Florida Vacation Pictures

Me and Ty at Universal Studios
Grandma's condo, where we stayed, in Winter Haven
a fabulous but pricey restaurant!
VERY good food! a fancy 4 course meal was presented
fancy mall where we found Cheesecake Factory!
Sheplers - the largest Western outfitting store in the nation!
Grandma and me at Universal
In front of the roller coaster Tyler called the best he has ever been on!
The restaurant at Universal where Grandma cleans tables!
Enjoying the day at Universal
At Medieval Times, a dinner show, we had to eat with our hands!
The show was very entertaining!
The Medieval Times castle!
At Medieval Times


Where we played putt putt golf

Florida Vacation 2010

So Tyler and I just got back from our vacation to Florida to visit Grandma! We also stopped and visited Lynne on the way, and left Stella with her for the week. It was a LONG drive - 2 full days of driving to get there. But we finally made it to Winter Haven, where Grandma lives, late Sunday night. We stayed Saturday night with Lynne in Tuscaloosa, and she had prepared a delicious meal of homemade potato soup and cheesy biscuits.

Monday it pretty much rained all day and was cold, so we laid around and relaxed, and Grandma took us on a tour of Winter Haven. We went to eat lunch at a Chinese restaurant (that was NOT good at all!) and then watched a movie that night at Grandma's house. Tuesday, it rained and stormed all morning and most of the day. But then we went to Kissimmee in the afternoon and drove around there, went shopping, and when the rain let up, Tyler and I played putt putt golf! Even though I didn't win, I did get a hole in one! Tyler got three! He did amazing!

Then we all three went to a dinner show called Medieval Times. The setting is a big, spooky, Medieval looking castle. We got to the show a little early, so Tyler and I were able to walk around the large facilities and go through a couple medieval museums buildings filled with original artifacts. The food was amazing, and Tyler thought it was strange to eat chicken and a potato with his fingers! No utensils! They served each of us some amazing tomato biqsue soup, garlic bread, a half chicken (so good!), a BBQ prime rib, baked garlic potato, drinks, and a pastry dessert. The show was incredible! Of course, mine and Tyler's favorite part was the horses! We especially liked the Andalusians that did tricks, and the drill team of matching horses! They did a show with fighting and acting and horse tricks. It was a very fun evening!

Wednesday we had a full day! We woke up fairly early and drove to Orlando and spent the day at Universal Studios! We had Grandma with us, so we didn't move very fast. We just stayed in the regular part of the park and didn't make it over to Adventure Island this time. We rode some rides like E.T., the Jaws ride, Men In Black, and went to the Shrek 3 D movie. We also walked around and shopped, enjoyed the beautiful day, and went to eat at the restaurant where Grandma works during the busy seasons! The best part - Tyler and I didn't pay anything for the entire day! Grandma got us in for free, parking for free, and paid only half price for our food and souvenirs! We also went to a Pet Actors show with birds and dogs and an orangoutang doing tricks! The weather was a little chilly (I wore a sweat shirt all day comfortably), but very nice and sunny! We had fun!

Thursday, Grandma was exhausted from the long day at Universal, so we went out to a local favorite for a delicious lunch. Then Tyler and I drove to ALL the Western stores we had seen in the area (I think we went to 4 or 5 total that day!) and got some amazing deals on a few items of Western clothing, went shopping and ran some errands, went to a mall and went to the BIGGEST Western outfitters store ever: Shepplers! And we got Josh and Jess an early Christmas present from Shepplers! :) Then we ate dinner at Fuddruckers and then found a Ferris Wheel that we took a ride on. Then we found a really fancy mall and walked around it, and then had the best cheesecake at Cheesecake Factory for dessert!

Friday, we woke up early, I made us a big and yummy breakfast, and then Tyler and I hit the rode. We planned on driving to the beach that day, either at Clearwater (Tampa), or Panama City. But it rained all day and was so cold! In the 40s! It rained more than half of the time we were in Florida, and never got above the high 60s, so it was unseasonably cold and rainy the entire time we were there. So we were sad that we didn't get to go to the beach or do anything fun Friday.

