Nanny McPhee

Here's the thing...I'm about 36 weeks pregnant with twins and yet I can still see my feet! I'm not married which may make you question?! Well, I am not literally pregnant, but I am going to have twins very soon! Nope, not adopting....especially since I am only 26 and could never even afford one...much less two!  I am going to attempt to be a full-time nanny! I won't have an annoying laugh, but you can call me Fran if you'd like! To prepare myself, the parents (my new employers) have given me a book to read. They enjoyed it and now I am enjoying it as well. It is called, "The Happiest Baby on the Block." It's actually a pretty decent book! Plus, the baby on the front is really cute! :) Anyway, it is starting to sink in. I am going to be taking care of twins 5 days a week! I do get to go on great vacations, though! We are all going to Italy in 2 years (if they keep me) for 2 weeks!!! Okay, I'm getting off topic. I don't have much else to say except....BRING IT ON...and not cheerleading style either!!

Pandemonium

I accomplished a lot tonight. More than I ever thought I could in one night after work! I cleaned (as in swept, sanitized the entire bathroom, dusted, vacuumed, etc), cooked (which is something I rarely do!), baked cookies, did laundry, and set up my new DVD player! Okay, the only big deal here is the cooking part. I don't cook! Don't get me wrong, though, I can whip up a mean bowl of cereal, an awesome grilled cheese (just ask Kattie), and even some great pancakes! Tonight I made something random! It involved meat, vegetables, and for the random part....cream of broccoli soup. To me, that's random! I'm not too creative in the kitchen, but I was proud! I didn't use a recipe! Nope, just my ideas! Anyway, it actually tasted pretty good! I was impressed! I would have preferred a bowl of cereal with sliced banana instead, but oh well! 

Not exactly pandemonium....but I like that word! :)

Paramedics please...

Life has been crazy lately. I've been super busy, and I love it! Well, for the most part. I've been playing a lot of softball. It's been pretty great! I love my team, the sport, and the exercise that goes along with it. You can't beat that! Last night's softball game went a little different than usual. For the good news...I hit a "home run" and got 3 people home not including myself. Bad news, I supposedly didn't touch first base and I was out! Not cool! I totally touched first base! Later, I was on second base and definitely in the moment of the game! I twisted my knee and fell to the ground in a lot of pain! Okay, I have felt pain like that before but never as instant as it was last night. I was carried off the field but eventually was able to get back on my feet. My knee hurts pretty bad today, but definitely bearable! After all that, we won!!!!

Impossible Sadness?

As I think to myself, talk to God, and have conversations with people, I have started to realize that it's impossible for me to be sad right now (not prior to this post). Maybe I am stretching my imagination a little bit, but I believe that's where I am with all the changes that are occurring. I feel as though, there is no way for me to be sad. Maybe it's the fact that reality hasn't had a chance to fully sink in. If that's the case, I'll let you know in a couple of weeks if this post was a lie. It's from the heart, though. As much as I will miss Catalyst Church and everything/everyone that came with it, I'm happy. I honestly just realized that tonight.

I like to think that our lives are just a bunch of chapters. If I were to take a second to look back a few chapters, I would see how good God has been to me. Despite all the "bad" stuff that might have happened, something better has always come. God has always been on my side (and yours), and He always wants what is best for me (and you). I keep thinking how funny it will be a year from now, to look back on this chapter and be able to smile. Smile as we think of all the good things that came after the storm. 

I look at my life as a book that started out bad, and will end with the best ending no novelist can think up...except my God. All the in between stuff, that's just the road we must take to get to the "good stuff!" Huh....reminds me of a Kenny Chesney song, The Good Stuff. Okay, maybe not! 

Fun in the...OFFICE

I spend 7.5 hours a day at work. I think we all deserve a little playtime! You can't sit around and just work all day...that's the craziest thing I've ever heard! So, here at the office we like to play pranks. A couple that I have done are: page yourself over the intercom...to call your own extension, call someone in the office and say, "Hi ____! This is Jennifer. I just called to tell you I can't talk right now. Bye.", and my favorite one....hang toilet paper out of your pants (of course it needs to look used) and walk around. I did the TP prank on my boss. I went in to talk about work and when I turned to leave she noticed the TP. She hesitated to tell me and all I could do was bust out laughing! Great day in the office!

That was a few weeks ago. Today is a little slow in the office so we decided to do more pranks. A girl googled "office dares" and found - make 15 copies of a paperclip, put it back in the copier so that when someone makes copies there is a paperclip in the middle of the page. Well, we did that this afternoon. Someone went to the copier so I of course gathered my "posse" to see what happened. I gotta tell ya! I didn't think it would be as funny as it was! The ones who knew, my "posse" were all playing along very well. We were "trying to figure out what was wrong." It went on for a few minutes and finally they tried to figure out what was wrong by basically tearing the thing apart! So, I stepped in and said "here, I think I know!" :) Yeah, it was great stuff! You probably had to be there and know the people we played the prank on, though. 

