Contagious

"Joy is contagious. Commit to being a carrier!" -- Kevin Harney

With all the media hype over MRSA that is popping up around Kootenai county, it is easy to get a bit worried. However, God is in control, and we have to allow Him to be in control. So, instead of worrying about contracting MRSA, I am going to work on being contagious in the joy department the rest of this week, hoping that others become carriers as well.

Always be joyful. 1 Thessalonians 5:16

Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer. Romans 12:12

Fun Night

Instead of meeting at church last night, our youth group met in the homes of their small group leaders. I am not a leader, but a coach over those leaders, so I went to several homes in Post Falls, Coeur d'Alene, and Rathdrum and took pictures. It was a lot of fun to see what the different groups were doing. One group met at Dairy Queen in formal dresses! One was having fun spraying whipped cream in their mouths, and spilling chocolate all over the floor of the leaders home. One group was singing karoake. Others were playing games and eating a lot of food!! One group rode four wheelers and ate shrimp scampi, since their leader is an executive chef at a really nice restaurant in town. I think the kids had a very memorable time, and I'm sure the leaders did as well. I know there was a lot of laughing at each place we stopped by. It was fun to run around to different houses and get to see everyone in a different element than normal. The most important thing was kids lives were being invested in and memories were created that those kids will take with them for many, many years. To the leaders who opened up their homes, thank you for being willing to have your place trashed to care about those kids. Chocolate stuck to the floor is a minor thing compared to the memories and relationships that were made in your homes! Time is the best investment you can make in the future of these teens and the time you give to them is very precious!!

"How lovely to think that no one need wait a moment, we can start now, start slowly changing the world. How lovely that everyone, great and small, can make their contribution...how we can always, always give something, even if it is only kindness" - Anne Frank

Beauty

Never lose an opportunity of seeing anything that is beautiful; for beauty is God's handwriting - a wayside sacrament. Welcome it in every fair face, in every fair sky, in every fair flower, and thank God for it as a cup of blessing. ~Ralph Waldo Emerson

It's that time of year when most of the leaves have fallen, the flowers have all gone into their winter sleep, and the fog seems to hang out much more than most of us would like, and at times it can be hard to find much beauty around us because at first glance, it's just kind of blah right now. But, if you look deeper you can see beauty. Beauty is where we find it, it's still there, just not in a glorious show like it was two months ago. Right now, beauty is subtle in creation, at least in this part of the world. There are a lot of birds migrating right now, and they are clothed in beauty. The moon has been amazing the past few nights, as have the sunsets. Although it's very cold, even the ice crystals that cover the yard and windshields each morning have incredible designs in them. They all have God's handwriting. Isn't it neat to think that God took that much time to design a snowflake, and an ice crystal, so think how much more He loves us as humans, the ones he created in his image. We are a reflection of his beauty. For that, I am thankful.

You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it.
Psalm 139:13-14

8 Things

I was wondering what to write about today, and while I was thinking I went over and read my friend Jenny's sight, and saw here post. She posted 8 random things that people might not know about her. So I copied this from her site, and will follow along. If you have a blog, you're supposed to post a list yourself, but if you don't, feel free to leave it in the comments. Have fun!

1. I've never flown on an airplane. Yes, I use the 'if God wanted me to fly, he would have given me wings' excuse. I like to keep my feet firmly planted on the ground!!

2. I went to college to become a youth counselor, but my guidance counselor at the college would not let me go into this major, because my English grades were too impressive. I told her I did not want to go into English, but she signed me up for classes that reflected that as my major any way. So, for 19 years I have been volunteering my time with youth instead, and I don't regret a moment of that time.

3. I love to ride dirt bikes! I don't own one, so it makes it a bit more complicated to go riding, but when I get the opportunity, I love to ride.

4. I own enough scrap booking supplies to open a well-stocked, large store. However, all my pictures remain in the envelopes or in photo boxes.

5. I am very competitive and hate to lose, whether I am playing the game, or my team is playing the game.

6. I am an extreme control freak. Okay, if you know me, you probably already know that piece of information!

7. The Oregon Coast is my favorite vacation spot! It's so beautiful.

8. I love sunsets and feel blessed to live in an area where the sunsets are absolutely amazing. I love the beauty of creation and hope to never take any of it for granted.

Brandon Update

Please check out my Marianne's blog for a great article on Brandon Adam. http://www.slightdetour.blogspot.com/




Also, happy birthday to my Aunt Norie!

