Vegas Adventures

It's me again...

2012-01-13T14:27:00.000-08:00

Friday the 13th has always been one of my favorite days. I know, I know, most people think of superstitions or bad luck, or whatever...But I've always loved this day. Maybe it's because I was born on the 13th and always loved when it fell on a Friday. It somehow made it more special to me. I remember one year, as a very young teenager, my birthday fell on Friday the 13th. My parents let me have 13 girlfriends spend the night (I'm a parent now...having that many girls sleepover in itself is a nightmare) and my dad rented every "Friday the 13th" movie out at the time (5 or 6 of them, I think). We stayed up all night eating snacks and cake and watching those horrendous movies. My brother happened to be visiting that weekend and reeked all sorts of havoc, sneaking in and scaring the living daylights out of us. Good times, good times!

I know that's totally random, but it came to mind as I was looking at today's date. It's funny the things we remember as we look back over the years. Things that seemed so small at the time become the things we cling to later. Those little moments with your parents, sometimes wanting to be somewhere else with friends, you would now give anything to have back. The years pass by so quickly now. Ha, remember as a child thinking the school year was NEVER going to end!??! Remember your mom or dad telling you, "Just wait until you're older..." Wow. I mean, wow! It's 2012!!! We're getting close to Marty McFly stuff here, do you realize that!?!? That's just crazy! (And on that note, where are the flying cars or cool hover boards? Just wondering?)

Just saying 2012 makes me chuckle and shake my head. Didn't we just get into 2011? So my thought right now is cherish the moment. Don't be so inclined to rush on to the next goal, the next obstacle, the next ..... Those moments with my dad years ago that I would give anything for now, I need to be making those with my kids! I know there will be times when they don't want to spend time with me, where they choose their friends over their dad and me, where we're not "cool", but someday, hopefully, they will look back and cherish these times. Prayerfully they will look back and know beyond a shadow of a doubt that we loved them more than life itself and that our decisions were made for their spiritual, physical and mental well-being.

But not just our kids, what about friends and family? We get so caught up in the business that is life that we forget to just stop and relax and laugh and enjoy others. Vegas is so different from the South. We hung out with our neighbors, we had neighborhood BBQs, we didn't worry if our kids were going down to the park to play. Everyone is very reserved here, you come home, go in you house, close the blinds and lock the door behind you. I felt awkward the other day when I had to go ask a neighbor for an egg...I wouldn't have thought 2ce about that in Rogers (of course we built a house and some of our best friends bought the house next to ours, so that helped...but that's beside the point). What has happened to community? It seems so non-existent here.

I've had the pleasure of going to lunch this week with some girlfriends. It's been so nice to just stop the daily grind and sit and laugh. I'm a much better person after those times. I can get away from the never-ending laundry, the dishes, the laundry (oh, wait, I said that already), and just be a person. I don't want to take those times for granted. I want to treasure those moments. I want to cultivate them. When it's all said and done the laundry will still be there, the dishes will eventually get done, the dust...well, I'm in a desert. Do I want to be the person who couldn't have people over for fear of what they will think, do I want to not enjoy my kids' youth because "I'll play with you after I'm done doing ......"

I fear I'm becoming that person. I don't want to be that person. I don't want my kids, or my family, or my friends, to ever think I've put them below anything else worldly. God has called my family to Vegas for a reason. I say "in everything I do I want Him glorified above all." But saying that and living it are two totally different things. If I'm called to "go into all the world and make disciples", if I'm called to be "a light in the world", then I need to be out there, with people, I need to be with my children, guiding them, I need to live my life every day as if Jesus were coming back tomorrow... Unashamed of my faith, unafraid to share His love, unhindered by all the limitations I put on myself.

People. Relationships. That's what matters to Jesus. If it weren't, He wouldn't have left His throne in Heaven to come to a broken earth to die. What matters to God should be what matters to me.

So I know this post is completely random and rambling, but as I set down to write it just seems like this is what decided to come out. Nothing earth-shattering, not that any of my blogs ever have been, just some off-the-wall thoughts of a possibly insane 30-something in Vegas... So come on over, let's do lunch, or coffee, or tea, let's chat... Just don't run your finger over the table tops, you'll find dust, and don't look in the sink, there may be dishes. My kids' toys may be scattered all over, and there's an extremely good chance there's a mountain of laundry needing to be done, but that's okay, because my resolve this year is to make my relationships a priority.

It's been forever

2011-11-02T21:26:00.000-07:00

I used to be so good at keeping this thing updated, I don't know what happened.
I can't believe we're already into November! Where did the year go!?!
I began my yearly "month of thankfulness" on Facebook yesterday. As I'm doing I think, "Why is this just a once-a-year thing?" I said it today on FB and I'll say it again, I am so thankful God's faithfulness to me is not reliant on my faithfulness to Him.

Speaking of being grateful, I am really excited to see the fruition of a long-time dream; I have started my own photography business. I had my first official session a couple of weeks ago and have had several other sessions scheduled because of that one. It feels SO amazing to be doing something that I absolutely love! I know there is much to learn and things I will continue to develop with time, but getting here is awesome! My website is a real work-in-progress, but it's up and running.

Halloween was good. The kids' school parties were fun (Though helping prepare for and execute 2 parties was exhausting). We went trick-or-treating in our neighborhood with some friends and everyone really raked in the candy.

JD and BFF, Cade

We're really fortunate JD has made some really good friends with families we love and trust. I always remember growing up it seemed like all the "cute boys" were friends...maybe it's just inherent because JD has 3-4 best friends and the group of them are some of the "cutest" boys in the school, lol. Poor girls, they don't stand a chance!

Jungle Soldier

My handsome soldier

Cora and Hailey

Cora was Wicked Witch of the EAST...Pre-house-dropped-on-my-head phase ;)

My beautiful Wicked Witch

My Wicked Witch and Soldier

Our Trick-or-Treating Group

My sweet little boy

2011-08-01T22:01:00.000-07:00

Last night as I was going into the kids' rooms to tell them goodnight JD reached for me and said, "I need love." I hesitated only a second, thinking of the things I needed to do. I quickly came to my senses. He won't ask for "love" forever, probably not even for much longer, so I pushed my busy mind aside and crawled into bed beside him.
As I lay there I started thinking of how his birthday is Tuesday. He will be 10. 10 years old! Double-digits! Where did a decade go!?!? As we cuddled I started mulling over a blog. I would start very similarly to what I did here...I would talk about the 42 hours of labor, the c-section, seeing him for the 1st time...I would muse over my sweet boy, how fast he's growing up, what a great person he is turning out to be...you know, the usual "bragging mom" stuff. I lay there pondering and then I was interrupted because he stole my phone. As I tried tickling him to get it back he started yelling something, but I couldn't understand him because his face was buried in his pillow. And then it happened---He pooted. Loudly. Right on me! He proceeded to laugh hysterically and say, "I tried to warn you!".

Yep, he may still be my sweet little boy, but he is definitely his father's son!

He Rocks!

2011-06-17T16:59:00.000-07:00

Well, in honor of Father's Day I'm writing a post about the best dad in the world. Now, in the past I have written posts about my own daddy, who was, indeed, the best daddy I could have every asked for, but I am going to honor someone else this time.
God truly blessed me when He placed Jake in my life. As I look back it seems strange in this day and age to have started dating your future spouse when you were 15 and 13. My son is about to turn 10. Thinking he could possibly meet his future spouse in 3 years freaks me out just a little, I have to admit. But, I realize the chances of that are slim. The LORD set Jake and I aside for each other from the beginning, though. I am convinced that no one else on this earth could possibly be the right fit for either of us.

I thank God daily for placing Jake in my life. HE continues to mold him into His image. Jake is a man of the utmost faith, integrity and respect. He is not only the spiritual head of our household but shepherds our church as well. Many of you know he is a bi-vocational pastor; this means he holds down a full-time job outside of the church so we can pay the bills and so I can be a full-time mom.
The sacrifices he has made for our family are beyond words, but he never complains. Often times he is up well into the wee hours of the night finishing up things for the church or work so he can spend his evenings with the family. He puts the kids and me 2nd only to Christ.

Those who know him know what I'm talking about.

He is such a people-person. He wants nothing more than to see the world come to Christ. If he could spend every waking hour sharing the love of Christ with others, that's what he'd do. I don't know if he realizes that he already does that, just by the way he lives his life! He is such an inspiration to me, such an incredible example for our kids and for our church. He is a true man of God.

Though he will be embarrassed when he reads this post, I just don't tell him often enough how much I appreciate all he does for our family. JD and Cora were blessed with the best daddy they could have! I was blessed with a best friend, leader, lover, provider.....Truly the other half that makes me whole.
I'm reminded of the song, "God Gave Me You" by Dave Barnes.
"God gave me you for the ups and downs
God gave me you for the days of doubt
For when I think I’ve lost my way
There are no words here left to say, it’s true
God gave me you"

All my love, God truly gave me you!

An Incurable Condition

2011-04-27T16:21:00.000-07:00

I was listening to a short broadcast today about a little baby named Joseph. Joseph needed a tracheotomy, but the hospital he was at would not give him one. The reason? He had an incurable condition. They were going to remove his ventilator and send him home to die. He would eventually die anyway, so he was deemed unworthy of saving.
(They asked to be transferred. He did eventually get transferred to a hospital in St Louis, where he received the trache, was able to come off the vent and was able to go home, alive.)
But what struck me as I was listening to this is that we all have an "incurable condition". We are all going to die do to this condition. The condition? Sin. There isn't a single person on earth born without it. Our sentence? Death. But thanks truly be to God He didn't deem us unworthy of saving! He loved us so much He sent His Son to die in our place.
There is a catch, however. You have to accept this gift. Jesus wants nothing more than offer you life eternal. But the choice is yours. To accept this gift of life, you just have to ask. Admit your incurable condition: sin, and ask Jesus to forgive you of those sins and come into your life and save you. Turn your death sentence into eternal life.

She gets it...

2011-04-17T15:34:00.000-07:00

So there are some new things to share with you about our ministry here in Las Vegas.... but I'll get to those in a different post. This post is for Cora. Of course, she would be embarrassed if she knew I was posting this, but that's okay. Sometimes moms have to share how proud they are of their kids.
As most of you know, someone tried to blow my jeep up 2 weeks ago. We don't know why. We're hoping and assuming it was just a random act of violence and had nothing to do with our family. Either way, it shook me to the core. What got me the most is that I park directly under Cora's bedroom window. Had it actually blown up....well, I can't even process all of that.
God took care of us, however. He had a very strong wind blowing that night and the fire went out just before hitting the gas tank. The jeep had to be repaired, of course, but nothing too major and no one was harmed.
Why do things like this happen? Why do horrible things happen to seemingly good people? ....
People asked how the kids were handling it. Did we tell them? Yes. Were they scared or upset? I don't think so. Etc. Etc. Etc. JD thought it was cool when the CSI showed up, put up crime scene tape and took DNA from us to compare it to any they found on the vehicle.
We also got all sorts of people asking, "So you have any enemies?" or "How did THAT happen?" One man stopped me in the car line while I was dropping Cora off at school. He apparently has a Commander just like ours and was wondering what happened to the side of ours. I told him and then dropped Cora off and left. Well, it turns out he was the photographer there to take school pictures that day. When Cora got home she told me that when she went in to take her picture he recognized her and started talking to her. She told him about our church and what we believe.
I really wasn't sure how Cora was feeling about the whole "car blowing up" situation until we went to pick it up from the body shop on Friday. Cora and I were standing there waiting on the man to bring us the papers to sign. Cora was looking at the area where the burns had been then looked up at me.
"Mom?"
"Yes?"
"I'm kinda glad this happened to the jeep."
"You are? Why"
"Because, if it hadn't happened I would have never gotten to tell that man about our church and about God." "Well, God even uses bad things for His good."
"I know."
I don't think I have ever been more proud, more excited, more humbled as a mom than at that moment. She gets it. She gets what it's all about...Why we're here in Las Vegas instead of in Arkansas with our family. God has a plan for us. God has a plan for Cora! Even in the tough times, even in the scary or unknown, He is there, working. He sometimes allows bad things to happen so that He can show His power and His glory through them....
Even through an 8 year old little girl....with more wisdom than many adults.

The Meaning Behind the Words

2011-03-15T21:01:00.000-07:00

How many times have you heard a song on the radio, even sing along with it, but if someone were to ask you what the words were, you really don't have any idea? I think this happens more often than we realize. We do this in church as well. We sing along with the choir or worship team, but don't really pay attention to what we're singing, we don't listen to the meaning behind the words.
I have to admit, I am guilty of this. I get into a rut. I hear the same few songs over and over and because I "know them so well" I don't really let them sink in, I just sing the songs. I think most of us can say we're guilty of that at some point or another.
My daughter, however, is a different story. Our car radio is permanently tuned to SOS (one of our local Christian radio stations, similar to KLRC, for those of you in AR). I love listening to my kids in the back seat, singing along with the songs. Their voices are so pure, so sweet. What I love even more, however, are the conversations that are sprung from these songs.
Cora listens to everything. Whether you think she's paying attention or not, she is. She tunes in, even when you don't want her to, and asks questions when she doesn't understand. This can be a good thing and a bad thing at times. It is a great thing when it come to the music we listen to.
Anytime a song comes on the radio, it never fails she will ask, "What do they mean when they say.....?" This leads to a great conversation about God's love, about forgiveness, about praise--whatever the case may be. I have to admit I often have to bring my head out of my own little world and actually start paying attention to the song so I can answer her.
Today she wanted to know what was meant by the phrase "7 times 70 times". We had a great discussion about forgiveness.
But all these questions lately really made me stop and think, these people wrote these songs for a reason---and I am EXTREMELY thankful our radio station is tuned to SOS and not some secular station, where I might have to explain things she really doesn't need to know.

"If you're not going to mean it, don't sing it." I remember hearing this at church several times throughout my life. But, oh, to have the faith and curiosity of a child! To want to understand the meaning behind the words, to search out the answer, to use these songs to strengthen your praise to the Father. Not to just sing along with the radio or the worship team, but to truly stop and reflect on why they are being sung! When we sing "praise and worship" songs at church, are we really praising and worshiping?

I have a few things to say on hymns as well....but we'll save that for another day. Until next time....

