Things I love about my church...

Yes another sappy post about changes, but this is new and difficult and on my mind so I need a way to express it. And since I don't think many people read this blog, this seems to be the place to do just that. So if you are one of the few that do, my apologies; bear with me. 5 things I like about my church:

1) Bible-based
So many churches these days have watered down the Gospel in order to increase the size of their congregation. Northpoint has kept the Bible the foundation of everything they say and do, despite how full or empty the seats may be. That takes courage and faith.

2) mission minded
I love that they are committed to sending people out into not only the world but also where they live and work as stewards of the Gospel to bring others into a relationship with Christ. "Is Corona a better place because our church is here?"

3) Continued learning
This isn't just for students. As Christians we should never stop learning about our faith and our Lord. This is a focus and area where we continue to grow as a congregation and I am so thankful.
4) Christian living
Not only is the preaching Biblical, but the congregation is challenged to live what they say they believe on a weekly basis. It is impossible to claim Christ, but live like the world."The longer we live, the more we should be like where we are going."

5) Christian love
This goes beyond loving those that are loving toward you. That costs you nothing. Christians are to love everyone as Christ loves. This of course is not the same as loving or approving of sin, but someone once said that "People don't care how much you know until they know how much you care"

almost relieved....

Now that the news of my parents leaving our church has come out I feel like I can almost breath again. At least now it's not a secret that has to be kept: no more being careful about what I say and to whom it is said. But it's not over yet. Everything is happening so fast that I feel like my thoughts and emotions are still trying to catch up. Thanks to those who have been supportive and understanding in this period of transition.

more sadness...

When it rains, it pours. Not only has life in the Hegg household been a little stressful , but a few days ago I came home to find my 3 frogs- Ferdinand, Isabella, and the baby which I hadn't even named yet, belly up on the bottom of the tank. The two named frogs were only a few months old, and the unnamed was a few days... Cause of death is undetermined, but it is most likely the new one was sickly and shared what he had with the others.
The only bright side, Fuzzle, the betta, is still alive and seems to have fought off whatever it was that killed the other three. I think he misses having tank mates though.
The flushing took place shortly after finding them. They will be missed. I haven't decided yet if I am going to replace them and what I am going to tell my 1st graders who were fond of them.
Rest in peace little guys

A Watery Grave

Thankful...

I couldn't sleep so I thought I would get a jump start on thinking about what I am thankful for this year- I find it's helpful to write out the things I'm thankful for so that Thanksgiving doesn't just go by as another holiday to get lots of calories and enjoy time off of work. I want the day to actually be used the way it was meant to be used; spending time giving thanks. So in no particular order and without further ado:

Things to be thankful for:

• Family- always supportive and there when I need them

• Health- so many people in the world are sick and don't have the medicine they need. I feel I take my health and the ability to get medicine and/or see the doctor whenever I need to for granted

• Food- Unlike billions of people around the world, I have the luxury of opening up a full pantry and refrigerator and choosing something to eat.
• One out of every eight children under the age of twelve in the U.S. goes to bed hungry every night.

• The World Health Organization estimates that one-third of the world is well-fed, one-third is under-fed one-third is starving- Since you've started reading this blog, at least 200 people have died of starvation. Over 4 million will die this year.

• In the Asian, African and Latin American countries, well over 500 million people are living in what the World Bank has called "absolute poverty" (http://library.thinkquest.org/C002291/high/present/stats.ht

• 
  

• Clothes- I may not have the latest fashions and trends, but I have clean clothes to wear every day and for that I am thankful!

• True friends- Not the ones that are just around when it's convenient, but ones that help you through the bad times and love you in spite of your faults.

• Shelter- I have a warm bed to sleep in and a roof over my head.
  

• A Job- Although it's tough at times, and people can be exhausting, it's a job. It may not be perfect, but God provided exactly what I needed at exactly the right time.

• Christ- Without Him, I am nothing. His saving grace has made me who I am and I am so thankful that He chose me before the foundations of the Earth.

