Live like you mean it...

Moving to Wordpress

2009-08-15T13:15:00.000-07:00

I have moved this blog to http://epfoster.wordpress.com

Come on over!

Family,Friends, and Fun!

2009-07-22T18:43:00.000-07:00

The past couple weeks have been a wonderful whirlwind of visiting friends and family, baby showers, and continuing to prepare for Baby Foster's arrival! My sister bought us the art for the nursery. They were used to decorate at the shower. I already put them up in the nursery, and they look great!
Here are all of Baby Foster's grandmas and great grandmas. He's a lucky little guy!

I had two awesome hosts for my baby shower in Fresno. My sister, Kelly, and best friend, Jenn. They did a great job. It was so much fun. I felt very blessed to be with so many people I love and be showered with so many gifts! We couldn't even fit everything in the car to come back home.

Luke and Sarah Mundy came to visit us. We went to the Coldplay concert! Of course we had to stop at Ghirardelli on the way.

Paul, Jenn, and baby Gracie came to visit us. We had a blast going to San Francisco, showing them around Santa Rosa, and going to Bodega Bay for the afternoon. This is me around 31 weeks pregnant. Micah apparently likes to take pictures of me at Bodega Bay. : )

30 Weeks and Counting!

2009-06-29T20:53:00.001-07:00

I can't believe I am already on my 30th week of pregnancy!! I just keep thinking there is so much to do in the next 10 weeks! ahhhh. We have started our child birth classes, and are learning a lot. We seem to be holding back laughter more than the other couples though...we must be immature. haha. Baby Boy Foster has been extremely active the past few weeks. It's amazing to think of the life growing inside me. We have slowly been preparing the nursery. Last weekend we bought a dresser, and our crib will be coming soon! I am super excited for my upcoming baby showers, and for all the fun the next three months will hold!

This weekend, my mom and sister came up to visit. We had so much fun together going to Bodega Bay, downtown Healdsburg, San Francisco, and showing them around our new home town. Here is a picture Micah took in Bodega Bay.

Some other exciting news is that I will be starting to work part time at the Health Club next week, and will be using my time off to work some hours at New Vintage Church in Children's Ministry. I will be focusing on the parent connection pieces mainly in all areas of Children's Ministry. I am VERY excited to be working in CM again. I have missed it so much since my last job...it's been a very difficuly tranisition for me in this way, so this opportunity is a HUGE answer to prayer! : )

Update!

2009-05-11T22:57:00.000-07:00

If you don't know already...we are having a BOY!! We are very excited to add another Foster boy to the family, and a long awaited boy to the Solberg family!! I have been feeling much better, and enjoying pregnancy while I can before I start getting too uncomfortable.
Last weekend Cheryl and Cheronn, my mom and sis in law, came to visit us. We went to San Francisco one day. Don and Cheryl are here now, and we've been enjoying spending some time with them!
We have started our baby registry. That was a little overwhelming! We had fun though. Other than that, we have been working and preparing for our son to come in September!!

22 Weeks!

Photo Shoot!

Sunny Day in SF!

Life is Good

2009-04-08T19:13:00.001-07:00

For those of you who know me well, you know that I have pretty much been a complainer since we moved to Santa Rosa about where we live. I LOVE the church we are at, and my job is going well, but for some reason, I have been..well a little depressed in the place we live. It could have something to do with the fact that I have seen more of the inside of our toilet bowl than anything else here. haha. Anyway, this week I started looking around me a little bit more, and realized that beauty is all around me, and LIFE IS GOOD. I really have nothing to complain about. Below are some pictures I took this past week. Enjoy! : )

This is what I see when I walk out our front door...Spring is beautiful!

This is the view standing on our bedroom balcony.

This is me 18 weeks pregnant!

Technorati tags: santa, rosa, new, vintage, church, beauty, life, pregnancy

16 weeks!

2009-03-30T22:23:00.001-07:00

Here I am at 16 weeks. I know this is a big jump from my last blog of us just announcing we were pregnant. All you have missed the past couple months is a lot of being sick, tired, and emotional. haha. I am feeling more like myself now, and am not as sick. I am so thankful for that. I hear that it's all VERY worth it in the end. I am not showing all that much yet, but check back in a few weeks. We should find out if baby Foster is a boy or girl soon too!! : )

Technorati tags: pregnant, micah, erica, foster

Lots of Change for the Fosters

2009-02-07T21:30:00.001-08:00

I feel like such a loser for not blogging in sooo long! Hopefully you got to see this video on Micah's blog. It's been a crazy couple weeks for us. I have done nothing but work and lay on the couch. I have been pretty sick. : ( But, today was a great day! My grandparents came and we went to Bodega Bay for lunch. It felt great to get out!

Embedded Video

Visiting Washington

2009-01-06T17:17:00.001-08:00

Micah and I went to Washington the day after Christmas for a week. (Hence my severe lack of blogging). We had a great time! Micah's entire immediate family lives there. Above is a family picture that we took on New Year's Day! This is Micah's parents, sister, brother, sister in law, and our three AWESOME nephews! We arrived at the Portland Airport around midnight on December 26. Snow covered everything. It was beautiful. The ride home was a little slippery, and we almost got stuck pulling into the driveway. The next morning the whole family got together to open presents and celebrate Christmas. Micah and I havn't been able to go up around the holidays, so this was extra special! I hope we can make an annual tradition out of this! The rest of the week was spent eating great meals and playing games with the nephews. We did get to see Marley and Me with Cheronn. I highly recommend it! : ) We also went to a New Year's Eve party at PUMP church. See a funny video of some people we met there and played games with here. We were very sad to leave. I actually cried! How lame am I? haha. I wish we lived closer, and could be together more. It was an unforgettable trip! I hope you all made some great memories this year too!

Giving Up Christmas

2008-12-23T15:00:00.001-08:00

Buckhead Church is Giving Up Christmas this year. This is inspiring.

Pump It Up

2008-12-18T16:54:00.001-08:00

A couple Sundays ago, our first grade small group leaders took their groups on an outing to Pump It Up. This year we have really worked hard to impress upon our leaders the importance of connecting with their small group outside of Sunday morning. I have been blown away by how our amazing leaders have responded to this challenge! Way to go!
Go here to view pictures from this outing!

My Thoughts Exactly

2008-12-17T16:37:00.001-08:00

See what Randy Elrod has to say about social networking here.

Volunteer Highlight - Meet Daron Crass

2008-12-16T15:00:00.001-08:00

Name: Daron Crass

Volunteer Role: 9am 3rd grade
Environment: Small group leader.
Where did you grow up? Kingsburg California
Family?
Wife Joanie. Son Jordon 8, Daughter Sydney 6, Son Ian 4.
What's your favorite ice cream flavor? Vanilla
What was the first concert you went to? Waylon Jennings when I was 17.
How and when did you get involved serving in Family Life? Summer of 2007. I went to the information meeting when I was told there was a great need for small group leaders.
What's your favorite thing about serving in Family Life? Getting to know the kids in my small group.
Could you tell us about one moment when you were serving you'll always remember? One of the kids in my small group brought a friend with him. During some of the activities we were doing I noticed the he was crying. I asked him if everything was OK and he said yes that he was fine. Later I was told that he was so emotionally moved by what we were learning that it brought him to tears.
What's your favorite message or series from "big church?" Money Talks
What's your favorite Bible verse or Bible story? Psalm 51

WINS - My Life Line

2008-12-09T11:43:00.001-08:00

I am reading a book called “Authentic Faith” by Gary Thomas. I have pretty much had this book attached to my hip this past month. I don’t know each of your specific situations right now, but I know that this time of year is not always a happy time. We all have struggles, and trials we go through, but because we have Jesus we can still find JOY. This is a quote from the book:

“When our happiness is dependent on what happens to us and when our self-focus determines our daily mood, our joy will necessarily be limited to whatever good thing happens to us. But when we learn to truly delight in the welfare of others and rejoice in what God is doing in our lives, the potential for increased joy skyrockets.”

I hope that no matter your situation today, you are joyFULL! Celebrate these WINS with me. : )

1. Pastor Rosenthal’s family started a great Thanksgiving tradition this year. They went to a convalescent home in town and brought cookies. The girls sang songs, and Andrew read a story and showed a display that he made. This family is definitely learning to show GRATEROSITY!!

2. Jane Feist sent me a very encouraging e mail last week about how the Holy Spirit moved in her day when she took time to listen to His leading. I love hearing about how God is moving in your lives! He is always moving, we just have to take the time to figure out how, and move with Him.

3. Sandy Willis said she is really enjoying the curriculum! We are blessed to have such an amazing curriculum for our kids. If you want to watch a video about our curriculum strategy and see why we do what we do, go to this site. http://252basics.org

4. Many of you have been e mailing parents to communicate with them. I got CCed on an e mail that Heather Hayford sent to her kids’ parents and was reminded that this really is a great way to communicate with them! Thanks for taking the time to keep your kids’ parents in the loop and connected!

