Our small group leaders at Kinetic are AMAZING! I just spent a weekend with 28 of our small group leaders in Myrtle Beach. It was a very moving weekend for David and I as we began to see the vision that began with this church about 5 years ago finally begin to take hold on such a large and organized scale. I am just marveling at the depth and growth in our leaders and wow’ed by the passion in their hearts to take Jesus to people who need him.
The weekend was full of training for the small group leaders, but between the layers of training were developed bonds of camaraderie and friendship. People connected to one another in ways we don’t usually have time for. Most of these wonderful small group leaders never get to hang out with each other because they are each busy with their own group of people to lead. The feeling of all of us being on the same team and able to advance as a solid unit with a unified plan was incredible.
We have done training before and we have regular huddles throughout the year, but there is something about getting away with people for a whole weekend to bond over a common mission that was incredibly motivating. I thank God that David and I are a part of such a great body of believers who want to really advance the Great Commission. It is an honor and a privilege to serve side by side with you as we work together to share the Good News of Christ!
Tags: Kinetic, Kinetic Church, Retreats, Small Group Leader Retreats, Small Group leaders, small groups, The Great Commission
I am so excited about our Women’s Fall Retreat this year! I am thrilled not only because it is at the beach, that is definitely a perk, but I am so proud of our amazing Retreat Leadership Team! They have been working tirelessly to bring you a weekend that is designed to help you draw closer to God and to other women.
A huge thank you to Allyson Hodges, Michelle McGrew and Liz Eagle for all your hard work and effort!
This weekend is being bathed in prayer in the hopes that the women who go will be able to connect with God in a way we often can’t in our busy, to-do-list filled world. Can’t wait to see you there!
Tags: Allyson Hodges, Liz Eagle, Michelle McGrew
Our garden is delivering a last minute bounty of tomatoes this September as Summer leads into Fall. So I am making salsa!
I always try to have chips and salsa on hand for unexpected ministry meetings or small group. It is a quick and easy snack to serve when people come over.
I love fresh salsa and it tastes even better when the tomatoes are ones you have grown in your own garden. If you don’t garden, pick some up at your local farmers market.
Summer Salsa
4-5 large tomatoes (peeled and seeded if you prefer or not)
1 large Vidalia onion diced small
3-4 T minced garlic
1 large green pepper, diced
1 can of diced green chilis
5 or 6 slices of jalapeno pepper from jar
1 tsp. dry basil (or fresh basil)
1 tsp. cilantro
salt to taste
Chop veggies with food chopper or cut with knife into very small pieces. Mix all ingredients together, refrigerate. Tastes even better the second day. (You may want to adjust amounts for personal taste. If you like it hotter, add more peppers or leave them out if you don’t want the kick.)
Tags: salsa
I am not sure what I was thinking exactly on this particular day, but I was feeling the extreme pressure of knowing that school was going to start in a week, Open House was 3 days away, and I had not done any school shopping for my children yet. Mainly because I had been hesitant about dragging 5 children around to store after store school shopping, but now I was running out of time and it looked like I was not going to get a chance to go solo or even with a smaller cast of characters, so I loaded up my van and all my minions and headed to JC Penny, Target and wherever else we needed to go.
I went to Penny’s first to check out book bags and back packs and lunch boxes because I had remembered that last year they had a great selection at a great price. Unfortunately, this year I went after North Carolina’s tax free weekend and they were woefully cleaned out. I also had come looking for jeans for Noah who is in an awkward “between sizes” phase right now.
I parked the stroller and 3 kids outside of the dressing room, asked them to sit down and stay put (I know, I know, wishful thinking) and ran back and forth between the dressing room and the stacks of jeans for about 30 minutes. Somewhere between waiting for a preteen to dance around in front of a mirror checking himself out, a child trapped in a stroller crying and alternately yelling angrily, and the other 3 kids playing tag loudly in the racks of clothes, I lost it. I just couldn’t take it anymore, I was starting to get a twitch and my shoulders were scrunched in stress. I had a mommy madness moment and even though it was 11:30AM and almost lunch time, I played the last card I had. I whipped out the jumbo bag of Swedish Fish I had brought for emergencies, I let Chloe dole out sticky red fish at will. When she tried to ration them and the noise level began to rise, I told her to just keep handing them out.
We finally left with a sweet Jonas Brothers t-shirt for Chloe to wear to the concert we were going to and she also got a pair of jeans. Alex got a shirt and a pair of jeans as well and poor Noah, who spent all that time dancing in front of the mirror, ended up with a cool t-shirt but no jeans.
The kids were sticky, full of sugar and tired of being contained, so we headed to Chick-fil-A for lunch before braving Target and the school supplies, but that is another story.
If you have a good school-shopping horror story, please share it here so we can commiserate.
Tags: Chick fil A, JC Penny, Jonas Brothers, Swedish Fish, Target
Hello Everyone,
Thanks for your patience through the summer. I know it was a long dry spell from the beginning of July to the end of August. I had my hands full with all 4 of my kids home and I was babysitting for another one as well. We just kicked back, played, read, went on field trips, enjoyed lazy days as a family, traveled and otherwise enjoyed my children’s youth. Our Fall schedule is back in full swing and I intend to be more consistent with blogging as we start the new school year. Thanks for bearing with me!
My sister Rachael came to town for a visit and whisked me and the 4 kiddos off to Myrtle Beach for the week. Unfortunately, Dave had to work, so it was just us girls and the kids hitting the beach.
Usually we hit the beach in the AM and then after lunch, while the little kids were napping, one of us would take Noah and Chloe to the water park for a few hours until Alex and Gideon woke up.
