What a Great Night

What a great night at Elevate. It was awesome to see so many kids out on a regular Wednesday night. It blesses us as pastors when our teens run up and introduce you to there friends. How cool is that? Not only are they inviting them out to Elevate but they are introducing them to there pastors.

I don't know about you but that itself is a miracle. Like parting the Red Sea miracle. Teens are not in the habit of hanging out places that are not kosher. So to our staff and to our Volunteers, Great Job guys.

You are making it happen. It is not because of what we do but what you do every week. Thank you for the countless hours and thank you for working so hard at creating a great place for our teens to hang out and bring their friends to. I can honestly say it is a privilege and a honor to serve along your side.

We are so excited about the future and know God has a awesome plan for us. Hang on guys we are about to blow the roof off. We are going to shake and flip this town upside down and all around for Jesus. This is only the beginning a tip or a small insight to what God is about to do.

Well done

Just wanted to give my husband the best dad and pastor in the universe a shout out.

Honey your the best..... Your a great husband, a great dad, and a wonderful example to our teens everyday. We know how hard you work and the price we pay daily and we love you. I know you often work hard and at times feel unappreciated but we want you to know we think your awesome.

Jay everyday you give 100 percent and you lead with great character. You are a true measure of a man. Shelby still thinks of you as her hero and is never embarrassed to be seen with her stylish dad. Your still Micaiah's wrestling and math partner. Mckenzie still thinks her daddy is Superman and I still think your the sexiest man alive. On top of that you run a top notch ministry on your spare time.(what spare time)lol

As you go into this weekend know that we love you and we stand with great pride by your side. You are one of the most innovative and creative Pastors we know. Thanks for setting a great example for our girls and for setting the pace for our teens.

We love you.... Well done

Showing Gratitude

As a pastor's wife we always strive to make our team and volunteers feel appreciated. Just thought I would share those with you. I know how it feels to work really hard towards a goal or be on a team and not feel validated. It strips your team of unity and it robs them of a sense of accomplishment. So here are a few ways to avoid the pitfall of taking your team for granted or causing dissidence among the ranks.

1. Always always say thank you no matter how small the deed say thank you.

2. Show your gratitude with a card or random gift or a just because gift.

3. Be proactive in all things instead of reactive.

4. Be available to your team. Don't live on island no one can reach.

5. Plan team building events that all can participate in. Try to keep finances and family time in mind because these things often add stress. Example. Don't plan events that cause money and make them mandatory keep family budgets in mind not every one might be able to afford this. When planning a team building event keep the whole family in mind you want to create fun not add stress to the family.

6. Never never discuss a staff issue with a church member. Actually don't ever discuss staff issues with anyone other than the staff member. Remember the Matthew principal it works.

7. Treat all your team with respect. Always remember respect is earned don't take it for granted.

8. Be a team player. Always lead by example. Your team is watching or waiting for you to set the pace.

9. Be loving and kind that will get you a long way. No one likes a dictator.

10. Once again thank you goes a long way. Your team needs to hear your affirmation. They need to know you appreciate them and what they do is valuable to your team. After all you can't achieve true success without your team no man can be a team alone it takes others buying into your vision and helping you fulfill the vision for the church.

That's my ten quick steps to showing gratitude. I know I value my team they are the best group of young people I have ever worked with. We love them and appreciate all they do but most of all we value them as people.

It is important for those around us to know we love them and respect them. Jay and I try to lead by example and earn respect. We take nothing for granted and work hard and validating what they do. I guarantee you affirmation goes a long way. I personally never want to lead as a dictator or want my staff to lead with blind submission. I want to hear their thoughts and their ideas and allow them to develop them and grow them. We are here to serve Christ and serve the needs of the church not have the church serve our needs.

Remember it's only my opinion...

Happy Anniversary

I can't believe it has been a whole year. That's right one whole year. It has been exactly one year since we moved to Corpus to pastor what I consider the best group of teens in the area. I can hardly believe that much time has passed since we left Victoria.

