Building Personal Relationships

Walking and Weight Loss Buddies

2011-01-27T12:03:00.001-08:00

I'm looking for several people who are interested in losing weight and getting healthier, to help get me motivated. I don't do very well on my own, and the more the merrier. I know not everybody is available all the time, so if we have a group of people who are all working together, we can keep going strong! That way, if one or two people can't make it that day, then will still have a few more who can! Please let me know if you are interested, and any ideas you might have for activities. I've already started by drinking more water, and trying to eat healthier by snacking on fruits, veggies, yogurt, and cottage cheese. Also going to try to add more chicken and turkey to my meals, instead of red meat. (Of course, since I love red meat so much, I'll have to have it occasionally, so I can keep from overdoing it). Come on guys and gals! Both Rex and I could use your help, because I'm pretty sure he's already on board with this!

Weight Loss Woes

2011-01-26T10:16:00.000-08:00

For those of you who might have missed my post on Facebook last week- I need to lose 100 lbs this year, and don't know how to go about doing it. I got a lot of great suggestions from my friends, and have already started drinking more water than I was (not as much as I should, but definitely more), and I'm hoping when Rex and I go grocery shopping this afternoon, we can buy more fruits and veggies, and maybe some fish and nuts (not sure what kind to buy, because I'm pretty picky). I don't know what other kinds of "healthy" foods to get. I've never really bought any before, because my weight didn't bother me enough to do anything about it. Well, now it does. Mostly because of my little girl. I want to be healthy for her. I want to live a long life, and watch her grow up, get married, have babies of her own. I can't do that, if I die of a heart attack or some other health issue because of my weight! I can barely keep up with her, and I want to be able to run around and play with her, and teach her to be active.

It was much easier for me when I was a child, because I had and older brother and sister that chased me around (until they moved out), then I had PE in junior high school, and marching band in high school. All of those things kept me active, and though I was never skinny, I was healthy! It seemed like once I hit college, that was the beginning of the end. Everything went down hill from there. I ate all the junk food that they sold on campus, but didn't have much t keep me active. Most of my friends just "hung out", and sat around between classes (and sometimes through classes). then of course all the drinking I did when I was younger (with the same friends). When I was 20, I got a job working at a women's plus size clothing store, and had more money to spend on junk food! Sure, I was on my feet and somewhat active, but with getting off work at 9pm or after, I would often be hungry and eat a full meal when I got home. So not only was I eating unhealthy food, I was eating at the wrong times. With my work schedule being so unpredictable (no set hours), I couldn't eat meals at around the same time every day, and I couldn't do the "5 small meals a day", because I couldn't eat while I was working! (Plus I was still drinking occasionally, and alcohol puts weight on you!)

So......I have had 16 years of low activity and bad eating habits, that have made me lazy and turned me into the overweight person I am today. Everyone keeps telling me, you have to "make it a lifestyle change". I agree, but since I've had bad habits pretty much half my life, that's not going to be easy! I can't do this alone. I'm unmotivated and lazy, and easily discouraged. I need a support system, and I know my wonderful husband will do his best to help, but he is often as unmotivated as I am! We both need someone who can keep us BOTH going, who can encourage us to keep going and press on, and who can hold us accountable for our actions/decisions. We need a "weight loss buddy" (or buddies) to help keep us on track, and maybe we can do the same for them! (We're always better at encouraging others, than we are at encouraging ourselves). Any takers? Please apply now!

I'm the mother of a TWO YEAR OLD??!!

2011-01-23T15:02:00.000-08:00

I can't believe my baby just turned 2 on January 7th!. These past two years have gone by so quickly! I remember when she was just a tiny little baby, totally dependent on Mommy and Daddy. Now she's a rambunctious toddler that wandres all over the place, and only needs Mommy and Daddy to prepare her food (she can feed herself), change her diaper (not potty trained yet), change her clothes (hasn't mastered the on and off by herself, but helps a lot!), kiss her boo-boos when she falls down, and read her books (because she understand all the words). I can't BELIEVE this!! Pretty soon, she won't need Mommy and Daddy to do anything for her (except maybe prepare her food for her, until she reaches junior high or high school)! As much as I complained about certain things when she was little, I don't want her to grow up! I wish she could stay this age forever. She's still cute, but she's so smart! Unfortunately, I have now choice, and I just have to watch helplessly as she gets older, and just do my best to help mold her into the person God wants her to be.

(I chose the current picture for my profile, because it was me at about her age. She looks so much like I did at this age!)

Good news

2010-04-22T15:23:00.000-07:00

In my last post, I said that our car was running like crap. Well, not anymore!! As of about a month ago, Rex fixed the leak in the radiator. I guess there was a loose bolt or something. So the car was no longer overheating. (Of course, we were still having electrical problems). About a week after fixing the leak, Rex bought a new battery. Once he replaced the battery, the car started running awesomely!!!! No delay in starting! No problems with the radio randomly setting itself to a Spanish radio station! Rex said there is probably more he will have to do to the car, to have it running in tip top shape, but at least now I'm not worried about it overheating or not starting!!

Miss Kay has only been walking since Christmas, but she is getting so good at it! She almost never falls anymore, and now she's on the verge of running! Once that happens, we're really in trouble! She has three more teeth that have come through her gums, and one more that is just under the surface. Rex is pretty sure she's working on one of her sets of molars, too.

Our anniversary is next Wednesday, April 28th. We will be celebrating 3 wonderful years! I'm not sure exactly what is planned, but we're both looking forward to it!! I'm still wondering what we're going to do for our birthdays in August.....guess I'll just have to wait and see!

The Journey (our Young Adult Group) has been growing in number, and this year's Good Friday Service was awesome! We were able to hold it in the church's sanctuary, and our attendance was as many people as the first and second year we hosted combined!!!! I'm hoping that next year, we can open up the Overflow room, and we can seat even more people! I can't wait to see what God still has planned for out church and our group!!!

Randomness

2010-03-18T10:21:00.001-07:00

It's totally been too long since I've posted. I'm not sure why. I have plenty of interesting things that have happened.

Katherine started walking on Christmas, and had her first birthday in January.
I'm being trained in a new department at my work.
Rex and I are looking for a bigger apartment, so Kay can have her own room (and we can have some privacy!)
Two couples that are friends of ours were expecting their first baby this month (One baby arrived last night!)
We've developed new relationships with really awesome people, that we absolutely adore!
Rex has a truck, so we're no longer sharing one vehicle (but the car we had is running like crap- overheating all the time).
My nephew is getting married in May, and I was asked to design and print their invitations. (Rex designed them, but I did print and cut them to size, and my soon to be niece and her mom loved them!)
My brother, who lives in Arizona, was out here working on a job, and I got to see him almost every week! (He's back home now with his wife and daughters, where he belongs!)
I've decided to quit teaching on Sunday mornings, come June (Promotion Sunday should be my last day).
I've taken a break from ushering on Sunday nights, but plan on going back once I'm no longer teaching in the mornings.
Starting this week, I'll have to take on more responsibility with our Young Adult Group (Pastor Shawn and his wife are one of the expectant couples, and Little C could be here any moment!)
Rex and I are trying (sort of) for another baby, but I don't know if that's what God wants for us. (I guess we'll just have to wait and see.)

I'll try not to stay away for so long next time, but I can't promise anything!

Family comes first

2009-11-09T23:45:00.000-08:00

Rex and I have realized since we got married two and a half years ago, family should always come first (after God, of course). Before we got married, it was okay for us to put ourselves first, as long as our actions were not detrimental to those around us. But all of that changed as soon as we said "I do." We could no longer think about ourselves. We had to consider each other's thoughts and feelings in anything we did. We had to discuss things before a final decision was made. We no longer had the luxury to be selfish. Of course, we weren't very good at making sure we always put the other one first.

When a person gets married in their late twenties or early thirties, they are so used to not having to take another person's opinion into consideration when making a decision. They are so used to doing things for themselves whenever they wished. I know this from experience, because this was one of the problems Rex and I encountered once we got married. Neither one of us was used to having to discuss things with one another, before a mutual decision was made. We also weren't used to sharing space with another human being. I mean, we both lived with our perspective parents until we got married, but that was totally different. We may have lived in the same house as our parents, but we still had our "private space". Having to share a bed, let alone a room with another person, took some getting used to.

We had to remind ourselves to be considerate of one another's feelings and personal space. We could no longer take it upon ourselves to move or use something that belonged to the other, without asking first. We actually had to stop and think about how our actions would affect one another. We had to think, before we said whatever was on our mind, just to be sure that it wasn't hurtful to the other. I had to learn to give him the space he needed (which I'm still not always good at), and he had to learn to just listen to how I felt, rather than trying to "solve my problems" (which he is much better at now!) Even now, two and a half years later, we are still learning. We have gotten better about putting one another needs before our own, but now we have a baby to consider!

Our daughter's needs have to come before ours, but not at the expense of our marriage. In taking care of our daughter, we need to not neglect one another, or take advantage of one another. It needs to be a team effort, that helps us to grow closer together as husband and wife. We need to remind ourselves that as we raise and nurture our daughter, we need to nurture our relationship with each other, as well. If we neglect our marriage, our family structure will begin to crumble, and that isn't helpful to our welfare, or the welfare of our daughter. So as our daughter gets older, we need to set aside some time together, as a couple. We need to "take a break"from being parents, and remind ourselves of why we fell in love and got married.

Outside of our little family nucleus, we have to remember to stay involved in the lives of our extended family as well. We need to include them in the goings-on in our lives, as well as make sure we're up date on their experiences as well. (We are getting better at it, but it's still a "work in progress".) It is important to have close ties with our family, because we never know when we might need them, or even possibly lose them. We need to reach out to our "external" family members, spend time with them, and keep in touch with them as often as possible. Who knows? We may be the ones that are needed someday. The closer knit a family is, the better it relates and prospers. We were not put on this earth to be singular creatures. We were created to "go forth and multiply", so to speak.

All throughout history and the Bible, families lived together, and worked together, until the children were of marrying age. Then the wife went with her husband's family, and though they often had their own homes, they lived close to the family, and continued to interact and spend time with their family members. Nobody was ever expected to do anything alone. Farms were tended by families, businesses were run by families, and the entire family helped to raise the younger children. Then, when the young couple's parents became ill, or too fragile to care for themselves, the children would take them in, and care for them. In those days, it truly was a family "unit". Everyone looked out for the welfare of everyone else.

