Is it weird that I’m loving the weather today?? It’s hot chocolate weather (I’ve already had 3 cups!!!) and feels like fall! BTW, today is my grandma’s birthday - she’s the cutest person EVER!!! Happy b-day Gro! I’ll bring in a pic of her tomorrow and scan it in so you can see how adorable she is!

Yeah - cheaper gas prices are on the horizon!!!! p.s. I just got a call from John that there’s a gas station in Sugar Land selling gas for $3.68 / gallon. It’s a Chevron at the corner of Hwy 6 and Old Richmond Rd. if ya wanna check it out and fill up!

Can cell phones really cause cancer? Hmmm…

The KSBJ Mission Trip team left today for Tegucigalpa, Honduras…please remember ‘em in your prayers. Here’s a pic of 2 of the gals on the trip - my co-worker Kim Kossie is on the left and Pastor Stoker’s daughter Danielle is on the right:

Tonight you chimed in on mission trips you’ve been on and what ya learned…thanks so much for the calls & e-mails!

Johnna:

Rhonda:

Grace:

Julie (this call about had me in tears) :

Brennan:

Here’s an e-mail I got from Jessica:

God is big! After returning to East Asia for the second time, I am encouraged by local believers, their testimony and their desire to glorify God. The first time I was discouraged because I didn’t see many local believers and wondered why in a city of over two million people there was so much need and it seemed as if God was ignoring that side of the world. This was a shock coming out of the Bible belt where I am surrounded and encouraged by other believers. It definitely is darker in the city I was at, but God is sovereign and working. I was ignorant the first trip and should of never doubted this, because the government in the country I was in suppresses religion and this forces people to be more discreet and not as open. They meet in their homes with a few other believers for church, and witness in one-on-one encounters. Why had I failed to trust His government of the world? It was never about me attempting an impossible task, but God in the process of accomplishing a seemingly impossible task. Going back, God was merciful in giving me the blessing of seeing His work in the city, even though I deserved none of it from my lack of trust in Him. I saw believers in action throughout the city and it was obvious that it was the fruit of local believers before them. A few stories include: Taxi drivers who spoke no English sang praise songs written in their own tongue, a student in the university I was at grew up a Christian because God had moved in His village working miracles and showing the villagers the reality of Himself, and a vendor (former Buddhist) outside of the Buddhist temple was selling crosses among others selling Buddha statues and invited my friends to visit the local church after giving them tracks. God is working all over the world, and is inviting all to join and go where He can be most glorified through them at that time, whether short term or long term. He tells us to go, and if you look through the Old and New Testament, His desire is to be praised among the nations.

Do you ever feel like your paycheck’s gone and you don’t even know where all the $$ went?? Check out a couple little things you may be doing that add up quickly. p.s. With the money you save, think about sponsoring a little child in Honduras. It’ll be life changing for them and for u2! Click here for more details.

Thanks so much for your donations during our Shoe Drive for Orphan’s Souls…you gave 3,174 pairs of socks and shoes!! Good job! All of them are going straight to Honduras tomorrow when the KSBJ Mission Trip team heads out bright and early. Thanks again!

I’m seriously considering sponsoring a kiddo from Honduras through our partnership w/ Mission of Mercy. I’ve been wanting to help out an underprivileged child for a while and here’s my chance. I saw Sayda S. Mendez Acosta on the Mission of Mercy website and think she’s adorable, so I’m leaning towards her. You can get involved and sponsor a child too - it’s about $30 a month and it’ll go towards food, clothes, education, health care and more. Here’s the link for additional info. p.s. Here’s a pic of little Sayda:

Do you ever start munching even when you’re not hungry? I do - all the time! Try these out to beat your next snack attack and lemme know if they work out for ya.  Also try brushing your teeth/flossing/Scoping…it always works for me b/c after doing all of that, I’m too lazy to eat and then have to do my teeth cleaning ritual again!

I went to the YMCA today and signed up for a membership…I’m so excited! They’ve got lots of classes plus a huge pool! I hear Pilates is really fun so I may look into that…I’m on a fitness kick right now and can’t wait to get going!

My weekend was jam-packed! Saturday morning I had marathon training, thenlater that afternoon I had a live broadcast at Master’s Vessel Ministries Church in Sugar Land for their church dedication. Everyone was SOOOO nice! A lot of the members came here from Nigeria and I felt a really strong sense of community. I even got to try some Nigerian food!

Sunday morning I played in the church orchestra and later went out to lunch w/ people from my Sunday School class. I found a class I really, really like, which I’m excited about! Plus the teacher is from MO (Missouri) so you know he’s cool! After that my friend Deborah and I hit up Nordstrom - they’re having a big sale. I also went to town cleaning my apartment. If everything isn’t spic and span by Monday I just don’t feel like I’m ready to start the week, ya know? Today I made banana/blueberry pancakes - they were yummy! Kinda doughy though…I need to work on my pancake making skills b/f I make them for anyone else! Hope you had a good weekend whatever you did too!

