I kissed a girl by Katy Perry

The number 2 song on itunes this week is called "I kissed a girl'..... by Katy Perry, a female.

Recently I have had several students that are questioning homosexuality, this is really becoming a common and 'cool' thing among teenagers today. It breaks my heart that homosexuality is becoming a common way that teens are getting their empty emotional banks filled.  

I surveyed some of my students last week and out of all the surveys no of them thought that the media around them influenced them. I would disagree...

This week we are going to be having a more laid back experience and talk about what criteria we use to come up with the values we have.

I have included the lyrics to this song below as I don't agree with homosexuality, I do believe that this song describes what many of our teens are experiencing today.

I Kissed A Girl lyrics

Katy Perry

This was never the way I planned

Not my intention

I got so brave, drink in hand

Lost my discretion

It's not what, I'm used to

Just wanna try you on

I'm curious for you

Caught my attention

I kissed a girl and I liked it

The taste of her cherry chapstick

I kissed a girl just to try it

I hope my boyfriend don't mind it

It felt so wrong

It felt so right

Don't mean I'm in love tonight

I kissed a girl and I liked it

I liked it

No, I don't even know your name

It doesn't matter

Your my experimental game

Just human nature

It's not what, good girls do

Not how they should behave

My head gets so confused

Hard to obey

I kissed a girl and I liked it

The taste of her cherry chapstick

I kissed a girl just to try it

I hope my boyfriend don't mind it

It felt so wrong

It felt so right

Don't mean I'm in love tonight

I kissed a girl and I liked it

I liked it

Us girls we are so magical

Soft skin, red lips, so kissable

Hard to resist so touchable

Too good to deny it

Ain't no big deal, it's innocent

I kissed a girl and I liked it

The taste of her cherry chapstick

I kissed a girl just to try it

I hope my boyfriend don't mind it

It felt so wrong

It felt so right

Don't mean I'm in love tonight

I kissed a girl and I liked it

I liked it

Please pray that God would open doors and conversations that these teens would understand how He designed Love and relationships to be.

6 months of life change

Here is  a video from the past 6 months of EPIC. It is amazing how much these kids have changed.. God is doing a lot.... 

EPIC Winter/Spring... What's Happening Video

School is Out for Summer

And so it begins.... a summer of fun! We kicked the summer off with lots of FUN at EPIC & then hung out at McDonalds.

Check out our summer of fun flyer.

Nose piercing

For those of you who have requested photos here is a recent one showing off my new piercing.

Disney Cruise

Well, a few weeks ago we went on our Disney cruise and it was AMAZING! Check out the video below from our Pirate Adventure in Grand Caymen. Greg is so FUN! Almost 6 years of marriage and I love him more today than ever. It was great to take some time to play & be 'kids'.

Check out the link to more photos on my Facebook.

Disney Cruise Photos

The Relay for Life

Well, we are back from vacation and had a wonderful and relaxing time. Since being back we have jumped right back into hanging with our EPIC kids. 

Last Friday we supported the 'Relay for Life' and ended up having a hang out time with ice cream sundays and video games afterward. It ended up being all guys that came back to our place and it was really cool to see their different personalities and what a fun time they were having - each of them have their own 'stuff' and most don't have kids to hang out with on the weekends. God is building a community and family for those who don't really have one.

Here are some photos from the Relay for Life.

Boot Camp

Tomorrow night at EPIC we kick off our Boot Camp Series. I am so excited, God has big things in store.  Working with teens is not always a rewarding job in the here and now, but this text below reminds me of the important part my team plays in the lives of the teenagers we work with.

Making a Difference

You don't have to actually answer the questions below. Just read the text straight through, and you'll get the point.

• Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
  
• Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
  
• Name the last five winners of the Miss America title.
  
• Name ten people who have won either the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
  
• Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
  
• Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.
  

How did you do?

