Created for His Glory: February 2012

Saturday, February 18, 2012

Things I Have Learned: Intro. to the New Testament, Week 6

Wow this week has flown by! I don't know how the week went away so fast. :) This week we were discussing Romans 14 and how to handle differences among fellow believers. It was amazing all the different topics that surfaced this week. :)

Week 6 Summary:

As I finish up this week I have learned that I will often come across fellow believers who will share in different convictions than I do. It isn’t for me to judge my brother/sister in Christ but instead to love them and live in a way that doesn’t cause them to stumble. Not all of us are in the same phase in our walk with Christ, some are stronger then others and I believe we should meet people for where they are and help them grow in their relationship with the Lord. I pray that I would always be aware of the convictions of those around me and that I would respect them and live in a way that builds them up instead of causing them to fall.

Please keep me in your prayers this week because I have my normal discussion time during the week and assignment but I also have my paper due which is worth 1/3 of my grade! I have been trying to finish the reading assignment for it and I should be finished tomorrow and my goal is to write my paper on Monday (when I am off) so that I have a week to check grammar and make sure the paper makes sense. Then I can focus the rest of the week on my discussion time and weekly assignment. The other 2/3 of my grade is the discussion time and weekly assignments. So far I have an A but this paper can sure change things. I really want to do a great job so please pray that I will meet my goals and do well on my paper. I hope everyone has a wonderful week!

Valentine's Package

My sister Alanna and her family sent me this wonderful Valentine's wreath. There were 4 cookies though one is missing from the picture. :) The kids are into Angry Birds (that is the Valentine's Card). I sure did have a great Valentine's Day! Thanks Chris, Alanna, Rachel, Luke, Kate, and Wade! I really enjoyed my package :)

Things I Have Learned: Intro. to the New Testament, Week 5

This was a wonderful week though a bit challenging since I was on a trip for camp. I had a great week of school, time with the people I serve with at camp, and meeting new people in camping. :)

Week 5 Summary:

This week I learned a lot about conflict and what we could learn from Acts 15 about dealing with conflict. It was interesting that while working on the discussion time I had shared that I needed to work on confronting conflicts instead of shying away from them and then the next day I was presented with a conflict. I desired to put the things I was learning into practice right at that moment and I found that the conflict I faced this week was dealt with quickly and without a lot of drama involved. I think it is so neat how God knows what we will be going through before we go through it and prepares us for those situations ahead of time so we can handle it in a healthy and godly manner instead of in a sinful way. This was an encouraging and challenging week for me and I was thankful for the focus we put towards Acts 15.

I tried to get started on my paper but was only able to get my assignment finished. I still have till Week 7 so it will be alright. I hope that yall have a wonderful week!

2012 CCCA Rocky Mountain Sectional

Last week I went to Colorado to Crooked Creek Ranch just outside of Fraser, CO for a Christian Camping Conference Association (CCCA) Sectional. The drive was a 13 hour drive! We arrived a day early and some of us decided to go shopping between breakfast and lunch in Winter Park. My friend Heather and I found a moose statue close to where we were shopping and I got a picture. I almost jumped on it's back but decided that wouldn't be a good idea. :)

Our sectional was at Crooked Creek Ranch and the camp was absolutely beautiful! There was a lot of detail in the structures, decorations, and service. It was more of a retreat center then a camp. :) Camps from all over the Rocky Mountain area come to the conference. It is a great opportunity to meet people who work in camping also. We attend different seminars, go to a vendor show, have worship, meal times, sleep time, free time, movie time, tours, and an auction (to help raise money towards scholarships for people who may not be able to afford it to come to the conference).

This year was a bit more challenging for me compared to last year with working on class work. There were a few times that I decided to work on school rather than participate in the fun things (movie time, free time, etc...).

This is where I spent my class time since this was a hot spot for Internet

Where I ate

Where I slept

View from the window where I slept

We left for Colorado on Monday morning early so I took Wreckless and Daisy to the vet on Sunday (where I boarded them). The guy meeting me wanted to meet me early that day so I had a quiet Sunday without them. Thursday we drove home from Colorado and after talking with the vet's office I decided to pick them up Thursday night after we got back. My camp director was nice and said that he didn't mind stopping on the way home at the vet to pick them up. Nikki (she works for the vet) told me that they were really missing me and Wreckless and Daisy both quit eating and drinking. This is normal for Daisy but it was really odd that Wreckless wasn't eating and drinking. Nikki was kind to come in after hours so I could pick up the pups but she didn't have a car so Bill was kind to drive to her house to get her and take her back home. :) We had a very sweet reunion. Wreckless decided once he saw me that it was time to start drinking and he found some really yummy water in the restroom (for those of you who may not know Wreckless gets car sick but he did have his medicine but still we weren't in my car, plus you can only guess what he wanted to do right after he finished with his long drink). :) They were very happy to get home and instantly claimed their spots. Daisy started eating within 24 hours but Wreckless didn't eat dog food until Monday night. All he would eat is dog treats. I was relieved when he finally started eating again. After Nikki and I talked we think that part of Wreckless' problem was that the last time he stayed with them overnight was when we had our fire back in the summer. As he stays more and more with them he should settle down and act normal (whatever that is for Wreckless). Wreckless did escape one time from his kennel they said but thankfully the blinds were still there. They found him a more secure kennel after that. :)

Saturday, February 4, 2012

Things I Have Learned: Intro. to the New Testament, Week 4

Wow I am halfway through my first class! This week we have spent time in Galatians and James. Our discussion time was spent looking at Faith and Work concerning salvation. Our teacher played "devil's advocate" to challenge us to think beyond our "church learning" answers. :) He wanted us to dig deeper into God's word so that we could give a defense of our beliefs concerning faith, works, and salvation. This was a very enlightening week for me.

Week 4: Summary
This week was met with some wrestling with God concerning faith and works. This subject is so important because of the value it brings concerning eternity. I learned that faith brings salvation and that works is the product of perfect faith. Just as Abraham lived by faith so are we to live by faith. There are many examples of godly men and women in Hebrews 11 that set beautiful examples for us to follow. As I finish up the journey I am on in this lifetime I pray that I will live in faith being a doer of the word and not just a hearer of the word (James 1:22-25).

As I head into Week 5 please keep me in your prayers. I am heading out of town Monday morning at 530am with camp to a CCCA Sectional Conference in Colorado and will getting back on Thursday around 8pm. This is the time frame that we work on our discussion time with class so pray that the internet there will work beautifully. :) Pray that during both 12 hour drives that I will be able to remain focused and not get too distracted by conversations around me. We are going to have a full van so with all the ladies that will be in there I am sure we will have some fun discussions. :) I also need to begin work on my Critical Thinking Paper that is due at the end of Week 7. It is a 5 page paper and I have some reading and research to do to get ready to write the paper and then checking for grammer/spelling problems etc... This is going to be a big part of our grade too.

Thank you all for the love and support I have received from you and for your prayers. This first class is going smoothly so far and I am loving it! I hope all of you have a great week. Take care

Thursday, February 2, 2012

It's My Birthday and I'll Bark if I Want To!

Today is Wreckless' 5th Birthday! I can not believe that he has grown so much. I got together some pictures of my little blessing in disguise and as you can see he is very entertaining and always looking for a good time. :) Him and I do have one thing in common for sure we both love our sleep and my bed. :) Hope you enjoy going down memory lane with me.

2007

This is the day I got him