Operation Freedom!!!!!!

I had so much fun Friday night! We had about 55 teenagers particpate in this CRAZY event. I wish my own little brother who is 16 could have been here. You would have loved it Brad! Anyways, we had 6 teams that had to find their Gnome who was hidden somewhere in the city and then we had "tasks" that we had to do with our gnome. Such as...have our gnome buy Pastor Jeff spicy pork rhines and cream soda and take it to him and then have him pray the prayer of salvation over our gnome. It was hilarious. I can't wait to watch the videos of every team. My team I have to stay was so awesome! We got our extra 1000 points because we had our entire team at church this morning sitting together with our gnome. My team consisted of me, Courtney, Torbett, Emile, Bryan, Bob, Michael, Jon, Coury, Philip, Trevor, Martin, and geez....who else....I know I may be forgetting someone but we had a blast! I actually ran and not because it was for my life or anything...but because I was so excited! I hate it if you missed out. I can't wait to do it again!!

I know it sounds like a cliche...but God is so good!

He really is just so good. Even the stuff that happens and the times we are let down and we wonder where He is or what in the world He is doing...even then He is just so good. What a relief to know that His plans are for our good, they are to prosper us and not to harm us. I am just so excited to be here in Sallisaw and at Journey Church. I LOVE my city and I really LOVE my church. I feel like for the first time in mine and Matt's marriage of a little over six years, that we are exactly where we are supposed to be and I just feel at home. I mean I wish our families were closer, because we want to share this part of our life with them so badly. But, man God is just so good. We truly have the best youth in our youth group and the absolute most wonderful people I have ever had the privledge to know go to our church. I am not meaning to toot the churches horn...but rather to toot God's horn. He is just so sweet and caring. He not only takes care of the big stuff, but He even cars about all the littel details too! ~J

Proverb of the day

Trusting in the Lord.....hmmm....sometimes that isn't so easy. When I first completely surrendered my life to Jesus, Proverbs 3:5-6 was the first scripture I memorized. More like lived by and clung on to. I was so unsure and so completely sort of dumbfounded that God really did love me and that He wanted good things for my life. I had such a horrible opinion of myself and had been hurt by "people" that I trusted so badly that it was very difficult to trust in God. Which brings me back to....trusting in the Lord....what does that mean? How do you do that? How do you trust in what you can't physically see or hear? But in the same way you learn to trust that when you open your mouth or your nostrils that oxygen will enter and you will continue to live until the next breath you take until eventually you don't even think about taking in the next breath...you just do because you know it will be there. That is sort of the same with me and the Lord. Sure there are times when I am like..."Ok, God what are you doing? What are your plans?" But amazingly...He always provides for me and leads me on into the next step with the security of knowing that He and I have a great relationship. It is a process...trust...but it is so worth working on and getting. Life is just better when you trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. If in all your ways, you acknowledge Him...He will make your paths straight! What a great promise.

What a Great Message.....

Matt preached last night on purity and I was so blown away by how he let his heart really come through and speak. It is so vital ecspecially these days that we keep the junk out because it is so easy to let it in and then it just piles up and starts to stink. So way to help take out the trash Matt. You didn't know you were good at that at somewhere else besides home! Anyway, the message has spoke to me and I just pray that I will constantly keep the junk out and the Jesus in. I just encourage everyone who ever reads this to remember that the word is what will keep you from sinning...so stay in it....just read a little here and there to start out with...I am telling you it works. Matthew or even James is a great place to start. Most of all just pray and ask God to help you be pure and remain pure and keep the nasty "crap" of the world out of you. Praise God for such an awesome Youth Pastor who I KNOW loves Jesus with every thing in him and absolutely would do anything to see young people living for Jesus, because really it is the only way to true life!