I'm back!
Each morning this week I have had to force my self NOT to blog.
I needed to spend some time reflecting on recent sermons, personal Bible study, prayer and meditation.
I had been stressing out about some upcoming expenses and ministry work. It seems like my husband is always so busy with the Youth Center stuff. And in 2 weeks we are off to the Lake Winnipesaukee area with the senior high teens/other leaders for SoulFest. I have been worried about the expense, the gas, the details, plus trying to figure out our own personal vacation, the Turner family party we need to attend in early August, after SoulFest and before our own vacation, AND we just found out that Courtney is most likely gonna need her 4 wisdom teeth removed so all the work the braces did won't be affected AND that Claire needs to start the whole process for HER braces! Let's just say I was focused more on life's "stuff" than on Life it self!

So....I spent some time thinking on things. And bringing them to the Lord.
Sunday, my husband felt led to take one of the senior high boys out to lunch.
I thought "great...yet another expense."
And yet...we had just had this awesome sermon about materialism and true contentment.
And about sharing our wealth. I am not doing the sermon justice by this short summary. Nor am I saying we are wealthy. We are not lacking though.
I won't go into detail about the sermon but my previous post did direct you to read my pastor's latest blog entry.
I encourage you to go and read it. See my side bar for his link. It is called Insight for the Journey.
So....
I decided that yes, taking this young man who will be a senior in the fall, out to lunch with us would be a good thing. We treated him to Ruby Tuesday's. He is a good teen with a heart for the Lord. But...he is a teen! He has his issues. His parents do not attend church. Dave has been trying to be a good role model for him and he calls Dave to talk. He is also one of the teen volunteer leaders. He just is....well....a teen. I find them rather tough. My area of expertise is children ages birth through 6. But...I am finding that my husband is really good with these teens. He used to deal with inner city teens and that was totally different. I actually enjoyed getting to know "Z---" a.k.a. "S-----". It ended up being a great time. My husband told me later not to worry about the money. It is to be used for the Kingdom, is his thinking. My husband is wise and keeps it all in perspective for me.

One thing that has been bugging me all week is that word got back to me that another family in our former church (they no longer go there) had been accused of not liking the poor. That they left because they didn't want to serve the poor. HUH?? I was rather shocked. Then I was worried that people from our former church might think that about us. Because we are definitely NOT in a poor church.(now) It is rather affluent, although I know we have families who struggle.
I had to bring this before the Lord because I didn't want to have a bad attitude about our former church nor any of its leaders/members. But my heart was saddened when this family told me this news. I still don't really know why they told me. Sometimes I think it is to vent or cause strife/division. I decided though that they were really hurt by this. I think that some people get the wrong idea about why people leave a church. It no longer matters to me what people think because I know as does my husband, that we are where God wants us to be. but...I had to really pray about this. The Lord reminded me over and over through all kinds of situations that we are exactly where He wants us to be. I love when He does that! He confirmed this in so many ways this week from my youngest getting excited about the Praise Camp to my oldest telling me she loved serving in the Youth Center to listening to a teen tell me he failed 2 major subjects he needs to graduate next year. (I think the Lord put this kid in my life to encourage him to get to class!!!). We have work to do where the Lord has planted us!
AND...the point here is: we have teens that are just as needy spiritually. (as the inner city church) They may have more money, more privelages, more "stuff". But you know what? With all that, often comes more problems. Suburban high schools are tough. There is alot of peer pressure to "wear the right clothes", "drive the right car" "go to the right parties" "have the latest stuff". And that does NOT bring true joy nor contentment as we adults know. Those of us who are saved anyways. And even some of us, who have known the Lord for many years, still struggle with "stuff". With wanting the bigger home, the newest car, the latest trends, the perfect children.
All of these things have been in my mind. And I do know that this young man whom we reached out to on Sunday, is just as needy emotionally and spiritually, as an inner city teen. Some of the root issues might be different. But...here in suburbia it is just as much of a mission field as in downtown Troy or Albany. We all need Jesus. Even here in suburbia.

So...I am back! I am refreshed from my time with the Lord.
I have a new routine I am trying, for my quiet time and Bible Study. It is working out well. It will change again once fall starts with the new school year. But....that's ok!

Today I was in Isaiah 61: 1. It says: "The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound."

We might not be bound in an actual prison. Our bondage might be our "stuff" or our sinful thoughts, sinful past, or deep-rooted issues that we have never brought to the Lord. The poor among us might not be the literal poor (financially poor) but the spiritually poor. It might be a teen who just needs good role models and encouragement to do the right thing. It might be someone who just needs to have someone to listen. It's anyone who doesn't know Christ.

