1. Our propane tank is empty again. This wouldn't be a problem if it wasn't snowing outside. I refuse to pay more propane and here's why - we have already had the propane tank filled twice now so that means we've gone through 250 gallons or more and we've spent over $600 in 3.5 months. And I wouldn't have a problem with getting it refilled again if it was toasty warm in our house, but we have not keep the thermostat above 68 degrees. In the last 3 weeks we've kept it at 65 degrees. So we bought a $29 space heater that is supposed to "heat a large room." We'll see how well it works. We plugged it in last night and it ran for an hour and the thermostat read that the temperature had gone up 5 degrees. By next winter we'll have new siding on our house and new windows so hopefully that will make a difference. We're also going to use the space heater the entire winter to make the propane last longer. I love NC, but the weather is ridiculous! It's snowing today and on Saturday it's suppose to be sunny and warmer.
2. I have started selling things on Craig List again. I'm getting tired of seeing stuff laying around our house that we're never going to use. We have 3 bedrooms that only have stuff that we don't want. We had a yard sale before we got married in hopes of making money to pay for our wedding and to get rid of extra stuff, but we still have things in boxes from the yard sale that we never got rid of. I'm not a fan of donating stuff unless I know it's not worth much. I'll donate nick-nacks, but I'm not going to donate clothes that are in great condition that I spent lots of money on. For the moms out there, a great way to get rid of your kids' clothes and toys is to sell them at an annual children's sale. You can see if your area has 1 every year by searching online, in newspapers, and on Craig List. If your area doesn't have 1 then organize your own - you could ask your church to host it.
3. Our anniversary is coming up very soon! It's hard to believe it's almost been a year since we got married. I am ready for a vacation. We are renting a cabin in Pigeon Forge. I have already made lists of what to pack, what food to buy, and what movies and board games to bring. We are big on quality time and we love doing simple things during our quality time. We are most excited about the jacuzzi and jetted hot tub that will be at the cabin! I watched Boy Meets World this morning - it was the episode where Corey and Topanga are on their honeymoon and it made me think of our honeymoon and how hot and relaxing it was. We've talked about going back to Jamaica some day, but it's too expensive for us to think about going right now.
4. Nick's company announced that they were bought out by Cisco. I'm not thrilled about it but I'm getting use to the idea. There are some benefits to him working for Cisco. One of the appealing things is the building he will be working in has child care on the first floor. So we've talked about looking into that as an option for us when we have kids. I'm not sure how much it will cost, if there's a waiting list, and if it work for us, but I'm pleased with having it as an option. The thought of one day having kids that can be taken care of in the same building Nick is working in is very appealing. It would be neat for him to check on them during the day.
5. It's only the second week in February and I have already taken advantage of some great deals! Here's just a few - Food Lion had Dove deodorant on sale for 2 for $4 (you don't have to pay 2 to get the discounted price) and I had a $2 off coupon so I got the deodorant for free! Harris Teeter had Gillette Clinical Strength deodorant on sale for $4.99 which is a great price (normally it's $7.50-$8.99) and I had a buy one, get one free coupon so I got 2 deodorants for $5 which made it $2.50 each.
6. I really want a puppy. We want a lab - no preference on color, though my number 1 choice is a yellow lab, then chocolate, then black. It will be an outside dog so we have to get our fence repaired and a dog house built. I'm not sure how much longer I can wait to get a dog. Doing yard work in the snow is not an option so the warm weather cannot come soon enough so we can work on our backyard and then get a puppy.
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Thursday, February 03, 2011
Bargains from January
Ok so here's the plan - I'm going to share my big savings of the month to my loyal readers every month. So let me tell you about my big bargain finds from January!
1. Kraft Singles Cheese was on sale for 99 cents at Kroger and I had a $1 off coupon so I got it for FREE!
2. Pantene shampoo and condition was on sale at Walgreens for 2 for $7 with a $2 register rewards, making it 2 for $5. I had a $3 off manufacturer's coupon so I got 2 for $2/$1 each.