We drove to Tallahassee and had planned on getting a nice, fancy hotel room with a hotel jacuzzi suite (since that's the only hotel we would be paying for the whole trip) but drove around the city for HOURS looking for a nice hotel with jacuzzis and we finally found one for a really good deal....or so we thought. Our room was not very nice, DEFINITELY not a suite (just a bed and desk and a bathroom, oh, and a crappy view). We finally found the "romantic" "jacuzzi" - the bathtub/shower was a sunken tub with jets! Not cool! And there were NO malls or nice theaters in Tallahassee, no zoos, nothing downtown, the weather was cold and rainy - we were bummed! This was supposed to be the best part of the vacation! So after much deliberation, we decided try try a nice restaurant we had driven past on the way in, that I have always wanted to go to...the Melting Pot!

It was SO expensive ($115 total!) but SOOOO good! The whole dining experience took a total of 2 hours - that is with no waiting for food or to be seated (it's reservation only) - so you are literally eating for 2 hours! But they bring out all the ingredients fresh and blend them together in front of you, and it all melts together in a pot on your table. And we dipped our fresh veggies, bread, fruit, and meat and then had the BEST dessert I have ever tasted in my life! It was white chocolate apple cobbler dipping sauce, with the best dippers (brownies, fancy marshmallows, fruit, etc.) SO good but afterward, I was SO full!!!!

The next day, we drove back to Lynne's a got Stella and had dinner with Lynne and then were on our way. It was a nice time and we were relaxed and glad we got to spend time together making memories, and glad that we got to see Grandma. Pictures above! Enjoy! -Anne

How do you get into heaven?

One of the funniest parts of working with kids is getting to hear all the hilarious things they say. I am also blessed and inspired by their innocence and the sweet things they say. Last year, when I asked if anyone knew what humility means, one kid piped up, "It's how you feel when you get humiliated."  :) 

Also, I've heard a lot of prayer requests for dead grandmas (who've been dead for many years) and dead pets. I've prayed for stuffed animals, lost teeth, and other inanimate objects. 

Just last week at out midweek program, I overheard a little guy tell his small group leader, "When I grow up, I want to be rich..." in my head I finished the sentence for him, thinking So I can buy lots of toys... but then I heard what came out of his mouth, "...So I can give all my money to my dad and to all the people in Haiti!" Wow. 

Kids are hilarious. If you want to hear some interesting responses, just ask a group of kids how you get to heaven? I've heard some pretty funny responses to this one. (You float up ona cloud, you get crumbled up and put in a box and wait for God to come get you, just to name a few off the top of my head). Here are a few jokes I found online that really crack me up!

-Lynne

A Sunday school teacher asked the children just before she dismissed them to go to church, “And why is it necessary to be quiet in church?”

Annie replied, “Because people are sleeping”

______________________________________________________________

The Sunday School teacher read “The man named Lot was warned to take his wife and flee out of the city, but his wife looked back and was turned into a pillar of salt.”

A boy in the class asked, “What happened to the flea?”
___________________________________________________________________
A teacher was testing the children in her Sunday school class to see if they understood the concept of getting to heaven.

She asked them, “If I sold my house and my car, had a big garage sale and gave all my money to the church, would that get me into Heaven?”

“NO!” the children answered.

“If I cleaned the church every day, mowed the yard, and kept everything neat and tidy, would that get me into Heaven?”

Again, the answer was, “NO!”

Now she was smiling. Hey, they’re getting it, she thought! “Well, then, if I was kind to animals and gave candy to all the children, and loved my husband, would that get me into Heaven?” she asked.

Again, they all answered, “NO!”

She was just bursting with pride for them. “Well,” she continued, “then how can I get into Heaven?”

A five-year-old boy shouted out, “YOU GOTTA BE DEAD.”

