On the Road...

We're off... to Hume Lake!

Seven glorious days with thirty excited teenagers!

Pray for us!

Summer TNT

With our junior high program this summer, instead of taking a break (too much time away from our kids!) or falling into a rut of endless pool parties (anything gets old after a while!), we decided to try something new...

Enter TNT : Thursday Nights Together!

We decided to continue meeting on our regular youth group night, but instead of the structured lesson at our home, we would mix it up by visiting a different student's home each week. We extended our time to allow for barbecuing, swimming, trampoline jumping, hula kickballing, or whatever else struck our fancy! With TNT, we have also been extremely blessed to have one of our college guys, Chris Gruenholz, come in to lead worship with our group each week (yay Chris!)!

Our evenings conclude with a thoughtful devotion from Pastor Gary, which have each focused on a different parable. This past week, he shared the parable of the talents, which then led us into a time of sharing what our various talents are. (I was also excited to learn that our English word "talent" is taken directly from the original Biblical use of the term in this parable!)

I greatly enjoyed hearing our junior highers share their gifts and passions, as my heart's desire is to help them learn how to use these abilities for God's glory. "Basketball"... "Drums"... "Acting"... and even, "Binge Reading", hmmm!

Enjoy a few pictures from our most recent outing!

Gary's sermon now available for download

This past Sunday was a milestone of sorts, as Gary had the opportunity to preach at Fair Oaks for the first time. I never cease to be amazed at the gift God has given Gary to teach, to challenge and inspire with God's word (and if you think I might be biased, I'll just have to quote one of our tenth-grade girls, who told me, "Gary was so good... he should have gone another hour! Or two!! Or five!!!!!)

Anyways, if you missed the opportunity to be with us last Sunday, or if you loved the sermon so much you'd like to hear it again, you can now find it online by clicking here. (For some reason, the sermon downloads are being loaded onto our old website, not our new one.) The title of his sermon was "Don't get too comfortable", addressing Luke 12:13-34.

The next opportunity Gary will have to preach up front will be Sunday, August 19. Hope to see you all there!

This just in...

From the front page of today's Contra Costa Times...

Killer squid are here!

Apparently an aggressive species of large squid has expanded it's territory northward from it's South American habitat, and has now taken up residence in nearby Monterey Bay. This undersea hunter is described as:

A mysterious sea creature, up to 7 feet long, weighing up to 100 pounds, with thousands of sharp barbs on its arms. It hunts in packs of hundreds, flying through the water at 25 mph, changing color.

With a parrotlike beak and strong arms, it attacks and tries to eat nearly anything it sees, including fish, scuba divers, even its own kind.

Great, if man-eating sharks weren't enough to make me nervous about taking a dip in the sea, now there are seven-foot-long creatures with strong arms and parrotlike beaks!

Of course, a new predator in our ocean also means new opportunity. The giant squid is now showing up on Monterey Bay restaurant menus.

"A lot of people find it kind of tough and kind of gamy compared to traditional calamari, but I like it," he said. "They make big steaks out of them."

My favorite quote was this:

"You've got this sort of weird species spreading out into areas that it has never really taken up residence before," he said. "It's an indication the overall health of the ocean is not as good as it should be. We need to figure out exactly what is causing this range expansion and find some kind of political or economic solution."

A political solution? I can see it now...

"Excuse me, Mr. Squid. According to our Senate resolution, members of your species are now required to carry a passport to enter American waters. If you don't comply, we may be forced to bring in the U.N."

If it came to that, of course some sort of animal rights activist group may have to jump in...

"They're not illegal, they're just undocumented. The gaminess they bring to our squid steak menu is a diversity that will benefit us all."

(Note to my squid loving readers: these comments are all in jest. Undocumented squid are actually some of my best friends.)

Local Christian Concerts

For those of you who live in the East Bay and enjoy concerts by Christian artists, get ready to rock!