• Freedom- America is a land of freedoms. I can go to church and worship without fear, go to work without being oppressed or punished. I have freedom of speech, freedom to write my thoughts and feelings...

• Heroes- Men and women who think enough of our freedoms and country to risk their lives so that we can continue to live this way.
  

I'm sure there is so much more, but as it is already after 2 a.m. my mind is a little blurry. Don't forget to think of all the things you have to be thankful for this Thanksgiving. Even if it hasn't been the best year, there is always something. And don't forget to tell the people in your life you are thankful for them. Not in a hokey or forced way, but a sincere thanks.


"We give thanks to God always for all of you, making mention of you in our prayers"
~1st Thessalonians 1:2~

"We ought always to give thanks to God for you, brethren, as is only fitting, because your faith is greatly enlarged, and the love of each one of you toward one another grows ever greater"
~2nd Thessalonians 1:3~

I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who has strengthened me, because He considered me faithful, putting me into service." ~1st Timothy 1:12~

New Abode

I find myself looking for a new place to live yet again. While the prospect of moving out is exciting, it poses a few problems. These problems are:

1) I need a room mate but don't know where to find a good one (I've had my trouble with roomies in the past so finding one that will work well isn't an easy task)

2) apartments are expensive! I'm not making much at where I work now so finding an apartment at an affordable price is difficult. It seems everything is either too expensive, or in a shady part of town. I'd like to be able to sleep at night without worrying about being shot. (which leads me back up to # 1)

sigh, I know God will take care of me, I'd just rather it NOT be under the bridge on Main street!

Terrible, horrible, no good, very bad day

Okay so the title is of course borrowed from the book "Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day". But sometimes I like to change it from Alexander to my own name. Today was one such day.
After rushing to an appointment that I was late too, I discovered that I had in fact made the appointment for a different location. To top it off, the lady next to me in the parking lot hit my car with her door and was a total jerk about it! She had a Christian fish on her car, which made me want to yell "You claim to be a Christian and yet you are acting like a JERK!" (or substitute another appropriate word) but I didn't because yelling wasn't Christian-like either.
She was very sarcastic and chalked it up to "well you're in a public parking lot, it happens." then continued to justify it by saying "you have a lot of marks on your car already." So you think I want more??? Does the fact that my car already has mark make it ok in your mind? In the end all I could do was walk away and hope she didn't continue to proclaim a Christ-centered life while acting like a complete moron.
Moral of the story: people are ignoramuses, even ones that claim to be saved- unfortunately. If you claim to be "not of this world", don't act like you are!

Racially charged...

Anyone who knows anything about me knows that I love people for who they are not what they look like or what they can give me. So today when I was charged with being racist because I did not get in the middle of the campaign fight IN MY OWN CLASSROOM and questioned as to whether I was simply passing a student through without care because they are black, I was fed up.

Why is it that when a white person doesn't support a candidate who happens to be black they MUST be racist? Why can't I be opposed to them simply because of what they stand for? (or don't) It seems like our post-modern society is so focused on NOT being racist against certain ethnicities that there is a backlash that does just that. Concern for making sure that black people are not discriminated against often turns into discrimination against anyone that might just have that capability.

Don't get me wrong, I think that our history's past of racial discrimination is shameful and terrible. However, in order to make our world better than pre-civil rights times, we must stop focusing on the color of people's skin (whether it be black, white, olive, or otherwise) and look at everyone the way Christ did; either souls in need of a Savior or God's redeemed made in His image.

changes...

Too many changes at once has me feeling lost. Most of them are changes that can't even be expressed. Who would understand? Where are those people that promised to always be there when I needed them most? I feel like I am being deserted again and again. It's all the small things that amount to big things, combined with the stresses of life.
Someone once said that "change is a good thing" but I think that's just what people say to make themselves feel better without having to deal with the change that is happening. Oh well- here goes another post into oblivion. Hello oblivion.