Masks

We are so accustomed to disguise ourselves to others that in the end we become disguised to ourselves. ~Francois de La Rochefoucauld

I got this on my email a couple days ago and all I could think was 'ouch!' Unfortunately, I think it's quite true. I have been dealing with some of this lately, and have been trying to be much more real to those around me and more honest with who I am, what makes me happy, and what I struggle with. I think we get so busy in life that we decide to put on a happy face and pretend all is well in life when sometimes, it's not. Other times, life is great and we need to share that as well. Be real with your family and those you call a friend. Let them know you, good, bad, and otherwise. Allow them in to see who you are, and take off the masks we all put on to guard ourselves in some way. God sees beyond all our masks, and loves us the way we are. Actually the more broken we are when we come before God, the more he is able to put us back together again, if we let him. So, as halloween approaches, how about taking OFF the masks, and allowing people to see who you really are and maybe you will remember who you are for yourself, and find a deep passion that has been hiding for some time.

Reflection

As water reflects a face, so a man's heart reflects the man.

Proverbs 27:19

Reflect-to give back or exhibit as an image, likeness, or outline

realize, consider

to think quietly and calmly

Reflection. I did a lot of that over the weekend. We had a youth staff retreat at Riverview Bible Camp, north of Cusick. It's a great camp, and the beauty of God's creation was reflected in Pend Oreille River. We had a wonderful time of worship on Saturday night, where I really reflected on my walk with God lately. As I considered, thought about, and realized how I've been doing in my time with my God, I was brought to a very sobering place that I have not been giving back to God much of a reflection at all of the likeness or image of how I should be living. Life has been so busy, that I have forgotten to take time to reflect on His greatness, His majesty, His word, His love for me, and as I've been scurrying through life, and worrying about a lot of things, I have forgotten to STOP and just reflect on how great our God is. If I'm to exhibit His love, and be a likeness, a reflection of who Jesus is, I need to live much more intentionally and stop just running through life, trying to control everything myself, which I must say really has not been working out the best!! I am thankful that God allows do-overs and that Jesus is always standing there with His arms wide open, waiting for me to surrender my worries, fears, busyness, and stress to Him and if I allow Him, He will take it all from me. I just have to remember not to take it back once I give it up! I am thankful for a quiet weekend, with great training, good friends, and times to reflect on where I am in life so that I can get back on track and move on, and work much more intentionally on reflecting God and not merely reflecting myself.

Action, Not Just Words

“When a friend is in trouble, don't annoy him by asking if there is anything you can do. Think up something appropriate and do it.”
—Edgar Watson Howe, novelist

It’s almost second nature for us to say, “Let me know if you need anything,” when a friend is in need. However, wouldn’t your friend appreciate you even more if instead, you just did something nice for them? The same goes when telling someone you will pray for them. Don't just say it, take the time and do it at that moment. If a friend is not feeling well, you could offer to watch their kids or run some errands for them. If a friend loses a family member, you could make his or her favorite meal, clean their home, even just go and be with them, not having to DO anything but be there. Your kindness will not be forgotten.

Some of the great things people have done to minister to us when we had a need or crisis in our lives was to take turns bring food for a week, which was a huge help. We had a group of parents from the youth group we were leading go together and pay the remainder of a hospital bill after Thane had his first round with kidney stones. That was almost 10 years ago, but the blessing of that gift continues to not only make us extremely thankful, but humble that they would do that during a time when we had no idea where the money would come from to pay that bill. During other difficult times, people made phone calls and prayed with us on a regular basis.

What’s the best thing someone has ever done for you when you were in need? Please leave a comment and let others read about it.

7 If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. 8 If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. 9 Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good. 10 Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.

Romans 12:7-12

Fears

A verse I need to remind myself of today:

I am the LORD your God.
I am holding your hand,
so don't be afraid.
I am here to help you.

Isaiah 41:13 (Contemporary English Version)

Same verse, different version:

Because I, your God, have a firm grip on you and I'm not letting go. I'm telling you, 'Don't panic. I'm right here to help you.' Isaiah 41:13 (The Message)

Happy Birthday, Mom

Happy birthday, Mom!!

We are wishing you day filled with love and happiness. I am thankful that God blessed me with a wonderful mom, and friend, like you. I appreciate how you have been there for me, helped me through life, encouraged me, and listened when I needed to talk. I am so thankful that I was blessed by a loving home to grow up in and living examples of how I should live my life. I am so thankful that you shared your love and gift of photography with me, so that I can enjoy the beauty around me, through the eyes of a photographer. Thanks for being there, for your hugs, and for your love. We love you!! Have a wonderful birthday!!