Joe Molale is a local businessman (Pleasant Hill) who felt led by the Lord to convert part of his warehouse space into a venue for Christian concerts, in order to bring people together to enjoy music for God's glory. He has developed a full concert venue, and JCM Productions now regularly brings in local Christian bands for all to enjoy (don't let the fact that these are "Christian" bands keep you away... these guys rock hardcore!).

When I met Joe a couple of months ago, I could clearly see that he has a great vision and passion to bless the local community as well as the bands that come out to play.

Anyways, the next show will be this Friday, July 27th at 7:30, featuring bands Radio Friendly, Until April, and Sight Unseen. Tickets are only $5. (Joe is generously offering free tickets to those who need them - if you're interested, give him a call.)

Upcoming concert dates will be Friday, August 11 and Friday, August 31. For tickets, directions, and more information, visit the JCM Music website.

Joe says:

I am here to tell you that God has given me a vision! He wants us to wake up and start bringing not only positive message music, but music that tells the truth that there is an answer to all of our problems! A solution to not just "cover up or mask" our pain, our fears, our sorrows, our misery....... that solution is through 1 way and 1 way ONLY! That answer is through Jesus! It's no joke! He is real and so is his love for every one of us! It's time to stand up and SHOUT for what we believe in!

Rockin for the ROCK! Serving HIM!

Joe Molale

JCM Productions
3440 Vincent Road, Suite G
Pleasant Hill, CA 94523
925-812-1252

Personality Plus

Oh, you old internet personality test. I never get tired of you.

So, I found this online quiz called PersonalDNA, which analyzes different aspects of your personality. It's a fun quiz, and for the most part, the results came back pretty darn accurate. (The biggest fault I usually have with these things is the self vs luck determination, which I always want to answer... God!) Anyways, if you'd like to check it out, you can visit the site here.

Here's what it told me:

You are a Visionary

Your imagination, self-assuredness, and knowledge of the world combine to make you a VISIONARY.

You have clear notions of how things could be, and the confidence to try to make them that way.

You enjoy having a routine, and prefer comfort and familiarity to risk and adventure.

Not needing others' approval to forge ahead, you are confident in your designs for the future.

Your imagination allows you to envision the world as a better place.

You're better at thinking of the big picture than you are with details, and you can see wonder in abstract things.

Style and appearances are important to you, and you have a good eye for beauty.

You are somewhat rigid in your beliefs, which comes from both confidence and an aversion to change.

You are good at creating works of art in forms with which you're familiar.

You do your own thing when it comes to clothing, guided more by practical concerns than by other people's notions of style.

Generally, you believe that you control your life, and that external forces only play a limited role in determining what happens to you.

You are Independent

Your inward focus, trusting nature, and sharp sense of right and wrong make you INDEPENDENT.

Your thoughts and actions are not reliant on what others think about you; you have a clearly defined moral structure.

When it comes to others, you are very practical, expecting people to take care of themselves.

You generally believe the best about people, but you hold them to high standards.

Similarly, you believe in maintaining integrity, honor, and a sense of respect for those who have earned their success.

Trust needs to be earned with you; you're slow to forgive when people have violated your trust.

Spending time alone means a lot to you, as does keeping certain things private.

You quietly observe a lot about the world, giving you a keen sense of both how things are and how things should be.

You've learned that you need to prioritize your own feelings, as opposed to always considering others' feelings first.

Everybody else who takes the quiz, feel free to post your results in the comments section.

So You Think, What???

So, have any of you heard of a little show called "So you think you can dance!" ?

In the absence of Survivor, American Idol and America's Next Top Model, this show has been our summer time reality-show fix, bringing us back to our dating-dancing days with the USC Ballroom & Latin Dance Team, when Gary and I would rock-step, whip, and sugar-push our way from competitive ballroom dancing partners to best friends (awwww).