3. With my register rewards above I got 2 bags of Valentine's Day M&Ms for 31 cents! The M&Ms were 2 for $4, I used a $1 off manufacturer's coupon, a $1 off in store coupon, and my $2 register rewards, making me just pay for tax.
4. Red Baron Single Pizza was on sale at Kroger for $2.78, I used a 75 cents off manufacturer's coupon to make it $2.03.
5. CVS had DiGiorno pizza on sale for $6.99 buy one get one free. I used a $3 off manufacturer's coupon to make it $3.99 or $2 per pizza.
6. Harris Teeter had Kraft Shredded cheese on sale for $2, I used my $1 off manufacturer's coupon to make it $1!
7. Target had Cologate toothpaste for $2.49. I used my Target store coupon of $1 off and I used a $1 off manufacturer's coupon to make it 49 cents for toothpaste!
Those are my bargains from January! My tip for the month is use a store coupon and manufacturer's coupon to make something a great deal! Target has store coupons on their website that you can just click and print, they also come in coupon inserts from the newspaper. So if you have a manufacturer's coupon and a store coupon then you can use both and save lots of money! In talking with people about using coupons, I've been surprised by how many people don't know that fact. You can use a store coupon and a manufacturer's coupon for each item. Pharmacies are known for having store coupons so use those and a manufacturer's coupon and you could have a great deal!
That's all folks! If you have coupon tips or money saving tips, please share with everyone by posting a comment.
1. Kraft Singles Cheese was on sale for 99 cents at Kroger and I had a $1 off coupon so I got it for FREE!
2. Pantene shampoo and condition was on sale at Walgreens for 2 for $7 with a $2 register rewards, making it 2 for $5. I had a $3 off manufacturer's coupon so I got 2 for $2/$1 each.
3. With my register rewards above I got 2 bags of Valentine's Day M&Ms for 31 cents! The M&Ms were 2 for $4, I used a $1 off manufacturer's coupon, a $1 off in store coupon, and my $2 register rewards, making me just pay for tax.
4. Red Baron Single Pizza was on sale at Kroger for $2.78, I used a 75 cents off manufacturer's coupon to make it $2.03.
5. CVS had DiGiorno pizza on sale for $6.99 buy one get one free. I used a $3 off manufacturer's coupon to make it $3.99 or $2 per pizza.
6. Harris Teeter had Kraft Shredded cheese on sale for $2, I used my $1 off manufacturer's coupon to make it $1!
7. Target had Cologate toothpaste for $2.49. I used my Target store coupon of $1 off and I used a $1 off manufacturer's coupon to make it 49 cents for toothpaste!
Those are my bargains from January! My tip for the month is use a store coupon and manufacturer's coupon to make something a great deal! Target has store coupons on their website that you can just click and print, they also come in coupon inserts from the newspaper. So if you have a manufacturer's coupon and a store coupon then you can use both and save lots of money! In talking with people about using coupons, I've been surprised by how many people don't know that fact. You can use a store coupon and a manufacturer's coupon for each item. Pharmacies are known for having store coupons so use those and a manufacturer's coupon and you could have a great deal!
That's all folks! If you have coupon tips or money saving tips, please share with everyone by posting a comment.
Tuesday, January 25, 2011
January
2011 is turning out to be a busy year for us! We are both extremely busy at work which is a good thing, but it makes us look forward to the weekends when we can spend more time together. We are determined more than ever to save money. Last night I went to my first coupon swap. I enjoyed talking to other people about how to save money by using coupons. After just over an hour of sorting through coupons, I went home with at least 50 coupons! It is my goal to spend less than $100 on groceries every 2 weeks, it will be difficult but using coupons will help. It would be amazing if we spent only $200 a month on groceries. It's a goal that is reached every month for extreme couponers. Believe it or not there are women that save lots of money on their groceries by using coupons on items that are on sale.
