A year of running tribute!

This blog post is in loving memory of my Grandpa Woody who passed away in November of 2011.  My grandpa was a very active runner, walker, hiker, bicyclists, and archer all of his life!!  Even after losing a leg to diabetes he continued to go, move, and stay active.  He didn't let not having a leg stop him!  My sweet and amazing Grandma still gets out and walks miles upon miles every day...even though the love of her life is not with her anymore!  I am so thankful for their example in my life of being fit, healthy, and staying active even in their later years! 

Tomorrow marks the one year anniversary of when I started running!!  If you don't know me I should tell you this is a huge thing to celebrate because I never thought running would become a part of my life like it has!  Running was for crazy people and didn't look fun in the least to me.  I was happy and content to sit on my couch thank you very much!

Since my first day of running I have put in 665 miles.  I have ran in a 5k, 8k, 10k, and half marathon race.  It has been a year full of challenges, overcoming obstacles, setting goals, running in the rain & cold, reaching goals, gaining speed, having personal records, surpassing what I ever thought I was capable of, growing in so many ways, did I mention running in the rain and cold, and developing a stronger work ethic than I ever had before running.  I wanted to take a moment and reflect back on this past year and the things I have learned and the people who have made such an impact along the way!
 

To start with I need to thank my sweet friend Rachel...if it were not for her I am not sure I would even be writing this blog post.  She was willing to meet up with me in the beginning, when running wasn't even in my vocabulary yet, and walk with me (and run for those 30 second increments full of huffing and puffing).   She believed in me!  She encouraged me!  She kept me accountable!  And she was willing to go with me at my very snail pace!  Rachel and I did not have a deep friendship starting out but running brought such an amazing bond and depth to our friendship.  We started out living in the same town and so running together was a regular thing...now we live several hours apart and running together is a special treat.  But we have managed to still get in a few runs/races together.  I'm so excited (and still in shock) to be running our very first marathon together!!  I am so thankful for you Rachel my sweet sista!!!  You always have uplifting and wise words when I am having a rough day.  I love our silly moments and late night laughter when we are together!  Looking forward to seeing you again soon!  Big hugs!!

 

 

There have been a few other amazing friends along the way who have been such an inspiration and encouragement to me:  Anna, Sandi, Sarah, Harmony, & Melanie....thank you so much for all the times you have ran with me, signed up for races with me, challenged me, and been such faithful friends in my life!  You each mean the world to me!

Anna-thank you for being my long run day "partner-in-crime" and for being willing to train with me for my marathon...and putting in some crazy long miles alongside me!  I am brought to tears thinking of your faithfulness and support in my life.  You were at my side for one of the hardest years of my life and I can not thank you enough for your support during that season!  It's been so much fun doing life alongside you!!  I am beyond blessed by you!!  You have the kindest, sweetest, most giving & sincere soul!



 

 

Sandi - I love running with you and spending time with you and your family!   I love running side by side and all of our conversations and laughs we have had.  You were there alongside me for my very first race as well as several others...and many more to come I'm sure!!  Thank you for being so genuine, transparent, funny, and a treasure of a friend!  P.S. I'm excited to teach our running class, "Got the Runs?" at our homeschool co-op together!!

 

 

 Sarah - Due to our husbands different working schedules we haven't been able to run together as much as I would like.  But when I think of my running partners you are high on the list!!  I love your energy and excitement for life.  You have the most contagious joy and personality about you.  You are hard working and do so many things I only hope/dream of doing someday!!  I also love to spend time with you and our families getting together!  I know running has had it's own challenges for you but you should be so so proud of what you have accomplished!!  Even when running isn't an option you still find ways to stay active with hiking, walking, riding your bike, etc...!!!  You inspire me in many ways...so thank you for that Sarah!!