_________________________________________________________________________

One Sunday morning, the pastor noticed little Alex standing in the foyer
of the church staring up at a large plaque.
It was covered with names and small American flags mounted on either side of it.
The six-year old had been staring at the plaque for some time,
so the pastor walked up, stood beside the little boy, and said quietly, ‘Good morning Alex.’
‘Good morning Pastor,’ he replied, still focused on the plaque. ‘Pastor, what is this? ‘
The pastor said, ‘Well son, it’s a memorial to all the young men and women who died in the service.’
Soberly, they just stood together, staring at the large plaque.
Finally, little Alex’s voice, barely audible and trembling with fear asked,
‘Which service, the 8:30 or the 10:30?

Have you heard any funny things from kids' mouths lately?

How do you make unchurched kids feel welcomed in church?

Since I saw the recent movie, "To Save a Life," I've been reminded of the value and responsibility of helping unchurched people feel welcomed and valued when they come to church. If I'm not careful, I can almost get to a point where I feel like I've been in church my whole life and forget what it's like on the "outside"- especially as someone who spends pretty much every day of my life in church, surrounded by church people and church words and church songs and church atmosphere. If I'm not careful, I can begin feeling more comfortable in a church with church people than out in the world experiencing the gospel in action and ministering to those who don't know the Lord. It's come to my attention that when unchurched people visit the church either one of two things happen: 1. They feel awkward and uncomfortable. 2. The see God and experience Him. As a church, I believe we have to be intentional about taking the gospel out of the church (but that's another blog post), but also about helping our church be welcoming toward unchurched people. 

There's a scene in the movie 'To Save  a Life" (which is an awesome movie, btw) where a high school football player and his cheerleader girlfriend come from a wild party where they've been drinking and having sex, and then enter into a church where they don't know where to go or what to do and everyone is singing worship songs and hugging and praying and they all know each other... and as expected, they feel a little out of place. Have you ever felt out of place at church? I have. Sometimes I forget. I forget what it's like to not know all the songs or not know how to dress or not know anything about the Bible or what to do during prayer... What are some of your suggestions to how to help unchurched people feel welcome?

Here are some things I try to do intentionally...

1. Focus on hospitality. When I see someone come to church that I don't recognize, I immediately greet them and welcome them, introduce myself, and if they have kids, get to know the kids. It's always good to introduce the kids to other kids from our church who are their age who can befriend them. I show them around and get to know them. Hospitality and willingness to serve and befriend people go a long way. People shouldn't have to fend for themselves and figure out where to go and sit alone when they come some place new. 

2. Never assume everyone knows a Bible story. Sometimes we get into a habit of saying things like, "I'm sure you all know about Jesus being born in the manger..." but not everyone knows the Bible! I know I didn't! Even though I lived in a city full of churches and had lots of friends who probably went to church, I didn't know even the most well-known Bible stories. So I always watch how I introduce things and teach things from the platform, never assuming people know what I'm talking about. 

3. Don't embarrass guests. I never call on guests to pray or volunteer for things, never point them out or make them do anything that would call attention to them. I can remember the intense fear I had coming into church wondering if they were going to make me do something I didn't want to do and wondering how I could make myself blend in as much as possible! Also, some of the most embarrassing times for me as a non-Christian were having to sit alone because everyone already had their groups, or when the pastor said, "Turn around and greet three people" and no one talked to me. I try to intentionally find ways to include everyone by doing mixers that involved everyone and embarrass no one, and group the kids in non-threatening ways (like having them sit with their age group, or according to their birthday month, or something else silly like that). 

4. Avoid things that leave out guests. Such as: asking a question that would have all the kids calling out questions for everyone to answer or having everyone jump up and sing songs from memory or do things without explaining it (like taking up offering, praying, etc). I try to always  explain what we do and why we do it , even if only quickly. Also, I avoid using language that is too hard to understand (like "get saved").

5. Describe the gospel in simple terms. I've found that one of the best ways to describe salvation to kids is to tell them that they can ask Jesus to forgive them for hurting him by doing things he doesn't want, and asking Jesus to be their very best friend. We have trained group leaders who are ready to lead kids to Christ at any time, and present them the opportunity in non-threatening ways. 

