Speed With Direction

The sign says it all.  Yesterday, due to a huge storm that went through the area, NewPointe lost power.  It’s happened before, but never for this length of time.  Imagine my surprise when I get a call this morning from Kevin saying that "hey, we’re not having service".  WHAT???  Turns out that we didn’t get power back for almost 24 hours.  But a good thing came out of this bad situation.

The Christian band, Worth Dying For was supposed to lead worship today.  They are in the middle of a summer tour that landed them in our area.  Well, with no power, it meanst no band. I got to go out to LeeAnn Miller’s house with the band and some other folks and get to know them.  What a great group of musicians (who are decent at Guitar Hero)!  Before they left to head out to NYC, we got to pray and hear a couple of songs.  They had been in need of a restful break and they got it in Amish country.   So I did get to have church today, just not in the usual way. 

Seems like THIS Sunday was the kick-off to the next series that we’re starting next week.  It’s title? 

Untypical …

Looking back at the title of my last post, it would appear that I really did get lost.  I haven’t blogged in almost a month.  No, I didn’t fall off the face of the earth or get eaten by wild dogs.  I’ve been busy and busier.  I’ve learned that no matter hard easy and simple you try to make a wedding, there are still lots of things to do and decisions to be made.  But no matter what, I’ll be married by 1:00 on Aug. 9th.  But there are other things I’m looking forward to doing this summer.  (Though the getting married DOES top the list!)

-Seeing some great movies.  I’ve already seen Prince Caspian and I loved it.  I still want to see Indiana Jones and Iron Man.  But I dying to see WALL*E.  I love anything Pixar puts out and this one looks amazing.

-I going to Kids Camp on July 14th.  This year it’s an all girls group.  Me and 11 girls heading up to camp.  Prayers are welcome!  Me needing a nap when I get back is a given.

-I’m excited about some new releases this summer.  One’s a book and one is a video game.  The book is the 6th in the Artemis Fowl series.  A well written series about a 12 year old criminal mastermind and his discovery of the Fairy Underworld.    Great concept, great writing, great story!

I also love Nancy Drew computer games.  Yes, they are for "girls who aren’t afraid of a mouse".  Yes, they are aimed at people younger than myself.  But they feed my need for puzzles and suspense.  And they are fun!  If you’re looking for a video game that is more than shooting someone or racing Mario, this may be the game for you.  The newest one comes out in about a week and I’m ready! 

                      And yes, I have all 17 other games….

-The end of July is Camp 56er’s here at NewPointe.  We’re camping on the property and it’s going to be FUN. 

-August 3rd, we’re not having church.  We’re BEING the church by going out in the community and serving others.  I can’t wait for that.

-And then the summer (for me anyway) wraps up with Dave and my wedding and then a honeymoon in Maine.  If you hear about a run on Lobster in mid-Maine, you’ll know why.  We are having Lobster for breakfast, lunch and dinner.  Did you know that at McDonalds in Maine, they even have a Lobster Roll Sandwich?  Weird.  Don’t know if we’re going to dive into one of those, but there are a lot of other’s goodies up there to try out.

-But closer in date is this weekend.  Dave, after working two very long weeks is going to have a day off on Saturday.  And I do believe that we are going up to Canton for some sushi and shopping at Target.  Now, everyone is caught up and I promise to do better at blogging.  One last picture …

        (My stomach’s rumbling just looking at this picture!)

No, I don’t usually plan on getting "lost".  Every time I have in the past, it was totally unintentional.  But tonight is the season finale of Lost.  A show that makes it to the top of my favorite TV list.  Ever. It’s got everything I like,

Drama- I’ve been known to cry during an episode… i.e. The Constant

Comedy - Anything that Sawyer says makes me giggle

Quick, witty lines - See above

A touch of sci-fi - Yep, I like it all, Star Trek, Star Wars, even Battlestar Galactica

Twists that I never expected - end of Season 3 left me speechless. True fact.

So if you call me tonight, and you’re not on MY "list" (if you watch the show you’ll get that last part), then don’t be insulted if I don’t answer the phone.  It’s going to be me, a pizza, ice cream and…

Sunday was the last KidStuf until the fall.  It was AMAZING.  Kevin and I wanted to get as many people involved as possible.  And it was defiantly an all-hands on deck kinda day.  With 9 cast members, 10 singers and more tech people that I could count, everyone got involved and it was a homerun!  There are so many people to thank and I know I’d miss someone, so to everyone that helped…

           THANKS!!!!!

KidStuf is off for the summer but the drive doesn’t stop.  We’re getting dates lined up for KidStuf University this summer which will involve EVERYONE refining what we do.  KidStuf was amazing this year but as Kevin says, "we’re taking it to a whole ‘nother level".  So look out summer, here we come!

That’s the number of projects that Family ministries is hitting up this summer.  That’s just for Studio 56, Velocity and KidStuf.  WOW.  If there is anything I like more than solving problems, it’s organizing projects.  And that’s what’s happening today.  Kevin, Vern, myself and Big Dan are sitting in the green room and getting ahead.  What’s on the list?  Great question and here’s a small sample.

-KidStuf set rebuild.  If you build it, they will come.

-Pumping up Velocity Large Group.  Adding some elements that have been waiting in the wings.

-Family Ministry Fall Kick-off.  Going to be a great time of learning and community.

-56′ers camp.  Will the NewPointe grounds survive it?

