"Two are better than one, because they have a good return for their work: If one falls down, his friend can help him up. But pity the man who falls and has no one to help him up!" -Ecclesiastes 4:9-10

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Powerful Stuff

Well, if you read my last post, you could probably tell that I am very proud of my church and my Pastor! This past Sunday was incredible and was a home run for what Pastor Steven wanted to happen! If you haven't heard, or don't know, Ted & Gayle Haggard came to Elevation and told their story of forgivness and grace. You can go here to listen to it. You will want to...you will be blessed!

Pastor Steven opened up the service by saying a few things before the Haggard's came out. He was talking about grace and one of the things he said was that we are a church that's full of grace. The Lord came and died for everyone, not just for a select few...and we ALL have fallen short of the glory of God. He also said that we were a church that stands for what we're for...not what we're against, and we are for God's grace and forgivness! Man, that just fires me up...doesn't it you?

I'm not going to go into detail about the interview (that's why I gave you a link)...but I do want to say something about one of the things Ted Haggard said. Pastor Steven asked him a question concerning his sin and how low things really got. Mr. Haggard's response was powerful! Of course he went on to say that things were the worst they've ever been, the lowest they've ever gotten. But then he said something that I've never thought about...

"As soon as sin becomes a secret, it has power."

Wow. Something clicked with me and it all made sense. Once your sin becomes a secret, it has power over you. That's why we're called, as believers, "to confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective" (James 5:16).

Don't keep your sins hidden...you have the power to overcome them...Jesus overcame them for you on the cross so that you may be victorious!! My heart fills with joy everytime I think about what He did! Why hide your sin and let it overtake you when Jesus has already paid that price for you? Confess your sins so that you may be healed! Believe in your heart that He loves you and died for you so that you may expierence the spiritual freedom that is offered. You are bound no more by your chains of darkness...all you have to do is believe and surrender your life to Him and you can expierence first hand what He has to offer you.

Whew...I didn't mean to preach, but I get so excited when I think about that and I just want everyone else to expierence the joy that I have because of what He's done for me. Thank you Jesus!!

Powerful Stuff

Well, if you read my last post, you could probably tell that I am very proud of my church and my Pastor! This past Sunday was incredible and was a home run for what Pastor Steven wanted to happen! If you haven't heard, or don't know, Ted & Gayle Haggard came to Elevation and told their story of forgivness and grace. You can go here to listen to it. You will want to...you will be blessed!

Pastor Steven opened up the service by saying a few things before the Haggard's came out. He was talking about grace and one of the things he said was that we are a church that's full of grace. The Lord came and died for everyone, not just for a select few...and we ALL have fallen short of the glory of God. He also said that we were a church that stands for what we're for...not what we're against, and we are for God's grace and forgivness! Man, that just fires me up...doesn't it you?

I'm not going to go into detail about the interview (that's why I gave you a link)...but I do want to say something about one of the things Ted Haggard said. Pastor Steven asked him a question concerning his sin and how low things really got. Mr. Haggard's response was powerful! Of course he went on to say that things were the worst they've ever been, the lowest they've ever gotten. But then he said something that I've never thought about...

"As soon as sin becomes a secret, it has power."

Wow. Something clicked with me and it all made sense. Once your sin becomes a secret, it has power over you. That's why we're called, as believers, "to confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective" (James 5:16).

Don't keep your sins hidden...you have the power to overcome them...Jesus overcame them for you on the cross so that you may be victorious!! My heart fills with joy everytime I think about what He did! Why hide your sin and let it overtake you when Jesus has already paid that price for you? Confess your sins so that you may be healed! Believe in your heart that He loves you and died for you so that you may expierence the spiritual freedom that is offered. You are bound no more by your chains of darkness...all you have to do is believe and surrender your life to Him and you can expierence first hand what He has to offer you.

Whew...I didn't mean to preach, but I get so excited when I think about that and I just want everyone else to expierence the joy that I have because of what He's done for me. Thank you Jesus!!

Friday, April 24, 2009

Proud of my Pastor!

I can't even begin to tell you the joy that I have in my heart for my church, and my pastor! I have never thought of Sunday as my favorite day of the week until 2 years ago when Adam and I started attending Elevation. Yes, that's right...not a Friday or Saturday, but Sunday! Last Sunday we had the privilege of hearing Pastor Steven live at the Uptown campus. It was amazing...as always! Pastor also made an exciting announcement...Ted Haggard will be joining Pastor on Sunday for an interview. Now, before you go crazy...check out the website Elevation made in honor of this Sunday to answer any questions you may have. He also appeared on Fox News Rising Thursday morning with Mark Mathis to talk about it. I am definitely proud of my Pastor! Mark Mathis even said, "this cat can preach"! You can go here to see the interview.

On another note, this past week I had the privilege of leading about 20 students to Christ!! Most of them were rededications, but about 6 or 7 of them were first time decisions! I told my kids that Jesus comes before Spanish and anytime I have the opportunity to talk about Him...I will. It's the greatest feeling in the world to have kids tell you they want to give their lives to Him! It reassures me that that's the reason I'm here teaching in this school! Woo!

