I Want a New Look

Yes, I know, many have asked me, WHERE HAVE I BEEN? with my blog updates. I am working on change and wanted a new look for my blog. (I have also been working on my new look of losing weight, guess how much) I hoped to have it by now, but I don't. So don't judge me, it is coming. Many of those that can help me make this new change have been busy also with leading out on a revolution. So in the meantime, as I create and design the new look that I want, while don't you log onto http://www.thegiftrevolution and begin a change in your heart, life and the hearts and lives of others!!! What gift can you give?

New Neighbors

In the last week, the FRC Media team has moved their offices and become neighbors of TheRUSH Student Ministry. We were so excited to get new neighbors and have company next door!! So as a "Welcome to the Neighborhood" gift, TheRUSH made brownies to welcome the gang! Today, Heredes delivered a tray full of Little Debbies with a sign saying TO: The SugarRUSH - FROM: Media Team! Don't be surprised if we re-gift them for the holidays back to you!

Thank you Heredes, Mo, Ian and the rest of the crew! We love having visitors and company!!!

Beginning of an AWESOME Fall at FRC!

This past weekend at Flamingo Road Church was awesome! God is so good and I am always honored to be a part and be able to witness HIS goodness. Here are some highlights:

• My friend, Kim, came to service with me!
• Fall Family Fun Night + cotton candy/snocones = FUN and LOTS of people! Come back this coming weekend for more of that on Saturday night (5pm or 6:30pm)
• Pastor Troy holding hands with those choosing to follow Christ - glimpse of heaven!
• Loads and loads of food and water donated to Help Us Help Haiti (see pics below)

• TheRUSH Student Ministry rockin as we added back the 2nd service on Saturday night
• Meeting tons of new parents and students as they came to TheRUSH - 47 visitors
• Watching Jake, Patti, Nate and Corey get antiqued by Scot each hour (see pic below)
  
  

And drum roll, please - TheRUSH Cooper City hitting a high of 571 students!

Can't wait til next weekend, it only gets better!

Takes Courage

Most of the time in pop culture, freedom of speech is an accepted freedom by the masses when one speaks. Especially speaking about controversial issues or those of moral decay. But the second someone tries to speak in favor of having boundaries or standing up for a value that is followed by the minority, those words seem to get edited. Not this time. The great thing about MTV award shows is that they are usually live and most of what they say goes unedited. At the VMA's, Jordin Sparks, was not edited and was able to make a statement in favor of having standards.

What did she say?
"It's not bad to wear a promise ring, because not everybody, guy or girl, wants to be a slut,"

Why did she say it?:
In response to the host, Russell Brand about his jokes made toward the Jonas brothers for their choice to save sex for marriage and wear promise rings.

She did later admit, that she felt bad for using the word, slut and she did not intend to come off as being judgmental. Those were not her intentions. BUT, most of the time, even if a young person is thinking or feeling that what they believe in is being challenged or made fun of, it takes courage to stand up and speak out.

3 Summer Highlights

At Middle School summer camp - my niece (on the right)attended her first camp and this is a moment after Scot shared the salvation message when the students went outside with leaders to discuss their decisions. Patti, (in the middle) had the girls, lay down to observe God's majesty in the stars and talk about their step. Patti was once here, over 5 years ago, when she attended a winter camp and made that move towards the cross, and now she leads. Can I just say how proud I am of both of them! Love you girls, LOTS!!!!!


It was great to hang with my sister(2nd on right) when she came down for our niece's wedding. Cool thing about this, our niece Diana, (the bride) and niece Megan (1st on right) are our 2 stepsister's daughters. My father was only married to their mother for 6 years and she didn't care too much for my sister and I, but out of the journey God was able to give us relationships with our stepsister's daughters. My sister actually raised Megan until she was 8 years old. Megan considers her Aunt Wendy like a mom. Sometimes marriages may end, but the journey and who we meet on the way, can be intentionally set up by God to test our ability to forgive and love our enemies. A lot of forgiveness had to come out of those 6 years, but what an opportunity I would have missed if I had chosen not to forgive, thank God He gives me the strength and example to do this.




Amber turned 17!!!! I am very proud of her! She is a Senior, Class of '09! And I am hoping this year goes by slow...yeah, right! Like I have told her, she is going to one day be one of my best friends!!!

Room Reveal

Words can't even express how excited we all were on Saturday night...we locked the doors and the students were not allowed in until service began. I felt like it was Christmas morning and the kids were about to open "the gift"! The students ran in ohhing and ahhing with excitement. The WOW factor had taken affect! We had shown them through our hard work, how special they are to Jesus, how much He loves them! We were His hands and feet, His heart with our gift of a REALLY cool new room (Thank you Pastor Scot for your vision and for stirring creativity among the team) This past weekend we hit 500, we had 43 first time guests, 30 students accepted Christ, and 5 or 6 that were baptized. Today, I had a volunteer call all the others, inviting them to take the plunge at our next Beach Baptism, September 28. Here are the after photos, pics really don't do it justice...



A close-up of the walls: the design and skateboard walls. To the left of this is our new 1st time guest room/decision room.

Remember that baptistry wall, here it is complete with the skateboards...
From the back of the room, the columns even got a facelift
The entire stage, from the back of the room, how many TV do you see?
Front of the stage - metal and top of skateboards

Besides the room makeover, the energy in each service is off the charts, students are not sure which way to look, but as Pastor Scot says, We do all this to earn the respect to speak into their lives. I once had a thought how cool it would be to do camp style services each weekend, instead of waiting for that one week in the summer, we are the church, let's make it cool to come to the church, not just the camp, and now God has created and sent the visionary to lead this! Try and come by and check it out and if you are a parent - get your kids here, seriously!!!!

