Another Informative Bit

Ok. Stick with me on this. It's something we can't be ignorant to in our society or else corporate America will continue to feed us crap because it makes them more money. Even Monsanto (the corporate giant who created the first genetically engineered seeds, genetically modified corn, saccharin, etc.), advises their own employees to seek out organic corn and soybeans rather than consuming the GM versions. Genetically modified foods such as these are already banned in almost all other countries. The mighty dollar is just too strong for America's greed to stand up against it.

Ok so this video isn't actually fully about that rant I just went off on (again). It's about other stuff that I could rant about all day. It's a FAR shorter piece than the last (less than 4 minutes). So go to this website, and the "Wake-Up Call" video should pop up. Watch it. If it doesn't pop up, you'll see it somewhere on their home page.

http://www.healthychild.org/

Thank you!!!

SO important. Please listen

OK most of you who know me know that I am part hippy and I get made fun of a lot for the way I choose to grocery shop, cook, garden, etc. Please listen to this and take it very seriously. I am now an Arbonne rep partly because of the facts you'll hear, but even if you never want to use Arbonne, please listen because it could literally help save your life. If you're reading this, it's because you're a person I love and I want everyone I love to know 2 things:

1) that Jesus came and died for us and rose again to show us that death is NOT the end and that being a Christian is the BEST life to live, even if it isn't always easy, (which has nothing to do with what you're about to listen to, it's just the first thing I want everyone to know...) 

2) there is a better way of living and making healthy choices while on earth, and this audio file will help explain that.

You can listen to it directly from this website or download it (there is a button on the screen that says "download file") and listen to it later.

https://www.freeconferencing.com/playback.html?cn=51-87-32-24&e=1360648800000&cid=conferences%2F375383-17-65-67-17-65-6762-17-65-6746548414-17-65-67-43-9524-17-65-67.mp3

Please do this. I promise you won't leave unchanged :)

Christmas Eve

I forgot something WAY back when...

For the weeks leading up to Christmas, our youth group put together gifts for people who had to work Christmas Eve night, and were not able to be with their families. They handmade different kinds of ornaments, they made peppermint hot cocoa mix to put in christmas mugs, and peppermint fudge mix for people to make in the microwave. They also printed verses on little decorative pieces of paper that they tied to the gifts.

Then Christmas Eve night, we set out to hand these gifts out. We went to 2 nursing homes, the sheriff's office, the grocery store, the Dollar Store, 2 gas stations, pizza hut, and a few small restaurants that were open (we closed our restaurant early that day). All in all I believe we gave gifts to nearly 80 people. We looked them each in the eye and told them "Thank you for working tonight". We had one lady in the nursing home follow us through the whole building thanking us, another lady at the gas station said, "you really brought me a gift? I don't know what to say!" with tears in her eyes. It was pretty awesome.

I hope that the kids got as much out of that as I did. I was very proud of them for sacrificing their family time that night to go out and do something nice for others. Hopefully projects like this will plant a desire to do good in their hearts, and as they become adults, hopefully they will plant those same seeds in their children and any others they come in contact with. Stuff like this makes the world a better place, every little bit helps.

I'm gonna preach for a minute: So Jesus didn't come to Earth and talk about "how" to worship him, what our worship services should look like, what songs we sing, or anything. In fact, it's very hard to get a sense of any worship service in Jesus' day that looks anything like what we call "church". But over, and over, and over, he talks about helping orphans, the poor, our neighbor, widows, those in prison, those who are lost. He never said, "you saw me hungry and gave me food... and a christian tract". He says, "you saw me hungry and you gave me bread." He is interested in relationships  and bringing heaven to earth by being compassionate, having open eyes for opportunities to help others. THAT is the Good News of the Bible. By starting these relationships,  others will want the joy that you have found in giving. It is THERE that they will see what Jesus was talking about, the Good News, and desire to be in His family.

That night taking thank you gifts to people, was a far more holy worship service to our awesome God and creator, than I've ever experienced in a church building. I 100%  believe that it is beneficial for Christians to come together and learn and worship and grow together, and I believe it's crucial. But I think a lot of us use that as our scapegoat to not actually have to get out there and get our hands dirty and DO something to reflect what God really wants us to be like Monday thru Saturday.

