Baby Love

Have you ever noticed that babies seem to bring out the best in us? Even the meaniest, crankiest people normally soften, smile, giggle, talk funny, look funny, and do the funniest things just to make a baby happy...just to show that child love. And we get so much joy out of it in return!

So here's what I want to know...why don't we love everyone around us the way we love babies? I'm not saying we need to act all goofy with each other but the core of what makes us do all those crazy things is a genuine desire to reach out, to show love, and to bring joy. Isn't this what Christ has called us to do with those around us? What is so scary about showing kindness and love to people once they pass age 6? Why is it so difficult for us to step out in faith and embrace whoever God has surrounded us with right now? Maybe it's a coworker or client at your job, maybe it's the person right behind you in the grocery store line, or maybe it's even the person sitting next to you in church every Sunday. I want to encourage you to step out of your comfort zone. Smile at people, engage them in friendly converstaion, get to know them, and be willing to truly care about and love people this week. I think we'll all be surprised at the impact it has, not only on our relationships with people but also on our own hearts and our relationship with Christ.

*And just a side note...I'm talking to myself just as much if not MORE than anyone who happens to be reading this! Getting out of my comfort zone is so hard for me but I really want to strive to show love, joy, and friendship to those around me. You never know who might really need a bit more of all that in their lives!*

So let's go for it and show people some good ol' fashioned "Baby Love!" :)

Oh Singleness...

In the past week and a half I have had at least 5 different individuals ask me multiple questions about my singleness and why I haven't been "snatched up" by some wonderful Christian man. The link below is an article one of my roommates shared with me awhile back and I just want to share it with others now.I highly encourage you to copy and paste it and read it.

My deepest desire is for the Lord, to know Him intimately and to serve Him with all my heart. I'd be lying if I said there weren't days, even weeks sometimes, where my desire to be a wife and mother don't battle with my desire for the Lord. Though I know people are trying to be nice, encouraging even, when they ask me about my singleness, it doesn't make it any easier to answer their questions over and over and it definitely doesn't make it easier to give over my earthly desires and wait upon Christ's perfect timing and plan for me. I hope those that read this article will be able to see from a different perspective and better understand the position it puts single women like myself in when the questioning begins.

http://thegospelcoalition.org/blogs/kevindeyoung/2011/11/04/what-not-to-say-to-single-women-in-your-church/

For Amy

I'm posting a new blog...will you stop whining now?? haha

My life is just never that exciting and unlike some people I have trouble writing random posts about whatever happens to be flying through my brain at that particular moment. ;)

The big exciting thing is that I get to go home to Indiana in a week and a half!!!! I am greatly anticipating spending time with my family, my best friend, and all of my amazing friends from Bethel and OGBC! What a blessing it will be to reconnect with so many people. This will be my first long visit home so I'll be able to see a lot more people and do a lot more as well. I hate the plane trip out but the time I get to have is so sweet once I'm there! :)

Other than that I'm just plugging away at life. Working hard at the clinic, housesitting for a few people, helping with VBS, continuing to help lead worship at church, and trying to spend some time with friends when they're around! Celebrating the marriage of two good friends last weekend (who met at my house!!! ;) was an added blessing recently.

So basically my life continues to be crazy but overall pretty wonderful. I am trying to be continually faithful to my awesome God and always working on trusting and relying on Him more. (especially where my future is concerned--husband, kids, ect. Oh how the desires of our hearts can seperate us from the Lord if we let them!) Also trying to practice thankfulness-because there really is so very much to be thankful for!! :)

The Journey

I was cleaning and organizing my room the other day and came upon an old journal. I thought I'd share some of the interesting things I found, revealing so much of what the Lord did in bringing me to Washington.

August 20, 2009
There is a part of me-a part that seems to be growing-that wishes I had gone with Amy...I know that moving across the country right after graduation would have been almost impossible for me...what if a year passed though? What if I saved my money like crazy and moved next fall? The idea excites me. Perhaps I could visit Amy for a week during the summer and do some job hunting while I'm there. It sounds like a crazy plan-everyone will be against it, especially my parents. I have to laugh at myself a little...the plan itself would be completely out of character for me--can you imagine if I actually went through with it?! Definitely something to pray about.

