Speed With Direction...

Just wanted to share a few pics from our first KidStuf from the 07-08 season. Kids have been talking about the kick-off weekend for the past month and you could FEEL the excitement. And no, the ghost noises that the kids made during the 10:10 were NOT planned. But they were funny!

There are so many people to thank for getting the job done. The cast, the tech team, KidStuf dancers and coaches, production team, crowd control, host teams, director and Bubba Joe (I think). And I know there are people I've missed, but know that without you, KidStuf couldn't happen. So hats off to you all! You really stepped it up this weekend.

If you haven't come to KidStuf, then you're missing out big time. It's not just for families with kids either! Anyone is welcome to come and watch. The virtues that we talk about are not just for kids. I can't tell you how many times they've hit home for me. Especially this past month's virtue of Trust. The September virtue will be revealed this weekend. If you miss it, you're missing out on a great time of worship, learning, and just plain old fun.

Have you ever had SO much to do, SO much to get your head around, that you don't know where to begin? That's where I am today. After a really long week, my body feels rested but my brain is still a bit on the mushy side. Anybody got a cure for that? I feel like everytime I walk into a room, look at a book, or talk to someone, twelve new tasks pop into my head.

I think I need to attach my "to-do" list straight to my forehead. Problem solved.

This summer, it was boys vs girls in Velocity. We presented the kids with a challenge. "Let's see who can bring in the most offering from June to August 19th". The winners get a prize.

At first, the pennies came trickling in. One week in and both groups had WAY under $10 in their containers. But about the beginning of July, it all changed. Kids started asking their parents, grandparents and I'm sure anyone walking down the halls, for offering money. Two weekends ago we hit $110 for both services.

So what was the results? In total, we collected $526 for the summer! Can you believe it? Vern and I were so proud and amazed at the dedication of the kids. And I've heard two stories that stuck with me. One family told me that their kids always puts 10% of their allowance aside for church, 10% for saving and the rest they can use at the store. Well, for a few weeks now, they have been taking some of their store money to church as well! Another little girl was getting ready to enter the Theater on Sunday, when she turned and ran back to her Mom. But it wasn't because she was upset, she had forgotten to get her offering money! What an example.


We're continuing the competition into the fall and it'll be room vs room. Winning room for each month will get donuts and juice the following Sunday. And for the record, the boys won the summer competition by $4.00. So close girls! (BUT everyone got a prize.) The real winners? The three kids that Velocity sponsors. There are two boys from Haiti, and a girl in India. I've posted their pictures on the side of the blog so that kids can be reminded of who they are helping. Because of the kids efforts in Velocity, these three kids are able to go to school and get an education. How cool is that!

Right now, I'm sitting in my living room with some girls from my 3rd grade small group. We are having a slumber party to watch the premire of High School Musical 2. It's been wild, it's been loud, and I'm sure my neighbors were wondering why we were counting down to 8:00pm. But it's here and the girls are in total silence. I can even hear the locusts.

If you haven't seen it, wait until you're around a bunch of grade level girls. The response is the same, AUGGGGHHHHH! ZAC IS SO CUTE! But really as movies go, it has a nice story and pretty good music. We've got pizza, chips, cookies and soda. And the girls are feeling they can stay up all night. We'll see. I'm pretty sure I won't make it much past 12. That's about the time my carriage turns back into a pumpkin.

Who are the kids in your life? Are they your own kids, nieces, nephews, or some kids down the street? Whoever they are, getting involved in their life can make a huge impact. Know what they are into, who they admire and what they are watching. Just being able to talk to them about things that they care about can be a start. You never know, YOU might be the one to have a houseful of kids for High School Musical 3...(you know they'll make another one.)

Took a vacation day yesterday and it couldn't have been nicer. I got to enjoy doing things I usually put off, and didn't have to go far to do them. Here's a short list.

1. Didn't get out of my PJ's until 11:00 (and got up at 8:30)
2. Watched "Cash in the Attic" on BBC America. One of my favorite shows.
3. Didn't touch a hairdryer, let the sun dry my hair for me.
4. Started and finished 3 new books. All fiction and pretty good.
5. Went to the library and picked up books on hold and reserved more!
6. Got a milkshake at DQ. Cherry is the best.
7. Spent most of the day soaking up the sun.

If you had a day, all to yourself at home, what would you do?

I celebrated an anniversary on Aug. 3rd. One year ago, I left Kentucky to move back to Ohio. At the time, it was HUGE step of faith. Sure, I was moving back to an area that I grew up in, and back near most of my family. On the other hand, I was leaving the place I'd spent my entire adult life. A place that I had grown to love and a job that was secure and way too much fun. My last day at pre-school was the first (and I hope only) time I have cried the ENTIRE day. There was so much change going on at the time, it was a bit much to take in. Here are just some of the challenges and changes that came during the next two months.

1. Drove to and from Rhode Island to bury my grandparents, who passed away within 5 months of each other
2. Went back to Lexington with my parents to load up my townhome
3. On the way down, found out that the sale of the townhome fell through
4. Worked on getting the purchase of my house here finalized
5. Still didn't know about my job status at NewPointe
6. Left behind three friends that I could talk to open and honestly

Now this wasn't a "whoa is me" time. But it was a time where I had to trust God for more than just green lights on the way to Target. I had to trust with big stuff. This blog is a bit selfish. I wanted to make sure I didn't forget God's faithfulness in every detail of my life. For those two months, I spent a lot of time with just Him, because He was, and is, the only thing that never changed. I have a verse, Lamentations 3:24, hanging in my office, and it's one of my favorite. It says "The Lord is my portion, therefore I will wait on Him". It's even better in the Message translation. It simply says, "I'm sticking with God". No exceptions or excuses. I hope that I've done that this past year, but most of all, I'm thankful that God was sticking with me.

I love to read, as I mentioned in my 8 random things post. But until I came on staff here, I hadn't read a lot of non-fiction. Some Max Lucado, Purpose Driven Life, stuff like that. But not much. I'm much more a fiction reader. And don't ask me to narrow down a certain type of fiction. I enjoy almost everything out there.

One non-fiction book that I have been re-reading is a really short, really great book by Mike Breaux. I got this book last fall, when a friend of mine sent it up from Kentucky. My old church had got a jump start on the release date because Breaux is the former senior pastor there. He's now a teaching pastor up at Willow but I got to know him during the time he was in Lexington. Let me just say, if you ever get a chance to hear him speak, take it! He is a great speaker, very relevant! Anyway the book...

It's called Making Ripples, and it's all about how everything we do, can and does affect someone else. It's a little book that has a BIG message. The second time around a section jumped out at me. Breaux talks about a researcher who asked a group of 95 year old men and women to look back and reflect on their lives. They were asked, "If you had it to do all over again, what would you do differently?" In short, here were their answers.

1. We would reflect more-slow down and savor the moments
2. We'd risk more- go out on a limb
3. We'd do something with our lives that would live on long after we're dead and gone

I want to make sure that I don't come to the end of my journey without making some ripples and making a difference. There's more good stuff in the book, (including an amazing ripple in Breaux's life) but you'll have to read that yourself. If you've got an hour, grab this book off a shelf and dive in. Start making some ripples!