In today's society, we are not encouraged to do so. It's all about putting yourself first, and fighting your way to the top. Often, families are left behind, because of selfish desires. We are trained to do everything necessary to better ourselves, sometimes at the expense of others. Families and marriages are destroyed, because too often, people give into these selfish urges, without thinking of how it will affect others. People are taught to put their careers first, because if they don't, someone else will get the promotion. We as individuals need to STOP DOING THIS!!! We were not alone when we were brought into this world, and we are not meant to go through life alone.

Whether or not a person decides to get married and have a family, they are still not meant to be alone. We have families for a reason: to raise us, teach us, and nurture us. We are also expected to become caretakers when our elders become too fragile to care for themselves. Always remember to put your family first. Because without them, you would be nothing, and you would have nothing. God created us to be dependent on him AND one another. Eve was created as a Helpmate to Adam, because God did not want Adam to go through life alone. Why should we be any different?

New Beginnings

2009-11-07T00:25:00.000-08:00

Well, this past month has brought about a lot of brand new beginnings (and/or firsts):

Our 18-20 something group at Centerpoint had expanded to a 20-30 something group. (We still welcome those in the 18-20 age range, but we discovered that we were reaching more people above the age of 29, so we've grown to accommodate them!) We're looking forward to the new things that God has prepared for us as a group! Our goal is still to reach those who need a small group, to help cement their faith in God, and offer support for their struggles along their path. So for anyone who is still in search of a small group that might offer just what you're looking for, come check us out!

Rex's cousin has enlisted in the Air Force, and that has helped to prompt us into strengthening our relationship with his family, because we realize that family is more important than anything else on Earth. We went to a potluck at Rex's uncle's house (his cousin's grandfather), and it felt good to connect with his family. I know it is difficult for him, considering his first cousins are considerably older than him. But, the more time we spend with his family, the more he will continue to discover that he has in common with them.

Our daughter has grown her first two teeth (and is working on her next two), and tonight, for the very first time......stood up by herself for almost 30 seconds! I know that may not seem like much to those of you who aren't parents, but for those of you who are, you understand how big of an acheivement this is! She has tried previously, on several occasions, but usually after a couple of seconds, has fallen right back down on hre bottom! But, being the determined little girl that she is, she refused to give up! And her perserverance has prevailed! We're pretty sure she'll be walking (possibly running) by Christmas!

Both Rex and I have reconnected with old friends, and are rebuilding those relationships as adults. We are finding that we have more in common with these people now, then we ever did as children or adolescents. We have all matured, and that has made us more aware of how our actions affect those around us. We are able to relate to each other better, and have learned to listen to one another. We no longer let our selfish desires get in the way of our friendships. We realize that it is no longer "all about us", but that it is about those who we surround ourselves with. We no longer put ourselves first in those friendships, and because of this, our relationships are stonger than ever.

Several of our friends have had new living quarters and/or arrangements, and it seems to be working out for everyone! (Of course, not without several roadblocks along the way, but they have all prevailed!) We are very happy for all of them, and hopefully our living arrangements improve soon! We really need more room for a growing baby, and two rambuncious cats! Our apartment is no longer big enough for our family!

As time goes on, I know that there will be many more new beginnings, and many more firsts. I look forward to whatever God sees fit to endow upon us!

Summer Sports Series V

2009-07-12T20:48:00.000-07:00

That's right, Summer Sports Series fans! It's that time of year again!

Two weeks ago, The Journey started our yearly Summer Sports Series, by picking teams and names. This year's theme was food, so our teams came up with these names: Team Cookie Monsters and Team Roasty, Toasty Marshmallows. By the end of the night's activities, the score was 150 to 25, in favor of The Cookie Monsters.

The Roasty, Toasty Marshmallows refused to put up with that. On Friday, we played Dodgeball, and Team RTM creamed Team CM, 7 games to 2. Team RTM earned 100 pts for their win, and received the 25 bonus points for Teamwork, since they worked well together to defeat Team CM. However, Team CM received the 25 bonus points for Sportsmanship, because they took their loss so well. The score was then 175 to 150, still in favor of Team Cookie Monsters.

On Saturday, we had our yearly Beach Trip to Huntington Beach. From what I heard, everyone had a great time, and the teams took each other on in a raucous game of Volleyball. I was unable to go myself, but apparently, Team RCM won again! So, congratulations to both teams for all their efforts, and if you would like to keep updated on the Summer Sports Series events, and the teams scores, visit The Journey's website, at truthlivedout.com for all the details!

Update

2009-06-06T21:11:00.000-07:00

My little girl is getting bigger ever day. She's five months old now! She's so smart, and she surprises us with all the little things she learns on her own. She smiles a lot, and babbles to everyone who will listen (sometimes, she babbles to herself). She has a couple of favorite toys, and sticks almost everything in her mouth. She has discovered she likes solid food, and her favorite (so far) is applesauce.

The Journey is progressing well. We have seen some new faces, and several returning faces. It has bee good to know that we have been reaching more people lately, and offering them whatever they needed (information, prayer, fellowship). We had our first Potluck Praise Night, and we had a pretty good turn out. Worship was great, and fellowship was very enjoyable. I think it went well enough, that we might try doing it again.

My job is going well. I really like working there, and it's great to be back in the workforce, after being unemployed for over a year. I actually look forward to going to work, and it's nice being around so many people. I'm starting to learn more about the products we sell, especially ink (the register I work at is stationed in the Ink Depot). One thing I still have problems with, is the Technology Department. I know next to nothing about computers, and I'm glad we have people who work that department, so I can send the customers their way. It's been a long time since I enjoyed my job, and it's nice that I like this one!

My First Mother's Day (as a Mommy)!

2009-05-10T20:38:00.000-07:00

Well, today ended up better than I expected. I didn't get to spend the day with my mother or mother-in-law, but I had a great afternoon with Rex, my baby, and some great friends! We went to church, and did our usual Sunday routine (and enjoyed every minute of it!) The church's nursery staff painted the baby's hands, and put her little hand prints on a piece of construction paper with a very nice poem. I was so happy and so touched I started crying when Rex brought it (and the baby) to me in my classroom. We are going to frame it and keep it forever and ever!

Rex and I were invited to go to lunch with Shawn, Cristina, and Cristina's parents. We went to Qdoba (which we had never been to before), and I ate an awesome Taco Salad! I plan on going back again sometime to try something else on the menu. After lunch, we all went to Color Me Mine (which I again had never been to), and got to paint some ceramic items. Shawn's parents joined us, and the eight of us put our creative hats on.

Cristina's mom painted a large serving bowl (a beautiful shade of blue, with sponge detailing). Cristina's stepdad painted an adorable little frog, with some help from his wife. Shawn's mom painted a "dot bowl", and drew a stencil in the bottom (it was also beautiful). Shawn's dad did an awesome job painting a southwestern style palm tree. Cristina painted a plate for her cakes. She hand sketched a monkey onto the plate, and proceeded to paint it.

Rex painted a cute salt and pepper shaker set (a boy chef and a girl baker). I, myself, decided I wanted to paint a Sunflower Baby. I didn't know what I was getting myself into. It took me forever to decide what colors I wanted to paint it, then when my paints arrived, I couldn't figure out where to begin. When I finally jumped into the project, I kept getting frustrated, because I wanted it to be PERFECT. Rex kept trying to remind me that it didn't need to be perfect. Of course, what he said went in one ear and out the other. I was bound and determined to get it RIGHT. Of course, by the second coat of all the colors I chose, I gave up. But it still turned out CUTE!!!! I surprised myself. I fell in love with it, and am glad I chose to paint it.

Shawn was the most ambitious of all of us. His mom "helped" him pick out his project (he was painting it for her), and discovered he needed the largest variety of colors out of all of us! It is an adorable rabbit, wearing overalls, pushing a wheelbarrow full of vegetables. He said, "I feel like I'm building model planes again!" He has to go back for a second session, to complete his ambitious project. He ran out of time, because he had to head to church to play bass with the worship team. I believe his project approximately halfway completed. He better arrive early enough next time, to finish it!

I had so much fun today! I'm glad that Rex and I decided to spend the day with Shawn, Cristina, and their parents. It will definitely be a Mother's Day I will never forget! Thanks guys!

P.S. We don't get to pick up our projects for another week. I can't wait to see what it looks like once it's been glazed and fired!

Working Mommy?

2009-04-28T00:31:00.000-07:00

I have been looking forward to finding a job for over a year now. It was something I've always wanted to do. My goal is to find a reasonable paying full time job, so Rex can quit his job and stay home. I really like my new job, and I'm glad it's only part time for now. (Especially since we only have one car right now.) My baby needs me home as much as possible. She's too young for me to be gone most of the time. Apparently, she's not handling the transition very well. She's mostly fine about being home with daddy, and seems to enjoy her time with her Nana, but she still seems to be having issues come bed time. (Of course it doesn't help that she's stuffed into her carrier to come pick me up from work, instead of being put into bed.) We really need to get a second car somehow, so Rex can put the baby to bed on the nights I work until after 8pm. Our poor baby needs to be able to keep a schedule, so she doesn't get confused. Rex also thinks that the baby misses me, and won't calm down sometimes. She's good most of the time, but it seems like she's already missing me, and she's only three months old! I really hope Rex and I can figure out something real soon. I don't want to put the baby through anymore stress. Please pray for us, that we can either get a second car, or that we're able to figure out a way to make my working a smooth transition for our baby.

I got the job!

2009-04-22T16:44:00.000-07:00

I received the call on Monday! The store manager called and send the drug test and background check both came back clean. She offered me the position (cashier, minimum wage) and asked if I was still interested. I told her I was, and she asked me if I could come in on Saturday. I said of course, and she said we would be doing paperwork, and going over cash register procedures. The shift is only from 12:30 to 4, but it's a great start! I'm not the only person they hired, so I'll probably only get 15-20 hours, but that's perfect! It gives me a chance to take a break from the baby, and be able to miss her. But it's also not too many hours that I have to be away from her, so she won't miss me too much. Thanks to everyone who was rooting for me and praying for me, and thanks be to God! I appreciate all the support. I'll keep everyone updated on my progress at my new job!

New Job?

