This is a truly exciting vbs season!

I was on the phone with a customer the other day who said kids come to her vbs to get something to eat. WOW...just to get something to eat. She has kids from the inner city...a really bad area with lots of gangs. Some of the kids parents are gang members. I was floored! and in awe of this director. I felt so humbled to see the work she and her team are doing and the lives she is impacting as she works literally on the front lines.

I have other directors tell in me touching stories of how kids reacted, how many were saved, how lives were changed and I'm often in tears. I love this time of vbs!

Onto a lighter note...my husband and I are going backpacking this weekend. I'm so excited to get out into God's country and just wander around discovering flowers, birds and streams and hopefully no mountain lions or thunder storms. This will be a nice rest from last weekend when we had my sisters kids sleep over Friday night then a friend visited with his family came on Saturday for a few days...we took the kids up to Rocky Mountain National Park and did some hiking and had a really fun snowball fight...yes there is still plenty of snow in the Rockies.
Happy July 4th!!!

A New Baby in the VBS Family

Kim had her baby!
Theodore (aka Teddy) was born at 4:01 pm on April 23. He weighed 8 pounds 7 ounces. He was 20 1/4 inches long.
Those on the team who have met him have said he is far more handsome and much cuter than even his pictures.
Mom, Dad and Teddy are all doing well.
We look forward to having Kim back in a few months.
Congratulations Kim!!!

Cool Idea for Buddy Beakers...

I am so jazzed about the great ideas VBS Directors have been sharing with me! For those of you worried about the expense and mess of using hair gel for the Buddy Beakers, see what you think of this suggestion: use colored sand instead of gel! The little ones can easily put sand and glitter into the beaker without help, and the older kids can layer the colors for a way-cool effect! Keep checking the VBS Community Forum for tremendous ideas like these...

A couple of weeks ago my husband and I drove to Walden, Colorado to photograph sage grouse. They are funny creatures strutting around trying to attract the attention of attractive females. Here are some photos...

I am awed by God's magnificent creations!

Have you seen the wonderful decorations for Power Lab on our outlet? The Twirly Whirlys are bright and fun, and they twirl and sway when you walk by! The Neon Squares Scene Setters and Space Blankets are inexpensive ways to bring color and shine into your church.

Be sure to check out the Decorating Places DVD's for both Power Lab and Jerusalem Marketplace -- amazing values for only $14.99 each!

We all love hearing your testimonies, stories and ideas as you plan your amazing outreach events this summer. Remember, we are here to help...

Bye for now!

It’s a donkey’s life…

I know, I know, nobody wants to read a blog entry unless there’s something worth sharing—AND THERE IS!

I was taking a little stroll around the marketplace this morning and, back behind the bakery, just past the pottery store, there’s a new shop. And not just any shop.

It’s a CANDY SHOP…and they had FREE SAMPLES!

Maybe that’s nothing to you, but we donkeys don’t actually get paid. I can’t buy candy for myself, and I can count on one hoof the number of times someone’s walked up, tossed me a fig ball, and said, “here you go, Jethro. Have a nice day.”

So when a shop has free samples—of CANDY, no less—I’m there. And I was there—most of the morning. If they hadn’t slapped me with a restraining order I’d still be there.

I know you’re already starting to think about your VBS next summer, figuring out how you’re going to arrange the shops in your marketplace. And you’re thinking about how kids will walk through the marketplace…and how they’ll hear about Jesus…and how you’ll be reaching out to your neighborhood. And that’s all good stuff…but do you stop to think about the donkeys?

I’m not the only donkey in the world, so I figure you’ll have one or two in your marketplace, too. When you do, would you please remember to feed them? And pet them? And feed them extra-sweet-rolled-in-sugar fig balls?

Just watching out for my friends.

Hey—drop me a note! I love hearing from my VBS buddies!

Jethro

Fizz-Matic

Hi There!