Busy Summer ended with a Bang!

The last 10 days have been spent renovating the Student Ministry Building, having a Grand Opening Weekend, and celebrating God's gift to us for hard work, briefly as we began again getting ready for this coming weekend! Summer will officially end this coming weekend and what a summer it has been for me personally and professionally. There have been highs and lows, but God has got the glory and this past weekend, words and pictures can not even do it justice. The next few entries will be some of the highlights! I will try and tell the story with more photos, less words (so you will stay engaged!) I want to get them all in before September 1, so I can begin the Fall looking ahead and not feeling like I missed sharing an exciting God moment in my life. Below are pics of BEFORE and DURING the renovation. We had over 15-20 volunteers come up each day last week and help out, despite Tropical Storm Fay potentially hitting us. No students were allowed to help or see the room! Thank you to everyone who prayed, gave, painted, taped, lost sleep, etc!

The walls were primed and designed with stencil art! The top will be designs inspired by a pair of Quiksilver boardshorts and the bottom is metal paint (cheaper than real metal)!

Some of the guys enclosing the old baptistry (My son was baptized there, ahhh!)Nestor and Josh putting metal on the front of the stagePastor Scot spackling the enclosure that will become black and hold lots of cool skateboards!!
Next post - AFTER PICS!!

Lead where you are

Many times in my life I find myself so focused that it seems frustrating to stop and re-focus. But after the last 2 days, I am so glad that I did. My heart is full, my brain is overflowing with tips, stories and knowledge, and my bum is sore from sitting so long. I have learned over my life that when it seems hard or it is something that takes the extra effort to accomplish, it will probably be really worth it. Attending and serving at the Leadership Summit was definitely worth it and not a waste of my time. It was great to see those invited, attend. It was great to meet new friends and share with them the ups and downs of leadership, but also how God always provides. My favorite speakers at the summit: Craig Groeschel, Gary Haugen, and Catherine Rohr.

With so much information received at an event like this, I always ask the Lord for one truth to walk away with and apply to my life - Being willing to try, even when I fail, means that I succeed, because I do not give up. So many of the leaders that spoke shared this one truth in some way or another - they never gave up!!! Shake it off!

Another spiritual truth I sensed God speaking: That I, as part of the American church, am being challenged to sacrifice for the sake of the cross and it's message. Am I willing? What am I willing to give up to help another life?

Check out potentialblog.com to get re-caps from each speaker.

Transition

This past summer has been one of transition for every one in my family. The transition began back in February when my son called me and asked what I thought if he were to come home and finish his last 2 years of college back in SFLA. He had been trying to get a job in the midwest and having a hard time as a student who leaves each summer. My husband and I also saw how the college bills were climbing, but knew he was in God's hand. My advice, take the steps and see what doors God opens or closes. When Corey arrived home for the summer, his acceptance letter to FIU was in the mailbox. He will only miss one aspect, not dressing out for football in a week or so, but he knows God has him right where He wants him. Next, my husband is starting a new job this week. It has been a summer of trust and faith as he was out of work for a couple months, but God is good and Tim will continue to do what he loves teaching and coaching teenagers at the same time attending night school for college credits. Amber will begin Cooper City High after being in private school for the past 3 years. This is her Senior year and this is her decision to move schools. She made this decision before Tim knew for sure he would change schools. She knows the friends she left in middle school will be different after 3 years, but she hopes to begin a girl mentoring group and try in her last year of high school to make a positive difference in the life of teenage girls. I love her heart and passion for this. And for me, my office looks totally different, not just the color or furniture, but the peeps also. God has changed things and allowed change, now we must all be obedient as we enter this next chapter. I am very excited to be on this team that God has assembled, both at home and at work. And just the fact that it is Amber's senior year is a little overwhelming and unbelieveable. God has proved His Word again...Luke12:24, Romans 8:28, I Peter 5:6-11. Thank you! I am grateful!

PreSeason

Came in tonight after running errands and visiting family and the sounds of football were coming out of my TV! The sounds of the commentators is really a soothing sound to my ears. It means school is about to start, a new fall season will begin not just on the field, the holidays are around the corner, tailgating, family, friends, jerseys, win, lose, life lessons, FUN!

Jumprope=Endurance

June, 2008 - Journal Entry during High School Camp

Never did I imagine spending hours on end watching students jump rope would be the highlight of summer camp for me and for the students:
First day they decided to end it early, giving up their free time the next day, but not their dinner
Second day they jumped again, did not reach their goal, Soooo, we adults
jumped to help motivate and show if we can do it, they can do. It was so much fun!!!
Third day they pushed, cheered and encouraged and they DID IT! I am sure they heard us celebrating from miles away.

Lesson learned - to pull together as a team and never give up to reach the goal, no matter how long it takes, sometimes it may seem like a lifetime.
Along the way - the enemy will try and trip you up For example: On the third day, some psychic fools tried to hypnotize some of our students...

Little did I know at this time that Endurance would be the theme of my summer!

Suitcase Silence

For the past 5 weeks I have lived out of my suitcase. And I purposely took a break from blogging and turned to journaling the events of my summer. I even turned my cell phone off for over a week...I know it was quiet if you were around me, no dinging from text messages or phone calls. Over the next few days and week, I will blog about some of my journal entries. The average age of my travel buddies were 14-15 years old, the farthest I traveled was over 2600 miles and the shortest distance was 10 miles, I spent time with friends, family, mentors and those I mentor, change was constantly a part of my summer and again I was faced with trusting Christ when I did not see or understand or choosing to panic in the unknown. I can say that coming out on the other side and seeing August just one day away, hope is always in the future when He holds you in the center of His hands, circumstances can never determine your joy, movement forces balance in your life, yes, if you sleep you wake up a day older, but rest allows the body to rejuvenate and feel younger, change is constant and don't you love new beginnings...moving two steps closer to reaching my God-potential!