To be honest when we left Victoria my girls and I were not looking forward to the move. It was especially hard on my oldest daughter because she had worked hard on building her reputation there. She was a great academic student and a great athlete with many great friends that she loved and they loved her back. Myself, I absolutely loved the school I worked at and I loved the teens I got to work with every day. It was my ideal job. I got to do the things I loved best everyday. Coaching great kids and teaching great kids so leaving was exceptional hard.

I never imagined that in less than a year everything would be ok. My girls have adjusted well and things get better each day. I still miss home and a piece of my heart will forever be with those kids but the kids here have a home in my heart as well. God gives us a huge capacity to love and if we allow Him to he can fill it with much love.

So after our first year we are happy to be here, loving ministry, and getting to know our new family. Life is good and we are grateful for the opportunity to be at a great church. We have seen great growth in a year and have build a great team around us. Alone we can achieve nothing but with help the possibilities are endless. The first year was about building a core team. It was about a worship team, leadership team, follow-up teams, greeters, and of course the teens. After all everything is about them. We have seen the ministry double in the first year and now are looking to doubling again. The goal was not set by us it was set my our team and young people. They want to see the ministry explode and they work hard at inviting their friends every week. How can you not love them?

I can't wait for the next year and the next.

My Confession

If you haven't already guessed I'll let you in on my confession. I know nothing about computers. I mean zip absolutely nothing. It has been in recent months that I started to learn a little something about them.

For years I have worked in an office as a administrative assistant and used word, excel, and other programs. The thought of web, Internet, My-space, or blogging was a foreign concept to me.

Here's the truth I did not set up my blogger account. There I said it. My sweet loving husband set up the whole thing. I myself don't really like to put myself out there. I don't like being under a microscope and having my thoughts put out there for the world to judge. I know it sounds rough but it's the truth. I am very cautious of what I put out there not out of fear but simply from past experience. I have never had a problem speaking my mind what I have a problem with is people using it against me.

I know in general people mean well but there is always that one person who feels they are called to be the town crier or the church crier. Every church has one no one will admit it but we do. We had Mike Rowan in our church a few weeks ago and I loved that guy. He did a sermon called Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs the dwarfs were the characteristics of the church body. Wow that was funny but he said everything every pastor wants to say but can't. God bless those Evangelists.

So why I am doing this. Because I love my husband and he wants me to and mainly because I don't like being censored. It's kind of like the flea in a jar thing or coloring outside the lines. I never liked staying in those lines much and I never liked being in a box.

Bet You Didn't Know...

I Bet you didn't know that .....

I married the man of my dreams. (Don't tell him I said that)

I LOVE Chocolate.

I LOVE a comfy pair of pj's (they are highly underrated)

I have a wicked sense of humor.

I am a total klutz. (What a shocker)

I cry at almost every movie.

I am a total sap for a love story.

I am a reality show junkie. (Sorry)

My favorite sport in the world is shopping. My friends all know that.

If I were rich I would give my money all away. That would go to orphanages and other children's programs.

I would love to adopt lots of babies. They need someone to love them and I need someone to love.

I would love to end racial hatred. Ignorance is not knowing which breeds fear.

I am a country girl at heart. (Shhhhh most people think I'm a city girl.)

I thinks pigs are beautiful. (Really)

I LOVE the snow and cold weather. (Funny because I live in Texas.)

But seriously most of all I am love with serving Christ and I have no regrets.

Just thought you should know.

What Really Matters?

Why is it that people place value on the silliest of things? Where you work? What you drive? Where you live? Like all of these components together are a automatic pass to success and happiness.

It seems like we focus so much of our energy on these things.

It seems like wasted energy. I recently have been bombarded with Anna Nicole information even though I was NOT really interested. It was a tragic incident but none the less there are far more tragic things in the world besides what happened to her? I was frustrated that so many things are wrong in the world and the media chose that event to focus on. I guess it was a reprieve from their bashing of George Bush campaign.

