Saturday, June 30, 2012

Communication VS. Investment

As a leader at Elevation - Uptown, I get the honor and privilege to sit in the leader meeting and hear a word from the campus pastor each week.  This is always a time for growth and development for the leaders of the campus.  I walk out of the leader meeting every week encouraged and challenged. 

Joel Delph is the new campus pastor at the Uptown Campus.  Larry Hubatka recently stepped out of the role as Campus Pastor to put the majority of his focus into his role as Creative Pastor. 

This week, Joel taught the leaders about the difference between communication and investment.  His message hit me between the eyes.  It was perfect for me.

Joel through this question out to the leaders - What is the difference between communication and investment?  Relationship and action were two of the answers thrown out.

Communication is like a machine gun and investment is like a sniper.

Communication is like a machine gun because you are sending a mass email or text with no real target.  Investment is like a sniper because you are being intentional about your target.

Joel went to Phil Klein and asked Phil what it meant to pour into people.  This is a term we use a lot, but are we sure we actually know what it means?

Phil said that "pouring into" someone is showing appreciation, giving encouragement and giving selective time.

Why the slap in the face for me?  I am really good at communicating with my eGroup, but this made me feel like I am not so great at investing in my eGroup.  This made me realize that I need to take some one on one time with the girls and pour into them.  Our eGroup has grown a lot in the last few months.  I need to be taking the time to pour into them more.  The mass texts and emails are great for communicating with them, but that can't be all that I do outside of Thursday evenings. 

Pinned Image

Are you communicating or investing in your team or small group?! 

Thursday, June 28, 2012

Yesterday

Yesterday was a whirlwind of emotions.  At 7:45, the kids dadsends me an email and asks if we could have lunch.  I've never had lunch with him in the over a year that I've worked for the family.  I'm a nanny for two kids.  I was freaking out.  I was certain that I was getting fired.

Around 10:00, I confirmed with the kids mom that I was not getting fired.  I straight up asked her if I was getting fired because I was loosing my mind.  I needed to know what I was walking into.  The dad just wanted to have lunch with the kids.

We make plans to have lunch at the EpiCenter.  Kids and I are planning to ride the train into the city.  As the station announces one minutes until the train arrives, my mom calls me. 

I don't know what happened.  Chris has hurt himself and is in the hospital.  No one will tell me anything.

WHAT!!???  Chris is my 16-year-old baby brother.  I begin to panic.  I call the kids mom and tell her what is going on.  She tells me not to get on the light rail because I would have to ride it back and it'd take longer to get to the hospital.  We plan to meet with the kids so I can head to the hospital.  On the way to meet the kids mom, I get another call from my mom.

Keirstin, I hate to do this over the phone.....
overly long pause. Keirstin begins to think the worst. He is dead.
Chris tried to kill himself.  Your dad talked to him on the phone.
WHEW!

I thought we had already established that is what happened.  I guess not.  I drop the kids off with their mom and begin to head to the hospital.

I held my emotions in until the moment the kids got out of the car.  Then, I had a full on panic attack.  I couldn't breathe and I was crying hysterically, I was a hot mess.  I call my best friend and ask her to just talk to me so I could compose myself and be fit to drive.  We talk the entire way to the hospital.  I am so thankful to have her in my life.

My baby brother wrapped fish line around his neck and threw something out of the window hoping that it's weight would choke him to death.  What he threw out the window broke.  He called 911 at this point and realized that he needed help.  He has acknowledged that he doesn't want to go home immediantly. 

He has a bed waiting for him at another hospital in Charlotte.  We are waiting now for him to be transportted to the other hospital.  It could take up to five days. 

I want to thank everyone who prayed for me and my family and everyone who reached out to me via call, text or twitter.  Everyone's words were so kind and encouraging. 

Please continue to pray that he gets transportted sooner than later, that the doctors are able to help him, that he is willing to recieve the help and that my parents continue to stay calm through this.

Thank you everyone.  You are a blessing in my life.

Wednesday, June 27, 2012

Sun Stand Still Prayer

I have been reading through John with my middle school eGroup.  We are reading one chapter a day.  It has been great to devote time to one chapter of John a day.  I am learning so much from it.  I am taking pages of notes on what is standing out to me.

John 6 has the popular story of Jesus walking on water.  This story is always interesting to me. 

