Becoming the Crown Jewel Conference 2009

BCJ '09 was amazing as always. Becoming the Crown Jewel is a local girls conference that was begun with the desire to show girls that they belong to the King and that they are His Princess'. This was my third year attending the conference and it was such an amazing time as always! We study three topics during the weekend: Royalty, Purity & Loyalty. This year our main focus was on GRACE. Christ extends us Grace each day, we also talked about our salvation and the speakers focused on reminding us that being 99.9% sure that we were saved really wasn't enough. We needed to be 100% sure that we were truly saved. Throughout the entire amazing weekend the best part was finding out on Sunday morning that 6 girls...yes 6 girls were welcomed into the kingdom of Christ! Yes, we have 6 New Sisters in Christ!


Brandy, Emily & me

The Mojo Princess' (Stephanie, Stacy, Victoria & Sarah)

Brandy, Emily & Me (My little sisters)

New Orleans Mission Trip

Mission Trip to New Orleans...was AMAZING. A 13 hour ride there and home didn't phase us. We were there to serve God and help the people of the First Baptist Church of Chalmette, LA. We were able to continue the progress of so many that have come before us and it was AMAZING to see how many churches and groups had come for the common purpose of helping this church finish the structure so they could have a place to meet. Wednesday night we had the privledge of worshipping in their sanctuary for the first time since Hurrican Katrina hit. It was such an honor to be able to sit in that dusty,unfinished sanctuary and see the God being praised all around us! It was an experience i won't soon forget! While approx. 40 of our students were in New Orleans our other students were at church on Wednesday night. During the service back home our students prayed for us that were on this mission...1 hour later we had a student accept Christ on our mission trip! We came home with a New Brother in Christ!!!

We do serve an amazing God! He is deserving of all of our Honor, Praise & Glory!

Behind all of these people is the First Baptist Church of New Orleans. Two years before Hurricane Katrina hit this church located from downtown to the present location of this building. One day the architect came to the pastor and told the pastor that he had been praying and felt led ask the pastor to raise $20,000 more dollars to raise the foundation of the building, for if they raised the foundation and the damns ever broke then they church wouldn't flood. The church raised $20,000 more dollars and raised the foundation of the building. Two years later Hurricane Katrina hit and the First Baptist Church of New Orleans was the only structure that did not flood! They were able to house disaster relief, red cross, and other disaster crews. Had the church hadn't prayed & that church hadn't had the arcitect they would have had to go 20 miles out to find a structure that hadn't been flooded.

Katlynn, Me, Brandy & Lauren

My Group in New Orleans

The Family of Christ! :)

Some of my room (Macy, Brandy, Sarah, Me & Des)

Me & Brandy hanging tiles.

Easter 2009

Update: Heres the pictures i promised & what a bittersweet moment it was! The 6 of us && oh how i pray this picture continues to grow & grow:)

Gabby assisting in the baptism of her step-dad

Gabby assisting in the baptism of her mom

One year ago this is what was happening...

Easter Sunday 2008...my best friend & I had just gone intot he baptism pool with these 2 new sisters in Christ.
Me assisting in the baptism of Gabby Lory.

Lauren assisting in the baptism of Kiersten Close.

Tomorrow same time as one year ago, Gabby will be stepping back into that same baptism pool to assist in the baptism of her mom and step-dad.

What an awesome God we serve?!

"The Living Word" Drama....FYI I serve an AMAZING GOD!