This season has special meaning for us, as one of our FORMER COMPETITORS in the swing world is now a contestant on the show! Lacey Schwimmer and her brother, last year's winner Benjie, are the children of a popular dance teacher in the Southern California area. We used to see them all the time at West Coast Swing conventions when their father, Buddy, was teaching. They were immensely talented, from a very young age, and when Gary and I competed against them, about nine years ago, they totally whooped us (they would have been like, ten years old)! We never had any doubt they would grow up to be big dance stars, and now it's fun to root for their success on this televised dance competition. (If you're also a huge Lacey fan, you can check out her myspace fanpage here)

My only disappointment with the show is that my most favoritest dancer, Jessi, was sent home after she collapsed from dehydration and had to go to the hospital. She missed the live performance, so she wasn't able to be protected by America's vote, but she came back for the judging show, and after she danced for her life with the bottom 3, was dismissed by the judges without explanation.

Did the judges really think she had the worst solo? Were there extraneous details to her collapse that prevented her from continuing on the show? The world may never know... I understand not keeping a dancer on if they can't perform, but I don't believe they can really award the winner the title of "America's FAVORITE Dancer", 'cuz that was Jessi.

Word.

Keep praying for Rose Marie

Hi everyone, thanks to all who've prayed for my mom's friend Rose Marie. The surgery went well, but she's not out of the woods yet. Here's an update on her condition:

They removed the cancer - good news, It was in a lump and they think they got it all and were able to leave 1/3 of her stomach.

They were waiting for results on the lymph nodes.

Unfortunately, today that came back positive for cancer. I don't know how serious this is? Just one node, or all?? And is chemo effective for cells in the circulation/nodes? It is not for the stomach cancer. So we need lots of prayer for this next chapter.

She had company every time I have called, and I have a head cold so can't go near, so I haven't had any extensive talks with her. She said today though, that she is in a better place spiritually than she has been. I don't know exactly with this means, but pray for salvation and tranquility for her.

She is supposed to go home tomorrow.

Thanks to all for your prayers.

We continue to believe that God is capable of healing any illness, including cancer.

Lord, please have compassion on Rose Marie, bless her with the peace of Your presence, and heal her completely of this cancer. To Your name be the glory.

Prayer Tool

One of the most common reasons (excuses?) we have for not praying more, is not that we don't want to, but that we simply don't think about it. For all those forgetful would-be prayer warriors, there is now echoprayer.com. (I know I sound like an infomercial here, but I just checked it out, and it looks really cool).

Echoprayer is an easy-to-use website that allows you to enter a prayer request and set up a reminder schedule. The site will then automatically send you e-mails or text messages to remind you to pray, either on a set schedule, or randomly. The site also keeps track of answered prayers on your online 'prayer journal'.

To get started, click here.

The Image Gallery

As promised, here are a few of my pics from our JH weekend camp. They represent some of the weekend highlights.


A fine looking group, indeed.


My cabin girls...

'We pump it, we punk it, we're purple all around.
Cuz God is awesome, our love for Him abounds.
We skip, we skap, to the right to the left to the front to the back,
we're PURPLE!! HUH!!'

An unexpected close encounter with Bambi, while on our nature hike. We'd never been this close to a baby fawn. So cute!


Them's some tall trees...


Facing fears, on a ropes course thirty feet above the forest floor. Scary as it may have been, the zip line at the end made it all worthwhile...


My and my buddy Kristel... I love this girl's grin!


Pure silliness. Starring Lizzy, of course.


I dub thee Sir Joey...

The perfect way to end our QUEST weekend was to recognize our students as knights, or warrior princesses, of God's army. Cheesy as a big foamy sword may be, the solemnity of the occassion brought more than a couple of tears.

Any doubt of the weekend's success was eradicated when a seventh grade girl stated, "Next year, camp should be ten weeks long!"

Anyone interested in being a ten-week camp counselor, please apply now!