August 31, 2009
Fall has always been my favorite season. I love the cooler temperatures without the threat of snow, the leaves changing colors, bonfires, football, hayrides, and all the other wonderful things that seem to come with fall. Fall=change....I'm ready.

September 1, 2009
Sometimes, more often recently, I feel like I need to move away, make new friends, start over. I just can't seem to shake the "stuck" feeling I have. It's like I can't move from the place I'm in because there's nowhere for me to go. Everywhere I turn there's another option, another path but I don't quite fit into any of them...I'm again left to ponder the question of where I belong. I know God created me for so much more than this...what must I do? Where must I go? How long must I wait for His revealing of my life? I feel so ready! I'm antsy and impatient, itching for what's to come...

September 22, 2009
I often wonder what would have happened if I had moved with Amy. I believe it would have been difficult financially but I also believe I could have really loved it.

September 30, 2009
Crazy things are happening! A huge opportunity for a life change has been thrust upon me. Now I must push my selfish desires and whimsical fantasies about what "could be" aside and listen for the voice of my Savior. Amy called me on Sunday and asked me to reconsider moving to Washington. She hasn't brought the idea up since 6 months ago when we had originally talked about it. I know I made the right decision then to stay. God has taught me a lot, provided a solid job experience, and now, has closed a lot of doors that were once open to me. I no longer feel that the things keeping me here are still relevant. I feel free from so many things, including the fear of making such a huge decision. I can't mess up God's plan for my life. I believe that I have followed His will up to this point...now I want to make the right decision once again. I went back through this journal and six times I solidly wrote of the feeling that there was a change coming for me and my life. Several of those times I specifically spoke of Amy and WA. This could be coincidence or it could be God gently nudging my heart the past several months to prepare for the decision I now have to make. I know this might sadden or even frustrate some people…I can only hope and pray that if I decide to go people will be happy for me and encourage me through words and prayer.

October 5, 2009
It’s official! I’m moving to WA. God has continuously been opening doors, like my parent’s selling me mom’s car, everyone I’ve talked to being completely supportive of my going, and Amy being able to get off work to travel with me. I should get to Oak Harbor by November 7th! I can hardly believe all of this is happening! I think it’s a really good sign that I still smile whenever I think about it.

November 9, 2009
We arrived in Oak Harbor on Saturday. It is beautiful here! I’m pretty sure I’m going to love it… :)

November 12, 2009
I don’t think I’ll ever get over the absolute beauty of this place. I am so thankful God brought me here and I can’t wait to see what He has in store for me!

Since those entries God really has done so much! He has surrounded me with amazing friends while teaching me it is Him I must rely on and put my trust in. He's given me an amazing job that I LOVE, continued to bless my friendship with Amy, healed relationships with my family and brought us to a place of true love and peace with one another, allowed me to worship Him in ways I never have before, and He’s still working and moving, molding me into the woman He wants me to be. I am continually amazed at His faithfulness and love!! Isn't it exciting to see where we were and where the Lord has us now?? The most exciting thing is wondering...WHAT'S COMING NEXT!!! (??) :)

Learning to Live in a Military Town

Before moving to Whidbey Island I never really thought about the military. Sure, I appreciated them....sort of. And I knew they and their families were making a huge sacrifice to defend our nation...I guess.

Now I seem to constantly think of our military. Daily I thank God for them and pray for them and their families. It's so strange to go from one extreme to the other. The military now has specific names and faces that I associate with it. So many wonderful friends in various branches all over the country and the world. These aren't just nameless people anymore. They are my friends. People I have come to love and care so deeply for. Sometimes I'm ashamed at how indifferent I used to feel about the military. They did their thing and I did mine...right? Ugh...they deserve so much more respect than that! I have the deepest respect for the men and women in our military now and am so thankful that I was given the opportunity to live in a place that has revealed this new truth to me and given me a love for people I never even used to think about.

I recently ran across a song called "This Is My Son" by Cherryholmes. In it she compares her son fighting for his country to God giving Jesus to fight the battle over our sin. She sings: "This is my son, my only son. I give him up for a people who don't care that they're free at the cost of his life. I understand now You're sacrifice. You gave us yours and I give them mine. Lord keep him safe he is my only child please bring him back home. This is my son." They're our sons, daughters, brothers, sisters, husbands, wives, and friends. I don't know about you, but I'm pretty darn thankful for them all!!!

