Money, money, money, money...

...most of us struggle to learn how to make it, save it, spend it wisely, save it, invest it, and give it.

On Saturday, February 5th, Oak Leaf is hosting Joe Sangl's Financial Learning Experience. It's a two-hour event designed to give you real information about debt and finances...something most of us need to hear.

My husband and I have been in and out of debt. We own a home and vehicles. We have life insurance, investments and college tuitions to think about. This is an event for us.

Dinner and childcare is provided and the event is free. Sign up now at oakleafchurch.com/finances.

I have a daughter!

I recently rediscovered a box of journals, still packed up from out move south. I love to talk a walk in the past and relive moments. Here's an entry from April 14, 2001:

"I have a daughter! Born Thursday night at 10:07pm, Amber Elizabeth has my heart. She is so perfect. I feel so full, my heart is continually smiling and is spilling over onto my face. We've been home form the hospital for about six hours now. Amber is on her first walk with Mike and Caeleb. Mike is eager to show her off, I think. He's a proud daddy. And Caeleb is a proud big brother. He knows "exactly" what to do. When Haha and Papa told him Friday morning that he had a baby sister, his first reaction was to say, "I want breakfast!" But when he came to see her, he knew just how to hold her and he sang "Happy Birthday" and "Rock-a-bye-baby", gave her kisses, and hummed to her. Seeing him holding her gave me quite an overwhelming feeling, too. My children. My son and daughter."

I love looking back at these moments. My heart was so full of lave and awe... 

Betcha didn't know...

...i sprained my ankle running down a mountain at summer camp when i was 16.
...i delivered both of my babies without an epidural - and i loved it.
...i used to eat the homemade playdough my mom made. i still remember the salty taste.
...i secretly sucked my left thumb until the fifth grade.
...i spent two amazing weeks on a mission trip to costa rica when i was 17.
...i operated a home day care out of my home for 2 years.
...i played field hockey in jr high and high school. i was the goalie. all five feet, one inch of me.
...i was married at the age of 20.
...i had a random allergic reaction to chocolate one easter and was unable to devour my giant chocolate bunny.
...mike and i have owned four houses.
...i worked as a waitress in a fine-dining restaurant on-and-off for 10 years.

Just a few fun facts about me! :)

You may be surprised...

Recently, my friend and co-worker, Rebekah Warren, Oak Leaf's Children's Director, wrote a blog post that listed what the City kids (elementary aged) wrote down about Jesus.

I love that they correctly used words like prophesies, Messiah, miracles, and disciples.

Click here to read Bekah's full post.

You are Not Alone

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted and saves those who are crushed in spirit. Psalm 34:18

Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid or terrified because of them, for the Lord your God goes with you; he will never leave you nor forsake you. Deuteronomy 31:6 

People hurt us.


They do things that pierce us to our core. They say things that break our confidences. People overlook things that leave us feeling hurt and alone and broken.


But He is there.


In our times of rawness, aloneness, and bitter pain He draws near and will not leave! What a relief. People will fail...the Lord will not!

Hiding His Word in Young Hearts

In the Oak Leaf Kids Preschool environments each month, preschoolers learn a new memory verse. One of my favorite things is to have a 3 year old run up to me and recite (with hand motions, of course) their memory verse. 

Even at the early age of 2 or 3, children can begin to learn truths about their Heavenly Father. This early memorization does not turn up void. Psalm 119:11 says,  "I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you." How absolutely valuable it is to help our young ones to learn His words. Each month, preschoolers take home a new memory verse card and parents are encouraged to help their child learn this at home.

The curriculum that we utilize in the Oak Leaf Kids environments is called First Look from the reThink group. We want, by the time a child is five years old, to believe: God Made Me, God Loves Me, and Jesus Wants to be My Friend Forever.

Some of the verses preschoolers have been learning are:

            “Let the little children come to me.” Luke 18:16, NIV

            “God loved the world so much that He gave His only Son.” John 3:16, GNT

“My God will meet all your needs.” Philippians 4:19, NIrV

“Be strong and courageous! Do not be afraid.” Deuteronomy 31:6, NLT

“Nothing can separate us from God’s love.” Romans 8:39, NIrV

“God is with you wherever you go.” Joshua 1:9, NLT

Each year that a preschooler comes to church, they have the opportunity to learn 12 verses. Most preschoolers spend about 3 years in the Desert & Jungle...thats 36 verses of scripture learned before entering kindergarten! 

What we're watching

Our remote most frequently stops on these shows:

• House Hunters
• House Hunters International
• Property Virgins
• Pawn Stars
• American Pickers
• Sarah Palin's Alaska
• If Walls Could Talk
• Cash and Cari
• House Crashers
• Deadliest Catch

i wonder what this says about us?

i. love. him. :)

I absolutely, wholeheartedly, undeniably love my husband Mike.

I love his sense of humor. He always makes me laugh.

He has an amazing work ethic.

He inspires me.

He loves and seeks God.

He loves his family intensely.

I've witnessed God do amazing things in his life.

He always believes that someone can do and be better...he does not settle for mediocre.

Mike doesn't ride the bandwagon. He's not afraid of being his own person.

I love how he loves our kids.

Mike loves our church and whole-heartedly loves serving there weekly.

He loves people.

He's spontaneous and encourages me to live without a plan sometimes :)

I fit in his hugs just right.

God has been building our marriage piece by piece since the beginning, and I look forward to each new day.  I am thrilled that we are going to grow old together.

The Blitz

Something that I have carried from my childhood into my life with a family now, is the Blitz-a rapid, everyone pitches in, cleaning frenzy, that lasts for a short amount of time.

I have many memories of Scott-family blitzes, with my parents setting the egg timer for 5 or 10 minute spans, where we all ran around the house picking up every possible thing that was out of place.

Today, with the active lives of my family, sometimes our house gets out of control (insert shock and surprise). Yet everyone in the house knows what it means when we call for a blitz and everyone chips in. Mail and papers get sorted, shoes get picked up, books find homes on shelves, blankets and pillows neatly return to the couches, dishes get loaded into the dishwasher, virtually every surface gets tidied up.

This isn't about cleaning as much as it is about everybody chipping in and picking up. At a quick pace, a great impact can be made...perfect for a family on the go.