ReThink-Worship

So I promised another post today, and now I am making good on my promise. I know I talked about our prayer series, and while I really want to write about that, I am going to write about our series we started today. Then post on the prayer series this week.

Today we started ReThink Christmas. Mark said each week we are going to take one word from the "Christmas" narrative and focus in on it. Today we talked about worship.

The idea for ReThinking worship came from Luke 2:28 "Simeon took him in his arms and praised God..." Praise defined means-bless, celebrate, worship

This old man, Simeon was promised by God that before he died he would meet the Saviour, the Messiah, the living God. When Mary and Joseph travelled to Jerusalem for the census, Simeon was there, and was able to meet Jesus.

*Worship is anything that we do, that pleases God*

3 Ways we can Worship this Christmas...
1. We worship because we feel like it-hit the pause button, look around, and give thanks, worship/thank God for your spouse, kids, friends, all of the blessings you normally take for granted.

2. We worship when we don't feel like it-We don't feel like worshiping when we just lost our job, a loved one, when we are going through a divorce, but worship is a choice, say it again...Worship is a choice, Psalm 71:23-we are told to choose worship. When you choose to worship God, even in all of the bad times, He will show up in ways you least expected.

3. We see that worship is a lifestyle- Isaiah 29:13, Mark talked about not separating your Sunday life from the rest of your life. Make sure what you do on Sunday carries over to Monday thru Saturday, too.

Everything we do, we need to be worshipful

"So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him. Don't become so well-adjusted to your culture that you fit into it without even thinking. Instead, fix your attention on God. You'll be changed from the inside out. Readily recognize what he wants from you, and quickly respond to it. Unlike the culture around you, always dragging you down to its level of immaturity, God brings the best out of you, develops well-formed maturity in you." Romans 12:1,2

ReThinking Christmas

Sorry I have been behind on posting! If you follow my other blog, then you would know we have been crazy busy! But I promise I will post tonight. I have some awesome notes from the last 2 weeks at church. But today we are starting a new series called ReThinking Christmas. I really have no clue what to expect, other than I am sure it will be good. Here is a promo video we have been showing for the past 2 weeks.

Click here to see it

Today to kick the Christmas season off, we are doing a baptism service. As of right now, we have 20 people getting baptized today. Hopefully there will be more when the time comes!

Keep praying friends...God is not done here in Milwaukee!

Prayer...Week 1

Today at The Ridge we started a new series entitled oh so creatively...Prayer. Despite the name, I think it's going to be great. Who doesn't need help with this topic?

We had a little different worship style at church this morning. It was all acoustic, except we did have drums. But we had 2 acoustic guitars, a viola, an upright bass, and the drums. It was cool, and laid back. A little different than our normal hard rock approach. But I think everyone enjoyed it.

Mark started the message off by asking, "What if prayer had little to do with asking God for things?" He talked about how kids pray, they make lists of things they want, and their prayers are selfish, but adults are not much different than kids in this instance. We read Psalm 27:8, and then we defined what prayer truly is...Prayer is communicating with God.

Mark then offered some communication principles we should use in our prayer life...
1.Talk to God with gut-level honesty-this means be real with God, he already knows how you feel, so tell him! Still be reverent, submissive, obedient, and worshipful in your prayers, but be honest, be authentic with God. Don't you think he deserves it?

2. Talk to God about everything that matters to you- If it matters to you, then it matters to God, nothing is too small

3. Learn to listen for God to respond-we sometimes treat our relationship with God as a one way street, we do all the talking, and he does all the listening. What an awful relationship! Imagine being that way with your spouse, kids, friends, your relationship would stink! Mark talked about how God speaks, it could be an audible voice, it could be an impression that was made in your heart, he could speak in a gentle whisper, but some people will never hear God because they don't quiet themselves.

Lastly, Mark said, "Once you start listening to God, your life should look radically different."

Proverbs 31

Proverbs 31 from The Message

Part 1- Speak Out For Justice...
1. Verses 8/9 ""Speak up for the people who have no voice, for the rights of all the down-and-outers. Speak out for justice! Stand up for the poor and destitute!""-good advice Lemuel's Mom gave him. We should practice this today!

Part 2- Hymn To A Good Wife...
After reading this part, I am left to wonder, does this woman ever have a bad day? Good grief! This passage is something I really try to be, and some days I get it right and other days, I am a huge mess! I think that after reading this, women should want to be held to a higher standard, and we truly do make a difference in the lives of our kids and our husbands. Have you ever noticed that when you are in a good mood, your husband is in a good mood, and your kids? As women, we truly set the tone of our household, and that is a big responsibility. I am not here to guilt trip you, I am pointing the finger back at myself. I think, no, I know I need to read this passage on a daily basis to keep things in perspective, to keep on pushing toward the ultimate goal, and to remind myself that God has given me a big challenge, am I up to it?

Thanks for reading along with me in Proverbs. I learned a lot, and am glad that I was able to share this experience with you all!

Proverbs 30

Proverbs 30 from The Message

1. Verse 5/6 "The believer replied, "Every promise of God proves true; he protects everyone who runs to him for help. So don't second-guess him; he might take you to task and show up your lies.""

2. Verse 13 "Don't be stuck-up and think you're better than everyone else."

3. Out of The Message I thought the 4 Insatiables, 4 Mysteries, 4 Intolerables, 4 Small Wonders, and 4 Dignitaries were all funny, serious, and so true!

4. Verse 32/33 "If you're dumb enough to call attention to yourself by offending people and making rude gestures, Don't be surprised if someone bloodies your nose. Churned milk turns into butter; riled emotions turn into fist fights."

Can you believe we only have one more chapter?!
See you tomorrow...

Proverbs 29

Proverbs 29 from the NLT

1. Verse 1 "Whoever stubbornly refuses to accept criticism will suddenly be destroyed beyond recovery."

2. Verse 13 "The poor and the oppressor have this in common—the Lord gives sight to the eyes of both."

3. Verse 17 "Discipline your children, and they will give you peace of mind and will make your heart glad."

4. Verse 25 "Fearing people is a dangerous trap, but trusting the Lord means safety."

What are your favorites?
See you tomorrow...

Proverbs 28

Proverbs 28 from The Message

1. Verse 4 "If you desert God's law, you're free to embrace depravity; if you love God's law, you fight for it tooth and nail."

2. Verse 9 "God has no use for the prayers of the people who won't listen to him."

3. Verse 13 "You can't whitewash your sins and get by with it; you find mercy by admitting and leaving them."

4. Verse 25 "A grasping person stirs up trouble, but trust in God brings a sense of well-being."

5. Verse 26 "If you think you know it all, you're a fool for sure; real survivors learn wisdom from others."

What are your favorites?
See you tomorrow...

Proverbs 27

Proverbs 27 from The Message

1. Verse 2 "Don't call attention to yourself; let others do that for you."

2. Verse 9 "Just as lotions and fragrance give sensual delight, a sweet friendship refreshes the soul."

3. Verses 15/16 "A nagging spouse is like the drip, drip, drip of a leaky faucet; You can't turn it off, and you can't get away from it." I do NOT want to be a leaky faucet!

4. Verse 17 "You use steel to sharpen steel, and one friend sharpens another."

5. Verse 19 "Just as water mirrors your face, so your face mirrors your heart."

What are your favorites?
See you tomorrow...

Proverbs 26

Proverbs 26 from the NLT

1. Verse 4 "Don’t answer the foolish arguments of fools, or you will become as foolish as they are."

2. Verses 18/19 "Just as damaging as a madman shooting a deadly weapon is someone who lies to a friend and then says, “I was only joking.”"

3. Verse 22 "Rumors are dainty morsels that sink deep into one’s heart."

What are your favorites?
See you tomorrow...

Proverbs 25

Proverbs 25 from The Message

1. Verses 6/7 "Don't work yourself into the spotlight; don't push your way into the place of prominence. It's better to be promoted to a place of honor than face humiliation by being demoted."

2. Verses 16/17 "When you're given a box of candy, don't gulp it all down; eat too much chocolate and you'll make yourself sick; And when you find a friend, don't outwear your welcome; show up at all hours and he'll soon get fed up."

