ever truly forgiven someone? Yeah I know you have probably said that phrase a million times as a child, "I forgive you." Or maybe you have said "I forgive you, but I can't forget what you did" "I forgive you, but I don't trust you any more"..... Being the imperfect person that I am I have realized that I have a huge problem forgiving people. Check out this definition Of forgiveness I found today.
Forgiveness: Is to excuse a mistake or offense, to pardon them by treating the the offender as if the offense had never occurred. To free them from guilt or blame.

Wow! This is by far the best definition I have ever heard. To genuinely forgive someone is to treat them as if they had never hurt you. Do you remember that God also commands us to forgive each other. He leads by example. God treats us as if we never hurt him. He covers our offenses as if they had never occurred. He frees us from any guilt or blame. Forgiveness is not a feeling it is a choice. Now ask yourself has anyone ever truly forgiven me? When I think about this question the only answer I can think of besides God is my parents. They usually were on the receiving end of some pretty harsh words and actions when I was a teenager and yet they treat me as if that never happened. Other than that I cannot think of another person who has ever treated me the same after conflict. Forgiveness just goes against our human nature to protect ourselves. But what if you were willing to be completely obedient and make yourself vulnerable by treating people as if they had never offended you. What if you let down all the walls? I think I would be saying to God "I trust you to keep my heart safe"...by forgiving others.

The move

wow! It's been a long time since I've blogged. We have had many changes in our family over the past month. Chad decided to quit his job and excepted a job at Gateway church in Austin Tx. We lived with some friends for a while until we found our house. We moved in our new home 2 weeks ago. We also took the kids to my parents and went on vacation with old college friends. We have amazing neighbors! They have 3 boys . Our kids have become instant best friends. Cameron started his new school on Monday. He is in k-5 at the local public school only blocks from our house. He likes it. Cooper has had many ear infections lately. He's going to a specialist may 9th. I'm sure he will have to get tubes put back in his ears soon. So for the past 30 days I have been adjusting......