Big Steps in New places

I remember the night Bryan and I went out on our first date...We were sitting in his old white Ford pickup truck (sounds like something out of a country song huh?). We began to talk about where we were heading in life and what were our goals. Bryan at that time told me that all he ever wanted was to be in full time ministry. Months later after we got to know each other more and more I realized that this wasn't just a dream of his, but a passion.

Time went on and bills came. We decided that while waiting for that dream to happen he needed a different career then at the lumber yard. So he went to fire school just a few short months after we got married. Then there were the multiple applications to get on at a fire department. Lots of time passes and we still aren't able to be full time at the church. Inside him though the dream was very much alive.


As far as I can remember all I have known is shift work, fire uniforms, smells of smoke after a long night, Bryan missing Christmas, birthdays etc. This has been my life for I don't know how long.

Our church has grown so much in these last few years. We knew that he would go full time at the church soon....Bryan came to me and told me by October 1st he would leave the fire department. Not long after Pastor came to us just a few months ago and said it is time!

WOW! Here we were on the verge of everything we had prayed for the last 9 years. So many emotions came upon me as Bryan worked his last shift last Thursday. Happiness, joy, sadness, and a little fear of the unknown. I felt like we were taking one huge leap off of a cliff not knowing what was below, but knowing that God was going to take care of us.

Sunday morning at church it was a normal service. Our anniversary was last Tuesday. I love love love love the song "Then" by Brad Paisley after Bryan showed it to me a few months ago. In fact it is the ringer on my cell phone when he calls :)

Right there before everyone he begins singing this song to me. You want to talk about cry! I was in a heap! How faithful God is! So many people go through life never finding happiness and here I am with joy over flowing in mine! Not only have I seen God's faith fullness in every area of our life, but I also have an amazing husband that after all these years is still head over heels for me!

How blessed I am! How thankful I am to be going on this wonderful journey of life with the most amazing guy in the world! I love him more today than ever!

Why am I blogging this? To brag on me? NO! To inspire you! God is no respecter of persons what He has done for me He can do for you too!! Just get a purpose and a dream in your heart and go for it! Don't worry about the details God will take care of those a long the way!

All of the networking things these days!

I remember when I first started doing this whole "technology scene" with networking and such. At that time if you had a myspace you were really on the front edge of things. Then if you blogged and did myspace man you were like cutting edge. Then I started doing both and have met some of the most wonderful people. Well then "they" said that myspace is now the dinosaur in the technology world and anyone who is anyone does facebook now. So I got a facebook. So then I found out that tweeting is where it is at and facebook is good too. So I was trying to tweet, facebook, myspace, and blog. Shew! You have to have a full time job just to keep up with all of that! Can I get an amen?

So now I hear that tweeting is where it is at and that people aren't really big on blogs anymore! What is a girl to do???

To blog or not to blog? That is the question I had in my mind. So last Sunday I am thinking of all this technology madness and am thinking what in the world is a girl supposed to do and how do you know if it is effective or not!? After alll I don't just want to be waisting time on things that aren't producing fruit!

Well then a lady back in the visitor center at our church meets me. She then goes on how she came that Sunday because she had read my blog and that is what touched her life. WOW so someone is out there??? There are people that really do write what I type (ramble) about??

Sometimes you know that is how life is we get to running trying to make sure we are being effective and relevant. We spend sometimes so much time trying to keep up with everything and we don't even know if we are effecting anyone with what we are doing. At the very moment we feel like what we are doing isn't making a difference someone comes forward and says I am one life that was touched by all that you have done.

This doesn't just go for blogging, facebook, or myspace. Sometimes we in our everyday life think that we are just going to a job and doing our time and that we aren't really effecting anyone. Then out of the blue someone comes and tells you how you changed their life.

I think that is the moment that all of us live for. Deep down we all want to know that we had a positive influence on someone somewhere along the way.

So I said all that to say I am going to try and do better on blogging more often! I did say try though so no promises made!

Follow me on TWITTER!!! crystalsparks I would love it if you did because I do try and do that almost daily!! Love you chiks!!

Just a question! I need you though to tell me!

Hey Chiks! It has been a while since I last posted a blog!

Well we just got back the other day from.......LAS VEGAS!!

We had so much fun I will have to say that if you are going to Vegas don't go for the strip, don't go for the shows don't go for the food go to Pastor Benny Perez's church....The Church at South Las Vegas! You won't be disappointed! That is what we went for was a three day conference and it was so wonderful! They had amazing speakers. We brought a few of our youth group leadership and they all loved it!

Then my kids have been getting ready for Sulphur Springs Wildcat football season! They are really excited and so am I! We always love going to the games as a family it really is a neat time for us!


So Chiks I have to say there are a lot of really exciting things coming up in my life and hopefully in yours too!

I want to ask you a question.

What is your women's ministry like at your church?

Is it fun?

What do you guys do?

Or do you even go/have one at your church?

What if someone like me and a few of my favorite chiks I know could come in and do a complete Chik nite at your church and you just have to get friends to come! Does this sound like something that your church would like? Let me know I want feedback!!

I really want to know because within the next year Chik is going to be coming to a city near you! I want to know will you be one of our stops on our CHIKS across the NATION????

Stand up Christians in a bow down world.

The thing that has been on my heart so much here lately is people raising up and being the people that God has called us to be. Not just church goers but people that will effect our community, workplace, schools and even country.

Being a christian is so much more than just attending a Bible study once a week or even going to church or even reading your Bible. It is truly being a walking example of the goodness of God.

Sure you are never going to be perfect, but we should all strive to do the best we can don't you agree?

