FUN Fridays....

FRIDAYs are usually "Fun Friday's" for the Point Staff. We work hard all week so we can play hard too.

On Friday mornings we meet up at the train station in Hicksville (Thursdays for some of our team in Babylon), we get there at around 7am to hand out breakfast bars andinvite cards to the people heading into the city for work in the morning. Some people are hesitant but even if it's just for that one person like the guy yesterday who asked where the church was and seemed genuinely interested make getting up at 5:15 ammore then worth it. After the train station it's back to the office to finish up our loose ends for the week to be sure we're ready for Sunday morning.Our speaking/ teaching team also has our creative team meeting, brain storming and planning. Most Fridays we play a round of dodge ball and kick back a little bit as a team before that dayis done. Because after all... "a staff that prays and plays together says together" (Todd Bishop)

This past Friday was slightly different... well... it stated out the same...Train Stationhanding out breakfast bars talking to some people from the area about our church..that never gets old... LOVE sharing about our AMAZING church! Then to the office to get some work done. Then we headed to our lead pastor's (Todd) house for lunch and a meeting, a little out of the ordinary but not too much. After that Pastor Josh, his awesome wife Sarah, Gina and myself headed to BJs to get food for the 40+ students our church will be hosting this week. FOUR shopping carts and a SUPPPPER long grocery receipt later we may have enough food to last like 3 days... after allTEENAGERS can EAT!!!! As we were shopping we hadsuch a great time just laughing and being us. As we loaded up ourcarts and just plain acted silly I realized something.... or maybe re-realized something.... I LOVE THIS TEAM. But the 4 of us didn't take into account that 4 grocery carts FULL of food would need to get back to the church... ummmm yeah... ouch! So we loaded the food in ever nook and cranny of Gina's SUV and when we ran out of room we loaded the bread onwhoever ended up in the passenger's seat. It was without a doubt anadventure in its own right. Then the unload with our amazing friend Jennifer cam on over and helped with... which was not without it's craziness... but without a doubt AWESOME!!!!

The best part for me though may have been that night as PJ, Sarah, Gina and I had dinner and AMAZING conversations together. We hung our till like 12:30am just talking and laughing and getting to know each other better. I must say... this team is INCREDIBLE!!!!! It is such an honor and a blessing to be a part of this staff and this church... I am SOOOOOOOO glad I moved HOME!!!!! I cannot wait for this week coming up and for all the other amazing adventures life is going to throw at thisAWESOME team!

Here are some pics from our FUN FRIDAY!!!!!

Stole my heart... praying for yours...

This post is for my dear sweet niece Trinity!

My Dearest Trin-

You baby girl stole my heart 5 months ago, well actually before that. Pretty sure I fell in love with you the day your mommy told me she was having a baby. You were theperfect gift for your already AMAZING family. The love story your parents have is incredible. The way your family has been pieced together is so awesome. Your mom and big sister and I went to church together for a while. Your mom and I taught a class together and then began a jr high youth ministry where we got to invest in kids and we build a bond that I had no idea would be anywhere near the impact it's been in my life. Your mom is my Jonathan, that friend that sticks closer then a brother. She's been there for me in so many ways and I will always be eternally thankful for the part she has played in my life. She's AMAZING... trust me! A few years ago she and your father met. They dated for a little while andthen lost contact for some time. Through a series of events they ended up back in each other's lives. Your dad and big brother started coming to the church and I had the awesome opportunity to get to know them... they're pretty incredible... you're a blessed kid. Alittle over 2 years ago your dad and mom got married and I had the amazing honor of reading some scripture at their wedding. The day they got married was one of the most incredible moments of my life... it was a true testimony of how INCREDIBLE God's plans truly are... but the blessings God has poured out on your family didn't just stop there... He decided to give them an AMAZING gift... yup that's right.. He gave them YOU!

Trin, you are the promise they waited for you are the baby they prayed for. You came to their lives and tied your family even closer together. You were so tiny (and still are) but you were so content and cuddly. You were EVERYTHING the prayed for. Your parents and big sister and brother were so excited. They all love you soooo much, don't EVERdoubt that baby girl. People from near and far were excited about your arrival and could not wait to meet you. Shortly after you were born I got a call from your mommy. I could tell she had been crying, which instantly made me sad b/c she's my Jonathan and I hate seeing her sad. She told me that you had a whole in your heart and that they were going to possibly have to do open heart surgery. As I fought back tears I prayed and fully believed that God could and would take care of you. I came to your house to meet you and hold you and the moment our eyes met I realized how AMAZING you were. You little girl are going to impact the lives of thousands of people, there is a purpose for your little life and I cannot wait to see and hear about all the great things you will do to impact others. As I held you I silently prayed that God would be the holder of your heart from then till your very last breath, that whole or not whole you would be made whole in Him and that all those you came in contact with would be pointed toward Him because of your little life.