We waste so much of our energy on things that are not eternal that if we focused on the things God has called us to we would make a difference in the lives of those around us. Don't get me wrong success is great and money is great and many times I have found myself wanting to do more but was limited by my budget. What I didn't do though is do nothing because I had nothing to give. I realized I had something. I had time and ideas. I had energy that could be donated to projects that were important to the church.

We have known for years that the Laborers were few. We do not need a prophet or visions to tell us. What we need is ready willing workers who will come along side their pastors and put aside their agendas for the betterment of God's Kingdom.

My daughter for being young has great insight. Her heart aches for the lost children of Darfur. She often says mom the media bashes our President and they cry foul over a war. The war is tragic and it affects all daily. But those men fight for our civil liberties everyday and some give there lives for it and we are saddened by it. But you cannot say that the media has chosen to have a bias focus on that.

The reality is that men are dieing but more children are dieing every day in Africa from aids and starvation. Genocide has been occurring for years and yet we barely hear anything about that. Thousands and thousands of children die everyday and I have yet to see one reporter cover their funeral. Where are the cameras on there deaths and all the tragic events they are enduring everyday while you waste money covering events that don't even measure up in the grand scheme of eternity? If they took the money that they put into cameras, and stories, and traveling for their crews it could feed those children for months maybe even a year. I know their jobs are necessary but their lop sided reporting really gets my goat.

Well you say thats fine and great but I don't live in Africa. Ok than. In our country more children die everyday than men have died in the Iraqi war since it started. They die at the hands of their own abusive parents every year. They die in our cities and in our streets at the hands of violent criminals. Where is the cry of injustice from our Media on those social issues.

If we each decided to make a difference in the lives of those around us I believe we could change the world. Recently I read a story from a family in North Carolina who had a children's African choir at their church. The women spoke on how God told her two of those boys were hers. I remember because she didn't want to hear God at first but knew she had to. Her obedience and her actions resulted in over 30 children being adopted from a orphanage in Africa. Well you might say I can't do that.

Maybe you can't but can you answer a phone, can you make copies, bake goodies, clean restrooms, volunteer to serve your pastor, or better yet volunteer at a ministry. All of those things cost next to nothing and many are free. But yet our people act as if we are asking for their cars or homes. (God can do that too by the way) Is it that much to ask for?

We are given so much and yet we give our energy and our time to things that don't mean much. I do it too. Our kids play sports and we are busy. My husband runs a ministry and that takes time and there are other things. But if we gave God half the energy we give the world we would have to build more churches to fit all the people whose lives would be touched. Your actions can make a difference. What will you do? Will you get in the game of life or will you sit idle and watch the world set the tone? It won't only affect others but will affect your little piece of the world too. Get involved. I bet if you talked with your Pastor you would find out he has so much vision for the city and how to make a impact but simply needs help. I know because as Pastors there is so much we want to do to make our city better, the lives of those we love better, and our schools, oh our schools how they need us. But, we can't do it alone. We are trying but we simply need you to get involved. Don't wait till tomorrow do it today.....

What are the odds?

Yesterday was just another ordinary day in the Curlee household. When you have three daughters, a dog, a cat, oh and husband who sometimes needs more help than the kids finding something, what else could it be?

My oldest daughter has a birthday tomorrow which led us to a trip into the city. I am in deep denial that my baby girl is growing up. She is a beautiful young lady but that is not what makes her who she is. As beautiful as she is on the outside the inside is even more so.

Many people told me wait 'til she's a teenager, she will change. Well, they were wrong. Don't you just love those people. She still is that sweet little girl she always was but better. She has a clear vision of her life and where she sees herself but best of all boy does she love GOD. She really loves Him not because her parents want her to but because she wants to. This year she went to public school for the first time and we were a little worried. We always told her don't let school change who you are but you change it. She took our words to heart and got to work. Being an athlete she had a platform and she used it. She plays volleyball all year so when the season started she began inviting the people around her to our youth meetings. By the time the season ended she had more than half the team at youth and more than that half saved. She wasn't finished there though. She got involved in FCA and started making a difference there. They are 150 strong and still growing.

