Just stuff

Hey there Ignite gals! Hope all had a wonderful Thanksgiving!! This year was very different for Jake and I; we celebrated the day with his mom by going to Cracker Barrel! No one had to cook which means no one had to clean up! The only down side was that there were no left-overs to pick at during the afternoon movie. Thankfully, Jake's mom made some delicious taco soup that was thoroughly enjoyed.
This morning I got to sleep in, what a treat! Jake was in front of the TV when I came downstairs for my coffee. I'm always up before Jake during the week and I never, ever turn the TV on in the mornings - I have to start my day in the Word or it just all goes south quick! So this morning, I took my coffee and the Word to another room, but I could still hear the annoying murmur of the TV. I knew he was watching the FOX News channel and it must have been bad because I heard him say something about how the whole world is going somewhere in a hand basket. This made me think about how I am totally surrounded by amazing comforts, blessings and opportunities and they are such a constant in my life that I sometimes forget to be thankful. From today on, I want to make an effort to be deliberate in my thinking and deliberate in my thanking (and do my very best to stay out of any hand baskets!)

And...just for fun, I thought I would share a couple of pictures with you - because I CAN!!! (I'm still pretty excited about being able to do this!!)
The first one is of my favorite person in the world and my favorite dog in the world. This is Jake's most common pose. (I mean talking on the phone, not squatting!)


The next one is my brother Kirby and my nephew Scott. I had the awesome privilege a few weekends ago to attend the much anticipated movie premiere of "Cannonball", the movie that my nephew wrote, directed and starred in! He and his buddies worked on it for 6 years! The movie theatre in our hometown of Danville, KY let them show it for free. It was awesome to be in a theatre packed full of cheering people when the names of those we know and love came up on the big screen. What a great night! And the movie is hilarious!! As soon as I can get my hands on the DVD I'll plan a movie night at my house!

Aren't they cute???

I am looking forward to our next Ignite meeting! We'll be wrapping up our series of Radical Obedience and giving a slight preview of what to expect next semester! See you then!!

A note from Andrea

Hey there gals! Here's the information from the flier that Andrea put together regarding the donation drive for the ladies at the Salvation Army:

Calling all Ignite Ladies!!
The Salvation Army Needs Your Help Again
Matthew 25:40 ...I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.
Last month, many of you donated wonderful items for the children of the Salvation Army. (Check out the pictures in a previous post on this blog!) This drive was a huge success and it could not have happened without your involvement.
I am conducting another drive; this time for the women of the Salvation Army.
Below is a list of items that the women would appreciate and this would also serve as a wonderful Christmas gift to them as well. I will be collecting these items at our November 24 and December 8 meetings. If you can donate anything from the list below, please bring your donation to any of these meetings. I will then be making a delivery to the Shelter during the week of December 8. If you will not be at any of the next meetings, you can drop off your items at my house. You can call me at 317-862-8273 to designate a time to come by my house.
Again, you have no idea how much these donated items mean to the women at the Shelter and how much I appreciate your wanting to be part of this opportunity.
Items needed for the women include the following:

Flip flops for showering (all different sizes)

Underarm deodorant
Hygiene products (tampons, sanitary napkins)
Fixodent
Depends
Shampoo and Conditioner
Toothbrushes & toothpaste
Dental floss
lotion
Monistat
Body lotions and moisturizers
Body sprays
Bibles
Nail polish and Nail Remover
laundry detergent/dryer sheets
Face cleanser
Hair bands, pony tail holders
Makeup: Mascara, lip stick/lip gloss, blush, eye brow liners (black, brown)

God bless you and thank you, in advance, for helping out the wonderful women at the Salvation Army shelter.
Andrea Bates

See you all on Monday!!

I'm alright with weird

Would you all think I'm weird if I told you that I have stared at that first picture of our group at least a hundred times? Would you think I was even weirder if I told you I bawled over it the first time I saw it? Oh well, if you have been around me for any amount of time, you probably already think I'm weird so I'm not exactly surprising you here with some big revelation. :-)
Seriously, I have to be honest. When I looked at that picture of the whole group, it was like I was looking at you girls for the first time and I was just absolutely overwhelmed with several feelings. First of all, why in the WORLD would God put me in front of you? I know better than to think any of you are showing up to hear me so I have to believe that something you are hearing in our series of Radical Obedience is ringing true for you. I have prayed desperately that God would make us a group of women who are absolutely desperate for Him and Him alone. I have prayed that we will be nothing less than fertile soil for a planting of His Word that will influence every aspect of our lives. I have lived, and still am living this series of Radical Obedience. I can say now that I honestly understand why teachers say God teaches them the lesson first before He has them turn around and teach it to others. He has taken me on an amazing ride over the past few years and it has everything to do with what you have been hearing in "Radical Obedience".
I am having mixed emotions about this semester coming to an end soon. I'm sad because I never feel like I have said or done enough to make the lessons of His Word clear. I'm nervous yet excited about what God has planned for Ignite in the future and I'm bummed because I wanted to get to know all of you and it's like I blinked and this entire semester just disappeared! Time just goes by way to daggum fast. I was looking at pictures just the other day of my wedding rehearsal (almost 10 years ago!) and I'm telling you, my nose has gotten bigger. It's a scientific fact that your ears and nose NEVER stop growing and I'm telling you it's true. Time is not being nice to my face. Anyway, God willing, I will be able to connect with more of you during our last 2 sessions.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you for allowing me to serve you with His Word. There is nothing on earth I would rather do. Cling to Him with everything you've got. He is our Everything.
See you on the 24th.
Paulette
Jeremiah 20:9

Lookin' Goooood!

Now that I know how to do this, there is a good chance that I am going to become obnoxious with it, so feel free to tell me to knock it off when you get tired of having your pictures taken. But until then, check out how great you gals look!

I'm so glad we had some new faces with us last night! And thanks to the ladies who have been with us since the beginning! It is our hearts desire to serve you so if there is anything we can do, hunt one of us down or shoot us an e-mail; you will find our e-mails on this website under "Contact."

Now if I can just figure out how to put fun, witty comments under the pictures, I'll really be doing good!

See you ladies on the 24th!