 

 

Harmony.....oh my sweet friend of almost 15 years.  I admire you so much.  I wish we were able to run together more often but I am so thankful for every chance I have to come down and have coffee with you (and on a rare occasion run with you!).  I am looking forward to October when we get to run the Astoria bridge together!!  You bring a tremendous amount of laughter and love into my life!!  You are one of the most beautiful people, inside and out!!  So many memories with you that I hold close to my heart!

 

 

Melanie - You are one of those crazy running people I mentioned above!!!  And when I grow up I want to be just like you!!!  You are a precious person with the biggest heart.  Thanks for all your inspiration and the example you set of loving the Lord and putting all your trust in Him, even while walking through some of the hardest and most painful things in the last few years!!  I am blessed immensely by you and your beautiful smile, heart, and personality!!



I am also blessed to have the most amazing and supportive family! 

  

To my sweet husband, who has been a long time runner himself, thank you for all your support, cheering me on, and help watching the girls whenever I go running or have a race!  I look forward to getting to run a race with you one day soon (that is NOT something I would have ever said a year ago!)  I love you so much babe!

 

 

 

To my girls, and future runners of America, I am so thankful for each of you.  You girls rock and I love all of our runs/races we have done and will do together.  I have no doubt you'll be passing me up very soon!!!   I love you so so so so much!

 

 

 

 

To my parents, you have also been such a major support, encouragement, and help with the girls so I can get my runs in!  Thank you for being there to support me at my very first 5k race and then surprising me and showing up to cheer me on as I crossed the finish line of my first half marathon.  Thank you for all the ways you bless my life!!  I love you both tremendously!!

 

 



As I look ahead to the next couple months and the year ahead...it's a busy season.  I already have another few 10k's, one, maybe two, half marathons ahead, and something I never in my life would have imagined I would be doing...a MARATHON.   Wow I am tired just thinking of all that hard work and training ahead of me.  I wouldn't trade it for anything though...running has done so much to improve my life physically, emotionally, mentally, & spiritually.  I have learned how good hard work, dedication, commitment, perseverance, and not backing down even when it gets hard feels like.  It feels GREAT!!  Mostly, I have learned that I like being a part of the "crazy" running crowd...they are some pretty amazing people!!  One year of running down....only 50 more years to go!

Ok time to find some tissue and wipe away all these happy tears!  I feel so incredibly blessed by the people the Lord has put in my life!!

UPDATE:

A photo from the run I took on my one year running anniversary:

(Left to Right) Sandi, Anna, and myself

 

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Homemade hand soap!

Over the past few weeks I have been really inspired to remove toxins from our home.  I am a pretty health conscience person and have strived to purchase products that I thought were the better of my choices.  However things are not always what they appear...and I am reading labels and checking how my products rate on the EWG database, and unfortunately many are not passing the test.

One particular product I wanted to replace and decided to make homemade (if you know me well you know I don't venture into the homemade area very often) was liquid hand soap.

I found a great recipe over at Thank your body blog and decided it was easy enough for a beginner like myself! 

So here are the steps to making your own non-toxic hand soap:

1)  Purchase a castile 5 oz bar of soap in whatever fragrance you prefer (naturally fragranced!).  I chose the Dr. Bronner's classic bar soap.   I found mine on sale for $2.99 at the local health food store so I loaded up on them!  For this recipe I used "Tea Tree Oil" scent.

 

 

2) Depending on how much soap you want you can either cut the bar of soap in half or use whole bar.  A whole bar would fill 8 - 16 ounce liquid soap dispenser.  A half bar would fill 4 - 16 ounce dispensers.

 

 

 

3) Next you grate the bar of soap, the smaller it is the faster they will melt! (make sure your kids don't come along and try eating it thinking it's grated cheese!!)

 

 

 

 

4) Bring either 1 gallon/128 ounces of purified water to a boil (if using a whole bar of soap) or 1/2 gallon/64 ounces (if using 1/2 a bar).

 

 









5) Once it is boiling, take it off the burner and add the full bar of grated soap, and stir until it's all dissolved.  It will have a murky look.

