CALEB SUMMER 2006

My little man is growing up so fast. I want to remeber every one of his little boy smiles! Here's some I'd like to share with you.

Back In Junior High Again

Can I just tell you that I had my first serious boyfriend in the sixth grade? Little did I know that one relationship that lasted into my eighth grade year would define my life as an adult. Today I am the junior high ministry coordinator and just to clear things up I never thought I'd work with Jr. High students. First of all I am and Early Childhood Education major, so I specialize in the learning and development of infant through five year olds. Second of all I was not a Christian when I was in junior high so many times I find it hard to think about what I would do if I were them because I was not being taught truth in the way that many of my students are. Funny the places God brings you along life's road.....

Anyways, you'd think this post would be to complain about my position in life and try to hurry on out of it. On the contrary, I have been so stretched in the last month-being pulled out of my comfort zone and into the Lord's comfort and I am loving every minute of it! All the kids have just been so awesome! I am so thankful God has let me be used to have an influence in their lives and that the kids welcome me in and make me feel at home. They are in a rather awkward in between stage in life and yet they have fun, love God and build relationships with people in a way that the rest of us should do. At first I thought they would be dealing with issues in their lives that were rather petty and unimportant in the big scheme of the adult work of marriage, bills, and careers, but rather they are making choices (just like I did at that age) that are defining themselves now! How scary to think that so many people do not want to work with junior high students but in fact it's these students that we could help find a saving knowledge of Christ and help them grow in the Lord before they become bitter adults with their own busy schedules and harsh perceptions of the Gospel.

The point of the matter is that I was an awful junior higher! I was dating and experimenting and putting my mom through Hades and yet God saw fit to show my His grace so that I could love and serve Him, and if I could help one student going into the seventh grade make a decision to follow Christ and save them (and their parents) the heartache and pain of sin and the from the emptiness inside that comes from a need for the Holy Spirit then why on earth would I want to miss that opportunity! Praise God that He takes out of places that are comfortable and into a life of excitement and power!

http://www.ninjapirate.com/battle.html
Okay here they are finally! The pirate and ninja picsc from the midnight premire of Pirates of the Carribean!

Well I keep forgetting to bring those pirate and ninja pictures to work so that I can post them! Oh well....Brian has great news, he got a job recently with a reality company to do three t.v. commercials. We are really excited about this opportunity for Brian and also for the added income this month.
Last night our small group met at our house and we ate pizza, share a great lesson on hurriedness and joy and then enjoyed fellowship during girls and guys prayer time. I thank God for the awesome church family that he's given us! We are so blessed.
Yesterday, I finished my closet remodeling project by cleaning up the mess I made when I took everything out of the closet to take down the wall paper, paint, and install shelving and also by cleaning the rest of the house from neglecting it while I was working on the closet. The closet and the house are in great shape now.
In other news all my friends are far away doing amazing things here are some of them I am missing:

• Claire Adams-Liberia, Africa with Samaritan's Purse until October.
• Brittany McGehee-Pine Cove in Texas working until sometime in August.
• Ashley Binns-Leaving TODAY for Malawi Africa until mid August.
• Allyson McAbee-wherever the wind seems to blow her-currently in Jackson, Mississippi but soon to be in Seattle, Washington.
• Derek Davenport-Los Angeles, Cali with the Traveling Team training to reach the nations.
  

I miss you all and prat that God is working in your lives and using you to do great things!

Last night I went to go see Pirates of the Caribbean Dead Man's Chest at 12:01am. Autumn, Julie, Carlie, and I dressed up as pirates (Rrrrr) and Brian dressed up like a ninja. (http://www.ninjapirate.com/battle.html)
The movie was great but really left you hanging. Pictures of the Pirate/Ninja duo to follow.