I'm back (at least for now)

Phew... after a week in Southern California, then heading straight to Junior High camp for the weekend, it is goooooooood to be home. Sleeping in my own bed, time with my husband that doesn't inlcude fifteen screaming kids, cooking in my own kitchen, these are luxuries I can now appreciate. Though I admit, I'm a little less than excited for the laundry and grocery shopping that await.

Gary and I will be home for two weeks, then we head to Hume Lake for a sleepless week of camp with our high schoolers. For all my complaints, though, there have been some really good moments that make it all worthwhile. I hope to be posting some pictures from this past weekend's camp, as well as sharing some of my favorite moments. But for now, welcome home to me. =)

Camp!

It's camp day! I'm excited, tired, overwhelmed, and... I haven't even left yet! This afternoon, three adults and one jr. leader will be taking fifteen JH students to camp for two nights in the redwoods. Woo!

I'm looking forward to spending lots of time with my students. Though I've been getting to know them more and more over the past six months, I don't feel as if they're fully "my kids" yet, something that comes with time and experiencing life together. Camp never fails to provide those "remember the time..." type moments. I pray for many opportunities to have fun together, as well as to share my faith through my actions and conversations.

I'm also really excited to work with our junior leader, Rachelle. She's actually a last minute replacement for our regular JH leader Evelyn who, get this, has to miss camp for surgery on her finger following an extreme boogie-boarding accident (whoa... totally bogus, dude!). As much as I will TOTALLY miss Evelyn (she is our main supplier of wackiness and energy... perfect for JH!), I think God is doing something by bringing Rachelle into the picture, and I can't wait to see what happens!

So, though we've had a good amount of down to the wire signups, dropouts, changeups, and other general craziness, I'm just taking all that as a sign that this camp is totally gonna rock! Please pray that GOD MOVES and that we are able to really enter into His presence and worship Him in the midst of His creation. Thanks!

What do you do when God is silent?

On his blog today, Seth Barnes invites his readers to respond to a plea for advice he had just received from a woman named Monica. This particular letter touched me because so often Christians are pressured to feel as if they have to act happy all the time, when in reality the Christian life is filled with highs and lows, even times of intense suffering. Perhaps you can relate to this experience in your own life.

Below is the text of the e-mail, followed by my response.

Hi Seth,

I came across your site today in my desperate attempt to find anyone on the internet that wonders what happens when you are convinced God isn't listening. I couldn't believe I actually consulted the Google search box with that exact question… and to my further amazement, there were actual links!!! Ha! God is good. One of them led me to your site.

What do you do when you feel like the wife in Hosea and just know that God has done what He did so many times in the OT and turned His face from you. When nothing goes right? Nothing is blessed. Every wall is up and you just throw your hands up and fall on your face and whimper, "I give." Help?

Monica,

I can definitely relate to your feeling that "God has turned His face from you".

I have experienced this at different times, and I can easily say that those have been the hardest, most agonizing and frustrating times of my life. I can also confidently say, that those times are also the ones that I most significantly learned and grew in my faith. (This doesn't make the hard times fun, but it's easier to hold on if you can see this as a growth process and not a dead-end street).

After God healed me from a nine-month bout with depression, I could begin to understand the reality that just because God is not speaking to me, does not mean He is not listening. Just because I do not feel His presence, doesn't mean He is not there.

James 4 says that if we draw near to God, He will draw near to us. The fact that your situation has caused you to fall at His feet and cry "I give" shows that God is affirming your faith in Him, and teaching you to draw yet closer. Be encouraged in this.

Believe it or not, later circumstances in my life brought me to a point where I actually praised God for that experience with depression. What had once been the worst time of my life, was now a cause for celebration. Only God can do this. I have no doubt that God will redeem your suffering as well in a powerful way.

God Bless,

Katherine Weston =)

Prayer Request

Hi friends, I would appreciate it so much if you would take a minute to pray for a woman named Rose Marie. She is a friend of my mom's, they worked together at the same hospital (my mom's a physical therapist, Rose Marie's a nurse), and they both began taking guitar lessons from the same teacher.