Check out the song at http://youtu.be/IUxFXmaJIgw

From Jerks to Jesus

I once heard a song where all it said was “ You’re a jerk! You’re a jerk! You’re a jerk!” over and over the line repeats. Oh how I wanted to sing that to someone yesterday. Horrible of me, I know.

Today I am more hurt than anything and somehow that always seems to feel worse than just being upset. I felt like I’d gone back about 5 or 6 years and I was questioning who I was, what I was doing with my life, and wondering if there wass anything about me that’s worthwhile or that could ever impact other people for Christ. Seriously? From one comment my mind goes all the way to that thought?? I don’t know if that shows the power of words of just makes me pathetic.

I know that I am a child of the King. I am precious and loved by my Savior and nothing else, no one else, can ever take that away from me. I find peace in that truth. I wish I could say that with the peace has come joy. Not yet. With the comment came the flooding of all the things I’ve been refusing to deal with. Difficult, stressful, emotional stuff that I have gotten away with not really addressing. Apparently one more thing on top of all the stuff I’ve been suppressing was enough to “break the dam” so to speak.

On the upside Easter is probably my favorite holiday. I love remembering and praising God for the sacrifice He made so that I could live and be freed from my sin. It’s overwhelming. It’s amazing. I love every moment of the weekend from the solemnity of Christ’s death to the celebration of His resurrection. What an honor and blessing it is for us as Christians to be able to spend time really focusing on His sacrifice and giving Him the praise that He is so deserving of.

So, all that written to ultimately say that life continues to throw curveballs which seem to smack me in the face most of the time, God takes those curveballs and uses them to teach me something new about Himself and who I am in Him, and I am looking forward to a Christ-centered weekend. (During which I anticipate excessive amounts of crying).

“Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”

Adventures

Amy and I went on a little trip this weekend and wrote a story about our adventures....enjoy the story and pictures! :)

Two friends packed up for a trip far away
Buying two decks of cards so they could play on the way.
They hopped on a bus, then a plane, then another.

One always slept, but never the other.
Arriving in 'Bama they greeted dear friends
Then stopped by the Walmart for a few odds and ends.
Amy "McSpeedy" went for a run.
But a mean dog's cruel bite made it no fun.
Rivers of tears flooded the streets.
As she yelled at the dogs "I am not meat!"
Later that day the friends all got pretty
And drove to a wedding in a big hurry.
The dazzling bride walked down the aisle
And greeted the groom with a big, loving smile.
We made no attempt to conceal our tears
For we love our Miriah and will for all years.

The garter was tossed and the bouquet was thrown
Then it was time for us all to go home.
Sleeping late gave us much needed rest
Then Lindsay made yummy "eggs in a nest"
Off to Jim and Nicks BBQ we we went
None of us caring how much we spent.
Stuffed to the brim we headed outside
For a day in the gardens with games by our side.
The glorious sunshine and warmth on our face
Suddenly made Alabama the most magical place!

Several hours later we headed for home
Where Amy and Sara took a walk all alone.
Dinner was served, every plate was wiped clean
We admired the moon while making ice cream
The hour got late, we all went to bed
But Amy and Sara talked all night instead.
Morning came quickly at 5 we arose
Our time in Alabama had come to a close.
Back to the airport Blake drove us with care
Saying goodbye just didn't seem fair.

We rushed to our plane thinking we were quite late
To find masses of people still at our gate.
A mechanical problem put us behind
So Amy got breakfast, paying Sara no mind.
The plane finally came and Dallas was great
but now we're headed to Seattle and we can hardley wait.
Travel is fun and never a bore
We'll do it again when we're not so dang poor!

The End!

Have you ever seen the movie Anastasia?

