Mean Girls...

There is a topic that has been on my mind for about a month. I have 2 boys and a little girl who is going in to 1st grade and over the last year has started to experience how mean girls can be. I never really experienced it with boys. I have felt so bad for her and not really knowing how to deal with it. One night I got an email newsletter from a christian book store and the title of a book called "Mean" caught my attention. So I went and bought it. I am not really the type of person to lead a bible study, but this has been weighing on my mind so much. I have asked several people who I believe to be good leaders and would be good leading a bible study for teenage girls and no one has accepted.

I went with John to take the boys to football practice tonight and on a side note... praise the Lord for a gorgeous evening, so unlike So Cal for summer. Anyway, I read the first chapter of this bible study hoping I would hear or feel some answers from God as to whether I should lead this bible study. What a beautiful setting, out in the park on a cool breezy summer evening, reading a bible study. I have no clear answers as to whether I should lead this bible study yet, just a desire to do it. I have put this time table on myself that I want this bible study to start after Labor Day, with the start of a new season. But I realized yesterday that I should be on God's time table, not my own. So I am just waiting.... just as God asks us to do so often.

Kids Time!

I am so excited and it is too late to call anyone... A couple of weeks ago our church's youth task force, which I am on, decided to do a youth church service between our two church services once a month. We have an 8:00 traditional service, 9:30 is Sunday School and then a 10:45 praise service. So once a month this service would take the place of Sunday School, which will probably be a huge relief to the teachers. Anyway, I started with the Sunday School superintendent to make sure she was okay with it and she was. WOOHOO Battle #1 won. My struggle right now is that I don't feel like I have the support of our senior pastor. He says he supports us, but he doesn't really help us to overcome the obsticles. And our youth leader, he isn't in support of this idea right now. He thinks it is too soon. But everything that I am feeling... reactions from parents in the church, the SS Super, and now.... tonight I talked to a man in our church who is great with music, has elementary age girls. Not only did he say he would handle the music but he sounds excited about it. He said "we should get kids who play instruments involved because if they are involved in big things like this they become more invested in church." OH MY GOODNESS! He wants to just take the music part of this church service and run with it. WOOHOO Find out what music the bigger kids like, he wasn't turned off when I told him this service would be for all the kids of the church, not just the big or little kids. Battle #2 won. Our next potential set back right now is that because we cannot use the sanctuary for this service we only have one other option, the fellowship hall... but there are 2 bible studies in there at the time we need it so we would have to ask them to relocate once a month. Pray for this for us. I am going to try to get it resolved tomorrow. If I can get this problem solved we are on for our first "KIDS TIME" youth church service on September 14. The next thing to do is to choose a skit and recruit some kids to perform it at that service. We plan to do music, offering, youth announcements, our normal youth opening (which usually happens once a month with the SS super celebrating b'days and awards, etc), prayer requests and then rotate each month between a kids sermon, skit, guest speaker (like Christian Clowns or a youth Christian comedian). I feel like God is telling me "Marlayna it is time for this, your church is ready for this, don't let the Devil tell you otherwise."

Sorry I rambled so much! I just am so excited that any of the hurdles I have faced so far have not been too high to jump. Praise the Lord!

Are you ready for some football!??!?!?!?!?!

Well my boys are! It is really unbelieveable how intense Pop Warner football is. This is Luke's second year and Josh's first. Not sure they are really looking forward to conditioning, but they both seem excited to get their pads and have been practicing with John every night. August is going to hold practice M-F from 6-8 pm. It is a tough schedule...physically for the boys, but also because school starts on Aug 13, so they will have to be disciplined to get homework and chores done before practice. Particularly hard for Luke as he doesn't get home from school until almost 4. But after Labor Day regular season starts and they will practice 3 times a week.

Luke eats, sleeps and drinks football and hopes to play quarterback this year.


Josh has been practicing center and the coaches really seem to think he's an animal. Can't picture that about my gorgeous blue-eyed little boy. But it makes me proud.


And even Courtney is excited about football season and had to get in on the photo session.


I feel like God has put the love of football in the hearts of all 5 of us. He definitely knew what He was doing when he chose all of us to be a family here on earth. I am thankful that my boys have something they really love to do and work hard for. Now I pray for a safe season for them and that God helps us all manage our time, and our patience to get through the next 4 months.

It takes a Village...

Ya know the old saying, it takes a village to raise a child! I think that is especially true in a church family. What I mean is the people at your church who are your church family.