I remember feeling nervous, awkward, weird and a little uncomfortable at church. But I also remember that sometimes coming to church was THE most exciting, best part of my week. It was sometimes the place I felt most loved, and it was the place I met Jesus. Some kids who come to our church might not feel loved anywhere else, and getting an hour a week to help them feel valued and see God is an incredible opportunity! What do you think? Do you have any suggestions for ways to help non-Christians feel comfortable in church?

-Lynne

Which is harder- Taking care of a dog or kids??

I was recently talking with a mom who commented that in lots of ways, it's harder to care for and clean up after a dog than the kids. Kids eventually get to an age where they can get themselves up and ready, get themselves fed, and clean up after themselves (with a little training from the parents, of course!), and dogs never get to that point-  you always have to clean up after them, feed them, let them out, etc. Which leads me to the conclusion that taking care of a dog is good practice and preparation for me to be a mom some day! And I know I haven't changed all that many diapers, but I would venture to say that cleaning up runny green smelly watery diarrhea dog poo in the carpet is worse than changing a baby's diaper...

**Note: I obviously realize that caring for children is MUCH different from kids (I don't think I will ever leave my kids in a crate all day...), and I know babies are a LOT of work, but in general I think the same principles of caring for others apply in both situations. Being responsible to care for and think about another life is a huge lesson in selflessness, service, and humility. I know the rewards and blessing of parenting children far outweigh the demands of caring for and cleaning up after children! What do you think? Is caring for animals good practice for parenting?

Anyone who knows me, knows that I have baby fever big time right now. The desire to nurture and care for others is innate in most women. Although I hope I don't channel all my mothering instincts into becoming a crazy dog-lady who treats her pets like her kids, I can see that those nurturing instincts are definitely being put to good use as I wait until I can have kids.

My Favorite Thing About Children's Ministry...

Anyone who knows me knows that I could talk about children's ministry non-stop 24/7. I am passionate about children, God, and helping children know God. Recently someone asked me my favorite thing about children's ministry. If you would have asked me a year ago, I might have said my favorite part was seeing kids' lives changed, or seeing kids excited to come to church, or experiencing worship with kids, or getting hugs from children, or being blessed by the insightful and inspirational things they say... but I think that is starting to change.

 I think maybe my new (current) favorite part about children's ministry is seeing leaders use their gifts, talents, and passions to make a difference. It is such a beautiful experience, to see teachers who are FAR more gifted teachers than me using their gifts to bring awe to the kids' faces as they teach the Bible story. 

It is a beautiful sight to see the small group leaders who are far more connected to the kids individually than I can be, and hear the heartfelt conversations between the leaders and kids. It's a beautiful thing to see leaders making kids smile, and being blessed. And getting hugs. And experiencing worship with the kids. 

I'm trying not to hog all the hugs and smiles and blessings to myself. It's so much better to work with a team and see the greatness of God through His people! That's my current favorite part of children's ministry! 

-Lynne

Ministry Goals

"If you aim at nothing, you'll hit every time."

5 ministry goals for myself and my ministry for 2010:

1. Every child who steps through the doors would feel loved and valued by our church and by God. 

2. Help parents raise spiritual champions. Partner with them, encourage them, equip them. 

3. Develop and empower leaders to do ministry. The children's ministry is not a one-man-show revolving around me, but rather me building up teams of leaders and equipping them to use their gifts to serve.

4. Mentor and Add Value to young leaders. There are several young people (youth, college age) who show great potential as leaders in the children's ministry, and it is a goal to invest in them and add value to them through mentorship and training. 

5. The children's ministry environment will reflect our vision, mission, and values and be welcoming and kid-friendly. This includes finishing renovations from Project Refresh, working with creative design teams to transform our kids' worship area and kids' hallways. 

More key goals include-- always learning and growing, making sure all the children's ministry volunteers know how valued and loved they are, developing my leadership skills and abilities. 

