Never Stop Laughing

John and I recently went with some of our friends to the Oregon Coast.

Hale volunteers in the same Ministry as I do.... and boy is he funny and fun to be around!

He and his wife surprised us with a fun filled day at the Oregon coast... we went to the light house, to the aquarium (almost got eaten my sharks....) and out to a wonderful dinner!

Hale even surprised me and said he and I  were going to make bread together! (Hale has made me bread in the past that is delicious...  and of course I always ask him what his secret is...) And now I know! Not only did he teach me how to bake his special bread, but we also had a lot of "hold on, I need to catch my breath" laughs during the baking lesson!

Hale inspires me.  He loves people.  He enjoys life. And as you will see in these pictures.... he never stops laughing!

Recently the kids at youth group dressed up like what they want to be when they grow up.   That night John said to me... "Oh man, I should have dressed up like Hale!"  

That makes me smile! I think we all should want to be like Hale when we grow up. 

Never Stop Laughing

Happy Easter

I snapped this photo a few weeks ago and decided to save it for my Easter day post. (Photos that require ZERO editing make me SO excited!)

I hope you all had a wonderful day.

 I had an absolutely wonderful time at my church service. I sat through one service and then volunteered in a 2 year old classroom for the second service.  Boy, are 2 year olds adorable, and boy, are 2 year olds a handful! 

Overall, I was left with a reminder of how much God loves us: God wants us to come to him just the way we are and accept His gift- a relationship with Jesus Christ! I am so thankful for this and my life would not be the same without it!

Happy Easter Everyone. It truly is a day to celebrate!

I Love my Ducks Basketball!

I LOVE spending time with these kiddos.  I LOVE Basketball.  I LOVE MY DUCKS.  

I LOVE OUR NEW MATT COURT!!

We recently took a group of kiddos to a basketball game... and wow.. I'm in love with this new arena!!

Check out this SICK court! 

And if you look closely you can see autzen stadium!

Can you see it now?

The court looks awesome in black and white!

You can take kids to basketball games, but you can't guarantee they will be entertained the whole time.....

Thanks everyone for a great time!

Forgiveness

I turned this plate into a sign a few months ago.  Forgiveness.  This word gives me a feeling of peace, because whenever I bring myself to forgive, a sense of true peace comes over me.  

Forgiveness sets the forgiver free. 

It sits on my desk in front of our large windows.  

That desk is a project I'll show later!  Stay tuned.....

(Thank you, Lauren, for the "B")

Friendship

 Tonight during our prayer and study time we talked about the need for women to be assertive in our actions,  words and care we show to our friends.  

If a friend is going through a hard time and says, "I'll be fine, don't worry about me." You should go and be with her.  

Carry the burdens of those going through hard times. This doesn't mean to make yourself so vulnerable to the pain of the other person that you become unable to function.  This means standing by them, supporting them, hurting with them. 

Do not give "quick fixes" to those going thought painful times.  Don't say, "all things work together for good".  This is the last thing someone wants to hear who has just lost a loved one. 

Ask them questions. Give them a hug. Write them a card. Show them you are there for them. Spend time with them doing NOTHING.  

Don't be fearful in friendships.  Give it your all. Don't worry about what the other person is thinking.  Look at their heart and show them they are cared for.  Everyone wants to be cared for.  Sometimes we are all too scared to take the first step of showing genuine care, that we wait to show it until someone gives it to us first.

Accept each other, show others you accept them.

Who will take the first step?  It's definitely worth it!

Take 5 to S.O.A.P

As a team, we talked and prayed about where the girls in our dorm need to be growing.  We collectively realized we want our girls to be engaged in an active relationship with God.  This means actually taking time to connect with him. In an attempt to make the feasible for busy schedules, we started a campaign in the dorm.  

TAKE 5 to S.O.A.P

S stands for Scripture

O stands for Observation

A stands for Application 

P stands for Prayer

HOW TO:

1)Take 5 minutes out of your schedule.

2) Read some verses from you Bible.

3) Write one verse down that stuck out to you. 

4) Write down your observations about the verse.

5) Write down how you will apply this to your life. 

6) Pray about it. (You can write down the prayer)

Here are some examples of how easy it is to take 5 minutes out of your day!

So I challenge you to take 5 out of your busy day.....  It's worth it.