Wordless Wednesday

Potter's Bridge

You might remember my trip to Parke County last month to photograph covered bridges in this post. This month I discovered a beautiful park and covered bridge in the next town over!

I've been there a couple times now just to walk, reflect, ride, spend time with God, etc. But, haven't gotten my camera out until last Saturday. It was a beautiful day and the way the sun was shining the bridge was reflecting right into the water ... making for some awesome photo opportunities! Here's a few I took...

Stay tuned to Wordless Wednesdays for more pics from last Saturday .. or check out my Flickr Link on the right side!

RESET - Week 2

Jesus is UNFAIR ... whoa ... have you ever really thought about that???

I learned that lesson in a very tangible way during college. In fact without the lesson a professor gave me I might still be walking around thinking that life is suppose to be fair ... BUT ... it's not, God didn't create it that way ... WE made it that way! God made a JUST world, not a FAIR world. We're the ones that wrote "all men are created equal" in the Declaration of Independence. Somewhere along the road though I think we began to think those words came from the Bible, but you just won't find them there.

As I worked through the RESET materials this past week and during the weekend I was taken back several years (ok ... so maybe just a few, I haven't been out of college that long!). One morning, I received a paper back from one of my professors. It was a paper that she had said we could do together ... not copying each other's work, but discussing it. Basically, we could all have the same "points" just not the same words. I worked with a group of girls I was close friends with and we all turned in our papers. When I received my paper back I was shocked to see a "C" even though others I worked with had an "A".

I'll never forget my professor's words that morning as I left the classroom. She stopped me and said, "I know you're not happy, but this is justice, you could have done better. We serve a just God, not a fair one." It was a lesson I needed to learn ... and she knew I needed to learn it. I had basically done as good as the other girls could do ... but not as good as I could do. In reality, it wasn't "fair" - we had all worked together, but it was "just".

That's a lesson that I've never forgotten. God is just - He gives each of us exactly what we need. If He were fair, we would all get the same thing - but not all of us can handle the same things. That day, my professor gave me exactly what I needed - it wasn't fair. But God never said life was going to be fair.

A Preschool Test

I work with preschoolers ... they're a TON of fun, but often I hear things about how they can't learn stuff, don't know anything, etc.  So, here's a test for you ...

Which way is the bus below traveling?

To the left of to the right?

Can't decide?  Take another look!

90% of preschoolers will tell you that the bus is going to the left.  When asked why they will tell you ... "because you can't see the door to get on the bus!"

Well ... duh ... I even missed that one!

It's Free!

I LOVE free stuff and I LOVE museums ... so nothing could be better than Free Museum Day!

The Smithsonian is hosting the event that takes place across the country!  Learn more by clicking here.  The link will take you to the Smithsonian Magazine website, where you'll be able to download the admission coupon and find museums in your area that are participating!  Have fun tomorrow ... go explore something new!

The End

Knowing the end helps us to live in the present.  God's already saved the day ... He's made a way for me.  No matter what I face each day I know that my salvation is secure in Christ ... I have a relationship with Him and I know where I'm headed!  Just knowing this helps me get through each day, it helps me make decisions based on the end ... not the present.

Lately the days have been long ... but "it's going to be okay, because God saved the day!"

Take a listen to this song from Hillsong ... its one of my favorites :-)

Wordless Wednesday

Creativity

I've been looking for a chalk/dry erase/message ... basically anything to post notes on ... for awhile now.  But, finding something that was inexpensive, yet would hold up, and looked nice has been quite difficult.  Until, a few weeks ago I saw an idea at a friend's house.  They had taken a piece of canvas and painted it with chalkboard paint ... thus creating their own message board!

I decided to it for for myself this weekend and am quite excited with how it turned out!

Here's what I did if you want to create your own...

1.  Selected a piece of canvas (check out the craft stores for 50% off sales on this stuff!)

2. I painted it with chalkboard paint and allowed to dry overnight

3. Hot glue cork on, if you want - to create a place to tack things on the board

4. Add ribbon for decoration

5. The wood sunshines are available in many different styles at craft stores.  I glued paper clips on the back of them to create a place where I could hang photos, cards, etc on the board without having to use a tack!

Overall, the board cost about a third of the price that the message boards do in stores!  Have fun creating your own!

RESET - Week 1

This past weekend we began a 6-week journey @ church.  It's called RESET and the materials actually came from this really cool church in Ohio.  This past weekend we talked about resetting our assumptions about Jesus. 

For a moment, be completely honest with yourself ... how do you picture Jesus?  Is he this loving man with children gathered around Him like many images reflect or is he distant in your mind ... waiting to get you when you screw up?  For me, He's the distant Jesus ... even though I know He isn't distant and that He loves me no matter what.  I grew up with a father who was distant and I have applied those past hurts and experiences onto the "father figure" of Jesus/God.  

