A funny, not-so-funny thing happened to me this week. (You know how I love to tell you my personal stories!)

I had a very busy week ahead of me, so I had a mental "to-do" list of what needed to be accomplished each day in order to stay on track. On Tuesday, I had various stacks of papers, binders, and folders on my desk. I was determined ...

Thank you.

Thank you for your commitment to the Trunk or Treat outreach event. There were many moving parts and for that, we are grateful that you stayed to help:

Our prayer warriors who covered us in prayer, made themselves available to pray with individuals and to receive handwritten prayer requests. Those requests have been pinned ...

I hate to admit it, but I've become a wimpy Californian! I asked Gwyn if I could turn the heating on the other night! That's pretty sad. When I was a college student in Fort Collins, CO, I used to go to school in shorts, wooly socks, Birkenstocks, and a Mexican poncho! And now, I'm bundled up in my house at 68 degrees! (In Phoenix, this would have ...

In the same way, let your light shine before men, that they may see your good deeds and praise your Father in heaven. –Matthew 5:16

In his book, Fearless Faith, author John Fischer writes,

“Many Christians count too much on the comfort of a Christian environment for the maintenance of their faith. They depend on the familiar surroundings ...

I don't know about you, but I always feel like I'm trying to squeeze in so much of my "work" into my day so the next day doesn't feel as demanding. But then the next day tends to fill up with other things. Sometimes it has created space for unplanned moments like a lunch date with a friend, time to read my Bible study book, or even time ...

This past week has been busy prepping for our upcoming Christmas Sign-Ups. It has been a blessing to have the full team back on duty as we work towards this next "big thing". Please pray for the volunteers and staff as we interview all of the families. We anticipate 600 families will come through our doors again this year. However, this ...

Last Sunday I wanted to play the video above, but it would not load. So I thought I'd share it here. The question is still being asked of you: Are you a disciple - of Jesus?

Just as ...

All this week I ate the healthiest I could - deep green vegetables, a variety of fruits, low carbs, and lean meats - in preparation for my blood draw today. That was medical appointment number #1 this morning. This is hoping that my cholesterol levels will be better than last. (I doubt one week of healthy eating will make a difference for the last ...

Just when I thought my body had recovered from a busy summer and wedding last weekend, we left for another wedding this weekend. Some of you may know our dear friends Kyle Santiago and Rachel Bach. Well, they are the soon-to-be newlyweds this weekend! WOOHOO! We are so excited for them to them! We will be back late Saturday night in time for the ...

(For those of you who follow my personal Facebook page, you will know this story.)

On Monday, I woke up my son, Evan, early so that we could get to school before the mad rush. He missed his freshman orientation while we were at Western Music Institute, so it was advised that we get to school early to pick up his schedule, textbooks, PE gear, ...

During our regular Sunday Worship Service, the students of our Vacation Bible School will be participating in the service. They will sing some of their songs and share what they've learned from their music or worship arts elective class. Plus, they will recite scripture and their daily themes.

We had 51 children registered with an average ...

Tomorrow, we will have a convoy of vehicles heading up to Camp Del Oro to drop 16 of our young people off for the Music and Creative Arts Camp. Plus, Elbin will have the opportunity to volunteer as "camp staff" and Emily will be part of the Music Staff this year! We are blessed that our Divisional Music Director, Daniel, finds ways to build ...

Happy Father's Day!

This past weekend, senior soldiers and junior soldiers (church members) of the Concord Corps participated in the Commencement, Commissioning, Ordination, and ...

Earlier this week, the Jones household had a small tragedy - the washing machine died!

After resetting the spin cycle 3 times, I was discouraged to come back to the tub refilling with water yet a fourth time!

This may sound like a small setback to some, but it is crucial to our family that we get a couple of loads of laundry each night ...

It has been a climactic week for many of our students. Some of them have been promoted and some have graduated from high school. We are so proud of each of them. Sitting through many of the speeches during the ceremonies, the young people were commended for their resilience and steadfastness. They have endured very challenging situations in their ...

Things are quickly coming to an end for our students and teachers. I know that for our family, we are down to the "lasts" of the year - school concerts, open houses, tests, final projects, yearbook signings, etc.

At the same time, we are gearing up for another busy, event-filled summer. (Never a slow season around here at the corps!) ...

Gwyn and I would like to thank Majors James and Laura Sullivan, Major Willdonna Rich, and all other worship meeting participants for leading the Sunday Services while we were on vacation. We had reports that the services were really special and the Holy Spirit moved in hearts.

We were able to spend quality time with Gwyn's brother and sister-in-law ...

This is just a short note to say that our young people, leaders, and assistants have worked really hard - even tonight - and are prepared to represent our corps at the Divisional Encore Competition tomorrow. No matter the outcome, we have all been blessed through this process. Their music ministry has been used to bless others all throughout the ...

As you know, my husband and I just came back from a conference in Dallas, Texas. The theme for the week was "Better Together". It may seem like a simple theme, but it really has deep meaning and applicable in so many ways. In order to get this newsletter to you in a timely manner, let me basically summarize it in a few bullet points:

God, ...

We had an interesting time sharing stories from the Bible that included rocks or stones. Can you think of some? David and his slingshot with rocks, Moses that struck the rock for water, remembrance stones, Jacob who used a rock for his pillow, the woman who was going to be stoned, the rocks that would cry out in our place, Satan tempting Jesus to ...

My husband organized a day trip for the family this week. We drove to the Santa Cruz area and visited Natural Bridges State Beach, the Monarch Butterfly Natural Preserve, and Capitola Beach and Village. It was such a beautiful day!

While there, we also went to the Visitor Center near the beach. It was interesting to see the change in the 5 ...

A group of us had the opportunity to attend the Divisional Youth Retreat this past weekend. It was a really special time together. The young people heard about the life of the apostle Peter - from his calling to walking on water to Pentecost to his denial of Jesus. They were challenged to reflect on their lives and put into practice some hands-on ...

During our walk along a trail in our neighborhood, I was surprised to find a tree growing around the top railing of the bridge. Yes, around it! I couldn't stop thinking about this. I discovered that this happens more than we think!

This phenomenon is called edaphoecotropism. "It’s the propensity of living tissue to engulf foreign objects, ...

I pray that this newsletter finds you well. The weather has been quite intense for us Californians these past few days. And today, we were expecting the worst of it all. Yet, as I write this, I'm looking out my office windows to see that the skies have parted and the bright blue skies are visible. It's glorious!

My momma's/officer's heart ...

In my message last month, I mentioned, "I am never going to lose these 20 pounds!" I was accepting the fact that I couldn't change - and deep down maybe I didn't want to change - because it would take work. So, I openly declared in my message this past Sunday that I have joined a gym - a health club/fitness center. I have never done this ...

Well, it has been a very interesting week. There's always something going on - even on the "quiet days" - but it is all a part of life with an extended church family. There have been some "highs" and "lows" ... and that's okay ... when we have each other for support.

I know that there have been some major health ...

I was trying to think of what interesting story I could share with you this week from the Jones Family household. Well, I've got it!

This week, Kaylynn started a campaign to help Gwyn and me clean out our closet and chests of drawers. This was NOT an easy task. There were clothes in there that we meant to clear out when we were moved here, ...

Reflecting over the week, I noticed a constant theme.

This week's theme has been connections. Relationships - old and new.

Monday - Reconnected with staff. Caught up on vacation fun and family news. Tuesday - Attended Bible Study Fellowship and shared reflections on scripture with my small group. Met up with Christmas volunteers for ...