Never Give Up

We have a boy in our youth group who is autistic. I believe he is in 9th grade because this is his first year coming to youth. At the beginning of the year, it was rough- He has a problem cussing and saying inappropriate things, walking around during service bumping into people and chairs, and honestly just being very distracting. Alot of people don't really know much about autisum (I, for one) and I could tell it was very distracting to most of the kids. BUT, over this past year, I have begun to see a change. (And props to my husband for being so patient, working with him, and really looking out for him). The other night in worship, this boy actually stood next to me the entire time (which is a big accomplishment anyways), was still, sang the songs, and even raised his hands up to worship!!! I was blown away! Then on Sunday morning, he went down to the altar to ask for prayer for rededication/salvation! You might not think this is a big deal-- but I am so encouraged!! It just proves to me that we serve such an amazing and awesome God that loves EVERY SINGLE person and will never give up on us! Just because we think somebody is "different" than us, that they aren't the allowed to share in the glory of heaven. It takes you out of your Christian box and stretches you to think and be more faithful in sharing the gospel. That right there is enough to make me smile for a long time:-)



Disclaimer: For anybody reading this from Cornerstone, please know that I am not trying to point out/gossip about this person. I am simply sharing about the miracle I see transforming in someone!

A League of their Own

For the past couple of seasons, I have had the pleasure to sit on the sidelines and cheer Adam on in his softball games. Being the competetive person that I am, while supportive:-), I always wanted to get in there and play. So this is my year! We officially joined the Cornerstone Coed softball team. And let me tell you, it is a sight to see. The team is diverse to say the least: We've got men that are really good and are just playing because their wives convinced them (i.e. Adam), girls that are have trouble making any kind of connection with the ball, and then some in-between. We play on Friday nights and so it makes it like a fun date night for the weekend. Everyone is really laid back and since we're playing in a church league, it's mostly a friendly atmosphere. One thing we have realized, however, is the fact that our coaches are sticklers for the rules:-) We play back-to-back games and since we were late signing up for the season, we had to sit out the first game. Then, Adam forgot his glove the 2nd week and they made him sit out out the first game as well. It's definitely been a humbling experience:-) Not to mention the fact that I pulled a very large muscle last week running to 1st base (Nothing will make you feel older, huh?) But it's been great and we've had the opportunity to also meet people that we have never met from the church before. I'm having a blast and I would attach pictures if I had them. Mental picture: Our shirts are teal:-)

Marley and Me

So I think everyone knows by now that Adam and I are on the dog hunt. We know that we want some sort of an athletic dog, specifically a lab or labradoodle. Well my good friend Hannah told me that we needed to rent Marley & Me because it was about the story of a young couple chronicling their life with their labrador (Marley). Well, after crying my eyes out for the last 45 minutes of the movie, I'm not sure if I even want a dog anymore:-( This movie had the complete opposite effect of a feel-good movie for me! And we were even watching precious Ellie (the Franco's chocolate lab) that night. Basically, I don't do well when pets get old in age. (Don't even get me started on the movie Homeward Bound!!) In fact, I don't like watching movies when people get older either. I always end up relating the pet/person to someone important in my life and then thinking about how sad it will be when they'll pass away. Does anybody else ever feel like this or am I completely morbid??? So by the time Marley was going to the vet for the 2nd time, my brain and my eyes had had enough and I wasn't even sure that I wanted a dog anymore. Then, as if I wasn't depressing me or my husband enough, I got on my where-are-we-going-to-live-when-we-get-older/am-i-going-to-have-to-work-all-my-life/i'm-terrified--to-have-children spill. Adam definitely thought I was crazy and probably just wanted me to go to bed. I really did think it was a cute movie, but I think it just had waaaayyyy too much of a personal impact on me. Give me a week or so, though, and hopefully I'll be back to my dog-hunting:-)