The Dash the movie

A friend of mine sent me this video on the dash. I have read the dash before, but really liked the visuals with the movie.

Please take time to watch this short video on how you are spending your dash.

Lift My Eyes

SOAR HS Girls Volleyball

SOAR last weekend of Vball 2007

This past Sunday I took my SOAR HS Girls Volleyball Team bowling for our last time together as the season ended on Saturday. 4 out of the 5 girls were able to make it on Sunday. There were two other HS girls there with a MS team they helped out with during the season.
In the picture above, my 4 players are from the left and the 5th girl next to her is not from my team nor is the one next to her. If you click on this picture, it will take you to the album from this weekend of play and bowling.

This was one of the best group of girls I've had at SOAR. They were great and will miss interacting with them each week. I told them that I learn more from them than I think they learn from me!

We didn't have a great record, which wasn't my main objective, but know they did have fun playing with each other.

Our theme for the season was on the Fruits of the Spirit.

I'm so proud of them!

What would you do?

I received this in form of an email from Maia last week and find it hilarious! This happened to someone who ordered a cake from Wal-Mart.

New photos

I've added some new photos to my picasa album on the side of my blog for those who would like to see some good pics!




This is a preview of one album. Maia and I posing for a picture on Saturday night before I went to a Halloween party. Good times!

Baptism

This is a topic that is talked about in most churches and religious circles on what their view is on baptism. For me, this is something that over the years I have studied more and more as a growing believer in Christ. This Sunday, at my church, Forest Hill we talked about baptism. To give you some insight into my past, I was baptized as an infant at my church in Ohio. I still believe that the baptism is honored by God, but firmly believe that you need to make a statement yourself.

Since I've moved to Charlotte, this concept of baptism has been talked about in my Bible Study and church that I attend. The more we've talked about it the more that I've found it interesting and what I really believe about it.

In light of my conversations with people and study, I concluded that I wanted to be baptized as an adult as an outward sign of obedience and commitment as a believer in Christ.

So does this mean that baptism is necessary for salvation. Indeed, I don't believe that in order to be a Christian you need to be baptized, but know that biblically there are reasons why we should be baptized.

So this brings me to today. As I mentioned earlier, Forest Hill is doing a series on Crazy Things Christians do and this week is was on Baptism. If you click on Forest Hill, you will directly go to the web page to hear the sermon. I actually forgot until I go to church that they were doing baptisms. The pastor was talking about baptism and how we are commanded by Jesus - Matthew 28:19-20 and how it is connected to the Gospel in Matthew 3:13-17.

They rented to dunk tanks and one small pool to do the baptisms that Saturday night and Sunday. Saturday night they had 62 people come forward to get baptized outside. From what
they said on Sunday with a short video of Sat. night, people stayed around cheering on the people who were getting baptized.

Sunday they were going to give people the same opportunity to get baptized as well. I went to the service on Sunday actually forgetting that they were going talking about baptism. I ended up going by myself to church in which I believe was a really cool thing. As the pastor was talking, I keep thinking this is perfect timing for me to get baptized. So after the service several people of all ages were getting baptized. I saw my old roommate, Sara and her husband of 2 weeks, and talked to them for a bit. I still really wanted to get baptized so I went back to my car after talking with them to get changed into some jeans from a skirt I had. When I came back, they weren't going to do anymore until after the second service. So I decided to wait and come back after the service. Once I got back, I changed into another shirt they had there, filled out a card, and went to one of the pools that one of the pastors was in. The pastor that baptized me was a guy that I've talked with on occasion and that a friend of mine Tim knew him from a church he used to work at here in Charlotte.

I can't begin to tell you the smile and peace that filled my heart afterwards. All I can say is that God is amazing and wouldn't have traded that moment for anything.

I have pictures on my phone that a guy took for me, but not sure how to get them on here. If I can, I will post them another time.

To God be the Glory !

----------------
Now playing: Shane & Shane - Vision Of You
via FoxyTunes

A dogs companionship

Ok, so how couldn't you fall for this dog right?! Well, this is my parents dog Tanner who has been around since my junior year of HS. She has been my 'sister' through many joys and sorrows that have come in and out of my life over the past several years. She is quite a listener and rarely if at all talks back to me or gives me grief.

