Retreat Week...

• A week of a million to-do's and never enough time...
• A week of excitement and exhaustion...
• A week of a stressed-out Type A youth pastor and a narcoleptic husband...
• A week of last minute practices and long car rides...
• A week of a stressed-out perfectionistic volunteer and an insomniac wife...
• A week of everything taking longer than your most educated estimates...
• A week of life-falshing-before-your-eyes car swerving to avoid a sauntering herd of deer, followed closely by a freakishly large fowl...
• A week of struggling to keep a good balance and a correct focus...
• A week of big disappointments and frustrations...
• A week of figurative curveballs and exercises in flexibility...

My list could go on and on and on... And I'm sure I could make an equally tiring list about the week after a retreat! (But, I'll probably be too tired! lol.) So - if its so crazy and hectic and exhausting... is it really worth it???

Undoubtably and unequivically ~ YES! I can't explain it all and my words would not give it justice. But, for us - we spend 3 days and 2 nights building into our teen-agers and sharing Jesus with them. The very kids that we cry for, pray over, celebrate with, and yell at on a regular basis. The kids that absorb our passion and zeal on a weekly basis. The kids and families that we have been called to shepherd spiritually and occasionally emotionally, physically, and mentally. These kids are the burden God has laid on our hearts and the reason we get out of bed in the morning.

Can't wait until tomorrow.

fantasy football

today i embarked on some new territory for me...and to be honest i'm not sure how i feel about it. after church some of the guys in the youth group wanted me in on their fantasy football league (probably for the same reason that varsity players like playing with jv students lol). today was the draft and i picked some people that i've heard of before, and others that i just trusted the good people at espn for. the interesting thing...and i'm not so sure this is a good thing or not...is a lot of my picks wear eagles jerseys, and though i'm biased to them, when forming a fantasy team i'm not sure that's the best route to take right now... but, we shall see... to be honest, i'm not even sure how these things work and i'm thinking i'm gonna be getting really embarrassed this season!

baptism celebration

woke up this morning - like any saturday morning - wanting to do absolutely nothing and just stay in bed. it's been a tiring and exhausting week and with the retreat happening next wednesday thru friday, i know that a week from now we'll be feeling even more drained. and that's when the battle began. in my schedule today was an "optional" event - i knew it'd be good to be at it, but i really didn't want to show up. but i'm so glad we made the trip (even though we were 15 minutes late!). we attended our first baptism celebration at lakeshore today, and it was so refreshing to hear the stories of 9 people who's lives have been radically changed because of Christ! stories of people involved in destructive lifestyles, pursuing money, chasing happiness, chained to alcohol, addicted to sex, abusive relationships...and then finally at a point in time God ARRESTED them and changed their lives forever! that's what it's all about! no question about it...that's what it's all about - and i'm so glad we were reminded of that today!

Old???

Teen to another Teen: "We are the only young ones on stage... everyone else is old!"
Me (very incredulously): "Are you calling me old???"
Teen: "Well, um... you aren't one of us anymore!"


Adult to Me: "As a 32 year old,..."
Me: "Excuse me, Did you just call me 32? I think I'll take that as a compliment since everyone always says I look younger than I am... like 18 instead of 25!"
Adult: "Well, you definitely DON'T look 18 anymore!"

And then ... that which I've been finding for awhile, but trying to pass off as lighter blond highlights... nope, no more... (though Cory acts like his life is on the line when I shove my head in his face for him to inspect - so according to him, I don't have any **** hairs) But, I'll let you decide...
"The glory of young men is their strength, gray hair the splendor of the old." ~Proverbs 20:29

So, my strength & glory might be diminishing... but WATCH OUT! because the splendor of the old is coming quick!

5th cup of coffee

right now i'm drinking my 5th cup of coffee for today. either it's been 'one of those days' or i have a problem...or both. yeah...both...but it certainly was one of those days. a great day actually - a day that reminded us anew what's important in life as we helped a hurting friend and their family pace through some pretty heavy waters. thankful for God's providence, His convincing presence, and for the fact that He never leaves us hanging. thankful for all the individuals that breathed life into my broken soul through the years and that He's opened doors for us to be able to breathe life into others.