My daddy

2011-02-10T12:56:00.000-08:00

So, it's become tradition now for me to dedicate a post to my daddy on this, the anniversary of his home-going.
4 years. It still sometimes doesn't seem real to me, like it is some horrible nightmare from which I will eventually awaken. But, it's not. He accomplished what he needed to in this life and God called him home very early in the morning, February 10, 2007.
Daddy didn't have an easy life. He drank lye water when he was 3, which should have killed him, but it didn't. What it did do is cause him to spend the better part of the next 10 years in Arkansas Children's Hospital. No one ever thought he would survive, and if he did he wouldn't amount to much. He surprised everyone when he graduated from high school, shocked people when he went on to college, amazed people when he went on to become a Pharmaceutical doctor.
During college he developed a bleeding ulcer. They thought that would take him. The early 90's brought on a rare case of pneumonia that put him in ICU for a month. They even pronounced him clinically dead at one point. God had more plans for him.
Daddy lived his life to serve. If there was a need he saw, he would do his best to meet it. He never let his family, immediate or extended, go for want. His family was the most important thing to him; Not just my mom and brother and sister and me, but his parents, his brothers and sister and their children.
He was the proudest grandaddy you could ever meet. I remember when my first niece, Brittnee, was born... He could not have been more proud. He grew a beard then, because a grandaddy should have a beard. My mom hated that beard, but he didn't care. It was for Brit. He would drive from Rogers to Little Rock to kidnap her every chance he got. He let her get away with everything!
He loved each of his grand kids just as much. Alyssa, Haleigh, Kennon, Melanie, Jared, JD and Cora. He loved you all more than you could ever know. He was proud of each of you. He treasured the moments you would spend with him. He loved to do things with you that would defy your parents (throwing Alyssa and Haleigh into the pool with your pjs on after your parents told you you couldn't go swimming), rocking you to sleep when you were babies (or rocking himself to sleep while you stayed wide awake in his arms...I have several pictures of that!) Watching him with JD and Cora was a delight of mine. JD thought Grandaddy hung the moon. I think all of the grand kids did.

He really was a man of few words. Up until the last year of his life, he always had a hard time expressing his love verbally, but he loved to give gifts! Valentine's Day was a favorite for him. He would buy amazing jewelry for my mom and sister and me, and if he was going to purchase something, it was going to be the best. I remember every year my sister and I calling each other on Valentine's Day to compare our jewelry. "Did you get the amazing earrings!??!!? Aren't the sapphires gorgeous!??!?!" etc. etc. etc.

I still dream about him almost every night. I still occasionally try to pick up the phone and call him to tell him about something or ask him a medical-related question. I don't know if that will ever go away. I still cry sometimes, just break out into tears at random moments. I still hope he would be proud of me.

Cora asked me a few months back if her grandaddy thought about her. That was a hard question for me. No one knows for sure what Heaven will be like. I, however, very much believe our loved ones there aren't "looking down on us" they aren't "our guardian angels" (I'll address that in a moment). It's hard to think about with our human minds, but those who are in Heaven are focused on Jesus, not on earth. But, how do you say that to a little girl without hurting her? God gave me the answer.
"Cora, what I do know is that the Bible says when a person accepts Jesus as his or her personal Savior, all of Heaven rejoices. That means I know for sure that Grandaddy was rejoicing when you and JD accepted Jesus and he looks forward to the day when we will join him there."

Now, I do want to briefly address the whole "guardian angel" thing. Do I believe in guardian angels? Well, yes and no. I do believe God sends angels to protect us, I haven't found anywhere in the Bible where it says we each have a specific angel that is "ours". Maybe it's there, but I haven't seen it. However, those who have gone on before us do not become angels. Angels are a completely separate creation from humans. You do not want to be an angel!
As humans, we have the choice to accept Jesus as our personal Savior. We were given that second chance. We all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, but God sent His Son to die for US...for you, for me! He didn't do that for angels. When Lucifer, the director of all angels, chose to rebel against God, he was immediately kicked out of Heaven, along with all the angels who chose his side. They weren't given a second chance. Jesus didn't leave Heaven to die for them.
The Bible says we were made in the image of God, it does not say that about angels. My daddy isn't an angel. He is a child of God who gets to spend eternity worshiping his Savior!

Happy homecoming day, daddy! I love you past Heaven!

Warning: This blog may offend you

2011-01-07T14:43:00.000-08:00

"I don't go to church because it's full of hypocrites." ...I've heard variations of this statement for years; decades, really. It is a primary "excuse" for so many people to not attend church.

The thing is, the reason churches are "full of hypocrites" is because churches are full of humans. People. You and me. Every single one of us has been hypocritical at some point in our lives, several points, in fact.

There is no such thing as "the perfect church". If there were, it would no longer be perfect once you or I showed up because we're not perfect. But, you can't use this as a reason to keep away from church. It's just another lie the Father of Lies has given for us to remain closed off and distant from others, and from God. The Bible is very clear about corporate worship. The New Testament lays out the Church being formed.

Now, somewhat understandably, this excuse is used by those who have not found the real Jesus, who have not come to know Him, love Him and serve Him. They have not experienced the love of Christ, so gathering with His church doesn't seem necessary.

What really bothers me are people who say they are followers of Christ, who call themselves by His name, yet will not attend church because of His people. I've heard from more than one person that they "don't have a problem with God, just with God's people". Now, I have a real problem with that!

If I said to you, "I really like you, but I can't stand your kids." How would that make you feel? How would you react? Would you want to be around me? Would you think I actually did care about you? No! You would defend your children. Even if your kids are unruly, even if they don't always listen to you or do what they know is right, you still love them, they are still your children, a part of you, in fact. If someone insults your family, they are insulting you. Those "believers" who insult God's children are insulting God. They do have a problem with God. They are, in fact, being the very hypocrite they claim to hate so much.

Now, please understand, hear my heart. I am not defending the hypocrisy that goes on within the church. I am not condoning sin or double-standards for those who call themselves Christians. This is not my intent whatsoever. However, as a believer, if I see something in the church that is wrong, I should try to help change it, address the issue, work with others to resolve it. I shouldn't turn my back on those who are my brothers and sisters in Christ. Would I turn my back on my sister, Karyn, or my brother, Bryon, because they were doing something they shouldn't be doing? Never! They are my family and I love them, and as such I would try to figure out a way to help them, to work with them through the trial.

Our relationship with the church should be no different.

Being a believer is dirty work. You've got to get down in the trenches. Sometimes you may be called to be on latrine duty. But, that's what we have to do to be molded into the image of Christ, and to help others do the same. I can't imagine going through life without the support system of my church family. God placed these people in my life to minister to me, to pray with me, to teach me...and for me, hopefully, to do the same for them.

Unfortunately, many of us have become too lazy, too complacent to care enough about getting in there and actually working. We'd rather just quit. We are not called to be quitters. "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." (Proverbs 27:17) Roll up your sleeves, jump down into the muck, help those who are stuck in it, and come out on the other side a beautiful representation of the love of Christ!

A Year in Review...

2010-12-18T23:25:00.000-08:00

I can't believe Christmas is just a week away! It seems like the year just began and suddenly it's over in 2 weeks!
This year has brought about so much: blessings, scares, and changes... I am so thankful to serve an all-knowing God, Who is in complete control.
Trying to fit a year-in-review into one blog post seems nearly impossible. What do I say? What do I leave out? Do I even remember enough to warrant a post? I'm sure I'll leave out things I really wanted to say, and perhaps even say things that could have been omitted. But, I'll do my best.

The kids have had a good year. JD has continued to remain on honor roll this year. We are extremely proud of him. His teachers continually praise him for his excellent behavior, manners, helpfulness and willingness to put forth his best effort at all times.
Cora is doing well in school as well. She struggles, do to her Irlen's Syndrome, but always tries her hardest and puts for her best effort each day. We are constantly told what a sweet girl we have, and I have to agree :) Her teacher is very proud of her, as are we. We have been truly blessed with the best teachers we could ask for. I can't say enough about Cora's teacher, Mrs. Davidson, (and Ms. Olsen) and JD's teachers, Mr. Krzmarzick and Mr. Jensen. I thank God for each of them.

Almost all of you reading this know of our scare earlier this year. The end of July brought me to my knees as we learned of abnormal and rapidly developing precancerous cells in my uterus. After much prayer the decision was made for me to have a partial hysterectomy, with the understanding that once they got in there they may have had to do a full. The surgery was in September. This was probably the hardest decision of my life. I still have times where I burst into uncontrollable tears over this. I have always wanted more children. We have tried for years. Obviously, though, God had different plans for our lives. It was a huge blessing we discovered the cells when we did. They were able to get all of them and I am cancer-free!
Of course, I will have to have regular check-ups, just to be safe, but our oncologist was very positive that we made the right decision in leaving my ovaries. (I did not want them taken, Jake was very much a proponent of having them out, just to be on the safe side.) '
God is good, though! Through my weakness, through my doubts and fears and longings, He is faithful!!!

He continues to provide for our needs at just the right moment. Each time another medical bill arrives (yes, they are still arriving), I have a moment (or two or three) of panicking, wondering how we are going to pay for all these bills. Even before the surgery occurred, though, people gave sacrificially to help us through. He provided in ways I could not imagine, and I know He will continue to do so.

God continually reminds me He is on His schedule, not mine.

Jake was very busy with seminary this year, taking 3 classes in the spring and 2 in the fall to finish up his first degree. It was hard on all of us. He would often leave the house in the morning before the kids and I were awake and return home after they had gone to bed. We typically only had 1 night during the week with him and Saturdays. (We never counted Sundays because we were always so busy with church.)
But, the sacrifice of time was well worth it, as he graduated last week! I cannot express how proud I am of him. He still has five classes remaining for his 2nd degree, which we had originally expected him to complete in time to graduate this time next year...but, as usual, God's plans for our family are not what we had been preparing for or expecting. Jake has had to put seminary on hold, at least for the time being.
He has been asked to be Interim Senior Pastor of Northstar, which he accepted after much prayer, meditation and deliberation. This was not anything we were expecting or seeking, but as I said before, God's plans for us often don't go where we imagined. We are, however, excited and anxious to see where God leads, and humbled to be on this journey.
He will continue to be a bi-vocational, serving the church as well as holding down a full-time job outside of the church.

Please continue to lift us up during this time of transition. Pray for Northstar. Losing a pastor is never easy on a church. Pray for unity during this time. We will no longer be able to meet in the school after this month, and are diligently seeking options as to where we can meet. Please be lifting this up to the Father as well as wisdom for Jake as he leads.
Pray for the Ellis family as they move to Arkansas and transition and seek God's will for their lives. They served Northstar wholeheartedly and will be missed. Pray for the 3 children as they adjust to a new life in a new town.

As always, thank you for your prayers for our family and the church. We could not be here without your prayers and support. I cannot wait to see what God has in store for 2011!

Where You go I'll g.....wait, let me think about this...

2010-10-20T09:49:00.000-07:00

Ruth 1: 16-17 is one of the most utilized section of verses in the Bible. It is often quoted in weddings, even in movies. But what if we looked at it differently? What if, instead of saying this to our spouses or friends, we prayed it?
"But Ruth replied: Do not persuade me to leave you or go back and not follow you. For wherever you go, I will go, and wherever you live, I will live; your people will be my people, and your God will be my God. Where you die, I will die, and there I will be buried. May the LORD do this to me, and even more, if anything but death separates you and me."
As a Christ-follower I am prone to say things like, "The LORD willing" or "If it's in His will"...phrases that should be taken seriously, used in reverence to the Most High. But are they? Do I use them flippantly, without regard to what I'm actually saying?
"Go where You go and stay where You stay"...What a prayer! Do I sincerely mean that--that I will go where God leads and stay when He tells me to?
If I'm exactly where I'm supposed to be, am I content or do I itch for something more? If I'm comfortable and happy where I am now, will I get up and move when and where He leads? Will His people truly be my people, or will I ignore them, insult them, blame them, forget them...
Am I honestly willing to lay down my life for Him, or is it something I just say because that's what I'm supposed to do?

Chris Tomlin's, "I Will Follow" puts this prayer into song. "Where you go, I'll go. Where you stay, I'll stay. When you move, I'll move. I will follow you. Who you love, I'll love. How you serve I'll serve. If this life I lose, I will follow you. I will follow you."

What a prayer! What a life-changing attitude!

Oh, God, may I be so in love with You that I would desire nothing more than to give up everything for Your glory! May I be so content in Your will that I seek only to follow You, to stay or to move where You lead, to love and to serve how You do. May I be willing and ready to lose this life if it brings You glory! I WILL follow You!

What happens when dreams are shattered?

2010-08-16T14:27:00.000-07:00

King David said in 2 Samuel 15:26, "Behold, here I am, let Him do to me what seems good to Him."
David was described as a man after God's own heart, yet even he, in the midst of trials, let the world and fears take his focus away from the LORD. So many times throughout his life we read how he allowed circumstance to dictate his joy, his life, his relationship with God.
But, each and every time he ran back to God, Who accepted him with open arms. This verse is one of those times. He presented himself before God and said, basically, "I'm yours, do with me what you want."

As many of you reading this know, I have been faced with a circumstance lately for which I was not prepared. Not that anyone is prepared to here, "We've found rapidly developing abnormal cells and if something is not done soon, they will be cancer."
No one expects or wants to hear their dreams shattered. With all my heart I wanted more children. Unlike most women I loved every minute of my pregnancies. Even though I was horribly ill and they almost killed me, I loved it. If you were to ask anyone in my family what I said when asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up?" They would immediately say I answered, "A wife and a mommy." As a very young child I would say I wanted 5 children. As an adult, I would say I wanted 4. I prayed for specifics with both JD and Cora. I wanted a blond-haired, blue-eyed boy and a brown-haired, blue-eyed girl.
Somewhere inside I knew more children were probably not an option. Unknown to most people, I have had several miscarriages. I'd been told by more than one doctor that a hysterectomy was in my future, but still I held on to that dream, that desire. It was like a death when that "probably" became a emphatic and resounding, "no".
Throughout the past few weeks, as we've dealt with the news and the pending surgery and possible further treatment, if cancer is found, God has been speaking to me in numerous ways. He has led me to verses in the Bible, ones I've read 100's of times before but that suddenly spoke directly to me. He's used friends to speak truths into my life. He has used the senior pastor at my church to speak from the pulpit exactly what I needed to hear. He has shown Himself in a mighty way and is going to prove Himself Mighty!