I wish I could tell you my favorite song, but I just don’t have one. So, I entered the Power Lab and started writing one about me… Here’s how it goes.

(And maybe someday I’ll be good at rapping, like Toby Mac.)

[ F i z z - M a t i c ]

Pop goes the fizzle,
Ah gee whizzle
I fly ’n zip around,
Lovin’ God
(Fo’ shizzle!)

Um…so that’s all I have so far. If any ideas bubble up in your mind, please write me. (I seem to be compositionally challenged when it comes to rap. I keep trying to make my song a grammatically-correct equation!)

Bye for now!

Not enough time

Do you ever feel like there aren't enough hours in the day? I bet that you feel that way in the weeks leading up to Vacation Bible School...between making sure you have enough volunteers, decorating, and that your volunteers are trained...those weeks probably zoom by!

I definitely could use a few more hours in my days lately! Between my normal activities and commitments, preparing a baby nursery, and trying to get ahead at work, I feel like a lot of things are falling though the cracks (my knitting and crocheting has definitely taken a back seat). Fortunately for me, my husband is awesome and there is often a hot meal prepared by the time I get home from work! This allows me to take a few minutes to put my feet up (on my new coffee table that I saved up for months to buy) and relax a few minutes before moving on to my next project!

This could be my last post for a while, but just as time has been flying by over the past few months, I am sure that time after my baby is born will go just as fast!

Black Belt

Hey, everyone! I just wanted to make sure all of you know that I earned my black belt in taekwondo.... finally! It's taken five years, but I got it! Yea! So here's a photo taken by the awesome Tracy. I'm teaching my friend Fizz a taekwondo stance.

Here is another photo of me showing honor and respect to Chadder. He has been with us so long, I wanted to make sure he knows he's loved. Maybe Chadder can do taekwondo in Korea for his next adventure! If so, I want to go too!!

Easter!

Hi!

Electra here! I can reach from the sky to the ground...

Which reminds me.

Jesus came from heaven to earth. Because Jesus died and lives again, we can live with him forever. Tell everyone this week. Celebrate Jesus' life, death, and resurrection.

Have a power-filled Easter!

Alpha and Omega

This is probably going to be both my first and last blog on the VBS Team Blog.

Hi, I'm Tamara, by the way.

I've been away from the Group scene for a bit--just had my second baby

Eden, who joins big brother Owen.

I've got some amazing kids. So, it's probably no surprise that I long to spend more time with them.

When Owen was about 2 months old, we learned that he has Cystic Fibrosis--a genetic disorder that effects his lungs and pancreas. (For more info check out http://www.cff.org/, while you're there why not make a donation & help find a cure for my kiddo?). Owen defies medical standards, and continues to thrive despite his condition--PRAISE GOD.

His condition makes it necessary for either his father or me to be home to care for him. Up until now, we've been able to juggle schedules to make this happen. Recently, it became evident that I needed to be home more.

So, I'm stepping aside to allow someone who can be more focused on VBS Events to step in & really take this to another level.

My heart breaks at this decision. Dan shared it with the team on Friday afternoon, and it was all I could do to sit there & not start weeping. I've been at Group over 4 years, and I've bonded with so many people. They've really become my other family. I also love what I do--VBS Events (parties & previews--SHOUT OUT to all my Ambassador buddies). This is hard to leave.

I'm at peace with the decision to go, and I know God's leading this & will provide. Stepping away from these fantastic people & awesome work is probably the hardest thing.

Be nice to the new gal/guy--it took me 4 years to get events where they are, so he/she will need all the encouragement we can give him/her.

I am moving on to exciting new things too. I'm starting a business, The Nurtured Mother, which will provide new mothers with support & resources they need during those early stages of motherhood. I love helping people & encouraging them, and I feel God leading me to this--which is AMAZING.

I'm so thankful for the time I had at Group, and I hope to get the opportunity to be around such wonderful people again soon. VBS ROCKS!