-Lynne

My New Year's Goals (Not Resolutions)

Ok I know I'm a few days late posting these...but at least one of my goals wasn't to post blogs on time! : )

As always, I take time around New Year's to reflect and pray about goals and commitments for the upcoming year. I am using the word "goals" this year instead of "resolutions" because it just seems better. And since I am a life-long learner and grower who doesn't want to reach a point of "arrival", I am stealing ("re-using") some of my last year's goals. It's not about whether I fail or succeed at keeping the resolutions or conquering a specific habit-- it's more a matter of the heart and the motive. The heart to grow, to learn, to become the person God wants me to be. 

My word* for the year is Confidence.

*A few years ago when we had just gotten saved, my sis and friends and I felt led to pray over a specific biblical word or phrase that God would lay on our heart for us to focus on intentionally throughout the year.

To elaborate on this year's word...

No, it's not confidence in myself that I long for. It's confidence in Christ. Confidence does not mean arrogance. An arrogant person cannot walk humbly with the Lord. Confidence comes from finding security in the Lord. 

"I do not consider myself sufficient for the great task of changing lives for Jesus. Only Jesus is sufficient" -unknown

“Our sufficiency is of God; let us practically enjoy this truth. We are poor, leaking vessels, and the only way for us to keep full is to put our pitcher under the perpetual flow of boundless grace. Then, despite its leakage, the cup will always be full to the brim.” (Spurgeon) 

A verse that so beautifully illustrates the confidence I long for in Christ is 2 Corinthians 2:3- 5“You yourselves are our letter, written on our hearts, known and read by everybody. You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts. Such confidence as this is ours through Christ before God. Not that we are competent in ourselves to claim anything for ourselves, but our competence comes from God.”

May God give me the unshakeable confidence to rely on Him, to be used by Him, to step out of my comfort zone, to do things I never thought I could do... May He give me confidence in my finances, in my love life and relationships, in my career, in my abilities, in my calling. The kind of confidence that results of righteousness from the Lord (Isa. 32:17) and points other people directly to HIM. The confidence to care more about what HE thinks of me than anyone else. The confidence to take risks. The confidence to make mistakes...and learn and grow from them. The confidence to obey even when it's hard. The confidence to know that I am nothing. The confidence to trust that everything He wants me to do, He gives me power to do. This is the prayer of my heart.

Other goals for 2010

• Intentionally invest in people and serve them.
  
• Choose gratitude daily.
  
• Keep learning. Maybe start grad school (?)
  
• Make friends.
  
• Read at least one book a week.
  
• Be devoted to prayer.
  
• Develop the leader within me. (Thanks John Maxwell) and become a 360 Degree Leader
  
• Manage myself well-- my time, my finances, my emotions, my relationships, etc.
  
• Keep accountability with friends and mentors.
  
• Get married. (I know. I'm working on it!)
  
• Grow in holiness.
  
• Serve and befriend the poor.
  
• Intentionally build relationships with outcast and lonely. 
  

There, I shared mine. Now what are YOURS??

-Lynne

Home for the Holidays

I was so glad I was able to make it home for the holidays! My little bro was nice enough to fly from NY to AL to drive home with me. We had a fun time, and it might be a while before we're all back together again for the holidays! 

Alex, don't text and drive! (don't worry, this was during a traffic jam...ughh! The drive took FOREVER! At least there were no break-downs or run-ins with semi trucks!)

My parents' house pretty in the snow. 

Anne and I went shopping at the Hamilton Mill mall in Indy. Trying on sunglasses in Ulta. (Note the cool new pink Carhart she got for Christmas from Tyler). 

I kept wanting to get pictures in the "lightly falling snow" -- this was perfect Christmas-y weather as we were shopping at the Hamilton Mill mall in Indy! Cold, but pretty!

Now THAT'S more like it. Relaxing by the fire with a good book inside where it's warm and cozy. (At Anne and Ty's house)

Anne got a cute sweater for Christmas, among other things.

Hoosie looks scary!! Yes, that IS a wrapped gift that Hoosier's about to open... WHAT? We don't have any children to spoil, so yes, we wrap presents for the dogs!!! : )

Me with my Buddy.

Anne and Ty on Christmas day.

Our lovely place settings for our fancy Christmas dinner.