So can you tell we are proud of her. Why the story? Well God can do just about anything when you believe He can. We always told her she was different. That she was set apart. We have prayed for all children every night since their birth. We have blessed them and taught them the God has great plans for them. We have prayed His favor and blessing on their lives not really knowing when that would happen but just doing it by faith. It has become such a ritual at our house that every night no matter where we are we stop for those moments with them before we kiss them goodnight. At times it is hard especially when your tired and you just want to go to bed. That is when they come in and pray for me and tuck me in. Isn't God great?

My daughter, last night, left her purse at a restaurant and did not realize it until we were home. I called the restaurant and asked if someone had turned it in not really expecting it. (shame on me) I was informed by the manager that no one had but I left my number just by chance that someone would. It is then that I began to pray and ask God to give her favor to return her purse back. You see it was more than a purse to her. She has always been a good steward she works babysitting and helps out at our coffee shop at church and saves her money. Last year she wanted a Dooney Burke for her birthday. As much as we love her, that is simply an item not on our Pastors budget. I encouraged her to save her money and when she got close we would visit that again. Well she did just that she saved and saved any money she could: birthday money, job money, or babysitting money. Giving God of course what was his first. She reached her goal with great pride and I took her to purchase her great possession. I remembered all this as I was praying for her. Not so much for the return but more for the comforting words I needed to speak to her if it was gone. Inside her purse was her cell phone, her I-Pod, and her birthday money she had received from her grandparents and uncle.

Well we took a chance and dialed her phone once again not expecting an answer. What faith we displayed? But on the insistence of her younger sister we called anyway. The first time no one answered, the second time went to voice mail, then a answer. We asked the gentlemen if he had the purse and he said he did. We set up a meeting all still wondering why he took the purse from the restaurant then answered the phone when we called. I was a little worried about the meeting so I went with my husband not that I could have helped but it made me feel better. We arrived in the city and called him. We arrived at the meeting place and waited. It took him a while and to be honest I was loosing faith quickly not that it was big to begin with.

Well praise God he showed up! He really showed up. He did not say much except to hand the purse and leave. We did get his name but not many answers on why? It all seemed really strange but everything was there. All of it the phone, i-pod, the money all of it. How awesome is God? The odds of that happening are really slim. I don't know why he took it or why he returned it but I'm glad he did. It shows me that their are still some good people in this world. It also showed me of how a simply ritual at bedtime every night can make such a huge difference in my children's life as well as teach us parents to not be so cynical. Where was my faith?

Thanks girls for reminding me and for insisting to not let me go to bed without blessing my babies. I love you and I'm continually learning from you each day.

To the gentlemen out there, "Bless you too sir". I pray that God blesses you and gives you favor as well.

Reaching Out To Exhaustion

What a week we have had......

We had our regular youth meeting last night. It was a great night! It is amazing to see young people coming and inviting their friends to church. Yeah, how awesome is that...they are inviting their friends to church. You know that says something. Young people are not known to invite their friends anywhere they don't think is cool or good. They have a selectivity that is not always easy to figure out.

Why do you think merchandisers target that age group? They understand their buying power. It is understandable why their endorsement means so much. For years companies like Coke, Gatorade, and McDonald's have all known something the church has failed to know. We as a church need to launch an all out assault on the enemy and turn our focus on reaching this unique generation.

I don't know about you guys but I feel exhilerated every Wednesday and can't wait till the next one. I want to be on a winning team, one that is making a difference in the lives of those we love. I know I love our kids. Is it perfect? No, of course not, but it's pretty close. Stay tune for more because I believe we are about to blow the roof off.

Every week we continue to grow and every week new faces are walking into our building all seeking the same thing. They are seeking a God encounter and I am glad that we are able to be a part of that.

one life at a time

I thought since I never really told you who I was I should maybe give you a little background on who I am.

