Tag Archives: lscc

OCC Packing Day

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It’s that time of year again! OCC packing time!

My church (Living Stones Christian Church) hosts an annual Operation Christmas Child packing day. The church provides the sanitary/school items, and we supply the toys.

So what’s OCC? It’s a program by Samaritan’s Purse that encourages people to pack shoeboxes filled with items for children. These boxes are sent all over the world during the holiday season to provide a way to share the Good News of Jesus. It’s a simple thing we can do as follows for the greater purpose of God.

To personalize the box, we write little postcards to our kids that are receiving the box. We also added a group picture of the church. But the most important part of packing these boxes, praying for the kids receiving this gift. Though this is a physical gift, pray that the kids receive an eternal gift from God.

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My boxes were for little gifts 5-7. MG made boxes for boys.

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We made three boxes each among me and MG.

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^^^ oh, hai!

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A total count of 222 boxes from our church!

My heart fills with joy when I look around the room and find that so many people are packing boxes, together as a congregation. It’s just so cool that such a small gesture from us can be part of a bigger story.

Have you participated in OCC before? If so, what kinds of things do you pack? And isn’t toy shopping so fun even as an adult?

In Him,
Jay

Saturday Fun and Sunday Relaxation

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Saturday started out with morning brunch with my main squeeze so I knew it would be a good day!

He’s been traveling a lot for work. When that happens we try to schedule some day dates on the weekends to catch up. He surprised me by taking me out to Oakland for some Chop Bar. The food is a mixture of  new American and Mexican. Brunch was okay, but I want to try it for dinner!

We did a bit of home decor shopping and then went home to get ready for a boat party (yup, another one. Previous yacht party post here)! I know, I’m so fancy! Just kidding.

My church celebrated their 10 year anniversary this past weekend on a boat! It was a good time chatting up with friends and eating a nice BBQ dinner. Plus, the view of the city always makes my heart skip a beat.

City

Sailing

Main Squeeze

As if sailing wasn’t enough, we went out clubbing afterwards. When in Rome, San Francisco… does that work here? I can’t go back to normal clubbing now that I’ve experienced VIP bottle service. We had to do it the right way! Which means, bottle service yet again!

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This picture only means one thing; 2 bottles means a great night for this photographer! Yeah right. Do you even know MG? It was just too dark. Hahaha!

In the end we finally got a good pic. Except two of my girls are missing… because they are “resting” on the couch. Thehehe

Cosmo

All that meant Sunday was a day for church, napping, and hosting dinner for our friends. Excuse our mess! I just can’t keep the house clean.

On the left you have the girly girls painting nails and the crazy boys tickling each other. On the right you have Pastor Josh playing guitar with an audience.

Sunday

It was the perfect end to my weekend.

What did you do this weekend?
Jay

From Roots to Fruits

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Personal Devos

From Friday evening up until Sunday afternoon, I was at my church’s annual retreat (I attend Living Stones Christian Church). This year the theme was “From Roots to Fruits,” and it was primarily about Evangelism. The last few retreats that I’ve been to weren’t that memorable for me. The retreat sites were nice, but other than that I didn’t get much more out of it. I prepared my heart and my mind the week leading up to this year’s retreat, trying to be positive and focus on the subject of evangelism. And I truly believe that your mindset has everything to do with how much you learn because this year, the messages resonated with me.

My key takeaway was how I could share my own personal good news to people around me. Maybe you’re wondering, “what does that mean?”

It means that I’ve truly come to accept Jesus as my Savior. I know this is true because when I struggle with life’s challenges and I put pressure on myself to perform my best, it becomes unbearable and too much for me to manage. I could never climb out of this pit that I put myself in. The day I asked God to take rein of my life was the day where my burdens were lifted, and I no longer had to climb a neverending ladder myself. I have someone who loves me so much that I could rely on Him to watch over me and guide me down life’s journey.

Worship

Do you have times where you feel like life is too hard? What is your savior in moments of vulnerability?

It’s a heavy thought, one that requires you to really look into your past. But I encourage you to dig deep to find answers because it truly has some implications on what you define as the meaning to life.

Here are some pictures from this retreat at Camp Koinonia.

KoinoniaCampground view – surrounded by beautiful redwoods. No phone reception & limited wifi means a perfect weekend.

Practice
Worship practice

Girls NightAnnual spa night with the girls – face masks and nail painting sessions, not to mention unfiltered conversations! Next time I need to bring a tip jar for all the nails I painted (10+ girls!). Heh!

Sliding
Sliding down the huge slide with a burlap bag. I bruised my butt, ouch!

R2F 2013
These weirdos… (xoxo)

Love!I love my KP and creepy Leo

Hot Pants
Hot pants reunion!

Union City Small GroupSome of the members of my small group. I love these people.

What did you do this weekend?
Jay