We are both enjoying our hobbies more than ever! We finally have a plan for our hobby room now we just need to put our plan into action so we can finally use our designated hobby room. Last weekend I just sat in our hobby room and looked through my scrapbooks. I really enjoyed looking through all my memories - college days, dating Nick, trips taken with family, and holidays celebrated with family. Last weekend I was able to scrapbook 6 pages in 2 days! Normally I'm happy if I get 2 pages done in 1 weekend so I was really pleased with my motivation and creativity to get that much done! Nick is enjoying his new helicopter. I gave him a helicopter for his birthday. It was on sale and I just couldn't pass it up, considering how expensive remote controlled helicopters are. It's an indoor helicopter and other than Nick hitting the wall with it, it's really cool.
We have reserved a cabin in Pigeon Forge to celebrate our 1 year anniversary! We are really excited about getting a few days away from our busy lives to enjoy time together in the mountains. The cabin we are renting has lots of enmities so we will likely spend most our time in the cabin enjoying the view. I am planning on going to the 2 scrapbook stores in Pigeon Forge to see if I can find some goodies! We are really amazed at how quickly our first year has gone by. Our anniversary is less than 2 months away, time has gone by so fast! When we got married I didn't believe there was anything new I would learn about Nick, now I can say it's really true when married people say, "you'll learn so much about each other, you'll never stop learning how to love each other." It sounds funny and unbelievable when people say that when you're engaged, but now speaking from experience that statement really is true. I haven't learned anything huge or life altering about Nick, but I've learned little things about him that help me love him. I thought I appreciated Nick's love for me when we got married, but now I appreciate it more. I can honestly say without a doubt that God made Nick for me to share my life with. There are constant ways that God affirms this for me. Mainly it's the fact that I am obnoxious, I cling to his side, and I ask annoying questions daily, like "what do you love about me?, what are you thinking about?" Never once has Nick yelled at me to go away or to stop asking questions nor has he ever called me names to get me to leave him alone. I think it's just amazing to watch him not just put up with me but to love me despite my strange personality. Don't get me wrong, I love who I am, but I realize not everyone does though.
Now that I've rambled on and on about my thoughts, I'll end this post by saying God's plan is perfect, never doubt it!
We are both enjoying our hobbies more than ever! We finally have a plan for our hobby room now we just need to put our plan into action so we can finally use our designated hobby room. Last weekend I just sat in our hobby room and looked through my scrapbooks. I really enjoyed looking through all my memories - college days, dating Nick, trips taken with family, and holidays celebrated with family. Last weekend I was able to scrapbook 6 pages in 2 days! Normally I'm happy if I get 2 pages done in 1 weekend so I was really pleased with my motivation and creativity to get that much done! Nick is enjoying his new helicopter. I gave him a helicopter for his birthday. It was on sale and I just couldn't pass it up, considering how expensive remote controlled helicopters are. It's an indoor helicopter and other than Nick hitting the wall with it, it's really cool.
We have reserved a cabin in Pigeon Forge to celebrate our 1 year anniversary! We are really excited about getting a few days away from our busy lives to enjoy time together in the mountains. The cabin we are renting has lots of enmities so we will likely spend most our time in the cabin enjoying the view. I am planning on going to the 2 scrapbook stores in Pigeon Forge to see if I can find some goodies! We are really amazed at how quickly our first year has gone by. Our anniversary is less than 2 months away, time has gone by so fast! When we got married I didn't believe there was anything new I would learn about Nick, now I can say it's really true when married people say, "you'll learn so much about each other, you'll never stop learning how to love each other." It sounds funny and unbelievable when people say that when you're engaged, but now speaking from experience that statement really is true. I haven't learned anything huge or life altering about Nick, but I've learned little things about him that help me love him. I thought I appreciated Nick's love for me when we got married, but now I appreciate it more. I can honestly say without a doubt that God made Nick for me to share my life with. There are constant ways that God affirms this for me. Mainly it's the fact that I am obnoxious, I cling to his side, and I ask annoying questions daily, like "what do you love about me?, what are you thinking about?" Never once has Nick yelled at me to go away or to stop asking questions nor has he ever called me names to get me to leave him alone. I think it's just amazing to watch him not just put up with me but to love me despite my strange personality. Don't get me wrong, I love who I am, but I realize not everyone does though.