5. Janelle e mailed me after the first grade Pump It Up Outing and said they all had a great time. About 30 kids attended, which is an amazing turn out!! I can’t wait to see pictures. Our first grade leaders are awesome for planning this event!

6. Our Preschool Coordinator, Rosi Borsch, sent the following two WINS.

- There was a child skipping down the hall waving $2. He asked me, “where is a tithe box? I want to turn in my offering”. We just finished up our series on stewardship in main service and it was clear his family had discussed it and he was ready to join the cheerful giving team. J So cool!

- One new family came yesterday because a New Harvest attendee told them about us on the bus. They are going through a rough spot right now. Our second service nursery volunteers were amazing. Building an initial relationship by listening, asking questions, and offering advice and help. Well done Monica, Jennifer, and Keri!

Have a great week!

Unreleased Star Wars Movie

2008-12-04T09:57:00.001-08:00

This is the best Star Wars movie I have ever seen. My nephews are awesome. I guess my brother-in-law is pretty awesome too since he made this video. : )

Our Clone Wars from Jason Foster on Vimeo.

Meet Andrea Engvall

2008-11-26T15:31:00.000-08:00

Name: Andrea Engvall
Volunteer Role: Small Group Leader 6th grade girls
Environment: Inner Change
Where did you grow up? Fresno, graduated from Chico State, lived in Seattle but moved home to Fresno and stayed.
Family? My husband John and I have two kids: Sven (11) and Erika (10). They are truly blessings!
What’s your favorite ice cream flavor? Mint & Chip
What was the first concert you went to? REO Speedwagon or The Cars, I guess that really dates me.
How and when did you get involved serving in Family Life? I started serving in Family Life in Spring of 2008 after Carole Blomgren from my Community Group invited me to shadow her. At first I was a bit nervous, now I love it and the girls!
What’s your favorite thing about serving in Family Life? Honoring and serving God. Helping my girls grow in their faith with the Lord. Building a trusting relationship that encourages expression of faith and provides a safety net when needed in challenging times.
Could you tell us about one moment when you were serving you’ll always remember? When one of my girls told me I was her BFF.
What’s your favorite message or series from “big church?” Too tough to answer, the teacher appears when the student is ready. Seems I need a lot of “teaching”, I must have a “ready” sign on my heart!
What’s your favorite Bible verse or Bible story? Right now …. Phillippains 4:4-7. “Rejoice in the Lord always, I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.”

The Fine Line

2008-11-20T10:00:00.001-08:00

The Fine Line Extended Version (HD) from josh franer on Vimeo.

This is a video I found on Anne Jackson's blog this morning. It is about a new book coming out called "The Fine Line" by Kary Oberbrunner. This looks really interesting to me...I may add it to my list. : ) What do you think?

Technorati tags: fine, line, book, anne, jackson, christianity, church

No Greater Love

2008-11-18T16:43:00.001-08:00

Just wanted to give some love to one of my new favorite artists, Casey Darnell. Read what he has to say about this powerful song that God gave him. Pretty AWEsome!

Embedded Video

Technorati tags: casey, darnell, artist, song, God

WINS

2008-11-17T17:17:00.001-08:00

We have some great WINS to celebrate this week in Highway 14 and INNERchange!

I met with our Classroom Facilitators before services yesterday, and introduced a new Sunday morning checklist. I hoped this would be a helpful tool to remind them of their Sunday morning responsibilities. They do so much that it can be hard to remember everything! Anyway, I noticed that Nick Smith was doing a great job fulfilling these tasks. He was very welcoming to families and kids as they walked through the door! Great job Nick! All of our Classroom Facilitators are AWESOME. Be sure to thank them for what they do.
We are working hard to do a better job of bridging the gap between INNERchange and Turnpike (jr. high). One way to do this better is to introduce the kids to our Student Ministries Director, Micah FosterI, a couple times each year. Yesterday, Micah was the host in INNERchange and we received some feedback that the kids loved it! You could also tell they were very engaged and responsive.
Russ Lee’s fifth grade boys group went to Compass Pizza together on Saturday. Russ said they had a great time, and he already has some ideas about their next outing. These outings are making a HUGE difference. The connections you can make with your kids outside of Sunday morning will impact the time you have with them on Sunday morning in a great way! If you havn’t done an outing yet, try it…I will help you plan it!
Jill Hanson told me a great story about a little girl (2 or 3 years old) who was hanging around the Family Life Center one week and didn’t want to leave. Jill finally asked what was wrong, and she said that she really wanted to meet the band (meaning the students who play for Turnpike and Catalyst). Jill took the little girl to meet the band, and they all got down on their knees to meet the little girl. She was thrilled! It’s so great for these kids to be looking up to students who are serving!
I have been getting requests for more stationary. Thanks for taking the time to send cards to your kids! Way to go!
The small group leaders have been a great help to me in keeping good records of our small groups! I am getting lots of feedback about kids who need to be added, changed, and dropped. This tells me that you really know your kids! Thank you for investing, and keeping me informed.
Donna Cooper was gone this weekend, and Large Group still went great, minus a few technical difficulties. Thank you to Mike Feist and Russ Lee for stepping up to take on some extra tech. responsibilities! Our large group leaders did a great job. We are blessed to have you!
We ended our canned food drive on Sunday. I havn’t counted how many cans we collected, but WOW…there are two big piles on our stages! I have more in the office too. Our INNERchange kids especially took this ministry project seriously. Thanks for promoting this in your small groups!

Have a wonderful week!

Technorati tags: INNERchange, Highway14, small, group, leaders, Micah, Foster, Family, Life, food, drive

Opportunities...You have them, so use them

2008-11-11T14:43:00.001-08:00

Every month, at least once a month, I get this hand written letter in my box at work. It's from a man named Bernie. He is awaiting deportation to Mexico in prison, and has been for many months now. His family is in the U.S., and he is seperated from them because of some paperwork mix ups (to the best of my knowledge). Most people would look at his situation and only see hoplessness. Bernie however sees something else. He sees opportunity. For the past month, I keep hearing God speak to me in various ways to use every opportunity He gives me to be a light in this world...to make a difference. Bernie has learned this lesson well. In his letter last month he says

"It's easy to complain about my situation, lately the phones don't work, they have changed our schedule, we are locked down more often and longer amounts of time, they've been having plumbing problems so they turn the water off and we never know when it will be turned on again. I've learned that through everything you have to find the positive in the situation and be patient, patient, patient...If you look hard enough you will find the blessing even in the harshest of times. Sometimes we don't see them and certainly don't feel blessed, but they are there. Like after they turn the water off for a couple of days, you sure feel blessed when that water comes on."

Maybe God needs to turn my water off, so that I can appreciate life more, and the opportunities that are right in front of me. Bernie is leading a bible study that is growing every week. He wrote once that

"God works in mysterious ways and in mysterious places. Even in a prison cell or in a make shift chapel in the middle of the desert in a federal prison. God will manifest himself if you open up your heart and surrender all unto Him."

Technorati tags: bernie, salado, prison, opportunity, god

When my husband is sick, the world stops

2008-11-10T17:02:00.001-08:00

I saw this video on Ragamuffin Soul's blog. I think he and Micah Foster have something in common. I told Micah last night after he was finally feeling better that I wasn't sure he loved me anymore these past few days. He barely spoke...it was aweful. haha. Glad he's feeling better now. I am understanding why the mood change now after this video. I had no idea sickness was so much worse for guys! : ) Love you babe.

Embedded Video

Technorati tags: micah, foster, sick, ragamuffin, soul, video, husband

Weekly WINS

2008-11-10T13:38:00.001-08:00

Here are some WINS I heard about this past week in Highway 14 and INNERchange.

Our first graders are planning an outing to Pump It Up. Jan Coon told me that her grandson Skylar was chanting “Pump it up!” Pump it up!” after church last week. Jan said that Skylar is very excited about going to Pump It Up with his leader Janelle!
Russ Lee’s 5^th grade boys group helped serve a spaghetti dinner to our marathon runners on Saturday night! What a great idea and way to serve the community together as a small group! Way to go 5^th grade boys!
We have some very dedicated Coaches and Classroom Facilitators in INNERchange and Highway 14! We couldn’t set up during the week, so we did it all on Sunday morning. Thank you so much to Dawn Wheaton, Darbee Whipple, Rocky Whipple and Blake Stephens for coming early to help get all of our rooms set up in time for service! You are all such willing servants, and saved me from getting here in the middle of the night to get it all done. Haha
Our kids have collected a TON of cans for the Thanksgiving Boxes we will be giving out as a New Harvest Church family! I was amazed at what I saw on Sunday, and we still have one more Sunday to collect. : )
Joanie Crass found me after first service, and told me that Sydney, her first grade daughter, accepted Christ that morning! Because of a conversation Sydney had with her brother, Jordon, she started asking her parents some questions. Daron was able to lead her in the prayer to accept Jesus. What a great father, daughter moment, and definitely a reason to CELEBRATE!