The Lord showed me this week that I don't need to worry about tomorrow.
I have known this all my life. But...actually living it out daily is sometimes hard, especially with the way this economy is going. And also when we are not in the Word daily, Satan can get ahold of our minds and distract us from the Truth. I like my "stuff". But...I also like what our pastor said on Sunday about not letting our possessions possess us. By staying in the Word we are protecting our minds!
If we focus on the people who really need us, our own concerns seem to just fall away...in serving we find joy. In Christ.
There is peace when we give the Lord our daily burdens.
There is peace when we serve others. In sharing the blessings God has given us.

How will you share what God has given you? It might be time, talents or our treasure (yet another sermon I was meditating on!)

If you are still reading this......God bless you!
Here are some pictures I promised would get posted.
Along with other things that have been going on around our house.

This week I have been dropping off Claire in the morning and picking her up at noon every day from the church. Because she made all 3 dances, she has had dance rehearsal all week. Next week we will have the actual Praise Ministry Camp. I am team teaching with a friend. Each grade is divided into groups. We have the 1st grade group. My oldest daughter will be helping as a teen volunteer once I bring her back from her class at the high school. It's going to be a very busy week. But the end product will be so worth it. All 97 kids from the Camp will be in the show in some capacity. Kids who don't have an acting, singing or dancing role will be in the chorus of the musical. If you are a reader who lives in the Capital Region of NYS, think about stopping in next Friday nite to see the show! It is free and open to the public. It is a patriotic musical (excellent choice for this election year and the month of July!) with a gospel message. My family has invited many friends. Hopefully we'll see a good turn-out and not just parents of campers!

Other things we have been doing around our house this past month:

These are Courtney's toes:
red, blue with white polka dots. See how creative one can be with no cable TV??

Here is what Claire did to celebrate her patriotism. Hard to tell in the pic but she did her nails in "red, white, blue" (more aqua than blue but hey....I won't let her use dark colors on her fingers yet!)

Courtney on July 4th.

For July 4, we stayed home during the day to open the camper up. We had to air it out, clean it out, etc. When we opened it, we discovered that it had leaked on one side during the winter. We decided to think about selling it. After this summer. I'm tired of all the work. Let's just rent a cabin. Everything was musty smelling. I had to buy Febreze and spray all the cushions. Wiped down the counters/cupboards. The girls helped with this. Used mildew and mold remover to clean the canvas/sides of camper. Took most of the morning. The weather was perfect....low humidity, blue skies, full sun. We relaxed in backyard and read books on the deck. Dave got some computer bugs out of the computer and installed some stuff. I made a BBQ late lunch/early dinner and we took off for the minor league baseball game, The Valley Cats. They won and we stayed for fireworks afterwards. A fun day all around.
The next week was my oldest daughter's birthday.

Courtney LOVED the pink hat her friend Julie bought her. And the cool shades are from Caroline. Friends from left to right:
Julie, Shauna, Caroline, Karissa (half hidden)

Her birthday party dinner was the typical teenage fare: Pizza Hut Pepperoni Pizza, Breadsticks, Soda, Chips, and Ice Cream Cake. I couldn't believe how easy it was to make that cake! I am keeping that recipe for the future!
Breakfast was supposed to be croissants with nutella and jam and fresh melon. Julie and Karissa managed to help themselves to my kitchen at 5:00 a.m. to make chocolate chip pancakes. Let's just say I was not thrilled to walk down the stairs at 5: 45 to find my kitchen in a mess. I made them come back and clean up. I did hear my daughter asking them on the way back out to the camper if they cleaned up the kitchen. The 2 girls just said "no" and kept going. That is when I kinda lost it. They had no idea I was listening while brewing coffee. Later in the day I told my daughter I was proud of her for asking them but that she needed to be more assertive with having her friends follow the rules. I also probably won't have these 2 particular girls spend a nite any longer. They're nice girls but......well....every parent has different standards and every teen is not as respectful as some nor are being raised to clean up after themselves. My daughter knows better. Then again, it is hard to implement the rules when you think "Mom is not making pancakes this time" is not the same as "but she never said we couldn't."! (good grief!). I guess she figured since I said I was not making the pancakes, it didn't mean the teens couldn't! Chalk it up to a lack of clear communication.

Courtney's #15 Birthday Party. From left to right around the table: Shauna, Courtney, Caroline, Julie (Karissa wasn't there yet!)

Courtney had an awesome "last year for a big sleepover" party. The weather was absolutely perfect. Cool temps at night and sunny both days. Turning 15 seems to be almost as big a deal as turning 13 did for some reason. Maybe it's the idea that they are all gonna be sophomores and no longer the "little freshmen" on campus. Maybe it's because they are all counting down the months until they can apply for their learners permits! (yikes!). No matter what the reason, they still love singing "Happy Birthday" complete with Cha-cha-cha's!

Today is National Make Someone Smile Week!
Which is why I have a smiley face pic up!
So....make someone smile this week....serve someone....your soul will be glad you did!