6) Let it sit for 12-24 hours, stirring occasionally!  I let mine sit overnight, from 6pm-6am.  Then I gave it a stir before going on a run.  It was still very liquidy and I thought for sure it hadn't turned out right.  But an hour later when I came back from my run and looked again, it had solidified significantly. 

7) Pour the soap into all 4-8 liquid soap containers, add any essential oils you'd like, and decorate as you please!  I didn't have much to decorate with but took some photo paper and cut to size.   Wrote on with sharpie pens, and glued the backs as well as used ducktape to hold on the paper.   I also wrote the date in small print on the back so I can remember how long they last.

On the EWG database it rates skin care/cosmetics from 0=no toxins to 10=highest level of toxins.  And the household cleaners from A=no toxins to F=highest level of toxins. 

The original hand soap that I had purchased from Trader Joe's cost $3.99 per bottle for a total of $17.33 w/tax for 4 of them and $34.66 if I were to purchase 8 bottles .  The soap included ingredients/toxins such as fragrance/parfum (which you can not give an accurate rating because there can be up to 600 hidden chemicals in that name alone), cocamidopropyl betaine (rates a 4), cocamide DEA (rates a 7), phenoxyethanol (rates a 4), citral (rates a 7), limonene (rates a 6).

The cost to make 8 soap dispenser was $2.99 (plus tax).  I did add some essential oils but already had those so it wasn't any additional cost.  That is approximately $0.41 each!

Last week I shared about the new skin care line I am switching too.  In case you missed my previous post, Ava Anderson Non-Toxic, you can check that out too!  I plan to share more of the things I am replacing as well in the coming weeks! 

I hope to encourage others to stop and take the time to read labels, to be educated and informed on harmful toxins, to see how your products rate on the EWG database, and to do what you can to switch out toxic products for better ones.  Do it for the health of you and your family!  (and remember better for you doesn't always mean you have to pay more...you might be surprised to find you can replace products and save or at least come out even!)


And if you are on Facebook, join me over at A non-toxic lifestyle!

 

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Ava Anderson Non-Toxic

 

Over the past few years I have wanted to find skin care/cosmetic products that are EVEN MORE safe and non-toxic than what I and my family are currently using.  Why?.....

 

Our skin is our largest organ and what you put on your skin (make-up, skin care, deodorant, lotion, shampoo, etc...) goes directly into your bloodstream.  Sadly, in America there are only 9 chemicals banned by the FDA compared to Europe where there are 1,342 ingredients banned.  The FDA does not regulate personal care products and hopes that cosmetic companies will do their due diligence and issue safe products.  In the word "fragrance", companies can legally hide any of 600 ingredients under that one "trade secret" word.  Companies market products as "organic", "pure", "natural", "botanical", and many other catchy words to make us THINK the products are safe to put on....but the reality is most are not 100% free of toxins. 

 

I knew there had to be something out there that was truly free of toxins, but the thought of sorting through the 1000's of products out there felt overwhelming.  Then a few weeks ago, while hanging out at a good friends house, I was introduced to a product line that is truly non-toxic!!  The product line is called "Ava Anderson Non-Toxic".  Ava Anderson is a 19 year old gal from Rhode Island.  She started the company at age 14...you can read her story HERE.  Unlike many skin care/cosmetic companies, you CAN see all the ingredients in every product BOTH on their website and directly on the product containers.  (And you can actually understand what the ingredients are!).

 

 

The Environmental Working Group (EWG) Cosmetic Database rates over 65,000 products for their toxicity levels.  The categories it rates are: overall hazard, cancer, developmental and reproductive toxicity, allergies and immunotoxicity, and use restrictions.  Ava Anderson products all rate at a 0-1 on the cosmetic database website (0=safest and 10=highest level of toxins).  Feel free to see how your skin care/cosmetic products rate on this site.  Be aware though if the word "fragrance" is listed in the ingredients the rating is most likely much higher than what you see, as there is no way to know all the chemicals hidden behind that one word.

