Looking for the Extraordinary

What I've been learning:  After living in the Dominican Republic for two years, it has been a challenging adjustment to get back into life in the United States.  The other day I was having a little conversation with the Lord.  I was complaining about how my life in the U.S. is so ordinary.

When I lived in the DR I was constantly traveling, constantly using Spanish.  Even just a trip to the grocery store was an adventure.  Life in the United States just isn't the same.

As I was arguing with the Lord, I felt Him telling me that I need to be looking for the extraordinary in each day.  I am His.  Every day God is showing and teaching me something different.  I don't live a boring life.  I need to keep my eyes open for all He has waiting for me.  Life with Him is always an adventure.

The next morning I got up early to go for a walk.  I kept praying and singing as I made my way around the neighborhood.  All of a sudden, I look up and see the moon and a hot air balloon.  It was breathtaking.

Then, I kept walking and the river was covered in fog dancing across its surface.  God totally wrapped me in His arms that morning, showing me the little but mighty extraordinary moments that He gives me.

My roommate last year in the DR, Christin, was visiting a friend in Seattle.  I told her that Bolt Bus tickets to Portland were really cheap and that she should swing by for a few days.  All of a sudden we were in Oregon together!  Another one of our friends from the DR lives in Portland so the three of us ate Burgerville, talked, and prayed.  God is so good and knows exactly what we need.  I couldn't believe the three of us were together again.  It was an extraordinary few days!

"And amazement seized them all, and they glorified God and were filled with awe, saying, 'We have seen extraordinary things today.'" Luke 5:26

I found the extraordinary.  What are you looking for today?

Con mucho amor.

Currently

Drinking: Iced vanilla chai tea lattes.  When I lived in the DR my mom sent me this wonderful vanilla chai tea latte mix.  It was a special treat on rough days.  This summer I have been drinking it iced since the weather has warmed up.  So yummy.

Listening to:  More than Conquerors by Rend Collective.  The other week I Bible journaled the lyrics/verse to this song (see this blog post).  On Saturday night I went to church.  The worship leader said, "Tonight we are learning a new song for this church."  And guess what song it was...  I love it when God taps me on the shoulder with the same lesson until I start listening.

I also discovered a new Spanish artist, Jaz Jacobs.  I even bought her cd.  "Senor sobre mi situacion" and "Purfume a Tus pies" are two of my favorites.

Writing: down my blessings.  One of my mentors in the DR gave me a cute little jar before I left Santiago.  It is a blessing jar.  It is amazing how when we are obedient, He blesses us abundantly.

"All these blessings will come on you and accompany you if you obey the Lord your God."  Deuteronomy 28:2

Watching: Ghostbusters (Kevin was my favorite) and the Last Ship

Reading:  Blog posts by these wonderful ladies.  Writergirl5786 has beautiful posts on the Illustrated Faith Revival Camp.  I absolutely adore reading what she does each week with the prompt.  Seeds of Creative Grace has beautiful posts that make me want to buy everything in Illustrated Faith's shop.

Wanting to read:  Uninvited by Lysa TerKerust and Without Revival by Lisa Bevere

How has your week been?  What have you been learning?  Reading?  Sipping on?

Con mucho amor. 

Judges 18:6

What we've been creating:  Bible journaling is one of the best things I've discovered in 2016, and I want to share it with everyone I know.  This summer I got my mom a Bible journal.  It has been so fun to paint and read the Bible with her.

Illustrated Faith has a free image right now.  It's a map with a verse to go along with their new printable adventure journal.  I printed off one for my mom and one for me.

I found the cutest new sticky notes from the Target dollar spot that say "hello."  I thought these would be perfect for writing prayers.  "Hello God..."  I also got cute new airplane stamp from Michaels and washi tape that says "adventure awaits."

Materials: Illustrated Faith printable, adventure washi tape, Michaels stamps, Illustrated Faith "Amen" washi tape, watercolors, black and white washi tape, date stamp, Target sticky notes

I came home the other day and saw that mom used the printable in a totally different way.  She cut out little mountains from the map and cut out the verse.  She put a dashed line around the page like a treasure map.  I loved her page more than I loved mine!

Materials: Tim Holtz stickers, Illustrated Faith printable, water color markers, date stamp

What are you creating?  How are you diving into God's Word?  Who are you creating with?

Con mucho amor.

Let's cross together

What I've been teaching/learning:  A few Wednesdays ago at youth group we had an epic water balloon game day.  Each week I try and connect the Bible story to the activity.  Here's been our summer so far.

