Category Archives: Rec. Center

Apr 26 2012

pizzas, history lessons, and a frie eating fussy girl…

We often have totally random days here in  our ministry in Kentucky, and today was one of those fast paced days where it seemed like every five minutes something new was going on.  When I got to the Rec Center this morning we had a couple of work crews going working on our bathroom addition.  A group of local contractors were finishing up the plumbing rough in and then some volunteers from one of our supporting churches in West Virginia were busy insulating and starting to hang dry wall.  It has been a huge encouragement to see life in the bathroom addition this week and to know that we are moving closer to the completion of this much needed addition.

Shortly after opening up, we had a special olympics bowling group from Breathitt County come in to bowl and eat pizzas.  It’s always fun to see these “kids” enjoy themselves and have a blast bowling.   While I was busy making the pizzas for special olympic kids, several more orders came in and things really got hopping. Normally, Wednesdays are a bit slower, but this morning was hopping which was a good thing for the Rec Center finances.

In the afternoon, I worked with my homeschool student on trying to finish up some of his classes.   Lee County schools get out on May 4th and so we are working hard to get our student done at the same time.   We have a lot more to do in the next week and a half to get done, so pray for us not only to finish, but to finish well.  We want him to learn and really take in information and be able to apply it to his life in the future.  Mainly, we want the Bible portion of the studies to make a difference and impact him for Christ.  Please pray!

Tonight we went to church and both Maeven and Judah had a great time in the nursery.  Maeven of course loves playing with the other kids and saying her new favorite word, “hello”, to everyone.  By the end of church though it was a little too close to her normal bed time and she started getting a little fussy.   When we didn’t let her stay and play ball like she wanted after service we had to carry a crying little girl.  On the way home I got a sweet tea and fries and Maeven had to have some.  However, she can’t ask yet, so every time she finished one of my fries I would hear a cry from behind me until she got another one.

Judah has had a good night sleeping all the way home from church until about 10 pm tonight.  I can’t believe he is already five weeks old and is getting so big.

Even when days are hectic and as fast paced like today, I am so glad for the family that God has given me.  And I am glad that I get to spend time with them whether they are happy, fussy wanting my fries, or sleeping all sweet and cute.   I am truly blessed!

Apr 23 2012

why so unhappy???

In recent months I have noticed something sad among many of my fellow believers…a lack of true joy.  Whether that lack of joy manifests itself as grouchy, angry, or just plain old miserable it’s truly a sad thing.   1 Corinthians 10:31 says that whatever we do we are to do all to the glory of God.  How can we have just a lack of joy in our lives with all that Christ has done for us.  How can we complain about the mundane tasks of life and work when we are supposed to be doing everything for the glory of God?  Doing everything as a way to reflect  Him to the world around us?  In Jeremiah 29:11 we read that God has plans for us, plans to give us a future and a hope.   So why aren’t we living as though we believe this?

Today in a staff meeting at KMM, my dad challenged all of us to really look at our ministries.  Are we doing them just to be doing them to the point they are more of a job rather than a tool to share Christ?  Or are we really viewing them as something that is being done to the glory of God?  When I thought about this and at the same time about some people that have popped into my mind who just have seemed so very unhappy lately it really challenged me.  When I look at the Rec Center I want to always see it as a tool that I can use with bowling and the other recreational activities to reach my community for Christ and not just as a place where I am stuck filling hours in the day.  Yes, making pizzas and dealing with the occasional grouchy person can be draining and not always what I envisioned for my life when I was in Bible College.  Yet, I have a duty to do those tasks to the best of my ability to bring glory to God.   And not only that but I need to be happy and joyful about the fact that Christ has chosen sinful me to be His tool to show love and share Him with those I come in contact with.  I have a calling and a gift to share.  As a believer you do too!  So get rid of the frown and the misery, and not to be insensitive but some may need to get over yourself!  Do all that you do for the glory of God!  Reflect the joy you have in Christ well!!

