Happy Black History Month and Happy Spring!
February and March have been some amazing and busy months.
Enjoy the highlights below!
Did you know we had some crazy weather in the month of February here in Texas? In true Texas fashion, this snow came and went, and shortly after we were met with warmth and sunshine. But who doesnt love a snow day?! Plus I got this really cute pic of me and my roomies dogs 😃
(from left to right: Maizy, Asa, Kenny, Neo...Kenny and Neo are mine 😻)
Neo, being a Bernedoodle (Bernese Mountain dog/poodle mix), was living his best life on his first snow day ever. He was very happy.
They sat and stared out of this door for about an hour lol.
Here are me and my fellow women apprentices for this year. We have been hanging out each month at someone's house and this was me and Renee's night to host! It was a fun time.
MY BELOVED CORE!! This picture is special to me because its one of the first moments of our core hanging out for an extended amount of time outside of core! They so sweetly went on a walk together through campus and like the "corny mom" I can be sometimes, I just had to snap a picture and make a big deal out of it. I am always so moved by how God brings some of the most unlikely people together.
Another picture of the girls in my core at our weekly campus gathering called Friday Night Fellowship or "FNF" for short. They are such a fun and funny group.
Natalie and Issac, on the left, had us over for dinner and a sweet exchange of stories about our lives.
This was my carpool group to our staff retreat. It was quite fun and really meaningful to have some solid hours to connect with my coworkers on the larger FOCUS staff not only on this car ride but the entire 4 days in general. From left to right that is Cole, Pedro, and Sirak.
A group workout that we did that was actually very hard and left me sore for days. It was nice to do though to help all that brisket and pork move along 😳
What I loved so much about Staff Retreat were the talks that we had on humility, surrender, self control, sacrifice, and finally, silence and solitude. These talks are given by a fellow staff member followed by an open forum discussion/sharing of experience with these values from the more senior staff. For these talks to happen at this point in the school year were a game changer on my outlook on how to approach the rest of the school year and gave me a very helpful framework to think about my spirituality through. One of the talks that stood out to me the most was the one on humility. Our speaker used a resource called "The Freedom Of Self Forgetfulness"by Timothy Keller. To sum up the idea of what was discussed take this quote:
"A superiority complex and an inferiority complex are basically the same. They are both results of being over inflated. The person with the superiority complex is overinflated and in danger of being deflated; the person with an inferiority complex is deflated already...deflated or in imminent danger of being deflated - it is all the same thing. And it makes the ego fragile."
This was related to how we as children of God should "get out of the courtroom" because God is the judge, there is, no jury. We can stop living our life on trial in a court room where we are trying to prove our resumes to ourselves and to the nonexistent jury. The Reigning Judge calls us righteous when we are in his son, and the verdict is already in: we are priceless. By God's saving grace through Jesus Christ, we have already been approved of by the only One who matters. Therefore, we can walk out of the courtroom and live in such a way that doesn't think too highly or too lowly of ourselves, but that lives in a way that is true and pleasing to God. after all, he's the only one who really knows our motives! Therefore we can rest as his children and avoid either extreme of being overly inflated or too deflated because either view does not square with God's truth.
1 Corinthians 4:3-5 says
"I care very little if I am judged by you or any human court. Indeed I do not even judge myself. My conscience is clear but the does not make me innocent. Therefore judge nothing before the appointed time; wait until the Lord comes. He will bring to light what is hidden in darkness and will expose the motives of the heart..."
Some more views from our Campsite in Burnet, TX
Below you will find a link to this show we do every year called "Showcase"
Showcase is an event comprised of the gifted performers in our community that showcase talents from singing, rapping, dancing, and comedy, along with an artisan market. Showcase is put on each year to raise money for our choice students to attend a week long conference in Bellingham WA called SICM (Student Institute of Campus Ministry). This conference is designed to helps us develop and train students into pastoral leaders that are equipped to reach out on our campuses. 100% of our sales go to our attending student’s expenses such as travel, housing, and food.
The full cast on stage for the finale "Don't Stop Believing"
A snapshot of me and Renee dancing in an original piece called "Never Lost."
If you want to view this show you can visit
anyfocus.org/showcase
Please consider leaving a donation to help our students travel to Washington this May! Every amount helps! (tickets were sold at $25)
Once again thank you all so much for investing in me this year. Praying that God would restore and replenish all that you have given!
