First let me start by saying Happy Father’s Day to all my daddy readers.

My husband is the most wonderful father in the world…besides my own dad! (I’m a bit biased, I know).

Today’s service was such a beautiful service!  Worship was wonderful, I was able to worship with my oldest son.  What a great feeling.  He’s learning still, but I see it starting to click (Worship, that is).

Speaking of my son, today was “Move Up Sunday” where all the kids move to the next grade level at church.  Michael goes from the Pre-teen (Grapple), to the Jr. High class (Rush, I think it’s called)…and then starts KAOS (the Jr/Sr High youth group).  I don’t remember him growing up like this, but I guess that’s what happens…I mean, he will be 12 in a couple weeks!

Anyway, back to church.  After worship, we had a special music…it doesn’t happen too often, and when it does, the special music always seems to be so beautifully sang!  A gentleman of our church sang Steven Curtis Chapman’s Cinderella.  I sat there and listened as tears sprang up in my eyes…it was just so beautiful!

Then they played a video…it was great, God’s Love Letter, I wanted to share it with my readers…I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

FYI…all local readers, come visit  The River Church next week for a Night of Worship…I’m sure it will be awesome!

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Have you ever thought about those people that shaped your life?

A couple days ago, I found the man that pastored the church I grew up in.  After talking with him, I realized how much this man has helped shaped my life in the way that it is now.  He was there during the impressionable part of my life…those teenage years.  He made Catechism class fun.  One joke he told that stood out (and I have no idea why) was…

Why is there a fence around the graveyard?

People are dying to get in!

That quirky sense of humor made the class fun. Youth Group trips were always so much fun…even if I did sit in the lodge while everyone else went skiing.  The top of that list would have to be the time we went to Church Camp as a youth group to work.  We painted each other the cabins and played in the mud…it was one of the messiest best times of my life!

God has a way of using people to help shape the lives of others.

Who has shaped your life?  I want to know!

Filed under: Emotions, Friends | 3 Comments »

A Woman Inispired Online Conference: Ministry Online began today.  4 wonderful woman spoke today about different aspects of having an Online Ministry.  Karla Porter, Leigh Gray, Tracy Jackson, and Alyssa Advant.

First there was Karla Porter who talked about Social Media and your Ministry. She talked about how to use Social Media in your Ministry.  I already use some social media, however, I’m not using it to the potential that I could be using it.  I’ve got some work ahead of me to see what exactly I’m going to be using it for.

Followed by Leigh Gray on Spilling the Beans and the Motives attached.  The things she said in her talk that really struck me was being Honest and really knowing what my motives are behind each  blog I write.  Above all, prayer before writing…putting God at the forefront of what I write so that His Word comes forth and touches the lives of those that I am trying to reach.

After Leigh came Tracy Jackson on Mommytography.  Oh how I loved this talk!  If you’ve followed me for very long at all, you know it is my dream to one day open my own photography studio.  To sit and listen to someone talk about how to take photos…ahhh…it was heaven to me!   Time to pull out that camera manual and read it again!  I don’t know why I never thought about highlighting the manual, but what a great idea!  I tried to just read it and remember it…why?  I can use it as a reference each time I play around with my camera!

The final conference for the day was by Alyssa Advant on Finding Your Passion.  What great insight on how to find out what your passion, your destiny is!  How your passion is drawn from your personality and your gifts!

I learned so much today, I feel God teaching me things already about what I’ve heard.  I can’t wait for the next 3 days of conferences!!

Schedule for the next 3 days…

Day 2, Amy Bayliss, Maria Reyes-McDavis, Dawn Camp, and Darcy will be speaking

Amy Bayliss will be speaking on Split Decisionz: How To Give Your Blog A Facelift

Maria Reyes-McDavis will be speaking on Biblical Principles for Social Media Success: A Complete Starter’s Guide to Marketing Your Business, Ministry, or Personal Brand

Dawn Camp will be speaking on Facebook: Inside & Out

Darcy will be speaking on Okay So I Have A Blog, Now What?

Day 3, Leah Adams, Mary Snyder, Kristen Schiffman, and Carrie McGinty

Leah Adams will be speaking on ‘I Did It My Way’ Is Never the Best Way!!

Mary Snyder will be speaking on Facebook Friends, Twitter Tweets, and Blogging Buddies: The Blessings of Online Friendships

Kristen Schiffman will be speaking on Embedding Excellence

Carrie McGinty will be speaking on Does Your website/blog reflect who you are? Does it catch your audiences’ attention?

And Day 4, Sara Martin, Genikwa Williams, and The Amies (Amy Bayliss and Amy Stults)

Sara Martin will be speaking on He Knows Your Words!