One thing that has really been pulsating through me is that I want my life to be for His glory. I don't want that to just be lip-service. I don't want it to be something I just say, but not strive for and believe with all that I am. I am His. My life was created so that He could be glorified through it. When all is said and done what I want more than anything is to have that said of me. And if I truly want that, truly believe that, then this too is for His glory. He has allowed these cells so that through my hurting, through my fear of the unknown, through my surgery and possible future treatment, He could be glorified.

Jesus, when the cross was looming in the immediate future, prayed not once, but 3 times, for that cup to pass from Him. But, each time He prayed He said, "Not My will, but Yours."
God's plans aren't always ours--His way of doing things/accomplishing things isn't always the way we would do it...But know this, He has your best interest at heart. He wants only what is good for you, but that doesn't necessarily mean what we, as humans, think of as "good". No, His good is whatever it takes to accomplish His will and show Himself glorified.

When I was in junior high I learned a verse that really became my life-verse. It is one that through the years has come to mind many times and that I've prayed over and over. Psalm 31: 14-15a says, "But I trust in you, O LORD; I say, "You are my God. My times are in your hands."
As I've said in previous blogs, nothing that happens to me is a surprise to God. He wasn't shocked to find out I have these cells in my body. He knew and predestined every breath that I will have before I was created. He knows exactly how many days I will live and it won't be one more or less. He IS my God and my times ARE in His hands. More than anything, this brings me comfort.

I'm not saying I haven't been scared, worried, upset, stressed...I have, believe me! I've had moments of shear fear and worry. I've broken down more than once in tears. But, each and every time, He has comforted me.
Two verses He brought me to are in John 11. Verse 4 says, "This sickness is not fatal. It will become an occasion to show God's glory by glorifying God's Son." And verse 40 says, "Didn't I tell you that if you believed, you would see the glory of God?"
God wants to use these circumstances to prove Himself mighty so that He might be glorified.
I want Him to use me in whatever capacity He sees fit. If I say that I can't just change my mind when things don't go the way I had planned. If I want to live a life glorifying to God I have to do this through the good and the bad.

What happens when dreams are shattered? He plants new ones in your heart.
This was not the way I planned things, this isn't the way I would do it, but, nevertheless, not my will but Yours.

Our summer

2010-08-12T13:10:00.000-07:00

Wow, I can't believe the summer is winding down to a close! The kids go back to school on August 30th and we're excited that they both got the teachers we requested for them.
They had a great time in Arkansas this summer. They both always look forward to being there and seeing friends and family. We took some time to visit a few places on our way home from getting them. We stopped by Roswell, NM, to see the aliens...

This is our new friend, Gray Alien

They tried to abduct us...

And apparently even aliens love Coke!

Cora wanted to know why this alien was only wearing underwear...

As long as I can be with him...take me away!!!

We were also able to stop by the Air Force Base in Alamogordo, NM to visit some friends. After that we headed outside of Phoenix to the Salt River for some rafting.

We had a lot of fun, and some adventure as well. There were some class 1 rapids on the trip, nothing too serious, really. But, towards the end of the float we came upon some rapids that looked worse than the ones we had hit previously. There were several large rocks we were going to have to maneuver around, as well as one huge boulder right in the middle. As we were floating towards this JD panicked and fell off his raft, which quickly began to float downstream. (If we lost the raft we were going to have to buy it, not something we wanted to do...plus, getting 4 people down the river on 3 rafts, no easy) So, Jake took off down the rapids to try to catch JD's raft. In the meantime, we hit the rapids and I had to try and stop both the kids from floating away. I got JD to the side, holding my raft, and I anchored myself into the rocks with my knees and held onto Cora and her raft.

A little ways down the rapids JD's raft just stopped. It was amazing. It wasn't hung on anything, just stopped. Jake was able to get to it and stayed there, waiting for the rest of us. Cora was having a blast, ready to take on the rapids alone. My strength was failing, so I told her I was going to let her go and that her daddy would catch her down the river. She was thrilled, laughing the whole time.

Some other people were coming down the river about this time. They had 3 rafts, but only 2 people. They were using the other for their cooler, so I yelled to them, asking if JD could ride down with them as far as Jake. They agreed. He was really shook up, and didn't like leaving me, but I promised him I would be right behind him. I got to my raft and got down to Jake and the kids.

They were stopped right in the middle of the rapids, so I jumped off my raft and tried to stop, but the water was so strong it kept me moving, and my raft was getting away from me, so I jumped through the middle of it (instead of being on top) and kept going, my legs hitting every rock and boulder along the way. (Let me tell you, I was extremely bruised)

I was SO burned by the end of the day! I'm still peeling!

But, overall we had a great time. Here are a few pictures from us on the river (BOY, do I wish I had a video camera rolling during the whole rapids adventure! I could win lots of money off that, I'm sure)

Next weekend we're going camping with some families from Northstar, then it's just one more week before school starts!

We decided to not have the kids' birthday parties until after school starts back up, so they are able to invite more of their friends. I can't believe they are now 8 and 9! Where did the years go!?!?

I hope each of you had a great summer as well.

He is not surprised...

2010-04-07T13:42:00.000-07:00

One thing that brings me peace is that nothing that happens to my family is a surprise to God. When something comes our way that is unexpected and maybe even scary, I can take comfort in knowing that this circumstance did not sneak up on God. He doesn't stop and say, "Oh, my...how did THAT happen..."

He knew, when Jake accepted the day-job he currently has that it would cost us over $300 per month in Jake's gas bill alone. He knew, when we were planning on using our tax money to buy a cheap used car with better gas mileage that we weren't going to get back even half of what we thought we would, so that idea was out the window. He knew that Jake's jeep would break down on the way to work this morning. He knew that it would cost us over $600 to fix it. He knew that our kitchen sink would break and flood our kitchen and cause us to have to shut off the water to the kitchen area, causing dishes upon dishes to pile up b/c they can't be washed until the problem can be fixed. (Which probably isn't too big of a project, but Jake is so busy between the children's ministry at Northstar, taking 3 classes in seminary and working 40+ hours a week, he isn't home often enough to fix it)

None of this came as a surprise to Him, and the outcome won't be a surprise either.

I say all this to myself more than to anyone else, because I needed a reminder of that today. Not only is He all-knowing, He is all-sufficient. I am not only to believe IN Him, but to simply BELIEVE Him. The reason I can believe Him and trust Him to see us through all of this is because He has seen us through every "surprise" before. Not once has He ever let us down, and He won't this time either.

Will it all turn out the way I hope? Probably not. But it will turn out the way He plans, if we simply allow Him control and turn our worrying and stress over to Him. His shoulders are much bigger and can handle all of this much more easily than I can.

Honestly, even as I write this, my stomach is churning, trying to figure out how to pay for all of this. I'm quite literally to the point of making myself sick, not only because of all the stuff that's been thrown at us, but because I'm openly admitting it to you. That is very hard for me. Sharing imperfections and problems isn't easy for me to do. I would much rather keep it private, bottled up inside, and let people believe we live a charmed life, free of worry or debt or problems...admitting "worries" to someone, even my closest friends and family, is the hardest thing in the world for me. I'd rather hide behind my nice little wall I've built up around myself for protection. Admitting insecurities and problems that arise makes me feel a couple of things...perhaps a brief moment of, "Wow, it feels better to get this off my shoulders," and then the horrible feeling of, "Why on earth did I say anything to anyone, what are people going to think, are they going to look down on me, judge me, feel sorry for me....." That's usually the feeling that wins out in the end, as I'm sure it will today once I hit "publish" and this is out there for you to read.

But, for some reason I felt the need to be real, at least for a moment. I'm definitely not perfect, and I don't want anyone to get the idea that I think that. I don't. Believe me. Reading in my quiet time today that God wants to be able to boast about me, that I should be the physical representation of His beauty...well, I feel so completely undeserving to even consider that. But what an honor that would be, to have God boast of me, "Look at her! Doesn't she look just like My Son?" Wow. What an honor that would be.

For now, though, I am simply going to hold onto the faith that He will see us through. Always has, always will.

The simple things in life...

2010-03-24T15:25:00.000-07:00

Today God used a young boy to show me just how blessed I truly am.

Yesterday was not a good day, by any means. Without going into details of my day, let's just say that if one more thing had gone wrong I would have quite literally gone off the deep end. I was at my wits' end. Everything that could go wrong did. Murphy's law was the ruler of the day. My Facebook post said something to the effect of "This day inhaled vigorously, but my God is good all the time." I threw in that last part to remind myself that no matter how lousy of a day I was having, HE is faithful, when all else fails, HE will not.

That was yesterday.

Today, while I was volunteering at JD and Cora's school, I was put face-to-face with true sorrow. Sometime ago JD came home from school and told me about a little boy who was in his class last year. He asked if I remembered him and said, "He told me his mom is dying of cancer. She's had it before, but it was in remission, now it's in stage 4." My heart hurt for this little boy, and I wanted to do something for the family, but I didn't know how or what, and soon it was out of my mind.
God placed him in my path today, so I asked him how his mom was doing. His face went downcast as he said, "She's about to die. She may already be dead right now and me not know it. I don't know when she's going to pass on, but it's any time." As I tried to hold back the tears I let him know that JD had told me about her having cancer and asked if there was anything my family could do. He said, "Well, they don't like me talking about it but taxes are due now, and we may lose our house and I heard them talking about divorce." That was it, the tears started pouring. I told him we were praying for him and his family and for him to talk to JD if he needed a friend to talk to and to let JD know if there was anything we could do so he could tell me.

Any one of those things is enough to break a grownup, much less a child...and then to pile them on top of each other, well, my heart broke. Suddenly, my measly problems from yesterday didn't seem so big. Suddenly, my pity party I was wanting to throw myself didn't hold much merit. Suddenly.....

So, without names, I am asking you to please lift this family up in prayer. Pray for peace and comfort for the mom, pray for peace for the rest of the family, but most importantly, pray that God would make His Son known to her in a mighty way and that she would come to know Him in a real and saving way before she steps into eternity.

And while you are at it, remember to thank Him for your life, for the life of your family. Thank Him for the simple blessings He brings each day. "The LORD gives and the LORD takes away...my heart will choose to say, 'LORD, blessed be Your name.'"

A Jealous God

2010-02-24T10:54:00.000-08:00

During my quiet time I have been going through a study by Beth Moore called "Breaking Free". Today, I was reading in Exodus 20:4-5 (In the midst of the 10 Commandments) Exodus 20:5 says, "...for I, the LORD your God, am a jealous God..." Now, I definitely see how this could be a stumbling block for many. As I read this I was reminded of a time I heard an interview with Oprah. She was talking about a time when she was in church and this verse was read. She said she immediately thought, why would I want to worship a God who is jealous of me?
Now, my instant reaction to her saying this was, "Wow, how conceited and full of yourself do you have to be to think that the God of the universe is jealous of you?" But, as with many areas in the Bible, our English translations don't always say accurately what the original text meant. The Hebrew and Greek languages have many many different words to describe different aspects of something. (For example, we have one word for "love" and that can mean "I love ice cream" or "I love my husband". Either way we use the same word...The Greek, however, translates many different forms of love. Eros, for example, is erotic love. Agape is the unconditional, self-sacrificing love...Our language looses a lot in translation.)
But, back to the jealous God and Oprah's question. Why would we want to worship a god who is jealous of us? I certainly wouldn't... But, the LORD God, the God of the universe, the Creator, is not jealous of you. He owns the "cattle on a thousand hillsides" (Psalm 50:10). He created everything, including you and me. What Exodus 20:5 is saying is God is jealous FOR you. He loves you so much, He wants what is best for you to such an extent, that He is jealous FOR you. 2 Corinthians 11:2 talks about a "godly jealousy". Being jealous OF someone or something is a sin. God cannot sin. This "godly jealousy" is pure and holy.
As a parent, I want what is best for my children. I yearn for them to succeed, to thrive. If I see them doing something that I know will harm them, will derail them from success, it angers me, it hurts me...I am not angry at them, per say, I am angry for them. If, as parents, we react that way with our children, how much more does God, Who loves completely, fully and without fail, react that way when He sees us falling into the bondage of sin. He sees we are on a path that will harm us, that will derail us from the blessings He has planned for us. He is so in love with us He is jealous for us, wanting only what is best for our lives.
The rest of Exodus 20:4-5 talks about idols. "Do not make an idol for yourself...do not bow down to them..." Now, this is important. God is not, in any way, jealous of other "gods". (And, by the way, a god is anything we put in our lives above the LORD God. You may not think you worship anything, but God has implanted in everyone an internal desire to worship. If you are not worshiping the One True God, you are worshiping something...your job, the Wii or PS3, money...the list can go on and on) The LORD knows that worshiping these things is not what is best for you and therefore it hurts Him, angers Him, to see you following them. These things cannot save you, they cannot deliver you from despair, they hold no real glory.

Only God can save. He knew you before you were born. He knows every hair on your head. He loved you so much He sent His only Son to the earth to die for you. If you were the only person in the world, He still would have died for you. There is nothing in your past, nothing in your present and nothing in your future He doesn't already know. If there were anything too big for Him, His death would have been pointless...but it wasn't.

Jesus died for you. He died for me.
He chose to do this because He desires to spend eternity with us, He desires to bless us, He desires to give us peace. He has our best interest at heart. Above all else He desires for us to know Him, to love Him, to believe in Him, to trust and worship Him and Him alone. There are such bountiful blessings in store for those who do.

