5 Months In

We are all five months in to a new year.  About this time, I start to feel like "new" is not really an adjective that I can associate with a year...after all, it's almost half over, right?

I took a quick look this week at how I am doing with my personal goals for the year.  I purposely only set two big goals - the others where small, but very measurable.  I am doing well with those.

My big goals though...well, I classify them as big because while they are measurable, they are harder for me to accomplish.  Here they are:

1.  Run a 5K this year.
Now, when I say run a 5K, I don't mean choose a race to enter, run it, and sit back with satisfaction at what I have accomplished.  My goal here was physical fitness, and to consistently run over 3 miles 2-3 times a week.  I won't rule out actually entering and running a race, but I want this to be more than just an end goal.  Make sense?  So how am I doing?  I would give myself a 3 on a scale of 1-5.  I run, on average 3 times a week.  I haven't made it up to my distance goal yet, but running is much easier than it was 3 months ago.

2.  Re-vamp my blog and post 2-3 posts a week.
Obviously this is just now happening.  The 2-3 times a week thing is still something I have to work towards, but I have spent time this week re-doing the look of everything, adding some info, giving direction and purpose to my blog. I hope you'll come back often to see what's up around here.

So how are you doing with the goals you set for yourself in 2012?

My Papa and My Jesus

Tonight I am flying with Norah to North Carolina for my Papa Salazar's Memorial Service.

I am 34.  I am 34 and until March 17th I had all four of my grandparents.  I don't think it's very common to make it that far in life without experiencing a death in the immediate family, and it's something that I am very grateful for.  I have to say though, that experiencing the loss of my Grandpa has been different than I thought it would be.  Of course there is sadness.  I expected that.  Of course there is a deep sense of loss.  I expected that too.

What I didn't necessarily expect was the overwhelming comfort I would feel the minute I heard the news. Yes I am a Christian, and yes I have always believed what the Bible tells us about where we go when we die.  The problem is, I am analytical...a thinker.  I have been afraid for a long time that when faced with death, I would react analytically.  Here's a confession that may seem strange coming from a lifelong Christ Follower and a Pastor -  In the moment I knew Papa was in Heaven, it suddenly became very real...not just a place we hear about, but a place that is a reality to me.  I may be late to the party on that one, but it just took losing someone close to really grasp it.

I have to tell you that there was such a feeling of peace as I imagined my Papa walking around in heaven - greeting relatives that had gone before, experiencing a wholeness in his body he hasn't had in a long time.  The greatest thought of all was him meeting Jesus.  I don't think I have met anyone in my life who has loved Jesus more than Papa - The One he rose early each day to meet in his prayer closet, the one who he read and studied about, the one who he told everyone who would listen about. His Jesus.

That thought alone, though tinged with sadness, is what makes looking forward to heaven so sweet.  Not just the fact that I will see Papa again, or other relatives I knew and loved, or even our twin babies that are there.  It's the fact that one day I will stand face to face with Jesus, the one who loves me and you, more than anyone else.

My Favorite Team

Have you ever been apart of a really great team?  It's a great feeling to know that you have quality people surrounding you that you can count on.

I've been on some outstanding teams in my life.  Some of them were sports teams -

• The basketball team I played on at Manteca Christian School in 6th grade -awesome team.  
• My varsity volleyball team my last year of high school; we were stopped at regionals by a bigger and better team, but what a great group of girls.  

Some where not sports teams -

• Vocal Showcase - a choir, but still a team; and a talented one at that.   
• Crossfire - a drama ministry team in college that was very instrumental in me stepping into youth ministry.

This morning I woke up extra thankful for the best team yet!  My Children's Ministry Team at Albany First.  Yesterday was a big day for our church.  We publicly launched two distinct worship experiences, and advertised a ton in our community.  We had to be ready for guests, and specific to my area, "little" guests!  So...part of the team led by our amazing Stephanie Gutierrez worked HOURS on Saturday to add touches and details to every room to make our kid's experience the best.  Not only did she spend hours on that, she thoughtfully planned out an area for the rest of our team to kick back and refuel before, between, and after services.  Coffee, tea, donuts and a comfy couch told our leaders that they were appreciated!