Over the next six-weeks though I hope to learn even more about the true person that Jesus is, and not allow my own experiences to affect my image of Him!

What is your picture of Jesus?

Kate

Yay God!!!  Kate's MRI showed reduction in the size of the tumor!!!  This means that she can continue on with the current route of chemo they are on!  For more info and updates check out www.prayforkate.com

Team Time

Here's a few pics from our chili cook-off last Tuesday!  Everyone had a great time ... and some great chili!

Brookside

At 10th and Olney on the near-eastside of Indianapolis is a light.  It's name is Brookside Community Church, but its shining a light into darkness every week!  Last weekend, about 30 people from Studio 6.7 headed downtown to help out with a couple of the children's classrooms.  One of the rooms was pumpkin orange.  No, it didn't have pumpkins in it ... it was BRIGHT orange!  The other room was a library area that needed a fresh coat of paint.  Nearly 30 people primed and painted both classrooms in about 3 hours time ... which was amazing!  Even the young children got involved painting primer and paint on the walls and helping to move books out of the library area!  Here are a few pics from last weekend's project!

Africa

Check out my friends' blog about their journey to bring home  a baby from Ethiopia.  Also, they'll be running the Indy half-marathon next month and are asking for sponsorships for each mile they run to help raise funds for the adoption!  More info is available at www.longingforafrica.com

Wordless Wednesday

Pray

If you have ... or haven't ... been following the story about Kate McRae at www.prayforkate.com would you consider stopping and praying for her today?  She will be having an MRI done tomorrow, which will reveal the tumor's response to the treatment that she has been receiving.  Basically, this is a decision point with the treatment ... any growth in the tumor and she will be removed from the study that she is currently participating in (this is the best potential treatment she can receive), but God can do and does AMAZING things!  Pray that tomorrow will go well and the MRI will show reduction of the tumor ... or no tumor at all!

The Zoo

I LOVE going to the zoo!  It might possibly be one of my favorite places to go.  I love to walk around, take pictures, spend time with the people I'm with, and watch the animals ... its such a great place!  The Indy Zoo is good, but I grew up going to the Cincinnati Zoo which is much larger and has some pretty cool experiences.  It's also very old and has many of its original buildings, which are incredible to see.  However, its VERY hilly and VERY exhausting.  The Indy Zoo, thankfully, is flat and much easier to walk :-)  But, its on the smaller side as far as zoos.

Last week I went to the Columbus Zoo and it was INCREDIBLE!  Everything was experiential, thematic, and educational.  The animals were in large areas with tons of stuff and everything was decorated in the decor of the continent/country where the animal was from.  Here's a few of my favorite pics from the zoo last week ... and if you ever get a chance to check out the Columbus Zoo ... do it!  It's pretty cool!

When 800...

I'm not going to step out on the limb and say ... feels like 80, because it doesn't!  But ... I realized this weekend that the 800 children who now come through our doors every weekend is starting to feel like the 600 that came through our doors about 2 years ago.  Throughout the entire weekend I was convinced that things were "light" but after the last service finished check-in I realized that that wasn't the case ... but that 800 no longer feels like a lot!  Which is exciting as we approach some exciting stuff coming up this fall and early next year!

Overall, it was such a great weekend with many, many new volunteers ... in fact, almost 200 total this weekend!

Check back later this week for pics and stories from this past Saturday's Family Service Project @ Brookside Community Church!

Never Forget

8 years later...

(Reposted from one year ago ... nothing's changed ... God still holds us tight as we face each unknown and fear that comes our way, just as He was eight years ago today!)

We all know EXACTLY where we were and what we were doing seven eight years ago today. It is a day, like many others, where we will never forget what we were doing or where we were when we heard the tragic and terrifying news of the attack on the United States. I remember it well ... it is something that feels like it happened yesterday. I was a Junior in High School. It was 3rd Period, a little after 9am when it was announced over the PA system - I spent the rest of the day watching the News Reports in each classroom ... feeling numb along with the rest of America.

The days that followed Sept 11th, 2001 were eerie. I remember the silence, the fear, and the beautiful blue sky. There were no planes landing at the nearby airport, no after school activities, only time to stay home and watch the news of what was happening. The days were long, and crisp - families were drawn together and neighbors began getting to know one another as we all drew together as a nation.

At the time, I lived near one of the largest Air Force Bases in the country ... this only added to the eeriness as we watched fighter jets fly over on routine patrols nearly every day ... for a moment - we were at war with something so foreign and unknown to our daily lives. Things have changed and, while we are still fighting, we no longer fear the unknown, because it has become known and we can better deal with it.

