I truly had an amazing time at VBS:

- meeting a lot of great people who attend NWBC,

- Serving the church by being a guide for our VBS “Big Apple Adventure,”

- Connecting and sharing my love for Jesus with some awesome 3rd grade girls,

- And making fun barrettes for my girls throughout the week.

Monday: The pink pom-pom. I Heart VBS.  Theme: Connect with Faith!   Verse: So faith comes from what is heard and what is heard comes through the message about Christ. Romans 10:17

Tuesday: Heart barrette. Tourist day camera. Theme: Connect with Love! Verse: We love because He first loved us. 1 John 4:19

Wednesday: Green and Orange barrette. Wacky Hair day. Theme: Connect with Trust! Verse: For God loved the world in this way: He gave His One and Only Son, so that everyone who believes in Him will not perish but have eternal life. John 3:16

Thursday: Blue barrettes with matching small blue barrette to share with a friend. Backwards day. Theme: Connect with Others! Verse: Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing in the name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I have commanded you. And remember, I am with you always, to the end of the age. Matthew 28:19-20

Friday: Rope barrettes. Dress to get wet day. Theme: Connect with Life! Verse: Be alert, stand firm in the faith, be brave and strong. Your every action must be done with love. 1 Corinthians 16:13-14

Thank you to all the people who made VBS 2011 happen!

Sometimes in life I feel rather gloomy. I use the word gloomy because it is also a term used for weather. And weather changes all the time, just like life. I am not always gloomy. It is not always gloomy outside. It can be sunny (which happens a lot in Arizona) or rainy or cloudy or a lot of other things. And most days I feel like a warm sunny day. I feel really really happy.

But sometimes when my imagination runs away with thoughts of fear, sadness and no hope, I become rather gloomy. And before I knew I could call on the name of Jesus, I stayed gloomy for long periods of time. And before I knew I could ask people to pray for me, I stayed gloomy for long periods of time. And before I tried to fix my gloomy-ness myself.  It never really worked. And as much as I like to fix things myself, and for others, I can’t truly get out of my gloomy-ness unless Jesus is there to help me. And He is always here to help.

I asked Jesus to help me out of my gloomy-ness yesterday. 2 friends of mine prayed for me. And these verses were so powerful when I felt gloomy.

⁹ But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 2 Corinthians 12:9

Psalm 95

¹ Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;
let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
² Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song.³ For the LORD is the great God,
the great King above all gods.
⁴ In his hand are the depths of the earth,
and the mountain peaks belong to him.
⁵ The sea is his, for he made it,
and his hands formed the dry land.

⁶ Come, let us bow down in worship,
let us kneel before the LORD our Maker;
⁷ for he is our God
and we are the people of his pasture,
the flock under his care.

Today, if only you would hear his voice,
⁸ “Do not harden your hearts as you did at Meribah,^[a]
as you did that day at Massah^[b] in the wilderness,
⁹ where your ancestors tested me;
they tried me, though they had seen what I did.
¹⁰ For forty years I was angry with that generation;
I said, ‘They are a people whose hearts go astray,
and they have not known my ways.’
¹¹ So I declared on oath in my anger,
‘They shall never enter my rest.’”

Psalm 95

¹⁶ Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.   Colossians 3:16

²⁶ My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart
and my portion forever. Psalm 73: 26

²⁸ But as for me, it is good to be near God.
I have made the Sovereign LORD my refuge;
I will tell of all your deeds. Psalm 73: 28

Also, praising God through song, is truly a way to get my mind centered on the One who matters.  I love the song, Blessed be your name . By Matt Redman.

I hope this helps you when you feel gloomy.

I hope this plan and my enthusiasm will encourage you to read the Bible everyday!

• Read my Bible every day.
• Pray every day.
• Floss.
• Make a quilt.
• Make a quit for another person.
• Make a quilt out of old t-shirts.
• Make a felt stuffed animal each week.
• Go to the gym at least 2 times a week.
• Finish the bible verse coasters I started last year.
• Make cards for people’s birthdays.
• Make anniversary gifts.
• Be a nicer person.
• Call/keep in contact with friends and family.
• Make something chocolate and delicious every week.
• Make fun felt things!
• Sew!
• Learn to write with my left hand.
• Learn Morse Code.