Now that I've rambled on and on about my thoughts, I'll end this post by saying God's plan is perfect, never doubt it!
Thursday, December 30, 2010
Goodbye 2010! Hello New Year!
2010 was a big year for us. A lot happened in our life in 2010. In January 2010, I was added to Nick's cell phone plan. I had my bridal portraits done while it was snowing outside. Between January and February 2010 I had 3 wedding showers - lots of gifts and fun times with family and friends. On March 20th, 2010 we got married! We went to Jamaica on our honeymoon. It was the first time we flew together and the first time we used our passports; before that neither one of us had been out of the country - well I had been to Puerto Rico and Canada before Jamaica but I didn't have to use a passport. On April 1st we started the hunt for our house. We went to Nags Head for the first time a month into our marriage for our best man's wedding. We put in an offer on a house on April 22nd, offer was accepted and we were under contract. Walked away from the house and backed out of the contract. Less than 2 days later we put in an offer on a different house. Closed on our house on June 18th. Moved into our house the day before our 3 month wedding anniversary. Spent 6 weeks painting and making improvements on our house. Had my 25th birthday in July. We had the AC stop working in the upstairs two days before our housewarming party. We had it fixed that following Monday and the repair was covered under our home warranty. Had a housewarming party on August 14th. Got lots of gifts from friends and family to help us around the house. Nick's company announced that there were closing the RTP location and our comfortable world turned upside down. I started babysitting as a second job to make us feel more secured if Nick spent months on the job market. Thankfully, after 5 weeks of Nick searching for a new job, he accepted his current job on September 24th. Had a car accident on the way to work on September 27th. Car was deemed a total lost so we started our search for a newer vehicle. Spent 2 weeks car searching and finally got a 2006 Highlander on October 13th. Found out our neighborhood and house would be wiped out if the turnpike authority decided on an alternate route for 540. We along with 2,000 other people sent in their comments against the route that would wipe out our house and neighborhood so the turnpike authority announced in October that because of all the negative feedback, they decided not to put 540 in over our neighborhood so our house is safe for at least 3 years. Started having itchy skin problems in October lasted for 6 weeks with no relief. After 6 weeks of frustration, restless nights, and lots of crying, went to the doctor and was diagnosed with having a staph infection. Took antibiotics for 2 weeks and felt better. In November, discovered the propane tank in our backyard heats the downstairs so we had to go 2 days without heat before the propane tank was filled. Went through 125 gallons of propane in 3 weeks, talked to the propane company, had a leak test done, discovered there's a leak, leak was fixed by tightening nozzle, had to order more propane = more money. Had propane delivered just in time for Christmas and snow.
We had a great Christmas! We exchanged gifts the morning of Christmas Eve then had my parents, my brother, my in-laws, and Nick's sister over to our house for dinner and to exchange presents. We got a lot of nice things from our parents. Nick got 3 Wii games, 3 NC State t-shirts, R/C airplane stuff, Jeremy Camp CD, batteries, and a NC State bell tower ornament. I got 3 sets of hand towels for our bathroom, kitchen towels, 4 bottles of kitchen soap from Bath and Body Works, 6 Yankee candles, penguin travel mug, thank you cards, scrapbooking stickers, monogrammed T stationary, and candy. The best gift of all was from Nick's mom to us. She gave us an ornament that's 2 penguins with a street sign between them and she wrote our address on it and put "The Turners 2010" on it. I love it! I was super surprised when I saw what it was. It is my favorite ornament! I love personalized ornaments, they're so special. On Christmas Day we had my mom's side of the family over to our house for lunch and to exchange presents. We got even more stuff on Christmas Day! Nick got a remote controlled car and some tools. I got 3 flags for the outside of our house and some candy.