3. Verse 28 "A person without self-control is like a house with its doors and windows knocked out."

What are your favorites?
See you tomorrow...

Proverbs 24

Proverbs 24 from The Message

1. Verses 3-4 "It takes wisdom to build a house, and understanding to set it on a firm foundation;
It takes knowledge to furnish its rooms with fine furniture and beautiful draperies."

2. Verse 10 "If you fall to pieces in a crisis, there wasn't much to you in the first place." -OUCH!

3. Verses 13-14 "Eat honey, dear child—it's good for you— and delicacies that melt in your mouth. Likewise knowledge, and wisdom for your soul—Get that and your future's secured, your hope is on solid rock."

4. Verse 26 "An honest answer is like a warm hug."

One thing I have noticed is that some of the Proverbs repeat past Proverbs that we have read before. Anyone else notice that? I guess they are just that wise that they need repeated again!
What are your favorites?
See you tomorrow...

Proverbs 23

Proverbs 23 from The Message

1. Verses 1-3 "When you go out to dinner with an influential person, mind your manners: Don't gobble your food, don't talk with your mouth full. And don't stuff yourself; bridle your appetite."-In actually just find this a tad bit humorous and true! This is advice we should give our kids when they go out on their first date, ha!

2. Verse 9 "Don't bother talking sense to fools; they'll only poke fun at your words."

3. Verse 12 "Give yourselves to disciplined instruction; open your ears to tested knowledge."

4. Verse 15-16 "Dear child, if you become wise, I'll be one happy parent. My heart will dance and sing to the tuneful truth you'll speak." -I think this is all that we want from our kids!

5. Verse 22-25 "Listen with respect to the father who raised you, and when your mother grows old, don't neglect her. Buy truth—don't sell it for love or money; buy wisdom, buy education, buy insight. Parents rejoice when their children turn out well; wise children become proud parents.
So make your father happy! Make your mother proud!"

I thought this chapter, especially from The Message had a lot of useful wisdom for me right now, regarding raising Molly.
What are your favorites?
See you tomorrow...

Proverbs 22

Proverbs 22 from the New Living Translation

1. Verse 4 "True humility and fear of the Lord lead to riches, honor, and long life."

2. Verse 6 "Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it."

3. Verses 17-29 were really good, also. I didn't want to write all back out for you to re-read, but I did like what it said.

What are your favorites?
See you tomorrow...

Proverbs 21

Proverbs 21 from The Message

1. Verse 2 "We justify our actions by appearances; God examines our motives."

2. Verse 13 "If you stop your ears to the cries of the poor, your cries will go unheard, unanswered."

3. Verse 23 " Watch your words and hold your tongue; you'll save yourself a lot of grief."

4. Verse 26 "Sinners are always wanting what they don't have; the God-loyal are always giving what they do have."

5. Verse 31 "Do your best, prepare for the worst— then trust God to bring victory."

What are your favorites?
See you tomorrow...

Proverbs 20

Proverbs 20 from The Message...thought I would switch it up :)

1. Verse 5 "Knowing what is right is like deep water in the heart; a wise person draws from the well within."

2. Verse 19 "Gossips can't keep secrets, so never confide in blabbermouths."-Okay, I just thought this one was funny, true, but funny!

3. Verse 24 "The very steps we take come from God; otherwise how would we know where we're going?"

4. Verse 27 "God is in charge of human life, watching and examining us inside and out."

What are your favorites?
See you tomorrow...

Proverbs 19

Proverbs 19 from the NIV...

1. Verse 1 "Better a poor man whose walk is blameless than a fool whose lips are perverse."

2. Verse 11 "A man's wisdom gives him patience; it is to his glory to overlook an offense."

3. Verse 20 & 21"Listen to advice and accept instruction, and in the end you will be wise. Many are the plans in a man's heart, but it is the Lord's purpose that prevails."

What are your favorites?
See you tomorrow...

Proverbs 18

Proverbs 18 from the NIV...

1. Verse 2 "A fool finds no pleasure in understanding but delights in airing his own opinions."

2. Verse 10 "The name of the Lord is a strong tower; the righteous run to it and are safe."

3. Verse 13 "He who answers before listening-this is his folly and his shame."

4. Verse 15 "The heart of the discerning acquires knowledge; the ears of the wise seek it out."

5. Verse 21 "The tongue has the power of life and death, and those who love it will eat its fruit."

What are your favorites?
See you tomorrow...

Proverbs 17

Proverbs 17, from the NIV

1. Verse 10 "A rebuke impresses a man of discernment more than a hundred lashes a fool."

2. Verse 17 "A friend loves at all times, and a brother is born for adversity."

3. Verse 22 "A cheerful heart is good medicine, but a crushed spirit dries up the bones."

What are your favorites?
See you tomorrow...

Proverbs 16

Proverbs 16 from The Message...

1. Verse 6 "Guilt is banished through love and truth; Fear-of-God deflects evil."

2. Verse 9 "We plan the way we want to live, but only God makes us able to live it."

3. Verse 16 "Get wisdom—it's worth more than money; choose insight over income every time."

4. Verse 20 "It pays to take life seriously; things work out when you trust in God."

5. Verse 31 "Gray hair is a mark of distinction, the award for a God-loyal life."

What are your favorites?
See you tomorrow...

Proverbs 15

Here are some of my favorites...

1. Verse 3 "God doesn't miss a thing—he's alert to good and evil alike."

2. Verse 13 "A cheerful heart brings a smile to your face; a sad heart makes it hard to get through the day."

3. Verse 16 "A simple life in the Fear-of-God is better than a rich life with a ton of headaches."

4. Verse 33 "Fear-of-God is a school in skilled living—first you learn humility, then you experience glory."

This was probably one of my favorite chapters so far.
What are your favorites?
See you tomorrow...

Proverbs 14

Proverbs 14 from The Message...

1. Verse 2 "An honest life shows respect for God; a degenerate life is a slap in the face."

2. Verse 8-9 "The wisdom of the wise keeps life on track; the foolishness of fools lands them in the ditch. The stupid ridicule right and wrong, but a moral life is a favored life."

3. Verse 14 "A mean person gets paid back in meanness, a gracious person in grace."

4. Verse 21 "It's criminal to ignore a neighbor in need, but compassion for the poor-what a blessing."

5. Verse 26 "The fear-of-God builds up confidence, and makes a world safer for your children."

What are your favorites?
See you tomorrow...

Proverbs 13

I am reading Proverbs 10-30 all from The Message, and here is what I took from Chapter 13...

1. Verse 3 "Careful words make for a careful life; careless talk may ruin everything."

2. Verse 7 "A pretentious, showy life is an empty life; a plain and simple life is a full life."

3. Verse 13 "Ignore the word and suffer; honor God's commands and grow rich."

4. Verse 20 "Become wise by walking with the wise; hang out with fools and watch your life fall to pieces."

5. Verse 24 "A refusal to correct is a refusal to love; love your children by disciplining them."

I still have a hard time just picking a few that really stand out to me. I love the way Solomon wrote this, it's like little bits of random advice thrown from here and there, but all so applicable, even thousands of years later!

What are your favorites?
See you tomorrow...

Proverbs 12

Here some of my favorites from Chapter 12

1. Verse 3 "You can't find firm footing in a swamp, but life rooted in God stands firm."

2. Verse 8 "A person who talks sense in honored; airheads are held in contempt."

3. Verse 14/15 "Well-spoken words bring satisfaction; well-done work has its own reward. Fools are headstrong and do what they like; wise people take advice."

4. Verse 22 "God can't stomach liars; he loves the company of those who keep their word."

Although chapters 10-30 are "random" bits of wisdom, they all still follow the same theme that was laid out for us in the first nine chapters. Wisdom is the best way of life, follow God, ask for his wisdom. Remember, you aren't just that lucky to get it if you don't ask for it.

What stuck out to me the most today were 2 things: 1. Wise people take advice-wow! How many times have we asked for advice, only to do what we want to do anyways, and 2. Life rooted in God stands firm. How true is that?! My life always goes better when I ask God to help guide me, or to show me glimpses of him in others. I love Proverbs!

