Tagged By Jennifer

My daugher Jen tagged me to do the following game. I figured since we are related, I’d better respond. Here goes.

1. Pick up the closest book next to you.
2. Open it to page 50.
3. Go down to the second paragraph
4. Type in the first 4 lines.
5. Tag 5 people.

Here is mine:  I just happened to have a songbook next to me, and page 50 is Onward Christian Soldiers

Like a mighty army moves the church of God

Brothers we are treading where the saints have trod;

We are not divided, all one body we;

One in hope and doctrine, One in charity.

I now tag the following people to participate in this little game. If you decide not to, I will still love you.

Becky

Karen

Kweenmama

Pam

Tena

 

Surprise Party

Yesterday was a day I have been looking forward to for a long time. We had a surprise 50th birthday party for my sister Karen. It actually wasn’t a total surprise. She did kind of suspect that something was going to happen. Last year Karen threw 2 surprise parties for a couple of special people that were turning 50. One of them was her husband Mike, and the other one was my husband. There were a couple of things at this party though that were surprises for Karen. The first one was that my brother John and his family and my brother Bob were at the party. They were able to come via Skype(webcam). When Karen showed up at her son’s house and the door to the house was open Bob, John and his family were there on the computer screen yelling “surprise!”.

The second surprise was that Mike had arranged a week long trip for him and Karen to go to Hawaii. They are in Oahu now as I type and will spend a few days there and then go to the Big Island. One of the really fun things about this party is that each of us siblings put on a skit about something we remember from our childhood with Karen. It was hilarious acting those things out and reliving the memories. Playing Pin The Reading Glasses On The 50 Year Old was a hoot too. I’ll post some pictures below.

 

Reasons To Rejoice

God is opening doors for Bible studies to be taught! There is a lady in our church who has four neighbors in her apartment complex that want a Bible study. This coming Tuesday, we will start teaching Search For Truth to them. I am excited to be able to share the Word of God with these ladies!

 

Something absolutely incredible happened Tuesday night. I actually beat my husband in a game of Scrabble!! We really don’t play very often, but whenever we do, it’s usually pretty close. I may take an early lead, but somehow, he always manages to pull ahead at the end and win. Not the case this time. I thought for sure I was done in, when near the end of the game, he put down the word DESK, and thanks to a triple word score, got 42 points. Feverishly, I began moving my tiles around, searching for something that would give me a lot of points. Then I saw it. The word was VIRAL, and thanks to a triple word score, I received enough points to take the lead. On my next turn, I went out using the word NEE. This is a historical moment in our household folks! My husband knows me pretty well, and he asked “You’re going to do a post about this, aren’t you?” “Well, it did cross my mind.” I admitted. Something like this is just too good to keep to myself. Know what I mean?

 

Six Unspectacular Things About Me

I was tagged by Janet to do the following Meme, so here goes.

 

1.  I think Spandex on women is disgusting.(It’s even worse on men!)

2.  I enjoy reading outloud to my family. Right now, I’m reading Frank Peretti’s Piercing The Darkness, even though we’ve heard it before.  It’s great!

3.  I often make up crazy songs about my husband, kids and dog and give them strange nicknames too.

4.  I love eggs over easy cooked in olive oil. (no runny whites though)

5.  I can make my nostrils flare very rapidly. (pretty impressive, huh?)

6.  I’m to the point now where every so often, I get a little hair growing under my chin. (which of course, is plucked out immediately!)

Meme terms & conditions:

1. link the person who tagged you
2. mention the rules on your blog
3. list 6 unspectacular things about you
4. tag 6 other bloggers

I now tag Carmen Kiki Lacy Catherine Kweenmama and Holly.

 

Friday Nite Fun Factory

Friday Nite Fun Factory was the theme of this year’s youth lock in, sponsored by Revival Tabernacle of Fremont, Ca.  This is an event that our young people really look forward to going to each year.  Bryan Van Heusen and the staff of Revival Tabernacle did another incredible job of putting it all together. Here are a few pictures from my tempermental camera of some of the activities.