We experienced a lot of life changing events in 2010. The year was filled with making big decisions. It's been a rewarding year, we've grown in our marriage because of what God has accomplished in our lives and all we went through with His guidance. This year made us grateful for family and friends. Our family helped us move into our house, they gave us many useful gifts that have helped us as homeowners, they have worked in our yard with us, and they have encouraged us during stressful times, and they have supported us in many other countless ways. Our friends celebrated with us when we closed on our house, they helped us move, they prayed for us during times of stress and uncertainty, they laughed when we shared our adventures in marriage (still learning, we'll always be learning throughout our marriage) and they encouraged us during our search for a new church family. We're not sure what 2011 will bring. We know that our plans are not always God's plans which is good because God's plans are perfect! Happy New Year everyone!
We had a great Christmas! We exchanged gifts the morning of Christmas Eve then had my parents, my brother, my in-laws, and Nick's sister over to our house for dinner and to exchange presents. We got a lot of nice things from our parents. Nick got 3 Wii games, 3 NC State t-shirts, R/C airplane stuff, Jeremy Camp CD, batteries, and a NC State bell tower ornament. I got 3 sets of hand towels for our bathroom, kitchen towels, 4 bottles of kitchen soap from Bath and Body Works, 6 Yankee candles, penguin travel mug, thank you cards, scrapbooking stickers, monogrammed T stationary, and candy. The best gift of all was from Nick's mom to us. She gave us an ornament that's 2 penguins with a street sign between them and she wrote our address on it and put "The Turners 2010" on it. I love it! I was super surprised when I saw what it was. It is my favorite ornament! I love personalized ornaments, they're so special. On Christmas Day we had my mom's side of the family over to our house for lunch and to exchange presents. We got even more stuff on Christmas Day! Nick got a remote controlled car and some tools. I got 3 flags for the outside of our house and some candy.
We experienced a lot of life changing events in 2010. The year was filled with making big decisions. It's been a rewarding year, we've grown in our marriage because of what God has accomplished in our lives and all we went through with His guidance. This year made us grateful for family and friends. Our family helped us move into our house, they gave us many useful gifts that have helped us as homeowners, they have worked in our yard with us, and they have encouraged us during stressful times, and they have supported us in many other countless ways. Our friends celebrated with us when we closed on our house, they helped us move, they prayed for us during times of stress and uncertainty, they laughed when we shared our adventures in marriage (still learning, we'll always be learning throughout our marriage) and they encouraged us during our search for a new church family. We're not sure what 2011 will bring. We know that our plans are not always God's plans which is good because God's plans are perfect! Happy New Year everyone!
Friday, November 26, 2010
Full of Thanks
Here's a run down of the last 6 weeks. Ready? Here we go! Extremely itchy skin started around October 15th. We thought the cause of my skin itching was eczema. I was diagnosed with eczema around age 3. I did research on eczema. Found out that eczema can flair up if you are stressed or experience changes in temperature. Wrecking my car at the end of September and then going through the car buying process...stressful. I was so stressed out during our car search that many nights I stayed awake asking thousands of questions in my head. And the weather was changing so eczema being the cause of my itchy skin made the most logical sense. I started using Dermasil in an attempt to relieve the itchiness. I went through the entire 10 ounces of Dermasil in a matter of 1 week only to still be itchy! Decided to switch to Eurcerin. Used Eurcerin day and night, still itchy. Finally went to the doctor the day before Thanksgiving. They said I have a staph infection and extreme eczema. They prescribed me 3 creams and 1 antibiotic to take. Wasn't thrilled with the diagnosis, but after 3 days of using the medicines I'm feeling better and looking lots better. Not sure where the staph infection was picked up, but I suspect it was from one of the families I babysit for since I've seen similar bumps on the kids.