Sleepless Summer Nights

I know, Summer is the time to rest, re-charge, rejuvenate and get ready for the fall. But I have to be honest, my summers do not tend to look that way. One reason is working in Student Ministry means summer is the time you can have more time with them and to have larger and traveling events. And the other is my own kids, well, the schedule goes out the window since they do not have to get up for school. And once they started to drive, I could not go to sleep until I knew they were back safe and sound in the house. It is still that way, so nights get longer, days seem shorter. I know it is summer and daylight last longer, but it doesn't feel that way. I am not complaining, just sharing a truth that I am currently experiencing. It is great and I wouldn't trade it. Another aspect is with a college age son, all his friends come back home from school and hang out at the house. They tend to begin arriving around 10pm, which means they could leave anywhere from 3-4 hours later. I like that they hang here, you visit with them, see where they are, how their life is going...last night we had about 5 of them here and it was so much fun hearing them reminisce about high school pranks and friendships. I know one day, this stage will change, it will get quieter, I may get more sleep. But I need to be careful what I wish for, because my heart really desires to be a part of their life and I am thankful that they allow me in. For now, I will take my sleepless summer nights, winter is coming...

Getting Ready...

It's that time...Summer Camp. In 3 days we leave for Middle School camp for a week, we come home, for 1.5 days and leave again. The past few months we have prayed and planned and this past week, our new Student Pastor began, so we were very busy pulling together our planning with his vision. I am personally so excited for what is about to happen, not only at camp, but every weekend in Student Ministry. So, stay tuned to see what happens when the Rush and the Road collide...it is going to be CRAZY!

Life, like a beach!

A couple weeks ago, I was headed to the beach to have some me&God time. As I drove there, I noticed rain clouds to the east, and thought to myself, maybe I should turn around. I hoped it was not raining at the beach. I began to pray and ask God to please let the sun be shining at the beach. As I drove through the cloudy area, I thought to myself, that this scenario is so much like life. We head out in the direction that God is calling and we face storms, we face dark skies, we face clouds. But in order to reach the destination God is wanting us to get to, we have to keep going, we can not give up, we can not turn around, we have to keep going towards the goal and through the storm. I kept driving and as I hit AIA, I could see ahead that the sky was gorgeous, there was sunshine, no clouds. It was a beautiful beach day. I set up my chair on the ocean's edge and was so glad that I did not turn around!

This past weekend, I had the same experience...Thursday was a tough day, a cloudy day. But I have seen many a tough day and knew that I had to keep going. On Friday night, the Life Development ministries (Preschool, Children and Student) hosted a volunteer appreciation dinner called Ovations and it was such a great time. We had over 250 volunteers attend and we were able to pour into their lives by encouraging and entertaining them for all they do each weekend. Then Saturday morning, Garland and I met with the High School mission team bright and early at Starbucks. Bob Selecky joined the group as Garland prepares the team to get ready to go minister to the people in Peru and visit our campus - FRC Lima! I was then blessed by Lili to be able to accompany some middle and high school girls to a fashion show at Signature Grand, it was so much fun! The weekend services at FRC were great and then the finale of an evening was Beach Baptism and the concert at Hollywood beach.

Not only did I get to hang out with students and family, but I was given the privilege to baptize Nina! Nina is a lady that I met at Starbucks back in December. I invited her to church and then one weekend as I stood in the front for a pastor moment, she came forward. When I was in Starbucks a couple weeks ago, she was so excited to tell me that she was getting baptized at the next Beach Baptism. As I stood in the water and looked into the crowd, I saw her waving at me, Wow! And Matt, BJ and I had the awesome privilege of baptizing her.

Life has it's tough times, it's cloudy days, but what if I would have turned back, given up. I would not have been given the opportunity to witness the power of God.

The power of God as I sit at the shoreline.

The power of God as I watch a life change.

The power of God as He grows and stretches my faith.

I will not relent, I will not give up, I will keep driving through the clouds to the beach. But, Lord, I can not do it without you or your strength!

Thank you for an awesome weekend! Thank you for not giving up on me!

Inside Out

I get these Daily Words each day...this is the one I got this morning...


Friday, May 30, 2008
Good morning. Are you looking for advancement? Do you want a boost in life? Sometimes we need to check our giving habits. Are you an occasional giver? A systematic giver? A Tither??? Remember giving and receiving are one and the same. Giving is just receiving inside out. If things are held up in your life... Remember this principle.. Life gives to the giver and takes from the taker...

How appropriate for this weekend of commitment...

Focus

When I have a bad day, I do my best to not stay focused on the circumstances...

Keep busy, focus on others, focus on Christ, be still...

As I began to write a prayer request for myself, I felt selfish, erased it...hard to ask for help when others have it worse...

And began to pray for Linda Handy, the Gramling family, Lauren Anderson's mom, Sean Honeycutt, the children that are hungry today, those that have suffered a loss of a loved one...

I know that God always sees me through, I know the enemy is never going to relent when I am trying to be obedient and follow God's lead, to help His children, to be a light in a dark world...

And as I write this I can hear the laughter from my living room filled with my kids and their friends as they visit with a friend that was gone in the Air Force for the past year and a half...and returned safely.

I am blessed! And I must claim my new fav verse - "Rejoice in the Lord, always and again I say Rejoice!"

Say (what you need to)

Over the past few months, I have watched some of my closest friends lose their parents.
I got word today that another friend has lost his mom.
We pray for another as his mom and dad face health and life threatening issues.
I guess it is that time in our life that these situations begin to occur.