As I have told you before, I am married to Pastor Jay as our kids know him, to me he is simply Jay. We have been married for 15 years and in the ministry 12 of those 15. I must admit that it is never a dull moment and life creates many adventures we have been on. We have three beautiful daughters representing every age group. We have a teenager, a tweener, and a pre-schooler. We also have a dog named Lilly and a cat named Allie all girls by the way pray for my husband. All which keep us very busy, young, and exhausted all at the same time.

I am a stay at home mom for the first time in my life. It was a challenge to adjust to suddenly being home and being mom 24/7. I had coached girls volleyball for the past 10 years and I absolutely love the game. I truly miss the sport and the excitement that went with it.

Just so you know God does have a sense of humor. When we were called to the ministry I really hated traveling and my biggest fear in life is still public speaking. (ha!Ha!) Goes to show that God can use anyone.

Life at the Curlee home resembles a three ring circus. My daughters are into invading my space or don't touch my things and many other ordeals that only could traumatize a teenage. I have come to think my name is MOOOOOOMMMMMMM...... I should buy a black and white stripped shirt and wear it everyday so that at least I'm dressed to be their referee.

But really I have a three wonderful daughters who are each unique and wonderfully made. I can honestly say they are good girls who we love dearly. Jay and I have a great relationship after 16 years of marriage and dating he is still the love of my life. Yes, he still makes my knees weak..... enough said.

We have a unique partnership in life as well as in ministry. We have always gone into things together and I think we are a great team. Don't get me wrong ministry was not my first choice and I have grown to love it. I wanted cooperate America with a suburban life with no worries. I have many times felt like what I got was ministry with disappointments and many hurts inflicted by the same people we minister to. I won't lie that many times I thought I was angry but realized I was deeply wounded and disillusioned with ministry. It was mostly my fault, somehow I thought people would just know the sacrifice or the price that we were paying as a family. You see ministry is not a get rich job many churches across America are small churches with small budgets and they do the best they can. We have been at all spectrum's of ministry big and small and love both. But it did come at a price.

I say all this only to say that through everything the low and the highs we have stayed together we have loved each other and never stop believing in each other. It did cause stress at times but it ultimately lead us to cross where we found strength to continue.

So, here we are better and stronger making a difference one life at a time.

My March Madness

What a weekend we had.

Have you ever had one of those jam packed weekends where every single minute has to go as planned?

Well, that happened to me this weekend. I was the victim of daylight savings time once again. My youngest daughter was a flower girl in one of our leaders wedding this weekend and she was a total princess in her dress.

Now here is the madness that it took to get her there. She had to be at the hairdresser by 10:30 a.m. to have her hair done. When I left my house, I left at 10:30 but should have gotten suspicious when she sat on the chair forever and I could not believe it was only 11:30. I thought to myself that I had enough time to take my oldest daughter to buy a pair of shoes she wanted for the wedding (p.s. she had already bought a pair she did not like once got home.)

Life with a teenager is always an adventure that story will come at a later date.

Next, my middle daughter calls and asks if she can get dressed and informs me that it is 1:00 already. I thought she was over anxious and I had more time so I checked my cell phone and realized it had not been changed to daylight savings time. (I blame my husband for that one)

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO.

I rush home because my youngest has to get dressed and I have to be at the church by 1:30, not funny. It was the fastest change job I have ever preformed. It was like watching a t.v. show on fast forward. That must be what Clark Kent felt like when he was changing into Superman. My poor cat sat and watched in complete confusion wondering why things were so chaotic. You would have to know me to understand my compulsion to never leave home without everything in it's place. Needless to say that did not happen that day. Nothing like a time crunch to cure a little O.C.D.

Well, we did make it to the wedding and it was perfection. It is always beautiful to watch a young couple come together who did it right. Their choice to wait till marriage was encouraging to us as Pastors. It shows us that there is still hope for a generation that most have labeled as lost or to far gone. I witnessed two amazing young people come together this weekend who set a great example to those who witnessed their union. All had a good cry and many ooh's and aahs.

Not sure if it was the wedding or just pure exhaustion.