This was a kind of random post, but I'll leave you with a quote I read that is pretty powerful..."The power that produces the blessing comes through brokenness and death, death by crucifixion." ~Max Lucado

Happy Friday!

Proud of my Pastor!

I can't even begin to tell you the joy that I have in my heart for my church, and my pastor! I have never thought of Sunday as my favorite day of the week until 2 years ago when Adam and I started attending Elevation. Yes, that's right...not a Friday or Saturday, but Sunday! Last Sunday we had the privilege of hearing Pastor Steven live at the Uptown campus. It was amazing...as always! Pastor also made an exciting announcement...Ted Haggard will be joining Pastor on Sunday for an interview. Now, before you go crazy...check out the website Elevation made in honor of this Sunday to answer any questions you may have. He also appeared on Fox News Rising Thursday morning with Mark Mathis to talk about it. I am definitely proud of my Pastor! Mark Mathis even said, "this cat can preach"! You can go here to see the interview.

On another note, this past week I had the privilege of leading about 20 students to Christ!! Most of them were rededications, but about 6 or 7 of them were first time decisions! I told my kids that Jesus comes before Spanish and anytime I have the opportunity to talk about Him...I will. It's the greatest feeling in the world to have kids tell you they want to give their lives to Him! It reassures me that that's the reason I'm here teaching in this school! Woo!

This was a kind of random post, but I'll leave you with a quote I read that is pretty powerful..."The power that produces the blessing comes through brokenness and death, death by crucifixion." ~Max Lucado

Happy Friday!

Wednesday, April 15, 2009

Kids and Disney World

Well, Spring Break is over and it's back to school. Sorry for the all the should-have-been posted updates that I never did! I'm a bad blogger. Anyway, Disney World was amazing and I would have to say that it is definitely in my top 3 vacations! If you've never been...GO! Especially since Adam and I don't have kids yet it was a fun experience for us! I'm sure things will be different when we do have kids with us. As Adam and I took one of our many breaks in the parks, we came up with a list of criteria for families taking kids to Disney World.

Disclaimer: This is mine and Adam's opinions, so if I offend anyone...sorry.

Criteria for taking Kids to Disney World:
1. They must meet the minimum age requirement of 7 (7 is kind of pushing it).
2. They must be able to walk on their own (no strollers)!
3. They must be able to go to the bathroom on their own.
4. Compromise is key if you have more than one kid when it comes to rides...so they must understand the concept of going on rides they don't want to or rides their other siblings want to go on.
5. Fighting/arguing is not an option...Disney World is a magical place...don't ruin it for your kids.
6. This kind of goes along with #5...don't yell at your kids in the park (especially in line)...you will be stared at and your kids will be mortified.
7. Make sure they understand your expectations of them and you're both on the same page.
8. HAVE FUN!!!

Adam and I came up with these "rules" as we saw each one of them being broken in the parks. I'm sure they'll change by the time we have kids...until then, it's just me and my babe (hopefully we'll be back soon)!

Here's what it kind of looked like:



Until then, I have to leave you with this...

M-I-C...see ya real soon!...K-E-Y...why? because we like you!...M-O-U-S-E!!

Kids and Disney World

Well, Spring Break is over and it's back to school. Sorry for the all the should-have-been posted updates that I never did! I'm a bad blogger. Anyway, Disney World was amazing and I would have to say that it is definitely in my top 3 vacations! If you've never been...GO! Especially since Adam and I don't have kids yet it was a fun experience for us! I'm sure things will be different when we do have kids with us. As Adam and I took one of our many breaks in the parks, we came up with a list of criteria for families taking kids to Disney World.

Disclaimer: This is mine and Adam's opinions, so if I offend anyone...sorry.

Criteria for taking Kids to Disney World:
1. They must meet the minimum age requirement of 7 (7 is kind of pushing it).
2. They must be able to walk on their own (no strollers)!
3. They must be able to go to the bathroom on their own.
4. Compromise is key if you have more than one kid when it comes to rides...so they must understand the concept of going on rides they don't want to or rides their other siblings want to go on.
5. Fighting/arguing is not an option...Disney World is a magical place...don't ruin it for your kids.
6. This kind of goes along with #5...don't yell at your kids in the park (especially in line)...you will be stared at and your kids will be mortified.
7. Make sure they understand your expectations of them and you're both on the same page.
8. HAVE FUN!!!

Adam and I came up with these "rules" as we saw each one of them being broken in the parks. I'm sure they'll change by the time we have kids...until then, it's just me and my babe (hopefully we'll be back soon)!

Here's what it kind of looked like:



Until then, I have to leave you with this...

M-I-C...see ya real soon!...K-E-Y...why? because we like you!...M-O-U-S-E!!

Monday, April 6, 2009

Florida - Sea World

Well...we've made it to Florida! This is actually our 2nd day here. Yesterday was kind of like a "chill" day to just be lazy. Today we went to Sea World! It was so much fun! The weather has been nice so far...today was the worst day of this whole week and it wasn't even that bad (just a few showers here and there). The rest of the week is suppose to be sunny and in the lower 70s! Tomorrow is Adam's Dad's birthday, so we are going to the Magic Kingdom (he gets in free). I think that is the ultimate birthday present...going to Disney World on your birthday...man! Ok, back to Sea World...