What do you think?
See you tomorrow...

Proverbs 11

Here are some of my favorite Proverbs from chapter 11...

1. Verse 2 "The stuck-up fall flat on their faces, but down-to-earth people stand firm."

2. Verse 5 "Moral character makes for smooth traveling; an evil life is a hard life."

3. Verse 12 "Mean-spirited slander is heartless; quiet discretion accompanies good sense."

4. Verse 14 "Without good direction, people lose their way; the more wise counsel you follow, the better your chances."

5. Verse 21 "Count on this: The wicked won't get off scot-free, and God's loyal people will
triumph."

6. Verse 25 "The one who blesses others is abundantly blessed; those who help others are helped."

I had a hard time just picking a few of my favorites. All of these came out of The Message.

What are your favorites?
See you tomorrow...

Proverbs 10

Chapters 10-30 in Proverbs are the little pieces of wisdom that Solomon wrote. I think for the next 20 chapters I will pick my favorite Proverbs, and then you can comment on what your favorite ones are too.

Chapter 10
1. Verse 9..."The man of integrity walks securely, but he who takes crooked paths will be found out." Someone should have told this to all the invest and mortgage bankers!

2. Verse 11..."The mouth of the righteous is a fountain of life, but violence overwhelms the mouth of the wicked." I need to be reminded of this daily!

3. Verse 19..."When words are many, sin is not absent, but he holds his tongue is wise." I need this plastered on my husband's forehead when I want to say something that is viewed as disrespectful. So when I see it up there, I will keep my mouth closed!

4. Verse 29..."The way of the Lord is a refuge for the righteous, but it is the ruin of those who do evil." The Lord is my refuge and strength, forever and ever!

Proverbs 9

Today I read the chapter from The Message. It broke it up into 2 different parts...Part 1-Lady Wisdom Gives a Dinner Party, and Part 2-Madame Whore Calls Out, Too. Picture yourself living in a house in between the 2 of these ladies. They both invite you to a dinner party. Here is your evening with them...

Part 1- I imagine her living in a nice house, one that seems comfortable the moment you walk in, and you feel right at home, even though you aren't. Her table was probably set with cute, Martha Stewart like place settings and napkin rings. Her food tasted like the best food in the world, and dessert was to die for. Your dinner conversation was probably thought provoking at one moment, and crying because you were laughing so hard the next. This is what she tells you as you are leaving her party...

"Skilled living gets its start in the Fear-of-God,

insight into life from knowing a Holy God.
It's through me, Lady Wisdom, that your life deepens,
and the years of your life ripen.
Live wisely and wisdom will permeate your life;
mock life and life will mock you."

Part 2- The next night you get an invitation from the other neighbor, Lady Folly also known as the whore (The Message's words, not mine). Her house is probably filthy, you don't even want to take your shoes off. She tells you to take a seat on her couch, but you are not sure you would let your dog sit there. She goes off into the kitchen to get the appetizers, which probably consist of stale crackers, cheese whiz, and spam. Very classy. You want to leave so many times during the course of the evening, you feel uncomfortable, and hate talking to her. Yet she still engages you in her thoughts. When you leave she yells out to you...

"Are you confused about life, don't know what's going on?
Steal off with me, I'll show you a good time!
No one will ever know—I'll give you the time of your life."
But they don't know about all the skeletons in her closet,
that all her guests end up in hell."

Which dinner party do you want to go to?
See you tomorrow...

Proverbs 8

Sorry this is so late today! Between going to the apple orchard and having some new friends over for dinner, the day got away from me. So here we go...

1. I love what the footnote in the NIV says about verse 9 "The wiser a person is, the more he appreciates words of wisdom." When you were younger you hated listening to your parents or people older then you, who tried to give you advice. You thought you knew more than them, or that they had no clue what they were talking about. The older you get, the more you long for wisdom, you long for people to maybe not give you advice, rather share their ideas and thoughts with you.

2. Verse 17..."I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me" Do you put as much into your relationship with God as he puts into you? Think about it...

3. Verse 35/36..."For whoever finds me (wisdom) finds life and receives favor from the Lord. But whoever fails to find me harms himself; all who hate me love death" Why would you want to bring harm upon yourself?

What do you think?
See you tomorrow, hopefully at the normal time :)

Proverbs 7

After reading today, here is what stood out to me...

1. The author is still urging us to follow wisdom, to allow wisdom to guide us through life. In The Message it says "treat insight as a companion." Wisdom should be your best friend!

2. After reading about the lonely man, and the adulteress, I thought about how one might start an affair. I have never had one, so I could be way wrong here, but go with me...I am sure at the beginning everything seems innocent, you think, "oh just this one time," then it turns it something that happens more frequently, and then once you know it you are caught up in this huge mess, and you are entangled in all these lies. By not allowing wisdom to live in your heart you are making a mess for yourself too. You think oh this one time I am going to fix this problem, I will let God help me later, oh just this once I will go with this person even though they might not be the best influence for you, but you will only go once. Next thing you know you are making bad decision after bad decision. Not to say we all are never going to make mistakes, but it's a lot harder to make a mistake when you have wisdom on your side.

3. You know that song..."Highway to Hell"...well that's what you will be on if you allow the adulteress to live in your heart, keep singing that tune, and that's where you will end up.
"So, friends, listen to me, take these words of mine most seriously. Don't fool around with a woman like that; don't even stroll through her neighborhood. Countless victims come under her spell; she's the death of many a poor man. She runs a halfway house to hell, fits you out with a shroud and a coffin."

Keep storing up wisdom!
What do you think?
See you tomorrow...

Proverbs 6

Today I read chapter 6 from my NIV Bible, and I got it, but some things were still a little fuzzy, so I pulled out The Message and re-read it, and I understood it a lot more. So don't be afraid to experiment with different versions and what not. Go here to check out different versions.
Onto chapter 6...
*I am going to be quoting from The Message*
1. This first thing that stood out to me was the author talking about making a promise to someone that you know you can not keep. No matter what the reason is, you need to go tell them you can not keep it. This also goes along with saying no. I know, especially for women, saying no is hard. Whether it be society, our Grandma's, or our husbands, you are made to feel guilty if you can not be everything to all people. Know you boundaries, set limits, know what you can and can not do. It is hard to say no, but it's better to say it up front and go back later and say yes, then to say yes and get all stressed about having to do something.

2. I love the lesson from the ant. Sometimes I struggle with laziness and boredom. You go through different seasons of life where everything is busy, busy, busy, and then other times you are dying to get out of the house an do something. Stay busy, but don't be so busy that you forget to stop and enjoy yourself!

3. Seven things that God hates...
*eyes that are arrogant, a tongue that lies, hands that murder the innocent, a heart that hatches evil plots, feet that race down a wicked track, a mouth that lies under oath, a troublemaker in the family*
Now I think we can all agree that we know someone, or some people that fit into these categories. I am sure at one point or another we fall into one of these categories too. Knowing that God hates these, I am going to be trying my hardest not to do any of these!

4. I love this "For sound advice is a beacon, good teaching is a light, moral discipline is a life path." I am just going to let the Bible speak for itself.

What do you think?
See you tomorrow...

Proverbs 5

After reading the 5th chapter, this what I took away...

I am a little lost for words after reading today's chapter. When I think of adultery, I am not tempted. I have never once been tempted to cheat on Eric. I saw what an emotional affair did to my parent's marriage, and I am not doing that to my family. When Eric and I said I do, we meant it. I know a lot of you feel the same way. So I agree with what the author is writing here, and I think it is important to be aware of what adultery can do to you and your marriage.

Then I was thinking, and I am not trying to take the Bible out of context, but do you think adultery could also mean anything else that takes attention away from your spouse? Like could I be cheating on my husband with the computer (blogging, Facebook), with shopping, with talking on the phone, etc. I know all of those things are true at one point or another in my life, and I am working on setting up boundaries. But do you think today's Proverb could mean that?