A strong wind was blowing and the waters grew rough.  When they had rowed about three or four miles, they saw Jesus approaching the boat, walking on the water; and they were frightened.

Reading this sparked a thought... how often do we see Jesus and are still frightened?  I spent some time the morning I read John 6 to think about this question.  As I was driving to work, I got a figurative slap in the face.  I had been doing it for over a year!

In September of 2009, I walked into Elevation Church's first permanent campus in Matthews.  Upon walking in the doors, I had an overwhelming sense that God was going to do something great in my life there.  I felt Him make a huge promise to me, that made no sense at the time.

Months went by where I processed the promise.  A year later, Pastor Steven Furtick released a book called Sun Stand StillThe book is about having audacious faith and believing God for the impossible.  I read this book and my life was changed.  I made a Sun Stand Still prayer based on the promise I felt God give me a year earlier.

Although I made the prayer, I was frightened to actually trust God with the prayer and refused to pray it.  What if He doesn't do it? and What if He doesn't come through? were thoughts that went through my head regularly.  A few months later, I began to get frustrated that my unprayed prayer wasn't coming true.  Isn't He an all-knowing God?  Doesn't He know about this?  Why doesn't He just answer my prayer?

I may be alone here.  I hope you can respect my honesty with you.  I was frustrated that God wasn't answering a prayer that I was afraid to trust Him with. 

But he said to them, "It is I; don't be afraid."

About a month ago, I was reevaluating the prayer and where I was with it.  God wasn't answering the prayer, because I was too frightened to actually trust Him to do it.  I needed to have the audacious faith to believe that He could do what seemed impossible to me.  For the first time, I prayed the prayer with belief that He could and would do it. 

Then they were willing to take him into the boat, and immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading.

No lie, the next day, I got some unexpected amazing news related to the prayer.  All I needed to do was trust that He could do it.  He knew it was a desire of my heart, but He needed me to trust Him.  The moment that I showed my trust, He honored it by showing me the first step in the prayer coming to life.

I am sharing this with you today in hopes that you will begin to trust God with something that seems impossible and a little scary.  He can do it!  He made the sun stand still for Joshua.  He can do it in your life, you just have to be willing to ask and walk in faith.  

Monday, June 25, 2012

Faithful Blogging


There are always days when I struggle about what to write on .Redeemed. I always want to give you fresh, biblical content. But, sometimes my mind goes blank and I can't come up with anything. Today, I will be using a prompt from Faithful Bloggers. You can find my blog, and many other Christian blogs in their directory.

Faithful Blogging Prompt #40 -
How do you decide what to blog about?

I started blogging in July of 2010 as a way to keep track of the Bible verses that were hitting home from the Bible reading plan I was doing.  I had two friends reading my blog at the time.

I can't pin point the date and time that I wanted my blog to be more.  At some point, I decided I wanted my blog to be more than two friends reading it.  I wanted to be the salt and the light mentioned in Matthew 5:13-16.  I wanted to share my walk with Christ on the internet.  I wanted to be a part of life change through my blog.  Late 2011, I began spreading the word about my blog.  I found blogs like mine and commented like crazy, I got on networking sites and vowed to do my best to get the word of my blog out there.

When I decided that this was going to be the format of .Redeemed. I had to decide what I was going to write about.  Quickly, I decided that I would only write about what God put on my heart.  .Redeemed. was not going to be like the blogs we normally see where the author dishes every detail of their life.  I was going to talk little about my life, and more about topics God wanted me to discuss.

So, I decide what I am going to write about, by what God puts on my heart.  I write about Christian reflections to current song lyrics, I write about Pastor Steven Furtick's sermon, I write about what my eGroup does on Thursdays and everything in between. 


If you blog, how do you decide what you write about?


Saturday, June 23, 2012

Reflection Friday

If you are new to .Redeemed., I lead a middle school girls eGroup Thursday evenings with the girls is one of my favorite parts of the week. They are an amazing group of girls and they teach me as much as I teach them.

Discussion Topic: Branding

Icebreaker: I gave ten popular business slogans and they guessed the business.  This was a way to lead into a discussion of branding ourselves as Christians.

Discussion Highlights:

- How can we live a life were we are known for what we are for?

- What are some things we should stand for as Christians?

I took four of the ten Christian values from this website. We discussed worshipping only God, respecting all people, being honest and practicing what we preach. 

