John's Surprise 30th Birthday Party!

Since April, I have been planning a surprise 30th birthday party for my sweet hubby. With the help of our family and friends, we successfully shocked John with a Cuban-themed party with over 50 of his friends and family members this past Friday night!!

John is the best thing that has ever happened to me and I thank God for him every day! It was so awesome to make this night all about him and to celebrate all that God has done in his life over the past 30 years! I am so blessed that I get to spend the next 30+ years with him!!

Enjoying the lake view at my in-laws' AMAZING house!


The AWESOME Cuban cigar roller :)


Our friends waiting patiently for John to arrive!


Enjoying Cuban cigars :)


Blowing out the candles :)


All of the guys :)


What's a party without a little karaoke??


I LOVE my girls!!!!!!


And I love this man even more!!!!


Happy 30th Birthday, John! I love you so much!!!!

Family Vacation

John and I just returned from a fabulous weekend vacation with my family to Fort Myers Beach. Other than a quick trip to the ER Friday night (John caught a catfish and then was caught by the catfish!) it was a very relaxing and stress-free weekend!!

Here are some photos from our weekend...Enjoy!!

Paid In Full!!

This week I received the above notice informing me that my student loan has been PAID IN FULL!!! I felt just as fabulous as I did the day I walked across the stage at FAU and received my degree - it was the same feeling of accomplishment and relief all wrapped up in one amazing package!!!! Even though my degree has hung on the wall for the past 10 years doing absolutely nothing for my bank account, my self esteem, or my marketability, it still reminds me that God allowed me to start AND finish my degree while at the same time working full time in Student Ministry. Although my degree probably isn't worth as much as the beautiful frame my mom chose for it, it reminds me of all that God taught me and did in me and through me during that time. There were SEVERAL times I just wanted to quit and focus on ministry - there were also several times I went days without sleep so that I could work AND go to school. It was extremely challenging, but with the support of my mom and several friends, I finished. I am so thankful that I didn't quit or lose focus to spend more time on my job - now that the job I planned on having forever is history and my time in full-time ministry has come to an end, it makes me glad that I didn't give up on my dream of graduating from college - and with honors, I might add :)

Not to overspiritualize this post, but when I got this notice, my first thought was of another debt of mine that has been paid in full, but this debt was one that I did nothing to repay, nor could I ever repay...My past mistakes have been erased, my life has been rescued, and my future is secure - I don't deserve it, I didn't have to earn it, and the One who paid it was happy to do so because of His incredible love for me. My student loan "paid in full" letter now sits on my desk as a reminder of all that God has done for me and reminds me of one of my favorite passages...

Psalm 116:12 (NIV); "How can I repay the Lord for all His goodness to me?"

BIG Announcement!!

I am so excited to share some BIG news with the 3 of you who read my blog :)

Our dear friends, Jon and Melissa Elswick, are going to be planting a church in February 2010 and have asked John and I to be a part of the Launch Team. We have been praying through this leap of faith with Jon and Melissa and have total faith in the dream that God has placed in their hearts. We're thrilled to have been a part of West Pines Community Church for the past 10 months and have been blown away by their support and excitement for Crossway Church! It is such a blessing to be a part of a church that believes in building the Kingdom instead of building their own kingdom. While we are sad to leave numerous friendships and areas of service we have fell in love with at WPCC, we can't wait to see what God has in store for us and for the community at Crossway Church!

Check out the new website and the blog for Crossway Church and please keep Jon and Melissa in your prayers. Not only are they about to launch a new church, but they are also preparing their hearts and home for a little one from Korea! Their passion for Christ, His Gospel, and His creation inspires me each time I am around them and I hope you'll join me in praying for this fabulous couple!

The Great Elswick Adoption Yard Sale

Our amazing friends, Jon and Melissa Elswick, are in the process of adopting a precious baby from Korea. Because the cost of international adoption is so expensive, they are coming up with several creative ways to raise money for Baby Elswick. One of their ideas is coming to fruition on Saturday, July 18th in the form of a Yard Sale.

