Minnesota Nice

nothing says "Good Morning" like a chainsaw....

they are cutting down a tree right outside my bedroom window.....for 2 days now..i wake up to the songs of 2, not 1, but 2 chainsaws....cutting down this massive tree..not only that...but the guys running the chainsaws..still want to hold a normal conversation....but what is normal to them..is ear-piercing screams....

but..i cant complain..it's Friday baby.....now only 5 days till my honey arrives......

Posted by Shelly at 10:20 AM | Permalink | Comments

busy busy tuesday....but of course..time to blog.....with everything i have to do today..all the meetings..all the worship planning..i'm overwhelmed...so i need an outlet...i need to blog...so here are my deep thoughts for today..

I just got off the phone with Jamie..i love you j....i love talking boys..talking ministry...talking life.......

I realized today what God is doing IN me here and THROUGH me...those being 2 different things...the latter I always know i guess..I know He is going to work through me to accomplish His purposes for His church here in Bakersfield.....he uses my gifts and talents and leadership stlye to build a ministry....to teach, to plan, to sing, to lead worship, to mentor artists, to lead a small group...etc.....
But it's what He is doing IN me...that i forget about sometimes......i was telling jamie...this whole venture here in cali was no doubt what God wants me to do...but i think the glamour/fantasy of this ideal job has faded...because it's much more than that.....i've realized how different it is to be leading worship in a new church as oppposed to an established church where the majority "gets worship"....I could list the differences for hours..and my preferences...but instead i will tell you that it has made me realize who I am as a worshipper..who I am as child of God...who I am as a 25 yr old in full time ministry....

I've come to the conclusion...that I have so much to learn about what it means to worship....i contemplate whether i am energized through the crowds reaction...or if i am energized through an encounter with God....? and am i truly worshipping, if I am not encountering God privately..in my day to day......
I want my worship, my ministry...to be an overflow of what God is doing IN me......

i dont know if i want organized church....i dont know if i want meeting....or planning sessions....or budgets.....i think i just want to worship...i want my life to overflow with the love of jesus.....that's what i want....

and i dont think i even care where that takes place...in a church...in a bar...on the mission field....does it matter?

just my randomness for the day....back to meetings, back to planning, back to budgets......

somebody please call me the day our generation does 'church' ...the way it was meant to be...living life together....acts 2 style....daily worship.....

Posted by Shelly at 10:54 AM | Permalink | Comments

I cant believe its Friday already....which is a good thing since my honey will be here in 12 days...i want them to go by fast....only a dozen days...like eggs, or donuts...that's nothing....

i have been working my little bootie off this week..i. get in the zones where all i want to do is work...which is good i guess cause i'm finally starting to work ahead...i even have the PowerPoint done already for sunday..which i ususally spend all day saturday doing.....not this saturday..no i'm going roller skating...yes.. that's right..old school rolling skating..not even blading......small group peops are doing it up tomorrow.....

as for my friday night..no plans...which is actually nice...we dont have band practice tonite cause we are doing an uplugged worship set....just me and another guitar and vocalist..that should be fun..i'm singing a U2 song...so that will be cool too..only one little detail..i'm a female...but hey..i gotta improvise since there are no male singers in bakey....

it's so warm here..i love it...sorry for all you IL folk who keep telling me how cold it is there...it was 72 here yesterday....yep....and today its a gorgeous 65....cant beat that.....i'm going to freeze my littel bootie off when i come back in December...esp since the bridesmaide dress i have to where is made out of tissue paper...

Things i'm looking forward to:
1. 12 days from now when i pick up tony from LAX
2. The 5 days i get to spend with him... :)
3. sleeping in tomorrow (not like i dont sleep in every day)
4. the day when my neck doesnt hurt like a mo fo
5. dec 16 when i fly into chicago/mdwy
6. the 6 days i get to spend in IL with all my fave people
7. seeing snow in IL (hopefully)
8. having a GLC breve latte
9. hugging my mom
10. the day i dont have to say goodbye to tony at the airport....

Just to name a few...

Posted by Shelly at 5:00 PM | Permalink | Comments

to tag on jamie's "of the moments..."

My "of the moments"

book: yes i'm reading.... Purpose Driven Life, Rick Warren

drink: still the decaf breve with splenda....mmmm

food: cheese..forever cheese

music: van morrison

movie: braveheart...my fave of all time...i've watched it at least twice this week...both parts..while napping...

favorite time of day: at midnight when i get to talk to tony...and all the rest of the moments of the day that i am thinking of him :)

pain: my neck still..i need to go get a massage

Posted by Shelly at 3:23 PM | Permalink | Comments

monday..monday.....
i used to not come into the office on mondays..but here i am....we have staff mtgs now on mondays....so here i am wasting time before i really have to work...i guess its not really a waste of time to keep my favorite people updated on my life..or to just blab about my weekend..or to vent frustrations....

this was a rough week for me....not only do i have the worst neck pain i've ever had...but i dealt with a lot of ministry "crap" this week...if i can say crap after ministry.....mostly it was my crap....it was like a ministry crisis of feeling like a failure.....a failure because my job is to bring people to worship...and i dont feel like i see that in our congregation....and yes i realize our church is only 6 weeks old....and that would by like expecting a six week old baby to get off it's lazy butt and walk....but it's really frustrating..it's like how do you measure success in ministry....is it a success if hundreds of people walk through the doors and 'get it'...get worship...is it if only one person out there meets Jesus...or is it if you yourself are changed through worship on a daily basis.....?
Thank God He is faithful despite our shortcomings...casue i dont know about you..but i fall short every day...and i also thank God for you guys...my friends..those that got to hear me cry this weekend...and said all the right things..those that pray for me...those that encourage me and remind me why i'm here.....

things that happened this weekend in my little world:
1. it actually rained this weekend...in the desert..weird..but it felt good...good to cuddle up and watch a movie...
2. i wiped out on the sidewalk saturday.....it was real funny...i was carrying this big ole box to the dumpster and had flip flops on..and slipped on the wet pavement....i laughed hard, thus giving scott permission to laugh at mie...
3. i've never seen so many snails in my whole life as i do when it rains here....they are all over the side walks..you literally have to dodge them if you dont want to crush one...the 7 yr old boy in me came out..and i had to pick one up and examine it...yep, they're still gross
4. the lights went out at the theatre we have church in on sunday..but it actually turned out to be a cool worship moment....in the darkness
5. bought the newest edition of trivial pursuit..my favs game...but scott keeps kicking my butt.....the standings so far are scott 4 me 1..that sucks...i must win....

