The Dew of the Mountain

I just need to put on record (as if anyone didn't know) that I LOVE Mountain Dew!! I'm sitting here eating some popcorn for lunch and washing it all down with some Dew all the while thinking how much I really, really like this stuff!!! mansion in heaven

Wouldn't it be so cool if my had the Dew coming out of the faucets instead of water? Nice...

Someone finally did it!

Happy Turkey Day!

May your stuffing be tasty,
May your turkey be plump,
May your potatoes 'n gravy have nary a lump,
May your yams be delicious,
May your pies take the prize,
May your Thanksgiving dinner,
Stay off your thighs!!!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Can you pass the 3rd grade?

Here is a fun little test to see if you would pass the 3rd grade...enjoy!

Wisdom

Recently I was visiting some friends in Chicago and we did a Bible study on wisdom. Here is Molly's "dissertation" on what we learned...

Pursue wisdom (God’s will and purpose for our lives) over all other things.
Make this your main drive and what you ask for, crave, and ache for (prov 2:2)
For this is what the Bible says wisdom will bring you:

1. Your body will be healthy (prov 3:7-8)
2. Wisdom is more profitable and enjoyable than gold or jewels (prov 3:13-15)
3. There will be order (James 3:13)
4. You will know the mysteries of God (Colos. 2:2-4)
5. Wisdom protects against deceivers (Colos. 2:2-4)
6. Wisdom shows others that you are part of a great nation of wise and understanding people (Deut 4:5-6)
7. Your hearts will be untroubled (John 14:1)
8. You can lead and govern (2 chron 1:8-10)
9. You can expect God to give you wisdom without doubt (James 1: 4-6)
10. You can differentiate between wordly “scheming” and the Lord’s will...the quicker you can decifer in these situations, the better! (1 cor 3:18-21)
11. Humility is an open door for wisdom (prov 11:2)
12. Wise friends are passages to wisdom (prov 13:20)
heeding instruction prior to action-maturity (prov 21:11)
13. Wisdom keeps us safe (prov 28:26)
14. Realizing our lives are not our own is the basis for real wisdom (jeremiah 10:23)
15. A wise person constantly increases his wisdom by being open to advice, correction and instruction, not acting like he knows everything (prov 9:8-9 & prov 12:15)
16. We can learn by experiencing consequences-immaturity OR we can be wise, which is heeding instruction prior to action-maturity (prov 21:11)
17. Wisdom is delightful (prov 10:23)

Marks of a good leader...

Last night at our youth leader meeting our youth pastor shared what he feels are 4 marks of a good leader. They challenged me so I'm going to share them with you.

4 Marks of a good leader:

1. Teachability - they are always asking "how can I get better?", "what more can I learn about _______?"
2. Shows Initiative - proactive vs. reactive. Doesn't sit back - actively seeks to know God more.
3. Shows Passion - this is what my life is all about! Our passion should not be our ministry. Our passion should be our Savior!
4. Shows Courage - to stand against the culture of today. Remember that the short time I spend with students each week is what they will remember above all the TV shows and bombardment of our society. What am I doing to pour my life into students? To pass my courage on to them?

We are in jeopardy of losing the next generation. The number of people, per generation, who say they believe the Bible is the inerrant Word of God is drastically shrinking:

My parents generation - 65%
My generation - 35%
The current generation - less than 4%

Let me challenge you. What are you doing to pass your courage and passion for your Savior on to the next generation?

Para meus amigos brasileiros...

Oi meus amigos! Receba a meu blog! Aqui está outro meio você saber que o que acontece em minha vida. Eu posso escrever sobre minha vida e você pode mandar me comento.

Estou ocupado com os meus ministérios na igreja. Amo trabalhar com os jovens e com SoulFire. O deus ensina-me novas coisas da Sua palavra todo o tempo. Espero faz o mesmo para você.

Lembre-se que eu te amo e estou com muitas saudades de voces! Beijos…

A link for you english speakers who just can't stand it! It won't give you a literal translation but you'll get the idea. And, btw, it's Portuguese...

Still Learning...

Well, I've not proven to not be a very good blogger yet. My "reasoning" for not writing is that I have pictures on my camera that I wanted to upload but my computer at home is having issues with not identifying my driver so I can't upload them as of yet. Not a very good reason, huh? So, here I am again plugging away at a blog entry b/c my friend, Christa, said she is waiting for one...Speaking of Christa...I had a great time visiting her and Matt in the Minneapolis area. Christa and I attended the Downpour conference last weekend and had a great time. The speakers were very challenging and I can honestly say I have not been the same since. My walk with God has been richer and more beautiful than before. The sessions were God on the Throne - A Picture of Holiness, Sin in the Mirror - A Picture of Brokenness, Self in the Dirt - A Picture of Repentance, Christ on the Cross - A Picture of Grace and, Spirit in Control - A Picture of Power. God continues to challenge me with the things I learned that weekend and He continues to cement them in my mind and heart. I drove home Sunday afternoon and was able to witness this amazing sunset as I was nearing home.The Monday after the conference I headed to Chicago with my friend, Lisa, to spend some time with our friend, Angie. Angie leaves tomorrow for one year in Cape Town, South Africa to do missions work with Straatwerk and we wanted to spend some time with her before she went. As usual, we had a blast just hanging out with her, Molly, and Sue. We spent a lot of time talking and praying...it's always refreshing to visit the girls in Chicago!! My parents are coming for a visit tomorrow night so I better get my room cleaned! I will leave you with this verse that I am memorizing right now. 2 Chronicles 16:9, "For the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him." Are you fully committed to Him?

Welcome...

My friend, Christa (she wanted her name changed to protect the innocent but I decided not to), told me how easy it would be to start a blog. "Oh really?", I said. She said, "Sure, I'll show you." Long story short...she brought up her blog and we created this one for me and then I asked her how I get to it and tell others where it is (b/c I KNOW you all are just dying to know "stuff" about me!). She said it was easy and proceeded to type the address I had picked into her web browser...and it came up to her blog page. We then realized that we had created my blog under her sign-on. So we simply logged out of her sign-on and started over. Well then the address I created wasn't available anymore b/c it was already being used so we spent the next 15 minutes trying to figure out how to delete that blog. Wow! So much for simple...but we finally figured it out and here I am now, after this "very simple process" with my very own blog!

Stay tuned for my random ramblings...you never know what, or who, will show up here on any given day!! One thing my life is not is boring so come on in, grab some coffee, and let me know what you think!!