Ok, so it's been two years sense I've blogged. I'm horrible at this! And I'm especially horrible at social media.
I think about this blog a lot. I think of things I want to write or pictures I want to post. The same goes for facebook and twitter. I think about them a lot but never really do anything about it.
My friend Sara has an awesome blog and she's recommended a few for me to follow. I really enjoy them and have high hopes of joining the social media train again.
We'll see how this goes....
I now work at Grace Orlando. It's a portable church that meets at Edgewater High School. I've been working there for the past 6 months and I love it!!! Although, it did take me a while.
I had no intentions of leaving First Christian. I loved the church and the people. Although I felt a spirit of discontent. I felt like God was trying to tell me something and I couldn't hear him. I eventually took a week off of work and went on a "spiritual retreat." I spent the whole week in prayer and reading my Bible-- asking God to reveal his plan for my life. When I came back, I received several job offers.
I accepted the job at Grace Orlando, and I must say it is the hardest decision I've ever had to make. I didn't want to leave the relationships I had a FCCO. I turned down several jobs to work with and for some really good friends and spiritual mentors. I knew God was calling me to Grace.
When you follow God's calling, you think everything is going to be easy. That everything will fall into place and rainbows and unicorns will follow you everywhere you go. This did not happen at Grace. I felt like I walked into a tornado. Before I even had a chance to learn people's names, the church decided to change locations and I had three months to get everything ready and train my team.
It was a super crazy time and I must admit, I am not proud of how I acted or what came out of me when I was bumped. I really do think God brought me here to break me. I was on a high horse and he knocked me down. I had learned to be dependent on myself and not on him. And when I knew I had to depend on him, I dug my heals in the ground and just willed myself to work harder. I am so dumb. I feel like the sheep caught in the torn bush and the Shepherd is trying to help me out. Instead I don't allow him and get myself caught deeper over and over again. Constantly, hurting myself. I lived in that thorn bush for about five months. I'm sad to admit it and I look back in shame.
However, once I moved out of that self-pitty. I realized how much I loved Grace. I mean I liked it through all the hard times....but it was my job and not my church home. I now absolutely LOVE it! This is my church and many have become like family. I love everyone on staff and we have a freaking awesome family ministry team! Everyone has an amazing heart to serve Christ and no one is better than anyone else.
The thing I love the most is this isn't a job for anyone on staff. This is a ministry to reach people for Christ and help them take their next steps towards him. No one's specialized ministry is more important and everyone is willing to help wherever needed.
This has been a very humbling six months. But I know, I am exactly where I need to be, in the center of God's will. It's the hardest, exciting, scariest, thing I've ever been a part of and I can't wait to see what He's going to do.
Friday, July 1, 2011
Sunday, December 7, 2008
The Animals of Orlando
Ok, so Orlando is a big city right? I mean it's not as big as New York, LA, or Las Vegas....but it's a fairly big city. So I live in the Downtown area of Orlando. You'd expect large buildings, buses, stores, etc. Well, I have been very surprised by the amount of animals I have run into in Orlando!
Here's a turtle I found in the church parking lot! I named him Timmy. However, I did make Shan pick him up and put him in our church retention pond so he wouldn't get run over by a car.
So I'm at the Super Target near the mall of Mellnia and I'm loading some stuff in my car. As I look down, there is a giant white duck by my foot! It totally freaked me out! So I turned around and there was whole family of white ducks just walking around in the parking lot....is this normal? We're in the middle of the city people. You know you're big time when there is an IKEA down the street!
Also this surprized me the most! Peacocks! Yes they are everywhere here! I've almost hit two already with my car because they just walk out into the road. I thought you could only see peacocks at the zoo!
Last but not least, we have black swans! I thought they only came in white, it was a delightful discovery.
Here's a turtle I found in the church parking lot! I named him Timmy. However, I did make Shan pick him up and put him in our church retention pond so he wouldn't get run over by a car.
So I'm at the Super Target near the mall of Mellnia and I'm loading some stuff in my car. As I look down, there is a giant white duck by my foot! It totally freaked me out! So I turned around and there was whole family of white ducks just walking around in the parking lot....is this normal? We're in the middle of the city people. You know you're big time when there is an IKEA down the street!
Also this surprized me the most! Peacocks! Yes they are everywhere here! I've almost hit two already with my car because they just walk out into the road. I thought you could only see peacocks at the zoo!
Last but not least, we have black swans! I thought they only came in white, it was a delightful discovery.
A Season of Change
Ok, I haven't actually written anything meaningful on here in a while! Life has been crazy over the last 8 months. I feel like I just moved to Orlando yesterday. This is just a really weird time in my life. I'm starting to feel more like a "grown-up" but yet I still act like I'm 12 :o) It's been hard leaving all the people in Jacksonville and adjusting to my new life in Orlando. But I'm loving it.
It's totally different then I thought it was going to be, I'm learning a lot about myself and a lot about ministry. I'm feeling like this is my first year of ministry ever and I'm making so many mistakes. It's weird going from a team of three elementary directors, a family ministry staff of ten, full cleaning crew, tons of volunteers, and a large staff to being the Children's Minister at a small church. Although I really feel like God has me right were He wants me.
I spoke at a retreat in October and the whole theme was "The Harvest is ready." The first night, I talked about how we gather the harvest in the fall which is the season of change and how we need change in our lives. If we never go through change then we're never growing. Change may hurt but it shapes and molds us into who we are and builds our character.