We had other team members that came early sporting their Clubhouse shirt, hung out in our main lobby and greeted guests; offering to show them to our kid's area.  We also had extra teachers and helpers come and provide extra staff so that we were prepared for more kids.  I can't tell you how many times I had a team member rush through the doors and ask someone what they needed help with.

I have heard all of my life that phrase "There is no "I" in Team."  While I've seen talented players and people carry their teams to victory, truly that phrase could not be more true for our Children's Ministry Team at AFA.  Everyone jumped in yesterday and gave their all and did a fantastic job of showing our guests how glad we were that they chose to join us.  Thanks Team!  I am blessed to work alongside you, and let me assure you - the best is still ahead!

Give Thanks in all Circumstances

It's February, so why am I posting a blog that sounds like it should be in November?  God has been speaking to my heart for a couple of years (yes, years) about something, and I was reminded today in my time in the Word about how close he is keeping this to my heart.  Here is the passage that jumped out at me today:

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

I have not endured in my life anything remarkably tragic.  I have not experienced the loss of a parent, close friend or even grandparent to date.  I have experienced heartache in various forms, and hard times.  I am reminded though today as things creep up, whether they be personal trials or ministry challenges, that I am to be joyful, praying and giving thanks in all things.

Daily I seem to gain perspective on this, and I believe it is just a lesson God is teaching me.  It started a couple of years ago when a close friend experienced a very difficult time in their family; the diagnosis of illness in their mother that would mean long term hospitalization and a grim outlook on her future health.  At the same time Jason was laid off from a job and we experienced some very challenging financial circumstances.  Through this situation with our friend, God showed me how minor our financial issues were; and completely changed my perspective on life and thankfulness.

Small lessons along the way have kept this lesson in front of me.  Currently, I am following the story of a "friend of a friend" on Facebook that has a baby the same age as Norah.  Hospitalization, procedures, heart wrenching circumstances...and I look every day at the face of my very healthy, happy 10 month old Norah Grace and am so thankful.  It heightens my awareness daily that anything that I face could be much worse; and most of what I feel anxiety over will be forgotten within the week or month.  It has caused me to pray for others whether I know them or not; and to be thankful for all things in my own life.

These lessons that God is teaching me, I believe are something that have changed my outlook on life forever.  It changes the way I see my family and ministry.  Today I was just reminded through scripture, and felt like sharing with my friends. :)

A Time for Everything

I am sure this passage from Ecclesiastes 3 is familiar to us all... "There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under heaven..." (3:1, NIV)

The Message Bible says it like this... "There's an opportune time to do things, a right time for everything on the earth..."

As I came on staff here at Albany First Assembly last year, one of my jobs was to assess all of the current programs to see how they were doing, and to see what we could do to make them as effective as possible.  We have a wonderful group of adults who give now, and have given in the past to make our Royal Rangers and Girls Club Programs successful.  More than just successful as a program, though, these folks have committed to making sure our kids here at Albany First are growing in their faith.

While these programs are still relevant and hugely effective in a lot of churches across the world, right now, for this time at AFA, through speaking with our Children's leadership, Pastoral Staff and Volunteers, we determined that Royal Rangers and Girls Club were probably not the best fit for our church during this season.  There were many factors in making this decision: everything from the volunteer need to wanting to better serve our visiting children.

God has birthed a vision in my heart, and our Children's Leadership Team has helped me champion this vision.  Next Wednesday Night, February 1st, we will debut a new program called Discovery Club. Discovery Club will give each child in Kindergarten through 5th grade the opportunity to come each week and be taught an exciting Bible lesson, grow in peer relationships, eat fun snacks, and learn one hobby or skill each month.  We will be bringing in special guests each month to teach things such as Woodworking, Cooking, Photography and First Aid.

Our lessons will tie into the virtue that we will be presenting each month in Clubhouse Live!, meaning your child will have only ONE concept, and ONE verse to learn each month.  Won't it be great for each child in our church to have firmly grasped 12 Scriptures and Virtues, rather than loosely grasped 52?