Genikwa Williams will be speaking on Touching Lives Online: The Power of Social Media to Minister

The Amies will be speaking on Starting Your Ministry From Scratch w/ Full Q&A

Filed under: A Woman Inspired, It's a GOD thing, Ministry | 2 Comments »

If you follow me on Twitter or Facebook, you know that I have been asking for prayers for my dad who has been sick.

My dad has Chronic Kidney Disease. He is a diabetic whose kidneys are failing. I have decided to begin posting about his Road to a Kidney.

Feel free to follow along in our story. I will give you background on my dad so that you all can be a part of what we are all going through.

Prayers are always welcomed and we love hearing from you.

Filed under: Emotions, Family, Kidney Transplant | 1 Comment »

A few months back I had briefly mentioned another ministry that God has been laying before me.  I had no idea then exactly where things were leading, but I’m starting to get a fuller direction as to what that may be.  I’m not quite ready to fill you all in yet, but in time, I will.

Just know that I have been searching more now to find that purpose, that destiny that God has in store for me.  I’m striving to find out exactly what it is and then strive forward in that ministry.

There are things that have sort of “fallen” into my lap (so to speak) that seem to be leading in the same direction as what God is calling me to do.  It’s exciting!  I haven’t been more egar to get involved than I am right now.  It’s scary to me to not know exactly what it is, but I know that God will take care of that, in time.

I know there isn’t much information here to go on and it’s like telling you “I’ve got a secret, but I can’t tell you”…it’s frustrating…but hang in there.  I will share it with you, once I am fully aware of what all is involved!

Prayers are always appreciated!!

Filed under: It's a GOD thing, Ministry | 3 Comments »

Just wanted to wish all of my mommy readers a wonderful Mother’s Day!

Filed under: Holiday | 1 Comment »

Leigh from Speaking Thru Me Ministries has a blog post on Whole Heart Faith, it is well worth the look…go HERE!

Filed under: It's a GOD thing | No Comments »

I am using my blog to ask my readers for prayer.  My dad’s kidneys are getting worse.  The doctor called him today and told him they were moving forward with the Dialysis/Kidney Transplant route.

I have mentioned before how we are going to get a house so that if they have to move in during this process, we would have the room.  We did find a house, and are working on the contract part right now.

Please pray for the following…

1. Dad to have strength through this process (I’ve been told that dialysis is very draining on a person, they are tired and sick a lot).
2. Mom to be able to support my dad and get the information she needs.  She still works, so we are going to pray for her work situation during this too.
3. That there will be a match for my dad in the family or a kidney to become available quickly so that my dad can get a transplant.
4. God’s peace throughout this whole process.
5. Kevin and I’s house situation to be completed if/when my parents move in with us.

Thank you all for your prayers…they mean a lot to us!

Filed under: Emotions, Family, Prayers | 2 Comments »

Literally!

Dear Meijer,

While at Meijer today, I was filling up the cups of pop for my family.  2 Employees were messing with the slushie machine…they filled a cup 1/2 full with RED slushie…when finished one of them (XXX.) threw the slushie into the trash causing the red slushie to fly into the air and land on my head and on my white shirt.  They left laughing about it…when I went to customer service to get my apology (which I shouldn’t have had to ask for) I was given an attitude from this XXX saying “I’m sorry, I had no idea it happened”, yet he was laughing and telling all his friends about it.

I talked to one of the managers at this store (XXXX, OH on XXXX) and another manager came up and listened in.  They said they would take care of it.

My only issue is HE NEVER SAID SORRY without me prompting him!  If he would have said sorry, it wouldn’t have been an issue and I would have laughed it off.

This is a Customer Service Employee who did this.  If he can’t even apologize for something he KNOWINGLY did wrong, how can this employee begin to help YOUR customers with their issues?  Is it not your store’s policy to keep the customers Happy?  I left the pop area VERY UNHAPPY.

I am VERY Disappointed in the way this situation was handled.  My own children (ages 11, 8, 4 & 4) all kept saying that guy never said sorry and he should have.  How can a child know better than one of your Customer Service employees??  That’s not right!

Saying sorry when you do something wrong could go a long way.  In this instance, you wouldn’t have had to read this long comment…in his instance, he wouldn’t have gotten into trouble with his manager.  In my instance, I wouldn’t have been mad, would have even probably laughed with him about it!!

Yeah, I’m over it…and YES, it is funny…now we’ll have to see if I can get the red slushie out of my white shirt!!

Filed under: Bible Study, Emotions, Stuff | 2 Comments »

Just wanted to wish all my wonderful readers a Blessed Easter! I pray it was a joyous day!

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