this past weekend

This weekend was busy and full of many activities. Friday night, a group of us went to Applebees and then to Jaime's apartment to watch a scary movie. The pictures are of Nathan Branine's reaction to being sung to in Applebees for his birthday and the cake we all partook of.

Saturday I hung out with some of the Northland travelling team for the afternoon at Starbucks (the new one they just built down the street from our church). We had a wonderful time of fellowship and since it was the first weekend that Starbucks was opened, we all got free bags of ground coffee! That evening Derek and I went to the Nichols' house for dinner and to decorate "harvest" cookies and then off to Jaime's again to watch yet another scary movie. Derek and I got to spend a little alone time afterwards, which was nice:o)

Sunday was full of its usual activities. I took a well-needed Sunday afternoon nap, and after the evening service we went over to my sister and brother's-in-law house for a singles activity. We played games, ate food and fellowshipped.

Now its monday. . . back to the routine of school and the responsibilities of a teacher. Although my class is challenging in their behavior, I do enjoy their enthusiasm in class (makes life a little less boring). Hope I didn't bore any of you to death with the details of the weekend, and I hope you all had a great weekend as well:o)

I'm a little picture happy

Here is another pic of 3 of my 8 cheerleaders this past season. . . from left to right. . . Maggie, Alex and Nikki. I know many people make fun of me for being a cheerleader for 6 years and now coaching cheerleading, but the girls are awesome and its worth the sacrifice of time. We had a great season and I'm looking forward to what basketball season has in store for us.

This picture is of Melissa Thacker. I got to hang out with her Tuesday evening at the Totaro's house. She is travelling this semester for Northland representing and promoting the college. I know she'll kill me once she sees this picture posted on my blog, but I couldn't resist:o)

Once again I had to post another picture of Derek and myself. This was taken tuesday night at his apartment, our usual hangout (in combination with Starbucks or Barnes and Noble). I was pretty tired by this point, so we watched a movie of which I saw all of 5 minutes of before I fell asleep. Some would blame that on my lack of sleep for the past couple months. . . and I say it's all worth it in order to spend time with Derek:o)

I'm a little picture happy recently, so I hope you enjoy the pictures while I'm still motivated to upload and post them. Who knows how long this motivation will last. . . but for the time being, ENJOY!

One final thought. . . I know this is completely random, but I just wanted to say how amazing my God is! Looking back over the past couple months of my life, and my friend's lives, God has truly shown himself real to me in so many ways!! He's worked through circumstances and relationships in ways I never thought possible. A lady in my church told me a couple summers ago. . . "God is rarely early, and He's never late"

Picture Update. . . enjoy:o)

Here is a pic of Melissa Thacker and myself. It was taken over last Christmas break. . . and I haven't seen her since. BUT today I get to see her since she is travelling for Northland, and her travelling team is in our area for the next few days:o)

Of course, I had to upload another picture of Derek and me:o)

We all hung out at Luke's apartment Sunday PM for some food and fellowship. . . the pic is of Luke "sunshine" Forman.

This is Ryan Timothy Jordan (Tim and Dana's baby). He is 3 months old now and absolutely so adorable (not that I'm bias or anything)!

Here is a pic of my cheerleaders this past soccer season in our new uniforms! This was right before our homecoming pep-rally. . . they were all pumped up ready to pump up the teams!

Hope you all enjoyed the pics and the visual update on life here in Lansdale, Pennsylvania!

Because of that Blood

Earn your way, that's the lesson we are taught
But I know that things eternal can't be sold or bought
Amazing grace is something I could never hold
And I know love and mercy are outside of my control
But I'm reminded of a ransom paid beyond my worth
On a hill outside the city, where heaven kissed the earth

Because of that blood, because of that tree
Because of the mercy pouring over me
Because of that grace, I've been set free
Because of You, Jesus, I have been redeemed

Some believe that they can make it on their own
But only in the end to find they're really not that strong
But I believe that if I choose to live by faith
That God would give me strength to make it each and every day
For we are lost without a savior to save us ourselves
It's only by the grace of God that we can live to tell

Because of that blood, because of that tree
Because of the mercy pouring over me
Because of that grace, I've been set free
Because of You, Jesus, I have been redeemed

Who of us can say that we are worthy of the love of Jesus Christ
All that we can do is simply offer Him all by laying down our lives

This song is on the new Phillips, Craig and Dean CD, Top of my Lungs
I wanted to share the words to this song because they blew me away!

stress relief

This past week has been absolutely crazy. I am so glad that it is over, and that I am back to some sort of order in my life. From it being Spirit Week, to Homecoming, to being a mom for 2 teenagers last week (and not being able to see Derek), I was pretty overwhelmed with everything. God was good and brought me through the week as only He could.

This past weekend was a wonderful release of stress. Derek and I helped out with an investment activity for the teens where we raised money for missionaries. Each teen brings $2 and invests it to make more money, like the whole parable of the talents. Well, we had 5 Jr. High girls and we made candle votives with our money and made $110 by the end of the afternoon. It was awesome to see the response of the teens. In total the teens raised over $1,100 for the Hayes in Thailand. After the investment activity, a bunch of us had a bonfire at Derek, Nate, and Brent's house. Derek fire-breathed and we all roasted marshmallows by the fire. We had a grand old time of fun, food and fellowship!

Sunday was a usual Sunday. We have a missions emphasis month, so the Slobodians were here presenting their ministry. The part that always gets to me in missionary reports are the children. They showed a power point presentation on the statistics of homeless children in Russia and where they end up as adults. It broke my heart. It shows me how merciful and gracious God was to me.

This update was for you Jen! Sorry for being a little slack on updating my blog:o)

beautiful sky

beautiful sky
Originally uploaded by sharjoy18.

This sky is absolutely amazing! As I was coaching my cheerleaders during a soccer game this past tuesday, I looked up and was amazed at the beauty of God's creation. There was no question that I had to take a picture and capture the moment for all to enjoy. I can not even imagine not believing in the Creator while looking all around me and seeing evidences of His handiwork!

It was nice to take a moment and enjoy the splendor of God's creation, because these past few weeks have been so crazy busy. It has been a good busy, so that is good. This weekend I am speaking at our camp's Father/Daughter retreat, going to a wedding, and then off to babysitting/housesitting from Saturday night to next friday evening. To top it all off, it's spirit week next week at our school, and being a teacher and cheerleading coach means more tasks than usual. So life is not slowing down anytime soon. . . that is why I am thankful for the little moments where I can stop and rest in the Creator of this world!