Trin today you're in a hospital operating room in Boston and I have cried tears of sorrow for your mommy, daddy, big sister and big brother, and the rest of the people who love you, but I have also cried tears of joy because little girl... you have rocked the hearts of so many people... there are thousands of people praying for you. So Trin as you lay there in the hospital know that your Auntie Kit Kat loves you more then you know and that for the rest of your life I will be praying for you and believing BIG time that God has a plan and a purpose for you life and that He is going to do AWESOME things in and through you.

Trin you are loved!!!! Praying that today on your 5 month birthday God grants you the first of MANY miracles to come in your life! I fully believe that you will impact others! LOVE you baby girl!

LOVE- Auntie Kit Kat =)

Uncharted Territory...

Ever take a walk down a road and think... hmmmm this doesn't look familiar? Yeah me too and I HATE it... being LOST is so not my idea of a good time. Although there are some really amazing people I wouldn't mind being lost with because they have the gift of making EVERYTHING more fun. I must confess I'm not SUPER excited about UNCHARTED TERRITORY. I kind of like to know where I'm going... GPS.. YES... I like to know the twists and turns I need to take. Well... life just threw me a HUGE twist and turn on this journey. My entire life (well as long as I can remember) I have had the same BEST FRIEND

and now... she's about toleave on a new adventure. It's uncharted territory for her and I am so EXCITED to see what she does. the opportunities that are before her are just INCREDIBLE. She's one of the greatest and most talented people I have ever met... not perfect but AMAZING none the less. But the selfish part of me is so not ready for the UNCHARTED TERRITORY I'm about to enter into. My whole life (as long as I can remember) no matter what happened or where I was or what I was doing I ALWAYS had my BEST FRIEND by my side. She was always there supporting me, loving me, and encouraging me to go after whatever my heart desired. She's been my rock in some of the toughest of times and I am not sure where I would be without her. She's made me laugh when all I wanted to do was cry. The stories we could tell would both make you shake your head b/c you don't get it and cause you to laugh like never before b/c we're just that insane. The memories we share are irreplaceable. So as my BEST FRIEND prepares to move halfway across the globe my heart is sad because I will miss being able to just pick up the phone or grab starbucksor ice cream with her or watch old home videos or play boulderdash with her and our other AMAZING friends.As I fight back the tears I can't help but think.. but what if something big happens while she's gone, 3 years is a long time my whole WORLD could change. Who will I text about theDUMB things that only she would understand? Who's shoulder will I cry on or who will I laugh endlessly with? I mean I have other friends but... no one knows me like my NICOLE knows me. It's with bitter sweet emotions that I say "goodbye" to my BEST FRIEND. I'm not ok with this whole UNCHARTED TERRITORY but I didfind comfort in the fact that technology has made keeping in touch easier and that I have AMAZING friends like my OSC homies (thanks Matthew, Rachel, Leah and David.... love you guys). My world is about to completely change and enter into this UNCHARTED TERRITORY so before I soak the keyboard I'll end with this.... NICOLE FICARO... I love you I am so proud of you and HONORED to have been your best friend since that day I threw the block at you and then we hugged... the rest is history. I cannot wait to see what the future holds, however if Sunday NEVER came and went I would be ok with that too... gonna miss you while you travel UNCHARTED TERRITORY!!!!

Chuga Chuga Choo Choo....

The alarm went off at 5:15am this morning and as I groaned because 5am of ANY kind on the alarm clock is just absolute insanity in my world. So as I rolled out of bed and prepared for the day I kept thinking about the opportunities that presented themselves this morning. Our team met at the train station in Hicksville to hand out FREE breakfast bars and invite cards to the commuters. We've done this every summer I've been here in NY (this will be the 3rd summer) and each year it reminds me of something AMAZING...