Santa even stopped by on Christmas to give presents!

Santa brought his helper, Puppy Paws. 

Anne and Ty by the tree. 

Enjoying our annual Christmas Eve appetizer dinner. bbq cocktail hot dogs, bbq meatballs, chicken wings, cream cheese roll ups, sausage wontons, popcorn balls, pimento/ham salad sandwiches, and more! yum yum! And homemade hot wassail to drink!

Two cute boys. 

Anne and I shopping in a cute little downtown store in Marion. Stealing table scape ideas. 

An adorable little shop in Marion. 

I made a delicious sugar plum cake!

Amen.

-Lynne

Top Christmas Movies

Lynne's Top Picks for Christmas

1. Elf

2. It's a Wonderful Life

3. Home Alone

4. Polar Express

5. White Christmas

6. Old-school Rudolph

7. Miracle on 34th Street (old-school version)

8. The Nativity Story (technically this one is number 1, because it's the only one that is about the actual meaning of Christmas, and plus it's a really well-made movie!)

9. A Christmas Carol

10. Charlie Brown Christmas

Am I forgetting any other really good Christmas movies?

Dear Santa...

This year I helped my mom out again by typing Santa letters to publish in her newspaper. I typed Santa letters two years ago, and posted a few of my favs. 

It was a lot of work trying to read the messy handwriting AND not correct all the grammar errors and spelling mistakes!!! That was the hardest part!!! But here are my favorites. There's kind of a lot here, but they're cute, so it's worth it to read them (I think). 

-Lynne

Dear Santa,

I hope all of your raindeer is ok and whot I whont the most is a toy called a strech it. It is a ball that can strech but I do not cear if I get a strech it or not I just want the best Christmas ever.

Bryce Streat

 

Dear Santa,

I love all your reindeers and I no all their names and they are Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donder, Blitzen, and their’s Rodolph. I love all of them and your elv’s to and you also I love all of you in the whole wide wold and I rileay rileay love all of you varey varey much and I love chrismas it is my favorit hoiday.

Louise

 

Dear Santa,

Thank you for all the toys you bring me. Santa do you really live in the North pole. Santa your cool! Santa I believe in you. Santa can you bring me a ipod. Santa do you go down the chimney. Don’t get my brother anything. I hope all of your reindeer are OK on Christmas. Fill my stocking up to the top. And I want a game for my PS3. Mack sure the bottom of our tree is full of presents. If you fill the bottom up you will be the best man ever. Have you made a snowman. You the best Santa. Bring my friend Brady a lot of presents.

Rydge Dunica

 

Dear Santa,

I just don’t know what I want. I want a baby kitten for Christmas. I hope you have a safe trip. Merry Christmas!

Katie

 

Dear Santa,

I want a Passport Journal, but I can’t have it because I am not old enough. I want a diary with a padlock. Merry Christmas!

Phoebe

Dear Santa,

I want a toy kitten. I lost 2 teeth. Merry Christmas!

Khalia

 

Dear Santa Clause,

My name is Hannah McCoin. I live at ***. My mom says I’m good you might want to check your lists from before. This is good to know if you hear barking my dog is mean. Can you awer some questions five or six. What is it like in the North pole? How do you make all the toys? Is your trip tiring? What is your favorite cookie? Now what you have been wondering what I want for Christmas. I want a Peace Bear from Build a Bear Whorkshop a hot wheel of any kind, jewlrey for my mom, a new basketball for my dad and world peace for all! Now reamber where I live *** . Don’t be afraid if oyu hear barking my dog is mean. Thanks for reading my letter and answering my questions.

Love,  Hannah McCoin

 

Dear Santa,

I would like t tell you about me questions I have and some things I would like. My name is Josselyn Schick. My house is gray and my adress is ***. Now these are my questions. Does Rudolph always lead the slay? Do you see any polar bears? Do you have any new reindeer? These are the things I would like. I would really like a baby kitten, pet sea monkeys and most of all world peace. Just to remind you my adress is *** . Thank you for every thing you’ve done and I hope you have a great time at the North Pole.