Water gun games - Jesus calling the first disciples while they were fishing on a lake (Matthew 4:18-22)

Campfire - Moses and the burning bush (Exodus 3:1-12)

Volleyball - David and Goliath (1 Samuel 17)

Water balloons - Israelites crossing the Jordan river (Joshua 3:7-17)

We studied this passage of the Bible right before I left the DR to come back to Oregon.  The pastor reiterated how the priests with the Ark of the Covenant went first.  They stood in the middle of the river while the Israelites crossed the Jordan, and then they brought up the rear at the end.  I connected this to the lives of the middle schoolers.  Many of them are starting middle school or high school.  I explained how God was going before them, preparing their schedules, classes, and friends.

We talked about how God can do the impossible.  He made an overflowing river turn into dry ground.  That's pretty incredible.  But do we live with that confidence?  That God can and is still doing things like that today?

One of the guys mentioned how they had to rely on each other to get across the Jordan River.  The Israelites had to trust the priests to go first.  They worked together as a team to cross.  I loved that image.  It made me think and ponder about my team.  I thought about my coworkers, my family, and my friends.  I thought about the youth group and how we are our own little family, working together to learn and grow in our faith.

Let's expect God to do the impossible things.  Let's watch Him turn a river into dry ground.  Let's lean on others to help us get across.  Let's see what crazy things He has up His sleeve next.

Con mucho amor.

Mi ancla // My anchor

What I'm painting:  The other day a friend sent me this wonderful song, "Mi Ancla."  I have been wanting to use my anchor washi tape in my Bible journal for a verse in Hebrews.

"Your hope is an anchor for my soul."  Hebrews 6:19

I decided to combine the song lyrics with the page, too.  What an awesome promise we have.

Puedo oir Tu dulce voz llamandome // I can hear Your sweet voice calling me
Al desierto Tu me guias yo ire // To the desert, You guide me, I will go
Y no se lo que me espera pero voy // I don't know what awaits me, but I will go
En este viaje Senor // In this trip with You, Lord

Si pierdo el control... // If I lose control...
Se mi centro. // I know my center.
Si en la tormenta estoy... // If I am in the storm...
Se mi refugio.  // I know my refuge.
Si mi fe se va... // If my faith goes...
Se mi esperanza. // I know my hope.
Y cuando rujo el mar...
Se Tu mi ancla. // I know, You, my anchor.

Con mucho amor.

His plan > my plan

What I've been learning/teaching:  This summer in Kid's Church we have been going through a fun series called Clive and Ian's Wonderblimp of Knowledge.  It's been my prayer that God would use this summer to plant seeds in the hearts of the children.  Each week I copy what's needed, practice reading the Bible story, and prepare.  This Sunday was no exception.

This summer we have mostly had boys in Kid's Church, but last Sunday there were only three girls!  There is always so much energy and excitement that I don't pray with the kids.  This is something I have felt convicted about all summer, but I was not sure how or when to incorporate prayer.  After reading the story about Jesus healing the lepers (Luke 17:11-19), I asked the girls if I could pray for them.  Then one of them threw the question back at me...

"Could we all pray for each other?"

We went around in a circle, praying for lepers, praying for the Olympics, and praying for miracles.  After prayer time was over, one of the girls stayed quiet.  She explained that she had something she wanted to pray for, but it was sad.  She mentioned the name of a founding member of our church who passed away this week.  She wanted to pray for her husband who was probably very sad.  We ended up having a second time of prayer for healing hearts and battling cancer.  

By the time I looked at the clock, it was almost time for church to be over.  We had spent practically the whole morning praying for people.  I went into the classroom with the plan for the day, detailed and scripted beside me.  Instead, God had a different plan.

"In their hearts humans plan their course, but the Lord determines their steps."  Proverbs 16:9

Another story from last Sunday comes from right after church.  Two boys who are normally with me at Kid's Church decided to stay for the message with the rest of the congregation.  They approached me and asked what we learned about and they wanted to know the memory verse.  It really touched my heart that they took the time to come ask about what we did in Kid's Church.  

I also found some fun Olympic coloring sheets from the same company who created Clive and Ian.  I printed off the coloring pages for the kids to take home if they wanted.  I had not talked to the pastor about the coloring sheet, but during the children's message he quoted Hebrews 12:1.

The exact same verse on the coloring sheet.

God was tapping me on the shoulder again, reminding me about something important.  I think this verse will be my next Bible journaling page...

Con mucho amor.

I am strong in Him

What I've been creating:  I purchased my very first Illustrated Faith devotional kit the other week: I am Strong.  A life theme for 2016 is that I am so very weak and unqualified.  God fills me with His strength, though, and that is the main message of the devotional.  I kept checking the front porch for this box.  I felt like a little child on Christmas.

Each devotional kit comes with a stamp set, devotional book, washi tape, fun cut outs, paper clip, and sticker.  With VBS this weekend, I am soaking up the messages from Wilna Furstenberg and Jesus.