First of all, when we got there we had to park clear across the other side of the highway (well, not really...just far away). We were able to catch a tram to the entrance which was good.

We stopped by the dolphins first...



Then headed over to the underwater viewings of Shamu...


Here's some of the Shamu show...





Then we saw some penguins...



Last but not least, the seals and sea lions...






Here are the nice people who allowed us to tag along (aka mom and dad #2)...


And here's us...


Ok, so I know this is a lot, but what do you expect?? It's Disney World! Make sure you check back for updates...Magic Kingdom tomorrow!!

Florida - Sea World

Well...we've made it to Florida! This is actually our 2nd day here. Yesterday was kind of like a "chill" day to just be lazy. Today we went to Sea World! It was so much fun! The weather has been nice so far...today was the worst day of this whole week and it wasn't even that bad (just a few showers here and there). The rest of the week is suppose to be sunny and in the lower 70s! Tomorrow is Adam's Dad's birthday, so we are going to the Magic Kingdom (he gets in free). I think that is the ultimate birthday present...going to Disney World on your birthday...man! Ok, back to Sea World...

First of all, when we got there we had to park clear across the other side of the highway (well, not really...just far away). We were able to catch a tram to the entrance which was good.

We stopped by the dolphins first...



Then headed over to the underwater viewings of Shamu...


Here's some of the Shamu show...





Then we saw some penguins...



Last but not least, the seals and sea lions...






Here are the nice people who allowed us to tag along (aka mom and dad #2)...


And here's us...


Ok, so I know this is a lot, but what do you expect?? It's Disney World! Make sure you check back for updates...Magic Kingdom tomorrow!!

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Un día más

Sí, solo hay un día más de un par de cosas. En primer lugar hay sólo un día dejó la escuela. Bueno para mí. Adam está fuera mañana para hacer frente a algunas cosas warrenty casa. Voy a tener un día complete de trabajo en la escuela y después voy a ser zona residencial de la partida de mi ultimo trabajo linces juego. Sniff Sniff. En Segundo lugar, sólo tengo un día más sin postres. Estoy tan emocionada y un plan para comer muchos postres en la próxima semana. He decidido que si alguna vez hacer esto de Nuevo que voy a hacer una promesa sin azúcar. Ahora que sería duro. Por ultimo sólo tenemos un día más hasta que la licencia de Disney World. No creo que me ha emocionado esta en mucho tiempo sobre algo. Esté a la defensive porque estoy seguro. Voy a publicar algunas actualizaciones durante la semana. Hasta Luego!

Ok...in English...

"Yes, there is only one day left for a couple of things. First and foremost, there is only one day left of school...well for me. Adam is taking tomorrow off to deal with some home warrenty stuff. I will have a full day of work at school and then I'll be heading uptown to work my last Bobcats game (sniff...sniff). Secondly, I only have one more day of no desserts! Yay! I am so excited and I plan to eat a lot of them next week! I have decided that if I ever do this again, I will do a "no sugar" promise. Now that would be close to impossible for me! Lastly, we only have one more day until we leave for Disney World!! I don't think I've been this excited about something in a long time! Keep a lookout because I'm sure I'll be posting some updates throughout the week! Until then...hasta luego!"


(I will not be doing a lot of posts like this...just wanted to change it up a little!)

Un día más

Sí, solo hay un día más de un par de cosas. En primer lugar hay sólo un día dejó la escuela. Bueno para mí. Adam está fuera mañana para hacer frente a algunas cosas warrenty casa. Voy a tener un día complete de trabajo en la escuela y después voy a ser zona residencial de la partida de mi ultimo trabajo linces juego. Sniff Sniff. En Segundo lugar, sólo tengo un día más sin postres. Estoy tan emocionada y un plan para comer muchos postres en la próxima semana. He decidido que si alguna vez hacer esto de Nuevo que voy a hacer una promesa sin azúcar. Ahora que sería duro. Por ultimo sólo tenemos un día más hasta que la licencia de Disney World. No creo que me ha emocionado esta en mucho tiempo sobre algo. Esté a la defensive porque estoy seguro. Voy a publicar algunas actualizaciones durante la semana. Hasta Luego!

Ok...in English...

"Yes, there is only one day left for a couple of things. First and foremost, there is only one day left of school...well for me. Adam is taking tomorrow off to deal with some home warrenty stuff. I will have a full day of work at school and then I'll be heading uptown to work my last Bobcats game (sniff...sniff). Secondly, I only have one more day of no desserts! Yay! I am so excited and I plan to eat a lot of them next week! I have decided that if I ever do this again, I will do a "no sugar" promise. Now that would be close to impossible for me! Lastly, we only have one more day until we leave for Disney World!! I don't think I've been this excited about something in a long time! Keep a lookout because I'm sure I'll be posting some updates throughout the week! Until then...hasta luego!"


(I will not be doing a lot of posts like this...just wanted to change it up a little!)