So, why do I post about Tanner today. Well, we about lost Tanner today due to severe circumstances with finding out she was anemic yesterday and could've had other issues we weren't aware of involving her sicknesses recently. She didn't act quite right all summer my parents have told me and when I was back in Ohio ovee Labor Day I could tell something was going on with her.

To make a long story short, the vet said yesterday that they could do surgery which was really risky at this point for her and that she might not even make it through. After my parents talked about it last night, they were going to see about putting her to sleep bc they didn't want to see her suffer. Of course my mom was upset and didn't want to see this happen. So as my mom watched my dad take Tanner to the Vet yesterday, she didn't think she would be seeing Tanner again. A little bit later, she heard the phone ring and it was my dad. He decided to give the surgery a shot today. My mom left me a message last night about it and told me that she would keep me posted today. Well, I knew that this was going to be hard for me to see Tanner go, but if it meant she wouldn't suffer I would have to deal with it. I will admit this AM I broke down and cried a bit while praying that God would do His will in this manner knowing it was a dog and not human. I believe that God does care about our requests big or small. Later today, I found out she made it through and was going to be going home tomorrow! I'm hoping that she will be able to recover at home and be ready for a Jenny hug when I go back in November for my brothers wedding.

I love my dog and I'm not afraid to admit it!

Day Off

Last Monday, I had the day off so I decided to take advantage of going outside and enjoying God's creation. It was beautiful 'fall' day here with the high being 75, light winds, and no humidity! I found a green way a mile down the road and thought I would go read and journal some goals for myself. As I entered the green way, it was like my attitude was elevated to another level. The grass smelled good, the birds were singing, the sun was shining and the wind was blown! I found myself in complete amazement of how a God can place trees, rocks, birds, grass, and etc. in such a perfect way. I walked for about a mile until I found a bench that was a step away from the path. There wasn't much room to sit on the ground as I was hoping, but none the less, I was sitting on a bench in 'nature'. Mind you, I was still in the city, but it was definitely refreshing! As I got ready to get out Courageous Leadership by Bill Hybels, I noticed I forgot a pen to write with. I was really excited about writing down goals and was disappointed that I forgot it. So I ended up going over some verses in my Bible as well as skimming over the book. I read this book for one of my CSO Leadership classes and a part in the book was mentioned to me a few days before by a fellow Tim who took this class with me. He was encouraging me about developing vision, recapturing and following passion, and how we need to dream big about what we want to accomplish and allow God to work in each of those areas of our lives. The reason this is significant is because I believe God is up to something in my life right now and I need to make sure I'm on board!

So as I read looked through the chapters, I was reminded of how much vision is lost to those who are afraid they will fail in it and don't move forth in their vision or lose sight soon after they start sharing and going after it. The book talks about Bill's experience as the pastor at Willow Creek Church in Chicago about his journey with vision and the local church. There are some cool quotes that I will share in another post. If you haven't read this book, I would highly suggest it.

After reading and soaking up His goodness, I walked back to my car thinking what a great day to be alive!

Girls Night Out

Ann, Kate, and Mari-Ann

Amanda and Jen

Jen and Mari-Ann

Mari-Ann and Ann

Friday night about 20 women from around Charlotte got together for dinner. This meeting was coordinated by Mari-Ann's friend, Jenni, so that women could get connected to each other in the city for a GNO. It was good to get out and meet some other women that I'm not connected with through work or my life group. After dinner, we caught up outside the place with some guy friends of ours and other new people. Mari-Ann and Ann are in my life group through Forest Hill, Kate is Ann's co-worker and Amanda and I went to IWU together. We met randomly in a church parking lot over a year ago.

Below is a picture of Maia (roommate) and I at festival in the park on Saturday night. It was like a giant fair placed in a park. It was fun and super busy.

Psalm 23

Pics over Labor Day Weekend

Phil, Jen , & Will

Phil and fiancee Katlin

Jen & Grammy Num - Nums

Mari - CC Meet at Columbus Grove

Cassie - Crestview HS Cheerleaders @ VW Fair

Lifehouse Skit

Please watch this skit with music performed by Lifehouse. What a powerful testimony of the gospel of Christ!