James 1:22-24 Don't fool yourself into thinking that you are a listener when you are anything but, letting the Word go in one ear and out the other. Act on what you hear! Those who hear and don't act are like those who glance in the mirror, walk away, and two minutes later have no idea who they are, what they look like.

I think there is a world full of people that sit in church and hear the word of God preached, but they never go out and do anything with what they hear.

I was driving the other day when a man in a truck with a cross on the back of his truck cut me off then proceeded to yell at me and make mean gestures.

I thought "Man no wonder why the world wants nothing to do with Christians when that is all they see".

Listen girls: What the world needs is people that aren't going to just be people that hear the word preached they need to see people that are going to live it out. Show them what it is like to be a christian. If Christians are acting the same as the world then why should they want what you have? People should see something different in your life!

I like how this scripture talks about us looking in the mirror and forgetting who we are. I always thought of this meaning forgetting what I look like. That isn't what it is saying at all. What James is telling us here is that we are made in the image of Christ. When we hear the word preached we are not hearing what Jesus is. If you are a Christ follower you are hearing what you look like. We have Jesus on the inside of us. The question is do you remember that when you walk away?

I have a challenge for you: Let's quit just "playing church" and let's start being the difference that this world needs!!

Where did summer go?

I remember when I was young...it seemed as though when I was in school that summer would never get there and when summer was upon me it seemed like I would never go back to school to see all my friends. I got to thinking it is almost August. This summer has flown by...

Before long girls we will be back to getting kids off to school. Set bed times, mornings filled with busyness trying to get everyone and everything together before they go to school. So I got to thinking where did the summer go? I thought I would share where mine went!

My daughter turned 4. She is wondering if it is time for her to get married, and if it is who is she going to marry. Most importantly when will she get to have her first baby? She really wants to know these things. As you can tell she is my 100% girly girl (look out you get what you pray for when you say you want a REALLY GIRLY GIRL! God takes this serious I found out ;) )




My baby boy turned three, or as he says "Mom, I am taking it to three". This summer was filled with adventure for Rylan. From hunting down bugs in the backyard, to trying to scale our fence, to peeing out in our backyard as all the neighbors drove by and watched on their way to work in the morning. Rylan is starting his K-3 school here in just a few short weeks. It has made me realize how quickly they grow up......

My best friend (C.D. the one in the center) is getting married on September 12th so there has been lots of planning for her wedding and then there are showers and the dress and the invitations and the decor and the cake!!! Whew planning a wedding is a lot of work!

One of the most amazing things this summer has been getting to minister with Chiks like April Simons and Misty Westlund! There are a lot great things in life. One of the best is seeing women's lives changed! There is something so amazing about seeing women come in one way and then see them totally changed by the love of God when the leave! The above picture is with Mrs. April and myself at her Chik Nite at High Point Church in July.

Ohhhh now don't get me wrong I would be lieing if I acted like there wasn't any fun. There has been multiple trips to Starbucks, Chuck-E-Cheese, pool with the kids, Six Flags with all the family and lots of time spent with tickling sessions on our living room floor.

At the end of the day..........

At the end of the day what doesn't matter is............

If all the dishes got done. The house being clean doesn't really matter. How many phone calls you missed. If your cookies you brought to the church pot-bless were home made or store bought. If there are weeds in the flower beds. If the kids had their outfits just so so or if they got a little dirty. How many hours you worked at the office. If the line at Wal-Mart took 10 minutes or if it took 15. If you caught the red light. If the lady that you met the other day really likes you or if she is just pretending.


At the end of the day what does matter is..........

If you spent lots of time hugging and kissing your babies. Time spent on the couch cuddeling instead of weeding the flower beds. Getting away with your husband to realize how wonderful he is. Knowing that your home is a place of peace and love. Making someone feel special. Going to bed knowing that those around you know they are loved. Realizing that you have a Savior that is watching over you. Touching one persons life for the better. Taking time to pray with your children, then to have them ask you later on in the day when things are crazy to just pray to make it all better.

I think so many times at the end of the day so little really matters. The Lord has been showing me more and more if we spent time on the things that really do matter at the end of the day instead of all the other stuff how much better our life would be. Think about it. What are the things that truly matter at the end of the day for you?

Digging to China

When I was a little girl every day in the summer you would find me in my back yard with a spoon. I would start digging everyday and work as long as I could. I was digging a hole to China. You are probably laughing right now. I was totally convinced that if I dug long enough and hard enough I would eventually be looking down on the people of China.

My mom tried to tell me time and time again that you can't dig to China. Everyday I thought "Today is going to be the day that I dig a little further and see the people walking on the streets in China and she will see that you really can dig to China".

The Lord brought this to my mind the other day.......

How simple our faith is in things when we are young. You see all of the facts said that you can't dig to China. The world is round after all. Even if it wasn't could you really dig to China with plain old dinner silver wear? Even if I did dig to China how would I get to the ground to see the people?

Somewhere in life we get bogged down by all the details to tell us if something is really possible or not. When God doesn't want us to look at the facts He just wants us to look at the word to tell us what we can do.

You see when you start believing God for something big. Whatever your China might be there will be facts that say it is impossible. There will be people that tell you that it is impossible. You might not even have what you need to get to your China.

The good news is God knows how to get you to your China He has a perfect plan (Jeremiah 29:11) All you have to do is trust His word and He will get you what you need to get there and see you through. So weather it is healing, finances, a relationship, dreams in your heart or whatever is your "China" I encourage you to get God's word on it and don't worry about the facts or what other say! You just go for it and see what God does in the process!

I love you guys have a wonderful day!