You know, the animated one with the cute little bat named Bartok? Well throughout the whole movie the villain, Rasputin, is trying to destroy Anastasia. At one point he messes with her mind and enters her dream. I feel like that’s what’s been happening to me the past couple nights. Not that Rasputin has been appearing in my dreams, but that someone, something is messing with me. It’s frightening and frustrating. It leaves me exhausted and confused. It attempts to consume me all day. I can’t seem to shake the uneasiness it all makes me feel. This sort of thing has happened to me before… nightmares that leave me shaken...but these have been different. These have been violent, angry, destructive, hateful, scary.

Anyway...besides having disturbing dreams, things are actually going pretty well. Work is wonderful and busy, the Pier seems to be growing both in numbers and in maturity, I have begun meeting with a prayer partner which is a huge blessing and really exciting, and I’m still singing on the church worship team and loving it! God has definitely been good to me as this new year has begun and I know He will conquer the battle my mind seems to be in.

I will leave you with Psalm 62:5-8 which has been a comfort to me today.

“Find rest my soul in God alone; my hope comes from Him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my fortress, I will not be shaken. My salvation and my honor depend on God; He is my mighty rock, my refuge. Trust in him at all times O people; pour out your hearts to him, for God is our refuge.”

Some things are so difficult to live with. The hurting that is felt for a friend is one of the worst I think. Desperately wishing you could help them somehow. Wanting so badly to save them...sometimes from themselves.

It's not our job though is it? We get so caught up sometimes in what we can do. How we can fix a situation when in reality it all has very little to do with us, if anything at all. There is only One who can truly save and He is mightier than all of us put together. It can be hard to let those we love go. To give them over to a power that we can't see or touch right in front of us...we simply know He is there. We simply trust that He will move and speak at the most perfect moment, in the most perfect way. I am deeply comforted by that fact tonight.

"I trust in your unfailing love; my heart rejoices in your salvation. I will sing the LORD's praise because he has been good to me." -Psalm 13:5-6

I have no doubt that He will continue to pour our His unfailing love...despite our struggles, despite our wanderings, despite our sinfulness. He has been and will be so, so good.

So tonight, I give you this hurt Lord, this worry, and anxiousness. Take it from me and replace it with Your peace. Thank you for your goodness and mercy. I love you.

Amazing Grace

Last night was The Pregnancy Care Clinic's Dessert Banquet. This is a huge fundraiser for us and there was a lot of work and stress that went into. God is awesome as always though and the whole evening was perfect!

Our speaker got to town right on time, the desserts were delicious, the decorations perfect, the songs were smooth (with the exception of a minor error on the sound person's part that didn't really affect the song...thank goodness! lol), and a little over $8,500 was raised to help support the ministry!! It was such a blessing to spend an evening recapping all that God has been doing at the PCC and all we are expecting in the future! There were so many people there to support us and overall it was just a really fun night!

My favorite part was singing Amazing Grace-My Chains Are Gone with the whole group at the very end of the evening. There is something very special about a group of people lifting their voices in worship and adoration to our Savior that brings me such joy and overwhelms my heart!

I am again reminded of what an honor and pleasure it is to work in a Christian organization surrounded by so many sisters and brothers in Christ.

I have lived in Washington for exactly one year now. There have been so many fantastic moments throughout the year. Some moments that have been really difficult as well. One truth remains though, God is in control. He has stretched me and shown me His love for me in more ways then I could have ever imagined. I am so thankful and I can't wait to see what He has for me in the year ahead!

Hello Again

To those of you who actually check to see if I've written, my deepest apologies for failing to provide anything for you! I've considered updating on several different occasions yet for one reason or another it just hasn't happened. I figured it was time though.

I have been working at my new job at the Pregnancy Care Clinic for 3 or 4 months now and I LOVE it!! I have definitely been stretched and challenged through this job but it's been so good for me and I feel like I've grown a lot. It's a lot of pressure to be "the boss" and be looked to for direction and answers. We get some very sad life stories about people facing difficulties I could never imagine going through. It's such an honor that Christ has put me in a position where I can help them, show them a Love like no other, and provide encouragement and hope in sometimes hopeless looking situations.

Other than working I've been staying involved in the Navigators Bible Study, the church worship team and choir, and our young adult small group. I've also been getting up at 5:30 to exercise at Curves each morning...go ahead, be impressed! haha! I really am enjoying it and I feel so much better throughout the day knowing I got up and accomplished something that morning that's so good for me! All of these things keep me pretty busy but life is still good.