2009-04-14T09:55:00.000-07:00

Recently, I interviewed with a retail establishment for a part time job. I did the first interview with the Assistant Manager two Saturdays ago. It went well, and I was told he would speak to the Store Manager about setting up the second interview. I didn't hear back from him, so I called the store back. I talked to the Store manager, and last Thursday, I had my second interview. It also went well, and was told that as long as the background check and drug test came back clear, I would be offered the job. So yesterday, I went and did the drug test. The results will be sent electronically to the store by tomorrow, and the results of the background check should be in by Friday. So, I am doing my best to wait patiently. Patience has never been my strong point, especially when it comes to job seeking. I will keep everyone posted. This job would be a great thing for me and Rex. It will help bring some extra money in, and since it's only a part time position, I can still spend plenty of time with the baby. I believe that God has opened this door for me, and I have done all I can. It's up to Him now, so please pray for me!

Thank you.

Still unemployed.........

2009-04-02T14:49:00.000-07:00

I have been unemployed for 15 months now. I was depressed at first, because I missed the people I worked with. Once I got used to it, I enjoyed it for a while. After about three months, I started hating it. I missed working. I tried to find a new job, and even went on a few interviews. I guess I wasn't what they were looking for, because I continued to be unemployed. I kept looking, but no luck. Nobody wanted what I had to offer. I began to doubt my own abilities, and became discouraged.

Amongst all the searching, I discovered I was pregnant. I kept searching for a job, because I knew we would need the extra income. I checked several online job sites, talked to some people I knew. No luck. Most businesses were on a hiring freeze, because the economy was going downhill. Still, I continued to look. As my pregnancy progressed, my searching slowed down. I knew my chances for finding a job were getting slimmer. Not too many places would want to hire me, then have me turn around and go on Maternity Leave.

By my seventh/eighth month of pregnancy, I decided I should give up until after I had the baby. It was hard for me, because I never saw myself as a housewife or stay-at-home mom. I enjoy working, and being around lots of people. I don't mind cleaning, as long as I get paid to do it. In my ninth month of pregnancy, I discovered the baby was breech, which meant I had to have a C-section. I was not thrilled about this discovery. C-sections require the mother to be mostly inactive for two weeks. I was practically confined to my bed, and wasn't allowed to go too many places.

Thankfully, those two weeks went quickly, and I was back to being able to do anything and go anywhere. I started wanting to look for a job, but we had no internet service, and were down to one car! So, looking for a job was limited to word-of-mouth, or an occasional day when I took Rex to work and kept the car. The baby was getting bigger, and I was "stuck" at home taking care of her. Don't get me wrong, I love my baby. I just never imagined I would be home every day, with nothing but housework and baby care to do. Of course, my situation should have motivated me to do something around the house. It didn't.

Then, Rex did our taxes, and we got a nice tax return. After buying a digital video camera, a 22in flat screen LCD television, and more stuff we needed for the baby, we were finally able to get cable TV and internet service. I was now able to go back to those job websites. My OB had already cleared me for full activity, so I could find a job! Of course, by then I was starting to feel guilty about wanting to go back to work. I convinced myself I was a bad mom for wanting to be at work, rather then at home. Rex reassured me that I was still a good mom, and encouraged me to look for work.

I started checking the job sites, but too many places are still not hiring. Some businesses are even closing their doors. People are losing their jobs or getting laid off. I started becoming discouraged again, then a friend of mine told me they were hiring where she works. I became excited, and decided to apply for the job opening. I went in yesterday, filled out the application, and took a "Personality Survey". Now, I just wait and pray. It's no longer up to me. I did my part. If this is the right job for me, God will allow it to happen. If it's not, I'll keep looking. I'm feeling pretty optimistic, but only God knows.

For anyone who has read this, I could use your prayers, too. Please ask that God reveal his plan for my employment. If He wants me to have this job, great. If He wants me to be a stay-at-home mom, I will do my best to accept it and adjust. I can only do what He wants.

Being a New Mommy

2009-03-23T14:52:00.000-07:00

I became a mommy on January 7, 2009. I was so scared! I thought I was going to be a terrible mommy, and that my baby would suffer because of my inexperience. I had no clue what I was doing! Nothing anybody told me was going to prepare me for this new life that I was responsible for. I began to wonder what God was thinking when he made me a parent. I'm not the most patient person in the world, and I never saw myself as a stay-at-home mom. I've always wanted children, but never expected to be the primary caregiver. I would rather be out working. I beat myself up about that thought everyday. I wonder if there is something wrong with me, because I don't want to stay home with my baby. God knew what he was doing, right?

Obviously, God knows something I don't. He has faith in me as a parent, and knows I will do a good job. I look at my beautiful baby's face, and realize I have been given a gift. It is my job to take the best care of her that I am capable of. There have been, and will be times that I will become frustrated, but God will help me through those times. I remind myself that it's not her fault, and there is no reason for me to be angry with her. I am not expected to raise this baby alone. Not only do I have Rex to help, but we also have God supporting us as well. I was never expected to do it by myself. God is always by our side, holding us up and giving us the strength we need to care for this precious baby.

Children truly are a miracle. Everyday, I'm reminded that I wouldn't have been given my baby, if God didn't trust me to raise her. Whenever I get scared, I just need to go to God, and ask for the peace I need to get through the day. It's also comforting to know that God has placed other people in my life, who love my baby almost as much as I do, and who will help me and Rex whenever we need a break from parenthood. Even the "perfect" and "ideal" parent needs a break from their children once in a while. We are not the only ones! I truly am blessed to be a parent, and look forward to whatever the future holds for me, Rex, and Baby Katherine.

I have internet access!

2009-03-19T19:08:00.000-07:00

To all my readers who have been waiting patiently for me to continue my blog, the wait is over! Rex and I have internet access at home again, so I will be able to keep everyone updated on Journey happenings, and Centerpoint Church goings-on. I will also be offering personal thoughts occasionally, so stay tuned!

Congratulations to our Journey graduates!

2009-01-03T15:40:00.000-08:00

For those of you that don't already know:
Our illustrious leader, Pastor Shawn Candelaria graduated on December 19th, from Biola University. He received a Master's degree in Christian Apologetics.

Jessica O'Neill, a.k.a. Wanda or Wandica, also graduated on December 19th from California Baptist University. She received a Bachelor's degree in English.

Congratulations to both of you!

I'm sorry it's been so long!

2008-12-22T15:56:00.001-08:00

For all my readers: I apologize that it's been so long since I've posted a blog. First, it was because I was trying to finish school, but then around Sept/Oct, my internet service at home was shut off. I am working on finding a way to get back online at a regular basis. I'm not sure how or when that is going to happen, but please be patient with me. I will find a way! I am determined to keep all my readers aware of what is going on in my life.

Personal Updates: I finished my last class at the end of August, and am now the proud recipient of a Bachelor's Degree in Business Administration. I'm considering going back for my Master's Degree, but I haven't made a definite decision one way or the other.

Rex and I are expecting our first child in January. The baby is due on January 22nd, but you know how babies are.........they can decide to arrive at any moment! We are very excited about this upcoming addition to our family! We have received several wonderful gifts from our friends and family, and we're hoping to save up money to buy the things we didn't receive.

The Journey Update: There is no Fuel meetings until January 9th! Subway Groups (small groups) will not be meeting for the next couple of weeks, either. We are taking time off for the holidays! As for the coming year, Fuel will be following a new format. We thought we would try something different, and change things up a bit! Check Towardtruth.com for any and all updates on all Journey groups and goings on.

We need volunteers!

2008-08-09T23:20:00.000-07:00

Here at The Journey, we need people who are looking for a way to serve God by serving others. Our volunteers help Fuel services run more smoothly. Without our volunteers, we wouldn't be able to give our attendees the full spiritual experience they are searching for. In fact, if it weren't for all of our volunteers, Fuel might have never existed!

We could use volunteers in the following departments: Childcare, Food Servers/Preparers, and Sound Technicians. If you have been a part of The Journey for three months (or more) consistently, and you feel that God has put it on your heart to help others, let us know! We are looking for God-loving and God-honoring people to help build and support our ministry.

If you would really like to be one of those people, contact Pastor Shawn at shawn@towardtruth.com, Cristina at cristina@towardtruth.com, Rex at rex@towardtruth.com, or me at marla@towardtruth.com. We would love to have your help!

Congratulations Warriors!

2008-07-27T23:58:00.000-07:00

We won the football game on Saturday, which caused us to win the entire series! Love Potion #1 was a tough team to beat, and it was really looking bleak for us Warriors. LP won all the first three events, and WOL were lagging behind. It wasn't until the awesome comeback at the volleyball game, that WOL came within a hair's breadth of the title! We were within 50 points! LP fought back furiously at the Wii Sports Showdown, but WOL managed to win both rounds! So the score was tied as of Friday night. Saturday was the deciding factor, and after a hard fought game between the teams, WOL prevailed! LP gave us some serious competition, but we managed to pull through! Warriors of Love were the victors! Love Potion was a great team to play against, and team captain Bart was always good at pushing his team to do their best. I did my bast as the captain of the Warriors, but because I'm pregnant, and was unable to play in three of the events, I appointed Cristina as my Co-Captain. She did a great job taking over when I wasn't available. Both teams played with a lot of heart, and this years teams had a lot of good sports. Several players were injured in some of the events, but they pulled through and persevered! Some even continued to play through their injuries, unless they were too severe, and they bowed out gracefully. Great job Journey members! I'm proud of ALL of you. I would have to say this has been the best year of competition of the last three years. We had NO poor sports this year, and everyone supported everyone else! That is truly awesome!

For final scores and more details, go to Sports.towardtruth.com. They should be updated soon!

Warriors finally won an event!

2008-07-20T14:33:00.000-07:00

Yay Warriors of Love! Great comeback! Love Potion #1 is a hard team to play against, but you finally succeeded with a win! I'm so proud of you! I wish I could have been there to experience it with you. There's still plenty of time for us to turn everything around. Great game everyone! Everyone plays with plenty of heart and appreciation for their teammates AND opponents.

Now we have a true competition. Everyone is playing well, and enjoying themselves. There are two events left in the Series: Wii Sports on Friday 7/25, and Football on Saturday 7/26. At this point, it is truly anyone's game. Thanks to all of you who have participated, and those who continue to participate. We couldn't have reached these scores without you! For information about Summer Sports Series, and to find out the scores, visit http://thejourneyie.blogspot.com or Sports.towardtruth.com.

Hope the camping trip went well.

2008-07-10T00:49:00.001-07:00

I don't know who all went, and I haven't heard back from everyone, but from the ones I did talk to, I heard that it was a wonderful experience. I'm sorry that Rex and I missed it, but we had several very good reasons:

1) We were helping our friends Matt and Bridget move into their new apartment. We had to move everything from Ontario to San Bernardino. I helped on Friday, and Rex helped out both Friday and Saturday. We rested on Sunday. :-)

2) Rex doesn't like camping. He does not enjoy sleeping in a tent, in a sleeping bag, and not being able to shower, or use a normal toilet. (I heard about the "No Facilities" at the camp. Was there at least an outhouse, or some kind of indoor toilet?)

