In an effort to get myself on a regular blogging schedule again, I’m going to start posting something that makes me smile every Wednesday. It might be a song, a story, a joke … today it’s a video. This was on Jay Leno’s show last night and I had to find it on youtube to watch it again. Instant smile.

Sorry for the blog silence. SO MUCH has happened in the last month. I’ll try to sum it up.

I’ll share the best news first … on November 14, surrounded by our immediate families, our closest friends, and a couple of turtles, Tim and I made our life long commitment to each other.  The Lord blessed with an absolutely gorgeous day!

We were successful in keeping things small, simple and focused on God. I walked in to the Mario Kart Love Song and less than 7 minutes later, we were husband and wife.

We are so blessed!

You can see the rest of the pictures HERE.

We had a wonderful honeymoon in Lake Placid, took a few extra days off to get settled in at home and had a quiet Thanksgiving together. Married life is good!

Now for the rest of it.

When the church’s 2010 budget was released earlier this year, my position was not in it. The church is in the midst of a very difficult time financially (as so many are) and there was just no way for them to keep me on staff. Since August there have been many discussions and attempts to find a way for me to stay but it just wasn’t in God’s plan.  My position officially ends on December 31.

I have spent these months seeking God’s will for my life.  It has been a time of grieving over leaving the church I love, worrying about our finances for the new year, trying to answer the questions of my students when they ask me what’s going to happen after I leave … it has been a chaotic and unsettling season.

But a week ago today, God started to reveal His plan.

In January, I will be transitioning into para-church ministry right here, in the community I love and have served these past 5+ years. I will be able to stay connected to my students and will have the opportunity to connect with many more as I shift from church based ministry to community based ministry.  I have my sights set on an empty building right in town that would make a great youth center. I will continue the Tuesday night Rec program and Haven (the middle school after school program).   I have worked closely with the pastors who serve on the Fellowship of Churches and their support has been invaluable!  I will continue to work with them to support youth ministry across the community and transition ‘outreach’ students into healthy, active youth groups.

God is good to me.  I’m excited about this next chapter. I can’t wait to see what He has planned!

I would ask for your prayers as Tim and I make this transition.  As is common in para church ministry, I will be raising my own support.  While this is a nerve wracking step to take, I’m confident it’s the one I’m called to and that the Lord will provide.  Also, we will both be working from home – which will be interesting – because home is a small one bedroom apartment. We’re going to need some intense creativity when I start moving all my stuff home from my office.

But hey, we’re newlyweds.  We don’t mind being close together.

Gavin just posted this on twitter and it really spoke to my soul.

Lord, You have always given
bread for the coming day;
and though I am poor,
today I believe.

Lord, You have always given
strength for the coming day;
and though I am weak,
today I believe.

Lord, You have always given
peace for the coming day;
and though of anxious heart,
today I believe.

Lord, You have always kept
me safe in trials;
and now, tried as I am,
today I believe.

Lord, You have always marked
the road for the coming day;
and though it may be hidden,
today I believe.

Lord, You have always lightened
this darkness of mine;
and though the night is here,
today I believe.

This is a video we showed at our church for Children’s Day. So much fun!!

I’m so thankful for the opportunity to be a witness to God’s work.   I have seen too many wonderful things during my time in ministry to even begin to list them here.

This past weekend, Nick was baptized.  There have been 3 students from our Rec program baptized in the past year. Being a part of these important days has been my biggest honor and most humbling experience in ministry so far.

We met Nick through our Rec program at the school. He was actually there before I was. He’s been coming since he was a middle school student.   (He’s begins his junior year next week)

We have been honored to watch Nick accept Christ, we’ve been privileged to have him join our JUSTIFIED crew and get plugged into a small group and we are blessed to have him on the drums during our morning worship services. He is a remarkable young man and we are all blessed to know him.  We all (our church family) love him. About 30 people showed up at the lake at 8:00 on a chilly morning.  7 went into the water.  Nick couldn’t believe so many people were there to support him. There’s no doubt that WE were the ones who were blessed.

God does amazing things in our midst every day. And those of us in youth ministry get to be front and center for so many of those things.   I can’t imagine doing anything else with my life.

Here are a few of my favorite pictures from Sunday.

Congratulations, Nick. We are all SO proud of you and feel honored to call you a part of our family.