On the Flip Side

It has been a while since my last post to be exact last October. Where does the time fly? If you don't know me I am Robbie Curlee pastor Jay's wife. If you really don't know me I am the out spoken part of the duo. I know I know it is hard to believe that I can be more outspoken than my husband but I am. I am known to speak my mind a time or two, so I must proceed by saying that anything I do or say is simply my opinion alone and not one that is representative of my husband or the great church he pastor's out of.

I have taken some time to reflect and think about the direction I wanted to go with my post. Actually I took 6 months to think about this and found I wanted to do the flip side. A flip side is a wife's prospective . If you are a pastors wife or a wife of someone who is in the ministry you will appreciate the sentiment. So, here we go......

How many of you have been in church greeting at the door with your best dress on and your best smile shaking hands and welcoming people only to be asked who are you? Not only asking who are you but when you tell them they respond by saying OH!!!!!!! your only the youth pastor's wife like that doesn't really count. You all know what I mean you hear the tone in the OHHHH then you get the look. This is where I smile politely but what I really want to say is WHAT..... My mind says do you have any idea how many hours we spend or the amount of work that goes into our week. Many times we work more hours or just as many as our Senior Pastors do. That is not to say that we think we are better b/c we love and appreciate our Pastor and everything that goes into what he does. We have a great Pastor with great vision and we know we are here to help build the vision he has for the church. But come on people have a little respect for what we do and if your not sure then volunteer some time at a youth event or a service then comment on you're only the youth pastors.

Now don't get me wrong I am not angry I am amused by some of the great comments made by the great people we lead. You know that you know that at some time in your ministry someone said something that made you want to use every Kung-Fu move that you know. Be honest you can't be in ministry and have never been there. If you deny it your not being entirely honest. Ok not that you would really use the moves because it's not really scriptural or political correct although you have to admit it would make a hysterical headline. Can you see it now? Pastor's wife goes Rambo on church member...just kidding really I am.

So, just so you know we are not just Youth Pastors we are Pastors. We work really hard, we have the same passion for souls, we love Christ with all our hearts, we love your teens and we want to be more than JUST a youth pastor to you......... The next time you run into your youth pastor or his wife thank them, love on them and let them know they are appreciated. Remember their dedication is no less then any other servant of Christ.

Sleep

It is that dreaded time again day light saving time. Who ever invented this? What were they thinking? Just as you get use to a schedule and all is well. The children are sleeping when they are suppose to, the dog is sleeping when it's suppose to and finally you can sleep when you are suppose. Then it happens, time to change the time.

I am convinced that the mad man behind this theory was in fact a man one with no children or one that was not engaged with his children. No mom would have done this to another mom.(LOL) We all understand the rare precious commodity that sleep is. Just kidding although it is evident that I value sleep. This spoken from a truly deprived mom with no sleep or I should say the ranting and raving of a deprived mom with no sleep. Which ever it may be I need sleep.......

So of to the land of counting sheep or what ever I need to count to get sleep.

Be blessed and sleep tight...

What Ever Happened

What ever happened to the day when you could write a letter and that was enough? I miss the good old days when a stamp and envelop was necessary to communicate. As I enter into the world of the unknown I am attempting to sort out e-mails, my space, battle cry sites, and blogs. Who ever thought of the word blog? What is a blog and most important of all how do you do it? It sounds like such a strong word BLOG........ Oh yeah is it even ok to say the word blog?

If you haven't guessed yet I am seriously rebelling against the computer era or whatever it's called. As a mom, a career person, and of course a pastors wife I am asking myself where do you find the time? How do I manage my walk with Christ, my husband (if yours is anything like mine I am praying for you) LOL, and a family? I know I am not the only one with this scenario many of us are juggling many things. I wish I would have gone to college to get a degree in multitasking, circus training or better yet lion taming because sometimes we all feel like we joined the circus.

I guess you could say we are all human and maybe it's best to just laugh out loud, laugh at yourself or just plain laugh at a situation, after all God is in control.