3) Rex's mom needed us, to take her to run some errands. It's only fair, since she's been loaning us her car for the last several months, until she has her last (hopefully) eye surgery, and her eye heals well enough for her to drive.

4) Last but not least, for those of you who don't know: Rex and I are having a baby! We are expecting our little bundle of joy on January 22, 2009! Of course, since it's my first pregnancy, there's even less guarantees on the due date, then there would normally be. We are so happy, and we're glad to share this experience with everyone in The Journey, and as of next year, we will have a new addition to the Journey family: Baby "Peanut" Arnold! (It's only a nickname, we are not actually going to name our baby "Peanut"!)

Hope everyone is well, and I will see some of you on Friday, at Fuel. We missed everyone last Friday, so we're glad Fuel is back at church! :-)

Never too late!

2008-06-26T20:45:00.000-07:00

Hello to all my readers! I'm sorry I've gotten so behind in my blogging! I've been experiencing some serious craziness, with trying to finish all my classes by the end of August. I have to take four classes by then. I know, I know. I must have lost my mind, right? Probably, but I have faith that I can do it, and anytime I don't have the strength to do it by myself, I will pray to God for the additional "oomph" that I need. It will probably only get crazier! Oh well, once I complete these courses, I'm done for good! I won't have to go to school anymore! (Unless I get a wild hair, and decide to go back to school for my Master's. I don't see that happening, so all is well!)

As far as updates for the Journey:

Graduating seniors will be moving up to join us, either at the College-age Group on Tuesday nights (led by Evan & Adda), or at Fuel on Fridays. Whichever they decide, they are always welcome!

Young Women's group (led by Ellie) has moved to Tuesday nights at 6pm, instead of Monday nights.

Young Men's group has been put on hiatus for the summer. We'll keep you posted with any changes. Check www.towardtruth.com periodically for details.

We have a new addition to our Childcare Leaders: Jodie! She has finally decided to be apart of the Journey Ministry! We're happy to have her!

There's only one more week to Be the Difference in helping the Tunde and Friends ministry! Since the beginning of May, we've asked Journey members to donate their recyclables every week at Fuel. This is your last chance! You can either turn in the recyclables yourself, and donate the money to Tunde and Friends, or you can rinse them out and bring them to Fuel, so we can do it for you. Or you can just write a check to Centerpoint Church, and in the memo write "Tunde and Friends". However you feel moved to help, it will be a blessing to their ministry.

Fourth of July Fun in the Forest: We need your money in by this Sunday! That's $30 for two nights, or $25 if you need to come home by Saturday. You can pay Shawn on Friday or Sunday. The details are as follows:
· 2 nights camping at Mt. San Jacinto State Park (showers & bathrooms available; you bring your own camping equipment).
· Friday, July 4, 1pm, through Sunday, July 6, 1pm.
· 5 meals, FUEL in the forest, Summer Sports Series, hiking & more!
· All for only $30. THAT'S TEN DOLLARS A DAY!!! (and it INCLUDES GAS!!!). Payment in full secures your spot.
· All money must be in on or before June 29.
· If you have to be back early: We are only allowed 2 vehicles for every 8 people. So as long as you ride up with 2-3 other people who need to be back early, you can ride back together too. And if you HAVE TO leave on Saturday, I will knock $5 off your camping price, which means you'll only have to pay $25.
· Have any questions? shawn@towardtruth.com

Changes for the Journey.........

2008-06-02T17:49:00.001-07:00

There will no longer be groups on Mondays.

The Young Women's Group has been moved to Tuesdays at 6pm. For questions and information, contact our group leader Ellie by e-mail at ellie@towardtruth.com.

The Young Men's Group is on hiatus, until Pastor Shawn has decided where the group is going. He's hoping to find a more exciting way to get more young men involved.

All other groups will still be meeting on their regular days, at their regular times. For more information about all these groups, visit www.towardtruth.com, and click on the small groups link.

As for Fuel, Rex will be teaching this month. Come visit us this month on Fridays, to hear what new things he will teach us about God's Word. Rex has a lot of knowledge about the Bible, and I'm sure he's looking forward to sharing it with us.

Check out The Journey's blog at http://thejourneyie.blogspot.com every week, and see what our Journey leaders have to share. It's the one place you can get the thoughts from several of our leaders, without having to go to several different websites. It's also a good way to keep in touch with what activities we have going on. You never know what you might discover when you visit our blog page! Come visit anytime!

Tomorrow night at Fuel

2008-05-29T22:24:00.000-07:00

We will be ending our series of "When I grow Up". Pastor Shawn will be wrapping things up, and help us to be better servants of Christ, and giving us guidance through God's Word on how to be good stewards as well. This series has offered several examples of how we need to live for Christ, regardless of where we are in our lives, and to never forget that no matter where we work, we need to remember that God is our boss. We work for Him, and we need to reflect that in all we say and do, both at home and at the workplace.

Rex will be leading worship, because Jess has the night off. So those of you who have never heard Rex lead (or just enjoy his style), come and join us! We would love to have you come worship and fellowship with us. We will also have discussion in Fuel Groups, so come prepared to share your thoughts.

Dinner is at 6pm (and I heard from my secret source, that we're having spaghetti!). Childcare is provided, and starts at 6:45, in the Junior High room. Worship starts at 7pm, and we will be reading Joshua 8 (for the Storyline Challenge), so you don't have to! You can either try to catch up to where we're at, or just wait until tomorrow, read Chapter 8 with us, and continue on to Chapter 9 on Saturday. Don't feel bad if you fall behind, just try to get in the habit of reading your bible daily. The point is to just get you immersed in God's Word, and learn more about Christ and His church.

Hope to see you all at Fuel!
For more information, go to www.towardtruth.com, and click on the "Fuel" link.

Sorry it's been so long!

2008-05-28T13:42:00.000-07:00

Hey everybody. I'm sorry it's been so long since I've posted. I've been really busy with school, church, and life in general. I hope you guys have at least been visiting The Journey's website at www.towardtruth.com, or the group's blog at http://thejourneyie.blogspot.com. There are always new blog posts on both sites, that will keep you updated on Journey gatherings and announcements, just in case I haven't had time to post them myself. I truly apologize to all of my visitors. Rex and I are still trying to get used to the new apartment, we both are involved in more activities at church, and I'm trying to finish school. I know that's no excuse, and I'll try to get better about blogging on a regular basis again. Please be patient with me!

Who am I?

2008-05-11T23:59:00.000-07:00

After hearing Pastor Shawn's message on Friday, and seeing the video that Andre made with Potter and Jason, I had to ask myself this question: Who am I? I was no more clear about myself, than I had been before. I know who I would like to be, and I know what I would like to do with my life, but have no idea what I am supposed to be doing right now. So I asked myself these questions:
What is my purpose here on earth?
What is expected of me?
Why am I even here?
Why do I have the friends that I have?

I sat down and began wondering if I was truly being myself. I wondered if I was trying to be somebody I wasn't. I had spent so much of my life trying to fit in with different crowds, that I began to wonder if I had compromised myself. I doubted if I even knew who the real me is. Was I just wearing a mask, and playing a role? Did I spend more time trying to please others, rather than myself (or God) ? Once I finally convinced myself that I always do my best to be true to myself, and always try to honor God, I began to ask a different set of questions:
Am I identified by my parents?
Am I identified by my husband?
Am I identified by my friends?
Am I identified by my job (or whether I have one or not)?
Am I identified by my education?

I had to seriously figure out what makes me, me. After several hours of prayer and self-reflection, I've decided that I am my own person, but every aspect of my life (family, friends, church, work, school) has molded me into who I am today. If it weren't for all of those factors, I would be a completely different person. (I don't think I would have liked the other me.) This revelation led to a whole other set of questions:
Am I the best person I can be?
What can I improve about myself?
How can I continue to help others?
Can I truly make a difference in other people's lives?
Am I putting other's needs before my own?
Why was I chosen for this particular ministry?
How can I serve God better?

Unfortunately, I don't have the answers to these questions yet. I'm still in the process of figuring them out. Everyday, I learn something new about myself, and how I can benefit others. I pray to God for guidance, strength, and perseverance. Only God knows the person I will become. Everyday, He reveals to me more and more. Everything will be given to me one step at a time. He will not reveal more than I need. I may not be able to see the entire path, but I know that as long as I continue to have faith in God, I will become the person He wants me to.

Fuel Focus for this month.........

2008-05-07T12:31:00.000-07:00

The theme for the month of May, is "When I Grow Up...". The idea is for us to always serve God, regardless of where we are in our lives. Whether we're students, parents, unemployed, or working in our different professions, the goal is to grow into better servants for Christ.

On May 2nd, Pastor Shawn's message was to "Live for Jesus Every Day." He reminded us that regardless of what our job is, that ultimately God is who we're working for. We need to work honorably, morally, and humbly. We need to show our love for Christ through our work. Whatever we do, we need to remember that our actions should always honor our Lord.

May 9th: The message will be"Go With What You Know." Come join us at 7pm in the High School room of the Student Ministries Building, to worship and to hear what Pastor Shawn has to say. Or you can come early for dinner at 6pm. Childcare is provided, and starts at 6:45 pm in the Junior High room. For directions to Centerpoint Church, go to www.towardtruth.com.

May 16th: "Rise to the Occasion"

May 23rd: "Manage the Middle"

May 30th: "Live the Legacy"

We welcome all young adults in the Inland Empire, regardless of where your home church is. Our goal is to give a supplemental experience to your church lives. We don't want to take from, we want to add to. Feel free to join us every Friday, or if you're not available on Fridays, we have other small groups and bible studies available throughout the week. For more information, go to www.towardtruth.com, and click on any of the links you are interested in knowing more about. Or you can email me at marla@towardtruth.com.