Life is a cycle, they care for us, we care for them or send them on to the Father. This past weekend, my inlaws were 4 hours away, it was a priority we go and spend some quality time with them. I lost both my parents when I was 30, so I do have empathy and know what my husband will one day have to deal with - every extra moment matters.

One of the lessons that I learned from the loss of my parents at an unexpected time in our lives is best summed up by John Mayer in his song, Say:
Take out of your wasted honor
Every little past frustration
Take all your so called problems
Better put 'em in quotations
Say what you need to say (x7)
Say what you need to saaaay...
Walking like a one man army
Fighting with the shadows in your head
Living out the same old moment
Knowing you'd be better off instead
If you could only
Say what you need to say (x7)
Say what you need to saaay...
Have no fear
For giving in
Have no fear
For getting over
You better know that in the end
It's better to say too much
Then never to say what you need to say again
Even if your hands are shaking
And your faith is broken
Even as the eyes are closing
Do it with a heart wide open... wide...
Say what you need to say (x7)
Say what you need to
Say what you need to
Say what you need to say

My sister and I had sat down with my dad to say some things and hopefully find humility and forgiveness, that is not what happened, pride played a big part in why, and 2 years later as he lay in a hospital bed, he was unable to speak, I saw the regret in his eyes. God has given us the gift of words and language, we must use it to find our way to love, peace and forgiveness. We are sometimes all each other has...so say what you need to say...say what the Holy Spirit nudges you to say...do it with a heart wide open, you will have no regrets and God may just use those words to bring love, peace, and forgiveness - then HE is glorified!

Click here to see video of John Mayer's song.

At the Car Wash...

This past Saturday, we held a Car Wash at the Cooper City campus of Flamingo Road Church. We are having these car washes at all of our campuses to help children and teenagers earn money for camp. The pictures to the left are from Pastor Arturo's perspective as he drove thru and got his car washed. For only $5, his car got washed, and he played a part in helping to change a life and have a kid take one step closer to Jesus. Wow, ALL that for just $5. Thank you, Arturo! Thank you also to the other parents and leaders that brought out their cars.



The next one at Cooper City is June 7 from 9am-12noon. Doral will be having one this coming Saturday, May 24 from 9am-12noon at Ronald Reagan High School. Hallandale had one last weekend, also and I believe they are planning to do it again. Sawgrass is planning one also. (I will post the dates and times). Which ever campus you attend, check with the Student or Children Campus Pastor and go out and support the next generation!!!

Crazy Love

I am reading this new book, called Crazy Love - Overwhelmed by a Relentless God. It is written by Francis Chan. I highly recommend it to everyone. It has radically changed my way of thinking about God and His love for me. It really is hard to comprehend in my human mind, how much He loves me. I have seen in my life how He pursues me and never gives up on me. This book reasurres me and excites me for what is ahead in my relationship with my loving Father. Here are some highlights from what I have read so far:

"It is important that we not measure our spiritual health by those around us, who are pretty much like us."
"Jesus call to committment is clear: he wants all or nothing."
"For years I gave God leftovers and felt no shame...took my eyes off scripture and instead compared myself to others...the bones I threw had more meat than what others threw...I figured I was doing fine"

That is only up to Chapter 5...(I have so far to go, not just in chapters)...

Go to http://www.crazylovebook.com/ and check out the video discussions Francis Chan does for each chapter. You will begin to see God in such a Big way, and Be still and listen, you will hear Him, also. And it will revolutionize your thinking of putting Him first and yourself second. It is a hard concept for the flesh, but it is the base of Christianity. I want this crazy love and I know this prepares me for eternity in heaven with Him! Isn't that what it is all about?

HB KIM!

Today is my life long friend's birthday. We met in gym class when we were in the 8th grade. I was at a time in my life that my parent's had just divorced and my mom was living with a guy that was pretty shady. Most of my friend's parents would not allow them over my house or to spend the night, (as a parent I agree now, it just hurt then). She was the only friend that was allowed to come into my house or spend the night. Despite my circumstances, she did not judge me. She will never know how much that meant to me. We went to our first concert together at 12 years old (Eagles, Doobie Brothers and Jimmy Buffet). Leif Garrett was the big teen idol at the time (we got jipped) and we were both fans, we followed him all over town behind the Y-100 van. We took yearbook class together. We spent many a weekend at the skating rinks. All summer long we took the city bus to the beaches and practically lived there. We once took her mother's car without asking, she never knew. We both had a crush on the same guy, she just never told me til after we were both married to someone else. We were in each other's wedding. I am her son's godmother and she is mine. We have laughed together, cried together, dealt with step monster mom and dads together, loved to go to concerts and the mall together, had fun at the 20 year class re-union together, even though I graduated from a different high school. When I was 15 and got hit by a car, she was the only friend that was still by my side 6 months later when I had to wear a body cast and didn't quite fit in with the average 16 year old. And now 32 years later, she is still here in my life, she knew me when and she still loves me unconditionally. Happy Birthday BFF or as my daughter now says, Bestie!

Injustice

I have lived in Cooper City for the past 6 years, moving here from Pembroke Lakes. I know, real far move. In those 6 years, I have never once been pulled over by a police officer. It is not because I am a perfect driver, I am not. But a friend of mine has been pulled over 4 times in the last 2 years. 3 out of the 4 times were unjustified, and this last time was just uncalled for because not only did a state trooper pull him over, the officer grabbed him and forcefully bullied him off his motorcycle. I know you think that oh, he must have done something to deserve it or provoke it, but he didn't. He just looks different than the cop and he is a minority. I do not know what this feels like to be profiled by the local police. I probably am or have been judged for what I look like, but I will never deal with this kind of judgement. I think this kind of behavior breaks the heart of my Heavenly Father. I think we will all face judgment for how we have treated or judged others that are different from ourselves. Lord, help me to see them the way you do. And forgive this police officer for his anger and resentment towards those different than him.