While all that was happening we experienced what happens when the propane tank for the gas pack runs dry. Fortunately it was only 2 nights of no heat downstairs.
Thanksgiving morning was rough, didn't get much sleep due to itchiness. But to my dismay Nick convinced me to get up so we could go to his parents' for lunch. I'm glad I did. The food was good and I enjoyed seeing Nick happy that his dad helped him fix the gas trimmer and being able to fly the plane I gave him as a wedding gift. The best part of the trip was listening to our new Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas CD. Nick really enjoyed it, especially the songs he remembered from the tape he had as a kid. I also really enjoying talking to my mother-in-law.
Today we slept in and lounged around. Nick did some painting inside the house, then we did some of the Christmas decorating. Nick mulched the leaves in the front yard so we'll have more time on the weekend to find our Christmas tree and put it up. That's going to be an adventure, picking out our first Christmas tree! We're looking forward to the smell of a fresh pine tree in the house.
We've also found a church we want to visit more. We've been to Piney Grove Baptist Church in Fuquay Varina twice now. Come to find out Nick had classes in college with a guy there, so we've learned more about the church through this connection. Our first Sunday there the pastor preached about Christian marriage. They also had a marriage retreat earlier in the month, and starting in January on Sunday nights they're doing small group Bible Studies, one groups is for married couples. So it's encouraging to hear a church that has a ministry that helps grow marriages, that is so rare to find. For effective evangelism, it's important for a church to focus on its members, nurturing relationships within the church, and disciplining one another. We hope to find a church that has that mindset.
Well, that's about it for now.
While all that was happening we experienced what happens when the propane tank for the gas pack runs dry. Fortunately it was only 2 nights of no heat downstairs.
Thanksgiving morning was rough, didn't get much sleep due to itchiness. But to my dismay Nick convinced me to get up so we could go to his parents' for lunch. I'm glad I did. The food was good and I enjoyed seeing Nick happy that his dad helped him fix the gas trimmer and being able to fly the plane I gave him as a wedding gift. The best part of the trip was listening to our new Alvin and the Chipmunks Christmas CD. Nick really enjoyed it, especially the songs he remembered from the tape he had as a kid. I also really enjoying talking to my mother-in-law.
Today we slept in and lounged around. Nick did some painting inside the house, then we did some of the Christmas decorating. Nick mulched the leaves in the front yard so we'll have more time on the weekend to find our Christmas tree and put it up. That's going to be an adventure, picking out our first Christmas tree! We're looking forward to the smell of a fresh pine tree in the house.
We've also found a church we want to visit more. We've been to Piney Grove Baptist Church in Fuquay Varina twice now. Come to find out Nick had classes in college with a guy there, so we've learned more about the church through this connection. Our first Sunday there the pastor preached about Christian marriage. They also had a marriage retreat earlier in the month, and starting in January on Sunday nights they're doing small group Bible Studies, one groups is for married couples. So it's encouraging to hear a church that has a ministry that helps grow marriages, that is so rare to find. For effective evangelism, it's important for a church to focus on its members, nurturing relationships within the church, and disciplining one another. We hope to find a church that has that mindset.
Well, that's about it for now.
