As Christians where has the realness gone?  Why do people throw masks on their faces and pretend to be happy, "real", Christians, when in fact you are the complete opposite?  Where has the realness gone???  Where have CHRISTIANS gone???  Have we disappeared?  Have we lost faith?  Is our economic situation that bad that we have to lose our values, and solely focous on money?  Have we gone astray that much that we do "good things", and not focous on the relationship that God so desires and wants from us?  When we go to church, talk about our "wonderful" relationship with Christ to everyone and all, but yet gossip, slander, lie, have more "bad" attitudes then good, are we being REAL chrisitans, are we being any different then the rest of the world?? 

Im fed up.  Im tired.  Im mad.  Im sick, Im sick of fake people.  People who claim to be christians, and wear it around on their sleeves but do not show it unless you talk to them about a good movie, book, or song.  Be real.  Be true.  Be genuine.  Wake up and realize God desires more from us.  God wants our hearts, our whole hearts.  Not part of it, so you can go on gossiping, but your WHOLE heart.  He WANTS to see a change, He wants and desires for HIS children to wake up and love HIM. 

Im not just saying this, but DEMANDING it.  I want to see a change.  I want to see a change in others, in friends, in coworkers, and in myself.  I can not stand the fact that unsaved people are more REAL then we are.  Something is HORRIBLY wrong with that.  If you want to see people come to Christ, and desire a relationship with Him, you have to show them what the difference is.  Show them the real you.  Remove your "sunday school" mask, and be real.  Be you.  Be the one that God has created you to be.  This is NOT an opinion, but this is a demand.  You want to see God's blessings, then fall on your knees and beg God for forgiveness.  Ask God to forgive you of your ways, and to show you where YOU can CHANGE.  God will show you, and it will hurt, but it will be worth it.  Then you will receive all that God has to offer you.

Come back to the heart of worship.  Come back to God's embrace. Leave the earthly ways behind you, leave the sins, the junk, the lies, the gossip, the slander, leave it at the cross and follow God.  Remove the mask, be real, be true, be genuine.

Like most people, I have spent a lot of time looking back in the past few weeks.  With a new year comes the memories of the past.  The memories you hold so close to you, the ones you wish you could forget, the one's you only on rare occasion look back on.  I for one try not to live my life in the past, but to strive for what is ahead.  Today though, I thought it would be great by summing up the past year of my life with a picture entry on xanga!

Just like the past two years, 2008 was another year of change for me.  2006 my father entered into his eternity, and is living with Jesus now, 2007 I entered into an incredible relationship with Rob, who is now my husband, I entered into the "real world", where I worked at the most INCREDIBLE day care ever...i still miss my little kids!

2008 was an incredible year as well....one I should never ever forget!  2008 started out with me being engaged to the most incredible man
 
Then following the engagement was a time of work, planning a wedding, working at the day care, leading devotions with the school aged kids, in the morning, and the afternoons spent with the cutest preschoolers!
In February I left the daycare so I could spend the last few weeks left before my April 2008 wedding finishing up the last min. details.  I also began looking for yet another job in the town Rob and I would be residing at after the wedding! 
On April 12th, 2008 the biggest change of my life took place....and one of the best changes to happen yet! 



Then following the wedding came moving to Chester County and me working at another day care.  We lived in a nice one bedroom apartment. Where Rob worked on trees, and I worked as a child worker at a day care.

Three months later we recieved a phone call from Franklin, PA....it was a church calling for Rob saying they wanted us to come out and interview for a youth pastor position, we did and a few weeks later Rob was hired as a Youth Pastor!  We had only a couple weeks to pack up our things, rent a uhaul, find a place to live and move to western PA....in one of the old Oil Capital of the USA!  We moved out to western PA and found an incredible house to live in! 

With a house, and with Rob and working as youth pastor's we then decided it was time to add an addition to our family.......so we adopted a PUPPY!!! 

After three months of living here I finally started working as well!  This year has been an increible year!  Lots of changes....from my name to our address to jobs!  Rob and I have been very blessed this year!  I can not wait to see what God decides to do next in our living in 2009!!!  I have surrendered my hopes and dreams to Him, so we shall wait and see what 2009 holds for us!!!! 

Life as I have known it to be, has changed completly!  Rob and I both quit our old jobs and have moved six hours away from the place we both have called "home".  We are now living in this small town called Franklin, PA!  I am currently not working because well.....I have not found a job.  Rob is now a youth pastor at First Presbyterian Church here in Franklin!  We just got accepted for a house/apartment!!!  We will be renting this house for a year, and then hopefully at the end of the lease we can talk the owner into selling it to us, or we will be looking to buy our first house!  Rob has been in the office since monday and seeing I do not currently have a job I am helping him out at his office planning our dream youth group, casting a vision for the youth group, planning the first meeting, pricing flat screen tv's, game systems, etc....the pastor wants us to put in a ROCK WALL into the youth room HAHA!!!  So much has been going on, and hardly any sleep has come of this, but I love this. 
I miss my family, but Im excited about this new period that Rob and I have entered into! 
Please keep praying for the two of us as we continue to dream up our youth group, and attempt to ast our vision to the rest of the church so they might support us as well!