Ok. I'm off my soap box. I don't have good pictures of this event because I didn't want people to think we were just giving these gifts out to glorify ourselves and get to show off pictures. But here's some silly photos of the kids working on the project - every so diligently :)

I know this is 2 months later, but I ran across these photos & wanted to brag a little bit on the awesome kids we get to serve.

TYMTJ Day 10!!!

“We shall finish up by looking forward.


Press into praying for your man's future; everything God has in store after this very minute. So many things that will happen for you and your man will be far greater than you can currently conjure up. We serve a God that does not have his hands tied. He is mighty!

Our focus:
-Protect him.
-Bless his health.
-Guard his mind.
-Hold fast to his heart.
-Go before him.
-Be his counselor, his confidante, his help and his refuge.
-Surround him with people who will speak life into him.
-Be his shield and his firm foundation.
-Light his way and give him hope.

Thank you, friends, for joining me on this journey; we made it! Way to be a faithful mate. You have also helped hold me accountable to doing what God called me to do. I can almost guarantee that I would have weaseled my way out early, if not for you. Gracias!"

TYMTJ Day 9

"Anyone still trucking with me? When you say pray for ten days, it seems a small feat. Yet, when you put ten days of hard-core praying to the test, it doesn't seem so small does it? I am confident that our dudes will reap from our diligent, loving efforts.

On the first day of our journey, we prayed for our man's worship. Now, here we are back to Wednesday and I just cannot get away from the fact that this is a day in which most of us take our worship public {at Elevate tonight!}. So let us focus on his Jesus time today.

Spending time with the Lord. A statement, a question, a request....

Whether or not you know that your husband spends daily, quality time with the Lord or not, let's seek this for him. Now, don't you start judging your man. What does your time with the Lord look like? Yeah. That's what I thought...I kid, I kid.

As we go through our day today, let us really just press into this topic for our man. Pray for your future husband, that God would do these things in his heart this very day and that God would develop discipline in him now, rather than later. May we all step closer to the Lord as we take this cry of our heart to Him.

Our focus:
-Draw him into an intimate time of worship.
-Call him away to a quiet place.
-Drown out life.
-Speak with clarity.
-Reveal yourself.
-Love him.
-Give life to your Word.
-Pour out revelation.
-Grant him accountability in his journey of following Christ.
-Shape him into a man of integrity, character and self-discipline."

TYMTJ Day 8

"Long before you knew your man and even early on in your relationship, there were many events and much life that took place. Just as our past has much responsibility for determining who we are on this day, so does our man's.

Let's pray for our guys life, before today. We want life before today to be an encouragement for his present and his future. Though we cannot change the past, we can learn from it, grow through it and become mature because of it. When our man may not think to pray for his past, let us take that responsibility on ourselves. As we pray for his past, let us ask Jesus to reconcile it. May we also thank the Lord for developing him into the man he is today.

Our focus:
-Seek forgiveness for yourself if there are any areas in his past that you have yet
 to forgive or have developed bitter roots.
-Ask that he would have full forgiveness of himself for who he used to be.
-Allow his past to be used to encourage him in his future.
-May he learn from past triumphs, successes, failures, and sins.
-Would he be able to use each part of who he is as a testimony to Christ and his
 faithfulness.
-Pray that his past is not where his thoughts dwell.
-Give him eyes to see that you are doing a new thing.
-Reveal yourself faithful in the past, giving the promise of being faithful in the
 present and the hope of being faithful in the future."

TYMTJ Day 7

"Onto day seven...


I really think it would be meaningful to spend one day focused on your husband's family. If you are married, this is now your family as well, but these are the people that knew him & loved him long before you did.

I realize that families can be a very 'sticky' situation in some cases. I ask you to put opinions, disagreements and past hurts aside today. No matter the family circumstance, the Lord used family blessings & trials in your man's life to develop him into the guy you are so crazy about. As easy or difficult as it may be, spend today focused on your man's family, taking them before the Lord.

Our focus:
-Thank Jesus for a family that brought such a wonderful man into the world.
-Pray for mended family relationships (if needed).
-Petition that Jesus would make himself real & known to his family; call each
 person out by name.
-Ask for protection to surround his family members.
-Pray for the health of family.
-Give wisdom to family members.
-Pray that your husband would be quick to honor his family.
-Seek out wisdom so that both you, & your man may know & agree on what
 family legacies to pass along & what God desires to break & rebuild in your family"