- How can we take a stand for what we believe?

Closing:  We wrapped up the evening in prayer.  We asked the Lord to allow us to make a stand for what we believe and show others that we are Christians through our actions.

Pinned ImageDuring the Week:  The girls will continue the FOG Hunger Games.

Personal Reflection: We had nine in attendance, including two new girls.  To be completely honest, the night was a hot mess.  While we were discussing respect we had side conversations going on, girls interrupting other girls and girls talking over one another.  The night ended with one girl getting in another girls face and just screaming out of frustration because she had the floor but couldn't be heard over the other girl talking.  It was a mess.  I left with a sore throat because I kept having to speak over the girls.  I am blaming it on summer.  The girls haven't had to sit down and have a structured time for a few weeks. 

Personal Highlight: We had two new girls.  I always love having new girls.  It's more exciting when they come back!!

Tuesday, June 19, 2012

Blessings

This past weekend was absolutely amazing.  It was a weekend that I hope to never forget.  There wasn't a moment of it that wasn't amazing.  I am going to honor God in this moment by thanking Him for all that He has done, is doing and will do in my life.


On Friday, I left work to meet two friends at Starbucks.  We were going to drive together to pick up another friend to bring to Rock Hill for the weekend.  The evening was full of catching up and bonding together.  We had an amazing time together talking about boys, current struggles and our summers.  Chandler, the girl we picked up in Greenville to bring to Rock Hill, spent the night with me.

On Saturday, Chandler and I woke up and got to preparing for an amazing day with my middle school girls.  We made cupcakes, a cake and fruit kabobs.  We went to Chick-Fil-A and headed to Rock Hill for an amazing afternoon.

In the spring, I got this amazing idea to have some sort of summer Olympics between the eGroup that I lead and the eGroup that I am in.  Saturday was the day and it was amazing!  We had six different water relay races and ended the event at the pool.  There was a ton of food and lots of fun to be had.  After months of planning, I can say that the event far exceeded my expectations.  We all had an amazing time!

After the Olympics, I went home, showered and got ready for a family dinner to celebrate my Grandma's birthday and Father's Day.  We went to Amor de Brazil in Matthews, NC.  The food was impeccable.  I do not eat meat, so I just had the salad bar.  That was amazing!  You must check it out!!

Sunday morning was spent at my favorite place to be on Sunday - Elevation Church.  I would say it was a successful morning at Uptown.  I got one commit as a small group leader for Quest in eKidz and a shadow for Safari.  Commits and shadows make my day.  I heard an amazing message on our Heavenly Father from Larry Hubatka, the Creative Pastor at Elevation.  I came home after church to clean my room, do some laundry and send a few emails.  My roommate and I went to dinner at our favorite Mexican restaurant, 1900 Mexican Grill.

I am truly blessed.  I could not have asked for a better weekend.  I had fun every moment.  Every moment I was making memories, laughing and enjoying life.  I have to thank the Lord for all of this.  Without Him, this weekend would not have happened. 


What do you have to be thankful for?

Monday, June 18, 2012

Faithful Blogging

There are always days when I struggle about what to write on .Redeemed.  I always want to give you fresh, biblical content.  But, sometimes my mind goes blank and I can't come up with anything.  Today, I will be using a prompt from Faithful Bloggers.  You can find my blog, and many other Christian blogs in their directory.

Faithful Blogging Prompt #19 -
What ministries are you currently active in? In your church?  Outside of your church?

As many of you know, I am a part of Elevation Church in Charlotte, NC.  If you have been around church for any amount of time, you are likely to have heard of Elevation Church, Pastor Steven Furtick and Sun Stand Still.

I consider it a huge blessing to be a part of Elevation Church.  I first attended Elevation in March of 2009 at the end of the Healer series.  I began regularly attending in June 2009.  (Woah! Three years at Elevation?! Where did the time go?!) 

I got involved in our Children's Ministry, eKidz, in February of 2010.  I started serving as a volunteer for the Saturday night worship experience at Elevation - Matthews. on the Host Services team.  Host Services is our eKidz Check-In.  All families have to stop by eKidz Check-In before dropping their children off.  June of 2010, I stepped into a leadership role and headed up the Sunday night worship experience.  I am unsure of when I stepped into the Host Services, but I believe it was sometime in the spring of 2011.  In September of 2011, I became the eKidz Coordinator at our Rock Hill location.  I am now the eKidz Coordinator at our Uptown location.

