Sticky Faith Video

Parents! Check out this great video all about helping our kids nurture a lifelong faith! It's a little long, but worth it, I promise. I saw Kara Powell at the National Youth Worker's Convention in October talking about a lot of this information and she does a great job of helping explain to and encourage youth workers and especially parents in ways to help our kids develop a faith that lasts. Check it out:

  

Jr. High Winter Retreat

We just got back from a great retreat up at Sierra Pines with our Jr. High students. We spent the weekend playing in the snow, sledding down hills, signing silly songs and learning more about trusting God with our lives. Our speaker for the weekend, John, talked about the importance of trusting God in every area of our lives, a lesson many of us can hear more than once. He spoke from Exodus and used the life of Moses as a great example of the important of trusting God.







We had a fun time and really enjoyed getting to know each other better on this trip. I heard many of the students commenting on how they had gotten to know someone better and built a friendship that wasn't there before this trip. I also heard from many students how much they learned from this weekend's talks and was impressed by how willing they were to ask questions and discuss the toptics further during our cabin time at night. I was especially impressed by a moment on  Saturday evening when all the students came together and prayed with each other. It was awesome to see these students really coming together and seeking God as a group.

 
God certainly did great things on this retreat! Thanks for those of you who contributed to making this trip a success. We had a great time!

Sincerely,

Jessica

New High School Series Begins!

We just began a new series on the season of Lent. During this series we will prepare our hearts for Easter by focusing on Fasting, Praying and Giving. We will also be focusing on the importance of Community in the church during the season of lent. We are not meant to live this Christian life alone. We all need each other in the family of God. As a result, this series will be marked by extended times of small group time and a focus on accountability and encouragement during these times.

We watched this video at youth group last night, which gives a short overview of what the season of Lent is all about! Check it out:

L.O.V.E.

People have mixed feelings about the month of February. Well maybe not the whole month of February, but at least that one day smack in the middle we like to call Valentines Day. Some people love the excuse to spend extra time with their loved ones. Others dread the expectations it creates and the inevitable disappointment for those whose expectations aren't met.

It is interesting to me that this "hallmark-ized" holiday is inspired by St. Valentine, a priest and eventual martyr for his faith. He is remembered for secretly marrying Christian couples in the time when the Roman state did not condone Christianity in any way. He was eventually arrested for this act, but instead of laying low after his arrest, he spent his time in prison trying to convert the emperor himself. That didn't go over too well. He was killed for this soon after.

I don't know about you, but I don't think I would be as brave as St. Valentine and dare try to convert the Emperor of the most powerful government in the world, especially after I had already been arrested for going against them in the first place. Yes, St. Valentine was a supporter of romantic love, secretly marrying Christian couples, but he was mostly concerned with showing his love for God through is actions no matter his circumstances.

While God is the creator of romantic love and knows how much joy these kind of relationships can bring us when they are blessed by him, he also tells us that his love for us far exceeds what we could ever imagine.

"Observe how Christ loved us. His love was not cautious but extravagant. He didn't love in order to get something from us but to give everything of himself to us. Love like that." Ephesians 5:2 (The Message)

And all he asks is that we try to show our love for him in return, by trusting him, following him, seeking after him and showing love to the people he has placed in our lives.

No matter our personal feelings about this February holiday, we can always work towards loving God and loving others better. And based on what little we know about him, this is probably exactly what St. Valentine would want us to do, and not just on February 14th, .

In His love,

Jessica

Happy New Year!

Happy New Year!

How is it already 2012? Man, time sure does fly when you are having fun. And boy did we have fun in 2011. 2011 was a big year for me and Nick. I graduated from Seminary, we traveled with family, we moved to Elk Grove, joined Living Water, Nick started working at a new school, and we bought our first house! Whew, no wonder it flew by for us right?

In the midst of all of the unknown and changes in 2011, I learned more than anything how much I need to rely on God for everything. I was telling Nick the other day that even though most people are not a fan of the month of January, I think there is something really great about it. There is a sense of a fresh start, new possibilities, setting goals and working towards achieving them. However, there is also a sense of incredible uncertainty; so many unknowns are held in 2012. It is easy to get overwhelmed at the thought.

However, after a year of seeing God provide for us in so many big and small ways, I have no choice but to sit back and anticipate what God might have in store for us in 2012. I know it will not always be easy. I know we will face trials, fears, anxiety, and who knows what else, in the year ahead. But I trust that through it all, God is right there with us and that makes me more and more confident that no matter what happens, 2012 will be a mysterious, wonderful, stretching, challenging, and exciting new year.

Blessing to you and your family this new year,

Jessica