February 10

2010-02-10T09:55:00.000-08:00

February 10, 2010... 3 years. It really doesn't seem like it's been that long. Time heals all wounds? I'm not so sure I believe that. Time maybe makes the wounds less pronounced, less in-your-face, but they don't go away, not completely.
It would be his 71st birthday at the end of this month. Instead, he is celebrating his 3 year birthday today. The eternal-side of of me wants to celebrate with him. The human-side, not so much.
I still dream about him almost every night. I guess it's my brain's way of dealing with him not being here. In my dreams he is alive and kicking, helping me some way or spending time with me like he used to do. I keep wondering when those dreams will stop. Maybe never.
There are still occasions where I almost pick up the phone to call him about one thing or another. It only lasts a second before reality kicks in and I think, "Hello, dummy...remember?" It's so weird the random things that trigger nostalgia.
He was a great daddy. The best. His love language was definitely gift-giving. He loved giving gifts. Valentine's Day was a favorite of his. He always had some fabulous piece of jewelry for my mom, my sister and me. If you'd ask him, he would say he hated that Karyn and I had our ears pierced, but he gave us some amazing earrings over the years. If he was going to buy something, it was going to be the best there was. He didn't skimp.
Anyone who had the honor and privilege of knowing him knows he took joy in giving to others. It was never something he would admit, it was just him.
Growing up, my favorite days were our days together. He took off one day a week from the pharmacy to just spend with me. During the school year, he would pick me up from school and we would go do whatever...go to the farm store, go to Sam's, just drive around..it didn't matter. Summertime meant we had the whole day. We would go to Branson for the day and ride every ride at Silver Dollar City 10 times each. He never complained as I drug him from ride to ride to ride.
He was the dad who bought his daughter and her friends tickets to go see Marky Mark, then suffered through the concert quietly, knowing how much joy it brought them. He was the dad who, when his daughter wanted to go see Warrent, Trixter and Firehouse in concert, took her without question, and then stuffed bubblegum in his ears to keep his eardrums from bursting. He was the dad who would get tickets 3rd row back at a major rock concert, where the speakers are so close they control your heartbeat, just to spend time with his daughter. He was the dad who, though he never tried, became one of my best friends. He was the dad who, even after all three of his children were grown, was still lovingly called daddy...because that's what he was.
Happy homecoming day, daddy!

Snow Day

2010-01-23T16:34:00.001-08:00

We went up to Mt. Charleston sledding today with some families from Northstar. We had a blast! The snow was litterally above my knees in some areas! Too bad I was the one with the camera, you could have seen me attempting to walk through it and falling! It was hillarious!
I did get several really good pictures, though. If you'd like to see them, I loaded them from snapfish just below this post.

sledding 01\23\10 (219 photos), by Elaine Bridges

2010-01-23T16:33:00.001-08:00

I'd like to share my Snapfish photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.
Click here to view photos

Welcome to 2010

2010-01-11T14:32:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!
Wow! Can you believe that we are in 2010? 2009 just flew by. So much has happened over the past year. God has blessed our family in so many ways. Over Christmas break we had our 2^nd anniversary of living in Vegas.

Northstar is growing; this year has brought several new families to our congregation. We have been trying different programs with the Children’s Church, trying to find just the right fit for our kids. We still haven’t found a set-up that works really well for our group. The biggest struggle is we have kindergarten through 5^th grade all together. Jake has just started a new series with them on the miracles of Jesus.

Jake has been busy this past year. He started a new job in November. During the week he now works at Vegas.com. He doesn’t have to travel to Miami anymore, but the company is in the south part of the valley, so he’s driving close to 62 miles round-trip each day. Paying for his gas is going to kill us...

He is still doing seminary in the evenings and on weekends, so free time is something that has become non-existent. Right now he is doing a Jan-Term, which means he is taking one class that starts and finishes in the month of January. In some ways it's nice, because he can get it over with, but it also means a lot of work. He's in class Mondays and Thursdays from 6-9:30 then Saturday mornings from 9-2:00.

He is excited about the new opportunities he has to be a life-witness to his new coworkers. There are two people in particular who have already approached him with questions about his beliefs. We know God has placed him in this job for a reason and we pray he will be open to God using him in a very real and life-changing way to the people in his office.

JD and Cora are doing quite well. JD made straight-A honor roll and Cora made A-B honor roll 1^st trimester. We are so proud of them both. They amaze me each day with their intelligence and spiritual growth. God has such great plans for their lives.

It is our family's heart-felt prayer that our lives be used as a living-offering, a true life of worship in 2010.

We would love to see mission teams come out and partner with us this year! We have some great opportunities for volunteers this year. If you are interested, please let us know so we can contact you with more information.

Please remember to keep us in your prayers this coming year. God has been revealing to us new seasons in our family’s life and ministry. Please join us in prayer as we seek to hear His will and obey.

I know I say this with every letter and post, but I truly mean it when I say, your prayers and partnership with our family are so important to us. We do not take for granted our prayer and ministry partners.

God's little blessings...

2009-10-14T09:16:00.000-07:00

Something struck me as I drove the kids to school this morning...
Every morning we rush and rush, trying to get everything done and ready for school, trying to get to school on time. I try to take time to pray with the kids as we are driving to school, but some mornings we don't even do that.
JD is an early bird (and by early I mean, if the sun is up, he is up), the rest of us are not, to say the least. He eats breakfast and is dressed before the rest of the family is even out of bed. He also wants to get to school early so he can spend time with his friends. Because of this he starts to give a running tab of the time ticking away starting about 8:20 each and every morning. By the time we leave, usually sometime around 8:40, I am fed up. Each morning I remind him that I am very capable of telling time, probably more so than him. I also remind him that he has never, even once, been late to school.
So, needless to say, there are many mornings where I'm in a very foul mood by the time we leave the driveway to head to school. Today was one such morning. I was in no mood to even be up (Heidi kept me up most of the night because one of our fire alarms is beeping for a new battery...she is scared to death of this...), much less be told, once again, that it was time to leave.
We were driving to school, I was trying to make casual conversation with the kids, when we turned onto the street of their school. The street has a perfect view of Mount Charleston and its surrounding mountains.
At the base of the mountain was a rainbow! It wasn't very long, but it was one of the widest rainbows I have ever seen. You could see every color! It was beautiful. I gasped at the site and quickly pointed it out to JD and Cora. "LOOK! A RAINBOW!"
The entire mood of the car changed, as we discussed what colors we saw, the sheer beauty of what we were seeing. Cora said, "some rainbows that people draw have other colors". I said, "Yes, but the rainbows God creates always have the same colors, red, orange, yellow, green, blue, indigo, violet,"
to which JD replied, "That's because it's His promise to us!"
We pulled into the school, and they jumped out to meet their friends and start their day, but I was paused in awe of the wonder of my Savior, how He could take something so simple to completely change my whole manner.
Many verses from the Bible and songs began pouring into my head, describing the awesomeness of God and His creation.
What stuck with me was a few lines from Revelation Song by Phillips, Craig and Dean.
Let me share those lines with you:

Clothed in rainbows, of living color
Flashes of lightning, rolls of thunder
Blessing and honor, strength and
Glory and power be
To You the Only Wise King,

Holy, Holy, Holy
Is the Lord God Almighty
Who was, and is, and is to come
With all creation I sing:
Praise to the King of Kings!
You are my everything,
And I will adore You…!

That song just spoke my exact thoughts the moment. So often we take for granted rainbows, we complain about thunder and lightening, but these all show God's glory! As we see these, remember, ALL creation will sing praise to the King of Kings...it doesn't say "people", the Bible actually says that all of creation will cry out, even the rocks will cry out. That rainbow was a praise to God! That thunder and lightening is a praise to God! Those birds singing are praising God! With ALL CREATION I sing, praise to the KING of KINGS!
At some point, whether during this life or after, every knee shall bow to Him. May it be the desire of my heart, the song of my life, that my knee is bowed to Him in constant praise and awe of His glory.

Home from Gallbladder Surgery

2009-09-30T21:44:00.000-07:00

Thank you so much for all of you prayers over the past few weeks. I went through numerous tests, bloodwork, ultrasounds, CT Scans, MRCP, x-rays, etc...all to no avail. My doctor referred me last week to a gastroenterologist, who I was scheduled to see Oct. 9.
Monday I became very faint. I couldn't stand without passing out and even felt dizzy when lying down with my eyes closed. By Monday night I was feeling so bad Jake drove me to our medical clinic's quick care. They couldn't do anything for me and sent me to the ER.
The ER floor doctor ordered more blood tests and another ultrasound of my gallbladder. They came back almost immediately saying they found "sludge" in my gallbladder and it would need to be removed. They admitted me right away to help control pain and await a surgery slot to become available.
Tuesday morning when the surgeon came in to talk with us he asked why we hadn't been referred to a surgeon weeks ago...that he looked at my ultrasound, but didn't have to, he said my symptoms were classic gallbladder problems. He said he guessed the doctor just wanted to see me hurt and run more tests...lol...yep, that's what we were thinking too, since we asked several times to be admitted into the hospital and were told "that's just not how it's done anymore".
The surgeon was extremely friendly and helpful. We were blessed to be assigned to him. He said, "Call me PK, everyone knows me as PK".
They got me into surgery a little before noon today. He said everything went really well. I have 4 small incisions. He told Jake and my mom the gallbladder was "BAD". They are sending it off for testing.
As many of you reading this know, my dad died from gallbladder cancer in Feb. of 2007. Even though it isn't hereditary, they are testing it for disease and cancer.
I got to leave the hospital around 5 this evening. I feel like I've been hit in the gut with a mac-truck, but the pain I was feeling before doesn't seem to be there at all. Hopefully over the next few days these surgery pains will decrease and the incisions will heal quickly.

I guess I can call that gastro clinic tomorrow and let them know I won't be in need of their services! Jake said he will also be calling our doctor tomorrow to let him know I had surgery on the very thing they said was "fine" and "within normal limits"...looks like we may be looking for a new doctor. Too bad. This one was so close to our house, and seemed really nice. But, we kept telling them that all the research we've done and others have told us say that diagnosing a gallbladder is hit-and-miss, you have to see it at just the right time and just the right angle to see the stones. Sometimes they aren't seen, even if they are there.
We mentioned this to the ER doctor who found the sludge and he concurred.

Anyway, I'm home now and resting...not comfortably...

I really appreciate all the prayers, posts on FB, calls and texts. Thank you, Jeremy, for coming by the hospital to visit and pray with us. It really meant a lot to me.

I got to eat jello tonight. It was very tasty, as were the ice-chips at the hospital after surgery! 1st food or drink of any kind since Monday night (I realized after being told I couldn't eat or drink, just in case they were able to squeeze me in to surgery yesterday, that I hadn't drank a drop of anything Monday, and only ate part of a biscuit with some gravy on it Monday evening...obviously by the time I got some ice-chips this afternoon I was dying of thirst!)

It's really a blessing to think about the light-at-the-end-of-the-tunnel! HE is the Great Physician! All praises to my God!

Is it September Already?!?

2009-09-16T22:44:00.000-07:00

I honestly cannot believe that 2009 is already 3/4 of the way over! I always remember when I was little and would complain about time going by too slowly. My dad would laugh and say, "You just wait until you get older! You'll wish it would slow down! You blink and another year's gone by!" Well, he was right!
In the time since my last blog, JD and Cora have both had birthdays (I can't believe they are 8 and 7 now! Talk about time flying!), they have started 3rd and 2nd grade, respectively, Jake's gotten a job offer from Miami, I've had some health concerns and much, much more...I'll try to address all of these and more in this blog.
I had actually considered creating several different blogs to cover each different "happening", but decided I would be lazy and just do one. I'm apologizing now for the length and for what I'm sure will be many many pictures.
JD and Cora's birthday party had to be postponed because of our rushed trip back to AR in late July due to the death of Jake's paternal grandmother. Jake was honored to perform the ceremony at her funeral.
We decided to take a little extra time on the drive home from Arkansas and spent a day at the Grand Canyon. Even though it's less than 5 hours from Vegas, we had never been. The kids had a blast exploring. I would HIGHLY recommend you make an effort to go if you've never been. It is so beautiful. I sat on the edge of one of the bluffs and the only thing that kept running through my head was, "The splendor of the King, clothed in majesty, let all the earth rejoice, all the earth rejoice!" (I posted to Facebook that I had the urge to burst into song and wondered if anyone around would mind). How can anyone see things in nature like that and not acknowledge the Creator? It blows my mind!
I've posted just a few pictures from the day. The rest are on my FB page, if you're interested.

Neither of them had any fear of going right up to the edges! I, however, did not like them being so close! This is them peering over one of the cliffs.
Beautiful!

We were able to reschedule the birthday party for the following week. The kids had chosen to have their party at the Lied Discovery Children's Museum downtown. It is a hands-on museum with tons of science experiments and objects to explore and learn. All of the kids had a really good time.

Cora got chosen to be a helper during one of the science experiments!

JD and Cora blowing out their candles (JD blew out first, then Cora)

The boys (Clockwise from JD): JD, Alex, Ethan and JR

The girls (clockwise from Cora): Cora,Abby, Haven, Kailey and Nataly

The end of August meant the start of the new school year. JD and Cora were both excited about the new year...well, JD more so than Cora. He actually got upset on Labor Day because there was no school! Jake called him a nerd.

JD, 1st day of 3rd grade

Cora, 1st day of 2nd grade

Getting the van after a great 1st day of school

We were able to request JD's teacher from last year for Cora. Mrs. Krzmarzick ("Mrs. K", as everyone calls her) was such a wonderful teacher for JD and we are so pleased to have her this year for Cora. JD's teacher this year is Mrs. Davidson, and so far we are very pleased with her as well. Bilbray Elementary has such a wonderful staff, from the principal down, and high parent-involvement. We have been truly blessed to be at this school!

As I mentioned in my last blog, Jake's job with Fontainebleau has been up in the air. The company declared bankruptcy earlier this year and began laying people off. Jake's job was fairly secure, but recently we discovered that he would no longer have a job after September 30. Fontainebleau, Miami wanted him to come on with them, and even asked what it would take to get us to move there. We figure, since we didn't move to Las Vegas for Fontainebleau, we wouldn't move to Miami for it either...unless God leads us otherwise, for now He has us serving here, in "Sin City".
I appreciate those of you who have been diligently praying for this job situation. This week Jake received and accepted an offer from Fontainebleau, Miami to work for them remotely, from our home. He will have to travel to Miami occasionally (1st time being for 10 days in October), but this is such a blessing for us. Not only will he be able to work from our home, which will save on gas, and help me as I deal with my health issues (to be discussed later), but he also got a raise! As many of you know, he had to take a mandatory pay cut a few months back when the company went bankrupt. It has been a struggle, but God has been faithful. This raise will help us pay off some debt we accumulated from last year when we had 2 house payments as well as build up some savings and pay for some upcoming mission-trip opportunities we are praying about. God is good, all the time!
While I am on the topic of money, I want to thank those of you who give to Fulfilling the Mission at FBC, Rogers. Part of that money goes to help fund missionaries around the world. Each month the money we receive from FTM helps pay for 1/2 of our house payment. This is a true blessing to us. When you give to FTM, you are blessing missionaries world-wide. You get to be a part of the great commission by writing that check each month. Thank you.