This is where you all come in. Although I have a degree in Bible, I am not a Bible expert or scholar. I would love to hear what you think it means. Is it just straight up old fashioned cheating with another person, or could committing adultery mean something else too?

No matter what, keep storing up wisdom, don't let it go in one ear and out the other. Don't be "led astray by your own great folly."

See you tomorrow...

Proverbs 4

After reading the 4th chapter, here is what I took away...

1. I could feel the father's urging to his son, could you? As I was reading through this I was picturing a father pleading, begging his son to do whatever he had to, to obtain wisdom. The Message says; "Throw your arms around her—believe me, you won't regret it; never let her go—she'll make your life glorious." When you think about it, your life won't be worse because you have wisdom. Why not go and get it?

2. In verse 7 the author talks about wisdom costing you all you have...I know some of you have friends and family that think you are crazy for being a follower of Jesus. Eric and I lost a lot of friends when we went to Bible college. People did not understand why we wanted to go study the Bible, why we didn't want to have the "normal" college experience, you know getting drunk, not remembering what happened the night before. I know not everyone that goes to college does this, but you see where I am going. Here is my encouragement if you are facing adversity from people in your life...keep going, keep running after wisdom, because it might cost you everything that you have, but you won't regret it.

3. Verse 13 and 23 both talk about your heart and your life. Both of these verses are telling us to guard ourselves against foolishness, because once that creeps into your life you can kiss wisdom bye-bye. When you struggle with something, the root of that problem is a heart issue. You need to get your heart right and in line with God. Then once you are right with God, keep watch over your heart so nothing can damage it.

4. Verse 25- "Let your eyes look straight ahead, fix your gaze directly before you." This is something I struggle with. When I am going through a difficult time in my life, it is hard to not look around and see everything that is going wrong, or crumbling down beside me. But the author is telling us to keep our eyes straight ahead, keep going, walk confidently in the Lord, and know he has a plan.

What do you think?
See you tomorrow...

Proverbs 3

**For some reason I could only do this in italics, I couldn't get it just normal print, sorry!**

Today I broke the chapter up into 3 parts...
Part 1- Verses 1-10
1. Verse 3- "Let love and faithfulness never leave you" The Message uses the word loyalty instead of faithfulness. The NLT says "Never let loyalty and kindness leave you!" Whatever phrase or translation you use, never let those words leave you. I am not sure I ever want to know what life would be like if I did not have faith in God.

2. Verses 5-6- I know we all know them, and probably repeat them to ourselves on a daily basis.

"Trust in the Lord with all your heart;
do not depend on your own understanding.
Seek his will in all you do,
and he will show you which path to take."

Since I tell myself this everyday, why do I still not trust 100% of the time? Is it that I have let faithfulness leave me? Have I let evil creep into my life, why do I doubt God and his plan for my life? There are plenty of things that I do not understand in this world, and I think all I can do is trust God because if I had to come up with an answer to "why do bad things happen to good people?" I seriously would be a wreck, and on lots of medication. I don't know why bad things happen, but I do know God loves each and everyone of us, and he also has a plan for each of us..."For I know the plans I have you declares the Lord, plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you a hope and a future." Jer. 29:11

Part 2- Verses 11-20

1. Verse 11- Right off the bat I do not like the idea of discipline. I was one of those kids that hated being punished. I can't say I never broke the rules, but when I did, I hated being punished. To think of God as a God who punishes seems odd, but it is true. He is a just God, he is the ultimate authority and ruler. But without rules and discipline we all would be even bigger messes! In Hebrews both of these verses are quoted as an encouragement to Christians to hold strong during hard times, to never let faith leave you.

2. I love the way the author describes Lady Wisdom in Verses 14-18, she sounds like an exotic, beautiful woman.

Part 3-Verses 21-35
1. Verse 21 "My son, preserve sound judgment and discernment, do not let them out of your sight" Have you ever trusted someone that you knew deep down they probably weren't all that trustworthy? That has happened to me, a lot. Especially being in the ministry. I am very, very trusting of people, and I guess I am naive, because I expect the same thing in return. There are many times I tell someone something thinking it is in confidence, only to find out they told their whole Bible study group, and it got back to my husband. Then I am in big trouble! Do you have times like that? That you know you shouldn't, but you do it anyways. Maybe we should all listen to the Holy Spirit that is urging us to turn around, run away.

2. Verse 30- "Do not accuse a man for no reason-when he has done you no harm." For me this verse means do not believe everything you hear about someone. If you have not experienced a relationship with someone, do not judge them or their actions. You do not know the whole story. When Eric and I moved to Cincinnati after college, there was a lady at our church that took us out to dinner one night. She totally unloaded the church gossip on us and told us who we should be friends with and who we should steer clear of. Eric and I first were so embarrassed that she told us all of this, and second we learned way too much about people we had never even met before. Some of her advice was true, but we learned that the hard way. We wanted to give everyone a chance there before we made judgments about people. Some people were great and other people that lady liked, we didn't really click with them. So here's the word to the wise-make your own relationships, form your own opinions about people, but keeping in mind that we are God's children, and he loves us all.

I have really enjoyed the first 3 chapters of Proverbs so far, have you? Remember to store up the wisdom God has given you in your hearts, and never stray from it!

What do you think?
See you tomorrow...

Proverbs 2

After reading Chapter 2, here is what stood out to me...

1. Right away in Verse 1 the author tells us to store everything up, all the wisdom we prayed for-store it up in your heart.

2. Verses 5-8 taken from The New Living Translation-

"Then you will understand what it means to fear the Lord,
and you will gain knowledge of God.
For the Lord grants wisdom!
From his mouth come knowledge and understanding.
He grants a treasure of common sense to the honest.
He is a shield to those who walk with integrity.
He guards the paths of the just
and protects those who are faithful to him."

I love how it says that God will be our shield, but only if we walk with integrity. Have you ever had to tell someone something that you knew would hurt them, but it was for the best? That's integrity. When you speak truth into other people's lives when you have nothing to gain from it. It is so hard, but it's comforting to know God is with you.

3. Verses 9-11- I love what the footnotes say in the NIV about these verses..."Those who know the Lord and the wisdom he gives will know what course of action to follow." You know that little feeling, that urging feeling sometimes, or that cautious feeling you get. You may ignore it, or you may tune into it. I believe that is God, the Holy Spirit giving you wisdom in certain situations, and when you are in tune to God's wisdom, and listen to his words, you are better off for it. Remember, he protects the faithful.

4. Overall I think chapter 2 was just another encouragement to seek out God's wisdom. Don't think he will just give you wisdom, you are not that lucky, you need to seek it out, run after it, fight for it, do whatever it takes to just get a glimpse of his wonderful knowledge and wisdom.

What do you think?
See you tomorrow!

Proverbs 1

Today I am starting to read through the book of Proverbs, one chapter at a time. Thanks for joining me if you are!

Here is a little background about the book...
-It is a book about wisdom
-It was mainly written by Solomon, but there are other authors who contributed to the book, they were known as a circle of wise men
-Proverbs are short, little sayings that have BIG meanings behind them
-The book was written to help guide the young, to help them be wise
*For more about the background behind the book you can go here and check it out, or read the introduction in your Bible, that's what I did.

Proverbs-Chapter One

After reading through the first chapter here is what stood out to me...

1. Verse 7..."The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and discipline." Once you truly give your life to God, you begin to fear his laws, his commands, you live differently. Fear here is not supposed to be like horror movie scary, rather fear out of respect, out of awe for him. So once you fully respect God, you begin to live out his wisdom. Now don't think just because you fear God, or you call yourself a Christian, you can not still be a fool. We all have foolish moments. We all disobey, break the rules, and need disciplined. But the wonderful thing about God is that once you ask for forgiveness, he gives it to you, and you can start all over again.

2. Verses 8,9- What are some instructions your parents gave you growing up, that you did not listen to, but wished you would have? My parents did not really give me advice unless I asked for it, so they were not hovering over me or my every move. But there were some things with friendships that I wish I would have listened to my mom about. Instead, I tried to solve problems my way, and ended up getting hurt worse, or ending the relationship.

