Doing Good

The current series at our church. (www.clearcreek.org) The series has been really good for me as I have taken a break from serving and try to figure out exactly where I need to be next.

Doing good-we are all created to do good and we all know we have a purpose but would I rather be the person who has all the good or be the person who is doing good?

This week our pastor highlighted many people who were doing good. It was challenging and a self check. Doing good for me right now is raising my 3 little girls and them being under my care in the early stages of life. I hope that I am teaching them good. The good being knowing God and then doing good.

Do I truly KNOW God. I think for me God is reminding me of something. In my book I am reading right now(No Other Gods), I read a chapter where she highlighted why we choose different idols in our life instead of choosing the one God. She asked questions like do you really KNOW God and that he loves you. Its easy to say yes well of course but do we really KNOW God. Heart check for me this morning was what am I missing because I am busy wanting the good instead of KNOWING Him and doing good for others.

"For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith-and this is not of yourselves, it is the gift of God-not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advanced for us to do." Ephesians 2:8-10

Can I say I was.....

on a yacht for 2 1/2 hours last night!! WOW.. It was awesome! OK, to be exact it was a 64ft yacht with 3 bedrooms 3 bath yacht. VERY NICE! This is when its nice to know people in high places, no not really just gracious people who wanted to treat the staff and some other people from another company on a boat ride across Galveston Bay. It was so fun! We cruised out to the middle of the bay and stopped so everyone could eat dinner. Then, boy the captain hit it and we were flying across the bay. He cranked it up and we were flying! Ryan and I were on the front of the yacht and we were just laughing so hard that drool started flying out of the side of my mouth. Well, here our some pics...

It was great night with the hubby and enjoying our area.

San Antonio Texas adventure

We headed off to San Antonio, Texas for a quick, I mean like literally a little more than 24 hours, trip to take some youth to a conference called SLU- good leadership conference that does tons of fun stuff! Anyway, we dropped the youth kids off because Ryan already had a leader in charge so we were able to get a hotel on the river walk and see the sights. Wednesday, we checked in the hotel and first things first, the girls wanted to check out the pool. Next, we walked around the river walk and ate outside and enjoyed the view. Then, we headed back to the pool and we all had a swim. The next day, we let the girls swim for about an hour and then we wanted to head off and walk around by the Alamo and River City mall. The girls didn't vote on this but enjoyed it with a green sprinkle sugar cookie. :)

We had so much fun. The girls are getting easier, we don't lug around a stroller(our 2 1/2 yr old refuses to be in one because of big sisters), they can travel easier, and stay up later. Ryan and I talk of how are days together are only going to get better. Life is so enjoyable to see our girls just having fun and laughing.

Then, off to home- we didn't want to hit traffic in downtown Houston at 5:00 but we did. Let me just say here that I highly, highly dislike traffic especially driving with my husband. Talk about putting our marriage to the test. I am a nervous wreck. No matter where we need to go to get out of town, we have to go through Houston traffic.(we live 30 miles southeast of Houston
We made it safe on the beltway. Thank you engineers for those!

Here are some pics of our 28 hour adventure from League City to San Antonio. Looking forward to some down time this weekend.

tech savy husband

Thanks to my husband who helped me post our pics from our trip to Abilene and Dallas.
You the man!!
Enjoy.
Kara :)

The wheels on the van.....

go round and round, round and round all through Texas! OK, last Thursday, June 13th, we took off across Texas-6 1/2 hour drive that turned into an 8 hour drive. We were headed to the town where we went to college and lived our first 5 years of marriage. Our real journey heading back to Abilene was to celebrate a very special couple who was getting married. Ryan was officiating the wedding and the girls were the flower girls. OK... I have to pause her a quick minute and brag on Addie and Avery. They did soo good being the flower girls and they looked soo pretty. It was fun to see them feel like princesses and big as they walked down the aisle beaming at their father at the end. It was special, the look on daddy's face was unforgettable. HMMM, I think we might see a foreshadowing going on here. Anyway, back to our trip. We had a great time reliving memories, seeing old faces, and spending time with some friends.