Not only do I serve in the Children's Ministry of Elevation on Sundays, but I spend Tuesday's and Thursday's with my eGroups.  eGroups are Elevation style community groups or small groups.  On Tuesdays, I am in an eGroup for college aged women in the Rock Hill and Charlotte area.  On Thursdays, I lead a middle school girls eGroup.  Tuesdays and Thursdays with my eGroups are some of my favorite days of the week.



That is how I am involved in my church.  How are you involved in your church? 



Saturday, June 16, 2012

Reflection Friday

If you are new to .Redeemed., I lead a middle school girls eGroup Thursday evenings with the girls is one of my favorite parts of the week. They are an amazing group of girls and they teach me as much as I teach them.

I am not doing so great on the Reflection Friday posts being on Friday. I had this beautiful plan to schedule this post on Thursday night, and then life got in the way. 


Pinned Image

We did not meet for eGroup this week, because of Father's Day.  I challenged the girls to go on a Daddy-Daughter Date.  I think it is so important that they spend time with their dads.  Several of their dads travel, and they don't get much time.

An active father role is so important, now more than ever.  I was hoping that this time would allow them to see that they can go to their father when they need him.  They are going to want their dad to be active in their lives as boys begin to come around. 







Wednesday, June 13, 2012

Loving When It's Not Right

Today's post comes to you from a girl in my eGroup.  Her name is Molly.  She is thirteen years old, volunteers in the baby room in eKidz and attends Elevation - Rock Hill.  Whenever a conversation turns to the topic of love, you can see Molly's eyes light up and hear the fire in her words.  She is passionate about the subject of love.
Back in January, I began to see this passion in her.  I came to her and asked her to write a blog post, because her passion for the topic just had to get out there.  She was waiting to finish when God writes your love story before putting all of her thoughts down. 


Love? What is it? How do us teens know what it is?

I can give you an easy answer to that last question; we don’t know what it is, what it feels like, or what the meaning is.  There are teens all around us that are saying there in love when there only 13 or 14 or even 16.  The truth is teenagers will never know what it is. I don’t even know what love is.  It’s something I feel that only an adult can answer.

But I think I have an idea of what it is.  I think it’s where a guy and a girl cant breath when there apart, they can’t think straight without each other, or when they’re constantly on their mind!  It’s not where you just text and “hang out”. 

That’s the other thing -  what’s the point of being in a relationship when you’re a teen?  Makes no sense they might can take you places but, there on a budget , their parents give them money and drive them everywhere.  What’s the point?  Maybe to walk to classes at school together?  It’s confusing to me why people want to date at this age?

Pinned ImageI know I can go without a boyfriend for a long time.  It’s been over a year since my last “boyfriend”. All we did was go bowling which our parents paid for and we barley talked at school what was the point?  Why can’t everyone just be friends?  There are so many questions that we all know that everyone can answer right?

I once read a book called “when God writes your love story” it talked about emotional and physical purity.  I’ve always known that you can't be in love now but, when I read that book it just spoke to me.  I loved how it talked about how you shouldn’t put everything you have into one person.  You should save it for someone “special”.  That doesn’t mean your ninth grade boyfriend it means your future husband.

Girls, they fall easily, think there in love and, constantly are lied to by guys that’s why they fall so easily. They think there first “boyfriend” loves them on the first date.

Boys, they are manipulative, gross pigs, and liars wrapped in one.

I know I'm probably saying some offensive things but, if you pray and ask God to give you the right man or woman, he’ll make sure you have the perfect husband/wife.

----

I am beyond proud of Molly for speaking boldly about what she believes.  She is waiting out for the real thing.  This is a hard decision to make at thirteen.  There are so many girls in middle school that find their identity in the boys that are with them, and not in Christ.  There is something wrong with that, and it is our responsibility as Christian leaders to speak boldly about finding your identity in Christ.  

Monday, June 11, 2012

Reflection Friday

Pinned ImageIf you are new to .Redeemed., I lead a middle school girls eGroup Thursday evenings with the girls is one of my favorite parts of the week. They are an amazing group of girls and they teach me as much as I teach them.

