Well, I am writing from hearsay this week as I was at a gymnastics clinic with my youngest daughter on Sunday!  It was also the weekend my 20th High School reunion (that I wasn’t able to attend).  It’s impossible that I graduated 20 years ago….just impossible.  I’m ready to go to Heaven, but it sure seems that time makes that goal a little closer than necessary some days!  You blink and half your life is on the history side!

Sunday was great!  Kris Gray shared in Hazel Dell and Josiah Thalhofer shared in Battle Ground (hearing service).  Don’t we have some amazing communicators in our church???  We are blessed and only wish we could hear from them more often.  I enjoy the variety that multiple speakers give our church and I love that we all see different aspects of the Bible to bring out to other people.

Our kids are at camp RIGHT NOW!  My two daughters are there and I couldn’t be more excited for them!  I just know that God will do amazing things in their hearts and lives.  Kennedy has already visited the nurse from eating too much candy in the van.  I made the mistake of sending her with treats for the week….next time I’m sending broccoli.  Would you pray for these precious kids and our three leaders this week?  My life was changed at a kid’s camp in 1986, so I know the power this week can hold.

Speaking of camp…by sheer coincidence, my children are at the same camp this week where I met my husband 18 years ago this week.  He got to show them where we met, where he asked me out, and the tree he climbed to impress me…truly that is amazing!  I wish that someone could have just given me a glimpse of this 18 years ago!  And who knows, maybe my grandkids will meet with Jesus at that same camp 18 years from now????

God is not a God of coincidence, though, is He?  I’m sure He has a purpose and I can’t wait to see it all unfold.

Mark your calendars for August 17.  We are having our big Baptism Celebration morning and we want you to be a part!

I got to have coffee with one of my long-time friends, Jana, on Saturday.  It was a breath of fresh air to see her face and hear her amazing laugh!  I am so grateful for friends that have known me for 20 years and have seen it all.  There is nothing better than people who will stick with you through it all and love you on the other end.  I also got to meet her twin grandbabies!  SO adorable!

And it’s my birthday this week!  I’ll be 38 and I’m pretty excited about it!  I love my life, I love my family, I love my church.  Living in obedience to Jesus has brought me great joy and priceless treasures.  There are difficult times and dark seasons, but they are laced with His blessings and for that I am so deeply grateful.

I hope you are blessed this week as well!

Highlight of the week:  Youth Summer Camp!  Our junior and senior highers were gone all week at camp and they had an amazing time!  God does deep work in our hearts and lives during camp and this year was no exception.  I think it is even more profound for this generation of students who have to turn off their phones and computers for five days to focus on their relationship with Jesus and each other.  Maybe that would be good for all of us!

THANK YOU to all of you who gave scholarships or provided work opportunities for our kids and teens to go to camp.  We had students who WORKED for the privilege of camp, but some still needed additional help to make it.  We appreciate a church that stands behind our young people.

We will have almost 60 people at camp this summer when all is said and done.  That’s 17% of our people experiencing God at camp.

In the same vein…on BIG BAPTISM BASH (that’s not the name, but it’s sure an epic one!) is August 17.  If you haven’t been baptized, mark your calendars because this is the summer celebration where we pull together both hearing campuses and our deaf church for an incredible morning.  You can fill out a baptism registration at www.coffeechurch.com.  The sooner the better because we usually have a lot of baptisms, so it requires a bit of planning on our part!  Never a bad problem to have!!!

I’m hiding in my air conditioning today.  I’m too Irish for this much sun! 🙂

Sunday was great!  Mat Marbrey jumped over to Hazel Dell to preach on God being with us, while Mark and Jim finished up the Man Card series at Battle Ground.

Did I mention that our worship teams are one of the biggest blessings in my life?  Such great people with astounding talent.

I have an equal love for our kid’s workers and leaders!  Right now in Kid City we have some student teachers for the month of July.  My oldest daughter will be teaching the Bible for the first time and I have to say that is pretty moving for this mom!  I love when we spread out the responsibility of sharing the gospel.  I think that God designed to church to be broad and deep in service!

Well, I hope that your day is filled with lemonade and cool shade.  Trust in Jesus today and let Him guide you.  The adventure you will live is worth it!  Be blessed.