3. Verse 9- I loved what my NIV Study Bible said in the footnote about this verse..."Those who follow wisdom add beauty and honor to their lives." Think about the people you most admire, whether you know them, or they are someone you have never met before, but you still admire them. Aren't they beautiful? Wouldn't you describe them as beautiful, respectful, you want to be just like them. I am obviously not talking about super model beauty here, but true, real beauty that glows on the outside because their heart on the inside is burning so bright with a love for God. It's like it is overflowing them, and they are beautiful. Would people describe you as beautiful in this context?

4. Verses 10-19- When has evil enticed you? When did you turn your back on wisdom? When was the last time you allowed evil to reign and not God? Was it when you gossiped, thought something bad, watched something you shouldn't of, talked disrespectful to your husband, didn't spend as much time with your kids because of selfish reasons? We all have been there, the important thing is to recognize that evil has taken over your tongue, mind, and heart. Replace evil with wisdom.

5. Verses 20-33- This section talks about when you have turned your back against wisdom, then find yourself in trouble, and you start calling out for help. Lady Wisdom here seems a little mean saying that she "will laugh at your disaster", she will "mock your calamity", and the "waywardness of the simple will kill them." Pretty tough words! *This is my personal opinion *-I think the fools she is talking about are the people who do not believe in God, the ones who live for themselves. I think these fools will find themselves in trouble more than once and wonder why. Do you know a fool? What are some characteristics of these fools? How would their life be different right now if they chose wisdom instead of foolishness?

6. Verse 31- In Galatians 6 verse 7, Paul talks about reaping what you sow. Think about wisdom as a fruit, think about God as the water you would use to feed it, and think about your life, your heart as the soil and the planting grounds for this fruit. Are you watering your fruit everyday?
Basically...does wisdom live in your heart? Do you fear God and his wisdom? If not, what's holding you back? If you do, are you watering your heart everyday with God's word, with his wisdom? If not, just remember "the complacency of fools will destroy them."

What are your thoughts?

I think God is going to do some great things through you all, and the wisdom he is bestowing on you. See you all tomorrow!

RelationSlips Week 1

Today we started a new series called RelationSlips. Yes, it is supposed to be spelled like that, because we are talking about...why do relationships slip? What happens that causes them to spiral south?

So today we kicked off the series and we watched some very awesome, laugh out loud video clips. First we watched the seen from Hitch where Will Smith and Paul Blart-Mall Cop (can't think of his real name, and I keep thinking Doug from King of Queens) were dancing. Then we watched a clip from that new show on ABC called Modern Family. Which sidenote-is so stinkin' hilarious, you should watch it. So those were really funny, and a great way to start service off with.

Then we dove right into the scriptures and talked about Proverbs 14:12.

"There is a way that seems right to a man,
but in the end it leads to death."

I love how The Message puts it...

"There's a way of life that looks harmless enough;
look again—it leads straight to hell.
Sure, those people appear to be having a good time,
but all that laughter will end in heartbreak."
Proverbs 14:12-13

We talked about the 4 stages that relationships all go through...
1. Infatuation
2. Disenchantment
3. Work
4. Success

Mark showed a graph where the line started off going up, then it dipped, and he talked about how every relationship has a dip in it. This is when things are not going well, the going is getting tough, and you might want to quit. But then once you put some work into it, you will find the line going back up again.

Something that Mark said really stuck out to me..."Good intentions do not always lead to good direction." This goes along with the verse from Proverbs. If you do not seek out God's wisdom and direction for your relationships or really your life for that matter, it will not matter how "good" your intentions may be, you will still spiral south.

I thought it was a great introductory week to RelationSlips and I am really excited for the rest of the series.

God is up to something BIG at The Ridge...stay tuned to find out what it is!

Catatlyst Week 1

This week we started a new 2 week series called Catalyst. Today Mark talked a lot about the mission of The Ridge, why it was started, who we are trying to reach, what is happening now and in the future. We were asked to pray about something and I would love to share that with you. We are getting to a point at The Ridge where we need to expand. We love meeting in the theater, but you really only have so much room, etc, etc. So we are considering three options...

1. Rent a different facility
2. Buy something permanent
3. Become a multi-site church

The first option is fine, we have been looking, and when I say we, I mean Mark, Eric, leadership, staff, etc. Not me personally, but you know what I mean. Nothing has become available, or is big enough, nothing really meets our needs.

Buying something is fine, however, we do not have the money up front to do this, and we do not want to strap the church financially during a time of growth, etc. So if something comes available, and everything is in order and we feel like this will honor God, then we will go with it. As of now, nothing like this has happened.

Option 3, might be our reality. I know people hate the idea of splitting, and all that jazz, but if the numbers hold up, we could totally do this. We are trying to figure out where the second site would be, and a lot of that has to do with where a lot of people are traveling from to come to The Ridge on Sundays.

There are no definite plans as of now, but in the next couple of months we will be looking to make a decision and try and figure out our next move. As in all things we are seeking God's wisdom to lead us and to help us guide The Ridge.

So would you please start praying for The Ridge, our decision that will hopefully change everything for the good, and for our leadership.

After the Catalyst series, and we starting a new series called Relationslips, and no I did not spell that incorrectly. We are talking about why relationships slip, fall apart, and are so hard to keep together. I am excited about this series, because I think we all need help in this department!

I know God has some awesome things planned for The Ridge and its people. I am excited to see where God leads us!

I'm Back!

So I am back after taking a summer hiatus. Sometimes I have no clue what to put or write on this blog since I have this blog too. I don't want to repeat stories or ideas, so I get stumped easily. But I am back and I promise I will keep this one up too. Sometimes I might just have you click over to my blog and read what I wrote there, or I might have my readers click over her and see what I put on this blog. Who knows!

Here is a little update...
*Our Neighborhood Groups kick off next week-please pray for our leaders and we are adding new groups
*The Student Ministry kicks off this week-please pray for our leaders and the students
*Please pray for Mark and Eric-they are tag team preaching and bringing some serious stuff to The Ridge
*The Ridge is starting a 3 week series called "RelationSlips" and we are supposed to be praying for 3 people to bring with us

Church is going great, I am not going to lie! I feel God present there every week, and I feel so humbled to be a part of it. God could have sent us any where, but he chose The Ridge, and I thank him everyday for it!

I am one book away from completing all of my schooling! I am officially finished with my Master's degree, so now I am finishing up my licensing course. I have one more book to read, do a report and then I should hopefully be finished!

Molly is doing fabulous! She turned 2 on August 8, and man, time flies! She is so cute, and lovable. Right now some of her favorite things are the Backyardigans, music, playing instruments, dancing, reading books, and eating waffles, or as she calls them-awfuls.

Eric still loves his job, and he's pretty good at it! In August he did a 3 week sermon series called "Plugged In." He talked about who and what we listen to, will influence what we do. You can listen to it here. Eric is preaching on average once a month, sometimes more. He has done a phenomenal job training all the Neighborhood Group leaders, and his Community Team leaders.

We are currently looking a student minister, because it has gotten to the point where one person needs to do it, and only do that one thing. Eric has been stretched very thin, so we have been searching and praying that we can fill this position.

In other news, we decided not to buy a house this year. It was very difficult for us to make this decision, but we felt God closing all the doors to buying a house. It is not that we didn't try, man we tried, just nothing worked out! So for now we are staying in our apartment, and it really is fine. I like it here, it's safe, our rent is staying the same, and I love our neighbors. So I guess God is not finished with us here in Muskego.

Other then that, we are just living life, one day at a time, and trying to soak up all of our blessings! I honestly feel so blessed to be here, and thank you all for supporting us, financially and with your prayers. This a journey that we all have taken together, and I am so glad you are with us!

Phils' Blog

Hello friends and family!

I am sure most of you know that my step-dad, Phil, was diagnosed with a brain tumor. I started a blog for him to keep you all up to date with what is going on. Go here to check it out...http://drphilny.blogspot.com-just click that link.

Thank you for your prayers!