Loving Father Approach

So, yeah, I have been away, back, started new series here at FRC all over the past 10 days! Got to visit my sister and go to an awesome conference lead by Reggie Joiner and the Northpoint team. The conference focused on encouraging and empowering preschool, children and student pastors and leadership. So many God-things happened on this trip, in my world and ministry over the past 10 days. I will do my best to blog about them all. The conference had awesome key speakers including, Louie Giglio, Andy Stanley and Francis Chan. I wanted to share the key points of Reggie Joiner's message on the first night. The title of his message was:

Prodigal Generation

His first question was what drives some churches to be different?

Was it: strategy, truth or message, community, leadership, family, creativity, Holy Spirit

He answered, No to all of the above.

He said what makes a church distinctively different is do they treat every prodigal the way a loving father would treat his own son.

He read from Luke 15:11-31 and he also emphasized verses 1&2 in Chapter 15 that read: "this man welcomes sinners and eats with them"

2 Different approaches to sin (lost son)

1. Approach of Jesus and the Loving Father OR 2. Approach of Pharisees and older brother

Loving Father approach

1. Pre-occupied with who is missing

Want church to not be about who we want to keep, but about who we want to reach.

2. Operate from a context of forgiveness

We live in a generation that wants to feel better about doing bad stuff, let's teach them to understand change and forgiveness

3. Throw parties - smart dads know how to build ministry around forgiveness and celebration

4. Confront Older brother thinking

5. Keep the lights on for as long as it takes

Older brother approach

1. Pre-occupied with themselves

2. Operate from a context of shame

3. Throw fits - % of church has people mad about something

4. Criticize loving Fathers thinking

5. Shut the door and turn off the lights

Build people that decide to treat every prodigal like a loving Father.

Why?

1. Jesus made it a priority

2. Because you are a model and need to lead it.

3. Because you know a prodigal

Before we even ask the question about what kind of church do we attend, how about what kind of thinking do we tend to move towards personally, loving Father or older brother? We all can take steps to be more like Jesus!

With Empathy

Today I received the news that Kelly Robertson lost her mom. I lift you, Kelly and Garland to the arms of our Father that He comfort and get you through this time. I lost my parents 9 months apart, one expected to go, one unexpected. I was mad at God for the unexpected death and it took longer to heal. I know this was not part of our plan, but I know God was not caught by surprise. Now I pray for healing for Kelly and Garland. I also pray that friends and family come in and become strength for them during this time. One thing I experienced was always being strong for everyone and when it was time for others to be strong for me, I had a hard time finding them. Thank God I had Him, but during this time especially in life, you need God with skin-on. I am so sorry, Kelly! I know how hard it is to lose your mom...

Two to Consider

I am almost done reading a really good book by Bob Franquiz...if you haven't read it, check it out. The book is an easy read about the life of John the Baptist. How one man paved the way for a revolution-led by God. Wouldn't you like to be a part of paving the way for a revolution? a God sized one!!

I am also listening to an audio book by Joel Osteen. There is one great gift that God gave Joel, he is an encourager and he always see the glass half full. When I want to be filled up, I listen to Joel, he speaks positive, godly, wise words into my life and he makes me SMILE :-) I think God gave him that gift also...

I will be done with both of these soon, so if you have any good recommendations, send them this way. I have a few ideas of my own, but love ideas from others!!

Shake it like a Earthquake!!

I thought he was kidding when he texted me that there had been an earthquake last night. I texted him back, "Are you serious, it is a little late for April fools?!". (We usually try and get each other on April 1-best one so far, we stole his car and he thought it was really gone, tell ya about that later.) Anyway,my son was not kidding, last night in southeastern Illinois there was an earthquake that measured 5.2. He said that he felt his bed shake and he thought it was it his roommates fooling around or running and jumping in the bunk. But when he got in class this morning they explained it was an earthquake that he and his college had experienced. I never knew they had earthquakes in the midwest, I learned something today. I checked the weather channel and sure enough they were talking about the earthquake that happened east of St Louis. (Corey is 60 miles east of St Louis) And again, I was reminded that I have no control over most things and I thanked God that He protected my son. I can not worry or fear because God has my life in His hands and I am so glad that my son has decided to put his life in His hand's also. God is in control and I hope your focus is on Him and you are busy about His plans for your life...! We are not promised tomorrow, so do IT today, whatever IT is for U!

Tips to Survive Summer with your Teens

Check out this link: Flamingo Road Church Cooper City Campus Blog

for 10 great tips on surviving the summer with your middle and high school student!

I love teenagers and thank God every day He gives me the opportunity to help them reach their God-potential!!!!!! And I have to remember when my own teenagers are hard to love, he gave them to me first to help reach their God-potential. It's ok mom and dad, you will survive the teenager years and FRC Student Ministry is here to help, I tell myself that all the time :-)~! And my 20 year old son is proving to me that even when he did not want to cooperate, it paid off to stand strong, despite the occasional attitude. Trust me, God has empowered you and I to do this job and He promises that if we do our part, He will do his best to give them hope & a future!

Weekend Whirlwind

This past weekend was jam packed, but very productive, here's a glimpse.

• led my first Memorial service this Friday night; thank you to Janis for being there to sing and hold my hand :-), such a privilege and I don't think you ever forget the first time God stretches you in a new area of serving Him with your gifts...



• helped host a couple as they interview for the Student Pastor position, I am so proud of how we treat guests who visit FRC.



• went to a baby shower for twins in the courtyard, great job hosting, Kelly and Jenn...