Have a great week! It seems that I have been reminded over and over again this past month to make the most of every opportunity God has given me. I encourage you to do the same. Your ministry doesn’t end on Sunday morning. Look for ways this week that God can use you to impact someone else’s life in big ways and small. : )

Technorati tags: wins, highway14, innerchange, new, harvest, church, two, cities, marathon, small, group, jesus

Fee Concert...Still on my Mind

2008-11-04T16:50:00.001-08:00

Here is a little clip of what this awesome worship experience was like. Steve Fee not only led us in some amazing worship, but God spoke through him. Watch this clip.

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Technorati tags: steve, fee, worship, god

Fee Concert...Changed me again

2008-10-30T17:48:00.001-07:00

Last night I got to go to the Fee concert in Bakersfield, CA! I was SUPER excited to go because I had been to North Point several times when Steve Fee led worship, I listen to his CD all the time, and we play his music a lot in Turnpike and Catalyst. So, I knew it would be awesome, but I didn't know it would rock my world...again. The reason I say again is because every once in awhile a song, experience, speaker, some reminder from God hits me and changes me from the inside out reminding me of what I am created for. Each time this happens, I am changed in this way a little bit more than the last time. Do you know what I am talking about, or am I just crazy? Fee has a new song "Glory to God." The bridge (I think that's what it is...sorry I'm not musical) is AMAZING!
Take my life and let it be
All for you and for your glory
Take my life and let it be
Yours
I sang those words, and I swear I have never meant anything more than that. There is a part of me that just wants to settle down, buy a house, have kids, be normal. And, I do think someday I will do all of those things...but then there is this other part of me that just wants to surrender completely and let God use me however He has planned. That is more about an adventure...not settling for what the world expects of you, but accepting that God might have something different in store.... and then, get out of the boat! I don't know about you, but I am determined to get out of the boat. What could this world look like if we all just surrendered to Him? WE COULD CHANGE THE WORLD!

Go to Micah's blog to see pictures and hear about his experience last night too.

Technorati tags: fee, north, point, turnpike, catalyst, micah, foster, god, bakersfield

WINS

2008-10-28T11:49:00.001-07:00

Wow! What an awesome Sunday we had. As I watched the baptisms and heard the testimonies, I was overwhelmed by how our amazing God works to transform lives completely! It reminded me that nothing and no one is beyond what He can do!! This gives me great hope. : ) I want to share some WINs we have experienced in our department this past week.

- There is a boy who has been coming with Stone Preheim. His family doesn’t attend church, but he continues to come with the Preheims! Amy, Stone’s mom, asked the boys how small group was, and the boy said that he got a tear in his eye when they were talking in small group. Then he said that actually he always feels that way when he comes to our church. This really touched Amy. She told his parents what he said, and they also were moved. They said they know they need to come to church too. I pray that they will follow through, and God will continue to work in that family so that one day they can all be worshipping God together as a family!!

- Daron Crass and Chris Hovda took the 9am third graders to Cobb’s Ranch over the weekend. Chris said they had a great time!

- Kelsey and Lindsay Noble, Stone Preheim, Delane Ribera, and Jackson Ribera were all baptized on Sunday!!!

- Russ Lee’s fifth grade boys’ group is planning an outing to Compass Pizza in Clovis! I love hearing about these small group outings…they are so important for building strong relationships with the kids.

- I walked into main service on Sunday, and Lauren Phanco handed me a bulletin with a big smile. I watched for several minutes as she excitedly handed bulletins to everyone walking in one by one. She is 2 years old!! Needless to say, every person walking through that door got a very warm welcome, and saw a 2 year old’s heart for serving!

- Linda Stephens, one of our CM staff witnessed two very cute things that happened in main service: “At the 10:45 service, I enjoyed watching two boys “take it all in”. One boy, Aidan Glasener, was insistent that he was NOT going to be baptized because, “I’m not ready to go to Heaven yet.” His mom tried to explain that most did not leave for Heaven immediately after baptism. But still, I think Aidan remained worried about the timeline. Imagine how reassured he became as he saw both children and adults celebrate their baptisms AND exit the tub without leaving immediately for Heaven. The older brother, Declan Glasener, was a quiet observer until Pastor Mitch had us do the “Word Up!” routine and show our Bibles by lifting them in the air. When Pastor reiterated the offer that we, at New Harvest, are serious about everyone having a Bible, Declan said out loud, “Mom, I want a Bible!” We made sure that Declan had a Bible of his own before he left the building on Sunday.

- We had our INNERchange Ignite event on Sunday afternoon. The kids who came had a ton of fun carving pumpkins, eating pizza, decorating cookies, and bobbing for donuts in whip cream!! Russ Lee took some great pictures, so we can put together a slideshow to help advertise for the next Ignite event. Thank you to the Allen’s for opening their home!

Technorati tags: new, harvest, church, WINS, baptism, small, groups, sunday, INNERchange

Volunteer Highlight - Meet Robyn Smith

2008-10-23T15:44:00.001-07:00

Robyn Smith.JPG

Name: Robyn Smith

Volunteer Role: 2^nd Grade Small Group Leader

Environment: Highway 14

Where did you grow up? Washington, California, Oregon, New Mexico

Family? Vance, Justin, Nicholas, and Zachary

What’s your favorite ice cream flavor? Cold Stone Founder’s Favorite

What was the first concert you went to? Jason Upton

How and when did you get involved serving in Family Life? Tara Smith was talking about how short handed they are and I started towards the end of 07-08 school year.

What’s your favorite thing about serving in Family Life? I’m learning God’s word as a child learns and watching children learn and sing brings me so much joy and love in my heart. It makes me want to be a kid again.

Could you tell us about one moment when you were serving you’ll always remember? We were in large group singing and during our praising Him behind me I heard children singing with the most beautiful voices. I became speechless. To feel the Lord’s presence in the room was overwhelming. No words could describe.

What’s your favorite message or series from “big church?” This one is hard for me. Since I’ve been coming the message has always been about what I’ve been going through, and this time is no different. So, if I had to choose a favorite it would be “contending for the faith.” God is truly preparing me for his battle.

What’s your favorite Bible verse or Bible story? Isaiah 49: 15-18 NKJV

Technorati tags: Robyn, Smith, small, group, leader, new, harvest, church, highway14, volunteer, highlight

INNERchange Ignite

2008-10-16T17:02:00.001-07:00

INNERchange color.jpg

Our INNERchange Ignite event is coming up for 5th-6th graders! I wrote about our Highway 14 Ignite event that we just had here. We will be having this event at a volunteer's home. We are going to play some competitive games against small groups, have a pumpkin carving contest, decorate some cookies, and eat pizza! The purpose of these events is for small groups to grow closer together outside of Sunday morning. The leaders and kids get to know each other on a different level, and God works in amazing ways through this!! If you are a kid or leader in INNERchange at New Harvest Church, you will not want to miss this event!

This post is a part of Creative Chaos.

Technorati tags: INNERchange, ignite, highway14, small, groups, pumpkin, god, new, harvest, church, creative, chaos

Brick House (This will bring joy to your day)

2008-10-15T17:15:00.001-07:00

This is one of the guys in Re:Action doing karaoke at the fair. You have to watch it until you get at least half way. Thanks Chris for brightening my day with this stellar performance. : )

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Technorati tags: re:action, karaoke, chris, hudiburgh

WINs

2008-10-14T16:43:00.001-07:00

We had a great week in Children’s Ministry! Lots of things happening. All of the fun outings I am hearing about each Sunday make me so excited! Thank you to all of my small group leaders for your time and energy put into contending for the next generation. YOU are making a difference! The WINs below are proof of this. : )

- We had our first Highway 14 IGNITE event on Saturday at John’s Incredible Pizza. It went great! We had around 50 kids that came, and 20 adults. I have heard great things from everyone who attended! I believe this event was a success in serving its’ intending purpose…to ignite closer relationships within the small groups. One mom came up to me Sunday morning, and said her daughter loved the Ignite event! She said that she was having a hard time getting her to come to Highway 14, but after the event she was excited to go yesterday and see her small group!

- I was worshipping in main service at 9am. We were singing “Yes, Lord!” This is also a song we sing sometimes in Large Group. I looked in front of me and there was a father and daughter doing the motions that we do in Highway 14. It was really touching watching them having fun together praising our God!

- Donna Cooper, our Large Group Coordinator, was out of town this weekend, but large group went just great! Erik Hanson trained people for second service to run tech., and several small group leaders stepped up to help. Chris Kampsen did a great job in INNERchange introducing the story, and playing a review game on the fly to remember last week’s memory verse! Great job!

- The sixth grade girls’ small group had an outing yesterday. They were having lots of fun! About 15 girls stayed after second service to decorate t-shirts and eat pizza. They all put on their shirts after, and wore them to Cobb’s Ranch. It was a full afternoon of fun together. Great job to small group leader, Andrea Engvall, for organizing this outing!

- Greg Zuffelato, Director of Family Life, led our “First Step” baptism class yesterday, and 9 kids attended with their parents!!!! This is HUGE! Like Pastor Mitch said, our kids are really setting the example. I will make sure to let you know which kids will be baptized and when, so that you can attend with your small group if he/she is in it.