In case you missed it, I gave some good confidence-boosting verses earlier…Genesis 1:27 and Hebrews 4:16. We’re created in God’s image, which is amazing and means we’ve automatically got a lot going for us (that’s the Genesis verse). And in Hebrews it talks about praying with confidence b/c God will hear us and answer us. I pray all the time for confidence in things and God always answers. I think He’s placed us where we are for a reason, be it a job, or in school, or in a position of leadership, and He wants us to be confident in knowing He’s put us there and will guide us. So read and pray away

This week has gone by in slo-mo! I’m excited for the weekend - I’ve got marathon training bright and early tomorrow morning, then I’m going to make banana pancakes! I’m so not the Bette Crocker type but my dad used to make them for me when I was younger and I’ve been craving them lately. I hope they turn out decent! Tomorrow afternoon I’ll be at the Master’s Vessel Church dedication (19119 Belknap Rd / Sugar Land, TX 77478) from 2 till 4 so stop by and say hey! They just built a new church in Sugar Land so we’ll be checking it out. If you have any questions or need help finding it call (281-564-3332).

Pastor Jerry Martin from Light of the World Christian Fellowship was my guest tonight for the Friday Fuel-Up:

11 Starbucks in the area will be closing soon - see if it’s one near you.

***Keep your skin looking gorg this summer w/ these tips…

At 9:20 we’ll play another round of KSBJ Family Feud - I’ll pick 2 contestants to play and if you win, you get 4 reserved seats to see Mercy Me / Natalie Grant plus you’re qualified for a VIP meet and greet!!  If you’re selected to play but don’t win, I’ll grant ya mercy and give ya 4 lawn tickets…get ready!

If you’re child needs to get vaccinated so he/she is ready to start school next month, take advantage of free immunizations going on the rest of the month.

This just in - tomatoes are safe to eat again!!  I really missed them the last time I got a veggie sub at Subway, so hopefully they’ll be back ASAP!

I’ve got more Mercy Me tickets for ya tonight! Listen at 9:20 for your chance to play Family Feud…if you’re the winning contestant you’ll pick up 4 reserved seats to the the big show on August 1st. AND you’re automatically qualified for a VIP meet and greet with Mercy Me and Natalie Grant, a limo ride to the show with Addison Road, a meal and after-show coffee with the Afters! If you’re selected to play Family Feud but don’t win, we’ll Grant ya Mercy and give ya 4 lawn tickets to the concert, so it’s a win-win situ!

My co-worker Nikki Sparks was on the show tonight.  She’s going on the KSBJ Mission Trip to Honduras next week so I got the lowdown on what she’s thinking (since this will be her first mission trip EVER!) plus asked what we can be praying for her about:

 I was on the phone with my mom today and told her I’m shopping for a plane ticket b/c I wanna go visit KC in a few months. She told me I should wait to buy the ticket until early next week b/c the fares will be cheaper. I did a little research and found out she’s right!! Check out some other ways you can save $$$ when ya book your next flight right here.  p.s. Shout-out to Debbie who called in tonight and confirmed the tips - she’s worked for Southwest Airlines for 22 years so she should know!

I’m so happy for Josh Hamilton - he was amazing last night in the Home Run Derby!  He’s been through a lot (drug abuse, for starters) and to see where is now and how God has used him is really great. I posted this video a few weeks ago and it made me tear up - it’s a must watch (bust out the Kleenex!)!! Josh talks about what he’s been through and how it’s all been part of God’s plan.  It’s so neat to see he’s living out his dream of being an All-Star and sharing his faith!!

Coffee is the new miracle drink…seriously!!  Over the last few weeks I’ve read it’s supposed to lower your chance of getting heart disease & sharpen your memory (especially if you’re a gal).  Now they say it’s a good post-workout boost and is supposed to help you feel better more quickly.  Any chance jamoca ice cream counts???!

Hope ya had a nice weekend! Mine was kinda busy - running on Saturday AM, then a KSBJ Softball game in the afternoon, church on Sunday then I went to a jewelry party. I also got to catch up w/ my friend Hanna on the phone which was fun (she’s in KC and I miss her!).

OK, I know this picture of the eye is kinda freaky, but the video is good, plus it’s short!! Watch it and learn how to better protect your eyes from the sun!

I’m soooo ready for the weekend! Having a 3 day 4th of July weekend put me in vacation mode, so it’s been hard to actually have to work this week! I had the best day today - I went to lunch w/ my friend Deborah @ Panera (yum yum!) then caught up w/ my friend Jenny on the phone. I have the best friends! Liz Jordan’s on my bad side, though - she brought in a huge box of cookies today and I can’t quit eating them! I’ve been running and trying to eat healthy and she’s ruining all my hard work!

Hey - if you’re wanting to donate new socks and shoes for our shoe drive you still have time! We’re collecting NEW kid and teen-sized socks and shoes up through Sunday…you can take ‘em to a KSBJ Drop-Off at any area Payless Shoe Source and they’ll go directly to orphans in Honduras. Thanks for your help! Oh, and remember to join our Missions Prayer Team - you’ll be praying for some great things AND you could win a year of shoes from Payless!!

Pastor Gregg Matte from Houston’s First Baptist Church was on tonight for the Friday Fuel-Up - take a listen in case ya missed it:

Who knew drinking coffee could make you smarter?? It can, especially if you’re a gal, so here’s an excuse to take your mom or g-ma out to Starbucks this weekend!! Here’s the article…

I was on ABC 13’s “City View” last Sunday talking about KSBJ’s upcoming involvement w/ the YMCA’s Operation Backpack. This link will work through Sunday if you’d like to check it out!