Seems like a hard time for friendships. All my best friends are either gone or leaving soon, Brittany to Pine Cove to work, Claire to Liberia to serve, Allyson to wherever the wind seems to blow her, and Ashley to Malawi for the rest of the summer. New friendships seem hard and tainted by fabrications and selfish ambitions. Lord today hear my heart cry out for those whom I love that are far away from me. Bless their hands to do Your work, bless their hearts to know you and keep them safe Lord. And Lord, while they are gone make me affective right here where I am, help me to honor you by leading junior high students into a life that is souly seeking after you. Help me come more and more out of my comfort zone and into your presence. And Lord, forgive me for all my selfish way, for you are Holy and I am not. Amen.
P.S. And Lord, move me.........

Yesterday my little sister Nicole let me take her on a photo shoot so that I could practice using my new camera! Here are some of the pictures. Thank you Nicole- You are a beautiful model!

Today I got a 14 day free trial to Ancestry.com. I am building a family tree for Brian and I and it's fun. I love the feeling I get when I find a family member! I think it's the only reason I use MySpace-because I like to feel connected with people that I'm too far away from to see or people that I'm related to that I never got to meet. My side of the family tree is not very big, since my mom is adopted and there was an unregistered name change on my dad's side. But Brian's side has been in America way longer than I would have expected and I have been able to find several of them. So no deep, complex discussions for today just enjoying family history and love'n life!

So here I was yesterday, bragging about my new camera and it broke last night. So what lasts anyways, only in our salvation and the Creator God. Certainly not this blog, why I 've had three so far and I've take them all off line after a short time, plus my xangas. It's as if I start writing because I think I might have something good to say and then later, looking back it wasn't as great as I might have hoped. Oh well, on to better things. Had Jr. High Youth last night, played an awesome game called "Cold Feet" where the kids sit in a chair and stick one foot inside a bucket of ice water and try to get as many Swedish fish out from the bottom as possible in 45 seconds- I know you're now wishing you could have been there to play as well, and you are right it was great fun. Our lesson talked about families and conflicts with parents. We had good conversations about the way families are different and parents are humans and they aren't perfect yet God asks us to honor them anyways. The girls seemed attentive and interested. I can't wait for small groups to start so we can really did deeper. Although I have found my new youth role somewhat stretching I find myself wishing I could keep all the kids this age until they are old enough to be adults. I know that right now and very soon they are going to be face with so many life decisions, many them are not ready to make some of these decisions, but they all seem so open to love and faith in Christ, I pray that God will help me as I do my best to lead them towards him and that the Holy Spirit will consume them in this time of growth.

I got a camera yesterday, even though it was Brian's birthday and not mine! My husband is so sweet, he postponed buying a new computer so that he could buy me the camera of my dreams. On another note my honey turned twenty-one yesterday! We ate out and had a romantic evening at home. Tonight we will go out with his parents to eat and see Superman.
So today's hot topic will be business. If Jesus said that His way is easier and lighter (Matthew 11:30) then why is it that Christians seemed to be some of the busiest, stressed out people around? I believe it is because we cannot seem to get it through our heads that what is important to us is not always important to the Savior of the World. Meaning that, many of the things that we feel are important, things that we spend our lives doing, are like leaves and will blow away with the wind. In the end there is heaven or hell and what matters is not only getting to heaven, but taking as many people who will accept Christ with us and living our lives here on earth abundantly (John 10:10). So my mission: that everything I do be to bring people into the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

The Lord knows the number of hairs on our heads (Matthew 10:30) and yet we cannot know how many days He has given us on this earth(James 4:14). That is spectacular! A God who knows every little thing about us and yet shields us from the future so that we might live for today. We are always saying that we will do this or that when we graduate, when the kids are out of the house, or whatever, but God gave us today and tomorrow has not been promised to us, so live for today. I now feel immune to people commenting about my age, being married, or whatever it is that I'm doing that doesn't set well with the world because I won't turn twenty until November. I will live for my Savior, love my husband, and serve others. I will follow His voice and not yours, I will walk in His ways even though they are not my own and I will love every moment because He has created me for His purposes and I will thank Him that they are not ours.