This morning I (Amy) am blogging from Oklahoma. It was 11 days ago that I called my mom's cell phone on a Saturday afternoon, expecting to have our usual weekend phone chat. My brother answered the phone, which was odd in itself, but it was his words that shocked me to the core: "Dad just died. Dad is gone." After confirming that this was not a joke and gathering a few more details about the accidental death, I began to act upon my brother's plea: "Buy a plane ticket and get home as fast as you can."

The rest has been a bit of a whirlwind -- hurriedly packing, boarding a plane, planning a funeral, writing an obituary, choosing a gravestone, and helping Mom wade through a myriad of legal and financial details.

Some of the most precious cards I've received are from the Aim Right family. Several teens who attended Impact Group on Feb. 13th made hand-made cards with reminders like "Just know God is with you" ...... "I pray for you every day" ...... "God will not leave you alone" ......"We all love you and care about you." And I can't forget the group of Aim Right'ers that traveled many, many hours in a van to attend the service!

Through this hard time, God has been surrounding my family with His comfort and love through His beautiful people. Thank you for your prayers!

The holiday that begins with a "V"

In honor of Valentine's Day, here are the latest expert opinions from the 5-11 year old crowd who happened to be at Rec Center today:

WHAT IS LOVE?
The consensus seemed to be that it happens when you like somebody, and somebody likes you.

WHAT IS ONE WAY THAT GOD SHOWS HE LOVES US?
He helps us, does stuff for us, protects us, feeds us, and watches over us.

HOW DOES SOMEONE KNOW IF THEY'RE "IN LOVE"?
They're "in a relationship." [Maybe he's heard of Facebook?!]
Two people look at each other a lot.
You kiss somebody.
They're married.


WHAT DO YOU LIKE ABOUT VALENTINE'S DAY?
Getting stuff like candy and chocolate.
Hugs!
Giving cards away.
Parties!
Playing with my toys.


"This is how God showed His love among us: He sent His one and only Son into the world that we might live through Him." I John 4:9

Impact Group moved to the balcony for a change of pace for Monday evening's Bible study. Three old-fashioned pews plus several chairs plus a few bean bags made up the packed seating arrangement.

The question of the night was, "What is a bad habit you have?" and then two teens shared how God has been giving them victory over a habit that had ruined family relationships, caused their grades at school to plummet, and kept them hanging out with the wrong crowd: smoking weed. It's so easily accessible in the neighborhood (and at school), and there's a lot of pressure to do it. Please pray for the teens who are continually faced with that temptation. A teen broke down as he asked for help in dealing with the pressure and the ridicule when you don't give into the peer pressure to smoke.

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This is Teen Night during Caleb's teaching session on Friday evening -- a poor photo, but I've found that flash photography is just too distracting for a room full of youth!

Afterwards, there were nachos and time to play basketball, ping pong, four square, etc.

And...from a recent Kids Klub: a skit about Samson.