I am feeling weighed down by things within me and around me this week, thankful that no matter how I'm feeling I know that I have hope because God has a plan for me. I'm thankful for the people in my life who continue to show me this is true, no matter what. I can't help but smile when I think about certain folks and how they brighten my day. Lucky to have such amazing friends and family to cheer me and remind me what really matters! This post is just a few things I need to get off my chest.
Puzzled:Something has been on my mind lately with all the media buzz about certain issues in our society. What's right or wrong is not what's important here or what puzzles me. What bothers me is the tremendous misuse of an opportunity to show God's love to others. Think about it, shouldn't we as Christians be recognizable by our love, joy, and compassion not by characteristics of judgment and hatred? Jesus gave us the command love your neighbor as yourself. When he said neighbor, he meant EVERYONE. Jesus came to save all people. There are no exceptions to his grace. Don't get me wrong, I'm not asking anyone to condone or encourage things you don't agree with. It's just my hope that Christians will love people better no matter the circumstances, because that's being Christlike.
Painful Memories:
I stayed awake early Tuesday, recalling the events of just one year ago. During those early morning hours on August 21, 2011 my twin nieces were born still. I said hello and goodbye to the precious babies in the matter of only a few minutes but it's a memory I will hold onto for a lifetime. I'd never truly known such heartbreak until that moment. I'll never forget seeing their perfect little hands and feet. Although we still grieve for the loss of our girls Zoe Catherine and Lily Grace, it's been a year of healing. God has been working in the lives of each of my family members.
Personally, for me it's been a year of ups and downs. It's been a year of letting go of anger towards God. I had to not only learn to trust him again but to follow where he was leading me. For the longest time it felt like my heart wouldn't begin to heal but God continued to hold me and bless me. Whenever I feel disappointed or fearful because I have no clue where I'm going, I can look back on this year and see examples of God's work within me and through me and trust that my future is in his hands.
Direction:
I'm not lost but I'm not certain where I'm going. Can you relate? All I know is the the heaviness of the load is bound to change. It will get lighter then heavier then maybe even heavier before lightening. All I know is I'm not alone in carrying it and I'm so thankful for that.
I promise a lighter fluffier post in the near future :)
-KP
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Friday, August 10, 2012
Feels like college.
Well, school has begun again and I wish my youth the best of luck! I hope it's a fantastic year for each and every one of them. I know they will make little moments count and find opportunities to show God's love this year. Summer faded quickly but we went out with one last, "hoorah!"
Youth Week.
What a blast! From bowling to laser tag to being locked-in; we did it all. We even hot glued a sheet to the church and projected a movie: instant outdoor movie. Why had I not heard of this before? Brilliant. The crowd favorite seemed to be our Paint War. As The Doctor would put it, somewhere along the "wibby wobbly, timey wimey" line I got the idea that it might be fun to throw paint on each other. Let's be honest, the inspiration is probably Pinterest related. The important thing is, I was right! Throwing paint on people is the best! You can't help but smile and laugh as you are splattered with vibrant colors. The end result is pretty cool too. Each person is covered with different patterns and color combinations, so artsy. I'm glad I asked my good friend to come photograph the war. She captured the moments we won't want to forget.
Funny story time. I asked one of my good guy friends to help me drive my youth to Lazer Blaze. He works with youth too and likes laser tag, so why not? I knew this might stir up some silliness from the boys in our group and I was right. After all, they've taught me a two week relationship is super serious and guys and girls are never just friends. As we were about to go into our game, one of the boys decided to be funny and point at us and say "You two should date." My response complete with serious face, "We are." My friend nodded in agreement. The look on the boy's face was priceless. I let his jaw stay dropped for five good seconds then said, "Just kidding, but that'd be cool right?" Don't mess. I can take your awkward and make it more awkward.
I love a good game of Ultimate Frisbee. It seems like I hardly ever play anymore so it felt incredible to get two games in during a week. As I ran down the field I yelled, "Feels like college!" In fact, the only time I enjoy running is during Frisbee games. I'm so happy my youth group has found a love for the game.
At our lock-in we focused for a few minutes on taking steps in the direction God wants us to go this year. Looking for opportunities to show his love to others. I had everyone write a letter to their future selves to hold themselves accountable and check in sometime this year. I was surprised at their reaction, no whining or sighs. They seemed happy to write. I'll never know what they said to themselves but I can't wait to mail those letters out in a few days, weeks, months. They'll never know when it'll arrive. I love surprise snail mail.
As I crashed into my bed Saturday morning after the lock-in, I reflected on the week. I happily planned a whole week of lively activities for teenagers. Yes, last minute changes were made and there were even misunderstandings about the rules of "Romans and Christians," but I think I can safely say that everyone learned something. Maybe it was simply a new game, or maybe it was about themselves, each other, or their relationship with God. We had a great time and bonded as a group, that's really all I could have hoped for. This group continues to impress me twice over.
I'm so lucky, 'cause my job totally rules.
-KP
Youth Week.
What a blast! From bowling to laser tag to being locked-in; we did it all. We even hot glued a sheet to the church and projected a movie: instant outdoor movie. Why had I not heard of this before? Brilliant. The crowd favorite seemed to be our Paint War. As The Doctor would put it, somewhere along the "wibby wobbly, timey wimey" line I got the idea that it might be fun to throw paint on each other. Let's be honest, the inspiration is probably Pinterest related. The important thing is, I was right! Throwing paint on people is the best! You can't help but smile and laugh as you are splattered with vibrant colors. The end result is pretty cool too. Each person is covered with different patterns and color combinations, so artsy. I'm glad I asked my good friend to come photograph the war. She captured the moments we won't want to forget.
Funny story time. I asked one of my good guy friends to help me drive my youth to Lazer Blaze. He works with youth too and likes laser tag, so why not? I knew this might stir up some silliness from the boys in our group and I was right. After all, they've taught me a two week relationship is super serious and guys and girls are never just friends. As we were about to go into our game, one of the boys decided to be funny and point at us and say "You two should date." My response complete with serious face, "We are." My friend nodded in agreement. The look on the boy's face was priceless. I let his jaw stay dropped for five good seconds then said, "Just kidding, but that'd be cool right?" Don't mess. I can take your awkward and make it more awkward.
I love a good game of Ultimate Frisbee. It seems like I hardly ever play anymore so it felt incredible to get two games in during a week. As I ran down the field I yelled, "Feels like college!" In fact, the only time I enjoy running is during Frisbee games. I'm so happy my youth group has found a love for the game.
At our lock-in we focused for a few minutes on taking steps in the direction God wants us to go this year. Looking for opportunities to show his love to others. I had everyone write a letter to their future selves to hold themselves accountable and check in sometime this year. I was surprised at their reaction, no whining or sighs. They seemed happy to write. I'll never know what they said to themselves but I can't wait to mail those letters out in a few days, weeks, months. They'll never know when it'll arrive. I love surprise snail mail.
As I crashed into my bed Saturday morning after the lock-in, I reflected on the week. I happily planned a whole week of lively activities for teenagers. Yes, last minute changes were made and there were even misunderstandings about the rules of "Romans and Christians," but I think I can safely say that everyone learned something. Maybe it was simply a new game, or maybe it was about themselves, each other, or their relationship with God. We had a great time and bonded as a group, that's really all I could have hoped for. This group continues to impress me twice over.
I'm so lucky, 'cause my job totally rules.
-KP
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