Why to What

This past Sunday my lovely husband, Eric preached at church. We started a new series called Real Life. We revisited the SOAP method and journaling in our journals that we all got as a church. I will admit, I have stopped reading and journaling. It was easy to let missing one day turn into a week, then a month, and now I am so behind, that thinking about catching up is daunting. But I made the recommitment and I am going to just start now. Actually, I got up early this morning, right when Eric left to go workout and I just sat and read my Bible. It was so nice to have time alone, well, Molly decided to get up super early today, but she was content in her room reading while Mommy read on the couch.

Back to Sunday, Eric preached using the SOAP method and here is what I learned...

S-Phil. 1:1-14, main verse: 6- "being confident of this, that he who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion until the day of Christ Jesus."

O-*God is always at work in you
*His work is meant to ADVANCE His cause
*Real Life is found when God is working in us in order to accomplish His purpose through us

A-*Identify the circumstances where you are frustrated with God
*Go from asking WHY to asking WHAT- Phil. 1:12
*Your frustration is restraining your relationship with God
*It's ok to ask why
*We end up frustrated at God if we stick with why
*Your circumstances are because of the decisions you have made
*God will allow us to experience the pain of our decisions
*God wants us to grow through the pain of our bad decisions

P-Prayer, this time was really neat, Eric would pray then Elissa would sing parts of the song "Be the Center"...Oh Christ be the centers of our lives, be the place we fix our eyes, be the center of lives...

Eric also talked about Phil and his situation. I really do think Phil has approached the whole thing with a what attitude instead of a why attitude. I am sure it would be so easy and justified if he thought why and moped around. But he really is asking what God, what is meant to be learned from all of this. What circumstances would change in your life if you just asked what...

June'ish Update

Hello! Well for those of you who do not know, we did not get the house that I posted about. We are getting many different stories regarding the house, and the reason why we did not get it, so we just decided to move on. I know God has a great house for us, or maybe it's not our time to buy a house right now. Knowing that still does not make the disappointment go away, but we do find peace and comfort in our faith.

This Sunday is our last week of One Prayer. We are having a guest pastor come and speak at The Ridge. I am excited to hear him, and see what he has to say. We also are having a celebration on Sunday night, and as of right now we have 24 people signed up to get baptized. Can I please just tell you how excited I am! I love baptisms and I also bawl like a baby at them. So I will make sure I have my box of Kleenex with me, and my camera to capture the awesome moments.

Other then church stuff, not a lot going on. I have one month left of school, then I am finished! Hallelujah! I can't believe Molly will be 2 in a little over a month! Where did the time go? I am handling 2 a lot better then 1, but I still miss my little baby. Eric is busy, busy, busy, as usual. I am going to church camp with him in July. My mom is flying in to watch Molly for us, and we are going to be family leaders at camp with middle schoolers. I am pretty excited to go. Other then I found out today that there is no AC at the camp. Yikes! It has been over 100 degrees here all week. I don't even want to know what it is going to be like in July!

I pray you all have a great weekend and check back in on Monday. I plan on posting pics from our One Prayer Celebration!

One Prayer- Week 3

Today we listened to Pastor Craig from LifeChurch.tv. I have his blog linked on the side of my page, so go there and check him out. He was the one who came up with the whole concept of One Prayer. I really enjoy listening to him and he is very funny. I didn't take any official notes, but here is what I learned. God is not just about love, he is love. Craig talked a lot about feeling insignificant, bad, and unlovable. God does not love you any less or anymore more when you do something. His love is constant, always there, never wavering.

Craig's main point was God is love, and he loves us. How awesome is that. Seriously, he loves us, he chose us, he died for us.

His sermon was really good, and made me think a lot.

Happy Father's Day and have a great rest of the weekend.

One Prayer Week 2

This week we had a guest speaker. His name is Pastor Guy, I am not a big fan of referring to Pastors as Pastor So and So, but I do not know his last name, and his first name is Guy, so I will call him Pastor Guy. He spoke about Christians and their doubt. Here are the notes...

"The shame isn't that people have doubts, but that they are ashamed of them." Os Guiness

Would it be freeing to know that doubt is normal and common? John 8:32

If we deny or bury...
A. We will never overcome them
B. We will short circuit other people's journey to God
-Faith does not require you to know all of the answers

Doubts flow from questions

Principles for Handling Doubt
1. Identify it
2. Talk about it, Jude 1:22
3. Ask God for help, Mark 9:24
4. Act on what faith you have

Doubt wins when it restrains our faith. The opposite of faith is not doubt; it is unbelief.

Perspective: I do not call doubt my friend; neither do I call it my enemy; I find it to be one of my most challenging teachers.

Waiting

A couple of weeks ago my friend, Kristin posted this video on her blog, I must admit, I listen to it frequently. I first heard it when I watched Fireproof, and it really ministered to me. I love the words about worshiping, and serving while waiting on God.

Do you really serve while waiting, worship while waiting? I know I don't, well at least not all of the time. I am usually the impatient waiter, the grumpy waiter, and the instant, I want it now waiter. I feel like I have a lot of patience with people, but when it comes to the Almighty, it's a little different story.

Right now we are waiting on a house. Our offer was accepted by the people who used to own it, and now we are waiting on the bank to accept it. The guy who usually approves these types of things, well he is on vacation right now. So we are 50% there. But this time around while we were waiting to hear back on a house, I felt like I had a little different attitude. I just kept remembering that God is the same today as he was yesterday, and he will be the same tomorrow, faithful, he is faithful always.

What are you waiting on? Are you serving, are you worshiping while you wait? Maybe you should try to be, the wait might get a whole lot different.

One Prayer-Week 1

On Sunday our church started the One Prayer series with other churches all over the world. I had a great time participating in One Prayer last year, and I knew this year would be no exception.
Have you ever sat in church, listening to the sermon, and thought to yourself, "Oh my word, the minister must of bugged my house this week, because this sermon is all about me!" That's how I felt on Sunday. I had just come off a very rough week of a teething child-8 teeth to be exact, starting the Terrible Twos, starting new allergy medicine, being behind in school, and pretty much questioning everything that I thought once was true or right. I needed a pick me up, and here's what I got...
Mark's sermon entitled, "A Box of Failures" Thanks God, I really need everyone to know that I am a failure, a loser, behind in life, but here's what I heard...everyone is a failure too. As I looked around the room I didn't feel so bad anymore. We mainly talked about Peter, one of Jesus' disciples and his major failure, denying Christ 3 times.
Then Mark gave us 3 ways God is able to fix our failure...
1.Own it-admit your failure, desire to make a change, Matt. 26
2. Stay in the group- It would of been so easy for Peter to not be a disciple anymore, take the road Judas took, and leave it all behind him, yet he stayed in the group, don't feel like the church can't or won't accept you because of your failures, keep in the group! John 21:2, you will find healing in the group, Eccl. 4:9, we all fail!
3. Bring it to Jesus- John 21:15-17, Love, This is the conversation Jesus had with Peter, Do you love me, feed my sheep, Do you love me, Feed my sheep, Do you love me, feed my sheep.
Other Misc. Notes:
*The root cause of failure is pride
*When the pride of our failure is dealt with, we change
*We let the failure cripple us
*Follow Peter's example, allow God to give you mercy and forgiveness
I really enjoyed Mark's sermon a lot. I do feel like a failure at times, and if people knew some of my failures they would look at me differently. It's hard sometimes to overcome my failures, especially being a pastor's wife, I should be perfect, ha! I am a normal Christian, trying to follow Christ's example everyday, doing the same as you.
On Saturday, Eric and I, along with another couple are going to listen to Mark preach at another church. I am excited to go and experience a different kind of service. I love seeing what other churches are doing out there.