Monday, November 01, 2010
Getting Away from the World's View of Christmas
Halloween came and went. Can't believe it's already November. We didn't have a single trick-or-treater come to our house. We bought 3 bags of candy for the occasion and now we are stuck eating all of it by ourselves, it will be hard, but we're up for the task. I think eating a piece of chocolate for lunch and dinner over the next few days will ensure all the candy gets eaten before the holidays. Speaking of the holidays, I am really excited about Christmas. I get excited about Christmas every year, but this year is different. Not only will it be our first married Christmas, but it will also be our first Christmas in our house! Trust me when I say we are already looking for "first Christmas together" and "our first house" ornaments to mark the occasion. I am looking forward to Christmas morning that feeling of being with the one you love. We are not planning on getting each other much for Christmas, we have already set our price limit and most people would probably disagree with our low price limit. We are not big on giving gifts, in fact, I would rather not get anything for Christmas. This year has been a whirlwind of celebrations for us and with those celebrations we have received lots of gifts from friends and family members. I probably couldn't tell you who gave us what as wedding gifts or housewarming gifts, but I can tell you that with every gift we became more humble and aware of the fact that there are thousands of people in the world that don't receive gifts, not on their birthday, wedding day, and not even on Christmas. We live in a world that is obsessed with consumption and materialism. Just take a glimpse on social network sites and it's easy to find out what someone had for breakfast, what someone wants for Christmas, how they love their new iPhone, or how they can't wait to fill their house with Christmas decorations. What would happen if all of our material processions were striped away from us? Would we know how to just be with friends and family? What happened to the old days when just sitting around and talking with people was enough? I don't have all the answers to these questions. Just something for us all to ponder. How will you spend your Christmas? We will celebrate Christmas by reflecting on all that God has given us. God has given us unconditional love and forgiveness of sins. God made the ultimate sacrifice so that we could know what true love and grace is.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
Being Negative
Hey Ya'll!
It's been on my heart the past 24-36 hours to write a post about being real, being Christian.
Mel and I have learned a lot in the past 3 years about Christianity, well let me rephrase that. Churchism or Churchology
What do I mean? I mean we've learned how churches and groups within churches behave and think. Essentially the stereotype of churches and church groups has been verified and shown to us.
Where do I start? Well, I'll go back to about 3 years ago when the Recession started to hit the church we were attending. I was on the Missions and Evangelism Council as the Technology person for the purpose of helping gear the website to my generation as an outreach. I was invited to 2 council meetings, after the second one I was never invited back. Why? Because I spoke up in opposition, well I wasn't afraid to say what everyone was thinking. Who else truly agreed with cutting our budget by 25%-50% while giving all paid staff a 4% raise? (We're talking 15-20 salaries!!!!!)
During Sunday School sessions we would openly disagree with people, with an understanding of it being okay to agree to disagree. We would even be real with many answers we gave concerning the Church's perception to the world, worldly views on Christian matters, etc... And the more we were real, the more ostracized we became.
Is compromising your opinions, beliefs, or personality worth having more friends? For us, the answer is simple, no. We stand by our beliefs and opinions and we are proud of who God has made us to be so no, we will not change ourselves to have more friends. We do not look for acceptance from people, we look for acceptance and love from God. The only motive, the right motive, for us to change will be from God. No person, Christian or non-Christian can make us change our beliefs, opinions, or personality.
Recently we told our old Sunday School class we were going to be looking for a new church, one closer to our house, but we thought we still had friends there. I expected to stop getting communications about events and invitations. Sure enough, it happened immediately, but yet the class still said they were inviting and wanted people outside their group to go to events......... hrmmmmmmm we haven't transferred membership yet, so technically we're still members. So explain that one to me....
Well, the straw that broke the camel's back happened extremely recently. I won't go into details but it was quite interesting hearing how one person could invite their outside friends to events, but when we wanted to and did it was a shock that someone was inviting "outsiders". Double standard there if you ask me.
I'm ranting now, but all this has confirmed to me that church and church groups like it when everyone just blindly nods their heads and agree. Nobody understands/knows how to handle real people. Real people who say what the mean, mean what they say, tell the truth (even the ugly truth). It's one thing to be a Christian, hope in the Lord, and believe every Christian thinks and acts like you. It's another to be a Christian, hope in the Lord, and be real in knowing you're unique and it's okay to disagree.
What type of Christian are you? Real or stereotype? Sure it's easy to say real, but seriously study yourself, do you expect all Christians to behave like you, think like you, agree with you?
Anyways, so I'm not writing a completely "negative" post I'll leave with some good news.
