Farewell 2007!

So it seems that all the cool Bloggers are doing a re-cap of 2007 so I thought I should too. I have been so richly blessed this past year and have seen huge changes in my life. I've also been given so many opportunities to serve God and know Him more and that is what I am most thanksful for. So here we go:

January (I got my new day planner in Feb so Jan will be short!):
* Meghann turned 28!
* My dad retired from the Beaumont Police Department! (Yeah! Yeah! - He says.)

February:
* Moved into the duplex with Natasha
* Alzheimer's Advocacy Day - I got to advocate at the capitol for increased funding for Alzheimer's research
* COOPER was born!!!
* We broke in our house with a housewarming/ring dunking
* Junior High Mid-Winter at Mt. Wesley
* Senior High Mid-Winter at HEB Camp
* I won three CDs from a contest on the radio

March:
* Went to Virginia Beach to see my nephew (Coop) for the first time and see him get baptized
* Senior High Spring Break Trip to Camp Tejas
* Got a visit from my friend Natasha E. all the way from DC!
* Got REALLY sick with bronchitis and asthma problems
* Kevin and I hosted the Rock-A-Thon to raise money for youth accounts with just two kids!
* Alpha Retreat - even though plans got changed, God did amazing things

April:
* My dad turned 59
* Got re-certified in CPR and First Aide (which came in handy later in the summer!)
* Krissy's Bachelorette Party a.k.a craziness on the river
* Chrysalis Team Lock-In

May:
* Krissy and Chris got married!
* Went to Beaumont for vacation, beach, fun, and craziness with the girls
* My Uncle Danny married Ida!
* We kidnapped the incoming 6th Graders and welcomed them to the youth group
* Natasha and I hosted BBQ/Crawfish Boil turned Mexican Fiesta at our house
* Began research with a "Central Texas Non-Profit" for our Capstone Project

June:
* Mom and Dad moved to Brenham to start a new life as retirees!
* Senior High Mission Trip to McAllen/Mission, TX
* The Girl's Chrysalis Flight was cancelled
* Lots and lots of swimming and volleyball with the kids
* Cooper came to Texas!

July:
* A lot more volleyball and swimming :)
* Chicken Fried Steak night at Amy & Phil's - can't leave that out!
* Started blogging!
* Sponsored a butterfly on the Boy's Chrysalis Flight
* I got free money from St. Edward's - Pennies from Heaven
* Junior High Mission Trip - Big House - Alvin, TX

August:
* There was actually more swimming just less volleyball
* I recommited my life to Christ
* Meghann, Mat, and Cooper came to Texas
* Family Pictures taken by Stacy Cross
* Messy Games 2007
* Went through Faith Sharing Training

September:
* Mailed in my application for the mission trip to Kenya
* Austin District Dodgeball Tournament
* We started No Strings Attached (Young Adult) Sunday School Class
* Methodist Madness at church
* Alzheimer's Memory Walk - lots of planning during the months before too
* Found out that I got accepted for a mission trip to Kenya!!!

October:
* Kevin, Amy, I saw David Crowder Band at La Zona Rosa AND I won two free tickets from the radio to go!!
* Lot of pumpkins at the church pumpkin patch
* Youth Worker's Convention in San Diego with Amy
* My mom turned 54!
* I turned 26!
* Got LOTS of shots for my trip to Kenya

November:
* Thanksgiving
* Thanksgiving Feast with Amy, Phil, and Kevin
* The Fightin' Texas Aggies beat the hell outta t.u.! WHOOP!

December:
* Graduated from St. Edward's University with a Masters of Science in Organizational Leadership and Ethics!
* Raised all final funds for my trip to Kenya!
* Fa-la-la-la-lock-in with the kids
* Christmas Eve Dinner with the Howell's
* Jesus' Birthday a.k.a. Christmas!
* Christmas dinner and a movie with my parents

Overall, it's been a great year. There has been a lot of laughing, games, praying, dancing, swimming, softball, volunteering, happy hours, volleyball, napping, new friends, and worshiping (in no particular order). I have grown in my faith and have found a more personal relationship with God and that is what I am most proud of.

On some random day in my calendar I found this quote:
"God writes straight with crooked lines."

I pray that we will all open ourselves up to letting God use us this year. No matter how crooked our lines and lives might be, He can make beautiful, straight works of art if we just give our hopes and desires and hearts to Him. This song pretty much sums up the cry of my heart as I start a new year:



I wish you the happiest of New Years and pray that God will bless you and your family in 2008!