Our church has gone through a huge hit. We lost a very popular pastor several years ago, got an interim that was highly loved, got our new pastor 2 years ago and .... well, he has struggled, though I really believe it is turning around. And not to say it is his fault. We have lost many, many families. In this time John and I have become much more active in church. My latest thing is being 1 of 4 members of a youth action team (YAT). It has been a hard road. There has been no youth group to speak of for... as long as I can remember. I think as a church family we are the village. It takes us all to love and care for the children of our congregation. We have hired an out of work pastor to work with us part time and we have had some discouraging times. Why won't the kids come? I think I know the answer, they aren't used to having things for kids at church... I keep saying we have to be consistent and persistent.... build it and they will come. Right? Oh I pray so, because I want this for my children and the others in our church family.

This weekend we are having a car wash fundraiser to pay for tickets for the youth to go to Soak City, a local water park. I just hope it isn't only my kids and the kids of the other 3 members of YAT.

God keeps pulling me in the direction of youth leadership. And so when I am frustrated He won't let me fall away. I still feel this pull towards planning events and bible studies and youth meetings. This to me is proof I am doing His work.

How are your youth groups? We recently decided we were fighting a losing battle with elementary youth group. The pastor's grandson, my kids and a few others were the only to come and all the kids went because the parents were committed to growth. But no new kids. Does your church have an elementary youth group? We decided to plan monthly activities with those kids and not regularly scheduled weekly youth meetings (get togethers). I would love to hear about the youth group at your church.

They are almost home.

I feel like I haven't seen my kids in a month. Luke and Josh were in Arizona with my parents for a week and then Luke came home last Friday and Courtney went to their house and so she has been there for 4 days and Josh now has been gone for 11 days. Sunday Luke left and went to Boy Scout camp for a week. But Josh and Courtney are coming home tomorrow night and Luke is coming home Friday night. Hmmm sounds a lot like a juggling act, doesn't it? Just so you know, it feels like one too.

I know that God put me on this earth to be a mom, I love it and I love being a mom who is raising her kids centered around God. I love the mom that God helps me to be. I am not perfect and make mistakes, but I think for the most part I do right by them. I started praying with a friend of mine who follows a prayer group format called MITI (mom's intouch international) and it has changed everything for me. What a wonderful gift to exchange with our Father, conversation with him. I have learned the importance of thanking him for my blessings and then leaning on Him when I need to.

The other night, about a week ago, my mom told me she was taking the boys to this place in Sedona, AZ called Slide Rock. It is basically a state park where there is a creek that runs through the beautiful red rock where it is so smoothed over that it is used to slide down.

Here is a picture of Sedona


Aren't the red rocks spectacular? I am not sure this is exactly where sliding happens but I thought this picture showed how beautiful Sedona is and how smooth the rocks look.

Anyway, the night before they were to go I was so anxious about it. I thanked God for having parents who were so wonderful to my children and who love my children so much. And I prayed that the next day was not the day that I would lose one of the boys or my mom (my dad wasn't going). I am a big believer in God's plan and have faith that he would get me through whatever happens in my life. But also I am human and scared of losing one of my loved ones.

I did everything I could, the day they were going to Slide Rock, to not call and check on them. I knew I had to have faith in my God. I called that night and it turns out they got up there and the park was closed because the bacteria levels in the water were too high. I couldn't help but wonder if it was an answered prayer.

Kinda late, but I think that Mother's Day should be a day that we are thankful for being mother's, not for our children and husbands to thank us for what we do and who we are. Well, maybe it could go both ways. :)

Where is your Heaven on Earth?

When I picture heaven I picture the beach made of clouds. I feel the most relaxed and peaceful when I am at the beach. My header picture is the beach I grew up visiting, even though it was an hour and a half drive away, we all piled (my mom and bro and sister) into my moms little sports car and went for a day at San Clemente beach. Now that is where I take my children.

My husband surprised me 1 week before the 4th of July by asking me if I wanted to go to the beach for the 4th of July. It took me all of 3 seconds to open up the internet and start searching for available hotel rooms for 4th of July at San Clemente beach. We live about 1 hour 15 minutes away, but knew we would never find parking and dealing with a long drive back didn't seem appealing. So we decided to make a weekend of it.

It was heaven for me. And I think for my family as well. We plan to go back next year. I am so excited. I thank God for San Clemente every time I think of it.

Where is your Heaven on earth?