Brother Bryan Van Heusen, the ringmaster of ceremonies.

The youth leader from Manteca spoke to the kids about The Harvest.  He did a great job!

Some of the attendees wore fun clothes.

Some of the crowd. 

The Inflatable was a big hit.

The Egg Head Game. This was hilarious to watch.  The object of this game is to be the first to use your “pool noodle” to crack the raw egg on top of your opponent’s head while sitting in a wagon and being pulled around in a circle.  Matthew(with the blue goggles)seemed to really enjoy this one.

Alyssa and Brianna prepare to do battle in the Egghead Game.  Alyssa was victorious.

Notice the words FUN FACTORY on the wall?  I didn’t realize that’s what it said until just now. I think I’m sleep deprived.

 

Backyard Luau

The weather was just right for our first Backyard Luau for Youth ALIVE on Thursday night.  Although there weren’t as many kids as I had hoped would be there, we still had a fun time.  Below is the scoop on our luau and a few pictures.

The Food – Hawaiian Chicken, Slow Cooker Kalua Pig, fresh pineapple and banana chunks, macadamia nuts, chocolate covered macadamia nuts, Haupia(a coconut pudding dessert, which kind of looks like tofu-the kids thought it was disgusting) and Volcanic Punch.

The Music - Hawaiian Playground CD by Putumayo Kids

The Kids - Alyssa, Andreas, Bell, Jen, Matthew, Oscar, Paul and Zach.

The Games- Hawaiian Mad Gab, Pass The Coconut(kind of like hot potato), Parrot Ring Toss Game, Dinosaur Golf Ball Catch

The Lesson - The Ultimate Paradise – We talked about how we all look forward to the fun, rest and relaxation of vacations. A couple of kids told us about their best vacation.  Although we can have a good time on vacations, there is really no such thing as a perfect paradise on this earth.  Things can go wrong on vacations such as kids getting sick, money that gets stolen, lost luggage, flat tires, etc. , but one day if we follow God’s salvation plan as outlined in the book of Acts, Jesus is going to take us to a place where there will be no more crying, pain, death suffering or anything that can hurt us.  The best part about heaven is that there will be no sin there and we will see Jesus, the One who died for us, and we’ll be with Him forever.

 

 

Faces

            

I picked up the game Faces last year at Barnes and Noble, because I was desperate for something to do with the young people on a Thursday night(I had a gift card too!)and it looked like something they might enjoy.  This is a fun game where each player is given a certain number of cards with different faces on them.  Six of these cards will be layed out on the board and then the moderator for that round will pick a card and all the players will make their own judgment, based on what the card says.  For example, the card might read, “the one who is the life of the party.”  Players must then look at all the faces and decide which one they think would fit the bill.  The six faces are numbered, and each player also has a group of cards numbered from 1 to 6 that they use for voting.  After everyone has selected their candidate, they turn their number cards over.  If they have picked the same number face as the moderator, they get to move up a space, and the moderator moves up a space for everyone who voted for the same number as him/her.  The game is enjoyable, because a lot of the people pictures that they have are older black and white photos from the days before people knew it was okay to smile when you got your picture taken.  Anyhow, I woke up in the middle of the night last week, thinking about how we sometimes judge people just by looking at their outward appearance.  Sometimes we may be hesitant to witness to people, because we think outwardly they might look a little rough and just not interested in hearing about God.  I put a little spin on this game, cut out some modern day faces, and told our youth that I was going to pretend I was God and that they were to try and make their guesses to reflect what God would think.  I asked them to judge things such as “the one most likely to want a home Bible study” “the future Sunday School teacher at Cornerstone Pentecostal Church” and “the one who is going to be filled with the Holy Ghost.”  Sometimes they guessed right, but sometimes they didn’t.  Outward appearance just really isn’t an accurate guage to tell what is going on inside a person or what their future will hold.  Only God truly knows our hearts.  This truth is illustrated so beautifully in the story of how David was picked and anointed to be the king of Israel.