 

So what is so great about Ava Anderson products?  All organic ingredients from the earth/essential oils!!!  NON-GMO sourced, NO parabens¸ NO PEGs or SLS, NO synthetic “fragrance” and NO hidden ingredients or contaminants. NO phthalates, NO nitrosamines, NO formaldehyde, NO Glycol, NO Sodium Laureth Sulfate, and NO Petroleum Byproducts and NO animal testing. All products are Gluten free. Most of Ava Skin and Ava Body lines are Vegan. Recyclable packaging too!

 

 

If you are health conscious and care about things like this (and making homemade everything isn't something you have time for), I thought Ava Anderson Non Toxic products may be of interest to you!   And I need to insert in here that I am LOVING the products...very light, fresh, with a delicate and natural scent.  A little goes a long ways too!  They have skin care, cosmetics, sunblock, non-alcoholic hand sanitizer, no deet natural bug spray, pet products, household cleaners, Dish soap/laundry soap, baby products, anti-aging, deodorant, body butter/sugar scrub, 100% coconut oil candles and shampoo/conditioner.

Please take the time to do your research!  What we put on our skin and on our children's skin does matter. 

 

Here is a product review of Ava Anderson products from a naturopathic doctor: http://steveclarknd.com/?page_id=308

 

Here are a few links addressing the issues of toxins for anyone who wants to research this in more detail:

http://www.naturalnews.com/025531.html

http://www.ewg.org/research/teen-girls-body-burden-hormone-altering-cosmetics-chemicals

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dpRi3pbbdWY

http://www.scientificamerican.com/article.cfm?id=how-safe-are-cosmetics

http://www.americanprogress.org/issues/women/report/2009/07/21/6431/reproductive-roulette/

 

 

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Thank you Georgie!

 

This past weekend my family went to Pacific City, Oregon.  My mom had decided that for her 60th birthday she wanted to rent a beach house and have her children and grandchildren all together for the weekend.

I was suppose to run 8 miles this weekend as part of my training plan for the Every Girls Half Marathon.  It can be a challenge though to figure out a route to run in an unfamiliar place.  I did some research  and came up with a plan to run all the way down the beach, which happened to be a peninsula, to where the ocean goes inland into the Nestucca Bay.  It was 4 miles down and 4 miles back.  Perfect!!

The day before we were suppose to leave on our trip, however, I came down with the worst sore throat.  It came on fast and without warning.  I started gargling insanely with my DoTerra Oregano and Onguard oils.  Thankfully by Saturday I was feeling much better and ready to hit the road...or rather, hit the sand!!  But I wasn't sure how far I would actually end up going.

I began my run from the beach house and made my way to the beach and onto the sand.  I told my husband I would probably just run a few miles and meet up with everyone afterwards.  But not too far into my run I was itching to go much further...I sent him a quick text that said, "I'm gonna run 8!"  It was the most incredible feeling running on the beach, especially on such a perfect day!!!

 

The further I ran though, the less and less people I saw.  It was broad daylight out but I tend to veer on the "way to cautious" side and finally I decided I should probably turn around and head back towards civilization.  I checked my RunKeeper and was less than 3 miles into my run.  I figured I would get close to 6 miles in by the time I got back, not bad, but it still wasn't my 8 mile goal. 

 

I turned around to head back, feeling disappointed that I didn't make it to the end of the peninsula, when within a few minutes I saw a female runner coming in my direction!!!  I had a sudden thought...maybe she was going to the end and I could tag along behind her!  I approached her as she got closer and explained I didn't want to run alone but had hoped to run all the way to the Bay and back.  She was more than willing to have me run with her...in fact she went above and beyond and asked if I wanted to run and talk.  We introduced ourselves and began talking and sharing with each other!  Her name is Georgie, a sweet 55 year old gal, married for close to 30 years, with two grown sons!! 