In a month I get to travel back to IN to spend Thanksgiving with my family. I am really looking forward to seeing everyone and being "home".

The difficulty of friends moving away, being on deployments, or away at school has been one of my greatest struggles these past several months. I love Amy, I love my co-workers, and I love my church family but there's just something about having those people around you who are in the same age group and stage of life that you are. It's a special thing. I've definitely been missing it and praying that God would bring me contentment in the midst of it. I know in time He will bring new people into my life that can fill that special place as others have before.

Though it can be hard to wait, I know the outcome will be so sweet and perfect in His timing so, I will spend my days singing alleluia to Yahweh.

The Learning Process

God has been encouraging and asking me to love and trust Him more and myself and my desires less. I wish this was easy for me. I let myself get so caught up in how I hope things will be that I begin to forget that it is not my responsibility to even think about it. Could I possibly form a better future for myself than what the Creator of the heavens and the earth has planned for me?? The path that has brought me here has not been an easy one-partially because of my own stubbornness and pride and partially because God does not promise that things will always be easy. How would we ever learn to depend on Him without those difficult times? He has taught me so much through both the joys and the sufferings. I wouldn’t trade a moment of any of it. So now it continues…the learning process, growth, trust. May my spirit be willing and my heart be solely focused on the One to whom it belongs.

I have an overwhelming desire to run away from pretty much everything going on in my life right now. Thankfully, I know that running away doesn't solve anything. More waiting and reliance on God is the only thing that will help me through.

Maybe a real post will appear soon. It's been awhile...

Late Night Thinking Leads To Confused Ranting

Have you ever wanted to write about something but you didn't know how to put it it a way that wouldn't make people ask you a thousand questions or start suspecting something about you that may or may not be true? Or that you at least don't really want people talking about because it's not really that exciting in reality anyway it's just something that excites you even though there's probably no reason for it too?? Have I completely lost you and compelled you to do exactly that which I am writing in hopes of people not doing??

*SIGH*

Maybe I should just go to bed and keep all thoughts to myself...

And so, Goodnight :]

I GOT A NEW JOB!!!!!

God is so good and has overwhelmed me once again with His blessing and provision! After interviewing at the Pregnancy Care Clinic almost 2 weeks ago I was beginning to wonder if I would ever hear from them and if it could possibly be good news when I did. Friday I got the call that they wanted to offer me a position as the Human Resources Director. (or something like that…I can never remember the official job title!) This was so exciting because it wasn’t even the job I had originally interviewed for. After talking with the employer she thought I would be perfect for the position so she had me talk to the current human resources director to get a feel for what the job is and to see if I would be interested in it. Apparently this lady thought I would be perfect for the position as well and they are excited to have me on board!!

The Pregnancy Care Clinic is a non-profit organization here in Oak Harbor. My employer goes to my church and she is an amazing woman with a beautiful passion for this ministry. I am so excited about the opportunity to work with her and so many other Christian women that have a deep love for the Lord and care and compassion for the women that come to the clinic for help and guidance. The clinic does not recommend or endorse abortion in anyway. We are pro-life all the way! (just thought I better put that disclaimer in there)

My job will include being in charge of all the volunteers—training them and helping them with any problems, as well as looking through volunteer applications to find some more wonderful people to help us out--teaching parenting classes, helping with pregnancy tests and ultrasounds, doing some minor counseling work with young women/couples, and setting up seminars every couple months to help the volunteers (and myself) keep up on the last issues, laws, and advances in various pregnancy related issues. (i.e.: adoption, abortion, pregnancy heath, etc.)

To celebrate Amy, Miriah, Stephen, and I went out to Applebee’s for dinner and had quite a lovely time…at least I thought so! There were some serious moments but mostly lots of laughing and poking fun at one another. Amy’s face must have been tired because she had to stretch it and I laughed so hard I cried. I love my friends. Thank you for celebrating with me and for bringing so much joy into my life!!!