Fellowship Breakfast

This morning we had a fellowship breakfast at church and let me tell you there was some great food. It was nice to sit down and eat and talk with people from church. Here are some pictures:


How cute is little Caleb?

Torie and Madi

Shaler and Adrianne

That's me

Of course Jesus was there, along with his Jesus finger puppets

Dalton and Joel

Mason was still half asleep...

And so was Kendall!

Crazy, crazy Dalton

Uncle Gene and Phil laughing because I had just said something VERY hilarious - not like that's very hard to believe!

Briana, Dalton, and Madison

Bailey being silly with an orange

Clearly my parents did an amazing job giving me a camera for Christmas! I LOVE it!!!

Married: Katie and Doug

Tonight I was very happy to attend the wedding of Katie Davies and Doug Newell. Katie's sister is my friend, Leah. It was a beautiful (and quick) ceremony followed by a really fun reception all at the Salt Lick Pavilion in Driftwood, TX. The food was amazing and everything was beautiful. I wish Doug and Katie all the best!

Please note that I'm no Stacy Cross but here are some of the shot that came out half-way decent:




Leah and I




Leah and her Grandma



Crockett High School girls



Doug and Katie getting down on the dance floor



First Dance as Mr. & Mrs. Newell



Katie and David dancing



Father-Daughter dance



Leah's Dad saying goodbye to the happy couple



Kristen, Leah, and Stephanie



Crazy Ben



Leah and Benny



Leah modeling her cousin's new Apple Bottom jacket



A brother and sister moment on the dance floor

Why We Sing

Worship. Music.
by Bob Kauflin

We live in a singing culture. We sing carols at Christmas time, "Happy Birthday" at parties (although I'm not quite sure why), and "Auld Lang Syne" to bring in the new year (another mystery to me). Rabid crowds scream out "We will, we will rock you!" at basketball games. During the Civil Rights movement of the 60's, the strains of "We Shall Overcome" reverberated across the country. And concert-goers find it hard not to sing along when their favorite artists are performing their favorite songs.

At different times, the songs we sing can comfort, calm, excite and unify us. That's why throughout history, singing has been a vital part of our lives.

But why do Christians sing? Do you ever wonder if God even likes our singing? He obviously has better things to do than listen to our out-of-tune voices belting out the same praise songs over and over. Right?

Apparently not. The Bible mentions singing over 400 times, including 50 direct commands to sing God's praise. And because God is infinitely wise and good, his commands are always for his glory and our benefit.

I read once that when a non-singer becomes a Christian, he or she becomes a singer. That doesn't we instantly get a beautiful, multi-range, in-tune voice. It means that we've been given a song to sing that we never knew before. And now it's our joy to sing it as loud and as often as we can. It's the song of the redeemed for our Redeemer. It's the only song that we can really call "The Song That Never Ends."

But if you're like me, you've probably been in meetings where you're singing on the outside but totally distracted on the inside. The songs don't seem to be going anywhere, least of all to heaven. But God wants us to sing and He wants us to understand why. If we don't, we'll miss out on its benefits. More importantly, we'll fail to give God the glory He deserves. So, here are three reasons why God wants us to make singing together a priority.

Singing Helps Us Remember God's Word

The first purpose of singing is more about words than music. Colossians 3:16 commands us to "let the word of Christ dwell in us richly" as we sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs to one another. It seems there's a connection between singing and letting the word of Christ dwell in us. Or any words, for that matter.

Scientists have discovered that we use different portions of our brain to process music and speaking. A few years ago that came home to me powerfully when our church taught a series on Galatians. To help people remember the book we produced a CD of verses from Galatians set to music. Later, I received an e-mail from a woman in our church whose husband lost his memory due to a stroke. She asked him simple questions and he couldn't answer them. Where do you work? I don't know. Who is the governor of our state? I don't know. But when she mentioned "Galatians CD," he instantly began singing songs from the CD, even though he had no memory of studying the book as a church. Music helps us remember words we might otherwise forget.

Not many people can quote the sermons of John Wesley from the 18th century. But almost everyone knows the words to "Hark! the Herald Angels Sing," written by his brother, Charles. He ended up writing over 6500 hymns for the express purpose of helping people remember the doctrines he and his brother taught.