Tonight was the first night of a drama produced by my best friend, it was performed by the youth drama team, childrens choir and adult choir. I just want to first and foremost say. I serve THE God of the universe b/c of WHO He is to me! He didn't have to but he chose to die upon a cross for me! So anyways. for months we have all been preparing for a night that we were praying would change out lives and the lives of others around us...So Sunday we stayed after church and worked from 12:30 til like 5:30 then we went out to eat! We had a blast while all along working for the kingdom of God! Mondays forcast said it was supposed to rain, theni t rained on Tuesday night then Wednesday morning...all the time we kep praying for the rains to stop so that we could put on our drama with little problems. So it was 80% chance of rain on Tuesday morning but Wednesday morning the chance dropped to 30% ... i did a dance in my kitchen b/c i was so happy! Anyways...So lets call that prayer answer number 1. We set up 197 chairs for people to sit in (we normally average around 120) and prayed that we would fill all of the chairs. We did &&& brought out all of the chairs that would fit...266 chairs!!! with approx. 275+ people there! Lets says that answered prayer number 2. We held an invitation time during the first song no one stood up i was just in shock about how you could see something like that and not be moved...we were praying for lives to be radically changed...so my best friend radioed and said stephanie i'm coming down...with me waling down one isle and her down the other we met at the front & met Jesus there. She poured out her heart...it wasn't jsut a drama to us. It was the real life that Christ went through for each of us. He did it for you and for me. It was AMAZING to sit at his feet tonight & know that He WAS there! Lets say that was answered prayer number 3!I'm sure their are so many answered prayers that i didn't even accnowledge & i pray that their were lives that i have yet to find out about...i pray that is the case! If ANYONE knows anyone of a decision that was made tonight. Please let us know! We want to rejoice with you. One last thing. Satan was there tonight...But GOD WILL REIGN FOREVER! A choir memeber relayed to me afteward that during the Hallelujah Chorus song the tape kep restarting itself (for those of you in music you know that doesn't just happen) he finally had to unplug the machine to get it to play. CHRIST WILL ALWAYS HAVE VICTORY OVER DEATH! NOTHING CAN STOP HIM! Thank you God. Thank you for being there tonight with us. Thank you for the sacrifce that you made. we would be nothing without you, we couldn't have done this drama without your provision and help. We give you ALL of the Honor, Praise and Glory from tonight. We praise your name! Thank you Lord.Amen

My Life Lately...

"Stephanie, hey are you saved?" "Yea." "Well you seem like it." Yep thats the converstaion that happened between me and a girl in my class today.
God. Thats the one word that describes my life. Hes what keeps me going and keeps me motivated to continue to do the work that Hes called me to do. Hes been teaching me a lot about His people and how the best way to reach them is to love them first and foremost. When we love and accept people they are more inclined to listen to what we have to say about our relationship with Christ. Brandon Heath's song Give me your eyes has become my prayer when it comes to being in the world without being of the world.
Looked down from a broken sky
Traced out by the city lights
My world from a mile high
Best seat in the house tonight
Touched down on the cold black top
Hold on for the sudden stop
Breath in the familiar shock
Of confusion and chaos
All those people going somewhere,
Why have I never cared?
Chorus:Give me your eyes for just one second
Give me your eyes so I can see
Everything that I keep missing
Give me your love for humanity
Give me your arms for the broken hearted
Ones that are far beyond my reach.
Give me your heart for the ones forgotten
Give me your eyes so I can seeYeahYeah
Step out on a busy streetS
ee a girl and our eyes meet
Does her best to smile at meTo hide what's underneath
There's a man just to her right
Black suit and a bright red tie
Too ashamed to tell his wife
He's out of workHe's buying time
All those people going somewhere
Why have I never cared?
ChorusI've Been there a million times
A couple of million eyesJ
ust moving past me by
I swear I never thought that I was wrong
Well I want a second glance
So give me a second chance
To see the way you see the people all along

This song has become my prayer that I would learn how to see people through the eyes of Christ. And honestly its working...when we choose to look through the eyes of Christ we see who they are not the mistakes that they've made.

A few weeks ago we had a special family with us refered to as The Hitch Family. What an inspirational family but whats most inspirational is that they don't want to be looked upon as the 'perfect' family they just want to be the gateway for some people to hear the message of Christ. I had the opportunity to visit and talk with this family while they were down and have had the privledge to pray for Mrs. Kathy and Sterling as they have been in Haiti this past week (and will be coming home late tomorrow night). I Never underestimate the power of prayer nor do I hold prayer lightly. I believe that Prayer CAN and DOES change things! When we take time to talk to God he does listen to us!

Prayer is the one place that you can say anything you want to our God. He is my Best Friend the one who knows all about me and for that i am thankful. At church lately I have had the opportunity to get to know and talk to people whom I normally would have no interactions with. A few weeks ago I was asked the question why I would choose to begin a friendship with someone. And honestly all i could say was that it was all God not on my own will could i ever choose to love and accept people the way that I can when he's prompting me and telling me too. Isaiah 6: 8 says, " Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying, Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me." My passion in life is to go as He leads and calls and I'm so excited that He is there accepting me each day as I fail, picking me up, dusting me off and using me.