When I was planning our calender for the summer, I knew that I wanted to have a few guest speakers.  I didn't want the only Christian voice speaking into their life to be me.  I wanted them to have the opportunity to hear from the hearts of others.

This week, we had our first guest speaker.  Her name is Rebecca.  She is a friend of mine.  We met at the Elevation - Matthews over a year ago.  I fell in love with her heart and energy.  I have missed seerving with her since I changed campuses.  I ran into her at an outreach event.  God layed it on my heart to ask her to speak at our eGroup.  I sent her an email and asked her to pray through it and consider coming.  She came, and brought a great word.

Icebreaker: We met 30 minutes early to finish the t-shirts that we made last week.

Discussion Highlights: This week, Rebecca spoke on the topic of time.

1. What a Waste of Time.  (Luke 15:11-32)
     - The father didn't waste any time.
     - You can't ever get time back.

2. Using Your Time Wisely. (Ephesians 4:29-32)
     - Since you can't store up time - look at Jesus as an example of how to use time.
     - Focus your time on your talents.

3. Taking Time to Be Quiet and Listen.  (Luke 10:38-41)
     - Mary sat at the Lord's feet to listen.
     - Trust the wise Godly people who God has put in your life.

4. Timing is Everything
     - When you trust God, you're crossing the supernatural dateline.
     - Esther stayed bus, used time wisely and waited for the right time.

Closing: We closed by discussing a few upcoming things -

On Sunday, we will begin "FOG Hunger Games" It's a 21 Day Bible Reading PlanHunger Games, as in hunger for God's word.... :-/  Everyone has the opportunity to earn 5 points a day; 2 points for reading each chapter, 2 points for responding to each chapter and 1 point for texting me a reflection from the chapters.  The girls who come in first, second, and third place will win a prize - even if everyone lands first, second and third place! 

We will not meet next Thursday.  This is in honor of Father's Day.  I want the girls to go on a Daddy-Daughter Date, and spend some time alone with their dads.  I am even taking the time to do it!  As a way to encourage the girls to do this, the girls will be texting me a creative picture on their Daddy-Daughter Date.  The most creative picture gets a prize!

On Saturday, June 16th, we will be having our First Annual Summer Olympics.  Three legs of the race, six activities, with a finish line at the pool.  It will be the college-aged eGroup that I am in and the eGroup that I lead.  The girls will be in teams of three to four. 

Pinned ImageDuring the Week: The girls will begin the FOG Hunger Games.

Personal Reflection: It was great to have someone else leading the evening.  It is nice to be able to sit back and listen every once and a while.  Her message was one that we all need to hear.  We all use our time frivolously and need to be reminded on how to use it like the gift that it is.

Personal Highlight: We had two new girls.  They are rising sixth graders.  New girls, never get old!  I love having them!!

Sunday, June 10, 2012

Sermon Sunday


Worship to Go

 
This weekend, we had the Grammy award winner Israel Houghton lead Elevation Church in a powerful time of worship and a short message on getting in the presence of God.
 
 
 
- Worship is better than coffee.
 
- What if coming to church on Sunday wasn't the first time I worshipped God that week?
 
- The thing of which I am a part is greater than the the part I play.


Love what you just read? Want to hear more? The entire message can be found for free at 12:00, 4:00 and 8:00 (AM & PM) here, or you can download the podcast for free!

Pinned ImagePersonal Reflection: Every sound that comes out of Israel Houghton is anointed.  He is a powerful worship leader.  He is where God has called him to be! 

The line - The thing of which I am a part is greater than the part I play - was so powerful to me.  He had us say it several times out loud.  Each time it became more powerful.  It doesn't matter the role that I am playing in the big picture we call life, what matters is that I am playing  a part!  I am a part of the Kingdom of God. 

Saturday, June 9, 2012

Prayer Works

Pinned Image

On Tuesday, May 29th, I began having a headache.  Even though I was alternating Tylenol and Ibuprofen every two hours, it wasn't going away.  It stuck around until Thursday, May 31st, when the headache turned into a migraine.

I had never had a migraine before.  I sent a text to my mom, explaining the symptoms I was having and she said I was having a migraine.  I was wearing sunglasses inside, because even through the tinted windows at work, and all the lights off, the light hurt my eyes, I could hear a clock ticking that I had never heard tick before, and any movement of my head made me nauseous.  On Sunday, something finally came of the nausea and I was over having the migraine.  I was sleeping every moment that I could, because it was the only thing that gave me relief.