Ever since middle school I've had a desire to use my R/C hobby to the benefit of God's Kingdom. I've always wondered if a Christian group existed within the R/C world. Well, last week I accidentally discovered such a group does exist! After reading their website (http://www.fcmodelers.com/fcmindex.htm) I joined. I got my member package yesterday and am stoked! We lead devotions at R/C events, offer prayer while at events, and have a huge email list for prayer requests. Even though the membership is free and I got a great T-shirt for free, I just feel and know this is going to be a great group. This completely confirms what I taught my RAs at church, we are missionaries at home doing what we like to do.
Well, this is a huge post and probably makes no sense at all.
Hasta Luego,
NT
It's been on my heart the past 24-36 hours to write a post about being real, being Christian.
Mel and I have learned a lot in the past 3 years about Christianity, well let me rephrase that. Churchism or Churchology
What do I mean? I mean we've learned how churches and groups within churches behave and think. Essentially the stereotype of churches and church groups has been verified and shown to us.
Where do I start? Well, I'll go back to about 3 years ago when the Recession started to hit the church we were attending. I was on the Missions and Evangelism Council as the Technology person for the purpose of helping gear the website to my generation as an outreach. I was invited to 2 council meetings, after the second one I was never invited back. Why? Because I spoke up in opposition, well I wasn't afraid to say what everyone was thinking. Who else truly agreed with cutting our budget by 25%-50% while giving all paid staff a 4% raise? (We're talking 15-20 salaries!!!!!)
During Sunday School sessions we would openly disagree with people, with an understanding of it being okay to agree to disagree. We would even be real with many answers we gave concerning the Church's perception to the world, worldly views on Christian matters, etc... And the more we were real, the more ostracized we became.
Is compromising your opinions, beliefs, or personality worth having more friends? For us, the answer is simple, no. We stand by our beliefs and opinions and we are proud of who God has made us to be so no, we will not change ourselves to have more friends. We do not look for acceptance from people, we look for acceptance and love from God. The only motive, the right motive, for us to change will be from God. No person, Christian or non-Christian can make us change our beliefs, opinions, or personality.
Recently we told our old Sunday School class we were going to be looking for a new church, one closer to our house, but we thought we still had friends there. I expected to stop getting communications about events and invitations. Sure enough, it happened immediately, but yet the class still said they were inviting and wanted people outside their group to go to events......... hrmmmmmmm we haven't transferred membership yet, so technically we're still members. So explain that one to me....
Well, the straw that broke the camel's back happened extremely recently. I won't go into details but it was quite interesting hearing how one person could invite their outside friends to events, but when we wanted to and did it was a shock that someone was inviting "outsiders". Double standard there if you ask me.
I'm ranting now, but all this has confirmed to me that church and church groups like it when everyone just blindly nods their heads and agree. Nobody understands/knows how to handle real people. Real people who say what the mean, mean what they say, tell the truth (even the ugly truth). It's one thing to be a Christian, hope in the Lord, and believe every Christian thinks and acts like you. It's another to be a Christian, hope in the Lord, and be real in knowing you're unique and it's okay to disagree.
What type of Christian are you? Real or stereotype? Sure it's easy to say real, but seriously study yourself, do you expect all Christians to behave like you, think like you, agree with you?
Anyways, so I'm not writing a completely "negative" post I'll leave with some good news.
Ever since middle school I've had a desire to use my R/C hobby to the benefit of God's Kingdom. I've always wondered if a Christian group existed within the R/C world. Well, last week I accidentally discovered such a group does exist! After reading their website (http://www.fcmodelers.com/fcmindex.htm) I joined. I got my member package yesterday and am stoked! We lead devotions at R/C events, offer prayer while at events, and have a huge email list for prayer requests. Even though the membership is free and I got a great T-shirt for free, I just feel and know this is going to be a great group. This completely confirms what I taught my RAs at church, we are missionaries at home doing what we like to do.
Well, this is a huge post and probably makes no sense at all.
Hasta Luego,
NT
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