KidStuf University.  Stay tuned for more about this, but if you’ve ever wanted to be involved with KidStuf, this will be something you’ll want to attend.

LOTS of stuff to get done this summer, but I love having it all there in black and white.  And it couldn’t be done without the volunteers.  If you want to get in the game, let us know.  Trust me, there’s a place for everyone. 

Check back in for updates as the summer rolls along.

Okay, this is more of a continuation from my last post, which didn’t have anything to do with Children’s Ministry.  Well, this post won’t either.  I mentioned, (don’t know if anyone caught it) that I was going to be able to pay off my student loans.  Well, today they are GONE!!!!  That’s right, gone.  Just like that, 5 digits of debt wiped clean.  To celebrate, Dave and I had a little bonfire to burn the payment booklets.  Boy did it feel good.  It smelled like freedom.  Trust me.

One thing I’ve been learning over the past year is how to better manage my money.  I’ve never been horrible at it, but there’s always room for improvement.  On staff at church we have our very own financial guru, Todd Colucy.  If you’re ever looking for great tips on how to pay down debt, invest money, or even write a will, this is a great site to check out.  I get the pleasure of eating with Todd and his wife almost every day and I’ve learned so much about how to handle money from him. 

So Todd, this picture is for you.  Thanks!

I got some great news on last Wednesday.  But before I get into it there’s a bit a back story.  Back in my Lexington, Ky days, I was fortunate to have parents (I still have them) who bought a Townhome for me.  I paid the mortgage, utilities and all the upkeep that went with the place.  But they helped me out with getting the loan and a great interest rate.  When we sold the place (which is another post all by itself), I would get money from the sale.  Basically, I’d get what I had put into it over that 4 year period, which would be a decent amount of money.

Flash forward to last Wednesday.  Because of many small details, including a land contract with the place in Kentucky, I’d never received anything from the transaction.  But I’d been patient knowing that the time was coming.  So as I walked into Elder-Beerman with my parents last Wednesday, my Dad causally says, "Oh, we’ve figured what you’ll get from the house."  And then he threw out a number large enough to make me cry right in the middle of Men’s Sportswear!

This was the most amazing news I have ever received in a department store to date.   That money will be used to pay off my student loans from Asbury College.  It cost quite a bit of money to attend and I’d do it again.  But getting rid of this loan also means that when I get married in 3 months and 2 days…. I won’t have any debt outside of the house I currently own.  Even our wedding rings are paid for.  And that ROCKS! 

This isn’t a story that K-4th graders can understand.  For them, waiting to open presents on their birthday is agony.  But I had to share it somewhere!

Tonight was a great relaxing evening in Canton.  Dave and I took a drive up there to "hit" some sushi.  My personal favorite?  Volcano Maki.  And yes, I’ve tried sashimi, and yes I liked it.  But not enough to get it every time. 

After that, we headed to Marshalls.  One of my favorite stores.  Where else can you get a Spool plate, Good Grips travel mug, and a Mother’s Day present. (Can’t post what it was in case Mom reads this)  Right next door is Panara Bread so we HAD to stop in there for coffee and pastries.

And what trip to the city in the north would be complete without a stop at Target.  That’s one place I really miss from Lexington.  I was a bit spoiled there since I could have walked to Target from my house.  Now, a journey to the bullseye has to be much more planned out.  My only purchase there was some catnip. 

It was a wonderful evening to a gorgeous day.

Some of the leaders from NewPointe’s Family Life Department are hanging out in StrasVegas .  We’re getting lots of insight into taking leadership to the next degree. 

Dwight told a great story at the retreat tonight.  He had a great sunday school teacher, and although he doesn’t remember any story that she taught, he does remember the cookies that she brought.  One day Dwight was in about 3rd grade and he came home from school to find that his mom, who was ALWAYS there,  wasn’t.  He looked for his Dad, and couldn’t find him either.  First thought that came into his mind was that Jesus had come back.  The second thought was to call someone.  His first choice?  His Sunday school teacher. 

That’s the kind of impact that Velocity, KidStuf and Reignforest volunteers have every Sunday.  There are so many stories that come through those doors every week.  Kids that have a prayer request for their "new" mom.  Or for a grandma that died.  Or a bully at school.  Preschool kids that WANT to pray and kids that are praising God in worship and laughter.  It’s hard to recount every story that comes through those areas every week.  But they are there.  Adults are impacting a generation… 

One more story that Vern told the staff a few weeks ago.  He was sitting in the atrium, watching the service when this guy in his early 30’s came up to him.  This guy asked Vern if he remembered him, and Vern said that he was afraid that he didn’t.  Turned out that when this guy was 11, Vern gave him a Bible.  Well, years later, his house burns down and one of the only things to survive the fire was that Bible.  And THAT is what brought him back to church.  Did Vern know that this would be the outcome when he handed that kid a Bible?  Of course not.  But he knew the potential, the possibilities and the stakes when working with kids. 

So if you’re one of those people who serve with kids on Sunday mornings, thanks for making an impact and thanks for knowing what the stakes are. 

I love my job.  And most days, I can’t believe that I get to work with such amazing people.  The scripts that Kevin and I work on don’t come alive until the actors get onto the stage at 7am each Sunday.   They, and the other 60 odd volunteers that come to make KidStuf happen are one of the most dedicated teams ever.  This weekend we had a bit of a flashback to the 80’s.  It was a thrill.  Enjoy! And great job Jared!!!