God knows the power of song to help us remember his Word. As the Israelites were about to enter the promised land, God told Moses to teach them a song, so that "when many evils and troubles have come upon them, this song shall confront them as a witness (for it will live unforgotten in the mouths of their offspring)" (Deut. 31:21).

We remember what we sing. And there's nothing more important to remember than the word of Christ. That "word" is the amazing news of God sending his Son to redeem a people for his glory. The entire Bible is filled with the word of Christ. Our songs should be, too.

The feelings that music produces will fade, but the living and active Word of God will continue to work in our hearts, renew our minds, and strengthen our faith. Praise makes our times together profound; music makes them memorable.

That's why the words we sing matter. We remember them. Songs are more than opportunities to express our emotions to God. They're a way of "teaching and admonishing one another" (Col. 3:16). Songs can correct wrong thoughts about God, display the glories of Christ more clearly, and help us remember what we so easily forget.

As one man put it, "We are what we sing."

Singing Helps Us Respond to God's Grace

Music is an emotional language. It's meant to affect and move us. And nothing should move us more than the grace God has shown us in delivering us from condemnation through the sacrifice of his own Son. We have been raised with Christ. We have died to sin, and our life is now hidden in Christ. We are holy and beloved, God's chosen ones! How can we not sing?

Drawing from Colossians 3:16 again, God wants us to sing with "thankfulness in our hearts." The "heart" here refers to our whole being. God isn't glorified by mumbled responses from luke-warm hearts. He wants us to be thankful.

It's possible to sing without much emotion, but it's unnatural. The Puritan pastor, Jonathan Edwards, once said, "The duty of singing praises to God seems to be given wholly to excite and express religious affections. There is no other reason why we should express ourselves to God in verse rather than in prose and with music, except that these things have a tendency to move our affections" (The Religious Affections, p. 44).

That's why we don't simply recite "Happy Birthday to you," and why Broadway musicals and opera have such a wide appeal. OK, maybe not opera.

Singing allows us to combine intellect with emotion, objective truth with our emotional response to it. And in Scripture, the emotion most often connected with singing is joy. That doesn't mean that we can never sing songs that acknowledge the human condition through confession, repentance or lament. But on this side of the empty tomb we need to be constantly reminded that Jesus has crushed the powers of hell and now reigns as our victorious redeemer, King and champion.

Singing Helps Us Reflect God's Glory

One of the ways singing reflects God's glory is by expressing the unity Christ has made possible through his atoning death. Listen to how Paul uses musical terms as he prays for the Roman Christians:

May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accord with Christ Jesus, that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Rom. 15:5-6)

In the next verse, he adds, "Therefore, welcome one another as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God." As we sing the same biblical truths together, express our gratefulness for the Gospel, and declare our commitment to follow our King, we're bringing glory to the One who made it all possible.

Singing together also glorifies God because God Himself sings. In fact, all three members of the Trinity create song. Zephaniah 3:17, speaking of the Father, reads: "He will quiet you with his love. He will rejoice over you with singing." Hebrews 2:12 quotes Psalm 22, where the Son of God sings the Father's praise in the midst of the congregation. In Ephesians 5:18-19 we're told that being filled with the Holy Spirit inspires songs in the heart of each believer. That's one reason why we often sense God's presence in a more pronounced way when we gather to sing His praises. The Holy Spirit is in our midst inspiring our songs!

Finally, praising God together in song is a foretaste of the eternal glory yet to come.

Revelation gives us a breathtaking picture of the singing around the throne by the heavenly creatures, the 24 elders, countless angels and the redeemed. The author of Hebrews tells us that when we meet together, we're already participating in that massive throng:

But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to innumerable angels in festal gathering, and to the assembly of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect. (Heb. 12:22-23)

So the next time you meet to worship God with your church, remember that you're doing more than warming up for the sermon or looking for an emotional high. Remember that you're joining in with all the hosts of heaven who are magnifying the Lamb who was slain.

We sing because Jesus Christ has given us a reason to sing. We sing together because through His once and for all sacrifice Jesus has joined us together as a people. And we will sing forever because God's praise resounds in eternity.

I want to get as much practice in this life as I can. Don't you?