One Prayer 2009

On Sunday, June 7, One Prayer 2009 officially kicks off. I am super pumped! Even if your church isn't participating, which you should strongly urge your church to next year, you can still be a part of a great thing here.
I decided that the class I teach at church, the 4/kindergartners should be learning the same thing as the adults. Well there is no curriculum for the this age, so my over-zealous self decided to write it all. What was I thinking, seriously?! Well, as off last night, I finished the curriculum! I am excited and nervous to see what the other teachers think of it, but more excited that the kids can share in the same themes that the adults are learning about as well.
I am excited for our guest speakers, and for the whole "program" in general. Last year our church had an amazing time being part of it, and I know the same will go for this year. I love the idea of churches coming together, working together, and serving together. Hello, I think this is what God had in mind back in Acts. Too bad it has taken this long for it to happen!
Please pray for all of the churches world wide taking part in One Prayer. With such a great thing, also comes attacks from Satan. Please pray that we are able to stand strong against him, together, as one, as the church.

LIFE.MONEY.HOPE Part 3

Today was the last day of Dave Ramsey, a little sad, yet exciting because next week we start ONE PRAYER!! I am super pumped! Last year I loved being a part of it, and this year even more churches across the world are participating. It is an awesome time to be united with other Christians, and actually work together and not against each other, like some do. So back to Dave...

Here are the notes for this week...

The #1 Myth About Money
*A steward is a manager- Ps. 24:1
*The tithe is 10% of your income to your local church- Deut. 26:12
*Ultimately, to be Christlike, you must be a giver- Gen. 1:27
*Giving is a reminder of ownership- Ps. 24:1
*Giving is praise and worship- 2 Cor. 2:9
*Giving is spiritual warfare- Mal. 3:8

Some other little notes
*We are not owners of our money, we are just managing it for God
*A tithe literally means a tenth
*Tithing is not a salvation issue, just an instruction from God
*We have God in our spiritual DNA
*To be a cheerful giver you must give, then forget about it
*Teach your kids to be a giver by being one yourself

I really enjoyed watching Dave for these last 3 weeks. I know it gave Eric and Mark a much needed break, and time to get reved up for One Prayer. I know you all think I am goofy for being so excited about it, but seriously, it is awesome. We are having 2 guest speakers at our church, and Mark is going to speak at their churches. Then we are watching a video one week, and then of course Mark will be preaching one week. Just to see the impact it had on our church body last year was incredible. I feel honored and humbled that God allowed me to participate with these wonderful people. Please be praying for all the churches involved. May we reach more people together then apart.

LIFE.MONEY.HOPE Part 2

The next part in Dave Ramsey's videos talked about getting out of debt. Yet again, I doubted that I would learn anything. This is not bragging, just careful financial planning, Eric and I have no debt, never had debt, and will never have debt (other then a house payment). We have committed to staying out of debt, and work very hard at it. I guess I shouldn't say we will never have debt, but we have carefully planned for if something comes up. I encourage you all to do the same. We have an emergency fund, and trust me it is hard not to spend it! I would love to have a nice, new car, but instead I drive a Ford Taurus that Eric and I saved all of our money to buy. It's nice, don't get me wrong, but it doesn't compare to the ones I see when I drive by the lot. But I also don't like owing anyone money, therefore we won't have a car payment, and we will drive like no one else right now, so when we have money we can drive like no one else.

Here are my notes from Week 2 of LIFE.MONEY.HOPE
Bondage is broken with:
1. Gazelle Intensity
2. Debt Snowball-attack the littlest one first
*You need to watch the video to better understand the two above

Steps Out of Debt
1. You must save money
2. Quit borrowing more money
3. Prayer really works
4. Sell something
5. Take a part-time job, or work over-time

For some reason this week I didn't really jot anything else down on my notes. He was still funny, and I still came away with something. I think you really need to watch the video to get a lot of this. Plus he spent a lot of time on the first two-gazelles, debt snowball.

Life.Money.Hope Part 1

The Ridge is doing a 3 week series about life, money, and hope. We are watching some videos that LifeChurch.tv shot of Dave Ramsey. I will admit, at first I was a little skeptical that I would get anything out of these videos. Eric and I saw him at a conference a couple years ago, and I honestly thought there was nothing new to learn. How wrong I was!

He doesn't have any new, brain busting ideas then before, but he has gotten a lot funnier. I swear, if it wasn't for his humor, I probably would be dreading going to church. But good'ole Dave is pretty funny. This coming Sunday (the31st) is our last week of Dave Ramsey. Then after that, all of the videos will be posted here.

Here are some of the notes that I took during the first week.

LIFE.MONEY.HOPE
Week 1
The Basics of Biblical Finance

1. Get out of debt..."The rich rule over the poor, and the borrower is slave to the lender." Prov. 22:7
2. Act your wage..."A foolish man devours all he has." Prov. 21:20
3. Get on a budget..."For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to finish it?" Luke 14:20
4. Save and Invest..."In the house of the wise are stores of choice and oil." Prov. 21:20
5. GIVE..."Bring all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be food in My house." Malachi 3:10

Here are some other little notes that I jotted down during the video...
*God doesn't bless stupid
*Slaves aren't generous
*Debt is not a sin, it's Biblical stupideness
*Debt is financial whining
*Live on less then you make
*You can't out earn stupid
*You should have-
1. Emergency Fund (3-6 months worth of income saved)
2. Pay cash, for EVERYTHING!
3. Invest

Like I said earlier, Dave Ramsey was funny to listen to, and even though I saw him before, and he talked about the same stuff before, it was a nice refresher.

The Zoo

On Wednesday, Molly and I met some friends at the zoo. We are trying to use up our zoo pass before it expires. Here are some quick pictures from the day. We are still working on Molly caring about the animals there, but she doesn't! She is too much of a people watcher! Enjoy!

Kickin' it Old Skool

Hey everyone! I hope you are able to enjoy this wonderful, warm weather we are having, and hopefully you are having too. I just wanted to send a couple of updates/prayer requests your way!

*We had to move back to our "old" theater, the largest one the theater has to offer we have been using since Jan, but now it's Summer, they want it back. They run movies in the Summer in the larger one starting at 11am. Clearly that doesn't work with our last service starting at 10:30am. So we had to move back to the second largest one they have. Lets just say, we all will be nice and close on Sunday mornings. We have been running a little more then 450 and the theater just doesn't hold that many. Obviously, we don't all come to the same service, but it is still a tight squeeze. Plus we just bought brand new equipment for the larger theater, and now we are trying to scale back for the smaller one. So please pray this move does not discourage ANYONE to not come. We will make it work, we still have some kinks to workout, but it will be wonderful once we get in our groove.

*We just started a 3 week series about money. We are watching Dave Ramsey videos that were filmed at LifeChurch.TV. The first one was actually a lot better then I thought it would be! I have seen him at a conference before, and my negative Nelly attitude crept in on Saturday night, and I was dreading Sunday. Thanks be to God, because it was so much better then I ever imagined, and I still managed to learn something. Please pray for everyone, not just people at The Ridge for their finances. It's tough times out there, and working at a church we can feel it in the giving. Let this economy turn around, but more importantly let people learn to not be stupid with their money!

*We are looking to hire a full-time student minister! Yea, finally! Eric is in charge of the students right now, and it's not that he doesn't like doing it, lets just say its more like a dog taking him for a walk every week. He is so spread out at church, that if we could take one thing away, he would be so much better off. But we haven't found the right person yet. This hire is going to be a slow one, and a for sure one. This area of ministry needs a lot of expanding at The Ridge, and Eric has a done a great job, so far (a little biast, he's my husband!) but we really need someone who can devote their time 100% to it. So if you know anyone, like someone good please :) Please refer them to us!

*Lastly, please pray that Satan stops attacking us! All Christians out there, but also at The Ridge. We have had a couple rough times dealing with people, and also Satan loves to attack people who devote their lives to ministry full time. These attacks include sickness, bad attitudes, jealousy, the list goes on. And it doesn't just effect the person, but their families too. Please pray that Satan leaves us all alone, perfect world, I know, but we can still pray!

Thanks for praying with us and for us. Let us know what we can be praying about for you! And if you all are ever in Milwaukee, look us up!

Go Brewers!

Welcome to the Ball Park!

Sitting in the hot sun, but we had fun!

Prince Fielder hitting a homerun!

The racing Sausages, seriously, they are cool!