We had a great time enjoying the wrong hotel’s water park for a few days. We were told that we could use the water park at the hotel down the street, since it was in the family of hotel’s with the condo in which we were staying. We assumed it was a certain hotel that had a name very similar to the one we were supposed to be using. By the second day security came up and gently told us we were at the wrong water park, but we could stay for the day. Later that afternoon, we found the actual water park we were supposed to be at and it was great too. Oh well!
Tuesday night we did Broadway at the Beach and the kids loved it. For .25 cents you can buy a handful of fishfood and feed the most disturbingly large and hungry pond fish I have ever seen. The kids were mezmerized. We ate dinner at Hard Rock Cafe and we all enjoyed it when all the wait staff stopped and danced to “Y-M-C-A!”
Noah and Chloe bungee jumped on a trampoline and the little kids rode a few rides. While looking at Margaritaville, they were in awe at the super large beach balls on the water. The balls unzipped and a kid was put inside and had to balance out on the water. My kids loved seeing these other kids run like hamsters in an exercise ball. Finally, we were treated to a great fireworks show.
We all had a great time and came home Thursday night exhausted and sunkissed. Now begins recovery and packing for church camp!
This past week Alex was at VBS at Stonebridge Community Church. He had a great time and loved learning and singing and the memory work.
One day, after he had gotten in the car and we were driving home he said, “Mom, I have two best friends. Do you know who they are?”
After guessing and guessing the wrong combination of friends and siblings, he said. “No Mom, my two best friends are God and Jesus!” Wow, I guess I just wasn’t getting it, but I am glad he did!
Sometimes I struggle with being a mom. I have had to give up so much to take care of these four little children. I gave up my career as a teacher and coach. I gave up control of my body when I got pregnant…again and again and again. Most days I give up eating a peaceful meal at any of the three meal times. I have given up sleep, food (it gets nibbled right off my plate), money, peace of mind, time to myself, the hopes of ever having an hour to blow dry and straighten my hair without bloodshed, and the list goes on and on. Sometimes I feel like I have given up my very life for these kids! My whole entire life! Who I am, what I want, what I will be, all for these little ones growing in my home.
You know, believe it or not, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love giving these things up for them (most of the time). Actually, in giving all these things up for my family, I have found my truest self. There will be other jobs in the future, but the most important one, the one that created my defining moment of self, was motherhood. My highest calling in life is to be a godly wife and mother who will raise up godly men and women for this next generation. This is my one job that I know is of an eternal nature. My sole prayer, above all others, is that my kids will love the Lord, their God, with all their heart, soul and strength. Nothing else really matters if they can do that. Nothing I have given up even comes close.
Sunday David started a new series called “Prodigal God.” His talk was about the parable of the prodigal son and what it meant exactly to have been the father of that son. I have heard that story many times growing up, but I never fully realized that when the son asked for his inheritance, the father gave him his “life.” It is interesting that Jesus used that word. In light of scripture it fits perfectly, but because my translation did not translate the word “life,” I never got the full understanding of what the father gave. That father gave up his land, his livelihood, his reputation, his future, his honor, his LIFE, to allow his son to exercise his freewill. I imagine the father did it willingly.
I am so grateful God does the same thing for us. He gives us his LIFE: His only begotten son, so that we might have eternal life through Christ (John 3:16). He allows us to choose, to have freewill, with the hopes that we too will realize we have it far better with Him, than anywhere we can go on our own. Thank you Lord, for giving your Life, your Son, for us!
Just in time for summer, this favorite treat is quick, easy to make, and a crowd pleaser. My daughter has asked for this dessert to be her birthday cake for the past two years in a row. Don’t worry, no actual grasshoppers were harmed in the production of this recipe!
1 package Oreos
1 stick of butter, melted (use less if you want)
1 half gallon size mint chocolate chip ice cream, softened
1 package whipped topping, Cool Whip
Crush all but 10 of the Oreos in a ziplock bag using a rolling pin. Empty into a bowl and mix with the melted butter. Spread into the bottom of a 9X13 baking dish and press down to form a chocolatey crust. Stir ice cream in a bowl until it is creamy and no longer lumpy. Then scrape ice cream into the 9X13 and smooth. Freeze for 2 – 3 hours then add the whipped topping layer. Refreeze again for at least 3 to 4 hours or overnight. You may also want to garnish each slice with some sort of gummy candy or a Junior Mint or even some Oreo cookies. You can also sprinkle the top with chocolate shavings as well.
Tags: Cool Whip, Grasshopper Pie, Oreos
Strawberry season is upon us and one of my favorite spring appetizers is fruit salsa with cinnamon chips. I have included how to make your own cinnamon chips if you can’t find them at the grocery store.
I find them at Trader Joe’s around here and I used to find them at Meijer stores when we lived in Indiana. If I can buy them I usually do and save myself a little time and effort.
Ingredients:
- 1 cup finely chopped fresh strawberries
- 1 medium navel orange, peeled and finely chopped
- 3 medium kiwifruit, peeled and finely chopped
- 1 can (8 ounces) unsweetened crushed pineapple, drained
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 1-1/2 teaspoons sugar
- CINNAMON CHIPS:
- 10 flour tortillas (8 inches)
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 1/3 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
Directions:
In a small bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Cover and refrigerate until serving.
For chips, brush tortillas with butter; cut each into eight wedges. Combine sugar and cinnamon; sprinkle over tortillas. Place on ungreased baking sheets.
Bake at 350° for 5-10 minutes or just until crisp. Serve with fruit salsa. Yield: 2-1/2 cups salsa (80 chips).
Tags: Fruit Salsa, Meijer, Trader Joe's
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