I am so excited about what is going on at New Harvest Church in Children’s Ministry!!! God is doing great things, and I just feel blessed to be a part of it!!

Technorati tags: children's, ministry, new, harvest, church, sunday, small, group, leaders, highway14, ignite, john's, incredible, pizza, greg, zuffelato, baptism, mitch, ribera

25 Years

2008-10-13T16:16:00.001-07:00

I am 25 years old today! I think it's weird that I can actually now round my age to 30 instead of 20. :/ I think it's amazing what God has done in my life in 25 years! From years birth-18 I have had many great memories with family and friends! I could write forever about those. Since high school graduation, I have earned my BA from Pepperdine. More than that I had a great college experience where my faith in God grew more than I could have ever imagined, I met and fell in love with my hubby, Micah, I learned from some amazing mentors and professors, and I made many great friends! I earned my teaching credential. I got married. I even lived in Whittier!! : ) We moved back to Fresno, and I am now the Children's Ministry Director at New Harvest Church (which is basically my dream job). I have moved 5 times just in the past 3 years!! That is a lot in just 25 years! I am excited for what the next 25 will bring!
In the past 25 years, a lot of people have come and gone out of my life too. For the past 8 years, my birthday has been kind of a sad day for me. 8 years ago today was the last time I saw my Papa Dave. It was at my birthday party. I can still remember what it felt like to hug him the last time before he left that night. He died the next week. I also used to share my birthday party every year with my Great Grandpa. He died about three weeks after my birthday that year too. That was the hardest month of my life. And every year on my birthday I can't help but feel all of the sadness again, and wishing to have that birthday back 8 years ago. But, today I have a different outlook. What a great birthday gift it is to have spent it with my great grandpa for so many years, and if it weren't for the fact that the last time I spent with my Papa Dave was on my birthday, I probably wouldn't even remember it. So, instead of being sad, I am thankful for this day, and all that God has given me the past 25 years!

Technorati tags: god, erica, foster, pepperdine, micah, foster, fresno, children's, ministry, new, harvest, church, birthday

Highway 14 Ignite

2008-10-09T13:48:00.001-07:00

I am SUPER excited for an event coming up this Saturday for our 1st-4th graders. It is our first Highway 14 Ignite event at John's Incredible Pizza.

We are calling these events “Ignite” in our elementary areas. Our birth-kindergarten areas are also having small group events. The purpose of these events is to provide an opportunity for small groups to connect with each other and with their small group leader outside of Sunday morning.

We believe that what happens in small group on Sunday morning is more effective if the group has bonded and has formed a close community with each other outside of Sunday morning. Small group leaders are also working hard to organize events and contact their kids during the week.

Our hope is that these additional small group events will ignite strong relationships within each small group, so that small group leaders can continue to speak truth into the lives of our children. New Harvest Church believes that life change happens in small groups. This is true no matter what age you are!

Technorati tags: highway14, john's, incredible, pizza, ignite, elementary, small, group, event, community, relationships, children, new, harvest, church

Diet Coke and Mentos

2008-10-02T10:55:00.001-07:00

For some reason, I was reminded of this today. Pretty awesome. Enjoy! : )

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Technorati tags: diet, coke, mentos

Our Life with Cooper Dog...always entertaining

2008-10-01T17:02:00.001-07:00

Last week, we were in Atlanta, GA. and we had a friend stay at our house to watch Cooper, our dog. She said she woke up Tuesday morning, and the gardners were outside. She ran out there, and Cooper was nowhere to be found. She asked the gardner where the dog was, to which he replied "What dog?" She went looking around our complex and couldn't find him. When she came back she realized that he was in the neighbors yard playing with their dogs.
So, yesterday was Tuesday again. We have left Cooper outside before when the gardners have come, but he must have caught on that it is his time to escape. Anyway, I tell Micah before we leave to put Cooper inside. He says he will be alright, so we leave for work at 8am and return home at 5:30pm. The parking spots were full by our condo, so we park across the way in a place we usually don't park. As we pull in, we can see into the backyard of the condo in front of the parking space. And what do you know...there is our little Cooper dog! He is in someone else's yard not even close to where we live. After I got passed the horrible feeling of "oh my gosh, I could have lost Cooper forever today" it really was pretty hilarious. : )

Inspiration

2008-09-30T09:00:00.001-07:00

Unfortunatey, even though I have an awesome job in full time ministry, I don't wake up every morning bright and shining and ready to go. Sometimes I need a little inspiration to jump start my day. Today...listening to the newest Chris Tomlin CD, Hello Love. Check it out.

Technorati tags: ministry, inspiration, chris, tomlin, hello, love

We are Free to Change the World

2008-09-29T17:03:00.001-07:00

I found this video today when I was visiting Casey Darnell's blog. He is the guy singing this song "Free to Change the World." I saw him perform this live last week, and I had heard this song a number of times before. It's been in my head for over a week now. I sometimes wonder...are we , as Christians, doing enough? We are called to be the hands and feet of Jesus in a lost and hopeless world. Do we really believe we can change the world? I do! What are YOU doing to change this world for His kingdom? We are free to change the world. Think about it!

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Technorati tags: casey, darnell, free, to, change, the, world, christians, jesus

God at Work

2008-09-25T15:22:00.001-07:00

This past Sunday, Micah and I, had the opportunity to attend Buckhead Church. We heard we were there for one of the biggest technical problems in their history. They play video testimonies before each baptism. They could not get this one to work. So, the guy told his testimony live. It was the most emotional and most amazing baptism I have ever witnessed!

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Technorati tags: micah, foster, baptism, buckhead, church

Pray for the Fuller Family

2008-09-15T08:53:00.001-07:00

Please go here to read about Walt Fuller. Keep his family in your prayers. His daughter Kelly, is a great friend of ours from college.

Really?

2008-09-10T17:05:00.001-07:00

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September Virtue: Knowledge

2008-09-09T09:20:00.000-07:00

We started a new virtue on Sunday for the month of September: Knowledge!
"Discovering something new so you can be better at whatever you do."
The kids loved the Indiana Jones theme in large group!

Who are YOU having dinner with?

2008-09-04T08:47:00.001-07:00

I am inspired by this movement. This church essentially is saying "if you can't get your unchurched friends to come to church, then let's take the church to them." They are using some very talented musicians at their church to go into nightclubs and bars to play. They will play both secular and Christian songs. They are asking their church to bring their unchurched friends to these locations. Let's meet people where they are at with the gospel of Jesus, just like Jesus met people right where they were at in Matthew 9:10-13. "While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew's house, many tax collectors and "sinners" came and ate with him and his disciples. When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and 'sinners." On hearing this, Jesus said, "It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. But go and learn what this means: 'I desire mercy, not sacrifice.For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners."

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Technorati tags: church, christian, jesus, Matthew, disciples, sinners, mercy, buckhead, church

Married Life Live

2008-09-03T08:39:00.001-07:00

I am excited about this event coming up at our church. Check it out!

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Technorati tags: new, harvest, church, married, life, live

Weekly WINs

2008-09-02T16:02:00.001-07:00

I just had to share these with you. It has been a great week in Children's Ministry at New Harvest!

I was talking with one small group leader Sunday night, and it was great to hear her talk about her experiences serving. She started last year as a small group leader, and was very nervous starting out. She was very content just to have one or two kids. Now, you can hardly tear kids away from her! She just loves them all, and wants to have all of them in her group! She said that she felt very encouraged because one of her kid’s father’s told her he was so happy that his son was in her group.
One of our Re:Action college students texted me and said that she got off of work this Sunday and wanted to help wherever she was needed. I immediately plugged her in, and later she tweeted (check www.twitter.com ) that she “gets to” volunteer on Sunday. She was so excited. It’s amazing how this generation of students at New Harvest is really stepping up to serve, and loving it!
One small group leader said that she had brought some necklaces back from Hawaii for some girls in her small group that she had really connected with over summer, and one of them wore it on Sunday. She said to her “look, look, I’m wearing the necklace!” This small group leader said her heart melted that this girl was so excited about the necklace. It amazes me the impact that you are having on these kids’ lives!

Because of the three day weekend, I had 5 leaders tell me last week that they couldn’t be here on Sunday. Almost all of them asked a personal friend at New Harvest to fill in for them, and then my coaches stepped up and helped recruit people. We ended up with 8 subs! Wow! Usually, I am lucky to get one or two. It really makes a difference when you reach out into your spheres of influence. Some of these people are interested in serving permenantly!

I was talking to a parent Sunday night who told me again that their son loves going to small group. She told me she was encouraging his small group leader by telling him that he must be doing something right! It is always a big WIN when our kids love coming to church!
I got an e mail from a small group leader last week telling me how much she loved the August curriculum on Honor. She thought it was such a great lesson for kids going back to school to remember not to overlook anyone. She also said she learned some things herself as she read through it!