Well, it’s a good list. A decent sized list and I think I can do it! I have a few plans already in motion so that I can check some of these goals off! Wish me luck! Or help!

Matt and I have been reading through the “Bible in a year” plan. 1 and 2 Kings is wonderful. I absolutely love those books. And I feel like this cloud picture represents how I think the sky would had looked after each new king in Judah or Israel was replaced after “doing evil in the eyes of the Lord”. I especially liked reading about Solomon (1 Kings 2-11) asking for wisdom(1 Kings 3), building of the temple (1 Kings 5-7), the prayers and dedications to the temple and for the Lord (1 Kings 8), Jeroboam (especially 1 Kings 13:34), all the different kings of Israel and Judah, Elijah (take a look at 1 Kings 18:16-46, 2 Kings 2), Ahab, Elisha, Israel exiled, Hezekiah, Book of the Covenant, and Jerusalem.  1 and 2 Kings has so much culture and history, and DRAMA! One king after another! Now I am on to 1 and 2 Chronicles  What did you think of 1 and 2 kings?

I have a SERIOUS sweet tooth. I probably have a few cavities, but that doesn’t really stop me from picking up some dark chocolate chips and a couple of packs of strawberries.  This delicious treat is one of my favorite. I like making them for no special occasion, except that I feel like eating something super tasty.

So, the other day I decided at the grocery store to pick up the necessary ingredients for this tasty treat. I brought the first batch over to the in-laws for dinner, and the next day I made Matt and I a batch. We played Sequence and ate the chocolate covered strawberries. Mmm Mmmm Mmm.

If you are feeling in the mood for some of these I would suggest, in my infinite and experienced wisdom, to buy Ghiradelli 60% cocao bittersweet chips.  You can add some Ghiradelli milk chocolate chips, but I like the dark chocolate all by itself.  I put the desired amount in a microwave-safe bowl and microwave for 1 minute. Then I stir until all chips are melted. Dip the (rinsed and dried) strawberries in the chocolate. Then place on wax or parchment paper.  I would suggest that you do not use room temperature strawberries. Cold/chilled strawberries cause the chocolate to harden faster (instead of having to put them in the refrigerator).  Eat as soon as possible, do no refrigerate for too long (if you have to) as the covered strawberries will sweat a bit and then the chocolate becomes a bit mushy, aka not too tasty or attractive.  Just eat them immediately to avoid any mushiness! Enjoy!

⁷Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God.⁸Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. ⁹This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. ¹⁰This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. ¹¹Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. ¹²No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us. (NIV)

This verse is on the inside of my wedding band. I wanted to be surprised at what Matt would engrave. Matt wanted to have an opinion on his engraving. So we got his engraved with:

Ecclesiastes 4:9-12

⁹ Two are better than one,

because they have a good return for their work:

¹⁰ If one falls down,
his friend can help him up.
But pity the man who falls
and has no one to help him up!

¹¹ Also, if two lie down together, they will keep warm.
But how can one keep warm alone?

¹² Though one may be overpowered,
two can defend themselves.
A cord of three strands is not quickly broken. (NIV)

⁸Though you have not seen him, you love him; and even though you do not see him now, you believe in him and are filled with an inexpressible and glorious joy, ⁹for you are receiving the goal of your faith, the salvation of your souls. (NIV)

This is another verse I try to memorize and try to implement into my life.

James 4:8

⁸Come near to God and he will come near to you… (NIV)

I wish that I had this tattooed on my arm so I always remembered this! This is good to remember when difficult things are happening and life seems to suck, and all I want to do is escape. I like to escape into God’s arms, because I know God will never let me down. God is always waiting for me to come to him, I trust in this truth.

Hebrews 13:8

⁸Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever. (NIV) [----Amen! ]