Financial Woes

2008-05-05T11:23:00.000-07:00

Rex and I are trying to figure out how we are going to pay rent for this month. We are already late, so now we have to tack on the extra fee on top of what we already owe. My landlord called me this morning, and said that if he doesn't receive the money today, he will be by tomorrow, to tack a "Pay or Quit" notice on our door. This notice will give us three days to come up with the money to pay him, so we don't get evicted. So, of course Rex and I are panicking, because we were expecting to have the money by now. We try to have faith that God will continue to provide, but it's hard when the people we owe money to are always breathing down our necks. We're expecting a check from my uncle and the "Economic Stimulus" check from the government, but we don't know when either of those will arrive. Please pray for us, because this apartment was truly a blessing when it was made available to us. It's close to church Rex's work, and many of our church family. We love it here, and we don't want to have to move again. Thank you.

Thanks!

2008-05-02T13:54:00.001-07:00

To All Journey Members:
Everyone has been so supportive of my finishing school, deciding to quit my job back in December, helping Rex and I move, and my current job search. We appreciate everything the group has done for us. All your efforts and prayers have been a true blessing. Many things would not have occurred, if not for your love and support.

To Cristina, Wandica, Ammie, Kat, Chris, (and whoever else may have helped):
I appreciate the efforts of you guys on Sidewalk Sundays (especially last Sunday, since I wasn't there). I'm guessing everything went well, because Shawn hasn't contacted me with complaints. It was truly a blessing to find people who were willing to run the table for me, and outreach to other young adults at Centerpoint. Keep up the good work!

To Paul:
Thanks for having the patience to deal with me during announcements. I know sometimes I lose track of what's going on, and other times I get carried away. I appreciate all your efforts to keep me on track. I know I'm not always easy to work with.

To Shawn:
Thanks for giving me this opportunity to be such a huge part of The Journey. It has been a blessing for me, because it has helped me grow spiritually and further my education. I enjoy all of the work you pass my way, and I look forward to much more activities and assignments with the group. I love working with all of these wonderful people. I hope you continue to have faith in my efforts.

To my wonderful husband, Rex:
I love you so much! Thank you for loving me, and being a part of my life. You were the one who convinced me to go to Cal Baptist, and believed in me when I doubted myself. If you hadn't prodded me, I wouldn't be graduating on Saturday! Our marriage has been a blessing, and I look forward to many more years of happiness with you. God truly has blessed us both!

To anyone who is planning on going to my graduation on Saturday:
The ceremony starts at 9am, but I recommend that you get to Cal Baptist as soon as possible, so you can find parking! The ceremony will be two hours long, so we should be done by 11am. If you would like to meet up with me after the ceremony, you can meet me at the short wall in Stamps Courtyard. To get to the courtyard, you go up the steps in front of the Yeager Center (by the waterfall), past the rotating globe in the walkway, past Wanda's (on the right), out into the courtyard. It's the short wall just before the grassy area, and there's a black marble plaque on the ground. It's not far from the front lawn, promise! If I'm not there when you find it, Rex should be. Call one of us if you get lost.

This Sunday!

2008-04-24T13:11:00.000-07:00

The Journey will be setting up a table at all services, to invite new people to come visit Fuel on our next Open House night (May 2nd), and offer information about the group to everyone 18-29 that attends Centerpoint Church. Any Journey members who are available to help out, please do so! Unfortunately, I won't be there because Rex and I are going out of town to celebrate our anniversary. Please let me know by e-mail, or if you are at Fuel tomorrow night, I will be gathering a list of volunteers. I would really appreciate anyone who can help out!

Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed

2008-04-19T01:14:00.000-07:00

Rex and I, along with many other Journey members went and saw Ben Stein's "Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed" after Fuel this evening. It was very interesting and informative. I was quite surprised by much of what I learned. I definitely recommend it to other people. Fair warning: Be prepared to be amazed by the ignorance of many of the people Ben Stein interviewed. One thing I suggest is to not go see it after 9:30, unless you enjoy documentaries! You might accidentally fall asleep, like I almost did. It wasn't that the movie was boring (because it wasn't), there were just some slow spots, and I was exhausted! I honestly enjoyed myself, and it gave many of us something to think about and debate about on the way back to the church (since we all carpooled). Go see the movie! Trust me, you'll be surprised at how "stupid" some of these "intelligent" people are. No joke. You'll have to see it to believe it.

Fuel Focus for this month.........

2008-04-18T16:12:00.000-07:00

This month's focus at Fuel, is Where is Your Heart? It's about ways for us to honor God with our money. On April 4, Pastor Shawn's message was about asking "Where is Your Heart". On April 11, the message was about "Tithing- Giving to the Church & it's Servants". To hear these messages, go to www.towardtruth.com and listen to them on our podcast.

Tonight, April 18, Pastor Shawn is speaking about "Budgeting- Keep Track of Your Money". Come join us at 7pm in the Student Ministries Building for worship and Shawn's message. Or you can come early for dinner at 6pm. Childcare is provided. Also, after tonight's service, many Journey members are going to see "Expelled" by Ben Stein, at Edward's Ontario Palace Stadium 22. At tonight's service, we will have more information about what time the movie is showing.

Next Friday, April 25, the message will be about "Generosity- Being Open to the Lord's Leading". We will have a guest speaker- Tunde and his wife Titi, who will be speaking about Tunde and friends, and the mission to Nigeria. Come join us at 7pm and learn more about Tunde, Titi, their group, and how we can all help make a difference!

For additional information about Fuel, or anything about The Journey, visit our website. To read some thoughts and input from some of our Journey leaders, go to http://thejourneyie.blogspot.com. There are new posts frequently, so come by and check our blog out!

I'm graduating!

2008-04-18T16:01:00.000-07:00

I just found out yesterday that I am cleared to walk in the graduation ceremony on May 3rd at CBU! My degree doesn't actually post until August, but I get to walk! My name will be announced with the other ADCP graduates! I think they just run down the list of all the graduates alphabetically, but I'm not 100% sure. I don't think they announce the names by educational programs. I guess we'll see, won't we? All Journey members are invited! All or my other friends are invited to! Everyone I love is invited! I expect to see most if not all of you there! I can't believe it! I'm going to be a college graduate! The first one in my immediate family! Yahoo me! Yippee! I can't believe it! I didn't think it was possible this quickly! I thought it was out of my reach for at least 5-10 years. Thanks to Cal Baptist, I was able to do it in two years! Two years! Thanks to Rex for talking me into attending CBU, and for supporting me the entire way. And more than anything, I give my thanks to God for giving me the strength and perseverance to make it through.

We're moved!

2008-04-16T16:37:00.000-07:00

Rex and I are in our new place. We're settling in and getting unpacked. It's actually starting to look like we live here!. The only room that is still unorganized, is the dining room. The bedroom is 90% completed, the living room is 95% completed, and the kitchen is 80% completed. We hope to have everything done by this weekend, but we'll see. There are a lot of books and glassware that have to be unpacked. We just have to decide where to put all of those things. It's all a process, but we have to be patient and take our time. If we rush things, we'll hate where we put everything, and have twice as much work to do later. We still need the keys to our front door, screens on our front windows and balcony door, our heater unit in the dining room, the range hood above our stove, and curtains on all our windows. Despite all those things, we still love our new home! We hope to be able to have Journey members over for dinner and host some of the gatherings that we have throughout the year. We can even invite members over after Fuel on Fridays, Remix service on Sundays, and Thru the Bible on Wednesdays. We'll see how things go! The Journey is such a huge part of our lives and we're happy to finally have the opportunity to give back to the group. It truly is a blessing for us to be so close to the church. We look forward to having Journey members visit our home.

Open House at Fuel!

2008-04-04T16:54:00.001-07:00

Come one, come all! Tonight, The Journey is holding our monthly Open House, for any and all 18 to 20-somethings in the Inland Empire! Regardless of where your home church is, you are welcome here at Fuel! We are here to offer a supplemental experience to all of our Church family. All new people are welcome, as well as our faithful attendees! Worship starts at 7pm (Childcare is offered), or join us early for dinner at 6pm. We hope to see you there!

Losing my mind!

2008-04-04T16:44:00.001-07:00

This whole moving thing is INSANE!!!! We have 90% of our stuff packed, and we're moving TOMORROW!! I will be taking a short break from the packing, by going to Fuel. (Tonight is our Open House, so bring a friend!) Rex isn't feeling well, so he's going to stay home and try to get some packing done. He said he's probably going to have to take a lot of breaks, because he doesn't have a lot of energy. Hopefully, he doesn't overwork himself! After Fuel, I have to come home and help Rex finish packing whatever is left over! yay.........I'll probably be up late, trying to finish everything. The fun part is, everybody that is helping us move will start showing up by 9:30 a.m! So I probably won't get much sleep! Again.........yay.......of course, none of this would have happened, if we had actually started packing things a month ago. Oh well, this is what you get went you put everything off until the last minute.........Procrastinators of the world unite (not really, because we'll never get around to having a meeting)!

Great news!

2008-04-02T11:35:00.000-07:00

Rex and I had been looking for an apartment for the past month. We wanted to find a place in either San Bernardino, Colton, or Redlands, so we could be closer to church and Rex's work. We looked at several apartments that were way out of our price range. We didn't give up hope but just kept on looking. We found one in Colton, and applied for a credit check. We weren't approved because Rex is the only one working right now, and our income wasn't 2 1/2 times the rent. So we were bummed, but we kept looking.

We were seriously starting to get discouraged, until our friend Gloria mentioned an apartment she spotted in Colton. Individually, Rex and I went to check it out. We both fell in love with the place. It was being renovated and wasn't completed, but we saw so much potential in the place. With Gloria's prodding, I got the landlord's phone number, and set up a time to meet him. Rex and I prayed about it, and decided we were going to apply for this place, too. So we did, and had to wait a few days.

While we were waiting, we began to get nervous, because the date for us to move out of our current apartment was creeping closer. While we were waiting to hear back about the Colton apartment, we got a tip from Evan about an apartment in Redlands. The rent was way reasonable, especially for a two bedroom apartment. We went by, and checked it out. We liked the layout, so I contacted the landlord and found out he didn't take cats. Again, another disappointment, because we weren't going to get rid of our cat.

Then, I heard back from the landlord of the Colton apartment. He had been trying to get a hold of our current management office. We had to give them permission to give out our information. A couple of days later, we received a call back telling us we were approved! We couldn't believe it! We were so excited, because we loved that apartment the minute we saw it! Of course, when we found out what the move-in was, we became discouraged again. The amount was way more than we could afford on our own, so we knew it was up to God.

God had supplied us the apartment, so we believed that he would provide the funds. It was really hard for us to sit back and just wait for the money to be made available. We prayed, asked all our friends pray, and even asked our Bible Study group to pray that God would provide for us yet again. I think we were starting to feel like we were demanding too much. Of course, we found out that all we had to do was ask. God made the funds available almost immediately! So, I called the landlord and set up a time for us to meet him and give him part of the money. (We plan on giving him the rest of the money when we move in.)