• 5 Student services - Matt taught HS, we had one campus team with 27 girls, I taught 2 MS services, students collaborated and thought of how to raise money so others wouldn't have to eat my illustration of dirt, olive oil and salt, the best idea won a prize!



• we had 2 new subwoofers in SM, and this week more to come...thank you, thank you to those that donated to help our sound system.

• a couple weeks ago, I was privileged to be standing at the end of a service in the main auditorium to pray with those that wanted prayer, my old neighbor was one who came forward in tears, wanting prayer for a circumstance in her life; this weekend I was able to run into her again at FRC and she told me how God did not answer her with what she thought she wanted, but she had such peace about the decision. I am so excited to see her trusting in God's answers for her life.



• was privileged to meet Jeff Mason from England, he was here visiting with Brian Vasil. He is a member at our internet campus and I felt so honored to meet him and to think he came all this way, that is AWESOME!!



• we had our TEAM luncheon for SM, good turnout considering Senior FIT and Passion were also both this weekend. I am so proud of how the SM volunteers have stepped up in a big way to lead the students at FRC! We celebrated their commitment! Did you know Nestor and Eric both wear brown shorts to work?



• A 10th grade student leader was recruiting another leader to help with MS small groups; yes, he gets it!



• SM numbers moved in the right direction, up from last weekend, and we had another 35 first time guests.



• My husband and I finally did our taxes, way to cut it close by 2 days



• Came home after a very long weekend and my daughter was doing major spring cleaning of the home, yes! I love having a 16 year old girl, my son never had that house cleaning gift, I think it is a girl thing to get in cleaning moods!



• Ended the weekend with a fun dinner with friends, thanks for all the laughter Matt and Kathy, you were the life of the par-tay!

Yeahh!!

They sang, "Shout to the Lord" on American Idol - Idol Gives Back! YEAHHHH!! Power and Majesty, Praise to the King!!!!

I didn't hear it from the beginning, did they say

HIS NAME - JESUS!!!???

Add to your "Summer To Do list"!

So if you are planning a summer trip to Disney and you do not know about this...get ready, this will excite you. I learned something new from an elementary age student, (see you can learn from anyone.) Since my kids are older now we haven't gone to Disney in awhile, but I have a new found curiosity to go back just to begin the scavenger hunt. You can get the Hidden Mickeys book for about $10 and it offers clues to help you find where all these icons are located. Karli and her family explained to me that as they were on the hunt, the Disney Cast Members were more than hospitable to allow them into some off limit areas. I also heard that this makes the time fly as you wait in the lines for the attractions and search for them...so creative an idea, leave it to Walt! I am sure Brian Vasil knew this wealth of knowledge, but he keeps it to himself, hmm!

Good and bad, happy and sad!

A lot has happened over the past 10 days, both good and bad, both happy and sad, thank God we get to do life with one another...

Garland lost his father to cancer; the guys went up to the funeral, pray for him and his family, these days after the ceremonies are the hardest, and you never truly understand that, until you lose a family member.
The great thing about FRC is that we LOVE to Celebrate our God-given victories, here are most of the ladies on staff after we freaked out HP. Thanks to Michelle Kahn, I saw her gift of hospitality in action!

Speaking of celebrations, Student Ministry has had 70 first time visitors over the past 2 weeks of Spring Break! We have been strategic to get them there, we have to be very strategic to keep them, and we love THE BED series not only because it is awesome, but it causes some parents to not mind the battle of telling their teenager they WILL go to Student Ministry!

Praying for the Mackey family, they are dealing with some serious family issues, they have been faithful to Student Ministry, praying for God's grace and wisdom at this time.

Jenn and Jonathan got married this past Friday night! Congrats! She was a beautiful bride and I loved how she used part of Pastor Troy's message in her video montage! Very creative!

We are getting some new sound equipment in SM, :-). The students practice hard, they are faithful to serve weekends on end, and now we can celebrate all their hard work as we worship together with loud teenage sound.

Noel and Jimbo got engaged this past Saturday night! The greatest thing about this is that God has allowed a celebration to come into the Robertson home at a time that they still grieve. It helps to re-focus some of the pain. Congratulations, I am so excited!!!

More happy than sad, more good than bad...I try to focus on the positives! I have to remember that HE is FAITHFUL AND GOOD, ALL THE TIME!

Triple Threat Thursday

Today FRC Student Ministry hit the streets in Cooper City. After some collaborative thinking with the Student staff, we came up with the idea to go TO the students. Our first mission was to canvas the shopping center that they hit on early release days, so we began with Cooper City High School/Pioneer Middle School area. We offered a free item from Tijuana, Starbucks, or Coldstone, added Duce the DJ with loud tunes and WOW, instant party. The students really liked it and they were so surprised to receive a free gift, no strings attached. We had some of our core students handing out the coupon card and talking to kids about Flamingo Road Student Ministry. Of course, with teenagers and loud music, the police stopped by to say they had received a complaint. Once we explained to the police what we were doing, they were cool, just asked us to turn the music down a tad. Some people just do not like to see young peope have a good time. No harm was being done, and the free items and music were drawing a crowd inside of each of the 3 locals. FRC teens passed out almost 300 cards and created a curiousity for these students to come check us out. If we could get 10-25% of them, not a bad return. More than that, I hope they saw teenagers just like them, who are willing to take a stand for Jesus Christ and not be odd for God! We are planning the next one near a different set of schools and for football season we have an idea to do an outreach event called "Fifth Quarter" and find the places the students frequent after football games and, what a concept, meet up with them on their territory!

Easter Weekend Highlights

* Over 20 Students came to every service and helped hand out free Peep candy/promo cards for Student Ministry. Check out the cool blue T-shirt Grace has on, spray paint and stencils!
* Students serving as Bunnies, in Preschool, Children, Parking, Greeting, Serving Communion* Students and Student leaders singing in the choir (Amber, Tyler G, Carson, Rachel, Shannon, Sam, and Duce!)