Rose Marie has recently been diagnosed with stomach cancer. The doctor's have decided it may be operable, and she will be going in for surgery on Wednesday. If the doctors find the cancer to be localized, and they are able to remove all of the cancer, she will probably be fine. If not, the doctors don't expect her to live through the summer.

We have no doubt that nothing is too complicated or difficult for God, and we believe that prayer is powerful. Please pray that the surgery would go well, and that Rose Marie would experience the peace and power of God's healing presence with her.

Thank you.

Dream a Little Dream

Have you seen the Sprint wireless commercial with the wavy neon line shapes? It features a voiceover that starts by asking the question, "Think back to when you were a child. What did you dream of as you fell asleep?" You can see it by clicking here, then clicking on See the TV Spots at the bottom of the screen.

Go on, check it out. I'll wait.

Back? Okay then.

The first couple of suggested answers to the childhood dream inquiry (space travel and going back in time) are good ones. But then the ad makes a jump I can't buy. Did any of you ever dream of a magic screen kept in your pocket where you could store your music and photos when you were a child? I used to dream of having a Corvette, of planning the perfect date to sweep a girl off of her feet, of falling in love, of having children, and of maybe someday seeing flying cars and laser guns. Never once as a child did I dream of an iPhone.

I wonder, have childhood dreams been reduced to having the latest whiz-bang entertainment gadgets? Is having a device that "entertains you whenever you want" the highest aspiration of our society?

I don't know. Sometimes I think I should just lighten up and enjoy the flashing colors.

Reflections on Bachelor Living

That’s right, ladies and gentlemen. Do not adjust your computer monitors. You are actually seeing a brand new post written by Gary. I know, you heard that Gary once posted on this blog, but you thought it was just a rumor, a thing of the past, or a figment of your imagination. But alas, I have emerged from the shadows to post once more.

Long story short, I’m back.

So as you can tell from the lack of posting here on Feed My Sheep (and from the post seen three below this one), my Ever-Lovin’ Wife has flown the coop. She’s been down in Southern California for five days now, and she’s not scheduled to return for two more. And while I’m happy beyond happiness for Katherine because she gets to spend some time with family and friends, I’m missing her something fierce.

I’ve known for a long time that I’m not cut out for bachelor living. My idea of cooking involves peeling back the plastic film and stirring the mashed potatoes, followed by another minute and a half on HIGH. And while I could tell many cringe-worthy stories about my lifestyle in college, I’ll suffice it to say that my dorm room laundry pile was once declared a fire hazard.

But beyond matters of basic sustenance and health code violations, the bigger issue is that I’m just no good by myself. Katherine has been such a huge part of my life, not only during our eight amazing years of marriage, but during the entire twelve year span of our friendship, that it is absolutely impossible to remove her from my life for even a week without it leaving a mark.

I find this fact incredibly ironic, given the fact that I enjoy having alone times so much. When I’m constantly around people, it drains me. I need that time alone to decompress and gather my thoughts, and when I don’t get it, my emotional health suffers.

All of this seems to suggest that for me the true value of being alone isn’t found in the aloneness. The value is that the aloneness reinvigorates me for relationship. It’s the same feeling I have when I encounter something amazing by myself (a wonder of God’s creation, an important conversation, an exciting development, etc.) and I’m filled with exhilarated anticipation, because I know that later, I’ll get to tell Katherine about it.

Which leaves me waiting for Wednesday. Hurry home, Angel. I love you.

A Tasty Treat

Forget pancakes, french toast, or omelettes, if you're whipping up a special breakfast these muffins are the only way to go!

