Speed With Direction...

I went to the Swiss Festival tonight. I got to go with two of my favorite people and we ate food that should only EVER be eaten once a year. This was only my second time to go. Last year, I went with my sister and saw only one other person I knew. This year was quite different.

I saw co-workers. I get to work with people that I really enjoy talking to out of the office.

I saw volunteers from Velocity. People that give up their time every week to impact kids lives.

I saw kids from Velocity. Kids so in love with Jesus that they entered the Talent Contest with a song from KidsStuf called "Hey God". (Brought home 2nd place too!)

This time last year, I knew a handful of people in Tuscarawas County. I walked through the crowd feeling a bit overwhelmed. Tonight I felt like a socialite. I knew people's faces and names and they know me. At NewPointe, we want people to be a part of a community. I'm so thankful that I get to be a part of that.

I was with Kevin West yesterday, getting ready for JumpStart, and we talked about how everything in nature tells of God's love for us. Well, I saw that evidence on Saturday. Walking through the woods and watching a sunset is like being in the middle of a gorgeous painting. I've put up a picture that I took this weekend. I'll have more as the fall rolls on. Where do you see the evidence of God?

If you live anywhere near Tuscarawas County, Ohio, then you've been able to enjoy some AMAZING weather. Low 80's with great breezes and those huge fluffy clouds. Picture perfect. I usually have Saturdays off and my favorite way to wake up is to the sound of birds chatting it up. The changing of seasons brings out changes in me as well. As much as I love summer and all the flurry of activity, I like that fall brings a slow down. People seem to take more time to "look" at all the trees changing color, stopping at roadside produce sales and cookouts are still happening.

My friend Sue commented on how she loves the colors of fall and that she loves to get out and paint them. I'm a bit envious of her talent. I can't paint more than one color at a time and don't even ask to see something that I've drawn! But...I do have the next best thing, a camera. Every fall I tell myself that I'm going to go out in the fall and capture some of God's beauty with my little digital camera. Every year, I let other things take priority. Not this year! This year I'm slowing down and taking time out to enjoy all that God's created. Spending time outside brings me even closer to Him. It's like enjoying a painting that He created just for me. Can't wait!

Just wanted to put out a reminder to all Velocity parents about JumpStart on the 23rd. In Family Life, we're all about helping kids grow in their walk with God. And we want the whole family in on the journey. This Sunday, we're offering a class for kids and their parents that will help explain the salvation message and how much God wants to be a part of their lives. It's from 6-7 pm in the KidStuf Theater and any K-4th grade child that has expressed an interest in accepting Christ, or would like to be baptized is encouraged to attend. Hope to see you there!

Thursday, Kevin West (my boss) and myself were able to get to a point that we've been working towards for over a month. We got two weeks out on scripts for KidStuf. That's the program we do at 10:10 and 12:10. We use curriculum from 252 Basics out of North Point Community Church in Atlanta.

Since the middle of August, we've been working on getting the scripts done ahead enough that other teams, like the prop and tech teams, can get ahead as well. It's not been easy to get here. And what we want is to not just stay ahead, but get even further out. To get to a point where the pressure is a bit less intense.

To do THAT, we're getting creative and script editing teams together. It's going to be fun. It's going to be an adventure. And I can't wait to be in a room full of people where the question isn't "what is our idea", but "which idea works the best". That's the beauty of doing things in community, and not all by yourself. Thanks in advance to the people who are going to lend their minds to the process. It'll be fun!

How many times a day do I ask God for something? Couldn't tell you. But I do know that I ask Him for stuff more times than I remeber to thank Him. Seems so unfair that most of the time my response to an answered prayer is a sigh of relief. I'm sure that God knows my meaning, the Bible says that He knows my needs before I even bring them to Him. But it's SO nice when some notices what I've done to help them. Surely God feels the same way. My thoughts today have been about what prayers have been answered lately in my life. What are my top 5 things I'm thankful for everyday?

1. My family: they know the REAL me and STILL love me.

2. My job: it is the job I've always wanted and I love it.

3. Co-Workers that care about me, as much as the job that I do.

5. Having a place to live and food to eat.

The most amazing thing...that the God that created the universe wants to have a relationship with me. He enjoys conversations and time spent together. That amazes me and it's the thing I'm the most thankful for that.

The kids in Velocity had a HUGE time last night. We (mostly Vern) threw a Kid's Carnival night and encouraged kids to invite their friends.

The whole weekend was beautiful here in Ohio. I had a lot of time to just think and enjoy hanging out with people. Looking back over the weekend, a lot happened and a lot of thoughts rolled around in my head. Here are the highlights.

1. Cornhole it an amazing game. It should be the official game of ALL cookouts.

2. I'd like to shake the hand of the person who invented wrapping a hotdog in bacon, and then cooking it in brown sugar. Pure genius.

3. I 'm addicted to adding logs on campfires. Wonder if there is a 12-step program for that.

4. I love long drives on back country roads.

5. Waking up to birds singing, rather than an alarm clock, is a WONDERFUL way to start the day. And it starts me off in a better mood.

6. I really like making lists.

7. The music at NewPointe blows me away. Both in "big" church and in KidStuf. Makes me even more excited to get to heaven, where the concert won't ever end.

8. Having my brother visit from Kentucky was fun. We got a great hour of tennis in. I've missed him since moving back home. Hope that he can come up again soon.

9. I LOVE to fish. Especially in a pond with tons of dumb fish. I've learned to take the hook off the fish, but only under these condition. It's not set too far into the fish, it's a bluegill, and the fish stays fairly still. I'm getting better. But there's room for improvement.

These are just a few of my thoughts from the weekend. Seems like I mostly just ate, slept, and tried to turn my mind off. I could think of far worse ways to spend my time.