I had the great opportunity of meeting a new prospective volunteer on Sunday and taking her on a tour of our environments to see where her gifts could best be used. She loved what we did in elementary, but still didn’t seem thrilled about it. All the sudden two jr. high boys ran out from behind the curtain, and her face lit up. She said, “I love that age right there!” After I got past the shock of being so excited about jr. high boys (haha) I immediately took her in to Turnpike. She loved it, and said she was in her element. She is going to be an 8^th grade girl’s small group leader! I was more than happy to pass her off to Micah! It reminded me how important it is for people to serve in an area they are passionate about and gifted for.

We have a lot to celebrate! This is going to be a great season in Family Life at New Harvest Church. Be praying this week that more people will join us in contending for the next generation! Have a great week!

Technorati tags: children's, ministry, new, harvest, church, small, group, leader, sunday, re:action, twitter

Creative Chaos (Staff Retreat)

2008-08-28T16:45:00.001-07:00

We had a New Harvest staff retreat a few weeks ago. Family Life came up with a game to play as an illustration for our mission statement. We also had fun in the process. : )
This post is a part of Creative Chaos.

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WINS

2008-08-25T14:26:00.001-07:00

Every Monday we celebrate WINS as a staff, and I also send an e mail with WINS from the previous Sunday to all of my volunteers. Focusing on the WINS has produced a lot of momentum in our ministry. Here are some that I sent out today.

We had two kids baptized during the 10:45am service! Pastor Mitch said in our meeting today that Family Life is setting the stage for the adults! I love it when our kids set the example for the rest of the church. : )
Most of the kindergarten small group leaders moved up with their kids to first grade. This made a HUGE difference as the kids ventured over to the big Family Life Center for the first time. Those connections from year to year do so much for our kids and families. I am happy to now have you on my team also! : )
We have just started having coaches this week, and it was wonderful! They helped me set up the rooms last week, and cut that job by several hours for me! They will continue to set up, and connect with their small group leaders in different ways this year. This allows me to do more supervising, connecting with people, and perfecting our systems! This worked great on Sunday, and I am so thankful to my coaches.
We are having more and more guests come to New Harvest. One volunteer told me she was concerned this week because it seemed like there weren’t very many girls enrolled in her group. Her group was full on Sunday, and only two of them were regular attenders. New Harvest is working hard to be a open and friendly place for guests, and I believe we are accomplishing that through our Family Life volunteers. Thanks for loving on our guests!
We had 183 kids yesterday in elementary alone!! It was great to have families back from summer vacations, and the energy was high! I know the rooms were jam packed, and we are still short on leaders. You all did a great job to make up for that, and make it a great morning!

Technorati tags: monday, wins, sunday, volunteers, ministry, pastor, mitch, family, life, new, harvest, church, small, group, leaders, elementary

What is BMP?

2008-08-19T16:02:00.001-07:00

Buckhead Church never ceases to amaze me with their creative and innovative ideas to reach the lost. BMP is the Buckhead Music Project. Watch this video to find out exactly what it is. If the lost won't come to church, bring the church to the lost. Genius!

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Technorati tags: buckhead, church, BMP, church, carlos, whittaker, jeff, henderson

What Does it Take to be Great? video

2008-08-14T18:00:00.001-07:00

Here is a video that we used to encourage more people to volunteer in Family Life. Come join the team if you aren't serving already! Enjoy.

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Technorati tags: video, jim, weaver, volunteer, family, life, serving, new, harvest, church

Inspiration Days

2008-08-09T21:49:00.001-07:00

I am finally home! I was really only gone for 1 night to our staff retreat, but I spent the 2 days before that at the leadership summit. The past three days have felt like a really long time. They were an amazing three days though! A lot of things that God has been stirring up in my heart have been confirmed, and I feel more passionate about and determined than ever to carry out the calling that God has spoken to me. I am excited also for this new ministry year at New Harvest! I have a newfound committment to contend for our mission in prayer. I am ready to surrender all I have to Him and see what amazing, life changing, Earth shattering things He is going to do! I have a feeling God is about to rock my world ...and I am excited!

No time to blog

2008-08-06T21:25:00.001-07:00

I can't believe how behind I am on blogging. Sorry readers but my life has been insane!! Micah was at camp last week. I absolutely hate being alone, so I filled my days up. I got to spend a lot of time with my little SIS which was awesome. This time of year in ministry is insane!! There is so much to do before our new ministry year starts in two weeks. The next few days are filled with leadership training and a staff retreat! I hope I come out of this weekend motivated, encouraged, and on fire to serve the Lord!

Creative Chaos - What does it take to be great?

2008-07-31T12:19:00.001-07:00

It is almost the new ministry year! This means it's a great time to encourage more people to join our Family Life volunteer team! Our theme this year was taken from an idea we got from Buckhead Church. That church is full of good ideas and is always willing to share, so we used one and modified it for New Harvest. The theme is "What does it take to be great?" Last week and this week we have signs all over the building, and this insert in the bulletin. Jim Weaver put together an awesome video for us that we will show in main service. I will post it next week.

This post is a part of Creative Chaos.

bulletin insert.BMP

Technorati tags: ministry, family, life, volunteer, buckhead, church, new, harvest, jim, weaver, creative, chaos

Third Day on Leno

2008-07-30T16:34:00.001-07:00

Third Day performed on Jay Leno last night! I follow Mark Lee on twitter, and at one point he said something like "talk about being salt and light." I love that Third Day has been so successful, and really is a light in a culture that desperately needs it. This video isn't very good quality, but if you missed it, check it out. You can also go to www.nbc.com to see the clip.

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Technorati tags: third, day, jay, leno, mark, lee, twitter, video, nbc

7/22 Announcement

2008-07-29T16:50:00.001-07:00

7/22 is a ministry in Altlanta, GA for singles. It has been hugely successful, and famous world-wide. There are thousands of people who attend, and it has been a blessed ministry. The leaders of 7/22 just made a huge decision. Check it out in this video, and tell me what you think. I applaud their faith and committment to REACHING the lost.

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Technorati tags: 7/22, ministry, atlanta, georgia

Party in the Office

2008-07-26T11:24:00.002-07:00

It was our Community Life Pastor, Kelly Rosenthal's, daughter's three year birthday on Thursday! She and the rest of his family came for lunch, and Pastor Kelly decorated all of this for her! It looked like it was out of magazine. The barbie doll cake you see is made out of rice krispies, and he made that with no help or picture to go off of! Needless to say, his daughter was thrilled!

Sunday Highlight

2008-07-23T10:28:00.001-07:00

We had a great service on Sunday. Micah Foster brought us an awesome message, and some of our students played in the worship band. This is just a glimpse of how God worked. Enjoy!

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Technorati tags: micah, foster, new, harvest, church, sunday, god

Creative Chaos (252 Basics)

2008-07-17T16:24:00.001-07:00

I talked about the curriculum that we use for 1st-6th graders here at New Harvest in a previous blog. I found the video to view below, so if you havn't had a chance to watch it, watch it now! It's a great explanation of what we do and why we do it.

This post is a part of Creative Chaos.

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Technorati tags: new, harvest, church, 252basics, creative, chaos

Sunday Highlights

2008-07-15T10:53:00.001-07:00

Thanks to my wonderful and talented husband, Micah Foster, we have a video for you to watch from Sunday. See what we do!

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Technorati tags: new, harvest, church, micah, foster

Blackberry Addict

2008-07-14T19:19:00.000-07:00

So, some of you know this already, but I dropped my 4 month old Blackberry in the pool over the weekend! I can't believe I did this...I'm usually laughing at people who do this! I got my Blackberry when I was eligible for all kinds of rebates for a ridiculously low price. When I went in to see how much a new one would be it was more than 3 times that amount! So, I have a temporary phone on loan from someone. It's a really nice phone, but I have discovered that I am addicted to my Blackberry. I can't get my e mail from this phone, and I have to delete the messages one by one! Which is really annoying when you are on twitter. Ahh..the conveniences of a Blackberry! Isn't this ridiculous? Think of how many people don't have a television or a phone at all for that matter, and here I am whining because I can't get e mail and internet on my phone! I have especially been thinking about this since all of the new iphone craze. Don't get me wrong, I would LOVE a new iphone, but it is crazy to think about how accessible we are to the rest of the world, and how easily we can access it. I havn't decided yet if it's a good or bad thing. Most days I think it's awesome, this week...I'm thinking maybe my blackberry dropped in the pool for a reason. Needing some time to unplug...Thoughts?

Watercooler Wednesday - Who are YOU living for?

