Spring has Sprung!

Unless you've been living under a rock - or in your basement - for the last couple of days, then you have undoubtedly noticed that it is finally spring outside! After a long winter of snow, melt, snow, melt, and a super rainy and cold spring, it seems that we have finally entered into the nice part of spring.

I can always tell because tulips have begun to bloom and the red bud tree in my front yard is looking particularly pink these days.

This time of year always gets me excited. I love the clean smell of spring. I love the super green grass that is sprouting up every where. I love all the flowers in bloom. And, I definitely love that I get to walk to and from work every day.

Yes, spring is nice, isn't it? But, don't you think we appreciate it more because of the nasty winter that we had? I think so. When I lived in Georgia, and winters were never that bad, we enjoyed spring, but not like you do in Illinois! In Illinois, you have to suffer and endure for spring. You put up with days and days of grey skies and freezing weather; ice and snow. And it makes spring feel all that much better.

I think that's how it is in our lives too. Many times we ask why bad things happen to us. Why are we forced to go through hard times. Its definitely not fair that bad things happen to good people, is it?

But, God can use those bad times for good. He can help us to come to appreciate the good times better. After we've endured a hard time, and we rely on God for help, He is there to help us pick up the pieces. He helps us to realize how good life can be when we rely on him.

Just like spring is always so good after a hard winter, life can be better appreciated after we've been through a hard time.

Praise God for always being with us - in good times and in bad. Praise God for helping us to realize how wonderfully blessed we truly are. And praise God for this glorious spring!

Sick.

So, I've been sick for the last few days. It has not been fun. I've basically been a lump on the couch for the past 72 hours.

Today, I was trying to think about the last time I remembered feeling "normal." As I was figuring that it was probably around Saturday morning, I realized that I definitely take for granted when I am feeling well. You know what I mean, when we are healthy, we don't really take time to thank God for feeling good, you know?

That, in turn, got me wondering about what else we take advantage of on a daily basis. One thought - Jesus' death and resurrection.

Sure, a few weeks ago, we spent a lot of time thinking about Jesus on the cross. We celebrated a beautiful (and snowy!) Easter morning. We took time to thank God for taking away our sins.

But how often have we thought about it since Easter Sunday? Have we taken time daily to thank God for all that he has blessed us with? Have we taken a few moments to think about what Jesus went through for us? Probably not.

So, I want to challenge you all this week. Take time EVERY day to thank God for his sacrifice on the cross. Thank him for everything he did on your behalf. Spend some time with God - he's always wanting to spend more time with you!

SNOW!

Wow. I have been in the office for roughly 1 hour. When I came in, it was flurrying, but nothing major. There was hardly a flake on the ground. But now, its blizzarding outside. There are already several inches of snow on the ground and in the office we have decided that we need to take a half day to make sure everyone makes it home safely (myself not included...since I live across the street).

But the craziest thing about this snowstorm is that 2 days ago, it was a lovely 78 degrees outside. What is up with that?

This whole weird weather thing has really got me thinking about the way things in our life can change so quickly. We never know when we are going to get a call from a loved one saying they only have days to live because of cancer or news from a family member that they are moving across the country. Life is crazy and unpredictable.

But fortunately for us - we have one thing in our life that will always stay constant - God. God is always there for us, whether we are happy or sad, freezing cold or warm. We can always lean on him because he is always there. Isn't that good news to hear in a quickly changing world?

I think so.

Valentine's Day

Valentine's Day is almost here!

If you are like most people, you have one of two opinions about this holiday - either you LOVE IT or you HATE IT.

You either love Valentine's Day because you have someone in your life with which to share this holiday with. This could be parents, bf/gf, best friends, whatever. But regardless, you find this holiday awesome. It could be that you simply love candy.

Or, you hate Valentine's Day, or "Single Awareness Day," as you may call it. Valentine's Day is just another day that reminds you that you have no bf/gf. Perhaps all your friends have someone special to celebrate with, but you do not. For you, its a really tough day.

Whether you are in the first camp or the second camp, I want you to think about a new reason to celebrate Valentine's Day. Sure this holiday about showing your love to others , and there is nothing wrong with that. But, I think that we need to focus on V-Day being about something much more significant - God.

I always like to think about Valentine's Day as a day for me to truly appreciate the love around me - from my parents, my brothers and sisters, my friends, my husband, etc. But mostly, I like to focus on the love that God gives me.