Next, daddy takes off to Lake Brownwood to meet the youth kids for camp so me and the girls truck on over to Dallas area to see my mom and dad and sister's family. To be honest, at this point it was starting to feel like I was doing a complete circle inside the state of Texas.

I would love to talk of my days in Dallas but I think my sister would about kill me if I share in her fiasco of her haircut and coloring experience. Lets just say, 6 1/2 hours at a hair salon- enough said. :) It was fun just letting the kids hang out, watching movies with my sister, and spending time with my parents. Always nice. OK.. Now after 3 days in the Dallas area, we are back in the van and headed home.

I think in our week and half journey the girls did fairly well. There was some hair pulling, screaming, bribing, and laughing going on. It was a good trip so I think I'll let these wheels on the van go round and round again soon.

Blog World

OK..... I have to admit, I love this blogging thing that has entertained my life the past months. For example, I love to talk to absolute strangers and read hilarious stories of their fun, God filled journeys of life. Its fun, exciting, and a chance to share dreams, life, Christ's love, encouragement, laughter, and many more to people you know and people you don't know.

For example, I am soo excited to be doing this Beth Moore bible study via her blog and I had a dear person, complete stranger contact me and ask if we could email back and forth questions, thoughts, and prayers and I am so thrilled and thankful for the contact. Its a person I don't even know and she is new in her belief so I am soo excited to journey with her in this bible study via email and Beth's blog!

So, my blogging world has been enhanced and I am excited to see where it will take me in the months to come. I often think of the verse in the bible, "When we get together, I want to encourage you in faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours." Romans 1:12

Thank you to all my fellow bloggers, I never would of dreamed of meeting people outside of Texas!

Ryan

Being married to a youth pastor has lots of perks! As a family, we hear about any comment on Ryan working with Jr. High kids. Now after 9 years of Ryan working with Jr. high kids, he is an expert in the youth ministry area. ( i am bragging on my husband) He is though. He is passionate about youth, loves to disciple kids, and loves to rise leaders up among this new, ever changing world of teens. This Friday, we had the honor of having some key 8th grade leaders over for some grub and wii challenge. It was special as the wife to hear the passionate youth pastor give a challenge to these 8th graders who are moving on to high school. It was special to see how much disciplining Ryan has poured into these kids for the past 3 years. I love to be the wife that gets to see the fruits that God has given Ryan and then pass to teens.

It was a special night.

I have a special guy!

There is one cool, passionate guy I know, Ryan Prater and he loves his youth!

Obsessed

Are you obsessed with something? As I read that sentence the other day, I thought man not me, wait, yes me. The next sentence as I fearfully kept reading said, "You might think No, nothing, but we are all obsessed with something." OK, to be honest, soo didn't want to hear the truth that day. So, next question. Are you obsessed by God?

Does He consume you from the inside out? My perspective on such things of being a wife, mommy, friend, family member, etc have changed from reading that devotional.

So, I'll end a little heavy but I think you will enjoy the challenge for nothing about follow Christ is to come easy. Here you go...

"The total being of our life inside and out is to be absolutely obsessed by the presence of God." - Oswald Chambers

So, what are you obsessed with?

my summer book read

Summer is a nice time to relax, not have a schedule, stay in your pj's until husband swings home for lunch, and reading. I was introduced to a book that Beth Moore is pushing through her blog for a summer read so I am joining the journey and reading the book. The book is called No Other Gods by Kelly Minter. I thought this was perfect timing as I feel some small "gods" are creeping into my life. This book excites me as I feel it definitely will be life inspiring especially if Beth Moore is pushing it as a must read. So, in the next couple of days I am off to Mardels or Life Way to get it. Hope you join me in this summer read and if you do, lets talk and share.

I am ready......