Okay, so on to me. I hate talking about me. I'd much rather tell you about Jake or the kids or the church. But, many people have been calling and emailing to inquire about what is going on with me...so here goes:
Earlier this summer I began getting a pain in my upper-right abdomen. I could feel some sort of growth under the skin, but didn't think much about it. By the time we got back from our trip to AR the pain had gotten much more severe and began to interrupt my day-to-day living. Me, being the stubborn person I am, just kept ignoring the pain. Jake finally insisted I make an appointment with a doctor. Since that 1st appointment I have had 3 or 4 different sets of blood tests run, a CT Scan of my upper and lower abdomen, an ultrasound of my gallbladder and liver, x-rays and have an appointment scheduled for a MRCP (MRI of my pancreas). Some of my liver stats are slightly elevated, but apparently not enough to be concerned. So far they have yet to find what is causing the pain. It has gotten so bad that I am sleeping a good part of the day (up to 18 hours some days) just to deal with the pain. My mom flew out a week and 1/2 ago to help out. She is staying indefinitely, until we are able to figure all this out. It has been a real blessing to have her here to help with housework and with the kids. I am so thankful to have a mom who is willing and able to come and give up her own life to help with mine.
Last night Jake had to take me to the ER because my pain level was so high the pain medication they have me on wasn't doing anything.
The growths under my skin are growing. So far the medical people are not listening to me when I say that is what is causing the pain. That is where the pain started. Jake is going with me to my appointment on Monday and is going to request that I be admitted into the hospital to get the pain under control and figure out what is going on.
Please be praying for me, that God will perform a miracle and take away whatever is causing this pain. I serve a God who is still in the business of miracles and I believe that if it is His will, He can remove this from me. If it is not in His will at this time, please pray I am able to deal with the pain. Please also pray for Jake and the kids during this time. It has been especially hard on JD and Cora. We tried to keep it from them, so they wouldn't worry, but they were able to figure it out on their own. My mom said that JD prayed very long for me last night while I was "at the doctor".

I guess that pretty much catches you up on the life of the Bridges. (I know you're thinking "whew...well, it's about time!" lol)
Northstar continues to grow. We have started 3 small groups that will meet out of members' houses during the week. Please pray for these as we try to get them built up and as we grow the relationships within them.

Oh, in the last blog I mentioned our awesome Celebration Service. Jake baptized a mom and 3 of her children that day. You may remember me mentioning the Children's Service we held after our Kid's Camp ended. All 4 of these baptisms are due to that service. The mom indicated on her information card that she had accepted Christ and one of the boys in the family raised his hand at the end of the service, indicating he wanted more information on becoming a Christian. Jake went to his home to talk to him and he and his brother and sister all ended up accepting Christ that night. The mom requested Jake baptize them all. He was honored to do so.
Let me end with pictures of the baptisms. (Thank you, Wilson, for taking these)

Anthony

Joseph

MiaJennifer (the mom)

2009-07-14T18:35:00.000-07:00

So much to say! So much to report! But, alas, I don't have much time right now, so let me just hit a few high points and promise to get a longer blog out soon. I haven't forgotten about the newsletter, either, it's just been crazy with the move and all...it's coming, really!

We serve an amazing God! Northstar is seeing Him move in some amazing ways! Last Sunday we had 15 baptisms, including children, teens and adults. It was such an amazing Celebration Service. There were 100 people in attendance! We have several new families that are going to be such a blessing to the church. I am excited about getting to know them better.

The kids are back from Arkansas. I missed them so much! I don't think Cora stopped talking for about 48 hours after arriving home, telling me every detail of every minute of their trip...the girl can talk! We are enjoying spending time with Jake's parents and his sister this week.

We are settled in to our new house. Don't walk into the garage...but the house is all put together! We're loving it! Every time I walk through the door I look around and smile. The house will be such a blessing for us, and we will be able to use it for church fellowships, etc.

Jake's job situation is still rather sticky. He still has a job at this point, so that is a praise. His salary was cut, so we are trying to be extra frugile with our spending. Please continue to lift that situation up. We are relying on God to handle the situation, however it may turn out. We did not move here for Jake to work at Fontainebleau, so if he looses his job there we will know it is because there is something else he is supposed to be doing. It is simply our source of income, nothing more. We are here for the church, here to serve Christ, and we will continue to do so.

Thank you for your continued prayers and support. It is so amazing to know that so many people are praying for us.

KIDS CAMP 2009

2009-06-18T09:35:00.000-07:00

Wow! What a week. We had 37 kids attend our Kids Camp (aka VBS), only 13 of those were members' kids. A team from Wynne, AR was here for the week to help, and help they did! What an amazing effort! We couldn't have done it without them. My mom also came out for the week and was a huge help! (not only at camp, but at home where she did my laundry! woo hoo!)
We held the camp at a local park in the evenings. We charged a small registration fee to give "value" to the camp and to help ensure kids would return throughout the week. We also served them sandwiches for dinner each night. There was one family of foster kids who would devour 4-5 sandwiches each (and they were little kids, ranging from 3-8). It was really disheartening to think that those sandwiches may have been the only real meal they had for the day.
All the kids really seemed to have a lot of fun. The parents had nothing but praise for us. It was a long, hard week, but SO worth it!
We had 2 professions of faith, both of them parents!

To conclude the week we had a children's service this past Sunday. Jake preached, speaking on the plan of salvation. We did all kid's songs, ranging from "God is Bigger Than the Boogie Man" to "I Just Want to be a Sheep". Our 'special' was Veggie Tales' "Cheeseburger". What a hoot! We had just under 70 in attendance and everyone raved about the service. We even had some suggestions that this become more regular, like possibly doing a kids' service once a quarter.
We also had 3 kids raise their hands at the end of the service wanting to know more about asking Jesus to come into their lives to be their boss and forgive their sins. (We didn't ask any of them if they wanted to do it then, so that no one was doing it just because friends were.
Instead, we wrote down names of those who raised their hands and Jake is setting up appointments with their families to go speak with them individually at their homes.)

This was such a successful week for our church. We have at least 2-3 families who are interested in joining our church because of it. Thank you for your prayers. To God be the glory!

You give and take away...my heart will CHOOSE to say, Lord blessed be Your Name

2009-06-11T20:13:00.000-07:00

So the good news is Jake still has a job.
As many of you reading this may have heard on the news, Fontainebleau, Jake's employer, declared bankruptcy this week. A good portion of the people in his office were laid off. It was a sad day for him as he helped coworkers carry their boxes of belongings out to their cars.
What we found out later yesterday was that anyone left working for the company was having to take a mandatory, across the board, pay cut.
Jake is in the process of updating his resume and seeing what else is out there.
When he came home and told me, though I could see the stress and worry in his eyes, his statement to me was, "This only means God has something else in the works for us." His faith is unwavering. He still feels that we are called here for a reason and that our season here has not yet ended.
Today opened with more discouraging news. The title company apparently is holding up some paper work and therefore we cannot close on the house this week. Our loan officer hopes to close by the end of the month (Me too, seeing as we will be homeless if we don't). Not only that, but the fees from the title company came in higher than expected, so we have to come up with more money for closing...and our interest rate was only good through the 15th, and since we won't be closing then it will expire and the new interest rate is higher, making our house payment go up.
There's more, but I won't bore you with the details...suffice to say, the last 2 days have been pretty much the worst days since we've lived here.
I know my God is in control. He knows the outcome, has the big picture in His hand. He has seen us through many many times before, and I know this time will be no different.
I've spent most of the day crying. I'm so glad my mom didn't leave until this afternoon, because I don't know what I would have done this morning had she not been here to lean on.
Please be praying for us during this time. Pray mostly that we will lean on His unfailing strength.
Ending on a positive note, our Kid's Camp is going on this week. (It's our "VBS") We have had 37 kids registered and attending. Only 12 or so of those are members. We have had a lot of positive feedback from both kids and parents. There is so much to tell you about it, I will blog next week and include pictures.
Jake is correct, God has something in store for us, and just like our move to Vegas, it may not be anything we would have ever imagined. He is good, all the time.
"I say, 'You are my God, my times are in Your hands.'"

End of School

2009-06-04T18:57:00.000-07:00

So there have been countless times over the past month and a half that I've thought about sitting down and posting a blog, but one day becomes two and the next thing I know...it's June! Where has this year gone?

The kids finished school today. JD said he was sad because he loves school. Though Cora enjoyed school very much, she was also ready for summer break. I'm sure JD will be as well, once he remembers the freedom summer brings.
JD made honor roll all three trimesters. We're obviously very proud. His only non-A was an 89%...I think I can live with that. Cora also did well, 4 out of 6 grades were A's. We were blessed with wonderful teachers this year. We know God put those teachers in our lives for a reason.

Cora's class

JD's class

We're looking forward to my mom and Amy Fike coming in tonight. Tomorrow night (Friday) Amy will be doing a traditional Muslim Tea with the ladies from our church, and my mom will be speaking on how women should act as ladies.
A volunteer team from Wynne, AR will be coming in tomorrow evening to help with our Kids Camp we're having next week. (It's VBS, but because so many people we are trying to reach either have negative thoughts towards "church events" or don't understand VBS, we're choosing to call it Kids Camp.) It will be held M-F evening. Please be in prayer for the children already signed up and those that will sign up this weekend. Also pray for the kids in the park each evening that may wonder over and take part.

I'll be flying the kids to AR on the 18th. They are excited to see family and friends. Though I'll only be there 3 days, they will be staying through July 12th. This should give me a good opportunity to get us settled in our new house. Hopefully we will be able to close on it the end of next week!

Sorry this is a short one...I'll write more soon and promise to get out a newsletter very soon.

Our God is an Awesome God!

2009-04-16T16:10:00.001-07:00

Las Vegas Valley consists of approximately 600 square miles and just under 2 million people in residence.
Those numbers are staggering to me, moving here from Rogers, AR, where the square mileage in Northwest Arkansas (Fayetteville, Springdale, Rogers, Bentonville and the surrounding areas) is only around 200 square miles total.

You have probably heard in the news more than once lately that Las Vegas is one of the hardest hit cities in America on the financial front. Foreclosure signs are everywhere, no neighborhood is exempt. Coorperations and casinos are going under left and right. Though part of me is glad that a casino doesn't succeed, I am also saddened, knowing 100's if not 1000's of lives are effected by their demise. Most recently in the news is MGM-Mirage. They are looking towards bankrupcy, which will effect 1000's of people. They own multiple casinos and resorts in the city, and were slated to open "City Center" this fall, promising 100's of families a chance of a new career.

People need prayer now more than ever. People need to hear about and discover the saving power of Jesus Christ. As all hope seems lost, we need to reach out with The Hope.

I mentioned in my last post the "Crosswalk", where Southern Baptist churches across the valley would join together to prayer-walk across the city, praying for the businesses, homes and lives we passed along the way. I wanted to share with you the final numbers for that day.
26 churches participated, with 325 prayer-walkers walking 775 miles! Isn't God awesome!?! People all across the valley were joined together in prayer for those 2 hours, lifting up our community to the Lord, prayerfully looking for opportunities to reach out to desperately needing people.

Reaching out to our community is the heartbeat of Northstar. Our pastoral staff has a heart for reaching the lost for Jesus and are infusing their vision into our church. Easter Sunday we had a neighborhood egg hunt with free food and games. The service was held outdoors and was very upbeat. We had 5 baptisms planned for the end of service. Five people gave their lives to Christ during our service and we ended up baptizing 8 people that day instead! What an amazing time in the Lord.
We were also able to form relationships with some area businesses who donated gift certificates for kid's meals and % off at their restaurants. We hope to continue and flourish these relationships in order to reach them as well as more in our community.

God has been blessing Northstar in 2009. We have now seen around 12 people come to the cross and profess their faith in Christ. Seven of those are part of our church family, including 3 children.
We see the spirit moving and are humbled and grateful to be a part of it!

I do ask for prayer for the spiritual warfare that always follows great victories in Christ's kingdom. Where God is moving Satan will always attack; and attack he has. We have several families in our church being attacked by the enemy, our family being one of them. I have chosen to count it as a blessing, however, because I know the enemy wouldn't be concerned if God wasn't moving in amazing ways! Please keep us and the other families of Northstar in your prayers for our spiritual, physical and emotional well-being.
Our family is claiming the name of JEHOVAH-NISSI, The Lord is my banner, my victory.

Jake will be going with the rest of the pastoral staff to Catalyst, a pastor's conference in CA. April 23-24. Please be praying for their travel safety and for the conference as well. Pray by name for Mike, Lead Pastor; Jake, Children's Pastor; Jeremy, Youth Pastor; and Jason, Praise and Worship Leader.
What an amazing group of men God has assembled to lead our church. Remember to lift them up and as you do, remember to lift up your own pastoral staff. It is Biblical to pray for our leaders, and they need and covet those prayers.

JD and Cora getting ready for our Easter service and egg hunt

We laid out around 2,000 eggs, with prizes in them ranging from candy to gift certificates to local restaurants to gift cards for Wal-Mart.

Thank you, as always, for partnering with us in prayer. You are an intregal part of our ministry!

Prayer in Motion

2009-03-26T10:45:00.001-07:00

This Saturday, the Southern Nevada Southern Baptist Association is having a "CrossWalk". Southern Baptist Churches from all over Las Vegas have been assigned a stretch of either Charleston or Decatur and will prayer-walk from 9:30-11:00AM.
Now, many of you have heard of prayer-walking, I'm sure, but you may not be fully aware of what it is or how to go about doing it...
The goal of Saturday is to train people to see the world as God sees it, feel the burdens He feels, love as He loves.
As we are walking our part of Decatur, we are to be consciously looking around us, seeing things for which we can pray. An example was given at the training Jake, Pastor Mike and Jeremy, our youth pastor, went to. The man said that as they were prayer walking he saw a satellite dish on a house, so he prayed that it would bring only good into the house, that no garbage would come through it.
Prayer in Motion can be done everyday, where ever you happen to be. It doesn't have to be a planned event, it should be a daily part of a Christ-follower's life.
As you go about your day-to-day life, make a conscious effort to pray for the people and things you pass along the way. Take time to look at the world the way God does.
The Bible says "pray without ceasing". This can be as simple as a one-line prayer lifted up as you drive past a school, "Father, bless the children and staff there, help no harm come to them today." It doesn't have to be complicated or intrinsic. You don't have to stop what you're doing...you don't have to close your eyes (especially if you're driving!), just be in the moment, focus on something/someone other than yourself and see the needs around you.
I think so often people feel too intimidated to pray. They feel like they don't have a good enough reason, or they'll sound stupid...but God wants us to come to Him. He desires a relationship with us!
If you never talk to your best friend, never spend time with him/her, don't listen when s/he speaks to you, is that really your best friend? Do you really have a relationship with that person? Well, it's the same way with God. People claim to love God, to desire to be close to Him, yet are too busy to spend time with Him. That relationship will go no where.
Jesus died on the cross for your sins, He gave up everything for you, the very least we should do is spend time with Him in the quiet of our hearts. But don't do all the talking, take time to listen as well...you'd be surprised!

