Year in Review:2011 through the Lense

For those of you who KNOW me, you KNOW I LOVE taking pictures--of anything. Anyone.

So on this New Year's Eve, as I ponder all that happened in 2011, I decided to give a small glimpse of 2011 through my lense.

From the top left corner:

-Did some hiking & camping, include the first OverFlo Redneck Camping Trip

-Dove in deep with our College & 20-Somethings Ministry, OverFlo, after transitioning out of Student Ministries in the summer...lots of great Bible study, worship, fellowship, retreats, & just having fun together...a wonderful group to have fun with! (the first one is a regular Tuesday night meeting, then one from our Fall Retreat)

-I ran more in 2011 than I had since high school...so great getting back into it. Ran 4 5K's in 2011 & look forward to challenging myself more in 2012 in this area.

-I continued to take many pictures in 2o11 & the Lord allowed some 'new' areas for me to expand my creativity, as well as a lot of family pictures of some wonderful families near & dear to me.

-Did an impromptu trip to SD to see Mt. Rushmore for the first time & surprise one of "my girls" as she was graduating from college in SD.

-Trip in April to Albuquerque, NM to celebrate our niece's (Vivian) 1st Birthday.

-Another ministry area I grew in & loved was our Worship Ministries, singing on the team nearly every Sunday. (standing with some awesome fellow worship team gals)

-The first 2 weeks of June took us to Brazil with our team from Emmanuel on a mission trip--amazing time!

-A week after returning from Brazil, I had the blessing of serving at SummerX, our Student (7-12 Grade) Summer Camp. This was my 'last' full SummerX as we transitioned out of active Student Ministry...always a fun week!

-Spent several days away in the mountains with the rest of Emmanuel's Pastors & Staff at our annual retreat...such a blessing to be a part of this team!

-2011 wrapped up with some great Taber time at Christmas, as Jim's brother & his wife (Josh & Amber) came up this year with our niece (Vivian)...my mom was also with us to celebrate too.

There is SO MUCH MORE that happened this year that fill in the spaces, like:

Picture above the collage: Jim & I celebrating our 10th Anniversary...I am truly blessed by this man & LOVE spending my life with him & spending my love on him. Not only do I love being a Pastor's Wife, I love being HIS wife. We took a full week off & spent it at a beautiful cabin on Coeurd 'alene Lake. Simply wonderful!

I went into 2011 with a new 'job' at Emmanuel...the 'media' girl. I have grown to really like this part of my job & feel like I learn more on a daily basis & kinda feel like a computer nerd! I love working at Emmanuel full time & believe God has wonderful things in store for us 2012. God has given us 'family' & friends that make our life so much richer. Having both Mom & Dad Taber & my mom close-by is a blessing I don't want to take for granted.

Continued to lead several small group Bible studies through out the year...this year the Lord opened some cool doors with the volleyball players at MSU-Billings & Rocky Mountain College, as well as leading a few studies with the OverFlo girls, & finished off 2011 with a beautiful group of 'Young Wives.' Also got to be a part of a small group of 'Spiritual Coaches' as we learned more on how to encourage the women we counsel & encourage every day.

Our dogs, Kaycee & Hunter, continue to be a source of fun & entertainment for us. Hunter is in his prime for being an all-star bird retriever. Of course Esther the cat is still with us too :)

I could go on & on, but those are the high-lights. There were many wonderful times in 2011, some not-so-great...all in all, I am glad to see 2011 go & look forward to 2012 & all that God has.

I conclude with this quote from Amy Carmichael:

"God bless you & utterly satisfy your heart...with Himself."

1 Corinthians 13-a Christmas Version

I shared this at our Ladies Christmas Party & Ornament Exchange:

If I decorate my house perfectly, with strands of twinkling lights & shiny ornaments, but do not show love, I'm just another decorator.

If I slave away in the kitchen, bake dozens of Christmas cookies, prepare gourmet meals & arrange a beautifully adorned table at mealtime, but do not show love, I'm just another cook.

If I work at MRM, carol at the nursing home, give a lot to charity, but do not show love, it profits me nothing.

If I trim the tree with intricate ornaments, attend a myriad of Christmas programs & holiday parties, & sing in the church choir, but do not focus on Christ, I have missed the point.

Love stops the cooking to hug the child. Love sets aside the decorating to kiss the husband. Love pauses to encourage the friend. Love is kind.

Love doesn't envy another's home that has coordinated everything, or the kinds of presents they get their family.

Love doesn't yell at the kids or dogs to get out of the way, or be critical of those around them, but is thankful they are there to be "in the way."

Love doesn't give only to those who are able to give in return, but rejoices in giving to those who can't.

Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

Love never fails.

Video games & gadgets will break, jewelry will be lost, golf clubs will rust, but giving the gift of love will endure.

Strong or Weak, Healthy or Hurt

I am a runner...I love stories like these. And I love all the verses in the Bible about running, finishing strong, etc. I hope this might encourage you today~

At this state championship cross country race in 2010, Holland Reynolds (16) helped secure her team's champion title. You might think she did this by winning the race, or at least coming in top 5. No...she did it by literally crawling the last 5 meters across the finish line. It's a 3.1 mile course & at the 2.5 mile marker she was in 3rd place, pushing for 2nd out of the 169 runners. Then this team's top runner's legs just started to give out & cramp. Her quad muscles seized & chose to simply not work for this champion runner. She was healthy, but suddenly became weak. But she kept her eyes fiercely on the finish line. Reynolds said she did not remember collapsing but did remember crawling: “All I knew was that I had to cross that line.” Her team won the championship that year. Because, even though she crawled for her 37th place finish, her team would not have won it if she didn't cross that line.

Today, are you one of the strong runners you see finishing strong?

Or are you like Holland Reynolds here, finishing weak?

But even if you are weak, are you still healthy? Do you still have your eyes focused on the prize, the finish line, if you are hurting?

There are days when I feel as if I could sprint across that finish line.

There are others when I feel as if all I can do is crawl to it & fall down exhausted.

But it's crossing it that matters. Not giving up or quitting.