Monday, March 08, 2010

Planet Wisdom!!!

Hey guys,

A few details for Planet Wisdom this weekend. Your parents should have gotten a letter, but just in case:

The plan is to meet at the church and be ready to go by 3:30 on Friday. If you can't make it by 3:30 let Randy know, and we'll work out transportation issues.

We'll be back at church on Sunday between 3:00 and 4:00 pm.

Please bring money for 4 meals. Most will be fast food, but once we will eat at Fuddruckers (mmmm). If you want any extra money for snacks or souvenirs bring that too.

Make sure you have:

-YOUR BIBLE
-One suitcase
-Toiletries (toothpaste, toothbrush, etc)
-Deodorant
-Running shoes for LASER TAG (yyyaaaaayyyyyyy!!! CANNOT WAIT!)
-Swimsuit
-AND YOUR BIBLE!

We're staying at Wytestone Suites, 14525 Gideon Dr., Woodbridge, VA 22192. The conference is at Hylton Memorial Chapel in Woodbridge (close to Potomac Mills Mall).

If you have any questions, give Randy a call on his cell at 301-653-6648.

Last and not least, remember to prepare for an amazing weekend of worship. If you prepare yourself to hear from God this weekend, it could drastically change your life. Try to pray for God to work in your life and pull you away from any distractions going on right now so that you can focus completely (or steadfastly) on Him. Get ready for a great weekend!!! (and be aware that I WILL dominate in laser tag!)

James 1:4-5 "Let steadfastness have its full effect, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking in nothing. If any of you lacks wisdom let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given to Him." (English Standard Version)

Saturday, January 30, 2010

Church Tomorrow - 1/31

Early service and Sunday School cancelled tomorrow morning (1/31) but we are still going to be there for the 10:45. See you there!

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Flat tires, The Office, and Romans 5

So it seems like a lot of people are having "one of those weeks" this week. I am included in this...if you're wondering why I'm not at church tonight, it's because my tire blew out last night at like 11, and I'm stuck at home sitting around in sweatpants and watching The Office reruns...yay. So I thought I'd blog! (does this count as working from home Randy? hmmm...)

If you're like me it's really easy to complain about it when things aren't going great.
But the more Pastor Kempson preaches about it on Sundays, the more I'm trying to think about what it means to pray for God's glory instead of my own (John 17, in case you've missed it lately). I always want to pray for what I want, but it always seems like that just never..ever..EVER works out (hence why I am still driving my car and not my dream car: a beautiful Jeep Wrangler). But one verse God tends to slap me in the face with whenever I get whiny is Romans 5:3-5:

"…We also rejoice in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character, hope. And hope does not disappoint us, because God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.”

Rejoicing in our suffering isn’t exactly easy to do. I wasn’t rejoicing when my car rumbled to a stop, and you probably don’t rejoice when your boyfriend or girlfriend breaks your heart, there’s drama with your friends, you don’t look the way you want to and your family is driving you nuts. It's a lot easier to complain about how tough your life is and all the bad things happening in it than it is to praise and thank God during those times. But it helps to remember that GOD IS ON YOUR SIDE and always working everything together for His glory and our good(Romans 8:28). That's pretty awesome to realize! So if you're just trying to get through the week, remember that God is there with you helping you get through it, and try to replace some of your complaints with praise. After all, it’s easy to thank God when things are going well. That's what I'm shooting for, and I wanted to throw it out there in case anyone else is having “one of those weeks“ . Oops, another episode of The Office is coming on...gotta go…wish I could be there at church tonight with you guys!

Shell

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Ski Trip

All right, ready for a little snow and the amusement of watching me injure myself (Shelley again, btw)? Then strap on your skis (or snowboard) and come out for our ski trip on Friday, February 5th. You have the day off school (mwahaha gotta love teacher workdays if you're not a teacher) so we're going to go to Liberty Mountain for an all-day trip. A few important facts:

*We will LEAVE the church at 7 am, and be back sometime late at night. Don't be late!
*You have to choose one of the following ski packages, and hopefully you have already told Randy which one you chose:

1) Lift ticket only - $37
2) Beginner package (including skiing/snowboarding lesson) - $53
3) All mountain package - $64

And a tip I got from Cameron was that all you need to know for skiing is "pizza and french fries"...that's right, an eight-year-old is giving me skiing lessons, and I'm okay with it. Any questions, get in touch with Randy or me or tell your parents to do so.