The combination of the people running to the train platform and the trains coming in and going out providing opportunities for people to get where they would like to go sends me in to a thought about God. He's a lot like the train... waiting and providing opportunities to get us where we'd like to go. He carries us there because lets be real commuting from Long Island to NYC is not the easiest on foot, just like navigating through life isn't that easy without HIS help. I find myself to be a lot like the passengers on the train. Coming and going, busy and attempting to stay focused, trying really hard to not be distracted by the other passer-bys or those crazy people handing out invite cards and breakfast bars. The thing I often have to remind myself is that God's timing is not like the trains timing. His timing is perfect! If I miss the "train" I thought I was supposed to be on He's amazing and He's willing to double back and pick me up.

Oh the lessons I learn at wayyyytoo early in the morning! Thankful for the chuga chuga choo choo experience this morning! =)

HORDERS BEWARE

(I probably spelt horders wrong but you all KNOW what I mean!)

Ok all you horders out there... you know who you are... the ones who keep this or that because they may need it some day... or the ones who just let things pile up because you just don't have the time or energy to clean it up and organize it. Yeah you know who you are, you're looking around right now to see if we can see you, no worries we can't... or can we?!?!?!? Wouldn't you LOVE to just get a little more organized? Wouldn't it be nice to actually know where the peeler is rather than having to go buy a new one? Isn't it way better to feel like you could actually find purpose for something solely because you can see it?

A few months ago a friend of mine Rosemary Osso started a new business... Prepared to Organize. She came to visit us at our church office a few weeks ago and began to undertake our filing cabinet, not so sure she knew exactly what she was getting into. She pulled that cabinet apart, and began her organizational madness... the next day though when we had to locate a file... we could actually FIND it!!!!

So HORDERS and unorganized individuals... it's ok... don't worry there is HELP out there! Call Rosemary for a consult and tell her the slightly unorganized crew at the church told you about her business! =)

Just walk....

I received a poem once from my childhood best friend when I went off to college...

"Don't walk behind me, I may not lead. Don't walk in front of me, I may not follow. Just walk beside me, and be my friend." Every time I looked at that poem I smiled, every once in a while there were a few tears when I read it but usually smiles. Why tears... well.. there have been some people in my life who have exemplified that poem who are no longer a part of my life for some reason or another. They were tears of thankfulness for what was and a few tears of sadness for what I missed. The things is though as I look at my life I am quickly realizing.... WOW I am BEYOND blessed! Not too many people have friends that they have known since they were in diapers that they have grown up their entire lives being able to share secrets, hysterical moments, and even some earth shaking moments with each other. I've been given an AMAZING opportunity to have friends that I have known since childhood. We've shared some great moments with each other and I have been so fortunate to have those friends stand by me in the hardest of times. Life is incredible and I am so thankful for amazing friends. I love that my friends (old and new) don't walk behind be but they do trust me to lead if need be.... who don't walk ahead of me although there are some that I would follow because I believe so strongly in them.... but they just simply walk right beside me and they without a doubt are just simply INCREDIBLE friends! Near and far, for years and years and for just a few moments I have been BLESSED beyond measure with some WONDERFUL friends! So thankful!

Silence is Golden.... or is it?

Its been a LONG time since this office has been this quiet.... everyone else was either off or working from a different location today. It's been strange to be here pretty much alone all day, with the exception of our amazing mail man and our accountant who stopped in it's been super quiet.

People say silence is golden, and while I agree because today has been pretty productive and pretty amazing, silence is also provoking. See when there's nothing else going on, you know no noise and no other people around to talk to there is a lot of room for you to have to do some thinking. Now although it's good to get some quiet time to process thoughts and be able to focus on some things it's been one of those days where thoughts have just cluttered my mind. I've never been really big into setting goals or thinking real far into the future because I always figured each day was a gift and we aren't promised tomorrow. Lately I am realizing that even if we don't ever see tomorrow we need to have a goal in mind.

Goal setting however has NEVER been a gift of mine. I've never really said things like... well by the time I'm 30 I'd like to be married and possibly have a kid or 2 in the works or already here. It's just never made sense to me because I figured if it's gonna happen it will and nothing I say or do can change that. But I am starting to realize that not setting goals is selling yourself and God short.... that one burned a little! (Stinkin silence creating time for me to think... lame)

So thank you golden silence as I think and pray and create goals and desires. Lists are being written, things that sounded so dumb to think about even a week ago are being thought of as hopes, dreams and desires. It's a strange step to be taking but... I guess this golden silence has caused me to see a few things a little differently.