Tribute Commercial

This video was shown to me a few months ago by Bob Schindler. I still can't express to you the emotions that continue to run through my heart every time I see it. Remember to keep praying for our men and women overseas.

Monopoly

So I heard a real cool analogy on Wednesday from the women's ministry leader at Christ Covenant church where I'm currently working part-time.

We had a women's lunch with the ladies working at the church. As we entered the room, the director, Susan, handed us a monopoly card and we were to sit at the table that had the same color of card that matched ours. As we all did this, we found player's piece to the game in front of us. We began the time with her giving us a question that we were to answer at our tables while we ate. The question was, "what do you think the object of your life is about right now?"

The reason why she posed this question was because she had us answer the object of monopoly, which is to buy, sell, and trade to have the most property / money at the end of the game.

So our table was quite about what they would say their life's object or purpose is right now. One lady answered and then I chimed in, which is not my personality to do so right away in a group. This is an area that God has been working on in me the last 2 years and be more confident and uncomfortable to share within a group.

I stated that my life's object right now is to enjoy the journey and be content on where He has me. To know that the destination is not as important as the journey. For the journey, the process is the point. I tend to focus on what's next largely due to the uncertainty of where, what , and how God is leading me to serve. Since I've been in Charlotte, I've moved 4 times (this last move being the 4th) , I've served in 3 different churches as an intern, I've struggled financially (God has been more than Faithful in that), I've worked part-time at "The Fitch" and CSO part-time / full-time for a year. Needless to say, nothing has been permanent except for my Rock, Jesus Christ. He has provided me with an amazing community here that I still can't fathom and has allowed me to visit my family in Ohio every few months, which has been awesome. I've experienced a range of emotions along with doubt (sometimes I still do) in all of these areas, but am reminded daily that in all of these things, God is preparing me for what is to come. I may not know now what He is up to, but confident in His perfect timing He will reveal some if not all of these circumstances were for something He has in the bigger picture. He has in my JOURNEY to get me to where I need to be to love and serve Him.

So getting back to the thought I want to share from this topic on monopoly and objects in life. Susan wanted to point us to the analogy of monopoly and life. The two things she pointed out that would last in eternity would be 1. our relationship with Christ 2. our relationships with other people. She said this was a theme for her life right now in that she too is trying to allow God to use her in this journey to know how to serve and love Him and others more. She was reading a book by John Ortberg, It All Goes Back in the Box, and wanted to share with us that the things around us that the end of our life, but those 2 things will go back into the box.

Just like in the game of monopoly, our things will all go back into the box.

Wow! I really thought this analogy was cool. How true is that we (myself included) are always concerned about the pieces that go back into the box rather than what we get to take with us at the end of it all.

We were able to take the player piece in front of us so we would be reminded that it all goes back in the box at the end of the day. I need to remember that when I'm not enjoying the journey and working on the 2 things that will last!

Home

So, it's been a while again since I've last posted. I'm really going to try to post more regularly with pictures and with thoughts about what is going on in my heart.


Well, I have moved into the apartment (House as Maia and I like to call it) that I mentioned in my last post. We moved in the weekend of August 25. I'm planning on posting some pictures tomorrow or Friday of the place that we have decorated so far.

Can I get an AMEN about having a house of something that gives women security! I can't tell you how exciting it is to have a place that is partially mine. The freedom of watching T.V, of cooking, of hanging out, and etc. brings me joy and excitement that hasn't been there in a really long time. It's really not the things that I enjoy so much as it is the way I'm able to enjoy them.

As I'm writing this post, I know without a doubt that God's timing in where I would be staying and with whom is perfect. He was preparing this for months and has know brought some of it in the light. All the while, I can say that God is Good!

As far as roommates, Maia is a perfect fit. We are still in the process of getting to know one another, but can't tell you how blessed I've been by our conversations. It's like you barely know the person, but you feel like you known them for years. This is the way that I feel about Maia at this point. I know we will continue to build our friendship as days, weeks, and months go by, but God has proven Himself faithful in allowing me this time to share with Maia.
I appreciate her efforts in getting to know me and for taking the time to ask how my day went. In this way, her older sister Courtney and her are alike. They are good at asking questions and letting you know that they care about you.