2008-07-09T15:06:00.001-07:00

My good friend Jenn and I were talking this morning about how hard it is to answer the question, "What are your future plans?" in an interview. I used to think this was a very easy question to answer because I am a big planner, and thought I could tell you my plans for the next 10 years of my life, at least. One lesson God has taught me is that I am not my own planner, He is. This is a tough lesson to learn when you like to be in control. When I think back on how I thought my life would go, pretty much none of that has happened aside from the fact that I did marry the guy I picked out in jr. high. (haha) Once I realized that God is my master planner, and just followed Him, my plans went out the window. And, I am so glad they did! While God's plan has been harder, it has been better than anything I could have dreamed up. Still today, I could tell you how I would like for my life to go for the next few years, but really I have no idea. I want to have an open ear to where God is leading me. Until then, my plan is simply "to follow Him." In Re:Action on Monday night we talked about how God has a purpose/mission for our life. If we truly believe this, how does this change how we live? When you are trying to listen to Him and fulfill His purpose, you have to be open to the fact that His will might be different than your own. Think about your own life. Are you living for His mission? Do you know what that is? Let's not just live our lives recklessly going from one desire to another. Let's live for a purpose. Let's live like we mean it!

This post is a part of Watercooler Wednesday.

Technorati tags: jenn, haugen, God, re:action, purpose, mission, watercooler, wednesday

Strategy vs. Curriculum

2008-07-07T15:51:00.001-07:00

In Highway 14 (1st-4th grade) and INNERchange (5th-6th grade) here at New Harvest, we use 252 Basics. We want our kids to know three things by the time they finish 6th grade:
    1. I need to make the wise choice
    2. I can trust God no matter what
    3. I should treat others the way I want to be treated
Everything we teach boils down to these three main things. Each month we talk about a different virtue, such as faithfulness, wisdom, humility, etc...I came across this video on the 252 website that I would love for you to watch! Just click here and watch the 252 Basics Introduction video that pops up. It explains in further detail about this curriculum that we are using. We do everything on purpose here at New Harvest, and this is a great explanation of how 252 Basics is not just a curriculum, it's a strategy. Feel free to ask me any questions you might have!

Technorati tags: highway14, innerchange, new, harvest, church, 252basics, God, virtue, curriculum, strategy

Summer Craze (July 6, 2008)

2008-07-06T15:49:00.001-07:00

Today our superhero was "The Forgivinator!" We talked about the story of Jacob and Esau, and how Esau was a superhero because he forgave his brother instead of getting even with him. The kids got to act out the story in large group. It was a lot of fun! These are some pictures of our fun time together this morning learning about forgiveness!

Technorati tags: new, harvest, church, large, group, superhero, forgiveness, jacob, esau

Creative Chaos (Whittaker Woman)

2008-07-03T17:08:00.001-07:00

If you know about Creative Chaos then you know who Carlos Whittaker is. But, do you know who his wife is? Heather Whittaker is her name, otherwise known in the blog world as Whittaker Woman. I've been telling everyone I know to subscribe to her blog. She has the coolest ideas for her family. She does these family nights that are extremely creative. Go here to see all of them. My all time favorite is Family Night #6: Backwards Night. This blog is really inspiring, and I think Whittaker Woman might even be more creative than her hubby. haha.
If you need some ideas for fun things to do with your kids this summer, or just want to be inspired by an amazing mom, go check her out.

This post is a part of Creative Chaos.

Technorati tags: carlos, whittaker, creative, chaos, heather, woman, blog, family, night

Watercooler Wednesday (Come Home by Paul Haugen)

2008-07-02T14:32:00.001-07:00

Our good friend Paul Haugen wrote a song for a promo video for the California Missions Offering. This is only a trailor to the video, so the song has been cut to fit. I have heard the whole song, and I have to say it's pretty darn amazing! Click here and check it out.

You can also see a funnier side of Paul here on Micah Foster's blog. haha

This post is a part of Watercooler Wednesday.

Technorati tags: paul, haugen, come, home, california, missions, offering, mich, foster

Re:Action

2008-07-01T14:06:00.001-07:00

Re:Action is our environment for college-age students here at New Harvest Church. Micah and I started it in fall of 2007, so that the graduating high school
seniors would have a place to plug-in. We have had an interesting year getting this ministry started...it's been fun, and discouraging at times. Last Monday night, some newly graduated high school seniors came, all of whom are musically talented. We ended up having a worship band practice to prepare for this past Monday, and we prayed for more people to come to Re:Action. Last night, we had a great time of worship together, and guess what...we over doubled in size! If you are a college student, and need a place to get connected through New Harvest, come check us out. We meet every Monday from 7pm-9pm in the Family Life Center. We hang out from 7-7:30, worship together, and hear a great message. We would love to see you there!

Technorati tags: new, harvest, church, re:action, college, worship, micah, foster

Stressful vs. Simple

2008-06-30T17:22:00.001-07:00

Is your life stressful right now? It's time to simplify. I heard a great message on Sunday from John Alan Turner. It was about how to get rid of the stress in our lives, and give the stress we can't avoid over to God. He made some really good points about how we clutter our lives with all this "stuff" and forget about what is really important. In ministry, we often get the answer "I don't have time" in response to joining a community group, becoming a volunteer, coming to church regularly, etc...It's true, we don't have time. But why? Think about all of the things you have done this week. Do you have too much "stuff" going on? It's time to simplify, and reflect on what is important in your life. Are the important things at the top of your priority list, or is all the "stuff" pushing it out of the way? At New Harvest, we try to keep it simple, and avoid just doing "stuff." Everything we do is for a strategic reason to benefit our families, not clutter up their lives with more "stuff." What is stressing you out? Can you get rid of it? If not, give it to God. He doesn't want us to go through life stressed out and missing out on the great things He has in store for us!

Technorati tags: pastor, john, alan, turner, new, harvest, church

San Francisco

2008-06-29T23:41:00.001-07:00

Sorry I have not blogged for a few days. I just got back from a great trip to San Francisco! Here are a few pictures from the trip.

Almost Vacation Time!

2008-06-24T16:01:00.001-07:00

San Francisco here we come! Micah and I are leaving on Thursday to spend several days in the great city of San Francisco with our best friends Paul and Jenn Haugen. I am SUPER excited about this trip. It's funny because when we tell people where we are going for vacation their response is "what are you gonna do there for four days!?!?" Let me assure you all that Jenn and I have made a very long list of things to do that will keep us plenty busy, if we can even fit it all in. haha. We will of course visit the popular tourist spots...Pier 39, Ghirardelli Square, Union Square, Golden Gate Park, etc. We also are going to get to see what life is like for the locals in SF thanks to Jenn's cousin who lives there, and my grandma who used to live there. It's also going to be a great time to rest, re-charge, and spend some quality time with great friends! One thing that's hard when you and your spouse are both in ministry is that you both are going going going most of the time, and Micah and I are both REALLY passionate about what we do, so we really do have to remove ourselves sometimes to really get away from day to day life. One of the things I am most excited about doing on our trip is visiting a church in Santa Rosa called New Vintage Church. They are doing a lot of the same things as our church like small groups, large group, they use the same curriculum, their high school meets in the evening, they are doing kidstuf (we hope to do this in the future), and the list goes on. It will be great to just attend church, and see how this model is working for them. I think we are even going to get a private tour...thanks to Micah's connections. Check out their website here, and see how they are using some pretty creative and innovative ways to reach the lost.

Technorati tags: san, francisco, micah, foster, paul, haugen, new, harvest, church, new, vintage, ministry

INNERchange...We're almost done!

2008-06-22T15:50:00.001-07:00

Our garage environment for INNERchange is almost complete! We came a long way this week. I am so excited about it...you should have seen the kids' reaction when they walked in! Priceless. Irresistible environments are a HUGE part of engaging kids and getting them back week after week!

Technorati tags: new, harvest, church, INNERchange, irresistible, environments

Creative Chaos (INNERchange Renovations)

2008-06-19T15:08:00.001-07:00

We are continuing our renovations to our environments in Highway 14 and INNERchange. We are working on INNERchange first. It is going to be transformed into a garage eventually. Some of our gracious volunteers gave their time and resources to build our stage, and another volunteer donated all the metal you see on the floor so we can create our garage environment. We also just got a new mounted projector. It's all slowly, but surely coming together. I can't wait to post the finished product!

This post is a part of Creative Chaos.

Technorati tags: innerchange, creative, chaos, new, harvest, church, highway14, renovations

Summer Craze Begins...

2008-06-17T11:34:00.001-07:00

We had a great kick off to Summer Craze on Sunday! We like to switch things up a little bit, and do a slightly different curriculum for summer. We get the curriculum from North Point Ministries. This summer's theme is Superheroes! It was a huge hit. The kids and leaders loved it! We had so much fun in large group. We all enjoyed our new projector in there too! We also have these really cool life-size posters of our superheroes! I have some pictures below of our large group time, and of Kid Confidence (the first hero we will be talking about).

Technorati tags: new, harvest, church, summer, craze, superheroes, kid, confidence, north, point

Creative Chaos (First New Harvest Wedding)

2008-06-12T16:04:00.001-07:00

We had our first wedding in our new building over this past weekend. Our architect's daughter got married, and Reggie Rush from LiveLight transformed our main worship center. These pictures don't even really capture how amazing this place looked. My favorite part was the 100 candles above each table! It was definitely a dream wedding.

This post is a part of Creative Chaos.