Ok, so things are still crazy. I have no idea what’s going to happen with my job and my apartment is in shambles. Tim moved out of his apartment over the weekend. He’s staying with friends until the wedding and all of his stuff is piled up in my apartment. Once we sort it and get it organized/put away it won’t be so bad but right now I can’t get to my stove and I have to move boxes to sleep in my bed. Insanity. I CAN still get to my coffeepot so all is not lost.

So yes, on the surface, it looks like things are absolutely out of control. But because God is so good to me, I’m feeling much better. I know we’ll get a handle on the chaos in the apartment and I know that whatever happens at work, God will see me through.

So I’ve picked this out as my theme song for the week

Here are the lyrics:

“Pressing On”

I think we’re going somewhere.
We’re on to something good here.
Out of mind, out of state.
Trying to keep my head on straight.
I think we’re going somewhere.
We’re on to something good here.
There’s only one thing left to do.
Drop all I have and go with you.

[Chorus:]
Somewhere back there I left my worries all behind.
My problems fell out of the back of my mind.
We’re going and I’m never knowing (never knowing) where we’re going.
To go back to where I was would just be wrong.
I’m pressing on.
Pressing on, all my distress is going, going, gone. (pressing on, pressing on)
And I won’t sit back, and take this anymore.
‘Cause I’m done with that, I’ve got one foot out the door.
And to go back where I was would just be wrong
I’m pressing on.

I think we’re going somewhere.
We’re on to something good here.
Out of mind, out of state.
Trying to keep my head on straight.
I think we’re going somewhere.
We’re on to something good here.
Adversity, we get around it.
Searched for joy, in you I found it.

You look down on me, but you don’t look down on me at all.
You smile and laugh, and I feel the love you have for me.
I think we’re going somewhere.
We’re on to something good here, and we’re gonna make it after all.

HAVE A GREAT WEEK EVERYONE!!

I just wanted to take a moment to reflect on this awesome time in my life.  It’s been almost 2 months since Tim proposed to me. We are really enjoying being engaged. I’m realizing more and more that we’re one of those irritating couples that can’t stop staring at each other and smile all the time.  It’s disgusting.

We’ve spent these last two months planning our wedding and dreaming about our life together.

Next week we get to start celebrating with our families and friends. It starts with a trip to Albany for a bridal shower hosted by Tim’s mom and a party with a bunch of his friends. The following weekend is a girls night with a bunch of friends including one who’s also getting married this fall.  Then comes the shower hosted by my mom. Before we know it, it will be November and we’ll be standing in front of God and our families, promising to be faithful to each other forever.

Anyone who’s frustrated by being single will want to punch me square in the mouth for saying this (I know because I was one of you a year ago) … but this man, the one God designed to be my mate … was absolutely, positively worth the wait.

And I can’t wait to be his bride.

Things in my life have been way too serious lately.

So here you go. Enjoy!

This has been a difficult week. I’ve been faced with the news that the church I work for and love is in the middle of a serious financial crisis. One of the possible effects of this crisis is that my position may be cut.  Anyone who follows this blog knows how much I truly love the people I serve. It breaks my heart that this is even a discussion … but it is.

There’s a hope that things will turn around so that I can stay but that will need to happen very quickly and dramatically.

I am doing my best to trust in God during this time. Tim and I are talking through what the future might look like if my position is cut and we truly believe that if that’s God’s will, He has something else waiting for me.  Something awesome.

This situation has reminded me of something I had forgotten. This ministry is not mine. These students aren’t mine. They belong to God. He loves them way more than I am even capable of.  It has been a privilege to be a part of their lives these last several years and I’m sure I’ll be blessed by them in the years to come if I’m able to stay.

But either way, God will still be God.

I posted this piece of scripture as my facebook status this morning:
“I have set the LORD always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken.”- Psalm 16:8

My cousin, who has a lot of questions about faith and church, left this comment: Does this mean that if you are falling you put your hands out and they go before you to break your fall???

I’ve never thought of that scripture in exactly that way but her interpretation is exactly what I needed to see in that verse today. I do feel like I’m kind of like I’m in a free fall with everything that’s going on right now. There is great comfort in knowing that God is reaching out ahead of me to break my fall.

Do you ever wonder if your familiarity with scripture is getting in the way of God speaking to you through it?  I quoted that verse this morning knowing 100% that it’s true … but it took someone who isn’t familiar with it to give me the reassurance I really needed to hear.