So a shout out to both of them for loving me and sharing their lives on good and bad days.
Thanks ladies!

So more thoughts to share tomorrow....

Finally, a place to call home....

So my last post was titled TRUST...well, since that time God has continued to show me the path of HIS timing and steadfast faithfulness in trusting HIM alone. Some events this summer that came as part of God's plan had me change some of "my" plans.

I moved from the townhouse I had been staying for 1 1/2 yrs. into another townhouse with a couple who had a spare bedroom. Events played out that I didn't stay with Tim and Jenny this summer due to an illness Jenny's mom had and Jenny's absence in MI for most of the summer. Jenny's mom passed away in early due to be with her Lord.

I also found out in early July that my potential roommate was strongly thinking of moving back to MI. She was home for a few weeks and didn't know what this year was going to look like for her in terms of a job because she didn't like the system she was in down here.

As a result, God began to reveal to me His plan for what was to come this summer. Most of my friends here already are rooted in apartments and aren't looking to move. So where was I going to find someone to live with that I knew or that would want to live in the south Charlotte area?

As it turns out, my friend Courtney has a younger sister who moved down to Charlotte in June after graduating college in May and was living with them until she found a place of her own.

I have met Maia, Courtney's sister, on a several occasions prior to her moving here. Maia moved here not having a job and was in the process of seeking out opportunities to work. There was another opportunity that came about for me this summer at the church where I served as an intern and was doing camps for the summer. Starting the 2nd week of July, I came on as part-time temporary staff 29 hrs. a week at SOAR as they are searching for a new sports outreach ministry director. Due to this unexpected change, my status of working at CSO as their admin assistant became hard to work the hours needed for the position.

This led to them needing to find someone else to fill the position. Well, they didn't have to look far to find Maia who again was looking for a job and since Courtney was apart of the Leadership with me this became a great opportunity for both Maia and CSO.

CSO then hired Maia on as part-time with the hopes of being full-time in the future. This opened the door wide open for another opportunity. A potential roommate.

So Maia and I talked about finding a place to live together in the South Charlotte area. We looked up places on the web and came across a house about 10 minutes from where I am now.
We checked it out about a week ago and let's just say it was a no go! So we decided to check out an apartment they her sister and another friend mentioned might be a good place to live.

To get to the point, Maia and I are going to be moving to an apartment on August 25 in the south Charlotte area! Finally, a place to call home.....After 2 + years, I will have a place where I'm not living with couples or singles in their home. The Lord has been good to me in these 2 years and couldn't have been more blessed, but excited to be moving in this "grown - up" direction!

All of this has happened fast, so please pray again for another move and transition that I'm about to go through in the next 2 weeks. God has been perfect in His timing and has always provided in ways that I stand in awe of Him.

He is Faithful!

Update on possible roommate

Hey....wow, my 2nd post in less than a week ....not to bad for me!

I wanted to give a brief update on what the next "move" is looking like. A guy I work with at CSO, Tim, talked with his wife, Jenni, about a friend of theirs from MI who is currently living in Charlotte about the possibility of us living together. I have been in contact with her via email and we are working out a time to get together to talk about near future with rooming. This comes as a answer to prayer that I might have a roommate due to the cost of living for one person. I have no idea what will come of this, but know that it is only a step in the journey.

Thanks for your continued prayers as I sort through where to live since the time is fast approaching. I will keep you updated on what comes of the meeting with this girl, Lynette.

Trust means risking....

Well, it has been way to long since I've last posted anything on here. I could name a few good reasons like being busy, not having the internet at home, and so on. None of which are valid reasons to why I've left some of you in the dark.

The title right now sums up what I am processing and going through right now. Trust means risking......status, security, safety, the known, pride, failure.........the list goes on and on.....

Questions surround this thought of trust. Why do we trust? Why is it hard to trust? How do we trust? In whom do we put our trust?

Right now, I am faced with many of these questions and sometimes I don't know how to answer except for believing my TRUST needs to be found in Jesus. And sometimes that is hard to do.

