. . . a glimpse into my heart.

I write this blog today with a very heavy heart. It could be offensive to some and encouraging to others. I don't apologize for it because what I share today are words from the mouth of Jesus. These verses are heavy and hard to hear. I felt a strong need to blog on this because God won't let me push it aside and forget it. He keeps it in the forefront of my mind and heart. I have shed A LOT of tears over this and prayed and prayed! Recently a group of mom's in Grand Junction, CO, my home town, came together to fight against some of the homeless population in the city. They say they have compassionate hearts for the homeless who have good excuses for their situation but want to drive out those who drink, fight, and ultimately those they think don't want to get help out of their situation. They say it's for the safety of their children in this one particular park which is the favorite of these moms. But in the midst of this, a lot of the press and media coverage is ...

It's hard to believe that I once held Liam in my arms and nursed him and rocked him. I will never forget when we found out I was pregnant with our Little Liam. We were at camp, Lakeside Bible Camp. We had only been "trying" for a couple months. I took the test at like 7am while Dave laid in bed. I sat on the floor next to the bed and showed Dave the positive test. We were ecstatic! We had to go to our staff meeting that morning and decided not to tell the staff yet. We just weren't sure who to tell and when. It was tough to keep it in. I ended up sharing our news with Melissa Cramer (now Meyer) who was serving at the camp that summer. What an exciting time in our lives! We went home to CO where we lived in my parents basement for a couple months until we moved into our first home. Liam's arrival was amazing! I will never forget the emotions and love I felt. Now Liam is a little artist. He lies in bed unable to sleep because he has an idea for a picture. I let him ...

Dave and I are starting day 3 of the 24 day challenge. The first two days I didn't feel well, upset stomach and frequent visits to the toilet and a unending headache. I told Dave that I think our bodies are mad at us and want sugar! haha. Actually, I think our bodies should be feeling better soon. We are so limited on what we're allowed to eat and as much as I love fruit I am kind of tired of it after only 2 days. BUT on a lighter, more positive note I am down 5 pounds! My weights wavered a lot but It's encouraging to be down in only 2 days. :-) I did find out that we should be getting more exercise during the cleanse then we have been. Honestly, I couldn't have done anything the past two days with how I felt but I'm hoping to get in a brisk walk or jog today. So, that's my update.

We've been here at Yakima Alliance Church for 5 weeks (that's from Dave's first day in the office up until now). Things are going wonderfully! We love the youth and the leaders and are feeling so cared for in the church body and truly feel like a part of a family. But I am not sure where my place is yet. Dave and I both know I am just as called to Youth ministry as he is but he's the one who's being paid and has expectations placed on him. I'm kind of on my own as far as what I want to be doing. At River of Life in CO I only ever worked with the high school group. I always felt a connection with the girls in that age group and it came naturally to me. Now, 8 years after we first jumped into youth min as a couple and 4 years after our start at ROL we are both feeling like we have a ministry to leaders in the ministry. There are some young ladies here who are working with the high school and jr. high who might benefit from my experience and guidance. I only want t...

Dave and I are starting a 24 day challenge to get healthy and back on track with our weight and exercise. The first 10 days are the cleanse and I've heard it's the toughest part. I am only hours into day one and I must say the fiber drink it hard to get down. The flavor isn't bad but it's texture is thick and grainy. Once I got it down my stomach kind of turned and I had to focus and fight to keep it from coming back up. Hopefully tomorrow will be better. We measured and took our weight last night so we can watch our progress along the way. I'll keep you posted. :-)