So, we met with the landlord on Monday and signed all the paperwork. We move in on April 5th! That's this Saturday! It's perfect, because we need to be out of our current apartment by the 7th! Anyone who would like to help is more than welcome! We welcome any and all of our friends! God works wonders! I am absolutely amazed! We are truly blessed! One of the best parts about this apartment, is that it's 5 1/2 blocks from the church! We can walk to and from church! We can have more get-togethers for the young adults, and they won't have to travel too far! It's also much closer to Rex's work, so it will no longer take 20 minutes to an hour for him to get there! Praise God!

Last night........

2008-03-27T12:38:00.000-07:00

Rex made his debut at Family Stuf!

Every Wednesday, the Children's Department at Centerpoint Church, has Family Stuf, which is a service that lets children (ages 5-12) interact with their parents, and offers different activities and stories. Often times, they also have a drama, which tells a story about their virtue for the week. (This week's was Courage, next week's is Joy, etc....)

Well, about a month ago, Ellie asked Rex if he would be willing to become part of the drama team for Family Stuf. He agreed, and last week, he got his first script. It was a little difficult for him to learn his lines, since they weren't able to have rehearsal on Sunday (Easter). But with a little perseverance, and help from God, he remembered his lines!

His performance was a hit! Everyone loved his character, Herbert. He was so convincing as a 13 yr-old "nerd". He made everyone laugh, and after the service, several people came up to him and told him he did a great job. I was so proud of him! All his years of drama training paid off. I thought he was the best performer up there (but of course I'm a little biased).

Rex will be part of the drama again next week, so if anyone wants to check it out, come by at 6:30. Family Stuf takes place in the main Sanctuary at Centerpoint Church. For more information about Centerpoint Church, Family Stuf, and all other services, go to www.centerpointcolton.com. If you're looking for Journey (Young Adult, ages 18-29) information, you can either link from Centerpoint's website, or you can do directly to www.towardtruth.com.

The Good Friday Service..........

2008-03-25T09:46:00.000-07:00

It was a hit! We had 130 adults/teens, and 15 children (2-12)! That's the largest amount of people we've ever had in the High School room in the Student Ministries Building (at least as far as I now). It was the highest attendance for a Journey service, at least. (Our Friday night Fuel Service usually averages about 15 people.)

The set-up went pretty smoothly, since G.P. showed up real early, and started setting up chairs. Rex and I got there fairly early, and started setting up the sound equipment and decorations. Little by little, everyone else started showing up, and we were putting things together. We were doing fine, until people started showing up EARLY! We weren't expecting people until 6:30, and they started showing up around 6! We started running around, trying to finish setting up. We finished as quickly as possible.

Then, more people started showing up. The only problem was, we didn't have the bulletins to hand out as they walked through the door. We greeted everyone, and directed them into the High School room. As soon as we received the bulletins, we made sure everyone was handed one, even the people who had already been seated. Shortly after, things started calming down, and the service started on time!

It was a beautiful service. We basically had a funeral service for Jesus. Andre took on the role of John, and gave the eulogy. It was very moving. The music Jess played was lovely. There were several positive comments made during the service and worship. It all went fairly smoothly. In fact, the service ended early! Fuel NEVER ends early! We're usually run late, or end right on time. It was a nice change of pace to end early. Everyone there seemed to appreciate what the service had to offer. Even Pastor Dane had a lot of positive things to say.

And since we had dessert available, many people stayed around, and had fellowship. Several people went up to different Journey members, and complimented our efforts. They were impressed by how well we ran everything. We hope that the Good Friday Service gives everyone who attended a better idea of what The Journey is, and what our goals are for young adults in the Inland Empire. We hope that they see us in a new light, and that more young adults at Centerpoint Church will want to attend our Journey services and meetings.

For more information about the Journey, and to hear the recording on our podcast, go to www.towardtruth.com.

This Week....

2008-03-20T11:41:00.001-07:00

Monday night's St. Patrick's Day party was a blast! We had good food, good friends, and lots of fun! Everyone was in an "Irish" state of mind. I think there was only one or two people who weren't wearing green (party poopers! just kidding!) They were welcome, too. It was nice seeing so many Journey members in the same place, at the same time.

Tuesday night's College Age Group was wonderful. Like we would expect anything less, from Evan and Adda! They are truly a blessing to those who attend those meetings. I look forward to stopping by sometime, to meet any "kids" I don't know yet. It is my duty, as Personal Relationships Liaison, to become acquainted with all Journey members! It's great!

Wednesday night's Thru the Bible went through without a hitch (or so I heard). The only problem was, Kevin (our worship leader) was not feeling well, and couldn't be there to add his special touch to the worship songs. He was dearly missed, and we hope he gets well soon. Pastor Dane's message was educational, as usual.

Tomorrow night: Good Friday Service! The Journey is hosting. It starts at 7pm, in the Student ministries Building. We will be having worship, prayer, and a message from Pastor Shawn. We will be offering childcare, so all you parents can attend! It will be a beautiful service, offered in remembrance of Jesus Christ, and what He sacrificed for us. Everyone is welcome! People of all ages! Come one, come all! We look forward to seeing you.

For more information about The Journey and all our groups or services, feel free to check out our website at www.towardtruth.com.

It's been too long!

2008-03-14T15:21:00.000-07:00

I'm sorry it's been so long since I've blogged! I've been busy looking for a job, and Rex and I are trying to find an apartment, since our current lease is up next month. So, I've been turning in my resume to everyone I can find, and trying to pack up our apartment all at the same time! So much has happened since I blogged last! Okay, let's see if I remember everything in order.......

I started a new class, which I mentioned in a previous blog: Comparative Religions.

Rex and I joined a new bible study. It's on Thursday nights at Ed and Nancy Boyd's house in Grand Terrace. The nice thing about it, is the fact that we already knew 80% of the people who attend! Some of them are even part of The Journey: Evan and Adda Dahlke (College-Age Leaders), Kat Newhouse (College-Age Group and Fuel attendee), and Kat's boyfriend, Chris Nunez (Fuel Childcare Leader). We enjoyed reading and fellowshipping with everyone who was there.

I discovered that one of the young ladies that used to work with me at The Avenue passed away. We're not exactly sure what happened, but I attended her funeral on Wednesday. Please pray for peace and comfort for her family.

Rex and I applied for an apartment in Colton, and we got denied for the credit check because our income was too low. Please pray that we find the home that God has waiting for us, because we need to be out of this apartment by April 7th.

Rex will soon have a running car! A friend of ours had a 1998 Ford ZX2, that was just sitting in her apartment complex. She needed to have it removed, or her landlord was going to tow it. She told us there were some transmission issues, but we were welcome to it, since she wanted the car to have a loving home, and not be junked. We picked it up Tuesday night, he drove it home, and now we just have to wait to get the pink slip from her on Saturday, so Rex can start getting everything taken care of, and changed over into his name. Praise God that this car was provided for us.......we didn't have to pay for anything, except a new battery and possibly some transmission work! Amen!

I received a call from a marketing company, and I have an interview set up for Monday afternoon! Please pray that everything goes well.

My mother-in-law had yet another surgery on her eye this morning, and she called this afternoon to say that her doctor said everything went well. He's confident that this time, everything should heal normally. Praise God that my mother-in-law has such promising news! Thank you Lord for making everything go as planned!

Rex and I are attending the "I Love You More" workshop at our church, to help us continue to make our marriage stronger, and become more centered around God. I will let everyone know how it went!

We have Fuel as usual tonight, at 7pm. come join us early for dinner at 6pm! Childcare is provided. Pastor Shawn will be continuing this month's series, "What if there is no God?" Join us to see what God will reveal to us, through Shawn's message.

Sunday is Palm Sunday, and I will be setting up an information table at my church, about The Journey. If you have any questions, come by the table, and see me or one of the other volunteers! (We will be announcing the Good Friday Service- for more information about that, go to The Journey's website at www.towardtruth.com).

and just in case I don't make it back on here over the weekend:

Monday night is The Journey's St. Patrick's Day party! Anyone who wishes, come join us at 6pm. It will be in Rialto, at Ellie and C.J. Clark's house. For anybody who doesn't know how to get there, I believe there are directions or a contact number on The Journey's website, as well. If you come by, Don't forget to wear green!

Comparative Religions

2008-03-04T12:03:00.000-08:00

My new class for this session at CBU, is Comparative Religions. It's basically World Religions, but from a Christian perspective. This class is aimed to educate the students on how other religions compare to Christianity. My teacher grew up in Thailand, so she learned how important world views are, and how Buddhism and Hinduism relates to Christianity. She is a committed Christian, and her only goal for the class is to introduce the other religions to us, and make us aware of how different they are from the Christian faith. I look forward to learning a lot in this class, and I believe this knowledge will give me a greater respect for my own beliefs. I am a Christian, but I know very little about the world faiths or how they view Christians. I look forward to learning all knowledge that my professor has to offer. Maybe I can share what I learn with the other members of The Journey. There is much many of us don't know about Hinduism, Buddhism, Judaism, and Islam. I might be able to offer a different perspective of these religions. We'll see......

Tonight............

2008-02-29T13:55:00.000-08:00

It will be the first Friday in months, that I haven't gone to Fuel. Ever since I was given the position of PR Liaison, I haven't missed a week! (That's been about three months now.) Even before that, I would go after work to fellowship with other Journey members. I wasn't always able to hear the message, but I wanted to spend time with the people who shared my love for God. So, tonight my husband and I have the "night off", and we decided we wanted to spend some alone time together. I'm looking forward to spending time with my husband, but somehow I still feel like something is missing. I feel like a part of me isn't being fulfilled, because I won't be at Fuel. I know it doesn't change my relationship with God, and it doesn't make Him think any less of me, but I feel lost! I feel the same way when I miss church on Sunday. I feel a small sense of emptiness, because even though my thoughts are with God, I'm not getting the fellowship with other Christians. I never realized just how important fellowship with my brothers and sisters in Christ can be. I know I'm never alone, because God is with me, but the Bible says we are to fellowship with other believers, and worship God together. The Journey is a part of who I am, and since I am unable to attend other Journey gatherings, Fuel is where I get that fellowship. I will truly miss Fuel tonight, and I'm looking forward to going back next week.

It's Done!