As of now, I am needing to Trust in His provision for a place to live by June 8 in Charlotte, financially for the next 4 months as I am a self-funded intern doing camps this summer through Christ Covenant Church (where I served with SOAR for 6 months in Sports Outreach Ministry) , and a full-time position in Sports Outreach Ministry. I have income through CSO as there Admin. Assistant and working about 40 hrs. a week, but is due to change in a month or less.

I don't want to hide in the safety of what is seen, but believing in what is not seen. Please pray that God will allow me to see HIS grace, truth, and love in Trusting in His perfect timing.

Snow Day in Charlotte!

Well, for the first time in almost the two years that I have been in Charlotte I woke up to some unfamiliar white fluffy stuff that from the north we call , snow! Let me just be the first to say that it was actually quite pretty coming down. Here are a few pictures that were taken outside the townhouse where I live. These pictures were taken later in the afternoon. I wanted for all of you to see that even though I live in the South it does get cold enough to snow. It might not be the same at Ohio, but it was quite refreshing seeing the seasons change! I didn't suit up to play in it, but it did remind me of numerous times I would freeze outside with my brothers playing in the snow in Ohio. My family could tell you that I'm not one to be outside when it is cold b.c my hands and feet get cold so quickly, but I do enjoy a little snow from time to time.

The funniest thing though about the snow is that if there is a possible threat of snow or ice the states of North and South Carolina go into shut down mode. This was considered a winter storm today with about 2 inches of snow, rain and sleet that were to follow. As I was traveling to the go ol' Walmart today I would that a lot of area businesses and restaurants were closed due to the weather. I had to laugh a little about it thinking to myself what would happen to this city if they had about 5 -10 inches of snow. What would everyone do? I know that they don't deal with this weather often so it makes sense. The areas roads and highways were limited with traffic. Most people don't travel or if they do are stocking up on water, break, and firewood. Nothing short than being prepared!

They are calling for possible freezing rain tomorrow so we'll see how this affects the city of Charlotte!

Blessings!

Today, I was reminded again of how amazing God is and how He blesses us in so many different ways such as creation, seasons, His Word, His son, friendships and so much more. God may not reveal to us what His plans are for our lives when we want to know, but He does promise us that He has walked before us. He has put His sheep before. He has gone before. He is ahead of the sheep. He is down in the front.

As I read in my devotional two nights ago, this really struck me.

"This is the blessed life - not anxious to see far in front, nor careful about the next step, not eager to choose the path, nor weighted with the heave responsibilities of the future, but quietly following behind the Shepherd, one step at a time. "

John 10: 1-18

What a blessing!

What is CSO and why did Jenny move ?

As I begin posting on this blog, I will take you on a journey through what is going on currently in my life and will lay a foundation to why I moved to Charlotte for those who have no idea why I am even here.

Two men, Bob Schindler and Bob Dyar, are the main guys I work with at CSO in Charlotte, NC. Bob Dyar founded CSO in 1996, which has undergone some name changes over the past 11 years. Bob Dyar also works for Joe Gibbs Racing in Huntersville, NC as their chaplain for the racing teams crew. Bob Schindler came on board in 2003 as the director of leadership development. He is the one who teaches classes at the Leadership Center I am involved with as well as finding internships in local churches for people like myself, provides a time for mentoring for interns, and does many other ministry details for CSO. I have learned a great deal from the both of them, but have more interaction with Bob Schindler. CSO started a one-of-a-kind Leadership Center in January of 2005. They were just starting the classes when I found CSO on the internet in the spring of 2005.

After talking with Bob and visiting CSO in April of 2005, I quickly found my way to Charlotte, NC in June. I had no idea what I was going to be doing long term, but had a church in Rock Hill, SC that needed help with their sports camps that summer. They were also in need of some summer staff after-school counselors. I also wanted to do something with sports and ministry, but just didn't know how the two fit together. I soon learned that CSO's thinking of sports outreach ministry is more focused on using sports as a vehicle to build relationships with people.

CSO's Mission is "To mobilize the local church in the United States to build bridges to its community through the language of sports."