Love, Josselyn Schick

 

Dear Santa,

My name is Jerret Scott Barker. I don’t know if I have been good or bad so I will just say that I been in the middle. My adress is *** . When you get to my house I have to warn you about my dog. Anyway I have a few questions for you. How old are you? And what kind of cookies do you like? Well the presents I want for Chrismas are a new Chicago Bears jersey and a John Cena hat. Anyway it has been fun talking to you. I just have one last question for you. Some people say you are not real but if you are or aren’t real don’t tell me. Thanks for answering my questions.

Sincerley, Jerret Barker

 

Dear Santa,

I want you to know a couple of thing about me. My name is Zoe Overbey. I am 8 years old. My address is ***. I have two dogs and a wild brother. I have been very good this year. How is every one? What is your favorite cookie? How do you stay healthy? I want my dad and brother Gage to have a nice little house. I want my family to have a graet Christmas. I wanta  I pod. Thank you for evory thing this year.

Love, Zoe Overbey

 

Dear Santa

Hi! I love you. I want a tree for Christmas.

Love, Cammie

 

Dear Santa,

You are a nice guy can I have a Xbox 360. I relly won’t it relly bad but you don’t halft to get me that. You can get my any thing you can think of. I like any thing but not girl stuff. You can get that for my sisters she likes rings and all that kind of stuff. I love you Santa but I need some PS2 games. I love your reindeers. I like the red noes one he is so cute.

Brady

 

Dear Santa,

I want you to chage the fact that my mom will go to China. And I want my family to have the BEST CHRISTMISTS EVER! And for my one lap top!

Elizabeth Williams

 

Dear Santa,

My name is Emily I am six year old. For Christmas I would like my two frut teeth.

Emily

 

Dear Santa,

I would like to have a army set. With some guns and some gugs. I love presnts just remember giving is better then getting.

Love, Myles

 

Dear Santa,

I want a invisible blankie that is never visible.

Love Dustin

Not a fan of Lock-ins....

So while I may not be a big fan of Lock-ins....kids are!! Just kidding about that, I guess I like them.... :) After my protests, I got suckered into having one for our 5th and 6th graders! And the verdict is... it was a huge success and we won't be having another for at least a year! Because that's how long it takes to recover! :) 

Ingredients for a good Lock-in: Pizza, Mountain Dew, Get-to-know-you games, and AWESOME adult chaperones!

Hearing a great message about sharing the light of Christ. 

Cool games are a plus! And Dodge Ball where only the adult leaders get to throw balls= great fun!

Our preteen group, called Club 56, worked so hard to put together an awesome Christmas show, including puppets, skits, song and dance routines, and more! We got in a little rehearsal time. So proud of them!

Celebrating Logan's birthday with cupcakes!

Another must-have for lock-ins, lots of games. Pool tables, foos ball, video games, and more. 

The sweet girls hangin out in the girl room! 

When you get tired enough, you'll fall asleep anywhere...

The leaders were zonked out....

Don't let this fool you, there was not a lot of sleeping taking place...

It was definitely a good time! We got about .2 hours of sleep. We had about 30 kids and about 10 adults. So thankful for awesome leaders and the coolest kids around!

-Lynne

Trying to be like Christ

Some days I feel like I try really hard to be a good Christian. I try really hard to be patient. Loving. Compassionate. Forgiving. Grace-giving. Humble. Peaceful. Bold. Pure. Self-controlled. Generous. Holy. Submissive. And some days it seems like the harder I try, the more I fail. God is teaching me that rather than trying to be and do all these things, the most important thing is to love Him. When I focus my heart on drawing closer to HIS heart He will work in me to transform me and restore me to His image and likeness. 

Have you ever met someone who exuded the presence of God? Someone who was so full of Him that you couldn't help but feel that you were in His presence? Have you ever met a Proverbs 31 woman? Somehow I don't think those people sat down and said to themselves..."I am going to try REALLY hard to be joyful today. And patient. And loving." I think their desire is to love God and those people have such an intimate relationship with God that is made manifest in their lives. An authentic, intimate relationship with God is so rare and beautiful that it stands out in contrast to the world and it draws other people's attention to God, rather than to the person you're with. 

