My take on church segregation

Since we have been going to our church we have experienced a lot of segregation. Most modern churches have this problem. They have the singles group, the high school youth group, the middle school group, small kids group and adult groups. I don't believe that this is the way God intended our churches to be. I think that us young people need older men and women as our friends and I know for a fact that single people need and love families in there lives. Throughout the years several single people have befriended our family and one in particular has complained about how people make the sad mistake of thinking that singles only want to hang out with other singles. How can people grow and learn when the majority of there time is spent with people who are at the same place in life as they are? I know that these groups have leaders that are usually older and have more experience but that is only a couple of people,
I don't think that is enough. Young singles need families!! High schoolers need to learn to make friends with older people!! We went to our youth for the first time and Mom came with us because the church was new. Once we got there my sisters and I started talking to the youth leader but none of the kids were making any effort to talk to us. In a few minutes Mom got a call on her cell and went to the car, immediately kids came over to talk to us. This struck me as very odd and Mom noticed it so she hung back to let us meet some of the kids. It shouldn't have been this way, teens should be able to talk to a grown woman. Girls can learn so much from women. I know I would not be who I am today if I had not had older women to learn from.
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Titus 2:2-6
That the aged men be sober, grave, temperate, sound in faith, in charity, in patience.
The aged women likewise, that [they be] in behavior as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;
That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children,
[To be] discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed.
Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded.

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I believe Gods plan was for us to learn from each other, not have our own little age groups with people who are the same as us. The majority of youth these days are heading for disaster and without families being strong and adults in our lives to help us learn where will our world be in fifty years? God and strong families are so important that I believe the world cannot survive without them.

What's Up?

Yesterday we had to endure a rehearsal day at the dance studio from 10:00am to 5:00pm. It was tough but fun. We are getting ready for a History performance all the way in March. Yah...We need that much time to get it right but when we do it will be awesome!! If I do say so :) We are going to have a studio lock-in in a few days and I'm really looking forward to it! my friend Shelby and I decided to match and wear pigtails and toe socks "Whoa!" really blond! I can't believe Christmas is so near, we are already baking cookies and I'm making my traditional fudge.

My Uncle has been trying to lose weight for a while but he hasn't been able to have the self control so he has challenged Adventure Queen (because he is very competitive) to see who can lose the most by Christmas. The strict rule is they are to weigh Christmas morning at 10:00am wearing shorts and a T-shirt. The loser has to pay the winner $10.00 and wash thier car, and I will post who the winner is.

Good quotes!

I am reading a book called Michael O'Halloran, by Gene Stratton-Porter. Mickey O'Halloran is a newsie who lives alone in an apartment after his mather died. His mother had taught him to be responsible and care for himself, but one day he accidentally finds a little orphan girl with a bad back named Lily Peaches. Mickey decides to take care of her even though he is hardput to provide for two. He is determined to make a home for her and give her the loving care she has never known. The two children touch the lives of whoever they meet and help to change the ideas of some.

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From the back of the book: "The story of Mickey and Lily resonates into our own age when definitions of "home" and "family" continue to fuel public and political debate".

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Here are two quotes I really loved from the book.

These are from a character named Leslie Winton.

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"As I figure it, it's homes that count, Daddy. If the nation prospers, the birth rate of Americans has got to keep up, or soon the immigrants will be in control everywhere, as they are in places, right now. Births imply homes. Homes suggest men to support them, women to control them."

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"It's my opinion that modern marriage would be more satisfactory if the engaged parties would not come so nearly being married, so long before they are. There is so little left for afterward, in most cases, that it soon grows monotonous."

The nativity

I saw the nativity a few weeks ago and I was very impressed at the accuracy in which they presented the whole story. It was beautifully put together and it made the story more real to me than it has ever been. I would encourage anyone who hasn't seen it to go and support it, just bring some tissue with you cause you will need it!

Queen Bee

The craze around Shadybrook Acres lately has been playing Queen Bee. It's a card game that has to be played with four or more people and it is sort of like spoons but when you have four cards that are the same you have to get one of your team members to say queen bee before the other team says it. This is a lot of fun because we added a touch of our own... Each team has a code developed where each card has a secret name and there is a code word or phrase that notifies your team that you have four matching cards. Pearlkeeper, BLOCHhead and I have been only short of obsessed and have been playing almost every evening with our uncle and two cousins. My uncle is an all or nothing type of guy and he has been working on this code at home with his two boys that he says is so good that they will never lose. "Huh!"

It's funny how a couple of families can obsess over a game so much. There is always a game fad going on around here that we cant wait to play.

When you live in a big family you WILL get teased for any imperfection you happen to have!

When I woke up this morning I had a sore throat, I tried to say something to my brother but no sound came out except for a thin squeak and I knew I was in trouble. My brothers immediately started cracking up and asked me to say something else, I obliged under more peals of laughter then I started laughing and you wouldn't believe the entertainment this brought!! Later at About eleven I went outside to see what was fascinating my brother and my cousin ( it was the ice on the pool) they started laughing at me and asking me to say certain things and laughing at my laugh which was more high pitched then my voice. After breaking up the ice with the boys I went inside and Mom immediately took advantage because she says I cant talk back :P This evening Hope asked me to sing so I tried to sing and it sounded terrible!!! My grandparents came over for diner and they enjoyed making fun of me at the dinner table. I wanted to ask my Grandpa about a basketball game he was going to take me to but I had a very hard time doing so and Mom had to translate. Later we were going to play queen bee but it wouldn't work without a voice! So I am resolved to bloging:)

Prayer

In these recent months I have lost a lot of friends but God has used this to draw me closer to my family and to Him. Some of the things I've learned have made such an awesome difference in the way I view my life and my relationship with God. He has been so amazing and has brought our family through these hard times with such unbelievable grace and mercy. We have met so many people in the last month or so that have encouraged us in Him.

The Lord has led me to these verses and taught me to never let anything hinder my prayer life, not worries or burdens or hopes or wishes. I have learned to keep alert in Him and to trust Him no matter what!!

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Be anxious for nothing, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be known to God.

Philippians 4:6

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Evening and morning and at noon I will pray, and cry aloud and He will hear my voice.

Psalm 55:17

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Devote yourselves to prayer keeping alert in it with an attitude of thanksgiving.

Colossians 4:2

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Here is a Third Day song that has meant a lot to me too.

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My pain and problems keep me chained

And my troubled heart makes me weak

I'll wait for You to comfort me

And in You I know I'll find my strength

I will soar on the wings of eagles

I will learn to fly high above this world

And I will soar on the wings of eagles

I will learn to fly

I will learn to fly high above this world

I tremble with this heavy weight

And I'm buried underneath my grief

I'll run to You and not grow faint

And I'll lay my burdens at Your feet

Hi folks I'm the third oldest in the Shadybrook Acres family I live on a hill with my cousins next door and my grandparents live through the woods. We have so much fun around Christmas its not even funny :) We all used to go to my grandparents house for Christmas but most of the presents were purchased by them and this did not work. We decided to do what some people call Secret Santa Claus where all eighteen of us draw names and just buy presents for the person we drew. This has worked so well and it has taken a load off our grandparents and instead of having to buy presents for twelve grandkids they can focus on one person each. I am really exited because I drew the name of my baby cousin who is my favorite baby in the whole world!!!! Sarah is just walking and loves dolls and other toys so its been very fun shopping for her. I would put a picture of her up but Mom has put way to many on our family blog! lol.

It's funny how almost nobody can keep it a secret for longer than a week and most everybody knows who got them. It's going to be very fun anyways!