 

Georgie and I (photo taken at the end of our run!)

 

We talked as we ran...we talked about running of course, but also kids, husbands, hardships, etc...when we reached the end of the peninsula we stopped for a few minutes to take in the beautiful scenery!

small canoe sitting along the waters edge of the Nestucca Bay!

The specks down near the water are a bunch of seals!!  And look at the beautiful home overlooking the ocean!

Then we began the 4 mile run back...again talking the entire time.  I was so thankful for the company and how much it helped the run to go by quicker.  By the time we reached our stopping place and I checked my RunKeeper app on my phone...I had run 9.41 miles!!

Georgie, thank you so much for being willing to not only run with me at your side but for being a person who went above and beyond to extend such kindness to me!  I was so blessed by our run.  I love the running community and how two strangers can become instant friends!! 

If you are a runner/walker (or would like to be) feel free to be apart of my running page on Facebook: Isaiah 40:31 - Running Mamas

Happy Running!!!

 

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Good bye health care, hello health share!

 

"Health care, premiums, co-pays, deductibles, benefits, in network, out of network, co-insurance"....this was all foreign language to me a few years ago.  I honestly didn't give a lot of thought into health insurance and how it worked.  But boy have my eyes been open to it within the last year.  Why?  Because there have been so many changes to health care and it's making a huge impact, or should I say indent, in peoples wallets.  I'm still bitter over a $575 stool sample for my daughter...which I had to pay completely out of pocket.  The hospital was "in network" but the lab they use is "out of network".  This, along with some other situations, was a huge wake up call to me...I needed to do my homework and get a clue on how insurance worked.

 I was very naïve about how insurance worked and the reality is I never took the time to read through the information or do my research.  But as time went on, I did start to get smarter with the "game" I had to play for me and my families health coverage.  I learned the importance of making phone calls and asking the right questions.  Phyllis and I were on a first name basis!!  She was the gal I spoke to with our insurance company whenever I had questions....and I had a lot!! 

I shared a few weeks ago about my husband starting a new job, which meant a new health insurance plan.  I was beyond excited to FINALLY have better insurance...but was I ever in for a shock when I realized what our new insurance entailed.  I honestly had no idea how GOOD of insurance we actually had in comparison to the new plan.  All those times I had put down our insurance, griped and complained to others....I would take it all back if we could have that plan again. 

 When we realized having health coverage through my husband's new employer meant a $1200/ monthly premium deducted from his paycheck and a $3500 per person/$7000 per family annual deductible...I wasn't naïve anymore....I knew exactly what this meant for our family.   It meant NO insurance coverage UNLESS we had some catastrophic situation.  It meant paying out thousands upon thousands of dollars to a large corporation...for company bonuses, large executive desks, nice leather chairs and fancy cars.   All my money going into a big massive pot.  I just felt sick inside thinking this was our only option.

But thankfully I put my ability to research to good use, I started talking to people, asking questions and searching out alternative options, which led me to a Christian health share ministry....

Samaritan Ministries

Their slogan caught my attention: "Sick of Insurance? Come join us".  Heck yes I was sick of insurance!

Samaritan Ministries is a Biblical, non-insurance approach to health care needs.  With the verse Galatians 6:2 as their example, “Bear one another’s burdens and so fulfill the law of Christ.”

So how exactly does this non-insurance program work?  Here is an explanation from their website:

Each member commits to sending a set “Share” amount each month. These “Shares” are sent directly through the mail from one household to another, to the members with “Needs”. Samaritan Ministries uses a database that randomly matches Shares to Needs, so that the Sharing is coordinated and Shares go to the appropriate members with Needs.