Yesterday Eric and I went to the Brewers game with our children's minister, Becky, and her boyfriend, Jason. Jason works at Miller Park, he is in charge of lighting and security, so he gets free tickets to the games. It was a lot of fun, and it was really hot. The temperature outside was only like 66, but we sat in the direct sun the whole game. I forgot sunscreen, so Eric made me wear my sweatshirt the whole time. I did think at times I was going to die of heat stroke, but at least I didn't get burnt like the other 3 people with me. Eric has the face sunburn that goes right around his hairline, so he better wear his hair like he did yesterday until it clears up!

The Brewers won! We swept the Marlins this series. Now they are off to St. Louis to play the Cardinals. Hopefully they win there too!

Growing up, too fast

Last night Eric, Molly and I were watching American Idol (Go Danny!!), and Molly's nose was a little runny. So Eric asked her if she needed a tissue, and before we could even get up to get her one, she had already went into the bathroom, got a tissue, blew her nose, and threw the tissue away. Eric and I just looked at each other, surprised, and a little proud of her. I was blown away that she knew what to do, and also I felt a little sad. My little girl isn't so little anymore. She is starting to be way more independent then other kids her age.

Just wanted to share what our little "big" girl is doing!

Happy Mother's Day!

Greetings from New York! I flew here on Wednesday with Molly to surprise my Mom. It worked! We surprised her at work, and have been able to spend a lot of memorable time together. We have had a blast!

I wanted to wish all you moms out there, and all you ladies (because you probably act like a mom sometimes) a Happy Mother's Day! I hope you felt appreciated today, and everyday! I am so blessed to have a wonderful husband, you may know him, he made me feel so special today, even so many miles away. He sent me some cards in the mail so when today came, I would have something to open. He is so great!

Happy Mother's Day!

A different kind of update

Usually at the beginning of each month I try to update you all on what is going on at The Ridge, and in our lives. My update is basically some facts, and some little details on our life. I wanted to do something a little different today, an update in a whole new way.

Here is an update on my spiritual life...

Before coming to Milwaukee, I definitely felt like I had a pretty good relationship with God, and I trusted him with everything. In Cincinnati, trusting God for me came to a whole new level. We had no clue what was going to happen with the church, our friends, I was pregnant and the thought that Eric was no longer going to have a job became more realistic every passing day. We trusted God to see us through, and he did. It was not easy, and at times, I doubted God. I never doubted his existence or power, but when things were at a stand still and I thought the worse, to me, I was doubting God.

But God provided this ministry in Milwaukee, with one "catch." We had to raise our salary to come here. Gasp, gulp! Eric and I had never done that before, and quiet frankly, I was terrified to ask people for money. Luckily (more like God), Molly was born by this time, and Eric took charge of putting the presentation together, meeting with people, and doing all the leg work for our support raising. He was awesome. He trusted God, he knew if we were coming to Milwaukee, then we would raise the money we needed. I think I still doubted a little at this time. We put our house on the market, even when the realtor told us it was an awful time to do so, and this was before it got really bad, and it sold in less then 24 hours. Thanks God, that was a huge sign to come to Milwaukee. I think at about that time, I started fully trusting again, and I really just left it all up to God.

Fast forward a little...we have been in Milwaukee for about a year and half now, and my life has been changed, drastically. It was a huge adjustment for me when we moved here. I was a new mom, Eric's job and what he needed from me were different then before, and I felt alone. In a city full of people, I was alone. I soon found some great friends, and more importantly, I am still trusting God. Here is a little tidbit of info...85% of people in Milwaukee do not attend church. Talk about a mission field. The people here are so wonderful, some look a little rough on the outside, and some are millionaires, but you would never know it. But we all have Jesus in common, and that's good enough for me.

I will spare you all of the details of our life here, that's another post, or more like series of post's. But since being here I have never been more challenged about my beliefs, never been more proud of my church, and I have grown so much in my faith with God. Nothing has really prepared for me for the people of Milwaukee, but I am blessed and humbled to be here. I am
still excited to go to church every week, how many of you can say that?

Thanks to all who have written your checks every month, who send us money when they have extra, and thanks for praying for us. Without you we wouldn't be here, and I mean that. Without you the people in Milwaukee would not be able to hear about Jesus. And without you, I might not have grown in my faith.

Be blessed!

A girl and her bike

This past weekend we went to Findlay to spend a quick couple of days with the family. We have not been to Ohio since Christmas, and the same goes for getting out of Milwaukee too. We needed a break, so to Ohio we went. On the way a deer hit our car, yes he hit us! So once that fun event was out of the way, we had a great, quick visit. While in Findlay, Grandma and Grandpa Ferguson bought Molly her first bike. It is so cute and she is getting the hang of riding it! Here are some pictures of the little girl, and her bike!

Fear

This past weekend Eric preached on "Fear." I want to share a little bit from his sermon with you, and what I have been thinking about.



"For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind." - 2 Tim. 1:7



This was Eric's main verse that he started with. I am not sure that I have ever wondered where fear really comes from. I know I am fearful of things, but not sure I truly, 100% realized that fear comes from Satan. I think it is normal to fear things, but God does not want that fear to rule your life. This verse clearly states that God gives us love, and a sound mind. He does not give us fear.



Eric talked a lot about Gideon and the battle he faced. Gideon was an Israelite who was chosen by God to defeat the Midianites. Here is what Gideon says "...how can I save Israel?...I am the least in my family." (Judges 6:15) The Midianites had an army of over 200,000 men, and Israel had an army of about 32,000 men after Gideon collected all of them. But God told Gideon that he had too many, and needed to release some of the men. So when it was all said and done, some scholars believe Gideon had about 2oo men in his army. I am sure Gideon was scared to death, he probably thought he was going to die! But it wasn't Gideon's job to defeat the Midianites, it was Gideon's job to trust God, and he would defeat the Midianites. So with their trumpets, some glass jars, and torches, the Israelites lead an attack on the enemy, and the Midianites were so surprised that they all turned on themselves, and basically attacked their own army. God and Gideon, together, defeated what seemed to be the impossible to defeat.



Now your Bible lesson is finished :) So this all leads me to think, what do I fear? Really, truly, afraid of? And with God's help, is it possible to defeat, and overcome this fear? Absolutely it is! It is not our job to solve every problem, or face our fears alone. It is our job, like Gideon's, to trust that God is faithful, and he will come through for us.

Easter Recap

Easter at The Ridge was awesome! We had our largest weekend attendance to date, and a bridge on stage for people to walk over. The bridge was designed for people who were making first time decisions to follow Jesus, or people rededicating their lives back to following Jesus. It was cool to see so many people walk over the bridge. This is something new at The Ridge. We usually don't point people put when they raise their hands to follow Jesus, or do a lot of "public" stuff, but I also think it is good for people to allow others to be part of their journey. I know what I feel like when I watch people on video giving their testimony right before getting baptized. I really do feel like I am part of their journey, and it's awesome. Then I usually cry.

This weekend Eric is preaching at RiverGlen, a church about 45 minutes from us. He is there for their Saturday night service, and their two Sunday morning services. Molly and I are going tomorrow to hear him preach on "Fear." I think it should be good, and as much as I love The Ridge, I do enjoy visiting other churches. (Make your jokes about the music now Mark!)

Next weekend we will be in OHIO!! I am so excited to see family and go home. We are leaving after the student event, "Bowling That's How We Roll-pt.2". So we won't get into Ohio until like 3 in the morning. Then we are leaving on Wednesday. So anyone who wants to see us, let us know! Missing church at The Ridge two weeks in a row is seeming a little weird to me, but we will be back. I haven't had a break from teaching the little kids in a long time, so I am looking forward to that. But I will miss my little ones!

The weather here today is BEAUTIFUL! Actually warm for a change. Tomorrow is supposed to be cold again-low 40's, then later on in the week a warm up. So hopefully you all are enjoying your Saturday, and please know we are so thankful for all of you! Without you, our ministry would not be possible! Also-please keep praying for my cousin, Holly. Today is 3 weeks from when they said hello and good-bye to Carleigh, and 2 weeks after the funeral. They still need your prayers! Love to you all, and be blessed!