Plus:

*Over 50 students baptized from all the campuses!

*Able to help baptize my 12 year old cousin at Beach Baptism, reppin Hallandale!

*275 students attended the Student Easter Service

*16 stood to accept Christ in the Student service!

*My family always trys to do a holiday service together, but it didn't exactly work out, didn't get that Easter family photo, but no regrets, instead we all were able to serve together!

*My son served at Sawgrass in the set-up ministry and played percussion during service; he also helped with the Student service at Cooper!

*My daughter served at Cooper in the Preschool ministry, handed out peeps and joined the choir!

*Watching Heather P worship in the choir! and seeing Chris Brown join for the last service!

*479 baptized each with an individual story, was able to meet, talk and baptize a few on an incredible Easter morning!

*After the last service on Sunday, about 18 of us went to grab dinner and just celebrate a great weekend! We invited the waiter to church and he left with business cards and The Bed CD!

*Doing life and serving my Savior in the best church in the world!

HE knows my name!

On Monday and Tuesday, March 17 and 18, the Student Ministry staff and friends were able to attend the Youth Pastor Summit in Orlando. This is a conference that is hosted by Student Leadership and was held at Hard Rock Live in CityWalk. This year the main speakers were Ed Young, Francis Chan and John Eldredge. They were all awesome! I had never heard Francis Chan speak before and I was so impressed. His overall message was about how we should remember that we serve to use our gifts, not gain God's love or approval; we do not need to serve out of insecurity, but we must remember that our names are written in the Book of Life and God knows our name - HE knows my name! We each had our favorites, I really liked Francis and Carson and Matt P. really liked Chris Hill. Not only is the conference free, but they also give you free tickets into Universal and Islands of Adventure. We had a blast and it was great to get away and get re-energized for the Easter Weekend ahead. We are going to have a kickin' Easter service for Students on Saturday night at 6:30pm. I am so excited for the party, my son and Javan are going to sing, Love Addict by Family Force 5, we are going to baptize after the service and I know that some more names will be written in the Lamb's Book of Life. I will let you know about the great weekend ahead, we are so pumped to be a player in this God story. I also get to be a part of Beach Baptisms at Dania beach this Easter morning. We have over 500 registered to get baptized and I know a few of those are students!!!

Truth? half-truth? no truth?

Ok, all you Oprah lovers, do not get angry. I like her too. Oprah is always promoting books and the latest book tends to promote a relativistic worldview. I like that Chuck Norris does question the timing and relevance of the book. Chuck is exercising his freedom of speech regarding the latest book and book study she is promoting. Check out the link, read the article, think for yourself...

Chuck Norris takes on Oprah

Please note that I am not promoting Chuck or Oprah, I am promoting that Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life, no man gets to God except through His son, Jesus!!!

Hearing the truth

Spending time alone with my God allows me to hear the truth from His Word. I also love listening to music that inspires, the 2 songs below give me encouragement...these songs are not brand new, but their message build's strength and speaks truth for a lifetime...click the links below to watch the YouTube videos.

My Savior, My God by Aaron Shust

Strong Enough, by Stacie Orrico

Listening to Strong Enough reminds me to be very careful to bring every thought into the presence of God because of the lies that the enemy wants me to believe especially when he speaks the 5 word lie, "you are not good enough," trying to make me feel that my God is not God-enough to clean me and forgive me, to cover my scars, so that I may be used for His glory. The enemy likes to use the little lies to make me feel inadequate to even be in the presence of the Almighty. My God IS strong enough, pure enough, brave enough to protect me, to clear the path so that I can reach my potential.

Join me and my family this weekend as our church starts a new series called RationaLIES - the battle for truth. Pastor Troy will be shedding light on the darkness, the lies that the enemy uses to destroy our lives with, the lies the enemy uses to keep non-believers from believing. The series will cover the big lies, like "hell is not real", but I know that we all can struggle with the little lies that can come through our thoughts each day. The key to a successful life is to know that if you make a mistake, you can learn from it, be forgiven and be used by God, to know that our scars are not seen by God, thanks to His Son, Christ. Everyday He gives me the chance to start again! Thank you Lord! I pray that others find You as their strength and courage to start again or just start! Invite someone to this 4 week series that includes Easter weekend! Celebrate He Lives and He is Strong Enough!

x3 = Multiplication

Today I went to the same book study three times!! I know you are thinking, how do you have all that time. I really do not, but it truly is an investment that needs to be made. I attend one book study for myself, to be taught, to interact with my peers and engage; I attend another book study to be an example and network because I invited leaders from Student Ministry and if they are coming at 7am in the morning and I invited them, I need to be there also; and I attend the third to lead and teach the book to 6 guys and gals between the ages of 18-24, we hope to add a few more. In each hour that I attend, I learn something new, whether it is from the teacher or students. Thinking is one of our values, ETHOS, at Flamingo Road Church. This book we are studying, Launching a Leadership Revolution is really well written, very practical and can be applied and understood by everyone. Any time that you are spending to invest in reaching your God-potential or help others reach there God-potential is not wasted time, it is time well spent!!! And by the way, to reach the God-given vision of 50/100,000/150,000,000 means we need to be launching a leadership revolution because it will take a revolutionary mentality to build this army to conquer this goal.

No Excuses!

This morning at the gym, as I was working out I watched as a blind man came in to work out. At first I noticed how he walked in on the arm of a lady and I just thought that they were happy to be together. As he began to work on the machines, I watched as he would use his hands to guide his way through the machines, where he would sit and how he would manuever the machines as he worked out. As I watched him, tears came to my eyes, I was inspired. If this man who is blind can come in here and work out, I have no excuses. I do not know him, or his story, but he is a very successful man to me. I hope I run into him again at the gym and get an opportunity to speak with him. I guarantee he can teach me alot about pushing past obstacles to reach your God-potential.

