Peacemaker

Being a peacemaker is hard work. Downplaying others faults and really looking at your own, not getting defensive, doing what's best for the other person. I know it's worth it in the end, but this is really hard.

My dad ... the pirate?

For over a week now my dad has been seeing double, which makes him nauseous and gives him a really bad headache. The doctor said that he has what is called "Fourth Nerve Paralysis" which means that the coating of the fourth nerve that goes to his eye has unraveled. It will ravel itself back up and he'll be fine in 6 - 8 weeks, but until then there's nothing they can do about it. To help with the double vision my dad has been wearing a patch over his right eye (thus the pirate reference in the title). The patch seems to be helping, but he's still in a lot of pain and can't move around too much without feeling sick to his stomach.

Foving Murniture

That's right - Foving Murniture. It's what we've been doing at my house for awhile now ... rearranging and cleaning out the basement. It's been interesting to get rid of stuff that has been sitting in the basement of whatever house we lived in since I was a little girl (which is why we're getting rid of it - some of it hadn't been used in over 20 years!), but it's been really good. My mom and I have had some great laughs and lots of almost accidents!

PS. foving murniture in my household is the equivalent to moving furniture in anyone else's house. We just don't like using normal terms. :)

Slacking blogger ...

As you can probably tell ... I enjoy decorating my blog more than I enjoy writing in it. I have to admit that I just don't make the time to blog. And when time to blog falls into my lap I'm rarely in the mood to use it. It's sad really, a place on the internet where I can freely (meaning without having to worry about being persecuted and also not having to spend money) express myself and talk about my life and my observations and I don't even utilize it.

Hacked

My e-mail and facebook were hacked into a few days ago. I don't know who did it or how, I just know that my passwords were changed and the messages in my facebook inbox were read. I got rid of both accounts and made new ones. My new e-mail address is chrissiefaith@live.com and my new facebook account says Christine FAITH Salliby. The old facebook account is still up (they say it will take some time for it to be completely gone) so look for the account with my middle name - that's the correct one. Thanks.

a moment

I had one of those moments on Wednesday night when everything felt right. I was sitting in the youth chapel listening to Nicole read aloud a verse in Ephesians. The air was slightly chilly from the air conditioner, but still somehow comfortable. The sun was just setting outside. And for some reason I felt at peace, as if everything was exactly how it should be. It was a really great moment.

Small Groups

For the last four weeks Pastor Darryl has been breaking us up into small groups on Wednesday nights. We've been working on the Beattitudes and every week he gives us verses to read and questions to answer as a group. It's a great way to learn!! It keeps everyone involved and gives us all a chance to get to know each other better. Plus, it gets people to open their Bibles.

Look! People reading their Bibles!!

Introducing Pastor Darryl and Bobbie-Jo Riehle ...

Our official new youth pastors!!

It was so bittersweet to have Pastor Darryl and Bobbie-Jo announce themselves officially two Wednesdays ago. Sweet because it's so great to have them and it's so obvious that they are striving to do what God wants for the church and youth. Bitter because they are a reminder of what used to be and the people that we all still miss terribly.

Having a new youth pastor is like saying that the era of Jake and Amy is over. We've moved on. But that's not really true - we haven't fully moved on and the Marshall family will always have a special place in our hearts because of all the times we spent with them. But it is time to start fresh. To have a new family to get to know and love and cherish. To once again have a godly couple giving us instruction and guidance. God is going to work mightily through Pastor Darryl and Bobbie-Jo and I can't wait to see what He has in store.

So thank you Amy for all the work you put into us and all of the love that you continue to shower on us. I love you so much and I pray that we will always remain in contact and be part of each others lives. And welcome Pastor Darryl and Bobbie-Jo. We're so grateful to have you! Please forgive us for the many times we say, "That's how Jake did it. " and "Well, Amy did it this way." We're just trying to help. :)

Sorry ...

Clearly I haven't posted in a long time. Don't worry. I've got lots of things to talk about now. :)

District Fine Arts Festival

This past Saturday was the SNED Fine Arts Festival. 7 LAOG students had been invited to and participated in the District level this year: James DeFilippo, Lauren Jackson, Teddi Lappas, Joe Lustig, Matt Maguy, Mack Rogers and Phil Thibodeau. James and Joe did keyboard solos, Phil did a percussion solo, Lauren did a visual art piece and Teddi, Joe, Matt, Mack and Phil did a human video. I was so proud of all of them!!!

The instrumental solos that Joe, James and Phil did were all impressive. It was so interesting to watch them play and to see their passion for their instrument. I didn't get to see Lauren's visual art, but I heard it was really good. I hope to be able to see it sometime soon. The human video was really, really good. They used the song "Here I Go Again" by Casting Crowns to portray a man that is trying to tell his friend the truth about Christ but is held back by fear and distraction. Mack Rogers wrote it and the team helped him change a few things around - it was a very powerful drama. It was so good to see the students step up and put themselves out there in an effort to better their ministry for the glory of God.

Fine Arts has always been a big part of my life and this Saturday brought back a lot of memories. Districts has been held at the same church for awhile now and as I watched the performances I remembered performing in those exact same spots. I remembered walking through those halls and sitting in that sanctuary. I remembered when the fireplace room and the lighthouse chapel were difficult to find. But mostly I remembered the people that I shared those days with. People that have helped make me who I am today. Though the memories are bittersweet in many ways, they are all treasured and I wouldn't trade them for anything.

P.S. James, Phil and Lauren were invited to Nationals. Congrats guys!!