Exercise TV on Demand

...is about the best thing EVER! Last night I did a 4 minute Ballet Butt routine and a hip hop dance class and this morning before work I did a two minute Cheerleader Leg Blast. It's great. I just turn my TV to the Exercise Channel and then I get to pick from Yoga/Pilates, Quick Workouts, Step, Dance, anything I want. It's so fun! This is going to be a fun 41 Days of Fitness!

Howell Family Dinner

Tonight was "Family Night" at the Howell House. I have officially been inducted into the family, though I don't quite know what the family tree looks like. At one point Phil and I were referred to as the "children" and we also established that I couldn't marry Phil because 1. he doesn't like grape leaves and 2. we're related. Good times!

We had a wide variety of leftovers - soooo good! We had turkey and dressing, grape leaves, corn, hot sandwiches, chicken spaghetti, biscuits, and brownies with ice cream. Can't go wrong with that combo. OH and lasagna too.



After dinner we had a rousing game of Sequence and watched Mack Brown's Step-Son help Arizona score a touchdown.



It was really fun. I'm so blessed to have such great friends like Amy and Phil. They are great.

Quote of the night:

"Well, you can't breathe (Phil), I drink water, and you (Amy) are just weird. We are quite a pair!"



Amy taking a pre-dinner nap



Phil's Christmas gift from Me-mom



Chillin' in my favorite hoodie

41 Days of Fitness

Yesterday marked 41 days until I leave for Kenya. How crazy is that?!?! Well thanks in part to Stacy Cross and in part to wanting to be able to do everything I want in Kenya, I decided to start a 41 Days of Fitness (Insert Cortney Smith Trademark Here). I'm going to do something active for the next 41 days. Last night I went to Body Step at Gold's Gym which was great, but kicked my butt. So make sure if I don't post on here what I did, that you ask me to keep me on track. Have a great day!!

Welcome to my world...

I thought I'd give you a little peek into my life at work. Welcome to my Desk!



Let me give you the tour! Over here on the left we have some random books and documents. Things I don't ever really use but feel like I need to keep handy. We also have many displays of my name in case I forget it. You will also notice my phone and headset - please note that the #8 sticks sometimes, which is kind of odd. There are some pictures of the W.H.O.O.P. peeps and a cross I got from an Alpha retreat.




Moving along, you'll see my lamp that I made forever ago which I love. There are more pictures (family) and the card Veronica sent me for a birthday with us as old ladies. There's also a star wand for some reason. And my cell phone. That's very important.



Next, you'll notice the center section of my desk. Of course there's my flat-screen computer, keyboard, and mouse. Standard office stuff. My computer of course is tuned into Coop's Blog and hanging from my monitor is my dad's dog tags. They remind me of him and my friend Marques who is serving in Iraq right now. In the center is a picture of me and all the Aggies after I dunked my ring the first time. I also have a little hanging cup to hold my scissors, pens, markers, etc. More pictures and a few quotes from songs, "Fill our smiles with You," is one of them.



Now the right side of my desk isn't as junky as the pictures make it appear to be. I'll give you a closer look at some key areas of this part of my desk. You'll notice more pictures and the magnet words at the top of my desk. Those can be very fun. I tend to give random words to people on my team just to confuse them. I'm crazy like that. Also, is my certification as a Health Educator. Ohhhh! Ahhhh!



One important thing on any desk is the toys that are available for the slow times. For this purpose I have a little stress ball basketball, an angel my sister gave me, a tiny frisbee, a bead toy like they have at the pediatrician's office, some faith rocks, and a little Buddha that I like to rub the tummy of.



Also, on the right side (of course) is my homie, Jesus. We hang out. He holds things sometimes. He's just an all-around good guy. Enrique (you'll meet him later) likes to move him around on my desk to creep me out. Because really what is creepier than a Jesus action-figure that moves around on your desk when you're in the bathroom? There is also a daily calendar I got for graduation and a picture of me and Leah when we were looking "chauchy" as her mom said.



Finally, here is a close up of my magnet board. I have some photo booth pics of me and Amy, a David Crowder concert ticket and picture, of course a picture or 12 of Coop, some magnets, the Youth Group kids, etc.



I know, I know, you are thinking -- will this EVER end! Good news we're almost there. When you leave my desk if you walk down a few desks, you'll find my friend Enrique. Yeah, he's a nut!



We hope you have enjoyed your tour. We accept donations and the gift shop will be open for the next 30 minutes for your convenience. Welcome to my world!