I am excited about this new program, and I think our AFA kids will be excited as well!  We will kick off Discovery Club with a month of "Mythbusters!" So parents, please remember to bring your kids to The Clubhouse, Rm 203-204 (Where Clubhouse Live! meets) next Wednesday, Feb. 1st @ 7:00 for Discovery Club!

A little Self Control

Every month in Clubhouse Live! we focus on one virtue.  The word virtue can be defined: moral excellence; goodness; righteousness.  Each month we tackle something that is important for our kids not only to know, but something that will help shape character, and draw them closer to Jesus.  

For the month of January, our virtue is Self Control.  Now as a parent, I am very excited that my two girls are learning this virtue.  I don't know about you, but the way our kids react in tough situations is a BIG deal to me.  Of course I am thinking ahead to when they are teenagers, and need to recall the things they've learned when in a tough spot....but let's simplify it a little bit.  One of my kids, who will remain unnamed, has the tendency to react in a way that is not so appropriate when he/she is faced with a less than favorable situation.  I feel such an urgency right now to teach this child of mine the value of responding appropriately.  For instance; when something is desired (such as candy, time on the Wii, a sleepover with a friend) and not given, obviously the inappropriate reaction is any of these: screaming, stomping, crying, dirty looks, etc. 

Here's the thing: as parents, Jason and I punish that kind of behavior.  But WHAT IF this certain child of ours learned the virtue of self control?  And by learn, I mean - get down deep in their heart and weave itself into the fabric of their character?  It would preempt this behavior because they would be able to control themselves.

Our bottom line yesterday was "pause before you lose your temper."  Sounds easy enough, right?  Well, for some kids, it's not.  So we spent the entire hour talking about this, and prayerfully, turning this head knowledge into heart knowledge for these kids. Thankfully, we have three more weeks on this virtue.  My prayer is that at the end of January, our AFA Kids are applying these principles to their everyday lives.  It might just make your lives as parents more peaceful!

Goals

I stopped making New Year's resolutions a long time ago.  The reason is simply because I could never manage to follow through.  This is odd for me, because I am a fairly driven, goal oriented person.  I would make a goal to lose the last 15 lbs of baby weight, or read the Bible through this year...typical resolutions, but I couldn't for the life of me follow through.

A couple of years ago, I decided that if I could tackle a couple of manageable goals; not even really huge things, just small goals that might make a big difference in my every day life - I would feel more success than if I resolved to run a 5K or learn to play the guitar.

The year 2011 can probably best be described in one word for me: overwhelmed.  On April 1st I gave birth to my 4th child.  On April 13th my family and I moved to a new town, and Jason and I started new jobs on staff at Albany First Assembly.  On May 17th (my official first day in the office after maternity leave) I began the long process of rebuilding a Children's Ministry.  Lots of things were lost in that process...a clean house, time with my oldest three kids, the feeling of calm.

So, to make 2012 the year of Productivity, Contentment, Family Time, & Ministry Wins, I decided to choose some small measurable goals to help me stop "treading water" and rise above that feeling. Here are examples of 3 goals that I have made this year.  They are no brainers.  They are things most of you probably already do.  But for me, they are already affecting the way I feel -

1.  Make the bed every day.  Sometime (probably around kid #3) I stopped doing this.  It is amazing how fulfilling it is to walk into my room to a made up bed.

2.  Go to bed with a clean kitchen and clutter free living room.  I know, I know...you probably think my family and I have lived in filth this past 9 months.  It's not as bad as it sounds.  But I did choose sleep over cleanliness sometimes.  Already, 4 days into this, I feel a sense of calm when I wake up, not agitation.

3.  My iPhone sits on the counter after 5pm.  No checking Facebook or Twitter or the other apps that rob my family of my time.

These are just 3 small goals (among others) that I have made for myself.  After a few weeks they will turn into habits, and I will be well on my way to feeling less overwhelmed.  Make this year BETTER than the last!