Right now, I'm in my season of change. I can feel God humbling me, molding me, and shaping me into the person He wants me to be. I feel like the last year has been trial and error. I've learned a ton of lessons over the past 12 months. I've learned not to do everything by myself. I need to depend on God more. I've learned that I love living by myself - I was so afraid. I love cities. I love meeting new people. I love watching God take my messes and use them for His glory. I've learned I need to work less and serve more. I've also learned not to live life playing defence but to now take the lead and go offensive!
I'm changing and God is shaping me and I can't wait to see what this next season holds!
It's totally different then I thought it was going to be, I'm learning a lot about myself and a lot about ministry. I'm feeling like this is my first year of ministry ever and I'm making so many mistakes. It's weird going from a team of three elementary directors, a family ministry staff of ten, full cleaning crew, tons of volunteers, and a large staff to being the Children's Minister at a small church. Although I really feel like God has me right were He wants me.
I spoke at a retreat in October and the whole theme was "The Harvest is ready." The first night, I talked about how we gather the harvest in the fall which is the season of change and how we need change in our lives. If we never go through change then we're never growing. Change may hurt but it shapes and molds us into who we are and builds our character.
Right now, I'm in my season of change. I can feel God humbling me, molding me, and shaping me into the person He wants me to be. I feel like the last year has been trial and error. I've learned a ton of lessons over the past 12 months. I've learned not to do everything by myself. I need to depend on God more. I've learned that I love living by myself - I was so afraid. I love cities. I love meeting new people. I love watching God take my messes and use them for His glory. I've learned I need to work less and serve more. I've also learned not to live life playing defence but to now take the lead and go offensive!
I'm changing and God is shaping me and I can't wait to see what this next season holds!
Wednesday, September 3, 2008
Monday, June 16, 2008
Monday, June 9, 2008
I Love My Volunteers!
Hey! So we're doing a six week Wednesday Night Program called Summer Camp! It's so fun and so messy! I'll post more on that later. But some of my volunteers were having so much fun they decided to do a little dance :o)
Thursday, June 5, 2008
The joys of working at an old church!
Wow! It has been forever sense I posted! I've been really busy and having lots of fun! And being really stressed out because I started and planned to much stuff :o) But it's awesome. As I've been doing some cleaning around the church property and organizing stuff, I've found some really amazing things! Things worthy of taking pictures because no one will believe me!
One of the first rooms I decided to clean out was the Resource Room. Here are some pictures of what it looked like before:
And after I have all my new bins organized and label I'll show you my progress pictures.
But here are some of the things I've found!
This is a box of old Bible stories with record soundtracks....I don't even remember the last time I saw a record! Let alone listen to one. This is just a Sunday School classic!
Um, I didn't realize that Jesus had a tv through which He taught HIs disciples?
I also found this Bible story Album! It's great! If you look closely at the cover of the album you can see the Bible School Teacher teaching the little children about Jesus and they sit in awe!!!! I don't think I've ever seen a projector that takes old film like this. I feel like I've been digging around in some old movie theather and I've found some lost film!
Hey look you can see the pictures!
And I totally forgot about Peaches music store! Do these still exist? I loved that store!
And this tape was copyrighted the year I was Born!
If anything ever says "As Seen on TV" it's probably not a good idea....
And I'm pretty sure this is the hymnal book the disciples used!
And these are the orginal communion cups the church used when it first started!!!! They would put the grape juice in the silver pitcher thing and then I guess they would pass the cups around to the congregation? Sean like the call them the "Holy Grail."
Lol, I've had a lot of fun finding all this old stuff and really learning the history of FCCO. I may make fun of it, but I do think it's important to remember where you came from. These are the people that have built the foundation of FCCO and withouth them we'd have nothing--even if they did drink out of the holy grail! God is good!
Thank you God for projectors, old film slides, silver cups, and dust! You are so good and we know that through you all things are possible! That we don't have to have the latest and greatest technology, we just need to put you first and watch the ordinary become extraordinary!
One of the first rooms I decided to clean out was the Resource Room. Here are some pictures of what it looked like before:
And after I have all my new bins organized and label I'll show you my progress pictures.
But here are some of the things I've found!
This is a box of old Bible stories with record soundtracks....I don't even remember the last time I saw a record! Let alone listen to one. This is just a Sunday School classic!
Um, I didn't realize that Jesus had a tv through which He taught HIs disciples?
I also found this Bible story Album! It's great! If you look closely at the cover of the album you can see the Bible School Teacher teaching the little children about Jesus and they sit in awe!!!! I don't think I've ever seen a projector that takes old film like this. I feel like I've been digging around in some old movie theather and I've found some lost film!
Hey look you can see the pictures!
And I totally forgot about Peaches music store! Do these still exist? I loved that store!
And this tape was copyrighted the year I was Born!
If anything ever says "As Seen on TV" it's probably not a good idea....
And I'm pretty sure this is the hymnal book the disciples used!
And these are the orginal communion cups the church used when it first started!!!! They would put the grape juice in the silver pitcher thing and then I guess they would pass the cups around to the congregation? Sean like the call them the "Holy Grail."
Lol, I've had a lot of fun finding all this old stuff and really learning the history of FCCO. I may make fun of it, but I do think it's important to remember where you came from. These are the people that have built the foundation of FCCO and withouth them we'd have nothing--even if they did drink out of the holy grail! God is good!
Thank you God for projectors, old film slides, silver cups, and dust! You are so good and we know that through you all things are possible! That we don't have to have the latest and greatest technology, we just need to put you first and watch the ordinary become extraordinary!
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