The point is, none of us remember the headliners of yesterday. These are no second-rate achievers. They are the best in their fields. But the applause dies. Awards tarnish. Achievements are forgotten. Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners .

Here's another quiz. See how you do on this one:

• List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
  
• Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
  
• Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
  
• Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special.
  
• Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.
  

Easier?

The lesson: The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials, the most money, or the most awards. They are the ones that care.

EPIC Update

Here are some thoughts on my week  and the conference we went to with our student leaders as I got ready for my EPIC girls night on Friday.

Leadership Rocks, Tampa FL

This past weekend Greg and I had the opportunity to take our EPIC student leaders to Tampa for a weekend conference. We had a great time and were able to have some deep conversations and heartfelt moments. One of the coolest things was being able give a Bible to and  to teach two of our students how to use it.

Our focus for the next 6 months with our students is that they would learn what it means to be a Student leader. That they would understand it is not about position or power, but about serving others. 

Underwater Fun

This past weekend was exhausting, but also full of God moments. Some of my EPIC students worked with me at our Healthy Kids Outreach at the YMCA on Sat & 2 girls spent the night. We had some incredible conversations and 1 girl Ash, accepted Christ!!!!

God is doing so much. Please pray for my teens.

Here are some fun photos from our afternoon of hanging out at the pool.

Enjoy!

Panama reflections

Here is a short video from about day 7 on our trip. We had just arrived in Panama a few hours previously and were experiencing a huge difference from the living conditions and poverty we experienced in Nicaragua

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My Life is Worth Nothing.......

So, this past week I had the opportunity to attend the Photoshop World Conference in Orlando, FL. This is the first time I was able to afford to attend this conference as it is pretty expensive ($500 for reg). Pray my business does well this year :)

Anyway, I learned lots and again realized how much I still would like to learn.

Over the course of the conference I had a severe case of swimmers ear. I was in a lot of pain and could not talk much because it hurt to even move my jaw. God once again filled my heart with the word he has been speaking to me over the past month.

OBSERVE.

So, instead of meeting new people, I observed...... and began to thank God for where he has me in life.

You see, back in 2000 I had a great internship working for a fortune 500 company. It was luxurious and paid well.  I was offered a continuation of my internship until I graduated the following year and a promise of a job.

From a worldly perspective this was great and very secure. I had been volunteering all my free time doing ‘ministry’ for the past 4 years at our college campus, leading small groups, prayer and encouragement teams, women's conferences, worship team...... I worked with many people who were on ‘staff’ with the ministry. 

While I loved serving and doing ministry, I had decided that working as a full time ‘staff’ member in a ministry was not for me. I wanted to be in the workplace and share God there.

Well, that summer God offered me an internship where I would make $800 for the summer & work my tail off. It was for a nonprofit company - Young Life. I ended up taking the internship in NY.  My fellow co-workers thought I was crazy to leave my current job and looking back, I was. However, God had a plan far beyond what I could imagine.

Long story short, that summer was one of the most fulfilling jobs I have ever had. There was something amazing about working hard and designing videos that each week shared about the adventure of a week at camp and the message of Christ dying for our sins.

Back at the Photoshop conference as I sat observing the other attendees and heard about where they worked and what they did, yes, there were moments of wishing I had the latest equipment and unlimited resources for designing, but there was also the reminder of the gift God has give me.

He has put me in my sweet spot.

There is nothing I would rather do than use the talents God has given me to allow people to connect deeper with him, or perhaps see a perspective of him that they didn’t even know existed.

Paul sums it up in Acts when he writes:

"But my life is worth nothing unless I use it for doing the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus- the work of telling others the Good News about God's wonderful kindness  and love."-Paul  (Acts 20:24)

I guess God wanted to remind me that even though sometimes we don’t always see the affect of our efforts, there is nothing better than our efforts being to increase his kingdom.

**disclaimer - I do not believe that you have to be in full time ministry to be living your life in this way, this is just the journey that God has taken me on.