Every time you cross my mind, I break out in exclamations of thanks to God. Each exclamation is a trigger to prayer. I find myself praying for you with a glad heart. Philippians 1:3 (The Message)

Fun in the Sun

We spent most of the weekend in Sandpoint. It was nice to get away, I just should have left the cell phone at home if I wanted an entirely quiet weekend, because work did catch up with me mid-day yesterday. Mom and dad have very, very slow dial up, so I wasn't on the computer at all. It was kind of nice to take a break from technology and just enjoy life. The colors on the drive to Sandpoint, and around the area are amazing right now! Plus, the sun shining on all the beautiful hues of fall made everything that much more vibrant.

My sister and I, and her two girls, spent most of Saturday together.
We went to the park and played and laughed.


The static electricity from the slide made our hair stand straight up, so that provided
a good laugh in itself.



After playing, we decided that we needed an ice cream break. Some enjoyed the ice cream more than others.


We cleaned up a bit and then went to the dollar store and I told the girls I would buy them one thing each. While one rode in the cart, one walked the aisles and both mastered the puppy dog eyes to get their auntie to buy them more stuff. Yes, I am a sucker!!! I don't get to spend a lot of time with them, so I have to spoil them while I can. Plus, it's the dollar store!! At least I got out of there for under $20!!

Sunday, we celebrated my mom's birthday a couple days early. Dad made delicious shrimp/chicken/veggie shish kabobs!! We had a great weekend, and I am thankful for the time with my family.

A Day in Pictures

I had to go to Spokane today, so took some time to enjoy Manito Gardens and a beautiful Fall day. The dahlia garden is stunning, as are the roses.

Yesterday had been a roller coaster of a day, and when I got home I was feeling kind of down, plus I was mentally and physically exhausted. I went to the mailbox and found a card from my friend, which as usual, arrived just when I needed some words of encouragement. The card talked about how our friendship is a blessing and how we can trust each other and how we understand each other, and how our faith gets us through. The words in that card helped to change my attitude. Isn't it funny how we let little things bring us down, when we know deep inside that they aren't worth our time or energy? Or we let falsehoods come in to our minds and tell us that things are worse than they are, instead of winning over those thoughts and filling our minds with good things. I know that satan uses exhaustion to not only wear us down physically, but emotionally and spiritually, which is why it's so important to take every thought captive before it turns into something ugly because the more our minds wander, especially when we are worn out, the uglier our thoughts become and we can make take something small and let it fester in our minds until it becomes poisonous. So today, while I am still quite tired, I am going to work on keeping my mind on Godly thoughts, and later, I am going to work on getting some much needed rest.

We demolish arguments and every pretension that sets itself up against the knowledge of God, and we take captive every thought to make it obedient to Christ.2 Corinthians 10:5

Life

If someone listened to your life today, what would he or she hear? Anxiety, fear, confusion, hurry, bitterness, jealousy, or love and a faith that was bigger than all those things? What speaks loudest in your life? It's a sobering thought and I, for one, have to say I am not real pleased with the results of my own self-assessment in this regard. I've been thinking about this a lot lately, and I'm trying to be more aware of my life, my attitude, my actions. It's a good thing we've all got a little more time and the grace of God. Let's spend them both well today.

Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. Matthew 6:34

Teens

My brain is kind of mush today. We have at least 800 teenagers at our church this weekend, probably more. The Unite youth conference started yesterday afternoon. There are great speakers, Duct Tape comedy, skate board demonstrations, bands, and a trip to Silverwood today for the kids to enjoy. The skate boarders had to move inside the lobby last night since it was pouring down rain. We almost had a couple go through the ceiling while catching some air, but they were having a great time. It's great to see that many teenagers in one place, without any of them causing any serious problems. There are a lot of great kids out there today, we just never hear about them in the news!! We need to look for those kids and tell them that we appreciate them, that they are doing a great job trying to make it through their teen years. We need to encourage them, and mentor them. We need to just be there to listen to what they have to say. So many kids don't have any solid adults in their lives, so if you know a kid like that, take some time to pour into their lives and make a difference, not only for today, but for the future. Your time will not be wasted, and you will be making a mark on history as you invest in that kid. You may be the only person that ever tells that kid they are worthwhile, they have potential, and they can do great things in their life. These are the future leaders of this world, help to make a lasting impact on their lives now so they have the courage to make right decisions, the strength to go through tough times, and the wisdom to know right from wrong. My husband and I have worked with teens for 19 years now, and though it's not always been easy, and there have been times when we wonder why we continue, God always makes sure to let us know our time invested in kids in worth it. There have been some really tough times we've had to go through with those kids, but I'm glad we were there to go through it with them. Find at least one kid to invest some time in and make a difference in their lives, not only for right now, but for the rest of their lives, and into eternity.

