Daisy

It is time to dedicate a post to the one and only.....
Daisy
Daisy is our black lab. Yes, she really is a lab. Although she may be short and stocky, she is really a lab. Daisy entered our lives almost a year ago. She is definitely they most well behaved of our three dogs, which sometimes means she gets the least amount of attention. And she can't just jump in our faces like the other two do. 
The Fun Facts of Daisy
She loves to carry things around. For instance, if you come home, she grabs the nearest shoe and meets you at the door. I'm not sure what she thinks we need it for. This makes it really fun when you swear you left your shoes there and you are trying to leave for work and can't find your shoes. 
She also loves to carry her food bowl. She is really good at acting like she hasn't been fed. She just looks up you pitifully. But as you can, Daisy doesn't miss a meal.
She is really laid back. Cooper being the boy he is (although he forgot that he is fixed) likes to do...what boy dogs like to do. I'm not sure if Daisy has just accepted her fate but it doesn't bother her. She also just lets Annie steal toys away from her and still wags her tail.
Daisy is almost 9 so getting back upstairs is hard for her but she just plugs along and trucks up the stairs. 
She gets so excited when you pet her that she can't sit still enough for you to pet her. 
And after not seeing her for three months, she was so excited to see us.
We love our little big Daisy!

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My Ministry Marriage Tips

Joe and I have been married for 3 years in May. I am by no means anyone qualified to give anyone marriage advice. We have our ups and downs along with all couples and we struggle. I have also learned along that way what this calling that God has placed on my life.

So without further ado, here are my tips for a ministry marriage.

1. Pray for Your Husband-This is obviously self-explanatory. But it is still the best thing we can do for our husbands, those who are in the ministry or not.
2. Support him in private and publicly-I am opinionated, probably to my fault. I have learned the hard way to support him. Joe gets very hurt if I disagree with him in public, even on unimportant things. In private Joe encourages and asks for my opinion on things. But we give a united front when although I did not totally agree with his decision in private, I try my hardest to not let any hint of things show. God has whispered to me several times that He did not call me to be the Pastor but He did call me to support my Pastor/Husband. Another facet to this is sometimes Joe just needs to vent and I can be listening ear.
3. Have fun with your husband-An important part of our marriage is doing things together, just be silly. It's important to carve out time for just the two of us. I also try to take those moments when he'll go to the store with me or go to the doggie park together.
4. Be Flexible-I try to be flexible with my time with him. There have been times when we are out doing things or have plans when Joe is called away. I could easily pout or try to make him feel guilty, but I have to realize that his call is a higher one.
5. Be Visible-let's be honest and say that people notice when the Pastor's wife is not present, justified excuse or not. I have not been at every church service by no means but I do try. But I do think it is an asset to a Pastor's ministry when his wife is seen in the church supporting the church.
6. Make your husband your ministry-This is something I am still learning. Last year I went to a Women's Conference at Southern Seminary where I went to a session about this. There was a Pastor's Wife that spoke to this, and I stood there amazed at all she does for her husband. It really made me think my most important thing I could do for our church is making him my ministry. I would be a terrible Pastor's Wife if I impacted so many girls but did it at the expense of our marriage. So that may mean that I will not go to every event or be involved in every ministry, but I am called to make him my priority.

Do any other PW have any more tips?




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What We Have Been Up To...

Last weekend we took our students to a Dare 2 Share conference outside of DC. It's a conference focusing on students sharing their faith with our friends. A highlight for me was Shane and Shane leading worship! I loved them since high school so it was neat to introduce them to our students! We had a great time learning how to practice our faith during the weekend. It was an eye-opener for me as the youth were learning about witnessing in how much I still needed to learn. Still very humbling in ministry...

For Valentine's Day, it was a gorgeous springy day. We took our dogs to the dog park. We went early in the afternoon and we were surprised by how many dogs were there. Since we are new to the dog park 'scene', we are starting to pick up when the dogs are ready to leave. When it gets to the point when they are just hanging out on our laps, we know its time to head home!  Joe also helped me make Boeuf Bourguignon and Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Cupcakes. Yummy! We finished the night off with the romantic movie The Social Network :)

  

Then the highlight of the month was our trip to Ikea on Saturday. Joe had been hinting to take me to Ikea so I decided it was the day and off we went! The closest Ikea is about two hours away but still worth it. We came home with a new entertainment center that was on sale. Our TV was previously sitting on a goodwill find of Joe back in his bachelor days. We then spent a 'fun' evening putting together some furniture and we tried to watch Inception but I got confused...

 

That's what we've been up to....what have you been up to?



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Small Groups

Sunday nights, we have started small groups for our students. I am blessed to a be a part of the High School Girls small group. Each group is studying Crazy Love: Overwhelmed by a Relentless God by Francis Chan. It is all about how this amazing God loves us and our response to that love. We have 30+ girls each night for hanging out, eating, and most of all good discussion and Bible study.

How awesome to hear girls talk about their stuggles and how they have been they have been praying for their friends. Even how they can talk to the classmates about the gospel



Can you say amazing?

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