Here's the first page I completed in the devotional.  I used these watercolor markers from Amazon, as well as the stamps that came in the kit.  I had never heard of the word KAWA before.  Digging in deep to the meaning in Hebrew.

This second page is all about making progress in the midst of adversity.  My favorite part of this page is my little word map with the words "bravery" and "army."  I am such a visual learner, so mapping out my ideas helps me a lot.  

The third page I completed in the devotional was all about looking inward.  God is with us always, inside our hearts.  I used the devotional as inspiration to decorate Psalm 121-125 in my actual Bible.  I love creating in my Bible, but it is really nice to have the devotional to give me new ideas and inspiration.  I am glad I still have 11 entries left in this devotional.

Let us lean into God this week.  He is inside our hearts.  He will give us strength.

Con mucho amor.

Currently

Drinking:  Lavender lemonade.  The temperature is slowly rising in Oregon.  I've been looking for yummy drinks to cool me off.  My mom and I both enjoy lavender, so we thought we would make our own lemonade.  Plus, it helps get rid of stress which is a huge bonus.

We took 1 cup boiling water and mixed it with 1 teaspoon lavender.  Let it seep for 20 minutes.  Strain into two cups and fill the rest of the way with regular lemonade.

Listening to:  King of My Heart, Peter Pan, H.O.L.Y, Gracia Todopoderosa

Praying:  For Fun in the Park, VBS, and youth group.  This weekend there is an outreach event in the community where we will be sharing about our church.  I'm praying that God opens up doors for new people to come learn about Him.  Next weekend we have... VBS!  We are in full throttle planning mode.  We turned the church into a cave yesterday.  I'm praying that the event would bring new people to the foot of the cross and glory to Him.  Tonight we have youth group.  I am praying that God would be planting seeds in the heart of the middle and high schoolers.

Eating:  Downtown Portland has the most wonderful place called Waffle Window.  They have amazing waffle concoctions, and they just opened a cart 20 minutes from my house!  Yay for not having to find parking downtown to eat a yummy waffle.

Creating: These simple picture frames.  15 boxes of old books sit in our entryway as I type this post.  We cleaned out the attic space at my grandma's old house.  We can't quite bare to get rid of them yet, so we decided to put them to use in a cute craft/gift.  I made two, one for me and one to send to a friend for her birthday.

I found a book full of old maps, and since I love traveling I used pieces from those pages to collage my picture frame.  I stuck a picture of me and my world traveling bestie when she came to visit me in the DR last year.

What are you eating, listening to and praying about this summer?

Con mucho amor.

Okay, God

What I've been learning/teaching about:  I've been working at the church for a month and half now.  Some days are quiet where I sit and answer e-mails, send out newsletters, and meet with coworkers.  Other days are crazy where I don't even have time to eat lunch.  I run around like a madwoman gathering food and games for youth group, retype a script for VBS, work on website content, create brochures and postcards, all in 5 hours.  As vacation Bible school gets closer, there are more and more crazy days.  

Last week at youth group we were going to play volleyball with a giant inflatable ball.  I kept trying to think about what Bible story to share and discuss with the middle schoolers.  The big volleyball kept making me this about the story of David and Goliath.  If I was about to face a giant, I would want a huge cannon or weapon like the volleyball to defeat it.  Instead, David chose five little stones.

As I was thinking about the story God placed on my heart, I kept fighting with God.  "They already know the story."  "The story is too long to share."  "What are the middle schoolers even going to say after hearing a story from Sunday school year after year?"  But God persistently kept encouraging me to read it.  So I said, "Okay, God."

I was thinking about battles in life.  I prepared a few questions to ask the youth after I finished reading it.  One of the questions was, what battles do you have in your life?  I brainstormed a list of battles I had when I was in middle school that I wanted to share with them.

When I was in middle school, I hated riding the bus.  I constantly worried the bus would get to the school early and I would have to wait by myself.  This was before the era of cellphones at 5 years old, so I had no way to know if my friends would be there.  It was a legitimate fear and battle I faced every day in middle school.

As I was sharing this with them, I realized that being alone is a battle I still face today.  The other weekend I went to a wedding alone.  I was so nervous and anxious because I did not know any other friends my age going to the wedding.  I stood outside in the shade by myself texting my mom freaking out for twenty minutes.

After sharing, I put the question back on the middle schoolers: what battles do you face?  They opened up...they shared about their own personal lives... I couldn't believe it!  Leading a youth group that is mostly boys typically has led to surface level conversations full of jokes.  I was so excited because they have begun to go deeper.

Join me in praying for these middle schoolers.  That God would remind them the battle is always His.  What battle do you need to hand to the Lord today?

Con mucho amor.