2 Corinthians 4:1 God has been kind enough to trust us with this work. That's why we never give up.

Where Did Fall Go?

Oh my! I had a feeling with the way our year has been that we would go from Summer to Winter, as we went from Winter to Summer in May. Well, it has happened!!! Our weather forecast is below! What happened to Fall??? I guess we had a week or two of it, but it seemed awfully short. I mean, I am looking back at my calendar and around two weeks ago it was in the 80's! I'm not ready for the white stuff, but it certainly seems determined to arrive much too soon!!

Overnight: A slight chance of rain and snow showers. Cloudy, with a low around 36. Southwest wind between 9 and 11 mph. Chance of precipitation is 20%.

Thursday: A chance of rain showers, mixing with snow after 11am. Some thunder is also possible. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 39. South wind between 7 and 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%.

Thursday Night: A chance of rain and snow showers before 11pm, then a slight chance of snow showers. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 34. South wind between 3 and 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 50%.

Friday: A chance of rain and snow showers, mainly after 11am. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 44. North wind between 3 and 9 mph. Chance of precipitation is 30%.

These pictures are from over the weekend when we went to Sandpoint. My mom said those same mountains are covered in snow now. Guess it's time to pull out the sweaters and winter gear, or pretend I'm a bear and hibernate until April.

Award

So, it's a double posting day. I guess I will make up for not posting on Tuesday. I was passed on an award from another blogger, whom I've never personally met, just connected through blogging. Please check out her blog at http://sandimahorsky.blogspot.com/



I've never been given an award before, so I was pleasantly surprised, and humbled, to receive it from her. The award is listed below:



Excellence in Discipleship
For those who are regular readers of management by God, you know that being about God's Word is very important to me. Since I have started working on this initiative, I have discovered that there many others that have a similar heart to share God's Word, and further His Kingdom. The role of a disciple of Christ is to carry His message to the ends of the earth. It is with this heart that I have created the Mathetes Award. Mathetes is the Greek word for disciple, and the role of the disciple (per the Great Commission) it to make more disciples. In the spirit of this award, the rules are simple. Winners of this award must pick other "disciples" to pass it on to. As you pass it on, I just ask that you mention and provide links for (1)this post as the originator of the award (Dan King of management by God), (2) the person that awarded it to you, and then (3) name and sites that you believe are fulfilling the role of a disciple of Christ. If you know of other deserving recipients of this award, and would like to start a new string, then please post a link to where you've started in in the comments to this post. I would love for many deserving bloggers to be blessed with this recognition.



I pass it on to my dad at
http://www.intothewildministries.blogspot.com/

and my friend at
http://www.mangymooseacres.blogspot.com/

Surf's Up

For those of you who may be new to reading this blog, I have been posting updates on Brandon Adam. He grew up in Sandpoint and was part of our youth program while he was in 5th and 6th grade. He is now 21. Brandon is in the army and was serving in Iraq, when he lost both legs in early May, due to a bomb. Here's the latest pictures of him.

Are You Aware?

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month

In October we take time to:
*honor those we have lost to this disease
*support those living with breast cancer
*celebrate breast cancer survivors
*increase awareness of breast cancer and what is necessary to cure this disease

Today I write for my friend Jenny, who is an incredibly strong woman, despite her battle with this disease. She is someone many look to as a friend, a source of inspiration, and a hero. Her battle is very hard, but she looks to God for her strength and relies on Him to take care of her. I pray for her to have strength, peace, courage, hope, and healing.

Today, I also write for my aunt Alice, my cousins Lori, Barbie, and Deb, for my friend's grandma Patty, and for other friends and family members who have faced the giant named breast cancer. I pray for each of you, for strength, health, faith, and perseverance.

Today I also write for Grace, Lizzie, Hannah, Megan, Taylor, Courtnee, Kelsi and all others in the younger generation, that soon there will be a cure. I pray for a cure, that your generation will be able to slay the giant called breast cancer.

Today I pray for everyone affected by this disease. Today I challenge all women to do self examines, and get checked by your gynecologist, and if you are overdue for a mammogram, why not go get one during October? Do it for those in your life who love you. Be aware, and pray for those around you who are in the battle.

For further resources:

http://www.nbcam.org/

http://cms.komen.org/komen/index.htm

http://www.wnbc.com/breastcancer/index.html