Cinnamon-Sugar Muffins

Shortening
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup margarine or butter (1 stick)


1. Heat oven to 350º.

2. Grease bottoms only of 12 muffin cups with:
Shortening

3. Beat in medium bowl with fork:
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup milk
1/3 cup vegetable oil
1 large egg

4. Stir into milk mixture just until all the flour is wet (do not stir too much-batter will be lumpy):
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg

5. Spoon batter into muffin cups until 2/3 full. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until golden brown.

6. While muffins are baking, mix in small bowl, then set aside:
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

7. Melt in saucepan over low heat, then remove from heat:
1/2 cup (1 stick) margarine or butter

8. Immediately remove muffins from pan. Roll hot muffins in the melted margarine, then in the cinnamon-sugar mixture. Serve hot.

Enjoy!

Love Fest

I just got a wonderfully encouraging e-mail from one of our former youth group girls. Kailey came to our group in Sacramento when she was in 6th and 7th grade, then moved away right before Gary and I left on the world race, so she'll be entering high school this fall (they grow up so fast!). I had written her to let her know we are back in California, and that Gary is working as youth pastor now. Her response just made my day:

Thats so cool that u guys get to start that i am so happy for u!!! The kids there are soo lucky to have the best of the best!!!!!!!!! U guys are amazing!!!!! Alot of youth pastors that i no don't really connect with the kids they are just kinda there to tell them what they should do, but u guys really connects with us!!!! U guys make us feel like equals that ur not looking down on us cause we're just kids!!!!! Im sooooo happy for u guys it sounds really exciting!!!! I love hearing from u guys to!!!!!!!!! I miss u guys soooo much!!!!!!!!! have a great week and tell Gary i say hi and tell him i miss him bunches!!!!!!!!! love u guys!!!!!!!!!!!

I wouldn't be doing youth work if I didn't believe it made a difference, but it's not every day that you get a thank you. Moments like these are few and far between, and I cherish them greatly.

=)


Kailey & a friend on our 2005 JH mission trip to Tijuana.

Road Trip!

Tomorrow morning, I'll be taking the dog, jumping in the van, and driving seven hours down to Southern California. The next day, I'll be picking up my amazing newlywed friends Laura and Corey from the airport, and the fun will commence!


It just so happened that my World Race friends will be flying in for a wedding, not too far from my parent's place in Simi Valley. So, I'm driving down to meet them before they they take off to Georgia and I don't see them ever again... I mean, for quite a while. =) We'll all crash at my parent's, and I'll finally get to introduce them to my family.

The timing is really good, as I'll be down in time to celebrate the 4th, which just so happens to be my brother's birthday. Even though he'll be working tomorrow night, I'll get to spend that time with my parents, and we'll get to do a family gathering later over the weekend.

As for the weekend plans, we don't have anything set in stone (other than a trip to Dr. Conkey's Candy Company!). We may hit the beach, visit the Reagan Library, shop around, or just hang out. I don't know. I'm just looking forward to seeing everyone.

So, wherever you may be, wherever you may be going, happy 4th of July, everybody!

Uncaptivated

So, my Wednesday night fellowship group is on hold... for how long, I don't know.

We'd been meeting for several weeks, going through the book Captivating, sharing what was going on in our lives and praying for one another. I really like the other girls in the group, and was enjoying starting to get to know them. We are all Christian women, right about the same age, but with a wide variety of backgrounds and stages of life.

Anyways, one of the girls is going back to school and is required to take a Wednesday night class. Unfortunately, one of the other girls, who lives a good distance away and doesn't have a car of her own, was depending on her for a ride. So that would knock out half our group right there. As the leader began discussing our options to keep the group going, such as meeting on another night, or moving the meeting place, the two confessed that neither one of them were interested in continuing with that particular book.

I have to admit, I'm disappointed. I've been wanting to discuss Captivating with other Christians since I read the book a couple of years ago. There are a lot of ideas about femininity and womanhood I want to explore.

But, I don't feel that I can blame these girls for desiring a study with a greater focus on the Bible. And, if they aren't into Captivating, we wouldn't be able to have those conversations anyways. So for now, we've agreed to look for a new study and come back together at some point. In the meantime, I am able to spend my Wednesday nights with Gary at the HS summer pool parties. And while that's a good thing, I'm still bummed.