Oh, and there is a blog about office pranks. Go here.

Fears

Despite everything going on, it's been a good week. I'm trying to trust God with what's coming. It's hard to stop thinking about, which is why I talk about it all the time! As far as what is going to happen over the next little while, I know that is in the hands of my God. 

One of the hardest things to deal with are the questions people have. People who didn't attend Catalyst or who don't attend church anywhere. It's hard for me to grasp the fact that this wonderful thing has come to an end, much less the unchurched. A friend (who does not attend Catalyst) told me that if she had called Catalyst her "home" that she would probably not go to any other church. That, along with Casey and so many others, is my fear. I pray that God helps those people find a church to call "home," but never let them forget the impact that Catalyst had on them. 

Another fear I have is for me to become a slacker. I fear that I am going to slack off when it comes to investing and inviting. It's been a thought in the back of my mind from the moment I heard that Catalyst was closing. Where will I invite my friends? How will I introduce my Savior to them? Can I do that without the help of Catalyst? No matter how hard it may be, that cannot be an option for me (or anyone for that matter). I must continue investing in my unchurched friends. I must continue praying for those friends. I must continue inviting them to church. 

May God guide CCers as they search for another church. 

Hard Times

It's been a hard week. I've been in denial all week, but I think it finally hit me today. What I'm feeling is real and it's okay to cry. It's okay to show my emotions. As much as it hurts and as hard as it is, it's gonna be worth it in the end. God has something wonderful planned, and I can't wait to be a part of it. It's no fun having your heart ripped out, your family taken away, and left to trust God with your future. What other choice is there, though? I would much rather have God handle all the decisions in my life, it's easier that way! 

To be honest with you, I'm already trying to figure out the future. What does this mean for me? What does this mean for all my friends? Where will we go? What does this mean for Greenville? All I know for sure is...I don't know what's going to happen in 1 month from now. I'm in the dark, and that's okay. 

I will be praying for everyone who is dealing with this loss. You will get past this, no question about it. Everyone is hurting in different ways and for different reasons. Whatever you're hurting about, just know that God won't leave your side. He's with you, trust Him to get you through this time. 

GO TEAM!

I'm playing softball again! It's one of the greatest things ever! Tonight was our first game...and the first time meeting my teammates! Except for my boss. I just found out she was on my team. She can hit a ball! Let me tell you! I have a great team, though. We had a lot of fun. I was put on first base for the last two innings. I like first base. To me it's the most fun. You get a lot of action. Well, tonight I did my first split, and not by choice! In order to get the runner out, I had to do a split...I got her out with my toe! Haha! It was pretty hilarious, because if you know me, I've never done anything so crazy in my life!  Mostlikely never going to be able to do that again! I am definitely gonna hurt tomorrow, but it was worth it! 

Oh yeah....WE WON!

Facing reality

Sometimes it is hard for me to face reality. As often as I hear it, I try to ignore it. Of course, not if that "something" is good. I'm all about the truth that makes me happy! It's the truth that hurts or the truth that is sad or hard to grasp. It's something that I want to have the power to change. I will pray and beg God to change His course a little bit, but after that I try to forget about it. 

Instead of just praying about it, I want to brainstorm. I want to help. I want God to use me to turn this not-so-good thing into something great! He can do it. There is no doubt in my mind! I don't know what His plan is, but it's there. He definitely has a hold of it. So, I am going to trust Him!

Drank much lately?!

Click on "D.U.I." below. It's hilarious and stupid at the same time!

D.U.I.

Tick Tock Tick Tock

Are you tired of waiting? Waiting to hear from God. Waiting for the right person to come along. Waiting for that promotion. Waiting...waiting...waiting. For the majority of us waiting is the hardest thing to do. That might have something to do with our culture, but we will save that for another day. It was the same way for Saul. 1 Samuel 28 reveals how Saul got tired of waiting. What did he do? In 1 Samuel 28:7, he said to his servants, "Find me a woman who is a medium so I may go and ask her what will happen." Just prior to that, in 1 Samuel 28:3 we learn that he "had forced out the mediums and fortune tellers from the land." Wow! What an impatient guy! He did the very thing he was against! 

There is a lot to be learned from Saul in this chapter. Waiting isn't the easiest thing in the world, but it's always worth it in the end. Although God's timing is perfect, he doesn't worry Himself with watching the clock. So why should we? Who cares if it is taking 3 days instead of 1 day to hear from God? What does it matter if it takes 2 years instead of 6 months to get that promotion? I'm sure God was preparing you for something you weren't ready for a year and a half ago. If you've been waiting 26 years for God to bring you your Mr. Right...that's okay. God knows what He is doing. By the way, He's been doing it for a long time! 

Shift your focus a bit and focus on the things God has for you right now. Focus on the answers God has already given you. Don't miss out because you are too focused on the next question for God to answer?