a few close calls...

well, the winter weather is really getting to me. perhaps if i could stay home all day, go for the occasional walk when the snow is falling magically at dusk, and not have to brave the icy roads, it would be acceptable - but life has to go on, and so the weather becomes something of a nuisance.

preface: sunday's objective in kids' church was "God will help me tell others about Jesus". the introduction to the day was to ask the kids to tell eachother as many things that they could think of that God had done for them, in one minute. perhaps i don't give them enough credit for recognizing God's work in the little things, but i didn't really think this would go over so well, so i had been praying that God would bring to my mind a situation that i could share with them how He was working in my life, to which they could relate.

ok, on with the story. sunday morning, we headed out the door early to go to starbucks before church. as i pulled out of the driveway, i mentioned that i didn't want to go to the nearest store because we'd have to go down (little) hills in every possible route, and i knew it was icy. matt convinced me that we'd be fine, so we headed out. sure enough, we got to a short but steep slope in the road and my back tires hit the ice and promptly took the car's tail down the side of the slope. i didn't know what else to do, so i steered the car in the direction i wanted it to go (what very little i remember about driving in dangerous conditions from driver's ed) and prayed out loud, asking God to put His hand on our vehicle and keep us from hitting that telephone pole that was quickly approaching my husband's side of the car. before my very eyes, despite the fact that we were still most definitely at a downhill angle, our car slowed to a stop, within about 6 inches of the telephone pole.

i told the kids that story and they were right on board. they were thankful and amazed, and it was so good for them (and me!) to see God working in a very real way. it spurred other stories of God helping them to find lost objects, lost pets, even stories of emotional and physical healing. i was so thankful that God took the time that morning to give me a real example to share with them. and i was quite amused that He would let us experience something so frightening to show us His power. it certainly wasn't the first time. (Mark 4:39 - "He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, "Quiet! Be still!" Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.")

my second "close call" was sans-vehicle. we received a few more inches of snow early yesterday morning and the trouble with such weather is that when things start to melt, there's never enough time for the dampness to dry before freezing temperatures come again. so, i knew there's be ice under all that snow. my walk to the bus-stop is all of 4 blocks, but our street is a gentle downward slope all the way down to the main road. in such weather, i usually walk in the snowy parts of the road, knowing i have more traction on snow than on ice. so i left the house, crossed our yard and got right out onto the shoulder of the street when the snow below my foot gave out against the slick ice below. i hit the ground harder than i've ever hit before, and smacked my head against the icy concrete (thank goodness there was a little snow to break my fall).

had it just been me, i'd have laid there a few minutes and gotten myself together before getting up - but my neighbor was out scraping his car and saw the whole thing. he made sure i was okay, but i hurt so bad i just wanted to cry, so i went directly back into the house (and cried!) the headache was the worst, but within minutes i could feel bruising across my tailbone. i was pretty sure i didn't have a concussion, though i did feel very sleepy almost immediately. with a little (okay, alot of) ibuprofen, the headache subsided, but the pain in my muscles intensified. holding my head up was (and is) a challenge! today, i feel like i was in a car accident - muscles that i can't believe were used in the 1-second fall to the ground are aching like they'd had an intense workout.

so, suffice it to say that i'm ready for spring... not only am i ready for a less-wintry clime, but i'm also salivating over the spring-y decorations in stores right now. ;)

such big changes...

so in the last month, we've been considering and planning for some big changes. i wanted to post about it at first, but had to keep the information to myself until it was final. by the time it was final, and i'd personally told everyone who i felt should get to hear the news straight from me, nearly two weeks had passed. then the holidays came up, and you know how it goes... it just didn't get posted. so, please forgive me.

in early december, matt & i were invited to the home of our dear friends - our church's children's pastor & his wife - for dinner. over dinner, they delivered some highly unexpected news, that through a series of events they had been called to another church, and that they would be leaving december 31st.

i wasted no time, immediately bursting into tears. i got a hold of myself as they told us the long story and it was so clear that God had His hand in it all. and then dan told us that he was recommending to the staff that i serve as his replacement.

and i burst into tears all over again.

that dinner lead us to a two hour interview/meeting with him and our lead pastor, which resulted in my immediate hire. on december 31st, i was introduced to our church as the Children's Ministry Director.

this is huge for me, and yet i hate to use such ineloquent words to describe it. i first felt called to ministry about 5 years ago, and immediately began pursuing the necessary education that could result in licensing within my denomination. a year ago, dan asked me if i would consider coming back to the kids church to teach. i was hesitant, but surprised that he had asked when i was already considering it. after quite a discussion, we realized that God could very well be at work in my life, so i joined his team of teachers.

and i've been thriving. the best thing about this ministry is that i have to depend on God to be successful. i need His patience and His joy and His love, because these are not qualities i possess on my own. since then, i've sensed that i was likely headed toward a position in children's ministry, but i also assumed it was a few years off.

that this kind of opportunity would arise and at this time in my life is amazing to me. i'm all of 11 days into this part-time position, and finding myself wanting to invest far more time than they've requested. i only pray that this energy and excitement would continue through my entire tenure with our church.

aside from the extra "work" {if you could call it that!}, this coincides with the {supposed} launch date of my photography business. because of the adjustment period required while i figure out how my time will be spent, i've decided to prolong the formal launch of my business, and i will probably be drastically altering my plan for operation. i'll post more as i make these decisions...

so, that's it. that's life, that's my news. i lay awake at night with ideas, it's constantly on my mind, and i'm so excited about the possibilities for the future. so glad i was finally able to share this with you.