Ready, set, go!!!

James 2:18 says "But someone will say, “You have faith; I have deeds. Show me your faith without deeds, and I will show you my faith by my deeds". 


 You may already know, Chris and I lead a small group Bible study in our home with several friends. Out of that an idea was born. Not only did we want to study God's word, we wanted to live it. We (our group)  have begun a non- profit organization called Screaming Life Ministries. Our mission is this: Screaming Life is a group of Christians who believe that everyone has been blessed with talent and together we can give back to our community in BIG ways!  Screaming Life was created to share our lives with other Christians, engage in our community and most importantly, share God’s Word.  Be prepared for amazing events and fellowships, in hopes to provide to those in need, who may be your neighbor!


We have planned our first event for Saturday September 10 and it is a benefit concert for the family of Forest Jones. You can read about this tragedy here. Forest's family incurred a lot of medical bills followed by funeral expenses with no insurance to offset the costs. My heart breaks for the family and friends. 


Here's the awesome thing... We had been wanting to move into action, but none of us really jumped on it; until one of our members, a 15 year old girl, said "We need to do something for this family". That was all it took and within days we were on the move. This to me says, never underestimate yourself or the impact you can have on people. Most people probably discredit teens as flighty, self centered or uncaring. But 1 Timothy 4:12 says "Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young". This young lady is living proof that no matter your age, you can make a difference. 


You can see the event page here and keep track of our progress. This is such an amazing opportunity to help our fellow man and really show the community what it means to be a Christ follower. I am humbled and honored to be able to serve the Lord in this way. Please pray for our ministry as we are in the baby stages of learning what it means to be a non profit organization. There is a lot of paperwork to be done regarding taxes, bank accounts and the list goes on and on.


If you've read this far, thank you! I'll update here on the blog as the event gets closer and once it happens, you can expect a pic heavy post LOL! Love you all, and thanks for reading :D

It's almost Easter again

I'm in a small group Bible study that meets in our home Sunday nights. We are all people that God has brought together through one way or another; a previous church, work, our kids are friends, you get the point. We are studying the book of John and have made it all the way to the final chapters involving Jesus' trial, crucifixion and resurrection. In 17, Jesus sets gives us an example of how to pray. He begins by praying for Himself, then prays for the disciples, then for future believers in His name. Chapter 18 we start to see the actions which will lead us up to the Resurrection.

 As I read, listen to music, or watch a movie, I can always feel like I'm there. The feelings I get when studying Jesus' trial and death are overwhelming sadness. I know the outcome. It's not like the first time I watched The Sixth Sense and was completely taken aback by the twist (I won't give it away for the 17 people in the world who haven't seen it). I know that "Joy comes in the morning". But my heart still aches for the emotional and physical pain that He endured for me on the cross. Earlier in my walk, I would also feel the accompanying guilt, knowing that it is my sin that put Him there.

 I think (on most days) I have fully accepted Jesus' forgiveness for those things. Sure, the enemy tries to bring up my past mistakes and heck, even the ones I made just today. But for the most part I can accept that my sins have been cast into the ocean, and are remembered no more by God. But even without that guilt, I still just feel so bad for what He had to go through. John 15:13 says "Greater love has no one than this: to lay down one's life for one's friends." WOW. To be called a child of God, and a friend! What an amazing gift of which none of us is worthy.

Chapter 19 details His interaction with Pilate and His actual death. I remember the first time I saw "The Passion of the Christ". Such a vivid retelling of the event. Historically and Biblically accurate in regards to the "the punishment that brought us peace". My heart broke as I watched the events unfold on the big screen. I couldn't control the tears that flowed freely down my cheeks. If you haven't seen it, I highly recommend it. Sure, ole Mel has lost his marbles as of late, but that does not negate the good that came from the filming of that movie.

Anyways, theres an update on what's running through my mind as we approach Easter. What's on yours?