Noodle muscles

Wow! This I a crazy weekend! Mr. Kemp Brown will be teaching for me this weekend since I will be in lifeguarding classes. He will be teaching on love out of 1 John. Special thanks to Mr. Kemp for filling in for me.

There are 10 young people in my lifeguarding class. They have all been very kind to the old lady in class ( that would be me :)). Yesterday we had class from 4pm till 10 pm. We were in the classroom for the first part and then spent the remainder of time in the pool practicing our skills. Today is a long day. We will be in class from 12:30 pm till 10 pm. We have spent most of the afternoon in the pool. We swam four laps with the lifeguard tube and then practiced active and passive rescues from the shallow end and then from the deep end. After that, we had to practice passive rescues in the deep end, swim them to the side and then place the backboard under them and hoist them onto the deck of the pool. That was by far the hardest part so far. The rest of the night will be classroom time & CPR practice. I am really glad we are finished with swimming today. My arms & legs are like noodles. On our break I went to panera to grab a quick bite to eat. I am sure the cashier was having crazy thoughts about me. Here I was exhausted, barely capable of making a decision about what to order, wet hair and my eyes were so red from the chlorine in the pool that I looked like I had been smoking drugs. Lol. Back to class...

"Thou shalt not covet"

I must admit I am struggling with "coveting" this morning. I have spent some time touring the children's ministry at Crossroads Christian Church this morning. They have a fabulous new children's building. Did I say building? Yes I did. The rooms are all very appealing to the eye. They have a playground, a huge outdoor slide going down the side of their building and a water feature for the children to run through and play in during the summer. I am green with envy :(
The children's pastor I a really nice guy named Jim. It was super sweet of him to show me around and let me ooh and awe over the facilities. I have already asked permission to bring children to play in their water feature :)) ...maybe a vbs road trip.

I passed:)

I am so stinkin' excited :)) I took the swim test for lifeguarding tonight and I passed! Yeah! I will have lifeguard classes all weekend long with two written tests as well. At least the hard part is behind me. Watch out kiddos! If you sink in the pool at camp placid or on one of our retreats, I know I can rescue you but only Jesus can save you :)

Easter

Wow!  Easter weekend was glowing fun!  Lol  We embarked on an adventure to solve a crime scene. 

"It was a Crime Scene Investigation like no other.  A man was tortured, beaten and killed. He was popular with the people but many in power wanted him dead.   After a mock trial the powerful had their way. He was given a hasty burial, but now the body has disappeared. Was there a clue left behind? Were there witnesses to what happened?

A bloody sheet offers evidence of a horrific execution.   Were the charges justified?   Rumors fly and each side stands by their story. A haunting image on linen offers a mysterious and controversial clue about the missing body. Was the body stolen?   By who and why? Did it just vanish? What does the cloth reveal about the disappearance? Historians, coroners, archaeologists, chemists, physicists, botanists, image specialists, art experts, textile experts and many others are brought in to offer testimony. Will they solve this first century mystery? "  ~CSI Jerusalem

  

Awesome worship with the praise team:)

Lots of cool science experiments along the way.

Special thanks to Michael West for his Gospel presentation using cool chemical reactions.

To view more pictures from the weekend click here.

Taste of Hope

“Hope you make the team!”

“Hope you ace the test!”

“Hope you feel better!”

Hope is something we do—or say we do—almost daily. It’s a thought we quickly express and forget about. But what if hope could be more than a passing thought? What if hope could be more than just an emotion? What if hope could, instead, be an attitude we carry with us every second of every day? Hope as believing that something good can come out of something bad. It’s not just a fleeting wish or a good luck charm. Having hope means always believing something good can come out of a bad situation and carrying that attitude of optimism with you throughout your life.  ~ Studio 252

I had the privilege of being a table host for the "taste of hope" Easter dinner for the homeless shelters in the Tri-Cities this past Sunday at Celebration Church.  I continue to be blessed by the evening and the time spent with them.  I met several new friends, Adam, Jason, Mike & Cheryl from one of the shelters and Josh & Angie from the People's Place program for adults with disabilities.  Highlights include:
* listening to Cheryl explain to Adam how God forgives us for all our sins and He is always looking after us even in times of hardship or trouble  
*Praying for Adam.  He is waiting to be approved for an apartment.
*Laughing with Josh.  He just kept saying how good the food was. :)

Madeline & Macey, my daughters, had the opportunity to help Ms. Sharon & Ms. Tabitha with the children from the shelters.  They had a great time as well! 