One last thought for today:
When you are praying for people, BLESS them:
B-Body, pray for physical needs
L-Labor, pray for job/career
E-Emotion, pray for his/her emotional needs
S-Social, pray for his/her social life and friends
S-Spiritual, pray that spiritual needs are met and that s/he has a personal relationship with Jesus

Start today! Pray in Motion!

Leaving for Home

2009-03-08T19:38:00.000-07:00

So it's 9:40 PM, CST, and we're sitting in the airport in Springfield, MO. Our plane should be taking off right about now, but we were delayed an hour or so. I thought I would take this time to send a quick blog.
Once we get home and settled I promise to upload some pictures from our week at GIC. What an amazing week! It was such a blessing to us. As we drove through Rogers this past week it was a rather surreal experience. Though we have only been gone a little over a year, Rogers didn't feel like home anymore. However, Wednesday night as we sat in the sanctuary of FBC and listened to the choir and orchestra and worshiped with 100's of other people...we were home. First Baptist has been my home church since 1983, and Jake's since 1993, so being back there was such a blessing to us both. Being members there for so many years we took for granted the 100+ choir, a church building that is permanently there and doesn't have to be set up and torn down each week before and after worship service, a worship leader like Mark Maier, who radiates Jesus in all he does.
Please don't get me wrong, we are so blessed to be serving at NorthStar. It is definitely our home now, but being at FBC just helped us appreciate the foundation that was laid in our lives there.

Okay...so it's now Wednesday, our plane was called as I was finishing that last sentence so I never had a chance to post. Rather than posting 2ce in one day, I'll just continue with this one.

JD and Cora were so excited to see their friends. They each got to stay the night with a friend while there, and it was so uplifting to their demeanor. It was so great seeing them run around the gym with life-long friends.

JD with Best-Bud, Wade

Cora with BFF, Brynn

Jake and I enjoyed seeing our friends and family as well, though the time passed way too quickly, and we don't feel like we had nearly enough time with any of you. Thank you for spending time with us while we were there, it blessed us greatly to be with you.

Jake with good friend, FBC Media Director, Brian Dunaway

We want to make sure and thank the Milner ABF class for hosting our family this week. It was such an honor to get to know you and share with you our ministry. Thank you for your prayers and support!
There is so much that went on during GIC, I'm afraid I will miss telling you about so much of it. Thank you to the senior adults and Saints Alive Choir for the great luncheon! Also, a huge thanks to the staff and men's and women's ministries, so much effort was put into this week and it was definitely felt.

One of the hi-lights of the week was watching Children of the World perform. We have had the privilege of seeing them in the past and enjoyed them equally as much this time. I wanted to take several of them home with me.

One thing that really spoke to Jake and I this past week was something the guest speaker, Walker Moore said. "If you are a willing witness, your next heart beat is one of obedience." We need to say yes to God anytime, anyplace, anywhere, anyway under any circumstance. We want to be willing witnesses. It was a definite challenge to our daily lives.

Something people ask me frequently is, "How long will you be in Vegas?" My response is always the same, "Until God tells us to go somewhere else." Walker Moore really spoke to what Jake and I want our family legacy to be; that we will be ready and willing to go where ever God tells us to go, anytime, anyplace, anywhere, under any circumstances. We want our children to know that above all else, we are joyfully obedient to God's will for our lives.

Continuing to serve....

2009-02-25T17:05:00.000-08:00

It's been an exciting few weeks at NorthStar. In the past 3 weeks we've had 4 professions of faith! Jake had the honor of leading one of the kids to Christ during Children's church 2 weeks ago, and there have been 3 adults accepting Christ during the Worship service. We are going through the Fireproof series during service, it is really going well. Sunday evenings we are having a small group that goes along with the series as well, and we've been encouraged to do the "Love Dare" book. If you haven't seen the movie Fireproof, I would highly recommend it, as well as the book. It seems to be starting a spiritual awakening in our church family. Please be praying for those who have accepted Christ.

I have so many pictures on my camera that I need to get uploaded and post, but I keep forgetting to do so...ah, well. I'll get them on here at some point--maybe.
So we're all getting so excited about being in AR next week. Except for a quick 24 hours there last Feb. for a funeral, Jake hasn't been back since we moved.
We're already wishing we had more time there, we have a week, but our schedule is completely booked every day we're there. There are so many people we would like to see, but with our limited time it's just not going to happen.
I'm also going to try to get up very early Wednesday AM and drive down to Little Rock to see my uncle who is in the hospital there. He's in the advanced stages of Lou Gehrig's, and I just can't imagine coming all the way to AR and not being able to see him. It will have to be a quick trip, because I have to be back in time to set up our display at FBC.

So I have this list of things we need to bring with us, for the display, etc. I keep trying to convince myself I need to get on the ball and actually start packing stuff, but my procrastinating keeps stopping me. More than likely we'll be packing at midnight on Saturday night...that's what usually happens when we travel. It's really the only way to go, lol.

For those of you in Rogers, I guess we'll see you next week! Those of you attending GIC, don't forget to come by our booth Wednesday night!

A few prayer requests/praises

2009-01-29T10:20:00.000-08:00

Surprise, surprise! I'm writing another blog already! I know, you are shocked! But, I'm lying here waiting for my pain medicine to kick in and I thought, "why not".
It's not going to be a long writing...at least I don't think it's going to be. I just thought I would share I few prayer requests with you.
I have trouble asking for the 1st one, because I'm not good at sharing personal areas about myself, but here goes.
I now have my second kidney stone in one week. I was taken to the ER last Monday because I was in such severe pain. The CAT scan showed that I had a kidney stone and was given pain medicine and sent home. By Thursday I was feeling a little better and then Friday I was fine. Tuesday night Jake and I were at a evangelism conference when I suddenly was in so much pain we had to leave. I asked him to take me to the hospital (something I usually don't do, I'm usually the one saying "Just take me home and give me some pain meds, it will pass"). This pain was 2ce as bad as the pain last week. Labor didn't hold a candle to this pain! It turns out I had another kidney stone, 2ce as big as the 1st one. It is apparently "stuck"...and to top it off he said there is another one up in my kidney that could drop within the next week. YEA!
Anyway, please be praying for me. This has put me out of commission for most of the last week and a 1/2 now.

Now on to more important things:
Last Halloween our church had the opportunity to volunteer at the YMCA for their fall festival. We were hoping this would help give us an "in" and be able to use it to reach out to more people in the community. Since then, however, we haven't heard anything from them...until Tuesday night.
Pastor Mike received a call out of the blue from a different YMCA in town. They are having a family night this Friday night and are needing more help. They were calling around to other YMCA's asking for volunteers and the YMCA close to us gave them our name, saying we were really reliable and great help to them.
The coordinator said we have full access to the families and can pass out any information about the church we want! This couldn't come at a more perfect time. We are starting a new series this Sunday, "Fireproof"/"The Love Dare", based on the movie "Fireproof". We will also be holding a Sunday night couples Bible study. The couple that is leading the Bible study has been praying for 20 couples.
Jake is so excited about the opportunity we have Friday night. We see the hand of God moving, and it is just amazing! Not only will we be ministering to families this Friday, but they will be doing this once a month and asked if we would be interested in possibly making this a monthly event. This is just what we have been praying for! Jake has really been praying for ways we can reach out to the community, and God just threw this in our laps! Please be praying for the families that will be attending, that God will be working on their hearts, even as you read this, that they will be open to Him and that we will take every opportunity to share His love with them.
We are also looking around the area at store fronts to lease. Our rent was raised at the school, so we are looking to see if we can find something that we would have full-time access to, rather than just Sunday mornings that we have now. Please be praying that God would lead us to the place He has for us, if it is His will for us to move.
It would be so nice to have a space that is "ours", that we don't have to set up and tear down every Sunday and that we could use during the week without having to reserve it and pay extra for it.
The evangelism conference that I mentioned earlier was amazing. Jake attended it on Monday evening and came home so excited. He found out there was childcare, so I was able to go Tuesday evening. I was so upset that we had to leave when my pain got too bad. I will write more about the conference and the speakers at a later time.
This brings me to another prayer requests. As many of you know, Jake has been "attending" an on-line seminary, Rockbridge. He has had to take a couple of semesters off because of his work schedule and finances. The school became accredited, which is good, but it also meant their prices went up significantly. We are no longer able to afford them.
While we were at the conference Tueday night he was able to get information on a new program Golden Gate Seminary is offering. They have begun to offer classes every Tuesday/Thursday night at the Southern Baptist Convention offices here in Vegas. He will only be able to take one course a semester, so it will take a little while, but it will be much easier on us financially, and he will actually be able to go to a class instead of just being online. The information meeting is tonight, Thursday, at six. We are really praising God for this. It is still going to be a stretch for us, financially, but we know that He will provide.
One last thing before I crash into bed...(the computer screen is beginning to move around on me, lol) Please be in prayer for the women in our church. I started a new ministry with them a couple of weeks ago. It is a "book club" for lack of a better term. We have tried weekly Bible studies, but schedules haven't met up, it was hard for people to make a weekly commitment, so we stopped. We are, however, beginning to meet once a month for a Saturday brunch/fellowship. I came up with an idea that I would have a monthly study that the women could do at home. I set up an online group page where they can log on and leave comments/questions/thoughts about what we are reading. This way we can stay connected and learn from each other from the comfort of our own homes. Then, when we meet together monthly we can go into deeper discussion about it before we move onto our new study.
After much prayer, our 1st study was a challenge I made to the ladies. I asked them to read Proverbs 31 everyday for 30 days. I gave them each a journal where they could write down their thoughts and insights the Lord was giving them. In addition I challenged them with "The True Woman Manifesto" 30 day challenge. I would HIGHLY recommend every woman go to the website www.truewoman.com and read this manifesto. If you sign up, they will send you daily devotions and podcasts you can listen to. It is truly life-changing!
Our next book is going to be "Power of a Praying Woman" by Stormie OMartian. We will begin this on Valentine's Day.
So, I think I'm going to end this now. I hope I have written this in coherent thoughts...haha...I'll probably come back to read this later only to find that it makes no since what-so-ever.
Thank you for your prayers, for you support for us. We pray for each of you, as well.

The past 3 months

2009-01-14T12:37:00.000-08:00

Okay, I know, I know...it's been almost 3 months since my last post. Obviously, our house selling is old news now (though we are still very grateful that it did). I keep meaning to get on here and post, and I actually started to do so once, but...well...you know how it goes, one day turns into two and the next thing you know it's a new year!
Happy New Year, by the way! I hope you had a wonderful Christmas and that this new year brings you closer to Him!
Now, to catch you up on the last 3 months...

My mom and my youngest niece, Melanie, came out for the week of Thanksgiving. It had been 6 months since I had seen either of them, and we had a great week, full of showing off all there is to do in our "little town". We did everything from visiting all the normal touristy stuff, (this was taken at the Belagio)

to walking with wild mustangs up in the Spring Mountain Reserve, to going to Death Valley (Which is where the pictures below were taken. And believe me, it is well worth the trip if you ever get the chance to go. We will be going back again, as we didn't get to see nearly enough!)

Above at the lowest point in North America and below at Zabreski's Point

We even got to play in mountain-sized sand dunes and slide down giant marble "slides" in Marble canyon (below, Cora, Melanie and JD taking turns going down one area of the slides).
Thanksgiving rushed by and Christmas was here before I knew it! Jake's parents decided to fly out for the week and surprise the kids. JD and Cora were thrilled! (Jake and I were too, it was nice to have family here for our 1st Christmas away from Rogers) We had a busy week full of buying and wrapping presents, preparing for and having our Christmas Eve service at NorthStar, and playing in the snow up on Mount Charleston. (The days surrounding Christmas brought several feet of snow to the mountain, and even caused a white out and the mountain to be closed Christmas day and the day after.)

Our family on Christmas Eve after the service
And below, our trip up the mountain to play in the snow the day after Christmas, we couldn't make it to the top due to the white out.

The kids got WAY to many gifts--you couldn't see the floor in our living room for all the wrapping paper and presents when they were through--and we were sad to see Nonni and Poppi leave.

New Year's Eve was quiet for our family. The four of us went to dinner at a Mexican restaurant in one of the new hotels that opened in our corner of the valley and then we went home and watched a movie and played some games. We got back up a little before midnight and drove to an overlook of the city to watch the fireworks bring in the new year. I've heard it said that what you are doing when the clock strikes mid-night on new year's is a symbol of what the upcoming year will look like for you...Well, I was sitting on a quiet mountain side with my daughter cuddling in my lap, and my husband, my son and my dog by my side...If that's any clue to how this year will be, then I couldn't ask for anything more.
I'm excited to see what new adventures the Lord has in store for our family over the next year.

So, I think that pretty much catches you up on the Bridges.
NorthStar is doing well. Jake has morphed into the Children's Pastor and is loving it. He is currently looking through several options for new literature/programs for the kids on Sunday AM. He is also still leading a Bible Study out of our house on Wednesday nights. Tonight he will start NET training (similar to FAITH). I am heading up the women's ministry and will be introducing a new ministry to our ladies this Saturday at our monthly women's luncheon. Please be in prayer for all our our church's ministries and outreaches. Pray that we will have a renewed love for our community and a strong desire to see our neighbors, friends and coworkers come to the saving knowledge of Jesus Christ.

We do have one more piece of news that we are SO excited about. FBC, Rogers, AR, our home church, has invited our family to be a part of their GIC (Global Impact Celebration) March 4-8. This is a time where they bring in missionaries from around the world and have a time of celebration of what God is accomplishing and a time of ministering to the missionaries. The 1st GIC six years ago is where Jake and I surrendered to full-time missions, so to be able to come back to this same event as missionaries means so much to us both. JD and Cora are more than ecstatic to be able to be in Rogers for a week (not just because they get to miss a week of school, either!). They are really looking forward to seeing their friends and family...Jake and I are as well.