Apr 19 2012

math makes my head hurt…

As most of you know this school year we have been homeschooling a student at the Rec Center in order to help get him back into public school next year at the same level as his classmates and also to have the opportunity to share all about Christ with him.  For the most part I have taught most of the subjects in the curriculum, especially the Bible and History classes which are two subjects I really enjoy.   However, I must admit I have done my best to avoid the math portion of the class day.   Wayne who has been one of my co-teachers enjoys math whereas I, well, I don’t.

I’ve always had a lack of love for mathematics.   Generally speaking I have done well in math classes, but really have not enjoyed them.  One of the perks of going to a Bible college was that I was able to CLEP out of Math.  To tell you the truth I haven’t had any Math classes since the first semester of my senior year of high school, fourteen years ago.  That might explain why my head hurts so much today.

As we have approached the end of the school year with my student, we have moved him pretty far along in most of his subjects and are close to finishing.  In Math though we have a little bit more to do than the rest of the subjects.  So for the past week I have been trying to help with the math classes.  And not having used most of the skills I am teaching in fourteen plus years, I am basically learning with my student.  By the time I was done with the math classes today, my head was feeling like I had this big fuzzy cloud around me.   The head hurting cloud made me long to jump back into the boring lesson on the Articles of Confederation we were studying earlier in the day!

Over the next couple of weeks I know there will be more geometry and algebra lessons that I am going to have to re-learn and more foggy cloudy head aches to come.  Pray that I can teach it to the student through my own confusion so that he understands!   Thankfully I will have my history and Bible lessons to give me some energy.

In all seriousness as the school year winds down please pray that the seeds that have been sown through our year of teaching will have taken root with our student.  We hope that study habits and a desire to learn have been fostered, and most importantly that the desire for a personal relationship with Christ has been planted.   When you think about the possibility of a life being changed for Christ, I guess those math head aches aren’t so bad!

Apr 16 2012

last days of jr. bowling league 2011-2012…

This week we are finishing up our last two days of our after school junior bowling league. Both today and on Thursday our students will win various participation and scoring awards as we recognize their growth and dedication as bowlers.  This year over 100 students haveparticipated at various times in our bowling league, giving us a great opportunity to not only grow bowlers but at the same time build relationships and share Christ.  Many of our students come from rough home situations and rarely get the attention and love they are shown at the Rec Center.  Please pray for our students throughout the upcoming months of summer, that the seeds that were planted during the school year will grow and that many students will accept Christ as their personal savior. Also pray for us that we will be able to keep connected to our students and to continue to share the love of Christ with them.  Pray that they will come back to our Jr. Bowling League in the fall!   God is doing some amazing things through this after school ministry and we pray that it will keep growing and bearing fruit!

Mar 7 2012

it caught me…

This morning I woke up bright and early to get ready for our weekly FCA Huddle at the high school.  As I was getting up and going I really felt sorta blah, but figured after a little while of being up and getting something to eat things would get better.

At FCA this morning we discussed Leadership camp and some of the requirements that we are going to require of the students in order to be able to go.  I also spent time challenging the students about whether or not they are currently going in their relationship with Christ?   So many times our students are happy being “saved” and content with just that.  So over the next few weeks I want to discuss a growing and thriving relationship with Christ and what they are doing to foster that in their own lives.  Please pray for us on that journey!

After FCA, I went to the Rec Center where I still wasn’t feeling quite right, but I got ahead on planning my lesson plan for the homeschool student we work with.  And when my student arrived we worked on his lessons and actually got ahead in a few subjects.

Unfortunatley, as I was teaching I grew colder and colder and my joints really started hurting.  Pretty soon I was shivering and new I just couldn’t make it. So when all our staff finally arrived at the Rec Center, I slipped out for the day and spent the afternoon in bed sleeping and shivering!

Tonight I am still feeling pretty rough, but was able to get up and see Maeven playing and feeling better than she has in days.  So on the bright side of things Maeven does seem to be doing quite well.  I hope that after another good night of rest tonight I will shake this bug quickly.  I definitely don’t want to be sick when the new baby arrives!