A) Doing absolutely nothing - let your husband take care of the kids
B) Going to the beach
C) Cleaning your house
D) Spending time with the family
E) Watching movies all weekend
F) A weekend Spa getaway being pampered to your hearts delight!
G) Other
Christine is one of our new contributers on Craving Grace! I have had the privilege of getting to know Christine in the last year through our work with the youth group. She is an amazingly caring woman, and is being used for Christ in a big way both at UPC and in the community.
How long have you been at UPC?
I’ve been attending UPC almost a year now.
Where are you originally from?
I was born in Clifton, NJ but lived overseas for 15 years.
What are some of your hobbies and/or interests?
I love to hang out with friends, knit, make new recipes and have a passion for teens and the homeless. I love to try new things and love learning about healing through nutrition.
What’s your favorite dessert?
Hmmmmm, I love carrot cake and key lime pie. Unfortunately I’m allergic to dairy and so cannot have either, however I’ve come up with a raw version of carrot cake which is pretty good!
Favorite TV show?
I’m not sure that I have a favorite, but I like the CSI shows.
What are you involved with at UPC?
I volunteer with both High School and Middle School Youth and I am going to be a Hostess starting in September. I am also in a Young Adult LIFE group.
How have you seen God work in your life recently?
I quit my job 3 1/2 years ago to stay home with my daughter while she was finishing up school. I am a single mother and raised my daughter on my own, so it was important for me to be there for her more the last few years. God is such an amazing provider that I was able to do that. I recently took a job working for Homeless Services Network and while I love my job and know that I am called to be there, it only covers half my bills, somehow HE continues to provide for me each month and I am very blessed for that. The week that I started my job, a friend of mine referred a buyer to me and we are scheduled to close on her house tomorrow (I have my real estate license and help people in addition to my full time job). This was definitely a divine opportunity and has allowed me to witness along the way and will help with some of my bills.
Around the same time I quit my job, I also was called to ministry and as time progressed foreign missions. God has taught me a lot of patience in waiting and listening to Him as to when and where I will go.
How can we be praying for you?
For my finances and that His will for my future will be clear to me. That I will continue to seek and hear Him on what my next steps are for going into Foreign Missions. For my daughter to finish her degree at UCF next year and seek Him for her future.
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Lindsey’s fun frozen drinks from Lindsey Enlow
In blender mix:
2 cups crushed ice
3-4 large scoops sherbert (pinapple or strawberry)
2 cups liquid daquari mix - always sold alcohol free (pina colada or strawberry)
Blend and if needed add more of liquid daquari mix.
This is a great way to enjoy the fun and flavor of a daquari without the alcohol. Very fun for a girls weekend at the beach!
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As a self-proclaimed nature-lover, I am always up for seeing Florida Wildlife in its natural habitat. Here are two places that I enjoy visiting in the Central Florida area that you may enjoy too.
Orlando Wetlands Park
The Orlando Wetlands Park is located in Christmas, FL and has 20 miles of trails suitable for biking or hiking. The Park is actually a man-made wetland water treatment system that was completed in 1987. Johnny and I have biked and walked several of the trails and have always seen lots of wildlife including alligators, egrets, herons, snakes, and ducks. Johnny has been there several more times than me and has also seen boar, deer and bobcat. Above is a photo that Johnny took on a trip to the park.
http://www.nbbd.com/godo/orlandowetlands/
Black Point Wildlife Drive
This seven mile wildlife drive is located on Merritt Island which is about a 45 minute drive from East Orlando. The drive is open until sunset each day. There is an observation deck about halfway through the drive that allows you to see for miles. I have see alligators, ducks, egerts, owls, herons, fish, bobcat and spoonbills.
Our Pastor, Mike, started a sermon series on the book of Ecclesiastes this past Sunday. This Sunday was chapter 1. Every week as part of the sermon he’s going to incorporate clips from popular movies.
I was excited to find out he was going to be doing a series on the book of Ecclesiastes! A friend mentioned reading it awhile ago and I never got around to doing so.
Ecclesiastes is all about answering the question: WHY AM I HERE?
The author writes: “What do people get for all their hard work under the sun? (v.3)” The phrase “under the sun” referring to people who are living without God, and so the author is writing that life is meaningless without God.
While many people who don’t know Jesus feel like life is meaningless there are just as many Christians who at some point in time have felt the same way. I know because I am one of them. I have often felt like my daily life is boring, or that what I do at work is pointless. It took me a while to truly believe that God is good.
So what really struck me from Sunday’s sermon was that life apart from God is ultimately pointless. What hit me even harder is that even with God, as a believer in Jesus Christ, life can still seem meaningless. It’s not just having Christ in your life that brings meaning and purpose but having Christ in the center of your life.
I can tell the difference in my life when I put God in the center of my life and when I push Him aside and replace God with, let’s say worry. Worry won’t do anything for me. Worry doesn’t give me purpose in life.
It’s only when I put God at the center of my life and depend on Him moment by moment that I know my life is not meaningless. Even during the hard times when life seems impossible I know that if I continue to trust in God and keep Him at the center of my life, there is purpose to it.
I’m not saying it’s always easy keep to do but it is definitely is so worth it. Jesus is our friend and as a friend he cares about us more than we can ever imagine. Listen to the sermon here.
“God is our refuge and strength, and ever-present help in trouble.” Psalm 46:1
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