I promise to be more diligent in updating this with current prayer requests and things that are going on with our family. (Thanks to Cindy Sigmon for getting me on the ball here!)

So, until next time, from Vegas---Elaine

Praise! Our house is selling!

2008-10-21T10:05:00.000-07:00

It has been so nice to actually have Jake at home, even briefly. For those of you who don't know, Jake was in Miami for 21 days on business. He leaves again this Friday for another 25 days. This past Saturday we spent the afternoon on Mount Charleston. I thought I would include just a taste of our afternoon there. I am also including an update and some prayer requests at the bottom. As soon as I get my pictures off my camera from Sunday I will post Cora's baptism.

Mount Charleston just before sunset

Where the earth meets the sky. This picture was taken as we were leaving Mount Charleston, overlooking the mountain range across the valley. It's hard to tell where the earth ends and the sky begins.

Well, the biggest update is this past Friday, Oct. 17, we signed a contract on our house. This is, quite obviously, a huge praise! This is something we have been praying through for well over a year now, and to see the end in sight is almost surreal. There have been many emotions flooding through us over these months, but God has been faithful and we have trusted Him, knowing His ultimate plan would be fulfilled for His glory.
The good news about this sell is that the people want it done quickly. It is moving along smoothly and if everything continues to do so we will close Oct. 30th. Not having a house payment looming over us for next month is such a tremendous wait lifted off our shoulders.
The more difficult side of the news is that we were only able to get enough to actually pay off our house, nothing more. In order to sell it we are having to take out a loan for just under $16,000 to pay for the closing costs and realtor fees.
Friday was quite an emotional day for me. Fortunately no one else was home as I had a breakdown and cried uncontrollably for a good 30 minutes. I called my mom and cried to her, spoke with my mother-in-law and Jake. I couldn't understand why.
Why was God allowing this to happen? We moved here because after much prayer we felt beyond a shadow of a doubt that this was where God was leading us. We stepped out on faith and trusted Him to take care of us. Why, after all this time, was our house selling and causing us to have to take out an additional loan just to sell it?
I cried out to God for a long while. Jake was about to get on a plane in Miami, heading home, as I pondered allowed these questions to him. His response, "All I can say is we are being tested on every side. I'm having to live in Miami, separated from you and the kids; our house is selling, but with this huge stipulation....." he trailed off. I hung up with him, walked into the other room, questions and angry accusations still pouring from my soul.
I stopped long enough to catch my breath and at that moment heard a voice as clearly as if someone had been standing next to me speaking aloud. It simply said, "Trust Me."
And that was that. I had a peace, once again. God was telling me to trust Him, and so I would.

I began thinking after that moment...How many times do we cry out to God for different things? How many times do we throw our anger at Him, our questions at Him, but never actually stop to listen for His reply? We wonder why He is not listening, not answering, but in reality, it is us who are not listening. We get so rapped up in our problems that we don't allow Him to answer.

The thing is, God is big enough to take all our questions, He is big enough to take our anger, our frustrations. He wants us to come to Him with these things, He is there waiting. But He is also waiting with an answer, if we would just stop and listen for His response.

I am so thankful He allowed this situation to be a tool in reminding me of this.

He loves you, He sees your pain, your frustrations, your questions; and He is there waiting for you to allow Him to help. Our God is a gentleman, He will not force Himself on you. He allows each of us to choose whether we come to Him or not, but He is there, arms open wide, waiting.

Catching up on the last month

2008-09-15T21:04:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a few weeks since I've updated this thing.
I keep thinking something will happen that will be blog-worthy...something that will make this worth reading. So far that hasn't happened.
I decided I would write anyway. Let people know we're still alive and kick'n.
So, I thought I would put in a few pictures of things we've done since my last blog. We also have a few prayer requests that will be listed at the end.

Here we go. things we've done since our last blog:

The kids started back to school. Though JD was extremely excited about starting 2nd grade, he was not thrilled about me taking pictures to commemorate the occasion.

Cora, was very apprehensive about starting 1st grade, especially since they were starting at a new school. But she loves taking pictures.
They both had a great 1st day, and I am very impressed with their teachers. They are making friends and come home happy everyday and so far are still waking up each morning ready to go. This is such a blessing, since last semester was such an adjustment for them and neither really felt like they fit in.

We also have acquired a new pet. Her name is Claws (Cora named her). She is a praying mantis. This is a thing I never thought I would consider a pet...and yet, here she is, and she is so cute!

This is Cora playing with Claws. The next picture would have shown me untangling her from Cora's hair. She jumped into it.

I love this picture. This is Claws eating a cricket

It may seem gross, or weird even, to have a praying mantis (who eats the heads off live crickets) for a pet, but it has been quite a learning experience for us all. We have done research on the living and eating habits of mantids, we've observed her "preying" on her food, we've watched as she shed her skin and emerged 2ce the size she was moments before. She has been an excellent science experiment. We even learned how to tell male from female, which is why I can confidently say "she". We also believe that Claws is pregnant, and have found that Mantis broods can be anywhere from 50-200, so if anyone would like a mantis baby, please, let us know!

For Labor Day we went "adventuring". This is what our family has come to call our outings that we try to take at least once or twice a month. We head out to explore the areas surrounding Vegas. For Labor Day we chose to go jeeping. We found a great trail that went up through the mountains and down the other side into Parump. We got out and did some exploring in the desert along the way.
At the top of the mountain, in between 2 high peeks, there is a place called Wheeler Pass. It is the area where you can cross through from one side of the mountain to the other.

We had a great day...though long...all-in-all we made a 130 mile circle back around to our house. I made sure to sunscreen the kids before and during the trip, since we had the top off the jeep. I didn't, however, sunscreen myself. I was glowing by the end of the day!

This past Friday night NorthStar put on a concert with a band called Altar'd. They are an up-and-coming group that I am sure will be making major waves in the Contemporary Christian Music World soon. We were able to go out with them (to IHOP) after the concert. They are the real thing. These guys are sold-out for Jesus. Currently they are headed back to Nashville to cut their second album. They are also looking for churches to host their fall concert series. I would highly recommend them.

From left to right: Kyle, guitarist; Matt, lead singer; Jon, bass player; Blake, drums

I have started playing keyboard in the praise and worship team. I am enjoying being able to serve in this area, as I have missed being involved in choir at FBC, Rogers. Sometimes they even give me a mic and let me sing :) We're hoping to eventually get a new keyboard for the church. Right now I use the worship leader's keyboard on Sunday mornings.

Jake's mom was able to come in for the weekend, on her way home from being in LA. It was great to see her, even if it was briefly. We went to the Springs Reserve, which is a botanical garden area, and to the Natural History Museum. Both were very interesting, but I haven't had the chance to get the pictures off my camera yet.

So, I think this pretty much catches you up on our family. There are probably one or two other things that have happened along the way, but apparently they are not important enough for me to remember right now, so they are more than likely not worth reading either.

Prayer Requests:

Our house selling (We lowered the price to $218,000 this week, this will pay off our mortgage, but we will have to take out a small loan to pay all the realtor fees and closing costs)
Jake will be getting back into seminary starting in the October session. Please pray for his mental endurance. Last week he had a 28 hour work day, on top of his regular work schedule. Between having to work overtime on the job, preparing and leading Children's Church on Sundays and teaching Discipleship Bible Study on Wednesday nights he barely has time to breathe. He doesn't seem to have a problem with it, but the kids and I would like to see him more often
I have applied with the Clark County School District as a substitute teacher. It is a long and complicated process. Please pray that if this is what God has in store for me that everything will go smoothly and that if I am accepted we will have the money for me to get my Nevada state teaching license to be able to begin.
Pastor Mike and Jake are trying to plan a date and a way for Cora, and several others in the church, to be baptized
Continue to pray that we actively look for oportunities to reach out to our community
Pray for 2 girls in our youth, that they will begin to seek God and desire a relationship with Him

Praises:
OUR CHURCH FAMILY IS GROWING!

Mary and her two kids. They attended the concert Friday night and came to church on Sunday. Her daughter loved Children's Church and wouldn't let Jake go at the end. Mary was excited about church and wants to start attending.
Wilson, Michelle and their son, Brice. They visited for the 1st time last Sunday. After only one visit they volunteered to help at the concert Friday and were back in service yesterday. They are wanting to get involved more readily
Lee and Susan. They moved from Washington for Lee's job. They have been visiting the church for about a month now and are wanting to join. Lee attended Bible study this past Wed. night and is feeling led to start a marriage ministry.
David and his wife. They have been attending 3-4 weeks now. He plays acoustic guitar and asked to get involved in the Praise and Worship ministry. This past Saturday night he joined us at rehearsal and played with us on Sunday morning
There are one or two other families new to the church who are also wanting to get involved. (Please pray that God will show them how they are to serve)

As always, thank you for your prayers and support. You are a vital part of our ministry here!

The Fantastic Four aka Mission Team from FBC, Rogers, AR

2008-08-19T09:22:00.000-07:00

Well, after 2 delays, the team from First Baptist Church, Rogers arrived here around 7:00 PM last Wednesday night. Unfortunately, they were supposed to land at 4:00 PM, which is why I had arranged a dinner so that some families from NorthStar could get to know the group. I set reservations for 6:30, changed them to 7:00 when we discovered the plane was to land at 5:30 instead or 4:00 and then discovered, as I was leaving to go meet everyone at the restaurant, that the plane had been delayed further and wouldn't land until 6:59.
Some how I just didn't think that one minute would give them adequate time to get through McCarran International (one of the slowest airports to navigate), get their luggage, find the rental car desk, be shuttled to the rental car location and then travel 25 minutes north to our area of town.
Those of us waiting at the restaurant enjoyed our Bucca di Beppo, and Jake and the team arrived there as we were paying for our bills. At least they made it in time to go to the overlook of the city, where we had planned a brief prayer meeting. Each time I go there and look out over this city of 2 million it still amazes me. It seems so still and quiet from that elevation. All the twinkling lights, it looks as if you are looking down at the stars.
The team eventually got to eat dinner and got settled in at our house sometime after 10:00.

The goal of Thursday and Friday was to canvas area parks and shopping centers to get the word out about our Back to School Bash we were holding on Saturday. The temperatures were 108-109 both days, but they stuck it out. They were able to hand out close to 1,000 invitations to the party.

Thursday night we went downtown to the Rescue Mission, which is a homeless shelter. The shelter has free dinner every night of the week, open to anyone in need. Depending on the time of the month (earlier parts of the month don't have as many people because that's when wellfare checks are received) they serve anywhere from 150-400+ per night. The mission also has short-term housing--2 weeks, or long-term housing for those willing to enter their program.
The program consists of volunteering at the shelter, going to Bible studies, job training, etc. It really is a wonderful program that actually helps enable people, rather than just give them a free bed.

We served just under 200 people that night. I have never had the opportunity to go, because it is not safe for JD and Cora, but a friend offered to watch them for me. It really was an eye-opener. Especially when I saw a family come in with two small girls, about 4 and 5 years old, I would guess, a little boy who was barely a year old (and who only wore a saggy diaper) and a newborn baby, and by newborn I mean maybe a week or 2 old. I almost started crying. I wanted to take that newborn baby home with me.

How often do I complain because I have 2 house payments to pay and an electricity bill that shot out of the roof last month! Then I see that and it puts it all in perspective. I have 2 house payments because I have 2, yes 2 houses! God has blessed me with not one but 2 places I can live. I have an enormous electricity bill because God has blessed me with the ability to have air conditioning in a city whose temperatures sore well over 100 degrees during the summer months. I have a husband who has been blessed with amazing talents in the IT field, and therefore is able to work. Not only that, but for some reason God has chosen our family to serve Him as church planters in a city that many people have given up on. How humbling is that! Yes, our family struggles every month. I honestly don't know how I'm going to pay my 2 house payments coming up at the beginning of Sept., but He is faithful! He has blessed this family beyond words; well beyond what we deserve. And He has blessed you as well. We so often loose sight of this.
I would highly recommend finding your local shelter or food closet and volunteering there for a night. It really helps you find perspective. "Christ came not to be served, but to serve." We are called to do the same.

Saturday turned out to be a great success. The numbers weren't huge, by any means, but the contacts made were awesome. We were able to visit with and minister to several families. We had a water slide, a slip-n-slide, a giant bouncy castle, free food and snow cones. A good time was had by all.

Jake and Janelle (Pastor's wife) manning the slide, as Cora takes yet another turn

Hot dogs, chips, popcorn, water and snow cones were available under the tents

Two of our teenagers, Jordan and Harley, enjoying the giant bouncy-dog

In the end, everyone got in on the water play!

Because of all the canvassing done by the team and the great effort put forth at the Bash on Saturday, we had 5 families visit our church on Sunday! The children's area, which usually has no more than 10 kids (and 5 of those are staff kids) had 21 kids!!!
Total we had 69 people in attendance. That is the highest attendance we have ever had on a "normal" Sunday (as in non-holiday). It was so awesome to immediately see the fruits of labor. Jake, Mike and David are working this week to make contact with every visitor. Please pray that good contacts are made and that we will use the opportunities given to us to minister to those we are contacting.

Sunday was the last day of our VBS, Cactus Canyon. To celebrate, our pastoral staff dressed as cowboys. Don't they look good?From left to right, David Kanizar, Worship Leader,
Jake Bridges, Missions Pastor, Mike Ellis, Senior Pastor

The Fantastic Four with NSBC Staff and their families
To the left, the Ellis family: Thomas, Mike, Janelle, Alexa and Nathan
Back row: Darin Harryman, Jim Risenhoover, David Kanizar, Elaine Bridges, Chad Pratt, Cora Bridges and Lisa Kanizar. In front: Iris Epting, Jake and JD Bridges

The Fantastic Four with our familyFrom left to right: Iris Epting, Elaine Bridges, Darin Harryman,
Jim Risenhoover, Jake Bridges and Chad Pratt. In front: Cora and JD Bridges

I want to just take this time to thank the team for coming out. I hope they realize what an awesome impact they had. Also, thank you First Baptist, Rogers, for allowing them to come and for your support through prayer during this past week (and always). We would not be here and could not do what we do without the support of FBC!

