the matts…

Chris I are considered going to 5pm Saturday service this weekend rather than our usual 12pm Sunday service because his grandparents were coming to visit and we didn’t want to be rushed. However, we just got some stuff done Saturday night and decided that 12pm was where we should be… Boy, was that a God thing! Yesterday’s service was a very emotional one for me. Though the message was great, as always, it had nothing to do with the amazing encounter I had with God.

All 300+ kids that had been experiencing an awesome Amplified retreat weekend attended that service. During worship, they were all down at the front (chairs cleared), jumping around, praising Jesus, completely in love with Him. Worship was incredible and went on for almost 45 minutes. As I worshiped my Creator, I fell in awe of my overwhelming desire to see Presley down there in 11 or so years. I prayed that she would have boundless, limitless, passionate, burning, bold, crazy fire for Jesus and that she would worship Him with reckless abandonment like so many of these kids do.

I realized that in a little more than ten years, the kids that were down there now will be back where I stood, watching the next generation of crazy worshipers of Jesus. I yearn to know that my child will be down there, being led by some of the kids who are there now. Just like Pastor Dino poured into Mike, and Mike poured into Jason and Tyler, the kids in our youth group now will one day pour into my babies. I have such a deeper appreciation for the pastors and leaders whose lives revolve around these kids.

I pray that Presley is a righteous, holy, radical disciple of Jesus Christ who will stand strong in the face of temptation and love nothing more than worshiping Him. I pray that she is a 10x better person, Christian, sister, wife and mother than I am. I’ve learned it’s true that you are really willing to give up everything for your child… and she’s not even here yet.

I just have to dedicate an entire post to one of the most incredible people God put on planet Earth… Courtney Dumas. I had the great privilege of spending some time with her last night (and got treated to some slammin’ sushi, too). She’s one of those magnetic people- her energy, her love for people, her zeal for life, her passion for Jesus and her amazing personality make you just wanna stay next to her all the time. Courtney and I got to be friends through a little program  at HPC that changed my life and rocked my world- Elevate. Over the last few years we have both had our ups and downs, but she’s just a rock-solid person and fantastic friend. Through it all, we’ve been able to watch each other grow up and mature.

Courtney is a fellow teacher, but teaching isn’t her priority. Seeing every junior high kid in Baton Rouge come to Jesus is what makes her tick. She’s bold, passionate, hardcore, unfaltering, raw and real when it comes to seeing kids pursue a relationship with the Father. Lately she has come under some attacks because of that mission, but honestly, I can’t say I am surprised! I am glad that Satan sees her for the threat that she is, because she knows our God is for us and I believe He will give her the strength to withstand and persevere through the trials. There’s a lot we could all learn from this incredible girl.

So today, I honor you, Courtney. You are going to truly change lives and alter hundreds of thousands of eternities for Jesus.  I am honored to call you my friend and I love you!!!

Chris and I had a wonderful Valentine’s Day. He got me some of my favorite things- tulips and jewelry! We dined our favorite restaurant for free thanks to some gift cards. A hot, caring, thoughtful, wonderful Jesus-loving man + amazing gourmet Chinese food = a flippin’ fabulous Valentine’s Day! Also, over the last week, HPC has done several impacting outreaches to show the community what true love is. Check out the details and some stories on JP’s and Pastor’s blogs.

Today I had the awesome privilege of spending time with some of my favorite people in the world- Roy and all my inner city kids who I have known for 4 years now. Kids grow up so fast… When I first met Roy he was 6 years old and I could throw him over my shoulder and carry him around. Now he’s 10 and comes up to my shoulders. The stories he tells me break my heart- like how his step-dad died a couple weeks ago because of that “powder” (crack cocaine) and how he wants to beat up the guy who gave it to him…How he and his mom had to drag his body up off the floor and call the police… How his step-dad put food in their cabinets when they never had any, and how they used to drink “cold drinks” together. It meant so much to him just for someone to bring him a can of soda. We take so much for granted and a simple bag of groceries means everything to them. These kids see things before they get out of elementary school that most of us will never see in our lives!

Pray for these kids… They are SO special and Jesus died for them. They deserve so much more.

Please be in continued prayer for the Stockstill family. Amy went home to be with Jesus last night. While I know that they are strong and are praising God that she’s no longer in pain, the thought of losing someone I love- especially a spouse or a child- kills me. She was so young and had so much life ahead of her, but I know God’s plan is always better than ours.

Today I ask you not only to be in prayer for her family, but to remember that this life is short… It’s a blink in the light of eternity. Let’s make the most of every minute and truly treasure those around us. Tell someone how much you love them today.

Sorry I have been out of the blogosphere for a while. My computer was broken and I can’t blog from work. Life is still wonderful. I’m growing by the minute and getting more and more excited about this baby! I can feel her moving all day, and now we’re at the point where we can start to feel body parts when they’re up against my tummy. It’s the coolest thing ever!

School is still great, too.  A parent told me today that she’s glad I’m in the classroom with her child because I am really making a difference, and that I have given him a hunger to learn and do better. I don’t do it for praise, but boy, it sure does feel nice to get it. These kids are an investment- they don’t produce immediate “returns”. It’s work and it takes a while to get through, but I am so happy that I get to be a small part of their lives. It is such an honor.

Please be in continued prayer for Amy Stockstill… Check out Pastor’s blog for more on that.