Posted by Shelly at 1:28 PM | Permalink | Comments

I think i just took my last step to becoming an official californian..i. got my plates today....so my ghetto car now wears cali plates....the only cali plate car to have rust on it....but for once i'm thankful my car is so old and ghetto because..the cost of registration in cali is ridiculous..the price just went up about 300% in october of this year...but they charge regi based on the worth of your car...and mine, not being much, only cost $86...so yahoo for ghetto car...i love you ghetto car, with 3 out of 4 handles, 4 out of 5 working seatbelts, no interior light, 3 out of 4 working power windows, 3 out of 4 working power locks.......not bad percentages really.....ha

i love reading all your blogs...but for those of you that dont have a comment section....get one...i. want to comment with my funny quips and anecdotes...

I just spent a couple days up north in vacaville at a leadership conference....john walker, a lcc grad started blessings ranch in CO....spoke on excellence in leadership...but it was basically a kick in the butt to have excellency in my rel with God...it's funny cause i feel like i pay for conferences all the time where i go wanting some huge practically minstry ideas where they will tell me how to do ministry...but EVERY time...i just come away with the fact that i need to be in the word...you would think i would stop paying for these conferences..and just starting reading my Bible...
besides the fact that i was sick the whole day at the conference..it was good....and i came away with a letter from God...written by me of course...but from the words of God.....we did this exercise about what our "leadership lids" are ...and what hinders our leadership....without getting into the details of the exercise...i will just leave you with my letter from God....to me..from His Word....

Shelly,
You are my child (jn 1:12) and belong to my family. Nothing you do or don't do can make me love you any less (rom 8:35,27). You dont have to do everything on your own. I live in you (1 cor 6:19-20). And if you fail it's o.k. for I bring redemption & forgiveness of sin (col 1:14). Remember that there are others around you whom I have equipped to serve as well, you are merely a part of my Body (1 cor 12:27). And you can do nothing apart from me the true vine (jn 15:5). So cling to me and my strength will allow you to do all things (phil 4:13). Do not worry about gaining constant approval from others becasue there is no condemnation for those in Me (rom 8:1). I am for You, so no one can stand against you (rom 8:31).

Your Proud Father,
God

Posted by Shelly at 11:20 AM | Permalink | Comments

It's been a long time since i last blogged.....sorry bout that.....
Last week t-dubs was here all week (tanya)....so that was fun times.....we went to the beach for mine and scott's bday...it was a good chill day...we pretty much just chilled all week....of course i had to still work.....and now i'm sick...i guess the combo of no sleep...singing too much...going out dancing late..for halloween..which brings me to this...

We went out dancing on halloween at a club here called "Rockin' Rodeo"..and if you know me at all..you know i dont really enjoy country...but...this bar is fun..cause on side is total country..and the other is metro..it's cool......and of course on ween (as jamie calls it) everyone was dressed up.....or had on lack of clothes as most of the ladies did......i would lilke to highlight some of the freaks i saw on that night...

the most memorable..was the man dressed as a giant penis..yes, that's right....a huge penis..even down to the balls for ankles...

The was a ronald mcdonald clown there too...clowns..my faves.....i happen to turn around when he was inches from my face and let out my best 3rd grade scream...tanya and scott had to shield me from them all night....

The three of us were discussing how halloween was just an excuse for some girls to wear nothing....and that you couldnt just find a nurse..it was a slutty nurse, a slutty devil, a slutty cop, a slutty ______ fill in the blank....
there was this one chick, that all she wore was her bra and undies..with wings on....nice, who do you think you are..vicky secret....o..but my fav part of her outfit was that she had to still carry her cell phone..which was conveniently sticking out of her undies wasteband.....nice...and by nice..i mean effing tacky....

the winners of the costume contest..were none other than cheech and chong...they deserved to win..they had well thought out costumes..and stayed in character all night..not to mention they had the biggest mock fatty blunt ever.....and they threw out fake little j's all night....(although i didnt confirm that they were actually fake)..

there was a pee wee herman look alike....and the dude didnt even wear a mask....he really looked just like him...

o and did i mention that i have never seen so many girl on girl action on the dance floor..it made me want to puke....

speaking of dance floor....there was the crazy middle aged drunk guy that stood on the dance floor and jsut watched everyone dance.....he was standing right next to us..with his beer breath and his budweiser jacket on..that must have been his outfit.....he played the part of drunk guy well...

o...i almost forgot about "jean angel" or "denim butterfly" we cant decide what she was...she was a 40 something lady..who just had on jeans and a black shirt and some wings......and boy could she dance....and by dance i mean...thrash her head around and run her hands through her hair....

Wings...everyone had on wings.....which, yes wings are great....but not when you slap some on with your jeans and shirt.....nice costume...dorks..i saw at least 3 women who just did that......

ok..enough costume ranting.......there were some good ones...among them..the pregnant nun..a 'ween' classic....

Posted by Shelly at 1:03 PM | Permalink | Comments