Daily we face things in our lives which are unknown. We must deal every day with the things that come along our paths, just as we dealt with the attack seven eight years ago. These are things which God uses to shape us when we allow Him to do so. Fear can be paralyzing, but God tells us that we are not to fear and that He is with us always. God was with each of us seven eight years ago, just as He is still with us today. Let this be a reminder to slow down, spend some time with family, and allow God to use the fears and hurts in your life to continue to shape you and mold you to be more like Him.

You Never Let Go

I was driving through the corn fields of Ohio last night and this song came on the radio.  Take a few minutes to listen to it before you read on :-)

As this song played I couldn't help but be taken back 3-4 years ago as the world I knew was falling apart.  The people whom I had trusted were no longer trustworthy and God seemed more distant than He ever had before.  Yet, through it all I remember singing this song ... over and over and over ... You never let go, You never let go, You never let go - at the time I felt as though God might have let go, yet I knew He says He won't ... what powerful words!  3-4 years later I can honestly say that God NEVER let go and as I look back over my life I can see His hand throughout it.  He has been holding me, carrying me, walking alongside me throughout EVERYTHING ... He has NEVER let go!

I want to begin adding a component to my blog.  I want to begin sharing ways that God has NEVER let go of me.  Throughout college I found myself "hiding" my story ... but what I was really doing was "hiding" God's Story.  So, I want to share my story in order to point you to Him because God hasn't let go of you either!  No matter what you're facing, what you've ben through, or what is around the next corner!  So, stay tuned as I hope to share my past present and future in an authentic way that honors God and points others to Him!

Wordless Wednesday

PhotoShoot - Engagement Pics

My brother and his fiance will be getting married in October.  We spent a few minutes on Labor Day in Clifton taking some engagement photos ... here's a few from the photo shoot...

RiverFest

I celebrated Labor Day Weekend in Cincinnati this year!  They have a HUGE party on the riverfront each year, complete with fireworks!  

I hope everyone had a great day off today!  I hate to say goodbye to summer, but at least it is followed by fall ... one of my favorite times of year!

Here's a few pics from last night...

Restavek

Restavek, in a word it means slave ... better defined it means child slave.  It is a situation in Haiti that is heartbreaking.  I heard a former Restavek speak about this at Crossroads in Cincinnati.  His story was heart-wrenching ... maybe more heart-wrenching - his attempts to get attention and help for Restaveks in Haiti are in some ways being ignored.  Lately, the national media has begun paying attention, which he hopes will provide additional help and relief to these precious children.

John-Robert shared his story about working for a family and being smuggled into the United States at 16 or 17 years old ... not sure when because he doesn't even know his date of birth, how old he is, who his parents are ... nothing.  This is the story of many children in Haiti - never having been touched in a loving way, cared for, or allowed to be a child.

Learn more about Restaveks and how you can be involved at www.restavekfreedom.org

PhotoShoot

I'm starting to get more into photography and eventually hope to do photo sessions as a side business.  I did my first photoshoot this past week with some close friends!  Their kids did outstanding and the pics turned out pretty good!  I'm excited to have begun building my portfolio :-)  Here's a sample of a few photos ...

The Buckeyes

THe Buckeyes are BACK ... so excited for this year's season!

AND ... Monday is FREE Chick-Fil-A Day when you wear your favorite team logo!!! 

What a GREAT weekend!

Stereotypes

Do you ever find yourself stereotyping someone because of where they live or what they do?  I find that sometimes it's easy to do ... it's kind of human nature ... to always be competing with and sizing up others.  I started really thinking about this a few days ago while I was walking through our new building.  

We're within months of opening a new Worship Center ... and it's starting to get exciting as we await it's opening.  Well, a few days ago the excitement got to a couple of us and we decided to go over to the construction site ... yes that would be the one we've been told to stay away from :-)  But, I mean ... it's so cool to see it before its done and the curiosity had us.  So off we trekked to the new building, finding the trailers and connecting with one of the foremen.  He was the head electrician on the project.

After finding a few hardhats he took us into the building ... and began to tell us a wealth of knowledge that I had no idea went into building projects!  This got me thinking about how many times I hear stereotypes about people who work in construction, but stop and think about all that goes into their job and how important it is.  It's not easy work ... AND ... you have to know your stuff!  Tony, began explaining to us all the different parts of the building and how the building has to go up in "layers" - one thing at a time - otherwise you can get ahead of yourself and have to undo work that has been done.

The planning and knowledge that had gone into this project by this one man was simply amazing ... and I learned much more about electricity and wires than I ever knew before!

So, thanks to all of you who serve in the field of construction ... your job is incredibly important!

Take the Field

Football Season begins on Saturday!  This weekend Buckeye fans will be cheering for the other team too!  Join Ohio State this season with their Take the Field Tribute to the Armed Services!

Wordless Wednesday