Wednesday night, when we went to the outlook to pray over the city and for the upcoming week, Jake shared a brief message with the group. His references were:
Luke 9:51-56 and Acts 8:4-17
Summing them up, in Luke Jesus and His disciples were traveling to Jerusalem through Samaria, but the Samaritans refused them. James and John wanted to call down fire on the city. Jesus, however, did not allow this. Jesus knew the future, He knew that in time the area would come to believe in Him. In Acts 8, they did just that. Phillip was in the area and began to preach the gospel of Christ to them and they accepted it. Multitudes came to know the saving grace of the Lord.
Had James and John been allowed to destroy the city, hundreds of souls would have perished without ever getting that second chance.

In the same way, many people today have given up hope on Las Vegas (and New Orleans, and San Francisco, etc.). They believe that it is so full of evil that it should be destroyed. God, however, sees the big picture. Only He knows how many souls in this town need that second chance, need to hear about His love and grace. If we just give up on Las Vegas, how many thousands of souls will be lost that could one day be rejoicing with us in Heaven?

Don't give up on sharing the gospel of Christ. You never know what God has in store down the road!

Birthdays and Such

2008-08-06T18:07:00.000-07:00

While Jake's parents were here we took them up into Cold Creek to look for wild horses. We saw some just a little ways off the road, so we got out to get a closer look. There was a small ravine between us and the horses and I told the kids not to get any closer...Then suddenly...

A horse started walking right up to JD and Cora. I've never seen two kids stand so still in their lives! JD said, "Cora, don't move!"

She didn't move an inch!

This is actually how close she got. I didn't have to zoom at all for this one.

Our family with Jake's parents, Jimmy and Belynda, in the desert just outside of Cold Creek.

I never put pictures of me on here, so I thought I'd share one of
Jake and I up in Cold Creek, in the Spring Mnt. Reserve.

The kids got home on Cora's 6th birthday. We went to Cozymel's, a Mexican restaurant in town, to celebrate. Happy 6th Birthday, Princess!

For JD's birthday he wanted to go to Redrock and do some hiking.

Happy 7th Birthday, buddy!

Just as a last kick I thought I'd show you the price of gas in Las Vegas! I took this picture of the price the person just before us paid. Fortunately gas has been coming down the last week. We were just about having to take out small loans to fill our tanks!

I hope everyone if having a great week. Next week a small group from FBC, Rogers, is coming. I'm really looking forward to spending time with them. Look for pictures from their trip in about a week and 1/2.
Please be praying for the mission team as they prepare to come and for their trip, that many will be reached for the Lord. Pray for our church family, that they will be bold in their faith and in sharing with those around them.
Please also remember to continue to pray for our house in Rogers to sell.

No more peace and quiet

2008-07-25T22:32:00.000-07:00

So it's been a month since I returned from Arkansas (and updated this blog) and I have accomplished...nothing.
The kids got back on Wednesday night, which means my opportunity to complete the tasks I had set up for myself has passed. I am now, once again, in the world of "mommy". And since they haven't seen me in 4 weeks, they feel they have a lot (and I do mean a lot) of talk-time to make up.
But, it's good to have them home. Boy did they grow while they were gone, and Cora is so tan! She has this beautiful olive skin-tone that would make anyone (and by anyone, I mean me) jealous. She also lost her 1st tooth while she was gone. I hate that I missed that, but she mailed me the tooth, so it would be ready for the tooth fairy when she returned. (Both JD and Cora lost teeth while in AR., and decided that the tooth fairy may not know where to find them, so they chose to wait until they got home to put their teeth under their pillows...Speaking on behalf of a very money-conscious tooth fairy, I think the fairy could have found them in AR...our at least the fairy's mom could have, lol)
I did get our newsletter completed. If you did not receive a copy via email and would like one, or would prefer to have a hard copy mailed to you, please let us know.
I've started job-hunting. I hate this. I don't want to work. Really, I have zero-desire to have a job, and yet I find my self on monster, putting in search criteria. Yuck. I am praying fervently that our house in Rogers will sell with in the next 3-4 weeks. My once dream house has become a thorn in my side. I refer to it as "that stupid house" more and more often.

Cora turned 6 on Wednesday. It's hard to believe my baby is 6 years old! JD will turn 7 next Saturday. Where does the time go? Just yesterday when we were in the car Cora said, "Mommy, I want to be older; not too old, just about your age" (I really appreciated the "not too old comment", by the way). I responded, "Sweetie, you'll be there before you know it." (Let me just blink another couple of times.)

So now comes the tedious task of getting them back into some semblance of normalcy. No telling how long this will take. We've spent the last 2 days spending their birthday money they received from family and friends back in AR. This has not helped my case. But, at least I know I won't be bored between now and when school starts back up.

Our Trip to Razorback Country

2008-06-25T17:50:00.001-07:00

Well, I had a great time being back in Arkansas for a few days, but after seeing some friends and family and being at FBC for church service I was ready to be back home...and when that thought hit me late afternoon on Father's Day my second thought was, "I actually want to be back in Vegas? Strange!" But, that's where Jake was, therefore that's home. Driving around Rogers the 1st couple of days actually didn't even feel like home to me anymore. I got into town Thursday night (6/12) and ran to Wal-Mart after dinner with Jake's mom. It's set up very much like my local WM and for a moment I actually thought I was in Vegas. Silly.
I really enjoyed being able to see friends and family, though I didn't see as many people as I had hoped. Church was AWESOME! It was wonderful to be able to hear Pastor Wes preach and the choir sing. The men's group that did a song at the end for Father's Day was absolutely amazing. I also enjoyed hearing Wade preach the second Sunday I was there. Being in FBC felt more home to me than anywhere else did while I was there.
I will be glad to be back at NorthStar this Sunday, though. The people there are my family now. We are a close-knit group, and I enjoy that. I don't think I would be able to survive out here if it weren't for my church family.

Just a few quick "funnies" to share from our trip back east....
We were about to land when Cora looked out the window and in a voice that was quite loud said, "look at all the grass and trees!" Everyone around us busted into laughter. (It was a direct flight, so they all knew where we came from)
Then, on our drive into Rogers we were passing through farm land and Cora starts yelling, "Mom, look, look, look!" I said, "What!" To which she responded, "COWS!" Ah, the things you forget about when you're living in a desert!
JD and Cora were so excited to see their friends at church. Apparently one adult overheard JD tell some of his friends, "I'm finally back home." Poor kid. He's going to hate the summer ending. I'm so thankful they are able to spend some extra time there and I really hope that if you are reading this and you have kids that are friends with JD and Cora that you will get in touch with my mom or Jake's mom and arrange a play date.

JD and Cora with their cousins, Addie Mae, Brooks and Wesley

JD and Cora with their friends, Grace, Presley, Tori and Neil

Cora was excited to get her hair done. Aunt Karyn did a wonderful job, as usual. Cora really wanted "pink" hi-lites. We settled on what can only be called, "rupple" (that would be reddish purple); and only on the very front. The other hi-lites are just blond. Yes, my not-quite 6 year old has hi-lites and colored hair! It's a combination of her having 2 aunts that are colorists, her vivid imagination, and the effects of us living in Vegas, I'm sure. :)

An up-close of Cora's new hair color

Jake is going to be traveling a lot over the next few weeks with his "day job". I was hoping to go with him to Miami while the kids are away, but an extra bill came in and took my plane ticket money away...so it looks like I'm going to be home alone for a week. Yippy! (note severe sarcasm) I was really looking forward to spending some time relaxing on the beach and having evenings with Jake. We haven't had a vacation together in over 2 years, and he doesn't have vacation time until next year, so this was going to be the closest thing to it. Oh, well.

Continue praying for our VBS coming up in July, and for the mission team from FBC, Rogers, that will be coming out in mid August.

I promise I'm going to settle down and get a "real" newsletter out within the next week or so.

Until then...

Lions and Flamingos and Dolphins--Oh My!

2008-06-10T11:52:00.000-07:00

I have a few prayer requests to mention:
-The kids and I are flying back to AR on Thurs. (6-12), pray for traveling safety
-Jake is preaching this coming Sunday, please pray for him as he prepares his sermon and as he is home alone for 1 1/2 weeks
-A member of our church has been in the hospital with breathing problems. He is being released today, but is having to make some drastic life-style changes and will have to wear a mask at night for sleep-apnea
-Pastor Mike and his family will be traveling back from Wynn, AR this weekend, pray for traveling safeties for them
-A couple of unspokens

Once I get back from AR I PROMISE to get to work on a "real" newsletter and get it sent out the 1st part of July. I am sorry I have been negligent in getting them out. Moving 2ce in 5 months, along with all the other day-to-day "stuff" has really been something.

I've been trying to keep the kids busy since school's been out. I decided that we can't be in the house for extended periods of time after they tried to kill each other on Thursday. So, we've been to see lions, tigers and dolphins at The Mirage, we've seen flamingos and other strange birds at The Flamingo, we've had an up-close encounter with MGM's lion, we've met the blue M&M at M&M World, we've watched dancing fountains, we've walked through a tribute to America at The Belagio...all-in-all I'd say we've had a pretty good 1st few days of summer. I've included just a few pictures of our experiences over the past few days.

We went to The Secret Garden and Dolphin Habitat at The Mirage on Friday

A Siberian Tiger...absolutely beautiful!

The dolphins loved having their pictures taken..and even came up and watched you if you had a camera

We also went to The Flamingo's "flamingo habitat"

A Black Swan--isn't it beautiful?

Flamingos

A really strange bird we saw

The MGM lion

I know it's hard to see...but this is the lion's foot as he walks over our heads. Just a thin piece of plexi-glass between us and him, and he's looking down at us with this look in his eye that simply says, "hmmm...lunch!"

JD and Cora with the Blue M&M

The Fountains at Belagio (with The Eifle Tower in the background)

The Belagio's tribute to America...complete with model trains, bald eagles and Mt. Rushmoore

2008-06-03T18:51:00.000-07:00

Here's a picture of Jake and the kids...yes, I believe JD is kung-fu fighting, and Cora has apparently grown a horn...but what can you do?

One of these days I'll get a picture of me on here...maybe. It's not me you want to see anyway, it's the kiddos, so I'll just keep putting them on here.
That picture on our title is up on Mt. Charleston, by the way. It is so beautiful up there, and usually 10-20 degrees cooler than down here in the valley--bonus!
I purchased the plane tickets for the kids and I for next Thurs., so I guess our coming back is a done deal. The kids are excited to take their 1st plane ride. I'm just glad I don't have to drive 1300 miles with 2 kids asking me "how much longer"! Plus, the scenery gets pretty boring after awhile. There's only so much of I-40 you need to see before it all starts looking exactly the same; I can't hang my head out the window to take pictures while driving--all my fun's been taken away! And seeing that you have to take out a small loan to buy gas these days....well, flying just seemed like a much better idea all around!
Looking forward to eating me some good chips and salsa!!!

2008-05-29T17:40:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite parks to visit

2008-05-29T09:59:00.000-07:00

Well, school is coming to a close out here! I can't believe it. In some ways it seems like we just moved here, and now it's time for summer vacation to begin. I'm really looking forward to the end of school, though. In Las Vegas Kindergarten is only 1/2 day, so my day is pretty divided. I take JD to school at 8:50, Cora to school at 12:50, then pick them up at 3:20. The way it's laid out I don't really have time to do much of anything in between drop-offs and pick-ups. It will be nice next year to be able to take them both at the same time and have a full 6 hours to do things before having to pick them back up.
The kids and I are going to be going back to AR around the 13th of June or so. I'll stay a week, but the kids are going to stay a month. They are SO excited to be able to see family and friends during that time.

I'd love to see as many friends as possible while I'm there, so give me a call on my cell if you'd like to meet me at Maria's, Las Fajitas or Abuelos (which is where I'll be spending every meal, lol...I haven't found a really good Mexican restaurant out here yet, believe me, I've tried...and no one out here knows how to make salsa!)
Jake got me a new camera for Mother's Day, so as soon as I get it downloaded I'll be adding some more pictures to the blog. Stay tuned.
Please be praying for Jake as he plans for VBS.
Pray for our outreach for the summer, for our members to get involved and really be sold out for reaching our community for Christ.
I'll post pictures soon..and hope to see a lot of you in a couple of weeks!

2008-05-07T10:31:00.001-07:00

Thank you so much for all of your prayers over the past few months, and especially the past few weeks. We were able to get out of our old house and into one that is much nicer and in a much better neighborhood.

Our house in Rogers has still not sold, but we are seeing a potential reason why God has allowed it to stay unsold. Without going into details now, we may have someone who could benefit from moving into it, so please be praying for that situation.

He continues to provide for our every need, at exactly the right time!

Every day I am almost brought to tears from the shear magnitude of His love for us,
so undeserved, yet so welcomed and utterly appreciated.

Psalm 46:10 "Be still, and know that I am God: I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth" has been playing on my heart strings lately. Just for me to step back and allow Him to be God, allow Him to be exalted in everything I say and do.

Today, while I was taking JD to school a song came on the radio that said, "Not to us, but to Your name be the glory", Cora asked, "What does that mean, not to us, but to Your name?" So we had a nice discussion about giving glory to God and how He created each of us with special gifts and talents that we are to use for Him...that He placed each one of us here to fulfill a certain purpose, and ultimately that purpose is to bring Him glory.

It was an amazing conversation, and they both really got into it, asking questions and adding their thoughts and realizations to it.
God continues to use JD and Cora to humble me and to make me realize how true it is that we must become "like children".

Until next time...remember to stop...just stop...

Be still, and realize that HE IS GOD!

2008-05-07T10:15:00.000-07:00

Playing at a neighborhood park on Tuesday after school

When we got there I said, "Don't get too wet...I didn't bring a towel or a change of clothes!"

Some pictures from Vegas

2008-05-01T17:13:00.000-07:00

Our new house...the "pink" doors will be repainted next week :)

Doing a little mountain hiking

Some wild horses that we saw up in the Spring Mountains

A wild mustang that walked right up to our jeep!

Got us a blog....

2008-05-01T17:01:00.000-07:00

Well, I finally got around to getting a blog! For those interested, I'm going to try to keep it updated with things going on with NorthStar and our ministry there as well as with our family.

We're still waiting to hear from the people who were interested in our house. Their realtor said they are still interested, they went back to look at it tonight...hopefully we'll hear something soon!