Friday Five

1. So, sorry about disappearing...again. Whoops. Life has been so busy! Let's see, what have we done since I last blogged?

2. The biggest thing is that my parents came to visit us. We had a wonderful time together, but boy were we busy. Rusty can usually take off a day or two while my parents visit, but that wasn't the case this year.

3. This year my dad took on a very big project. Daddy built me a 7' x 40" bookcase for my kitchen. The weather was wet and cool, which made the process of staining long. See how beautiful it turned out?

4. Another big thing is that I took on the role of being Assistant Director of Hannah's Prayer Ministries. It is such an honor to serve the beautiful women of HP.

5. I attended the Chick-fil-A Leadercast that was simulcast at my church. It was a fantastic experience!

Friday Five

1. I picked up a small vacuum last Saturday since we have to vacuum up kitty litter every few days due to an enthusiastic kitty. I got it home and excitedly took it out and put it together. It wasn't until I had everything out that I noticed that it was missing the charger. Great. A small cordless vacuum doesn't work well without being charged. Good news though - I was able to exchange the vacuum last night. And yes, I did check to make sure this one had a charger.

2. I am going to help my BFF tomorrow with a crafty project for her oldest daughter. We are decorating a paper turkey. Should be fun.

3. Have you started Christmas shopping yet? I have some things, and should probably pull it all out to make sure I remember everything I have. Shhhh, what I already have is classified TOP SECRET!

4. Rusty and I are going to a church barn bash tonight. Should be a great time - pig roast, desserts, bonfire, wheelbarrow joust, games, entertainment, and more! It's going to be in the 40s this evening, so I am going to be sure to bundle up. Brrr!

5. If you have a few moments, can you pray for my friend and founder of Hannah's Prayer Ministries, Jenni? She had a stroke on Tuesday which caused a seizure and left her unresponsive for a number of hours. She is still in ICU but hopes to be moved to a regular room in a few days. She is having some double vision in her left eye and a little paralysis on the left side of her face, but she is able to talk.

Barn Bash

We went to our sister church's Barn Bash last night. It was held on their new property...in the barn. It is kind of sad that they will have to tear down this great old barn in order to build their new building. It really made for a great event.

The weather - oh my was it chilly! Brrrrr. I was really glad that I brought a hat and wish I had gloves and one more layer.

The food - I grabbed a cup of apple cider right after we arrived. Yum. Perfect for a chilly night. They had a BBQ contest (our friend won) and a dessert contest. Rusty was volunteered to be one of the dessert judges. What a perfect job for him and his sweet tooth! A fabulous Apple Crumb Pie won.

The activities - there were skits and songs and games for the kiddos. A bonfire was going strong when we left. Good times.

Snuggling close to stay warm.

Great old barn.

When God says, "Change"

I receive daily devotions by email and today's said a few things that really struck a chord for me. It talked about moving to a different place to be able to grow once again in the Sonlight.

"It often involves change; sometimes a dramatic change. A change in habits, a ridding of addictions, a move in friendships, a laying down of dreams, or a picking up of one that you have feared."

For the last year I have struggled with being on one of my church's worship teams. I have struggled some with the team that I'm on, but even more, I have felt burned out and weary. Last year I thought of taking a few months off. I was afraid that if I took a much needed break, that there would be changes made and I would not be able to get back on a team for a while. I didn't think I wanted to quit completely. I knew that there would probably be changes made once our congregation moved into our new building. I thought maybe I should hold off on my decision until that time. Rusty agreed with me.

In May my throat started acting funny. I quickly realized that I was unable to sing and would need to take a break. I was more than happy to have a few months off. During this time, worship changes did in fact start to take place with our new building about finished. In July I found out what the deal was with my throat and realized that while it was something highly annoying, it was not serious. I could sing again soon.

During this break, I realized that I was considering quitting all together. That surprised me somewhat. I thought I would miss it too much. I haven't. Or maybe I should say that I miss it a little on Sundays while in church, but not at any other time. It's almost been a relief to be free of it, and I've been surprised that I would even think of it in that way - free of it. I've been praying about it a lot over the last year, and I now feel like God is telling me to give this up. God could not really call me to do anything else at church because worship took up so much of my time. Even though I feel that it's the right thing to do, it's still hard to quit after being a part of worship for 10 years.

After reading today's devotion, I heard God speaking to me once again. Change, Rachel. Move. I immediately emailed my worship leaders and let them know that I need a few minutes with them on Sunday.

God is moving me. Where to, you ask? You will have to stay tuned! I have a feeling that whatever God calls me to next will move me outside of my comfort zone, stretch me, be a little uncomfortable, and probably be quite scary for a while. I know, however, that he will equip me to do whatever he calls me to next.