Check it out!

A few weeks ago, I had a sweet, dear friend e-mail me to say she really missed my "voice" on my blog. ~sigh~ She is such sweetness! I just love my Juliann! But I got thinking that maybe a few others of you have wondered where I have gone. (Hey, one can hope! STOP LAUGHING!)

After Christmas, I always slow down. Winter for me is like the summer break that most of you enjoy. It's a time when I stop all the running and craziness, and I just SIT DOWN! And by that time in the year, I seriously need it!

But another thing I do after Christmas is get ready for a few weeks of focused time with God. After the first of the year (when my brain is on slow down mode), I spend some specific time in prayer and fasting, seeking God for the things He would have me do in the year to come in every area of my life. It's also my time to get refilled and resharpened for the ministry to which I have been called.

God has shown me so many amazing things this year! I actually sat down the other night and wrote them all out in list form, just because it helps me to get a clearer picture that way, instead of trying to sort through the jumbled up MESS in my head! I seriously couldn't believe all the many things I wrote down on that list. I was floored when I saw all the ways God had worked on my behalf, and when I looked at all the things He has taught me over these last few weeks. But there is one thing specifically that He told me to do that I have been working on, which is why I have been absent for so long.

Most of you who regularly follow my blog know that I have a heart and a passion for children's ministry. Never thought I'd say that, but amazingly enough, God can change even the most stubborn heart! Anyways, now that Brient and I have been doing this for several years now, I just have such a desire to show other small, growing churches how important children's ministry is. The bigger churches "get it", but it seems like many of the smaller churches are stuck in the past where the thinking was that, if the kids are quiet in church, that's all that matters. They aren't old enough to understand the things of God and not important enough to worry with giving them something on their level that they CAN understand. I seriously want to change that!

So one of the things God told me to do to kick-start that effort was to start a new website. Yep! I have a new website!! YAY! I have spent the last several weeks on it, because, quite frankly, Wordpress is nothing like Blogger, so it has taken me a little time to get used to the new format. I seriously like the ease of my blog right here, but I needed something more for the website. So I am working through it, and hoping it all turns out looking good in the end. ANYWAYS.... Go check out my new website called The Children's Pastor. Just remember as you are looking, it is a work in progress. Bear with me. I still have quite a few posts to write and add to the site before it's right. And check back often, because I am pretty sure it will not stay the same. It's not in my nature to keep things the same for too long. (That drives my husband CRAZY!)

And if you are on Facebook, be sure to go "like" my page - The Children's Pastor. You lovely friends here who read my blog have always been so great and supportive. So I have another favor to ask. After you go "like" my Facebook page, would you consider sharing it on your Facebook? And if you know of small churches who are in need of some help, I would greatly appreciate you sending them to our website.

Oh and one more thing. I am also looking for a few small clients who might need a website built. If you know of a person or small business who is in the market for that, please point them my direction.

So that is where I have been. In prayer and fasting, and building a website. I will be back here regularly. I'm certainly not quitting my blog here! But from this point out, I will be putting all my devotionals and children's ministry posts on The Children's Pastor, and all of our homeschooling adventures, my homeschool curriculum reviews, and all things homeschool will be here.

So head on over and go check out the new website. Then jump on Facebook long enough to "like" the page and maybe post it to your wall. And then go send some of your friends our way!