Here’s how the Need Process works in a little more detail:

Samaritan Ministries publishes a monthly newsletter mailing that reports the total Shares and Needs and includes an individualized Share Notice for each member household. The Share Notice tells each household how to pray for a specific member with a Need and what his address is, so the Share can be sent to him. Typically less than 10 percent of the members have a Need in a given month and are receiving Shares."

When a member has a health care “Need” he receives health care treatment from a provider of his choice, collects the bills, and sends them to Samaritan Ministries. Samaritan Ministries verifies that the Need meets the Guidelines. Then, in the monthly newsletter mailing, Samaritan Ministries directs some members to send their Shares to the member with the Need. The member with the need receives the shares to pay his health care bills.

With more than 24,000 member households participating in the ministry, there is about $6.5 million available each month to meet health care needs.  How exciting to know my money is going directly to families in need...I will be writing my monthly check with a huge smile!! 

Membership Type      Monthly Share

Singles                          $165
Couples                         $315
Single-Parent Family    $230
Two-Parent Family       $370

A few additional things to know:

· 11 months out of the year you pay your monthly "share" amount, which in our case is $370, to a different family each month who has medical needs.  In addition to sending a check, you can include a card with verses, prayers, or words of encouragement. 

· The remaining month (your renewal month) you send your "share" amount to the home office to help with administrative fees/costs. (When you first join you send your share to the home office your first 2-3 months of being a member and then the 11/1 plan goes into effect).

· There is a one time, $200 membership fee, which also helps at the administrative level.  

· Medical expenses must be greater than $300 to be considered a "burden" that are publishable.

· You must have your pastor or a person you are accountable to, sign the form, acknowledging that you attend church regularly and abstain from things that are not honoring to the Lord.

· Any discounts, write-offs, deductions that you are able to receive due to being non-insured and paying out of pocket all get applied toward your first $300 responsibility.  For example, you have a visit to the ER which results in a $1200 bill.  You negotiate with the hospital and they give you a $200 discount.  That $200 gets applied toward your $300 you have to pay out of pocket.  Now you only have to pay $100 out of pocket and the remaining $900 is eligible for other members to help pay.

· If you have 4 or more eligible medical expenses in a year, then even the first $300 is able to be covered by other members. 

· There are some obvious things that are not eligible for sharing: abortions, cosmetic surgeries like a breast reduction or implants, as well as preexisting diseases or illnesses.
 

· When you have a medical need, you are given a check-off list of those you should be receiving a check from.  This is how they keep track and keep everyone accountable to their monthly "share".  So if you are not doing your part of giving, you will not get to be on the receiving end when you have medical expenses.

· There is a $250,000 per incident, per person maximum unless you choose to participate in the Save to Share program.  In that case you set aside a specific dollar amount per year, for a family that is $399.   When others who are apart of this program have medical expenses that surpass the $250,000 limit you are called upon to help them out and vice versa if you are in need.

 

You can learn more on their website or by requesting an information packet!  www.samaritanministries.org 

They offer a great referral system so if you do your research and discover Samaritans Ministries to be a good fit for your family... I would be so appreciative if you would let them know Andrea Webb sent you!!

 

No matter what your family chooses for health care, make sure you know and understand how it works.  What is your monthly premium?  What is your individual/family deductible amount?  Typically you must pay the entire deductible BEFORE your insurance will pay anything out towards medical expenses.  Make sure you know who is "in network" for doctors, clinics, and labs...otherwise you will be paying out a whole lot more.  Don't be afraid to call your insurance company and ask questions, in advance, if possible.  Don't ever assume! 

 

I look forward to sharing more along the way about our experiences with Samaritan Ministries!!  



 

 

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Two empty seats

As I sat in church today, I was very aware of two empty seats next to me.  Of course there were other empty seats throughout the church...but I was hopeful that the seats next to me would be occupied by someone.  Yet they sat empty the entire service.  Several times throughout the church service I found myself turning to glance toward the back of the room...maybe, just maybe they'd come. 