If you have items to donate or if you would like to come to the Yard Sale and do a little shopping, please visit their blog for all of the details about the Yard Sale.

James 1:27 (ESV); "Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world."

Another Crazy Dream

Last night, I had another crazy dream, and it has been on my mind all morning!!!! In my dream, I was "forced" (not sure why or how) to switch husbands and families and ended up with a guy that I dated in college and his 3 kids (that I am pretty sure do not exist). At first, I was a tiny bit intrigued at the thought of getting to see what my life would have been like if I had hung on to this guy, but the longer the dream went on, the more I found myself asking everyone in my dream where John was and if I could PLEASE go back home to him. Everyone kept telling me that I really wanted to be with the new guy, but I was begging to get back to John. The thought of not being with John and having to start all over again was sickening!!

Of course, it was only a dream and I am definitely not going to be submitting an application to "Wife Swap" any time soon, but it has been on my mind all morning. How many of us start to think how much "better" life would be with someone else when times get a little tough with our spouse?? How many of us still hang on to the thought of someone else besides our spouse paying us a compliment or paying even the slightest bit of attention to us? How quickly do we entertain the idea of someone new??

At the same time, how many single ladies settle for so much less than God's best simply out of fear, loneliness, or the lie that they cannot do any better than the loser they think they are "stuck" with only to find themselves in a less-than-God's-best marriage while they unfairly compare their marriage to everyone else's?? No, I'm not advocating leaving your spouse if they are not a Christian or are not doing the things they should - what I AM advocating is being extremely discerning and listening to all of the warning signs BEFORE that person becomes your spouse. Once you are husband and wife, there are so many new struggles and temptations that come along, and you don't want to set yourself up for disaster by ignoring the warning signs before you say "I do." (As someone who often settled for dating guys I KNEW were not God's best for me, I know what fear and loneliness can do to your brain!! It's DANGEROUS!!!)

I heard this story last week and it has stuck with me as I have thought about discernment...

There was an old man sitting on his porch watching the rain fall. Pretty soon the water was coming over the porch and into the house. The old man was still sitting there when a rescue boat came and the people on board said, "You can't stay here - you have to come with us." The old man replied, "No, God will save me." So the boat left. A little while later the water was up to the second floor, and another rescue boat came, and again told the old man he had to come with them. The old man again replied, "God will save me." So the boat left him again.

An hour later the water was up to the roof and a third rescue boat approached the old man, and tried to get him to come with them. Again the old man refused to leave stating that, "God will grant a miracle & save me." So the boat left him again.

Soon after, the man drowns and goes to heaven, and when he sees God he asks Him, "Why didn't You save me? I thought You would grant me a miracle and You have let me down."

God replied, "You idiot, I don't know what you're complaining about. I sent three boats after you!!"

Whether you are choosing a date, a spouse, a job, or even entertaining the idea of someone new (other than your spouse), look for God's rescue boats - they are everywhere!!! If you're having trouble recognizing them, ask a trusted friend if they see any circling around you. You may be surprised at the number of warning signs God is sending your way!!!

WPCC Missions Team

The WPCC Missions Team left today for Guatemala and will be traveling June 14th-20th. I am so excited for them and for all that they are going to witness and experience while working alongside Compassion International. I had the awesome privilege of helping the Care Ministry Team to collect supplies for the missions trip and seeing the team off at church this morning. Hopefully John and I will be able to be a part of the next trip!!!

You can follow the team by clicking on this link: WPCC Guatemala Missions Team

Please join me this week in praying for each of the mission team members by name!

Robey Barnes

Rebekah Barnes

William Elmore

Sheila Englund

Cera Gomez

Matt Mashburn

Christine Sherlock

Nicole Torres

Danny Vendrell

Letty Vendrell