On Monday, I finally called my mom's doctor and made an appointment for the next day.  I was tired of the migraine.  It failed to go away even after taking Excedrin.  On Tuesday, I went to the doctor and he didn't see a cause for it, gave me a shot and told me to go on my way.

The Thursday that the headache turned into a migraine, I began asking for prayers through twitter.  I got some encouraging tweets and advice.  Close friends began texting and letting me know that they were praying for me.

Prayer works.  Undoubtedly.  Tuesday was my first day without a headache.  My family and friends prayed alongside of me through the migraine.  I haven't had a migraine or headache since Tuesday.  I am beyond grateful for everyone who prayed for me through the awful week that the headache gave me.

Thursday, June 7, 2012

Proud Momma

I have to brag on my eGroup girls for a moment. I am so proud of each and every one of them. They are asking God to script their love story, inviting friends to church, volunteering in their sweet spot, and seeking time with God on a daily basis despite basketball, cheerleading and homework.

Pinned ImageMatthew 28:19 commands us to go.  I believe that there are several different parts to going.  You need to be living a Christian lifestyle with your words and actions, you need to be giving advice that reflects what the Bible says, and you need to be talking about your relationships with Christ.

There is a girl in my eGroup who has exemplified the concept of go.  Her name is Taylor.  She is thirteen and just finished the seventh grade.  She is a cheerleader. She recently broke off an eleven month relationship because it wasn't what God scripted for her life.

Taylor joined our eGroup in mid-March.  Taylor lives about thirty minutes from where we meet, but that never stops her from coming!  She almost always has a friend with her.  She has shown her ability to go through bringing friends to eGroup and by sharing Christ with the lost around her.

A few weeks ago, Taylor shared an amazing story at eGroup.  My heart melted when she told us this story.  I had so many emotions going on, that I almost cried.  I was proud of her, excited to see her living out the Bible and so happy that she was doing God's will.

There is a boy in Taylor's music class who is an atheist.  One day, she wrote a letter to him.  In the letter, Taylor shared Christ, what it meant to be a Christian and invited him to Elevation Church.  It took her a while to gain the courage to give him the letter.  When she finally had enough courage, he refused to take the letter.  She stuffed it into his back pack.  The next day, he did not have the kindest words in response to her.  But, Taylor is holding her head high, believing that she did what God told her to do and praying through what to do next.

I am beyond proud of Taylor and her willingness to advance the Kingdom at all costs.  Having the skill to advance the Kingdom at age thirteen enables her to change this world!

Monday, June 4, 2012

Faithful Blogging

There are always days when I struggle about what to write on .Redeemed. I always want to give you fresh, biblical content. But, sometimes my mind goes blank and I can't come up with anything. Today, I will be using a prompt from Faithful Bloggers. You can find my blog, and many other Christian blogs in their directory.

Faithful Blogging Prompt #34 -
How do you incorporate prayer into your everyday life?

My first thought after reading this prompt was 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 -

Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus.

I consider my life to be one long open prayer with the Lord.  He is always there for me to pray to.  Rarely do I formally pray - one that begins with Dear Heavenly Father and ends with Amen.  It's normally when I am preparing for my eGroup discussion and at eGroup on Thursdays. 

I don't think that every prayer needs to begin with Dear Lord and end with Amen.

When something good happens, I will thank Him for it.  When something isn't going the way I planned, I will ask Him to give me stength to get through the situation.  When I am confused, I will ask Him to give me clarity on the situation.

I used to, and need to begin doing it again, spend my morning commute in prayer.  It was a great way for me to start my day.  I don't know why I stopped and I don't know what is keeping me from starting again!


How do you incorporate prayer into your everyday life?


Friday, June 1, 2012

Reflection Friday

If you are new to .Redeemed., I lead a middle school girls eGroup Thursday evenings with the girls is one of my favorite parts of the week. They are an amazing group of girls and they teach me as much as I teach them.
Last night, there was no structure to the evening.  Last week, we finished when God writes your love story.  Last night, we just celebrated the accomplishment.  They each went home with a journal from me which included a Bible verse.  We had lots of snacks, took pictures and made matching t-shirts.

It was a wonderful evening.  I am so proud of all of them.  They've come so far.