2008-02-27T23:11:00.001-08:00

I did my presentation tonight, and it seemed to be well received. My classmates were attentive, and I could see many of them nodding in agreement. The surprising part was that out of the 15 people that raised their hand when I asked "How many of you are 18-29?", only three of them raised their hands when I asked them if their churches offered a Young Adult ministry. (I hope I reached some of them, by letting them know they have another option for spiritual growth). It absolutely amazes me that so many churches miss out on the opportunity to reach their young adults. They leave them to wander alone, and just assume that their spiritual journey will happen naturally. Most churches figure that once you're out of high school, you should automatically become a part of the Main Church.

The problem is, it's not that simple. Once you hit 18, your brain doesn't immediately shift to "Ok, I'm adult now. Time for me to join in the Main church activities, with people my parents age (or older)." It's absolutely scary once you turn 18. You're no longer a child, and most of the time you "age-out" of the high school group. (Not always, but it happens too often.) So you're left wondering "Now what? I no longer have a small group of people I can relate to, and I don't have much in common with the people my parents know from church." Often times, this is when young adults wander from the church. They are usually working, going to school, or both. So they become lured out into the world, and find it harder to resist temptation. They no longer have their small group to hold them accountable, and help encourage them along their walk with God. They often lose their way, and make choices they wouldn't have made otherwise.

More churches need to offer Young Adult ministries. It would be a blessing not only to the young adults, but to the church as well. If more young adults are given continued guidance past their high school years, they are more likely to become stronger Christians. If they are able to continue worshiping, praying, and fellowshipping with people their own age, they will feel more comfortable as they transition into their spiritual adulthood. Young Adult ministry allows the members to ask questions they may be afraid to ask in church. They are able to relate to many of the other members who might be going through similar experiences. They may encounter members who have already been through what they're going through, that may be able to offer assurance and guidance through the difficult times. They have a continued sense of belonging, rather than feeling like an outsider.

That's why The Journey is here. We offer this sanctuary to any young adults in the Inland Empire who might feel lost, or are unsure of what their next step should be. We're here to offer a community of people who can sympathize and empathize with their struggles. Our wish is not that they leave their home church, but that we are able to offer something additional, whatever they may feel is missing from their lives. We want to "Be the Difference" for them, and help them become the difference in the lives of others. We hope to enrich their spiritual lives, and help them strengthen their relationship with God. The Journey is a supplement, not a replacement.

Anyone who has questions, feel free to visit www.towardtruth.com, and learn more about The Journey. We have a podcast available for anyone who wishes to hear some of the messages before they decide to join us on our journey of truth. God Bless!

My Presentation........

2008-02-25T23:47:00.000-08:00

The presentation that I was supposed to do last week, was postponed to this week. I get to do it on Wednesday. I believe I am second to go up. It will be about The Journey, since the group is something I'm passionate about. I'm a little nervous, because I don't like getting up in front of people. It's a fear of mine, that I am currently working through. Please pray again for me, that it goes smoothly, and that God helps me reach those young adults who are searching for a community of people their own age that love to worship God. I pray that God gives me the right words to say, and gives me the strength to do whatever He has sent me to do. May God give me wisdom and grace for this presentation!

I Just Signed Up For The Walk!

2008-02-23T22:49:00.000-08:00

I just signed up to be on the Centerpoint Church Team for the Coachella Valley Autism Society Walk on March 29, 2008, to help B.E.S.T. Services raise money for Autism. I'm looking forward to participating in this cause. If you would like to help B.E.S.T. Services with a donation, you may do so by writing a check to B.E.S.T. Services and give it to me or one of the other walkers. Or you can go online and donate with a credit card or PayPal on the B.E.S.T. Services website, www.bestautismservices.com . Or you can join our team! Go to the website, and click on the link for the walk. Click "Join a Team", and enter in our teams ID number. Enter in your information, and you will be added to our team. Thank you for helping in the fight against Autism.

Centerpoint Church ID: 34

Last Night's Fuel Gathering

2008-02-23T22:10:00.000-08:00

It was great. Pastor Shawn spoke about bitterness, and how it can truly affect your life. I never thought of it in the way that God revealed it through Shawn. I began to see the uselessness of being bitter. Here are some of my notes from his message (paraphrased):

Bitterness is keeping a record of wrongs, it boils up into Rage, which is uncontrolled passion. If you lose control, it can turn into Anger, which is a violent emotion. Anger can escalate into Brawling (fighting, punching), and become Slander (speaking ill about someone else). Any type of Malice, which is wanting to do harm someone or see them suffer, is wrong. Don't let Bitterness become part of who you are! Bitterness is an OPTIONAL response to bad things that happen. We deserve God's wrath, but He gives us grace.
"Get rid of all bitterness, rage and anger, brawling and slander, along with every form of malice. Be kind and compassionate to one another, forgiving each other, just as in Christ God forgave you." -Ephesians 4:31-32

When I heard these words, they truly hit home for me. How can I expect God to forgive me for my wrongdoings, if I can't forgive someone else? Who am I to judge the actions of someone else? I need to let go of all the wrongs that have been done against me, and forgive those who committed them. I am the one who is choosing to let these things continue to bother me. I am the one who chooses to be angry. I need to ask God to help me forgive them. I need to give my anger and frustration up to Him. I need to stop being bitter, because all it's doing, is eating away at me. It's tearing me up inside, and will eventually affect my entire life. As I sit here, typing this, I offer up my bitterness and resentment to God. I pray that He helps me to become a more forgiving person.

If you would like to hear Pastor Shawn's message, go to www.towardtruth.com, and click on The Journey's Podcast.

This Week....

2008-02-18T19:27:00.000-08:00

Wednesday, February 20th- I will be doing a presentation in my Business Communications class, that will introduce the What, theHow, and the Why of The Journey. I hope to reach some of the young adults in my class, and offer another place for them to worship God. The Journey's goal is not to take young adults away from their church, but to add to what they already know about God. We offer worship, prayer, and fellowship to all young adults that come to our weekly meetings. For those of you that are in my class, I hope that this piques your interest about my presentation, and please pray that it goes smoothly. For those of you not in my class, pray for me that this goes well, and that I don't make a complete fool of myself!

Friday, February, 22nd- Fuel will be meeting back in the Children's Ministries Building! (Last week, we met in the Sanctuary.) This week's message will be about Bitterness, and how we can overcome it. Pastor Shawn will be speaking, and will be offering the wisdom that God sees fit to bestow upon him for this particular message. As usual, we will be meeting for dinner at 6pm, and worship starts at 7pm. Come join us for prayer, fellowship, and community enjoyment. If you have any questions about The Journey, or need directions, go to the website at www.towardtruth.com. God Bless!

B.E.S.T. Services

2008-02-17T17:47:00.000-08:00

Behavioral and Educational Support Team Services, Inc.

The Journey will be participating in the Coachella Valley Autism Society Walk on March 29, 2008, along with B.E.S.T Services to help raise money for Autism. So far, they have raised $2,500, but their goal is $25,000! If you would like to help with a donation, you may do so by writing a check to B.E.S.T Services and give it to one of the walkers. Or you can go online and donate with a credit card or PayPal on the website www.bestautismservices.com. If you are interested in walking with us you may join our team. All are welcome! To join, go to the B.E.S.T. Services website and click the link for the walk. Click on the "Join a Team" link, and enter in Centerpoint Church's ID number. Enter in your information, and you will be added to our team!

Thank you so much for helping us in the fight for autism, and God Bless!

Centerpoint Church ID: 34

Jess and Karilee's Message on Autism

2008-02-17T17:31:00.000-08:00

On Friday, February 15, 2008, Jessica Cox and Karilee Jones spoke at Fuel. Their message was about Autism, and the children that they tutor. These two ladies are very special people, because they help Autistic children learn to communicate with others. I was very moved by their message, and by the fact that they were chosen by God to help these children.

What is Autism? It is a severe developmental disorder, that begins at birth or within the first two and a half years of life. It is usually diagnosed by the age of three. A less severe form is known as Asperger's Syndrome. Children who have Asperger's are higher functioning than children who are Autistic.

Statistics: 1 in 150 children in the U.S. are diagnosed per year. 4 in 10 boys are diagnosed, but only 1 in 10 girls are diagnosed. For whatever reason, Autism is more prevalent in boys.

If you would like to know more about Autism, go to www.towardtruth.com, to hear Jess and Karilee's message on The Journey's Podcast, or visit the B.E.S.T Services website at www.bestautismservices.com.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2008-02-14T15:30:00.000-08:00

To all of you young adults: Hope you guys and gals have a great day and evening. It's Valentine's Day, and whether or not you are part of a couple, go out and have a good time. If you're single, go out with your friends or do something by yourself. Don't let the fact that you're single get you down. Enjoy it! Be yourself! Have a good time! Be young and exciting! If you're dating, keep it fun and simple. If you're engaged, try a nice dinner at a restaurant and maybe a romantic movie. If you're married, how about a romantic dinner at home, a rented movie, and snuggling on the couch?
Wherever you are on your journey of love, be careful, and always make the right choices. Be honest with yourself (and your partner, if you have one). Don't try to be something you're not. Don't let anyone compromise you into something you don't want to do. Be upfront, and don't be afraid to set up boundaries. You have a right to say no to whatever someone asks you to do. God Bless you on your endeavors!

Reminder!

2008-02-14T10:57:00.000-08:00

This Friday's Fuel, will be taking place in the Main Sanctuary of Centerpoint Church. The Church is located on the corner of 7th and F St. in Colton. For all regular attendees, you guys know how to get there. If you would like to join us for the first time, and need directions to Centerpoint, visit the church's website at www.centerpointcolton.com. Fuel still starts at 7pm, but feel free to join us at 6pm for dinner.

Also, don't forget this week's message is about Autism. Jessica Cox and Karilee Jones will be speaking about it. If you have any questions, or would just like to know more about Autism, come join us. Both ladies work with Autistic children, so they have plenty of knowledge that they were willing to share with us. Come join us, and hear what these ladies have to offer!

Tonight at Centerpoint Church

2008-02-13T09:28:00.000-08:00

Everyone's welcome!
Whether you are a young adult or not, join us! Do you "want to know more of what's between the covers of your Bible?" If so, join Pastor Dane Aaker as he goes through each book of the Bible. "Thru the Bible" starts at 6:30 pm, in the Basement of the Main Building at Centerpoint Church. We have worship, which is lead by Kevin Krogstad, then have Pastor Dane's lesson, and then we break up into smaller study groups to discuss what we learned. If you are a young adult, join Kevin and Laura in The Journey's small group, and be with people your own age who probably have similar questions to yours. (Sometimes, the group goes for dinner afterward).

