Music Monday

This is "Tunnel" by Third Day ... it is a song they sang last week while we were at Riley.  What I loved about the 2 songs they sang ... in addition to the Third Day Classic "Old McDonald"... was that they really thought through their song selection and sang two songs that that were so appropriate to the feelings of the families there in that lobby.  This is one of the two they sang.

Spring Forward

Tonight is the night where we get a little less sleep ... don't forget to turn your clock forward!

Speechless

Now that I've begun writing this for the third time I'm going to be honest ... I'm speechless and in complete awe of a Maker who knows every detail of every situation.  The past four months haven't been easy.  We've been walking the road of Childhood Cancer with two kiddos in our ministry ... two kiddos who were diagnosed the same week and two families who in a moment their lives were changed forever.

Throughout this journey there have been moments that seemed hopeless, but in those moments we've seen God move in mighty ways.

One of the things that has happened over the past month has been a simple Pillow Pet Collection.  It began with a 7-year olds dream to give 1,000 other kids at Riley a Pillow Pet ... the same toy that he himself loves to play with and then snuggle during his own treatments.  As I put together the flier to promote to our families that we would be collecting the Pillow Pets I remember thinking "I hope we can help him get to 1,000" ... "wonder if anyone will bring these in" ... "when we collected Build-A-Bears for a local children's shelter we got 75 ... hopefully we'll get at least that many".

I shouldn't have put God in such a small box.

It wasn't long after that day that I was being pulled from our Children's Staff Meeting to speak with a rep from KLOVE (headquartered here in Indy) - as I sat there with another co-worker she explained to me how they had heard about the little boy and the collection, called Applebee's and wanted to know if we would be okay with them helping!


Sure ... why not - it sounded great ... a radio ad here in Indy and then the day after the concert they would talk about Jake and the Pillow Pets and share his story nation-wide on the morning show.

The following Monday I had a txt from my brother in Columbus, Ohio telling me he heard about the little boy from the church ... that was the moment I knew God was going to do much more through this little boy and some Pillow Pets than we had ever imagined.

See what God does in tomorrow's post!

Music Monday

Powerful words to this song ... don't just sit and let others serve ... jump in and get involved!

Jake Update

So, you might have seen this post a few weeks ago ... "Jake" ... well, what began as a small, simple way to help a few kids here in Indy seems to be inspiring a nation.  Over the past few days I've been blown away by the people who I've heard from all around the United States!  People starting their own collections for their local children's hospitals, shipping Pillow Pets for distribution, and just being inspired to love others.  It is a story that ONLY God could have ever created or imagined!

Today Jake was featured on local TV here ... http://www.theindychannel.com/news/27052979/detail.html

And on the Pillow Pets Blog here ... http://mypillowpetsblog.com/please-help-our-friend-jake/

And on KLOVE here ... http://www.klove.com/events/detail.aspx?i=148865

Like I said ... only a story God could create.  I don't know why God chose Jake to tell HIS story, but He has and the past few months a simple little boy from a small town has changed my life and reminded me what's truly important.

Day 1 - Me & 15 Facts

1. I'm a BUCKEYE that fell off the tree on the wrong side of the stateline, which apparently makes me a hoosier, but I still consider myself a Buckeye

2.  I work in the local church with 0-5 year olds - my job involves 400-500 kiddos each weekend and nearly 400 volunteers rotating through 3 service schedules each month

3.  I have a teaching license in the Buckeye State, but went straight into ministry after college

4.  My Early Childhood / Preschool Special Education degree is from Cedarville University

5.  I've never broken a bone BUT have torn a retina and a few other things resulting in a severe knee injury

6. Bayley is my English Bulldog ... she's pretty cool ... and stubborn!

7. I am terrified of heights ... and bungee cords

8. I've played softball since I was 4, never missed a season (even through MANY years of severe knee problems/surgeries) ... thats about 22 years of playing ball!

9. I turn to Diet Coke when I'm stressed ... and McDonald's Diet Coke if I'm REALLY stressed :-)

10.  I want to live my life in a way that brings others to Christ's love - that they know His love and experience it

11. Well, this is my FAVORITE number ... the number I've worn nearly EVERY softball season, including 4 varsity seasons!  It's Barry Larkin's number too :-)

12.  I LOVE the color blue ... and photography

13.  I've been on a Special Wish Trip as a caregiver and met President Bush (the second one, during his first term)

14.  I have some of the best friends and family anyone could ask for

15. I'm frugal - always looking for a good deal :-)

Who's Problem?

The post below arrived in my inbox this morning from "The Inclusive Church" Blog and I think it nailed some of the frustration that I sometimes feel, but have never seemed to be able to find the words to explain. 

The "it's not my problem" attitude is one that can creep into our lives at any point and in any circumstance and is one that we must constantly keep in check, search our hearts for, and ask God to help us be truly compassionate for those whom we serve. 

Special needs, circumstances, etc isn't the "problem" of the person who holds the job title of the position ... we're all called to love and serve those in the local church and in our community - NO ONE is anyone's "problem" - they're all people created in God's image and no matter what position you hold or what the title that follows your name says it's about loving everyone, serving everyone, and making a difference in the lives of people whom God has created. 

Enjoy the post below, check your heart and wrestle with the information and discussions that it brings to mind.


"Embracing a family affected by special needs and intertwining them into the fabric of a congregation often occur because of a shared ownership between any set of ministries or staff members.  Conversely, if the “not my area of responsibility” mentality creeps into the mindset of any single staff member or lay leader, efforts to include children with special needs are poised to fail."