I'm so excited about the ways that God is using me and the ways that I am able to serve Him and to encourage others along the way. I LOVE to encourage others and pray for others I feel it is so important! Encouragement is what I feel like God has put me here for at this time and i'm excited about what He is calling me to do in the future. God is my life & my first love.

Any thoughts??? Share what God is doing in your life too! I'd love to hear about it!

'Singles Awareness Day' or 'Celebration of the gift of singleness'?

Tomorrow is Valentines Day or as many refer to it as 'Singles Awareness Day'
In 1 Timothy 4:12 it says, "Do not let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example to the believers in life, love, speech, faith and purity.
So my question is why does my generation think that it is so wrong to be single. Why must they always have a boyfriend or girlfriend. I believe that their is one man for me...hes out there i have no doubt. Gods promised me that. But i've committed that during these years that i'm single...i'm going to live my fullest for Him. When we are single we dont have a family or responsibilties that we will one day have when God puts pairs us with that special woman or man. My husband and i won't be able to pick up and do missions when we have a family without considering what is best for our family. During our single years we should set that example that is stated in Timothy...Timothy was a young man but he was an example to so many. We should desire to set the example to others...why do we sit on Valentines Day and feel sorry for ourselves. God has given us the gift, Yes, singleness is a gift from God...but like every gift we have a choice....we can choose to sulk through every Valentines Day feeling sorry for ourselves or we can Celebrate the gift that God has given us in singleness to use these years reaching others for his kingdom. We are at a special time in our lives that we are only blessed with for a little while. How will you choose to spend your single years? so this Valentines Day will you sulk about being single or will you embrace the gift from your Heavenly Father....

Lord,
Thank you for these single years. I pray for my future husband may he embrace his single years as a gift from you and use them for your glory. May you continue to bless these single years for me so that i can love others...so that one day when you bring my husband to me their are no regrets that my single years were used for your glory.
Amen

ANY THOUGHTS?

How would your church be described?

exciting, welcoming, awesome, growing, amazing, accepting, fun way to teach God, loving (like if someones in a crisis we all ull together to help them), family, awesome, driven...driven to stretch the bounds of traditions in order to reach more lost, amazing, striving...we are striving to be the body of Christ, awesome, craziness, caotic, growing, mission-minded, family, awesome!, community, caring, busy, my everthing, rockin, drama, drama central these are some words that youth and adults alike used to describe First Baptist Church of Springfield. 1 Corinthians 6:19--tells us that each indivisual believer is the temple of God. We are the church. So the questions should really be are we exciting, welcoming, awesome, amazing, accepting, drivne, family, craziness, growing, busy, caring, mission-minded, drama, community. Are we the things that we describe the church. WE ARE THE CHURCH. Hebrews 10:24-25 says, "Let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in hte habit of doing, but let us encourage one another" We are the body of Christ and should be striving to be what these people say the church is. When we walk the halls of our schools, work places, or even walmart people should be able to tell that we are different...can people tell we are growing in our realtionship, that we are caring, striving to make a difference, mission-minded, awesome, family, community? Can people tell these things. Someone asked me 'Stephanie so whats your word to describe our church? upon responding she said yea...but only some are. My challenge is that we ALL are!
Christ calls us to love others. How many of us have reached out to someone here at church whom we've never seen in church before? or told someone that it was good to see them? How many of us are so bold to proclaim the LOVE & HOPE of CHrist to our unsaved friends? I wonder if you ask your unsaved friends at school or work or even at walmart what would their answers be? would their answers be growing, awesome, welcoming, accepting, community, family, driven, striving, amazing, loving? or would their answers be unforgiving, condeming, hypocritical, 2-faced, judgmental, negative, or hurtful?
My prayer is that we realize whereever we may go whatever we may do that we will be the light of Christ...when people are asked about the church may they be able to say that we are what Christ is callingus to be...loving, accepting, forgiving, and actively sharing His Love & Hope with others around us.

We aren't perfect people but we do serve a Perfect God who wants to use us.