HS weekend.

whoa! this week was crazy awesome! i love my triad, and this week's study was on "witness". to my surprise, they both said what a good "witness" i am to others...how i smile and speak at everyone in my path, even at target. i had to laugh. i never thought it was noticeable and i never really realize i was like that. my mother is the exact same way and i hated it all growing up. "mom, stop talking to that stranger-they don't want to talk to you!" 5 minutes later, they would be crying to her telling their whole life stories. and looky now, i am just like her...but in this case, that's a good thing :) so thanks mom! and thanks triad girls for the encouragement -one night with you gals in the Word and all is well.

thursday evening i headed to MD with callie and corbs so i could help my dad lead worship for a women's conference on friday night and saturday at new life wesleyan church. i haven't sang with my dad leading in a really long time-and it was really awesome. my sister monica was on guitar, my sister michelle and i on vocals, dad on guitar and vocals, mike q on bass, and new life's luke on drums. our one and a half song soundcheck on friday was our practice! we had all never played together before and we just winged it. i prayed to the holy spirit-please please please intervene and make this a joyful noise with out practice! and he sure did! out of the gate, the holy spirit dropped and he led that worship service. i wish "winging" it sounded like that all the time :)

those women (about 100 of them) came hungry and seeking jesus that night. even with my in- ears (those are the ear buds that are your monitors), i could hear those women singing up to heaven above! i don't know if i've ever led worship for a more passionate and worshipful bunch of people in my life. their uninhibited worship blessed me. we did 4 worship sets in 20 hours. i loved that they incorporated that much worship into the conference. i was a holy spirit mess for a good portion of the conference and for half my ride back to NC (that is until the kids started screaming uncontrollably and hitting eachother--holy spirit mood killer right there!) i was a Holy Spirit mess (yes, i am a crier)because He never stops revealing Himself or His purpose to me. i just don't deserve it.

got back later on saturday and crashed. curtis asked me earlier in the week if i could fill in on alto and i hesitated only because i knew i was coming in late. but he couldn't find anyone and since i am a sucker to serve at any chance i get, i was at the church a little after 7am, ready to go! we did some older songs and it was nice. holy spirit was there today too-i think He is stalking me! hahaha. benji's message about the bucket list was super. it affirmed my need to go ahead with some things... not waiting for the if's and then's..... of course the HS has to confirm things to me through tears, so there i was, a mess on the stage.......... oy. no, i am not preggo or PMSing either (although some may challenge me being emotionally unstable). haha.

after 1st service, my kids came in to say goodbye to me. they all 3 were sobbing and screaming that i wasn't going home with them. it broke my heart and was traumatizing for us all. i sometimes struggle with that balance of serving in ministry and my primary role as a mother. but you know what? God has made it possible for me to stay home with my babies all day everyday during the week, and my husband makes it possible for me to serve on weekends and a little in between. i am grateful. i continue to seek that balance.

i tried to nap once home, but it didn't happen. had moe's for dinner with brian's dad before he headed back up to MD (he came down while i was up there, so he could hang with brian and chase down here.) i am yawning now at 6:46pm. i want to go to bed!