No Regrets!

After reading the Potential Blog today, I am inspired to write down my thoughts on a blog entry written by Raul Palacios. I thought to myself I could leave a long comment, but why not just write my own blog entry. Regarding his blog entry on Quitting - what encouraged me in his words, were the last three lines that said, "God pours out His blessings to those who persevere. The difference between extraordinary and ordinary is effort. With effort also comes a life lived without regret." It got me to thinking about when I lead Children's Ministry at Flamingo Road Church almost 10 years ago. I was taking the steps and walking through doors that opened in ministry, first thanking God for providing a part time job that allowed me to make some extra money as I pursued being a full time mom. As I lead in Children's Ministry, I never felt like it was the place I would end up or where I belonged. There were times that I felt like quitting, but quitting is never an option, just a feeling. I have taught my children that if they begin something and make a commitment, they must finish out the season, the venture. So I knew in order to hold them to it, I had to live it. What I knew was that God had given me an opportunity to be true to my first calling at that season in my life and that was being a mother. After about 2 years leading, an opportunity came for me to take on more responsibility in Children's Ministry (and I know many didn't understand) but I had to say no because the priority at that time was to be a full time mom and a part time minister. I also was doing something that I did not feel was my total calling, so I never totally felt like the puzzle pieces were fitting, but it was where God wanted me to be and I needed to be obedient. I learned so much about leadership, caring for leaders and building teams during those five years. If I had quit, God would not have been able to have me in the right place at the right time to step into Student Ministry. Once I began working with teenagers, the puzzle pieces fit so much better and I was able to use my life experiences to invest into 13-18 year olds. I particularly like the last statement that reads, "with effort comes a life lived without regret"...I have stayed true to what God has called me to do with my own children and with Children's Ministry. I was there for a time, a time that God needed and ordained and I also was able to be available to my children and God has definitely blessed me for being true to myself, sticking to my goals and living out my list of life priorities. Both my children are a testimony to my professional sacrifice. My season in life is changing and now my priorities can change also. I can give more time to students and leaders and truly use my gifts, life experiences and passions to honor God. That is success! That is a life lived without regret! Be real with yourself and with your Savior and He will make a way and you will have no regrets!

Being a part of HisStory!

Read below the details of a great historic moment and the first in the internet world:

It was a historic weekend at Flamingo Road Church because we experienced our first baptism through our Internet campus. Our baptizee was Alyssa, who the Holy Spirit nudged to follow Christ and be baptized; she sensed His nudge and obeyed. But since Alyssa lives in Georgia and we are a thousand miles away in South Florida, what do you do? Enter the power of innovation…
Our Internet Campus Pastor, Brian Vasil, was the voice; Alyssa’s step mother-in-law, Lisa, was the hands; the bathtub was the baptistery. For a month, Pastor Brian worked with Alyssa to prepare her for Baptism; and then yesterday at 4pm it happened. In a bathtub of water, as Brian spoke the words, "I baptize you in the name of the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit," Alyssa’s mother in-law immersed her into the water and the whole thing was live streamed over the Internet. It was amazing; it was the first of many.
Again, through baptism, the picture of what Christ did for us--birth, death and resurrection--portrayed to the world.
Technology leveraged for the kingdom…and while the computers buzzed, Christ smiled. (courtesy of H.Palacios)

Hardwork pays off

My husband is the Athletic Director at The Hollywood Christian Academy. This past Saturday night, the varsity girl's basketball team of THCA won their game against Country Day to advance to the State Championships in Lakeland, Florida. I am so excited for him and the girl's team. This past year he had to make some head coaching changes to the girl's and boy's basketball teams and they were not received very well. Change is never easy and those on the sidelines did not totally understand. But he had to make the right decision, not the popular one. He had to deal with some criticism, but that is the price of being the Athletic Director, he sees things others can not see, and has to make the hard call sometimes. I am very proud of his leadership... so far this year, the Varsity Football team, the Boy's Basketball team, and the Girl's Basketball team have all won their districts and named District Champs. The softball team has a chance to win their district also and then the athletics of THCA will be up for a special award for having 4 district titles in one school, same year. I pray and hope hard work pays off again and the girls win the State title this coming week. Let's go Eagles!!!

Selling the Stuff

My husband borrowed a truck, we are loading up the garage sale items tonight. I am so glad. We cleaned out our garage the day after Christmas and I am tired of looking at the stuff in my garage. I want to see the benefits of cleaning out! I am really excited though for tomorrow. The day begins early but it should be a lot of fun. Remember all proceeds go to the American Cancer Society.

Make sure to stop by one of our FRC locations tomorrow for some great bargains. Bring a friend, or 2 or 3. Cooper City is supposed to have 130 vendors! Can't wait to see what was once one man's junk, become anothers treasure. See you tomorrow!

LOCATIONS Choose the location that is best for you:
Cooper City, Fl

12401 Stirling Rd.From

8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Doral, Fl

Ronald W. Reagan/Doral Senior High School 8600 NW 107 Ave.From

8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Fort Worth, TX

8117 Sunscape CourtFrom

8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Hallandale Beach, Fl

214 E Hallandale Beach Blvd.From

8 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Hartlepool England

TS25 1GQ25 Kinterbury Close Seaton Carew
Lima, Peru

Parque Caceres, San Isidro

10:00 AM to 1:00 PM
Sunrise, Fl

Updated Location

Horizon Elementary

2101 Pine Island Rd.

Sunrise, FL 33322

From 8 a.m. to 11 a.m