-Tamara

The Fitness Challenge

We're doing a "Fitness Check" here at Group. For the next few months, everyone who is interested in participating is undergoing weekly weigh-ins, and the departments are engaged in weekly challenges. This last week was a step challenge, and we've been wearing pedometers (that keep falling off) to count the number of steps we take in a day. We are also getting daily nutrition tips and cheerleading-encouragement from our team members.

This is very applicable to our spiritual lives as members of God's team. It's easy to fall into that "winter" of spiritual hibernation, getting lazy about spiritual disciplines of prayer, reading and studying, and focusing on our relationship with Jesus as Lord of our lives. We accumulate that fat tire around our middle (!) from a diet of TV shows with poor values, selfishness with our time, and laziness in doing things for others.

It's really good to have spiritual Fitness Checks, too, and check our weight, look for spiritual nutrition tips, and find others involved in the same challenge to cheerlead us on to do better! We all hate those weigh-ins and having someone watch what we're eating—but I suspect when many of us look in that mirror or see a photo of ourselves, we're going to go "Wow, where did that last 20 pounds come from? I need to get off the couch!"

Excerpt from the Donkey Times interview with Jethro

First question: Are you related to that donkey in the Shrek movies?
I get that a lot, and the answer is “no.” I’m also not related to Eeyore. Good thing, too, because Eeyore’s tail keeps falling off and the Shrek donkey isn’t real. You knew that, right? He’s made up? Sorry to be breaking this news to you...

Why the name “Jethro?”
I hear it was my mom’s idea. Jethro was Moses’ father-in-law and had a habit of giving good advice. I like it—love the idea that it implies wisdom. We donkeys don’t get a lot of credit for that. Usually it’s the “stubborn” thing.

So…married or single?
Single, still looking for the right girl. If she’s out there, maybe she’ll read this article and write in!

What do you do at Jerusalem Marketplace?
Lots of stuff. You can’t run a marketplace without donkeys! I move the goods, keep track of inventory, give the kids rides. And I handle quality control.

“Quality control?”
You know—check to make sure the figs are fresh and the bread’s up to snuff. Hard job, but someone’s got to do it.

Anything you want us to know about Jerusalem Marketplace?
Just that I look forward to seeing you all there. It’s a blast!

My Grandpaw saw angels!

My adopted Grandpaw, Emmett, got sick last week. My best buddy, Emeta (Tex), flew back home to be with him. She and her brother Les were with Grandpaw when he went to be with the Lord. Shortly before it happened, his eyes grew bright and clear, he focused intently on something moving just above his bed near the ceiling. He followed it around the room until finally God called his name. Emeta said that Grandpaw was at peace and just took Jesus' hand and headed for the family reunion! (Those are big in Texas, you know...) A family reunion! I look forward to seeing Grandpaw again! Aren't you glad Jesus made it possible for us to go to Heaven? I am!

Chadder

Any Comments?

If you would like to comment on any of the posts on this blog, please post your comments on the forum. Here is the thread: http://forums.group.com/Topic29587-4483-1.aspx. We'd love to hear from you!

Beautiful Cozumel!

I just got back from vacation last week with my family. We went to Cozumel, Mexico and had a wonderful time. We took my 4 month old daughter Addyson with us who was such a trooper! She pretty much slept through both plan rides and she adjusted well to Mexico life during the week. We had such a relaxing time, played lots of beach volleyball, soaked up the sun, and had great quality time with family and friends. Here's Addy in her pink swimsuit getting ready to go in the pool!

What a change in weather to come back to snowy Colorado this week!

Incredi-Ball restoration!

I had a customer tell me her incredi-ball dried out. In the instructions it says to store them in a plastic bag.....If you forget you can restore your ball!!!
Just put the rock solid ball in a cup of H2O...good old tap water...AND you are back in the bounce!!! You do need to let it dry out a touch as it does get a little slimy to the touch.
Happy Bouncing!