The other exciting thing right now is that my parents are, at this very moment, on a plane traveling to Oak Harbor to visit me for a week. They should be landing in a couple hours and I’m pretty excited! I got the house all cleaned up for them and it’s so great that we’ll all get to celebrate together! It will be so fun to show them around the island and help them understand why I love it here so much. Hopefully the rain will stop and the sunshine and mountains will come back into view while they are here. I’d hate for them to miss those beautiful sites! I have Monday and Wednesday of work, which makes their visit even more spectacular. I’m hoping we have a great time together…this is such a new season of life for all of us. It will be interesting to see how that affects our relationship. I think it will better it honestly. Time will tell.

So, until next time my friends and avid readers, blessings. :D

And So It Goes

It would take too long to go through the craziness of my life from the past month so here's some highlights :)

*The Bethel Concert Choir came to our town and sang at our church. What a blessing and pleasure it was to see so many old friends and hear such beautiful music! I am so glad they were able to come and that our church responded so positively to the whole thing!

*My job has been a constant up and down ride. Overall, I really hate it. God has recently blessed me with some wonderful clients that make my job so much more pleasant than it once was but I'm still not getting many hours which means I'm not making much money.

*On the upside of the job stuff...I had an interview with the Pregnancy Care Clinic this past week for either their Administrative Assistant position or their Career Services Director position and am hoping and praying that they hire me for one of them! Time will tell...my prayer is that I would have peace about whatever decision is made and that I will remember that it is God's plan for my life that rules, not my plan.

*Two of my good friends and brothers in Christ left for deployments this week. I already miss them. I saw a bakery the other day and heard a song that instantly made me think of Nick. I got a hangnail today and automatically thought of Timothy. (haha ;) When these little things bring my friends to mind I try to make sure I stop to say a little prayer for them. I figure they are coming to mind for a reason. :]

*My parents will be here a week from tomorrow. Weird. Crazy. Exciting. I hope we have great weather and that they are able to see why I love it so much here. I wish Erin could come with them...maybe next time... :)

*I am struggling to wait patiently for love. And too often I fear that it will simply never happen for me. There. I said it. Prayer would be greatly appreciated as I work on allowing God to fill every part of me and trusting that He can and will provide for all my needs.

*I can feel that life is changing. I don't exactly know what that means or where it will take me next. Part of me is excited. The other part is nervous. Again...trusting Him to work it all out...

*One of my best friends will be having her second child in a month. The other has entered into a new and exciting time in her life. I'm so happy for both of them and I love them both so much. God has truly blessed me in the friend department!

*That last sentence goes for all my friends. They're literally all over the world now and I love each of them so much and for so many different reasons. Isn't it so fun to think about the various ways God brings people together and forms relationships?? It's amazing when you think about it...

*I'm so glad I serve a God who care about every detail, no matter how small it may be

I really like spending time with friends. Tonight Amy and I have several people over. We cooked a bunch of yummy breakfast foods for dinner and we all sat around the big table just talking and laughing and making fun of each other. It's been awhile since we've done anything like this and I've found it refreshing to be with people. I love Amy and I love hanging out with her but I really do find a special joy in spending time with the group. Tonight a few newer people came and it's been nice to get to know them better too. Overall, it's just been a really good day. :)

Tomorrow Amy and I are singing a duet at church. It'll be the first time we've ever sung together so I'm pretty excited...hopefully I'll remember all the words! haha...it should be wonderful and I think people at our church will like it. We'll also be making an announcement about the Bethel choir coming to our church! I really hope people get excited and offer to host students for us!

Ok...this post is boring and people are hovering so I'm gonna stop...:)

Psalm 28:7

I don't want to say much. My heart hurts. My soul cries out for comfort and rest in the midst of confusion and pain. I sleep but I find no rest. Dreams haunt me and startle me from my slumber. I find no peace in closing my eyes. I seek joy and a stillness for my weary soul and ask that God "restore to me the joy of my salvation." There is so much to be thankful for, especially this week...Easter...when Jesus died so that I might have life.

Help me God to not be consumed by the evil one and his plots against me. Surround me with your love and the remembrance of your sacrifice. You are my strength and my shield; my heart trust in you, and I am helped. My heart leaps for joy and I will give thanks to you. This is my humble prayer...

