I have no idea where God will take me in the future. Will I be at home, loving on my family, gardening, baking, housekeeping, homeschooling? Will I write a book? Will we live here forever? Or move across the country? How will I be using my musical gifts? So many questions, yet I don’t really […]
The One with a Whirlwind Weekend
(I feel like I’ve used that title before. If so, please excuse me.) Yet another busy weekend in the life of a youth pastor and his cohort. To be more exact, our work week starts Wednesday and goes to Sunday. Monday and Tuesday are our only “slower” days –though Kevin still tries to sub– so […]
The One with an (in)couraging Friend
Today, in honor of Ministry Appreciation Month and the first (in)courage carnival, I would like to take the time to honor the selfless work of my Pastor’s wife, Pam. She is the most beautiful woman–from the inside out. Pam is an amazing example of a mother. Her teenage boys love and respect her. She encourages […]
The One with Homecoming Drama
Oh! to be fifteen again! Or not. I was reminded this weekend of how great my teenage years were, but also of how I don’t have any desire to go back there again. Wow. Pubescent teenage girls are WOW. You’re probably thinking, “Gosh, is she just realizing this now? Two years after starting this youth ministry […]
The One with the Lunchroom Loves
I’m trying to think of topics to write on that don’t have something to do with my sweet husband, my awesome teens, my times with Jesus, or food. Those are, afterall, my loves. They are (almost) all I think about. That either makes me: A. a weirdo. B. obsessive. C. super committed. D. all of […]
The One with the Reason for Labor
Full time youth ministry (or any ministry I’m sure…) is a unique category of work. Hours of labor are nearly impossible to log. The duties of your job description seem to become irreversibly intertwined with your “real” life. You go from having your life and your work… …to your life and your work being your work and […]
The One with the Innkeepers
What a blessed stay we had at Innkeeper Ministries. It was exactly the rest and retreat we needed in order to transition from full time camp ministry combined with youth ministry, to “jumping in to the new school year head first” youth ministry. We were tired. In need of a definitive shift from one to […]
The One with a Brief Hiatus
I know I’ve been a bit lacking in the blog posting department lately. Sorry. It’s not you. It’s me. I can’t wait to get back to regularly scheduled programming. But for now, you’re going to have to put me on pause again. Or I’m putting me on pause. I don’t know. I’ve used so many cliche […]
The One with the Life Saving Overnighter
I may or may not have gone to bed at 9pm Thursday night. And even 9 felt much too late. I had been exhausted since 3pm or so. I think. (Scratch that–I know I have been on the verge of passing out since then.) But it was all for a great cause. Our most recent youth […]
The One with What She’s Learned This Summer
::It’s okay to say “no.” In fact, it’s even healthy. I don’t have to do everything in order to know I’m loved, appreciated, or valued. ::It’s okay to admit when I’m tired and weary and need a break. Who knew I just couldn’t do it all? ::Carving quality husband-wife time into my day is so important […]