I think being Christ-like is less a matter of us trying and more about us submitting. It's about submitting our hearts and desires and minds to the Lord and letting Him make us like Himself.  And as Christians, when the world sees us, may we not draw attention to ourselves and show off how hard WE work at being good Christians, but may we draw people's attention directly to Christ. 

 It's not that I think we should stop trying in our Christian walk, it's just that we should let our focus be on falling more and more in love with our Savior. You see, it's impossible to fall deeply in love with Him and not be transformed. That's what He does. 

-Lynne

Who Volunteers in the Children's Ministry?

Who are the volunteers in the children's ministry at First Wesleyan Church? I'm glad you asked. Here is a brief overview of the volunteers, with some interesting statistics. 

Depending on the job, some volunteers serve every week, some serve every month, some serve several months out of the year. Here is an overview of who they are, and a look at a few key areas of the ministry.

Roughly 60% of our volunteers currently have children in the children’s ministry. (That means they are parents of kids age infant-6th grade). 

40% of them do not have kids currently in the children’s ministry (either because they are teens, young adults, parents of older youth, or older people).

Roughly 15% are older than 55 years old or older. (YEAH for seniors serving in children's ministry! The saints of the church! we love them). 

About 42% are male, 58% are female. (That's a lot better than many churches which have almost all women in children's ministry, we are intentionally getting men involved!)

 A Few Key Areas...

In the nursery…

42% of the volunteers currently have kids in the children’s ministry, and .7% are male (only one male!).

In the general security volunteer team…

19% of the volunteers have kids in the ministry, and 81% DO NOT have children currently in the children’s ministry. Most of the security volunteers are senior adults who don't have young kids. 

70% of the general security volunteers are male (that's awesome! male majority here! maybe need to get some of these guys to go to nursery...?)

 

Sunday school

83% have children currently in the children’s ministry (the few who are not parents are youth who assist the teachers), and 38% are male.

 

In the midweek ministry team…

69% of the volunteers currently have kids in the children’s ministry, and 33% are male. 

What does this say about our children's ministry volunteers? Several things: for one-- we are doing well with getting diversity in our volunteer teams, but we can always do better! We can intentionally recruit people who don't have young children (like teens, college students, and senior adults), and we can intentionally recruit more men! In fact, we can even recruit people who don't even like kids! (note: I'm not saying people who volunteer in those roles do not like kids... the point being there are many different spiritual giftings and abilities that can be valuable in children's ministry) Because there is SUCH a huge variety of roles in which one can serve the children's ministry, we can use volunteers to help run the computers, greet the parents, organize and plan events, serve food, and much more!

Also, we are thankful to have a huge percentage of our volunteers who are parents of kids in the ministry, and compared to other churches, the amount of parental involvement we have is uncommon and excellent! That's great news! Parents are taking leadership and getting involved in their kids' spiritual lives! 

We are so thankful for each and every volunteer who serves in the children's ministry. This is such a wonderful team of people to get to serve with! I am excited to spend time celebrating their service and thanking them at a Christmas Volunteer Appreciation Luncheon this Sunday after church, it will be a red carpet event where the volunteers are the guests of honor!

-Lynne

Canadian Visitors! And Thanksgiving 2009!

Tyler's family came to visit while Tyler was on vacation from work for a week for our Thanksgiving! They stayed busy! Chelsea spent 5 hours one day preparing an authentic, made from scratch Indian meal for us one day! We made Thanksgiving and had my family over, we went to a movie (the Blind Side = VERY good!), went shopping ALL night and All day, went to Olive Garden, went shopping some more, played Skipbo (Chelsea and I ROCK and beat Tyler and his mom 2 times!), went a got a Christmas tree and decorated it, went to church, and hung out a lot! It was fun and we are sad to see them go. Tyler is back to work, sadly, and I am having Tana over today to help me make 6 dozen cookies to take to a cookie swap party! I will write more later! -Anne