CSO's Vision is " CSO USA desires to assist every evangelical church in the USA toward involvement with Sports Outreach through long-term partnerships, coaching relationships, and a leading edge Resource Center. "

How awesome is that! For me over the last 1 1/2, this has really been eye opening and has now made perfect sense. We are to be apart of the local church and what better way to serve Christ than using sports as a tool to build the bridge for His GLORY!

So I packed up my car and headed south with what it could hold since I was going to be staying in a bedroom at this couple's home that one of the guys from the classes knew from church. This couple lives in a suburb of Charlotte called Matthews. The couple opened up their home to me not knowing who I was and how long I would be there. I ended up staying there for 4 1/2 months before moving in with a girl on the other side of Charlotte that I am living with currently.

So this is the start in my journey in Charlotte, NC with CSO and where God was going to place me in the local church using sports.

Here are the Mission and Vision statements of CSO's Leadership Center. Just one part of CSO.

The Mission of the Leadership Center is "to mobilize a new generation of Sports Outreach Leaders who can lead local churches toward building bridges to their communities through the language of sports."

The Vision of the Leadership Center is "to provide a Leadership Center in Charlotte, NC, that would equip Sports Outreach Leaders in character, skill and knowledge through the cooperative efforts of CSO Staff, CSO Partner Churches, local seminaries, and CSO Partner Ministries. Our desire is to see these efforts fuel a movement of revitalization among local churches both nationally and internationally that would touch thousands of communities for Christ."

CSO has 4 main areas it is comprised of : CSO USA, CSO Leadership Center, CSO Chaplains, and CSO International

I will go more in detail in another post, but wanted to cover a few basics. To find out more about CSO, go to our website at www.csosports.org. Thanks for reading this long blog!

OSU game with the Schnee's

Courtney, Mike and Noah showing OSU is #1


Jenny and Courtney


Noah raising a smile for the Buckeyes!


Gottcha mom!


FYI : Courtney and Mike moved down here from Ohio 1 week after I did in June of 2005. I didn't know her prior to moving, but she is also apart of CSO through the Leadership Center and was an intern as well. She now works part-time at Westminister Presbyterian Church in Rock Hill, SC. They have a son Noah who is 10 months old.

Even though the Buckeyes didn't have much of a showing this Monday night, I'm still confident that they will be a force to reckon with in the future. I was in a coffee shop early that day in Ballanytne - where I live in Charlotte - a girl that was taking my order said that they were going to play the game in the movie theater that was located a few floors up. She attended OSU a few years ago and said they have played Carolina Panthers games this year in there. I thought you can't get much of a bigger screen then that to watch the game. So I called up Courtney to see if they wanted to watch the game there. We got there early anticipating a huge crowd since there are a lot of OSU fans down here. Well, we were the only ones in the theater the whole night! It was a lot of fun except for the part that OSU didn't win the game. In all, I had a great time.

Picture of Anna

I just wanted to post a picture of Anna and I during Christmas 2005 so you know who I am talking about when I refer to her in the future. Love you girl!

Trip to New Hampshire

Well, I decided to use my free airline ticket this past November that I had from last New Year's Day. I received a free round trip ticket from Airtran when I was flying back from Boston. I was visiting two amazing women, Caitlin from New Hampshire and Anna from Pennsylvania whom I met the summer of 2002 at Streamside Camp in PA. Caitlin and I were co-counselors. Anna was a counselor too and we had a lot in common and so became friends quickly that summer.

The first picture of Caitlin and I were along a coastline in Maine the day I was heading back to NC. It was a little chilly and rainy that day, but we both wanted to see the ocean one more time before winter! I was more than blessed the four days that I was able to spend with her and her family. They are amazing people with such big hearts. Thanks for always making me feel welcomed. Love you Cait!

The second picture is of Caitlin's yard. You might be wondering why I took this picture, but imagine it now with a ton of forks in it! Yes, that is correct. She got forked! The day I flew in her yard was completely covered in forks. I wanted to get a picture of it, but didn't get a chance to before it was picked up. A few friends from church decided it would be funny to get her yard!

Oh, the good ol' days of T-ping and forkin!