If you have children, join Pastor Pam and Ellie Clark in the Main Sanctuary of Centerpoint Church for "Family Stuf", also starting at 6:30 pm. Every month, they teach about a new virtue of God. It's a great place for families to "worship and grow together". Feel free to join in the fun!

If you have Junior High or High School students, they meet in the Student Ministries Building, which is right across the parking lot. "Switch" (Junior High) and "Ignition" (high school) do "teen-age stuff" and find out more about God. It's fun and educational! Come join in!

College-Age Group

2008-02-12T14:00:00.000-08:00

If you are 18-23, and live in the Inland Empire, you are more than welcome to join the bible study and fellowship group tonight, in Grand Terrace. The group is run by Adda & Evan Dahlke, at their home, from 6:30pm on (ending probably about 8:30-9pm). For more information about the group, visit The Journey's website at www.towardtruth.com, and click on "Journey Groups". You can also get directions to the Dahlke's house. If you want, you can also e-mail Adda with any questions at adda@towardtruth.com. We hope to see you there!

This Week's Fuel Gathering

2008-02-11T23:47:00.000-08:00

Attention! This Friday, February 15: Fuel will be meeting in the Main Sanctuary, instead of the Youth Building. Centerpoint's Junior High Leaders will be getting the High School room ready for Anti-Camp on Saturday, so The Journey will be having worship and our message across the parking lot, in the church. Anyone who attends Centerpoint regularly, knows where that is. Those of you that don't, it's really easy to find: it's the big, white building on the corner of 7th and F streets (in Colton), with "Centerpoint Church" painted on the side. We welcome all newcomers, as well as all regular attendees.

This week's message will be shared by Jessica Cox and Karilee Jones. They will be speaking about Autism, and how it affects both the children and their families. Both ladies work with Autistic children, so I'm sure they have much wisdom to share. Here at The Journey, we look forward to whatever Jess and Kari have to offer us. So please come join us, and hear more about Autism. We hope to see you there!

Congratulations!

2008-02-11T15:29:00.000-08:00

One of our Journey couples just got engaged! They've been together for 2+ years. For more details, check out their blog page! Congrats, you two! http://gettinglostwithpaulandjess.blogspot.com

So Far This Month....

2008-02-11T11:23:00.000-08:00

We've had five new attendees at Fuel! That is fantastic! We're excited that people are coming to check us out. One of the new attendees has already been back once, and we hope to see him again next week. We hope that the others feel free to come back and join us whenever they want. We're glad to become a part of their spiritual journey. We feel blessed that they have decided to add to The Journey's spiritual development.

I also heard that we had a few new people joining in on Wednesday night's Through the Bible (bible study) at Centerpoint Church. They came to hear Pastor Dane's lesson, and then they joined The Journey's individual discussion group afterwards. This is all great news! We look forward to seeing more new faces in weeks to come!

Parents of Young Adults (18-29)

2008-02-07T13:05:00.000-08:00

Feel free to mention The Journey to your children. They are more then welcome to join us, and if you're the one who has visited this page tell them about the group! Let them know about this page, so they can link to The Journey's website, or just let them know about the other links. We are just looking for young adults that want (or need) a small group of their own, to worship God. Many local churches don't offer young adult groups, so we welcome any and all young adults who want to be part of one! They don't need to leave their home church, just join us and have ANOTHER place to fellowship, worship, and pray (with people their own age). Put the word out!

Attention Young Adults!

2008-02-05T14:01:00.000-08:00

The focus for the month of February: Our Struggles Within

The entire month, we will have messages on struggles that we may have in our lives. Some are spiritual, some are psychological, and some are emotional.

Last week, we learned about Depression: what many of the symptoms are and how to cope with them. Our guest speaker was Dr. Mark Cox, and he offered a lot of suggestions for people who struggle with depression and their families. Dr. Cox's message offered much to those who needed to hear what he had to share. If you missed it, you should be able to catch it on The Journey's website at www.towardtruth.com , on our PodCast.

This week, February 8th, the message will be about Self-Worth. Shawn Candelaria, our young adult pastor will be speaking. Come join us and hear God speak through Shawn on this subject.

Next week, February 15th, the message will be about Autism. Our worship leader, Jessica Cox, and one of our long time members, Karilee Jones will be speaking on the subject. Both ladies are tutors of autistic children, so I'm sure they have much to offer. Come join us and learn more about Autism.

On February 22, we will learn about Bitterness, and on February 29, we will learn about Anger. Stay tuned for more information!

Impromptu website assignment

2008-01-28T19:50:00.000-08:00

In my BUS 301 class, our professor gave us an group assignment in class, to come up with a new type of scooter, and how to build a website to market this product. This scooter is aimed to kids aged 8-12. We had to come up with a web design, keyword advertising, name development, how to track visitors, and a web traffic plan.

As a group, we decided to have a video on our opening page, of well known extreme sport athlete doing different tricks. The product endorsement would be from well known extreme sports heroes like Tony Hawk, Stephen Murray, Justin Miller, Travis Rice, Gretchen Bleiler, Jake Brown, and Robbie Madison. There would also be an option for kids to design their own scooter, and offer popular designs from popular shows, cartoons, and movies, such as Hannah Montana, High School Musical, Bratz, Jimmy Neutron, Pirates of the Caribbean, The Lion the Witch and the Wardrobe, etc.

Our keyword advertising would be: scooter, razor, extreme sports, sport heroes.

Search engines: We would use Google and Ask Jeeves.

We would use banner advertising on extreme sport websites, skateboarding websites, kids websites, family websites.

Any other suggestions on how to draw more people to our scooter website? All outside input is appreciated!

This weekend with The Journey

2008-01-24T23:30:00.000-08:00

To all young adults (ages 18 to 29) in the Inland Empire............
This Friday, at Fuel: Merle Aaker, the father of Centerpoint Church's Pastor Dane Aaker, will be speaking about prayer. He has much wisdom to offer to all of us. Afterwards, we will be breaking off into our small groups for prayer. For more information, visit The Journey's website, or come join us at Centerpoint Church for worship and fellowship at 7pm. Or come by at 6pm for dinner!
This Sunday, at Centerpoint Church: Join us for church in the Sanctuary at 8, 9:15, or 10:30 for worship and Pastor Dane's live sermon . Or come by The Service @ 10:35 in the Student Ministries Building, for worship and Pastor Dane's message on video! In between services, there will be a table set up for The Journey with information about the group, and Leaders will be available to answer any questions you might have. We look forward to meeting you!

Storyline Challenge

2008-01-22T20:14:00.000-08:00

Every month, our Young Adult Pastor has a "challenge" for the all the members. The challenges are to help members get better about reading our bibles, and to become more immersed in The Word. These challenges are designed to help us become better acquainted with what is written in the Bible. The challenge for 2008, is the "Storyline Challenge", which is to read the 13 books that tell the story of the Bible from Creation to the Church. The challenge began on Friday, January 19, and continues throughout the year. The idea is to read one chapter a day. To get more info about the challenge, go to either The Journey's MySpace page at www.myspace.com/towardtruth or the website, www.towardtruth.com .

Come visit us at Fuel!

2008-01-18T15:49:00.000-08:00

Everyone is welcome! We have our young adult worship group every Friday, at 7pm. It is a group of 18-20somethings, that are searching for a closer relationship with God. Our attendance usually ranges from 10-25. It's a small, intimate gathering, in a relaxed, comfortable atmosphere. We meet for dinner and fellowship at 6pm. Worship starts at 7, then depending on what our Young Adult Pastor has scheduled, we either hear a message from one of our teachers (or a guest speaker), or break into small groups to discuss the Bible, and answer questions that are given to us in our bulletins. (Some weeks we have the message first, other weeks we have small groups first.) Either way, we learn more about God. If you are 18-29, live in the Inland Empire, and are interested in joining us, check out Centerpoint Church Colton's website, or The Journey's website (which are both linked to the right) for location information. We would love to see you there!

My Business Communications Class

2008-01-16T19:02:00.000-08:00

Today, in class, my professor emphasized how important communication is for any group leader. The one concept that stood out in my mind, was the "Leadership Dimensions of Communications", which:
1. Builds Teams

2. Enables leaders to- share the vision, empower people to reach the vision, instill trust, solicit feedback (active listening), to learn daily, never being afraid to say "I don't know"

I think that this idea is essential for anybody in a leadership position. This is especially important to all of the leaders for The Journey. Our goal is to "Be the Difference" in our communities. The only way we can do that, is to set an example for all of our members. We need to share our vision with everyone in the group, and let them know that they can come to us for anything: prayer, guidance, and questions. As followers of Jesus, we are always learning new things. The most important thing, is for all Journey Leaders is to never be afraid to say "I don't know". We are not perfect, and it's okay to let others know that we don't know everything, and to lead members of the Journey to seek knowledge from the Bible, and to ask other individuals that are more knowledgeable than we are.

Taking my "job" seriously

2008-01-14T21:25:00.001-08:00

Once it was decided that I was the PR Liaison for The Journey, I sat down with our Young Adult Pastor, and we brainstormed on different ideas to create excitement about the group. The first thing we have planned, is to set up a table outside of our church on Sundays, and have information and brochures available to anyone who has questions about The Journey. The table is going to be set up on the last Sunday of every month. There will be 1-3 Journey Leaders available to answer any questions, and we will have two different brochures: one that explains what The Journey is, and one that offers different small groups and venues that people can join to become more involved. We'll also try to show pictures and videos of different Journey gatherings, so people can see all the things that we do together in fellowship. I'm really looking forward to this "job", because I had been wanting to get more involved in the group. I know that God has lead me in the right direction, and I look forward to more adventures along the path He has chosen for me.

New recruit

2008-01-09T21:24:00.000-08:00

I have been involved in The Journey (Centerpoint Church's Young Adult Group) since December of 2005. As of June of 2007, I became one of the group's leaders. My title ws never decided, because I needed to sit down with our Young Adult Pastor, and decide what exactly my duties were as a leader. Each leader has a different job, and serves a different purpose. As of last night, my title was established. I was "promoted" to Public Relations Liaison, which basically means that I come up with new ways to "market" our group to existing members as well as any potential members. One of my duties is to implement new methods of creating excitement about our group, and help existing members continue to make a difference in their own lives, and the lives of others. I'm glad to finally know what is expected of me, and where God wants me to be.