Thankful List

I am thankful for family.

Contact lenses

Sunny vacation places--the beach, palm trees and sand.

A faithful man who still makes me laugh--the love of my life.

Getting to see a glimpse of hard work in baseball finally pay off for Taylor, who is one of the finest men I know.

When I find totally cool clothes on a huge sale.

Boots!

Italian food in general.

That I have a heritage of family that knows Christ--awesome parents, sisters and bro.

That Brian takes his day off and we have FUN.

That we found the tiny country of Burkina Faso where we plan to invest for the rest of our lives.

For the amazing people of West Ridge Church!!

That we have never walked alone because God is faithful and will never leave us.

For pre-lit trees.

For my sensitive and wildly passionate Zach whom I adore--my favorite wrestler!!

For prescription strength Secret.

For church planting families.

Braces.

That heaven is free, not by our goodness but because of what Jesus did on the cross for us.

Retin A face cream

Changing seasons warm and cool.

People who know more than I do and humbly allow me to learn from them.

Our awesome staff at West Ridge.

True friends who have stuck beside us through thick and thin.

Starbucks.

381 spoons on their way to Africa!

381 spoons are on their way to Burkina Faso, Africa through The Burkina Kitchen Project!! Some amazing elementary school students in Georgia helped to donate spoons to a school in Burkina! We started The Kitchen Project as a part of Engage Burkina, a non-profit organization that helps the people of Burkina Faso. In this tiny west African country, 1 in 3.4 children die before the age of 10 because they do not have food or clean water. Engage Burkina is helping to dig wells, plant churches, provide sanitary conditions and education for the amazing people who live in these villages. If you are interested in donating to the Kitchen Project, you can easily give online through PayPal at  www.engageburkina.com/kitchenproject. 

influence is a gift

Do you have influence? I bet you do. We influence the people that we are with. Maybe you influence your fellow employees at work or your neighbors in the culdesac. If you are on a sports team or a committee, you most likely have influence. If people come to you and tell you their story, you have influence. If you have been voted or elected to a certain position, you most certainly have influenced others. Recently, people are influencing through social media. Sometimes, however, we do not even recognize that we have been given the gift of influencing others. Recognize it and use your influence to help other people.

Don't use it to manipulate people.
Don't be harsh or narrow-minded. You will lose it.

Jesus had influence, yet he did not promote himself. He served others. He pointed people to his Father.

Leadership for the sake of leadership is futile if we are promoting ourselves or our cause. Our influence must be used to serve and to lovingly point people to truth.

And possibly our greatest area of influence--our homes. May we influence that priceless environment through peace, unconditional love, trust, joy and rest.

picture: early days of west ridge :)

These were the early days of West Ridge Church. Wow, God has done amazing things, and we love to give him the credit for all of that, seeing as we could have never pulled off the life change he has orchestrated in so many, including ourselves!! What a joy it was to celebrate 15 years with all the wonderful people of West Ridge! And can you tailgate?! Dogs with cool shirts, the Big Egg grill, groups watching the games on TV, vendors, people just connecting, kids playing, No program! Fans wearing their team jerseys, cars decorated, cooking sausages, families, friends, lots of corn hole, and unbelievable fire works!

And fifteen years ago? The conversation before we ever moved here that we would never ever compromise integrity. That we wanted to be a part of something that only God could do. God coming through when we were desperate, almost always at the last minute. God drawing people to himself.  4 pioneering families. 47 people in a core group. A little elementary school. A move to a high school. A godly woman who wanted her property to go to a church. Volunteers that exceed expectations. Blessings and heartaches. Loving people. A tiny country in Africa. Water saving lives. Helping other people start churches.  Risk. Growing older with my best friend. Watching God develop my boys into men. God answering prayer. Still desperate for him to come through. Believing he always will.

Books I Don't Read

I typically read books to learn something or to become a better person.  I am not really a pleasure reader. I usually wait for the movie! But...I just read two books I MUST write about because they were awesome. Quite similar, in fact, Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers, and Savannah To Sweetwater by Doris English both were riveting.

Being historical fiction, Savannah To Sweetwater is the story of loss and love in a pre-civil war setting. Political conflict and unrest coupled with spiritual enlightenment make the mysteries of Sweetwater a Georgia plantation favorite!

Redeeming Love is an early American novel of the less modern Biblical character Hosea and his wayward wife. It is a true picture of grace, and the challenge of learning to identify and accept real love.

I'm glad I stepped out of my comfort zone! As novel readers would say, "The books were better than a movie."

trials or temptations?

What is the difference between trials and temptations?

Trials are for the purpose of making us better, developing character, making us more like Christ. Sometimes God allows trials to come our way to strengthen our faith. Trials may come in the form of challenges. A difficult day, a sickness, injustice, long lines at the DMV, financial or relational trouble. Yet all of the challenges in life can grow us up and make us stronger. James chapter 1 explains,  "when troubles come your way, consider it an opportunity for great joy. For you know that when your faith is tested, your endurance has a chance to grow. So let it grow, for when your endurance is fully developed, you will be perfect and complete, needing nothing."

Temptations, on the other hand, are never from God. Temptations are meant to destroy us, to make us ineffective and to ruin our lives. James continues to explain, "remember, when you are being tempted, do not say, 'God is tempting me.' God is never tempted to do wrong, and he never tempts anyone else. Temptation comes from our own desires, which entice us and drag us away."

We all go through trials in life, and certainly we are all tempted to do wrong. What about you? Are you going through a rough time, a trial that seems to last forever. Hang in there! Or maybe you are being tempted to make decisions that will destroy your future or hurt those who love you the most. Either way, we find in James 4:8, "Come close to God, and God will come close to you." He is there when you need him. He will come close and help you through your trial or give you the strength to resist temptation.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ZACH!!
Zach is 14 today, and here are some things I love about him :)
He is funny every single day!!
He is intense and passionate about almost everything he does.
He is sensitive and cares about hurting people and loves animals.
He loves justice and will fight for it.
A couple weeks ago, I was upstairs and looked out the window, and Zach was on the roof--he's crazy!
He works hard to do things right. He will stay up late and study and get good grades. He is very smart. He takes advanced classes and gets almost all A's all the time but he is goofy and humble enough that people do not know that his iq testing is extremely high.
He talks about the future and has big goals and dreams and prays for wisdom to make good choices.
He is confident and does not care about what people think about him.
He does not want anyone to be hurt or left out.
I love to watch Zach play baseball and wrestle! He does Insanity workouts and drinks protein shakes.
He loves NY city, he loves family and has a deep faith in God.
He is one of the most loyal people I know.
He does not give up when people say it cannot be done.
He is a huge giver! He gave money for a child to have cleft surgery, and now he is saving for another missions project.
He is a visionary. He can see what things should be like and can tell what will make something successful. He is a networker. He makes things happen and is never bored.
When he was a baby, he would smile before he ever even opened his eyes in the morning!
He is a pleasure. A hugger! A gift from God. An amazing man!
I love you Zach! Happy birthday!!