The Best of My Days...January 2012

So far this year, I've tried to make a point to write down the "best of my day" each day.  I put together this notepad at Craft Day (from Under the Sycamore) to write down the best of each day.  I've tried my best to remember to write something down at the end of the day.  I think it's important to remember not just the big things, but the good conversations I have, the funny things my little one says, the things that point me to Jesus, and the precious moments of each day.  I'm hoping this helps me capture each of those things.

Each day, there is a super small space to write stuff down, so I tried my best to capture the "best" of each day in January.

1 - Being with our family & relaxing together today.
2 - Brayden said, "Thanks for making dinner!"  Then told Jonathan to tell me the same thing.
3 - (forgot to write something down!)
4 - BSF & Chick-Fil-A with a good friend, Alison, and her kiddos.  Good conversations!
5 - Seeing one of our high school girls talk to her mom about Jesus.
6 - Date Night w/ my hubby...dinner & a movie
7 - Cheering...all 3 of us...on the couch as the Bronchos won the football game.
8 - RAIN...all day!
9 - Brayden said, "I'm handsome like Dad, and Mommy, you're beautiful!"
10 - (forgot again!  oops!)
11 - Brayden singing (shouting, really) "How Great is Our God" in the car tonight
12 - God answered prayer - good experience and NO pain with my root canal!
13 - Ice skating with Jonathan and Brayden

14 - Learning/being reminded to "obey God in EVERY area" (thanks, EmCam!)

15 & 16 - JUMP Retreat with our family and "Nature Trekking" with Brayden for rocks all through the campground.
17 - "Color Outside the Lines" Women's event at church...great time with friends
18 - Brayden laughing hysterically, then saying, "Oh...I love you so much, Mommy!"
19 - Working out today - feels good to take care of myself through working out!
20 - Civil Wars concert - Date Night w/ Jonathan and good catching up with friends

21 - Playing at the park & also kickball in our yard with Brayden
22 - 200+ parents at the Second Students parents' meeting
23 - Time to talk and be encouraged by my mentor, Julie
24 - Getting to "Be the church" - taking care of a friend's kid during a hard time
25 - COLLIDE - counseling a high school girl in her new faith
26 - Brayden dressed up as a firefighter for Preschool

27 - Zoo trip with Brayden and Jonathan
28 - Swim Districts for a local high school - proud of our high school kids
29 - Seeing students bring LOTS of friends to Double Day - 683 students/leaders there for high school Bible study
30 - Brayden on his knees praying for forgiveness after a rough day of tantrums

31 - I asked Brayden his favorite game, and he said "Sports."  I asked him his favorite sport, and he said, "With Daddy...football."


I love these memories, and I'm so that that I took the time each day to write them down.  I will cherish them for many years to come!

Beach Retreat 2011

This past week, we headed to Orange Beach, Alabama for our High School Beach Retreat. We had 2,000 high school students and leaders from our church on the beach for a week. It was an incredible week, and we really saw God do some awesome things in the lives of teenagers!

The JUMP team dancing in the evening service

We picked a wall in our condo and throughout the week, we put up

verses, prayer requests, and things that God did throughout the week.

Encouragram envelopes I made for each girl.

Throughout the week, we all put notes of

encouragement in each others envelopes.

Our students at Silent Sounds out on the beach.

Each morning and evening, students head out to

the beach to spend time in God's Word.

Our North campus crew ready to head out to Orange Beach

Celebrating Easter

Christ is risen!

He is risen, indeed!

This is something I grew up saying each Easter morning. Easter Sunday, as a Christian, is the best day, and I want to teach the importance of it to Brayden. This Easter, I tried out a very fun idea to visually show him how Jesus was put in the tomb and on the 3rd day, He was not there...He is risen!

The great idea was from Ashley at Under the Sycamore. We made Easter Bread. It's super easy to make, and it teaches an awesome truth. Take Rhodes rolls and let them thaw in the frig for 2 hours. You want them to thaw but not rise.
Then take each roll and with a rolling pin roll out on a floured surface into a disc. Then place a big marshmallow in the center of the disc and wrap the dough around the marshmallow.
Place on a pan and brush on melted butter. Sprinkle on cinnamon and sugar, then let rise for 45 minutes. Cook according to the directions on the package of the rolls.
When they come out of the oven, you break them open and they are empty! The marshmallow is gone!
They are super yummy right out of the oven, but more importantly, it was an awesome way to teach Brayden that Jesus was put in the tomb after He died for us. But it didn't end that way. Three days later, the tomb was empty. He was not there. He has risen!

Happy Easter!

May you know the Truth that makes Easter truly meaningful.

Jesus is not in the tomb; He is risen!

Passion Ft. Worth 2011

Jonathan, myself, and my sister Amy got to go to the Passion Conference in Ft. Worth. It is something I've wanted to go to since my senior year in high school and *many* years later, it finally worked out for us to be able to go. It was an INCREDIBLE weekend of really experiencing and worshipping Jesus. We were challenged by Louie Giglio, Francis Chan and John Piper, and we were led in worship by Chris Tomlin, David Crowder, Kristian Stanfill, Charlie Hall, and Christy Nockels. I really love it that each of the people who led is not in it for their fame, but they are all about the fame of JESUS! It was an AMAZING weekend, and I was so refreshed and challenged to pursue Jesus even more with my everything!

My Yellow Community family group

Everyone brought towels and socks to Passion

to donate to the homeless shelters of Ft. Worth.

During the weekend, everyone was challenged to give

as much as they could to the project to translate

90 stories of the Bible into the heart language

of the Koso people in Mali, West Africa.

WOW...

This is the mass of people who were in line to give toward

the translation project for the Koso people. AWESOME!!!

Over $227,000 was given which funded the project in full!!!