FYI: I did not know this until Sunday night.  There is a day program at the First Church of the Brethren in Bristol for adults with disabilities and they do not charge the families.  That is so cool!  I pray that program is blessed beyond measure.

Ms. Sharon :)

This weekend in all three services one of our faithful teachers Ms. Sharon explained to the children that she has a rare form of cancer and the doctors have told her there are no treatments or cures for it. She explained that her doctor told her there was no miracle that could cure her and that his wife had died from this same type of cancer.  Ms. Sharon told the children that she knows a miracle worker!  His name is Jesus and He lives in her heart! She explained that the children could not "catch" cancer and that it was okay to hug her or give her a high-five.  She also told them that she still has a high level of energy right now but that is is very possible that she could die soon from the cancer.  The cancer she has is a very aggressive type of cancer.

She explained to the children that a couple years ago she had a conversation with another children's ministry teacher, Mr. Wayne Ollis.  She told the children that they discussed when people become sick they often ask the elders of the church to come and pray with them but they decided instead people should ask the children to pray for them because children naturally have more faith.  There faith is not tarnished by the world.  She asked the children if they would be willing to pray for her.  We all gathered around Ms. Sharon and laid our hands on her and began to pray.  I was moved to tears on several occasions by the simple and honest prayers of our children.  I especially remember one little girl who prayed that God would heal Ms. Sharon so that the doctor would know there is a miracle worker and his name is Jesus.  Oh! The sweet prayers of children, there is nothing like it.   It was a privilege to be in their midst.

Special thanks to the elders, Chuck Perry, Jim Moore & Gert Van Der Westhuizen
who prayed with us during the services.

As Ms. Sharon comes to mind, I hope you will take a moment and say a special prayer for her and her situation.  I know that God is the ultimate healer and that Ms. Sharon will either be healed in this world or in heaven.  I am praying for a miracle!

1 John

I had to brush up on my History before we headed into the book of 1 John.  We had been discussing the roman emperor Nero who was reigning during the death of Paul & Peter when we wrapped up the book of 2 Peter.  So naturally, before we headed into 1 John we had to know the emperors.  Nero, 4 Emperors in AD 69, Vespian (who died of Diarrhea :-) ), Titus & finally Domitian who was the Emperor who exiled John to the Island of Patmos where he wrote the book of Revelations.  The point was to show that John was an old guy when he wrote 1,2,3 John & Revelations.  He had lived a long and full life.. after all, he actually hung out with Jesus.  He had seen Him, touched Him, and knew him personally  so he could write these letters with authority.  Many of the people John was writing to had not seen Jesus because he had already died & rose again.  It is like when your grandparents tell you stories about things they have done and experienced before you were born.

 John wrote the book of 1 John as encouragement to the believers.  We all mess up, and feel guilty for doing wrong things.  Sometimes Satan can try to trick us into believing we are not good enough or smart enough to be a Christian. It doesn't matter what Satan thinks, God knows we will mess up in life that is why He sent His Son Jesus to die on the cross for our sins.  If we confess (admit) our sins and ask forgiveness... God will forgive us!

1 John 1:9

New American Standard Bible (NASB)

⁹ If we confess our sins, He is faithful and righteous to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.

Thank you Lord that we are made new by confessing our sins!  Thank you most of all for sending your Son Jesus to bear the weight of all our sins on Calvary!