Technorati tags: new, harvest, church, wedding, creative, chaos, livelight, reggie, bush

Watercooler Wednesday (Small groups)

2008-06-11T11:25:00.001-07:00

I took these pictures on Sunday during small group time. Our ministry strategy centers around small groups here at New Harvest Church. We are doing life together in small groups from ages birth-100 years old. These pictures were taken of some of our 4th-6th grade small groups on Sunday morning. These kids connect with the same leader each and every week. Each small group sits around a circle on the floor, not in tables and chairs. This is to allow more creativity in the activites we do, and most importantly to create an environment that doesn't feel like school. This small group format has transformed what we do, and has impacted the lives of many kids, families, and volunteers!

This post is a part of Watercooler Wednesdays.

Technorati tags: new, harvest, church, small, groups, watercooler, wednesday, children's, ministry

Sunday June 8th

2008-06-10T15:04:00.001-07:00

We had a busy Sunday this week! Our 6th graders got promoted to Turnpike. Our 8th graders got promoted to Catalyst. Our seniors got promoted to Re:Action. We said good-bye and celebrated two 4th grade small group leaders who are moving, and their third grade daughter. We said good-bye to Heather Hayford, our Nursery Coordinator. Here are some pictures from all the events.

Change

2008-06-07T14:38:00.001-07:00

Have you noticed there is a lot of change taking place this time of year? Maybe it's just the graduations, celebrations, and people all around moving on to the next stage of life. Something about this time of year makes me sad, but in a happy and refreshing kind of way. Let me tell you about the changes going on in my life right now.
1. We just moved...AGAIN! We were renting a 3 bedroom house, and realized we probably weren't going to buy it when our owner wanted to sell, and we really didn't need 3 bedrooms. So, we moved into a 2 bedroom condo in a different part of town. It was kind of sad moving out of a house, but always fun to start over in a new place.
2. I just got a new boss at work. Greg Zuffelato is the new Director of Family Life at New Harvest. I believe this is a great change for our ministry, but is still a change, so it feels kind of strange at first.
3. I have a new colleague...we have a new Nursery Coordinator at New Harvest. Her name is Rosie Borsch. I start working with her on Monday.
4. My cousin just graduated from high school. This may not seem significant, but she is the youngest of the cousins on my dad's side. There are four girls, and we've been pretty close growing up, so it feels kind of like the end of an era now that we are all "adults."
5. I was recently diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis again...that calls for some significant lifestyle changes.
6. In addition to those changes, I see some more pretty big changes on the horizon for the future of Micah and I. (I'll keep you updated)
Change is all around us...what is changing in your life?

Technorati tags: change, new, harvest, church, greg, zuffelato, family, life, Rheumatoid, arthritis, micah, foster

Graduation

2008-06-04T20:55:00.001-07:00

Monday night was the end of an era for my family. The youngest of the four of us girls on my dad's side of the family graduated. Our grandpa really placed a great importance on education. It is hard to believe he didn't get to see any of us graduate. He would have been really proud. Congratulations Kristina!

Small Group Outings

2008-06-02T14:38:00.000-07:00

One of the things we encourage our small group leaders to do is connect with their kids outside of Sunday morning. We believe this helps small group leaders and kids build a relationship that will benefit their time together on Sunday morning. Some of our leaders really have gone above and beyond this year. One leader who has done a great job with outings is Anita Lee. She sent me some pictures from her last outing. The girls got to go behind the ice cream counter and make their own ice cream! How fun...great idea Anita!

Creative Chaos (Renovation)

2008-05-29T16:11:00.000-07:00

We just moved into our building in December, so everything is still a work in progress. We have been trying to spice up our INNERchange (5th and 6th grade) and Highway 14 (1st-4th grade) environments with the little money we have, and renovations started this week. We have an amazing couple who volunteered their time and resources to help us get started. These are some pictures of what has been going on this week...you can't really get a picture yet of how it's going to turn out, so I will continue to add more pictures as the renovation continues. : )

This post is a part of Creative Chaos.

Party time!

2008-05-26T23:45:00.001-07:00

We had a birthday party tonight for my little sister and my grandpa. It is always fun to be with family. I was feeling a little bitter sweet when I took this picture remembering all the birthday parties I shared with my great grandpa. I hope my little sis cherishes these moments!

Breaking the Spell

2008-05-22T12:02:00.001-07:00

I love this video I found from the opener of the Drive 08 conference. It reminds me that we don't worship a typical God, so let's not be typical. Let's break the spell, and be something different in this world to make the difference. Check out the video here.

Technorati tags: drive08, God, north, point, community, church

Awakening

2008-05-21T16:51:00.001-07:00

I went to the Switchfoot concert at Great America a few weeks ago. Since that concert, this song keeps running through my head. It's called Awakening. Click here to hear it. This song just makes me want to live to the fullest, and make a big difference in this world while God has me here and I have the chance. Here are the lyrics.

Awakening

Face down with the LA curbside endings
With the ones and zeros.
Downtown was the perfect place to hide.
The first star that I saw last night was a headlight
Of a man-made sky, but man- made never made our dreams collide,
Collide.

Here we are now with the falling sky and the rain,
We're awakening
Here we are now with our desperate youth and the pain,
We're awakening
Maybe it's called ambition, you've been talking in your sleep
About a dream, we're awakening

Last week found me living for nothing but deadlines,
With my dead beat sky but, this town doesn't look the same tonight
These dreams started singing to me out of nowhere
And in all my life I don't know if I've ever felt so alive,
Alive

I want to wake up kicking and screaming
I want to wake up kicking and screaming
I want a heart that I know is beating,
It's beating,
I'm bleeding
I want to wake up kicking and screaming
I want to live like I know what I'm leaving
I want a heart that I know is beating,
It's beating... it's beating...
I'm bleeding

Technorati tags: switchfoot, great, america, awakening, concert

KidStuf rocks my socks off

2008-05-19T16:47:00.001-07:00

I found this video, and although it's from a few years ago, it's a great look into KidStuf. Click here to find out all about it. KidStuf is a parent-kid worship service. I think it is the most genius part of the Orange model. KidStuf is basically "where kids take their parents to learn." It lets parents know exactly what the kids are learning, and is entertaining for both parents and kids. I have been lucky enough to go to KidStuf at North Point Community Church in Apharetta, Georgia. This reinforces the curriculum we are using now in Highway 14 and INNERchange at New Harvest Church. I hope that someday you will be viewing a video of highlights from KidStuf at NHC. It's amazing what we can do in ministry when we think outside of the box and get creative! Check it out.

Embedded Video

Technorati tags: north, point, community, church, kidstuf, innerchange, highway14, new, harvest, church, ministry, parents, kids

INNERchange Ignite

2008-05-18T19:54:00.001-07:00

We had our first 5th and 6th grade event today. It was a fun time for small groups to hang out outside of Sunday morning.

Cooper meets stuffed bear

2008-05-17T16:16:00.001-07:00

Watercooler Wednesday (Light Work)

2008-05-14T12:45:00.001-07:00

This week, for Watercooler Wednesday, we were asked to share about our "light work." This is the work, or whatever it is, that you do while sitting at a red light driving in your car. I have to admit that I do a lot of "light work." This is usually when I read my twitters, and check any e mail or messages that come through on my phone. Since I got the Blackberry, I have become a little addicted. I do love being accessible and "in the know" at all times though. : ) I am dreading the day we can't use cell phones while driving anymore. Who has time to call people and check their messages any other time during the day? (haha)

Technorati tags: watercooler, wednesday, twitter, new, harvest, church

Moranda vs. Funk

2008-05-13T14:41:00.001-07:00

This is why Re:Action is so entertaining.

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Technorati tags: reaction, new, harvest, church

Great America

2008-05-12T17:16:00.001-07:00

I went with TurnPike and Catalyst students to Great America on Saturday. My husband is the Director of Student Ministries here at New Harvest Church, so that was some incentive to go. : ) It was a fun, but exhausting day. Our friends, Brandon and Melissa Howland, had a booth for their new clothing line, Fearless Gear. So, Micah and I walked around the park wearing their shirts. We saw a ton of bands, and rode a few rides. By rides, I mean the carousel and this spinning thing. I hate roller coasters, and my hubby was kind enough to humor me on the lame rides. haha. The best part of the day was the Switchfoot concert. It was just a great quality concert. The lyrics of their songs are so powerful. I love that they are also influencing a mainstream audience. They will be playing on Jay Leno tomorrow night. I have pictures I'll post soon.
[tags]great,america,turnpike,catalyst,student,ministry,new,harvest,church,fearless,gear,switchfoot,concert[/tags]

Boys and their pets

2008-05-09T21:56:00.001-07:00

Our good friends, Paul and Jenn Haugen, came over to watch P.S. I Love You. P.S. Our husbands love their pets.