 

All of this got me thinking about church.  What's the big deal with it anyway?  Why do I care so much that those 2 chairs not remain empty.  I am such an advocate for Christians being apart of a bigger family of believers for many reasons and wanted to share some things on my heart.

As I child my mom took us every week to church.  I can still remember certain Sunday school teachers, specific songs, memorizing bible verses, the church Christmas play, the annual church pie auction, and as I got older, weekly youth group, summer camps, ski trips, and beach retreats.  In fact I gave my heart to the Lord, at age 13, during a youth summer camp.  I went as a newborn baby, a young elementary child, a pip squeak junior higher, a grungy dressing high school student, a busy college student, a single adult, a married person, and now as a mother who takes her own children to church.

No matter how busy my life was or is, church has always been an absolute priority!  Why?  Because I know it's a small sacrifice that reaps huge rewards.  There has been tremendous blessing in my life, my marriage, and my children's lives as a result.  It's brought greater growth in my walk with the Lord, positive fellowship, & powerful corporate worship.  It's an atmosphere for encouragement, repentance, being refueled, equipped, challenged, accountability and blessing!  

 

 

Going to church is not a religious act.  It's not just something I do so I can check it off my to-do list.  It's not about a big building, fancy programs, or putting on the appearance that you're completely put together.  Church is made up of people who don't have it all figured out, who each have their own struggles, who have imperfections, difficult challenges, kids who misbehave, and arguments with their spouses.  It's filled with old and young, rich and poor, single, married, and divorced.  There are those sitting in the chairs who have walked with the Lord for a very long time while others sit there just beginning their journey of faith. 

 

I've known people to view church as a place full of hypocrites who cast judgement...no doubt there are those who get caught up in being "religious" which brings with it condemnation, judgment, and an "I'm better than you" attitude.  But this is no different then the Pharisees Jesus encountered during his life here on earth.  It's also no different than attitudes you may encounter in your high school, your work place, or even going to the mall.  Those actions and attitudes are there whether someone claims to be a Christian or not.  It spreads across the entire race of humanity since the beginning when sin entered this world...that need to exalt ourselves, being full of pride, arrogance, and casting judgment...but when God truly grabs ahold of a persons life in a real way...watch out!!!

 

 

Bottom line....church is about individuals gathering together, no matter their gender, race, social status, job status, or income...why?  Because they are all in need of a savior.  Church is filled with sinners saved by God's grace....those who have come to experience forgiveness and who put their trust and hope in their creator.  Church is about the strengthening of our relationship both with God and with people!!  It's about sacrificing our plans, our time, and our agenda before the Lord.  It's a way of life, a habit, a discipline, a priority.  It's about giving of our time, talents, gifting's, and callings on our life to impact the lives of others.  It's about the different parts of the body of Christ coming together in order to be effective for God's Kingdom.  We are part of something so much bigger than just our local church.   

 

 

 

So what is to be done about those empty seats?  Or those loved ones who continue to not walk in the doors?   Don't give up!  Trust them over to the Lord.  Keep on praying that those empty seats are one day occupied!

 

And if you are reading this and you currently are not attending church...perhaps you are the one someone else has invited...I encourage you to go check church out for yourself.  You will be so blessed if you do!  Don't choose based on the nicest church, the biggest building, or the most popular...base it on 1) how welcome you feel, 2) how people take the time to notice you and introduce themselves 3) A pastor who speaks the truth of scripture at your level and in very relatable way!! 4) A church body who will invite you in and accept you just as you are! 5) A church that loves kids and it is evident!  6) A church who will support and encourage you in building a strong and healthy marriage.  7) A church who cares about it's community.  8) A church with worship that edifies your soul and moves you closer to the Lord.  9) A church who believes in the importance of fellowshipping and spending time with each other outside of a Sunday service. 10) and most importantly, a church that shares weekly the gospel message of Jesus and gives people the opportunity to repent from sin and accept Him into their hearts!!

 

 

 

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