Boundaries

Boys. Girls. Friendship. Relationship. Confusion. Frustration. Joy. Wonderfulness. Exhaustion.

haha...so what you're probably thinking now is "Sara's got boy issues!" and you're right, though probably not in the way you think. There is no "special someone" in my life right now nor the hopes or possibilities for that at the moment. I am however finding myself confused and often frustrated in my friendships with males. There have to be boundaries to keep our hearts pure and prepared for the one God has for us. However, how far must those boundaries go? Are there certain situations where I can step beyond a normal boundary to connect with someone new and learn about them without it appearing that I am interested or pursuing a relationship beyond friendship with them?

A good, recent example is that there are a few new guys coming to the Pier. They've only been there a few times now but they mentioned really wanting Christian fellowship. Amy and I instantly thought "We should invite them to hang out with us and our group of friends sometime." BUT for this to happen we would need to ask them for their phone numbers and that seems like a step beyond the boundaries or a situation where our motives could be brought into question.

So what should we do? Ask for their numbers and hope they know we don't mean anything more by it? Pretend like we never heard them say that and continue hanging out with the friends we have, never really reaching out to them? Wait until one of our guy friends is around and have him get their numbers so he can do the inviting?

The problem with #1 is that I feel like Amy and I have been questioned, or challenged may be a better way of putting it, to make sure our motives are always pure and that what we are doing won't distract ourselves or others from God. Though Amy and I know our motives are pure, will others stray or become concerned because they see it differently? The problem with #2 is that it goes against our nature to not reach out and befriend new people. We just can't do it and it's a terrible way for the Pier to act as a whole. If people want to get more involved we should make sure that can happen for them, not turn them away. The problem with #3 is that, for the most part, our guy friends aren't really around anymore. Several of the guys are gone for one reason or another. Some are away at school. Others are preparing for upcoming deployments and then there are some guys that just haven’t really been around the Pier lately in general and honestly from what I’ve seen, probably wouldn’t be super comfortable in this kind of situation anyway.

So where does this leave us? I feel like both Amy and I have been put in positions of leadership at the Pier, which we love and enjoy, but we feel restricted when it comes to inviting new people we see at church or taking extra steps to reach out to new people that are coming. Why? Because most of those people are male.

For the most part Amy and I have come to the conclusion that we should reach out to people, male and female, and let the chips fall where they may. My apologies in advance if anyone sees our actions as unwise or stepping over boundaries but I refuse to let possible friendships slip by me because that person happens to be of the opposite sex. Even more importantly, I refuse to deny people opportunities to meet and fellowship with other Christians simply because there are no boys present at the time to invite them along. Jesus invited both males and females to hang out and fellowship with him, so why shouldn’t I? :)




*As I reread this I realized it might have come off a little hostile. That’s not the way I meant it. This is just something that has been frustrating me because I just so desperately want to befriend people and make them feel welcome and I hate feeling like I can’t or shouldn’t do that simply because they are guys. I hope that makes sense… :)

Goals

I've been thinking about things in my life that I have been wanting to work on but that I kept coming up with excuses to avoid. Well no more. It's time to step up, face facts, and do the work to accomplish these things. Today I sat down and set up some goals that I would like to reach. Some have specific time periods. Others are simply things I'd like to be consistently working on. I figured to keep myself a little more accountable I would post them here.


1) Spending time in scripture and prayer each day. This is something I have always struggled with and know I need to make a part of my daily life.

2) Exercise/Lose weight. Again, something I've always seemed to struggle with and it's hard for me (embarrassing really) to admit here how desperately I need to work on this. That being said, it's time to take hold of this issue and conquer it. This one might be the most difficult one for me but I know I will be so proud of myself and I'm sure happier and definitely healthier once I reach it.

3) Going along with the previous goal, I want to start eating healthier. No more snacking (or choosing to snack on healthy things like fruit... :) and cutting down on pop and other sinful delights I often allow myself to have. I'm not helping myself or my body by filling it with these things.

4) Find something in the community to be involved in. I would really love to find a choir to be part of or a volunteer-type ministry. I'd really like to reach out to those around me, get to know some different people, and serve Christ. This one may take some time to get started since I don't have a set work schedule yet but I'm excited to start looking into it.


So there it is. That's what I've come up with so far. I would love your support and prayer as I try to reach these goals! :)