Creative Chaos (Winner's Circle Raw Footage)

2008-05-08T11:41:00.001-07:00

Last Friday, we hosted our first Winner's Circle event. The event was designed to just show our appreciation to all of our amazing volunteers in Family Life here at New Harvest Church. We had a huge racetrack. It was pretty hilarious watching adult and student volunteers race each other. We were lucky to only have a few minor injuries. We had RC car races, Wii Mario Kart, ping-pong, and foosball. We also took some time to give out awards, door prizes, and have some dessert together. It was a great night, and I think fun was had by all. We hope to do it even bigger and better next year, and double our number of volunteers! Micah Foster, my hubby and Director of Student Ministries took some raw footage from the night. You'll have to bare with the quality, but you will have a pretty good idea of what we did.

This post is a part of Creative Chaos.

Embedded Video

Watercooler Wednesday (Flock)

2008-05-07T11:26:00.001-07:00

This week Randy Elrod asked us what our favorite web apps are. I'm not really sure if this qualifies as a web app, but I recently started using Flock. I love it because it makes blogging so much easier. I can just click on a video and send it straight to my blog. I also use Flickr on it to blog pictures directly from the internet, or store and share my pictures and other people's pictures for later use. I can also easily use blogger through Flock. It makes it easy to follow other bloggers because it will update me when a new blog is posted, and I can just scroll down and click on it from my blogger list on Flock. This really has made my own personal blog so much better because Flock is so easy to use, and now I know how to do some of the "cool" stuff. You should try it!

This post is a part of Watercooler Wednesdays.

Technorati tags: randy, elrod, web, apps, flock, blogger, flickr, watercooler, wednesday

Summer Craze

2008-05-06T13:43:00.001-07:00

Summer Craze is quickly approaching for INNERchange and Highway 14! It starts on June 15th and lasts until August 17th! Our small group leaders have volunteered their time every Sunday throughout this school year. Most of our small group leaders are coming back next year to move up with their groups, so we want to give them the summer off! In order to give them this much deserved break we need some Relief Drivers to take the stearing wheel for 10 weeks this summer. We are asking parents and other people at New Harvest Church who are not yet serving to volunteer one service two Sundays in the summer. This is a very small ask, and the job really is so easy! We provide the curriculum and all of the materials. There is also a good portion of the time where you simply join your kids in large group, and participate with them. We are going to be using some great curriculum from Re:Think called "Unmasking the Real Superheroes." If you want to know more about the curriculum click here. If you attend New Harvest, please join us in recruiting some Relief Drivers this summer!

Technorati tags: innerchange, highway, 14, small, group, leader, volunteer, new, harvest, church, relief, driver, curriculum, heroes, sundays, summer, craze

Winner's Circle Video

2008-05-05T16:15:00.001-07:00

We made this video a few weeks ago to show at our Winner's Circle event. It was so much fun to make, and the volunteers loved it. Check it out.

Embedded Video

Technorati tags: video, winner's, circle, new, harvest, church, highway14, innerchange, starting, line, volunteers

Small Group Leaders

2008-05-04T16:35:00.001-07:00

Small groups make all the difference in ministry. We started small groups in our elementary area almost one year ago, and so many amazing things have happened since. Kids are really connecting with the same leader every week! This past week a second grade girl had to have surgery on her foot. As you can imagine, being in the hospital awaiting surgery was pretty frightening for her. Her small group leader came to see her, and she was so excited! Stories like this just wouldn't happen without these volunteers who have really invested in their kids. It's also great to have an adult telling these kids the same things their parents would. It's another adult in their life who will speak truth to them, and be a consistant person for that child to go to. Many of our small group leaders are moving up with their groups to the next grade level next year to continue this relationship! If you are not doing small groups yet, you should! It has transformed our ministry.

The winner's circle

2008-05-02T23:48:00.001-07:00

We had an event called the Winner's Circle tonight to show appreciation for our Family Life volunteers. It was a ton of fun. Here are some pictures. Look for more to come on my Creative Chaos post this Thursday.

For the love of the game

2008-05-01T22:24:00.001-07:00

If you have not noticed by now, I am a huge baseball fan! I basically grew up at the ball park. My dad played for FSU when I was born, was drafted by the Royals, and has coached ever since. He has been the pitching coach at FCC now for 20 years. Tonight head coach, Ron Scott, had win number 723 at FCC breaking the previous coach's record. Many showed to experience history in the making. Here are some pictures from the night.

Creative Chaos (INNERchange Ignite)

2008-05-01T10:41:00.001-07:00

INNERchange is our 5th and 6th grade environment here at New Harvest Church. We are going to be hosting our first INNERchange small group event in May. The purpose of these events is to provide small groups a chance to hang out and have fun with their small group leaders. We want our church of all ages, birth-adult, to form relationships within small groups. Outside events like this help our small groups to do this. We wanted to think of a name to call these INNERchange events. Our environments from birth-jr. high all have a road/car theme, so we decided on "Ignite." We havn't come up with a logo yet, but this is what our invitations look like for this event (minus the actual information). I'll let you all know how it goes. : )

This post is a part of Creative Chaos.

ignite.jpg

Technorati tags: INNERchange, ignite, new, harvest, church, small, group, event, leaders, church, relationships

SHINE rap

2008-04-30T17:04:00.001-07:00

This is a video from Buckhead Church. I thought it was an interesting way to tell a bible story. Check it out. : )

Embedded Video

Technorati tags: buckhead, church, shine, video, rap, bible, story

Watercooler Wednesdays - Heaven

2008-04-30T11:29:00.001-07:00

Our community group is studying this book by Randy Alcorn. Pastor Mitch is also using it for a series on Heaven. I have never really been that excited about Heaven before reading this book. I don't know why I wasn't excited. That seems kind of silly, but no one really talked about Heaven in this way before. This book is really transforming my understanding of Heaven, and I am becoming more and more excited about the place God is preparing for us!

This post is a part of Watercooler Wednesdays.

Technorati tags: randy, alcorn, pastor, mitch, heaven, new, harvest, church, watercooler, wednesday

Goals vs. Feelings

2008-04-29T13:13:00.000-07:00

I got a message on twitter this morning that said something along the lines of "Live according to your goals, not your feelings." I have been thinking about this all day because I really think that the best decisions I have made in my life are a result of thinking about my goals. This sometimes means you have to go against your feelings. I tend to analyze big decisions A LOT. I get very caught up in my feelings about the situation, but not only my feelings...I worry about how everyone else around me is going to feel about my decisions. It is true that sometimes your feelings can get you somewhere. People always say "follow your heart", "go with your gut", or "listen to your instincts." These things are good, but without a goal in mind sometimes it doesn't get you very far. I think of Jesus. He knew what the plan was...the cross was the end goal in mind. Can you imagine what might have happened if He went with his feelings or the disciples feelings about the situation instead of according to the end goal? We can't let our situation overcome us. Keep your head up, and press on toward the goal.

Sacrifice

2008-04-24T13:14:00.000-07:00

Sometimes I wonder if I really even know what it means to sacrifice something. I think I do, and I feel like I have made sacrifices in my life, but they really seem very minor in comparison to the kind of sacrifices other people make. I think of missionaries who have left their comfortable homes, family, and friends in America and are now in third-world countries. Can you imagine? I don't think God calls everyone to this kind of sacrifice, but it amazes me to think of the people who have answered His call and sacrificed so much. And here I sit wondering if I should really move from my nice three bedroom house to a still very nice two bedroom apartment. Look at what you have, and be thankful. We are truely blessed!

Amazing Sunday Morning

2008-04-20T17:01:00.001-07:00

On Sundays like today I am even more thankful for my job. God has allowed me to be a part of something BIG here at New Harvest Church. During the first service one of my volunteers was baptized in front of the church and her small group. Second service a fifth grader was baptized and many of the other 5th and 6th grade small groups came to support him. Then I go into Turnpike our Jr. High environment and two brothers are leading worship hands raised and doing great! Check out the pictures.

Husbands Gone Wild

2008-04-16T00:31:00.000-07:00

Church isn't for Church People...what?

2008-04-13T16:17:00.000-07:00

I don't know what you are thinking when you see the phrase "Church isn't for Church People." I know when I heard that I was completely confused, but then I started to realize how very true that statement is. Andy Stanley, Pastor of North Point Community Church said it this way..."If church is for church people that means that Christianity is for church people, and that means that Christ is for church people. The problem is you look in the bible, and nothing could be further from the truth." The best illustration I have heard for this is a ladder. Christians are at the top of the ladder, and we are up there singing our songs and content to be together. But what about all those unsaved people we are called to reach? How do they get to the top of the ladder? We have to make sure all of our bottom rungs are wide and easy to access. This is why we strive to be a SIMPLE church. We want to make the gospel easy and accessible to non-believers. This is a hard course to stick with because the gravitational pull of a church is to become satisfied and content with the way we are, and continue to cater to our own needs as believers while forgetting about all those people who just need that bottom rung to start their climb to the top. I don't want to be satisfied...I don't want a ladder that's only for people at the top. Check out this video on the homepage of Catalyst Church to hear more about how Church isn't for Church People.

Weekend

2008-04-12T23:43:00.001-07:00

I had a very busy weekend! It was fun, but I don't feel rested and rejuvenated like I would like to feel before the work week starts over again. Here are a few pictures from the Grizzlies game and the Women of Faith conference.