Most people get that God loves them. But, I don't think we get HOW MUCH God loves us. So, I like to encourage others to spend the 14th of Valentine's Day trying to recognize all the ways that God shows his love for us. I walk around all day waiting to see it.

This isn't an uncommon thing to do on Valentine's Day, you know. Most people look for signs of love all day. For example, you see flowers delivered and (especially if you are a girl) you wonder if they are for you. Perhaps you see a bright red envelope in your mail box. You quickly check to see if its for you. Most people tend to look for signs of affection on Valentine's Day.

So, why not look for signs of affection from God? They are much more common than the random vase of flowers or box of candy. They are all around us. All we have to do is open our eyes! It could be a particularly beautiful sunset or a comment on your myspace from an old friend. It could be something out of the ordinary that happens or your favorite food for dinner than night.

Whatever it is - I hope this Valentine's Day you will open your eyes to the love that God wants to share with you.

Ashes to Ashes

Yesterday was Ash Wednesday. Can you believe it? Its been a little crazy around the church lately. We've gone from preparing for Jesus birth, to celebrating the Christ child, to seeing the magi come for a visit, to the baptism and beginning of Jesus ministry, to the beginning of the end...and all in the matter of a month and a half.

This may seem a little insignificant to you, but for pastors who keep up on this stuff, its been a whirlwind. Lent definitely came out of no where this year. Ususally, there is more time to prepare for this season, but this year it just landed in my lap, ready to go.

Lent is the time of year in the church that we really look at the end of Jesus' ministry. There is a big focus on his teachings, his miracles, his death, and ending on Easter morning with a big celebration of the resurrection. As Christians, we set aside the time of Lent to get ready for all the emotion of Jesus death and resurrection.

What I love about Lent is that its a time of spiritual discipline....which may sound scary, but really just means that we as Christians set aside some extra time to spend in our walk with Jesus. Its one of my favorite times of the year, actually. Its a time that I feel like Jesus is so close. The emotions are so real and there is nothing (such as Christmas shopping and baking) to distract me from this time with God.

Each year I like to do something for Lent. Most people give something up - like pop or red meat or something like that. Not only to I like to give something up for Lent, but I also like to do something for Lent. In other words - start a practice that will make me a better person. Usually, this entails spending more time in the Bible, volunteering to do a service project, something like that.

Some other cool things you can do:

• Give up pop and donate all the money you would save to a food pantry


• Give up TV to spend more time with your family


• Read your Bible EVERY day...and maybe even do a cool youth devotional


• Pray for someone in your life every day (can be the same person for the entire Lent season, or a new person every day)


• Make it a point to take notes during sermons Sunday morning


• Listen to only Christian music


• Promise to not argue when your parents ask you to do your chores, or better yet, just do chores without being asked


• Offer to help an elderly neighbor scoop their driveway after a snowfall or rake their yard

There are a ton of things that you can do. I've always heard it said that it takes 40 days to establish a good habit or break a bad habit...and guess how long Lent is? 40 days, my friends. Its the perfect time to grow closer to Jesus while making yourself a better person.

So, maybe this year you can think about giving something up. Or think about adding something to your routine. Or maybe both. Whatever it is, I really hope that you will take these 40 days to walk a little closer to Jesus.

What are you going to do for Lent? Leave a comment and let me know!

What do YOU want to do?

Hey all!

I'm putting together the spring calendar and I need ideas!

Fun things, service projects, staying in to watch a movie, learning about someone or something...whatever it is, I want to hear about it!

Leave and comment and let me know what you want to do this spring!

Christmas is almost here!

I can’t believe its time for Christmas trees and festive music. Where did the year go? It seems that time goes by so fast these days, especially during this time of the year. Before we know it, all the presents will be unwrapped and the cookies eaten and we will be heading into a new year.

Knowing this, I want to get all that I can out of the Christmas season before it is over. Now, I’m not talking about making sure I capitalize on shopping sales and getting in all the Christmas movies I can watch during the season. I’m talking about spending time reflecting on the true meaning of Christmas.

Like the Grinch, I think it’s easy for us to think that Christmas is about the presents, food, etc. But, in the end, I hope that we, like the Grinch, discover that the true meaning of Christmas doesn’t lie in these things. Christmas is about the anticipation of our King, coming to greet us in this lost and broken world. Christmas is about knowing that God keeps promises and that we are not alone or lost.

So, this year, as we move quickly through this season, let us make sure that we take time to pause. Let us reflect on the coming of the King, and how, even thousands of years later, we can still celebrate the birth of a baby that changed the world.