1Sa 16:1 And the LORD said unto Samuel, How long wilt thou mourn for Saul, seeing I have rejected him from reigning over Israel? fill thine horn with oil, and go, I will send thee to Jesse the Bethlehemite: for I have provided me a king among his sons. 1Sa 16:2 And Samuel said, How can I go? if Saul hear it, he will kill me. And the LORD said, Take an heifer with thee, and say, I am come to sacrifice to the LORD.

1Sa 16:3 And call Jesse to the sacrifice, and I will shew thee what thou shalt do: and thou shalt anoint unto me him whom I name unto thee. 1Sa 16:4 And Samuel did that which the LORD spake, and came to Bethlehem. And the elders of the town trembled at his coming, and said, Comest thou peaceably?

1Sa 16:5 And he said, Peaceably: I am come to sacrifice unto the LORD: sanctify yourselves, and come with me to the sacrifice. And he sanctified Jesse and his sons, and called them to the sacrifice. 1Sa 16:6 And it came to pass, when they were come, that he looked on Eliab, and said, Surely the LORD’S anointed is before him.

1Sa 16:7 But the LORD said unto Samuel, Look not on his countenance, or on the height of his stature; because I have refused him: for the LORD seeth not as man seeth; for man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart. 1Sa 16:8 Then Jesse called Abinadab, and made him pass before Samuel. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this.

1Sa 16:9 Then Jesse made Shammah to pass by. And he said, Neither hath the LORD chosen this. 1Sa 16:10 Again, Jesse made seven of his sons to pass before Samuel. And Samuel said unto Jesse, The LORD hath not chosen these.

1Sa 16:11 And Samuel said unto Jesse, Are here all thy children? And he said, There remaineth yet the youngest, and, behold, he keepeth the sheep. And Samuel said unto Jesse, Send and fetch him: for we will not sit down till he come hither. 1Sa 16:12 And he sent, and brought him in. Now he was ruddy, and withal of a beautiful countenance, and goodly to look to. And the LORD said, Arise, anoint him: for this is he.

1Sa 16:13 Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the LORD came upon David from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah.

Looking at outward appearances, there were probably several sons of Jesse that looked like they might be good “king material.”  Maybe they had muscular builds, an air or confidence or some other quality that we might associate as desirable in a king, but God saw something in David’s heart that He could use.  I remember one day when my daughter was just a toddler, a young man came into our church with a shaved head and goatee beard.  He looked a little rough and I remember looking around wanting to make sure that my daughter was close by.  Sometimes she would wander a little to talk to other kids or adults in the church.  This young man looked kind of scary, but he really did have a hunger in his heart for God, and it wasn’t long after his first visit that God filled him with the gift of the Holy Ghost.  He is still living for God today, active in the church, and if you looked at him, you would probably never guess that he was once a gang banger involved in drive by shootings. 

May God help us not to prejudge people through outward appearance but to see them through His eyes of love. 

When Others See A Shepherd Boy

One by one Jesse’s sons
Stood before the prophet
Their father knew a king
Would soon be found
And each one passed
Except the last
No one thought to call him
Surely he would never
Wear a crownCHORUS: But when others see a shepherd boy
God may see a king
Even though your life seems filled
With ordinary things
In just a moment He can touch you
And everything will change
When others see a shepherd boy
God may see a king

One by one problems come
And dreams get shattered
And sometimes it’s hard
To understand
But things like chance
And circumstance
They don’t really matter
Our Father holds tomorrow
In His hands

CHORUS

Well it wasn’t the oldest
It wasn’t the strongest
Chosen on that day
And yet the giants fell
And nations trembled
When they stood in his way

by Ray Boltz

 

Thursday Night Mad Gab

Mad Gab is a game created by Mattel in which there are at least two teams and 2 to 12 players. Each team has two minutes to sound out three puzzles. The puzzles, also known as mondegreens, contain small words that, when put together, make a word or phrase. For example, “These If Hill Wore” when pronounced quickly sounds like “The Civil War.” There are 2 difficulties: easy and hard. The faster the puzzles are answered, the more points the players score.