Merry Christmas!

I hope everyone had a very wonderful Christmas! We got a turkey, dressing, pie, and potatoes lunch at work today, that was exciting and then my parents came down and we went to see the new Tom Hanks/Julia Roberts movie and had grape leaves for dinner. It was a nice day. Here are some pics of us being crazy. (I got a new camera so you can be sure to find LOTS of pictures here from now on!)





Also, I finally checked the mail today and got a really cool bag for my laptop, phone, and iPod from a craft exchange. It's VERY nice. I LOVE it!





Have a great rest of the week and a very Merry Christmas!

Recreating Me

I posted the words to this song before but now I found this video which is great. Check it out - then we'll talk.



Even now in death you open doors for life to enter.
You are winter.
Everything that's new has bravely surfaced
Teaching us to breath
What was frozen through is newly purposed
Turning all things green
So it is with you
And how you make me new
With every season's change
And so it will be
As you are recreating me

It's so amazing to me. We bring so many hurts upon ourselves. We hold onto hate and hurt and drama and all that really does is serve to break us down on the inside. We begin to slowly die because we are filling our heart with despair instead of hope. It is winter and then with simple words and a heart-felt prayer we give that hate and hurt and pain to God and the ice begins to thaw and what was once hardened and useless begins to be recreated into a beautiful hopefully loving place inside of us that is full of God. He recreates us into springtime and let's us live in Him. We get a fresh start over and over and over again and our lives go through seasons of change in which we die to ourselves and find anew our life in Christ. It's pretty cool. I praise God for the hope I have in my life because of his love and grace. That I don't have to live in a cold, lonely winter and that my life is fruitful and can bring freshness and life to others who don't know the hope of Spring that is just around the corner for them.

If you only know Winter - please know that God created you and loves you and wants you to accept his leadership in your life. He wants to carry your hurt and pain and burdens so that you can be free to enjoy the time He has given you on earth. He gave His only son so that you could know real love and freedom and if you were the only one on this planet he would have done it just the same. There is hope of spring and God brings that hope. Thanks be to God!

When I call on Jesus

There are things I'll never be able to do. I know this. I'll never ever be able to pick up a thousand pound boulder, I'll never walk on water, and I'll never cure a disease. I know this. But what's amazing is...this is important, don't miss it...I serve a God that can do ANYTHING! He CAN and DOES do amazing things everyday. The super cool part is that he doesn't need our help to get things done, but He loves us so much that He let's us help Him accomplish his work so that we can know Him more. I serve a God that will "move heaven and earth to come rescue me when I call." I serve a God that cares so much about His creation that He sent His only son to die to save and protect us. He can, has, and always will take care of us. All we have to do is call on Him, give our lives to Him, and love Him. He's BIG - no ENORMOUS and controls the flows of the ocean but at the same time places a gentle kiss on the forehead of a tiny, sick baby. He's amazing! I could never on my own have raised over $3,000 for a mission trip to Kenya. But I serve a God that empowers people and He provided exactly the amount needed ahead of time! I pray that my life will be worthy of my Savior and His greatness and sacrifice. I pray that you will want to serve a God that can do big, big, big things.

Pay It Forward

This morning I went to Starbucks to get my favorite - Venti Hot Chocolate and a blueberry muffin and when I got to the window the cashier said that the lady in front of me had paid for my breakfast and that she said Merry Christmas! How nice is that!?!?! What a nice thing to do! I think it's a great reminder about what Christmas is really all about and inspires me to do something nice for someone else this season!

Crazy Kids!

Those crazy Virginia Beach kids were at it again with the movie making! Apparently Coop is in tight with Martha Stewart and Griffin golfs on the weekends with Tiger Woods! Who knew!!!

Don't send a lame Holiday eCard. Try JibJab Sendables!

What a HOOT!

I'm mostly just trying this out to see if I can post documents on my blog. It seems I can! So here's the flyer I made about the upcoming Hoot in Austin! If you know any High School aged kids who would be interested in attending Chrysalis, please let them know about the Hoot in January!

The Graduate

Thanks to everyone for their support through the last two years while I was in Grad School. It's finally over! Here are some pictures from the big day!











In other exciting news...the trip to Kenya is fully funded. God is so good. He delivered just in time (and a little early). I am so blessed to have the support of my family and friends for this mission and cannot say thank you enough to everyone who has donated!