What to do when Anatomy class is kicking your butt...

Step 1: Go and get a cupcake from the shop that you pass by everyday on your way to school that you never have time to stop at because you are always studying your brains out for no reason since it is impossible to make a good grade on the unbelievable test.
Step 2: Eat that cupcake and relax for...oh...30 seconds. Then rush off to study some more. You might be somebody's nurse someday, and they would probably want you to know where their Uvula is.... Maybe.

Who said God isn't in the little things?

I am sitting (stranded) in a brake repair shop. It has been a super hard day. The tension in my neck has not left in days, due to a particularly imminent Anatomy and Physiology test among other things. I had to get two new tires for my car this morning (thank you, dad!) because I hydroplaned 3 times on the way home from school last night.They told me at this brake place that they had to replace my master cylinder. I don't have a great grasp of what a master cylinder is, but I know that it costs around $200.(With labor and all that, too). I asked the Lord to help me. Two hours later I came back to the shop and the technician told me it might not be as bad as I thought. Turns out he is a believer. He told me that he could have easily charged me for that part and put it in unnecessicarily. He aluded to the fact that others in the shop would have. We ended up having a great conversation about healing ministry (which I've been particulary interested in as of late), prison ministry and my ministry. This man and I are worlds apart (in race, lifestyle,age,gender, etc), but we have the same heart. It was so refreshing to meet a kindred spirit in this place.God is so good. He reminded me once again that He is the one who is taking care of me!

Top 10 Reasons YOU (yes, You) Should be in a Small Group!

I'm a big believer in small groups. In fact, I lead one every Tuesday night. I think everyone should be in one, and here is why....

10- The relationship building. No man is an island, right? It's true. We need each other.
9- The new perspective it gives you. We all see things differently. We need to see life from many different angles. It is good stuff.
8- The interesting people to meet. I've hung with professional photographers, career missionaries, powerful business women, flight attendants, triathletes, and homemakers. Each have opened my eyes to so many new things.
7- The insight into scripture. God's Word is so living and active that it often reads very differently to different people. Sometimes I walk out of group thinking about my life in a new light because of something someone brought to my attention.
6- The support network. I would not hesitate a second to email the group and ask them to pray for a need in my life. That is a wonderful thing to be able to do.
5-The perks. One lady gave me over $1000 for a missions trip once. Another gets me in to Boot Camp in the park for free every so often. Connections are a very good thing to have.
4- The fellowship. I love to catch up with my girls every week. It is so good to be able to share what is going on in each others lives.
3- The food. Women can cook. It is nice to be able to share everyones best recipes.
2- The encouragement. My girls think I'm kick-butt awesome. I think they are, too. It is easy to admire people and encourage them when you get real with them.
1- The accountability. I don't care what you say. It is important. You need it, and so do I.

Bottom line: Join a small group. Be real. Allow God to show up, and He will.
For more top 10 lists and to meet one of my favorite people on the planet...go here! www.ohamanda.com

Faces I miss...

Our ministry is getting much-needed bigger space, and I'm so excited. Problem is, we have to wait on the apartment complex to get the other apartment ready for us. That means: I miss my kids! Here are some of the sweet faces I miss...








How could I not miss those faces?

Singles Event #40070 - The Meet and Greet

I went with some friends to this one. It was at a sportsbar this time. There were lots of cuties there, but no "forced interaction". See, I've decided that is what I need to excel in the Single scene: "forced interaction". It is hard to walk up to someone and say, "Hi! I'm Kristen. I'm a really interesting girl full of life and a wonderful personality. If you took the time to get to know me I am certain that you would find me highly fun, entertaining, deep, loving, kind, creative, lighthearted, full of faith, sporty, devoted to my friends and family, intelligent, giving and joyful." Yeah, it would be virtually impossible to say that to someone at a sportsbar - even if it was a Christian singles event.
So, what is a shy single girl to do? Speak with her girlfriends all night. Never leave the table except to go to the bathroom.
Does that make sense?
Not at all.
Not at all.

Humm....

I haven't been doing too good on the blogging front lately.
And I have no excuse.
Hopefully I'll get my act together soon.

Singles Event #40069 - Bible Study

Note to self: Don't wear high heeled sandals when you are going to be around so many
"height - challenged" males. It makes them nervous apparently...

Singles Event #40068 - Beach Volleyball

There isn't much to tell you about this event besides one thing...
...I hit one of the nicest girls there in the FACE with a volleyball.
HARD.
Not on purpose.
I promise.
She got a lot of male attention over it, so maybe it wasn't so bad for her....

Sorry to interrupt this blog...

..to tell you that I'm only doing one thing in my free time lately. It involves a captivating set of thick black books, a heroine and a vampire. Yes, I'm reading Twilight (Well, New Moon currently), and it is SO GOOD! Maybe I'll put it down for a second some time this weekend to update the blog, but I wouldn't hold your breath. (Only vampires can do that successfully, btw.)

Singles Event #40067 - The Luau

So, I've been going to a lot of singles events lately. There are a ton of events out there from beach volleyball to Bible studies to concerts to lunches after church. It has been a lot of fun. But, the one to take the cake was the event I went to on Saturday night.
One of my college girls, Marilyn, was my wingman (wingwoman?). We decided to compromise that night because I wanted to go to an Elvis tribute in the park and she wanted to go to this Luau. So, we decided to hit the Luau first and head to the park later.
Our first hint that this wasn't really our type of party was the parking nazis. These two ladies were coming out of the house where the luau was held while we were parking. They practically shouted at us to pull our car forward more so that someone could park behind us. Ok lady, but you don't have to shout!
With that wonderful first impression we parked and headed to the pool area for the party. We were standing about 10 feet away from the back fence when Marilyn suddenly stopped short and said (not quietly enough), "they are all old people!"
By that time it was too late to turn around. People had already spotted us and were starting to welcome us to the luau. We were stuck.
By the way, when I say that these people were old....I mean significantly older than us. Many had grey hair if they had much at all. I would say that a few were in their 40s, but most were in the late 50s and early 60s - especially the men. Oh yes. One man came directly up to us and said, "you girls are a little young, aren't you?" Then he got all embarrassed and apologized for several minutes when I tried to respond in a joking way. Oh dear.
Well, we really had to stay now. We couldn't just leave without being rude.
So, we stayed.
We ate yummy luau food.
We made small talk.
We heard over and over again..."Well, you're too young to remember this, but...."
We talked about (by ourselves) how we hoped we would not still be at these types of events when we were in our 60s.
(Marilyn, I'm sorry but you won't have a wingman by then. I'm just sure of it. You won't need one either.)
Finally, we extricated ourselves and thanked the hostess for having us.
Then we had to ask someone to move their car.
Of course.
We did found out that 18 couples had gotten engaged from that Sunday School class in the last several years. 18! That's 36 people.
Humm...maybe we shouldn't have left early after all! The son of one of the moms looked slightly promising...
Of course, Elvis was waiting.