On Thursday night in Youth ALIVE, we played our own version of Mad Gab to review some things we have learned in our past few Bible studies.  See if you can figure these out.  The kids only had trouble with a couple of them.  These are all related to events in Genesis chapters 1-4.

                                    

 

Mock Apple Pie, Idioms and HBS!

Last night, I was feeling lousy.  I’ve been battling a cold along with the rest of my family, and it had started going into my chest.  I ate dinner with just the kids, while my husband was out running some errands.  Later, after he came home and was eating dinner, I had this craving for hot apple pie, and I told him about it.  He told me he was going to head out after dinner, and I said, “Oh no.  Please don’t go out and buy an apple pie.  I really don’t want it or need it that bad.”  I was sitting on the couch while he ate dinner, and I dozed off.  When I woke up a short while later, I thought at first I was dreaming, because I smelled apples and cinnamon.  It turns out my husband made his own version of apple cobbler just using ingredients we had in the house.  It really tasted good!   I thank God for my sweet husband. Then he announced that we wouldn’t be doing our family Bible study that night.  He wanted to give me a break, because he knew I wasn’t feeling well.  A little later, however, we wanted to do something as a family, so we decided to play a new game my brother Bob bought us for Christmas.  It’s called Befudiom.  We had a fun time playing this game.  Basically, what you do is try to get your teammate(s) to guess an idiom by either acting it out, drawing it, using different words to describe it or have them try to guess it in somewhat of a Hangman style.  A 60 second timer is included to keep things hopping.  If you like word games like I do, I would certainly recommend this one if you have at least 4 people around. 

Tonight, I am excited, because my husband and I were able to start a new home Bible study(HBS).  We’ve been doing a Bible study(Search For Truth)with a lady named Linda from our church.  Linda was telling her daughter and her daughter’s mother-in-law about it a few weeks ago, and they decided they wanted to come too.  Psalm 119:30 says,

“The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.”

It’s always thrilling to me to have those moments in a Bible study where the lights come on and the person you are teaching sees something in God’s Word that they never saw or knew before.  I’m believing God we’ll have many such moments in this Bible study. I’m thankful also that I am feeling better tonight too.  Thank God for His goodness.

 

Out of the mouths of babes

Last night, I pulled a little switch on the kids at Youth A.L.I.V.E.  I told them that I wasn’t going to teach them, but that they were going to teach me instead.  We played a little game I found on a website called Seeing God In Everything.  Ahead of time, I had gathered some household objects and put them in a paper bag.  Each kid had to grab an object out of the bag and tell how they thought the object related to God or to a truth in the Bible.  Pretty interesting!  Here are some of the things they shared.

Box of Candy Cane Lane tea – This sweet smelling tea reminded one of my students of the fragrant gifts of frankincense and myrrh that were given to Jesus by the wisemen.

A roll of electrical tape – The next student said, “This tape reminds you that the devil cannot bind you.”

A somewhat pointy potato peeler – The next creative thinker said that this potato peeler reminded him of the dagger that Ehud used to stab Eglon in the book of Judges.  (By the way, if you’ve never read the book of Judges, and you like unusual stories, I recommend reading it.)

A sheet of address labels – This reminds us that God knows where we live.

A bear shaped plastic jar that used to be filled with candy – This student said that this bear once was filled with candy that you could access by taking off the lid on top.  Then you could pour out the candy and share it with people.  When we’re filled with God’s Spirit, we have something good inside of us, but other people won’t know unless we open up and share it.

A 4 oz. vacuum sealed bag of ground coffee – The bag of coffee is like a person and the grounds inside are the sins in our lives, but God can help us get rid of those sins.

I was impressed by the creativity of these kids.  Afterwards, I told my husband about the game, and he wanted to play too.  I brought in the paper bag, and he went through most of the items in the bag and gave his 2 cents worth.  He’s definitely preacher material.  :l0l: