Amy Scott's Thoughts

Sharing the thoughts that bounce around in my brain!

Yummy Ice Cream Cake! June 7, 2012

Filed under: Cooking Experiments — Amy Scott @ 1:48 pm

Cake 1

I’ve loved my subscription to Food Network Magazine (thanks E&A)! Every month when it arrives, I get all excited to sit down and pour over it. I usually also end up hungry by the time I’m done! I find it very inspiring, but I’ll be honest, all I’ve made out the magazine is dessert. I can’t help it! It’s what I’m drawn to! SUGAR!

This month they had a whole section on ice cream cake. One of the recipes calls for a spring form pan which I don’t own, so I decided to go for the cake that I had all the supplies for. I settled on the Neapolitan Ice Cream Sandwich Cake. It was pretty simple in design, but you’ll never believe the mess it made in my kitchen! Melting, sticky ice cream all over! For those who know how OCD I am, you would proud of some of my recent kitchen messes! You’d hardly believe I was capable of making them!

The process starts by lining a loaf pan with tin foil. The bottom layer is 5 ice cream sandwiches. Add a layer of strawberry ice cream, another layer of ice cream sandwiches, and a layer of mint chocolate chip. The final layer is crushed cookie crumbles. As you can imagine, it’s back into the freezer to firm up the dessert (4 hours according the recipe – that seems like a long time when you’re dreaming of ice cream cake).  Using the tin foil – the cake comes easily out the pan. Once the cake is inverted onto a platter, the foil is peeled off,  From there the finishing touch is topping the cake with chocolate shell topping.

Cake 2

I found that the chocolate shell topping was a bit tricky. I made two cakes and for the first one I used the topping just at room temperature. This means it came out at the consistency of frosting. For the second cake, I soaked the topping in hot water which thinned the texture. Both options turned out well, but they were both different.

The first cake went to my class of girls last night. I was a little disappointed with the look of the cakes at the very beginning because the lines weren’t as crisp and clean as I would have liked. However, when I sliced the cake and served it, each slice looked beautiful and the layers looked great. The girls loved the cake and I have to admit, so did I! It was super tasty and super easy to make! It’s been fun to explore new desserts and try new things. I think I might have to get a spring form pan in the near future so I can try the second ice cream cake that caught my eye! Yum yum!

 

 

Class Sleepover 2012 June 6, 2012

Filed under: Children's Ministry — Amy Scott @ 12:46 pm

For those that were wondering, my class sleepover was awesome this weekend! We had 6 students and 4 leaders attend – that’s a good ratio! The best part of the sleepover for me is my house is full of noise and laughter! I’m fairly positive this class sleepover is the loudest time my house ever seen! It was strange this year because even with less girls than usual it seemed 10 times louder! My favorite memory this year was when one of my students came into the kitchen where I was cleaning up after dessert. She looked at me and explained that she was amazed at my patience. She told me that I was the most patient person she knew. She acknowledged that my house was full of loud girls who were making a mess and I was quietly just tidying up and not stressing about it. I told her the truth was for one night I expect this kind of craziness in my home. For one night I can handle a mess and the noise. That’s the fun part of sleepovers, you can do crazy things that you wouldn’t do every other day of the week.

Our night started off with a pizza dinner. Yum! After dinner Jeremy took our group picture and then he and Toby took off for the night. The girls always ask why Jeremy never stays, but then asked them how they would feel there house was taken over by boys – would they want to stay? Most get wide eyes and say no quite quickly. We started our craft after Jeremy’s departure. It was great to see each girl get creative and bring their own personality to the craft. It’s also wonderful for me to share a craft that I did a lot growing up. I was a big fan of mod podge back in the day. In fact, I think for a time in high school, I mod podged anything and everything I could get my hands on!

After crafting we cleaned up the table and set out dessert. The funny thing was this was our second dessert since the pizza came with cinnamon sticks. The dessert kebabs went over well and were very tasty! It was nice that they could each pick what they liked and didn’t like. Once the sugar was consumed, we started a couple rounds of games with the Wii. This is always a fun competition. However, none of us were pros, so it was silly fun more than competition.

One student was arriving late after a soccer tournament and it was a special day for her because it was her birthday. When I saw her family car pulling into my driveway, the girls hid in the kitchen with a cake and lit candles. I told her the girls were all in the kitchen and as she turned the corner they burst out in “Happy Birthday”! It was awesome to share that moment with them. Once the candles were blown out, the cake was cut and the girls proceeded to have their 3rd dessert! Really??? Okay… I’m passing my love of sugar down to the next generation!

We moved on to board games and then a movie! Bed time happened later than I expected. Even at 12:45am after the movie, the girls were still awake! Crazy! All the girls were finally asleep by 1:45am and we were all up by 6:45am. Really???? I’m never lucky enough to have a class that would sleep until 9:00am! Oh well! It goes with the territory! We enjoyed waffles with strawberries and whipped cream. Once breakfast was over, we played games until it was time to head home.

Overall, we all had a blast! It was a lot of fun, a little messy, and sometimes smelly (ask Jeremy about cleaning the bathroom afterwards)! I love being able to have my students in my home. It is always a good time that the students talk about long after its over. In fact, one student told me that she walked home from a friends house (a great distance) when she remembered that the sleepover was that night. Even though she loves her friends, she didn’t want to miss the sleepover. She then told me that was glad she came and that she was having a lot of fun. This student has a tough life and often sits quietly. It is always special to see a student drop their guard and just be themselves! Good times! Good memories!

 

Gathering Experience June 5, 2012

Filed under: Women in Ministry — Amy Scott @ 9:36 pm

My last blog discussed the only way to cure inexperience was with experience. It seems I’ve been getting loads of it thrown my way lately. The hard part is when my standard is perfection. I know it shouldn’t be, but for some reason I expect myself to be the world’s greatest public speaker. However, I’m not. But I am trying. I am learning. It’s a process. I have to go easy on myself – but really who does that???

Today I got my first experience speaking at a memorial service. It was a short service for a small crowd, but a first for me nonetheless. I was asked to do the opening prayer. Since it was my first time ever praying at a memorial service, I will admit that I read the prayer. I figured that most people would have their eyes closed so it would be no big deal. I wrote the prayer earlier this afternoon. I wanted to make sure that in the moment I didn’t let my words run loose and put my foot in my mouth. I wanted to be sensitive to the crowd and the best way seemed to script myself. Jeremy did ask if I read the prayer in the car on the way home. He thought it was a really good prayer for going off the cuff and I had confess that I didn’t think of it the moment. Oh well, hopefully no one figured it out and if they did, hopefully they didn’t mind.

I shared a couple of Scriptures and my own personal reflections on the young mom that passed away. She was a volunteer in our ministry and she dearly loved Jesus and her two boys. It’s hard in moments like these to wonder why God would let someone so young with little children pass. I know that she’s in a better place, but I wonder and worry about her boys. My prayer is that the seeds of faith that she planted in their hearts will continue to grow long after she is gone. Her love for her boys is the strongest memory I will have of her. The other thing I will take away for this situation is truly how precious life is and you never know when your time here on earth is up. This world is temporary and fleeting. I’m encouraged to live each day with purpose and love. Tomorrow is never a guarantee.

So yes, experience. I knew I wanted to grow my skill set of public speaking. I’m amazed that once I voice that just how much opportunity has come my way. I’m not the greatest thing to hit the church (I think that would be Jesus), but I do feel like I’m stepping up to what Jesus has called me to do. In a sense, that is all I can do. It might not be perfect. I need to accept that on this side of heaven nothing I do really will be. I just have to take a deep breath, thank God for the opportunities that come my way and do the best with what I’ve got. I’m certainly collecting some experience. It’s not always fun, but it’s good.

 

Starting Somewhere June 3, 2012

Filed under: Women in Ministry — Amy Scott @ 1:30 pm

Everything has a starting point. I try to live intentionally and live with the end in mind. This means I have to start somewhere. There has to be a beginning to my journey. I need to take baby steps towards my dreams. However, at the beginning, there is this “greenhorn” effect, being the newbie. If I could sum it up on one word – inexperience. You know what the only cure for inexperience is? Experience! They only way I’ll grow is if I put myself out there and try new things. At 26, I know I’m limited on the life experience side of things, so I need to chase down opportunities and welcome open doors.

With all that in mind, I would like share some humorous reflections on doing communion during our 9:00am service. On Thursday, I was asked by our lead pastor if I would be up for doing communion and I replied with a hearty “definitely”. My confidence level on the inside was a lot a lower than how I was appearing on the outside, but I know that I need to say yes to these opportunities as they come so I can grow my skill set. I’ve done communion with kids before, but adults are different. Are you noticing that theme? I’m pretty comfortable with kids. Adults are a whole different story and I’m trying to get over my fear of them!

All weekend I’ve been pondering what I will say in my 5ish minutes up front. What points will I bring out? What passage of scripture will I use? Here is what I discovered after too much time thinking – communion is what it is. There really no way to reinvent the wheel. I’ve seen it done hundreds of times by various pastors and the best thing for me to do is follow in their foot steps, instead of trying to find a creative new take. Some things are classic. Keep it simple.

This now leads me to an important question – How many hands does it take to lead communion? Answer: more than two!!! Have you ever tried holding a Bible, a microphone, a small communion cup, and a tiny cracker all at the same time? I tried it for the first time today and let me tell you, it’s tricky!!! This insight gives me a deeper respect for those who have mastered this! There was no music stand or table up front, so I have to place something on the floor. I decided on the juice cup. Mental note: don’t kick juice cup over while talking. Now I have to open my Bible and read from it – while holding the microphone and the cracker. In order to keep the cracker in my hand, I’m afraid it might have looked like I had a claw hand holding my Bible. I opened my Bible and my hand bookmark got in the way, so I tried to move it with the hand with the microphone in it…. while reading… while holding the cracker… while trying to not kick over my cup on the floor. Now add my hair deciding to fall into my face. Normally this would be no big deal. I would just tuck it behind my ear and all would be good. But wait – I have NO HANDS to do what with! So now add me trying to flip my hair back with the gentle flip of my head… Can you say awkward???? I should also mention that my legs were starting to shake towards the end. It was a bit of nerves mixed with that the fact that after eating a bunch of leftovers from my class sleepover, I felt guilty yesterday and I decided to do a 1/2 hour of upbeat step aerobics. I haven’t done step aerobics in months… so yeah, I’m feeling it today. Mental note: don’t stress your legs out the day before you have to stand on a platform – bad combo!

When I got back to my seat, I saw that I had a text message from a good friend who was in the service. She said I did a great job and that I was a natural. All I could think about how was how none of that felt natural for me. As a perfectionist, I can be hard on myself and have high standards for my performance. Honestly, I had expected myself to do better. I wasn’t as polished or graceful as I would have hoped. I must remind myself  that was my first time. It wasn’t a home run, but I should be glad that I got a chance to step up to the plate. With time and experience, things like this will start to feel natural and not so strange and foreign. I wish that I was good at everything the first time I tried it, but that isn’t realistic. I’ll need experience to grow and I’m willing to try! I guess that’s where it all starts!

 

 

It Never Gets Easier May 31, 2012

Filed under: Bible,Women in Ministry — Amy Scott @ 6:44 pm

I started attending Bethel Church in 1998. Since that time, I’ve attended the farewell reception of 9 pastors (1 senior pastor, the rest were associates) and last night made 10. Let me tell you it never gets easier! I’m not a huge change… I’ll just be honest, 99.9% of the time I hate it! But life never stays the same for long. People come into our lives for a season and then exit.

The most challenging part of this most recent change is that Pastor Vicki Judd  has lived in Chehalis and attended Bethel Church her entire life. Talk about commitment!  I have never known Bethel Church without her. She’s been a core member of the staff  and congregation as long as I can remember and then some! It’s hard to imagine what life will be like without her presence.

As a student, I would get upset when a pastor would make that fateful announcement.  It meant losing a familiar face and having to meet some new. The older I got, it seemed the more attached I was to the pastor that was leaving even if I didn’t interact within their ministry. I think I could see more clearly the role they had played and I had a greater appreciation for the effort they put forth to make our church body a healthy one. Now as a staff member at Bethel Church, when a pastor steps down, I’m losing a co-worker. I’m losing their voice around the table, their smile each morning, their insight into daily life. It effects my day to day life, not just my Sunday or Wednesday.

I’ve been blessed by the friendships that being on staff at Bethel Church has given me. Each member our team brings something unique to the table. Like iron sharpens iron (Proverbs 27:17), we encourage one another to be the best Christ follower we can be. We’re not just focused on our own ministry, but we really are a team and each ministry affects the other. There are no silos. This means we get very close, very quickly.

Last night at the farewell reception, I got to hear many stories shared about Vicki and the memories she’s made amongst our congregation. I even got to share a few of my own thoughts. Let me tell you, that was hard! First of what to say… when you have an ocean of thoughts, how do you squeeze it down to a rain drop? It was very moving to see the impact that Vicki has had the lives of so many. This might sound weird, but it was neat to have all these things shared in this kind of environment. I feel like most praise is given to a person once their life has passed. Think of the open mic time at a funeral – it’s in those moments people say what they really felt and how they were impacted by a life. In this environment, Vicki and her husband, David, got to see that impact first hand. Saying these words now is so much more meaningful than saying once someone is truly gone.

Good-byes are never fun. They never feel good. I went to Vicki’s office one last time this morning. We exchanged hugs and kind words… I walked away with a couple books (Vicki shares my same passion for reading and learning). While I won’t see her on a daily basis, I know that Vicki’s influence will not leave from my life just because she is no longer on staff. The same is true with a lot of the pastors who have left. Many of them are still my friends. Some have moved far enough way that Facebook friendships are how we stay in touch, but some are still in our AG Network and I bump into them at events. When you do life with someone for that long, you know that you have a friend for life, no matter how near or far.

“There is a time for everything, and a season for every activity under the heavens.” (Ecclesiastes 3:1)

A time for hello and a time for good-bye

 

The Thumper Theorem May 30, 2012

Filed under: Simply Me — Amy Scott @ 4:12 pm

Bambi wasn’t one of my favorite Disney movie growing up and I hardly ever watched it. However, one line from the movie has stuck with me. The reason why is because my mother would say it to my sister and I often. She called it the Thumper Theorem – if you can’t say anything nice, don’t say anything at all.

As I brainstormed what to blog about today and share with you, this theorem came to the forefront of my mind. Honestly, all the topics I could think of to write about would come across whiny. While I do love to wrestle with my issues through writing, for some reason today just seems to feel a bit like a pity party. Each idea I thought about made me more stressed and more worried. Ugh!

So instead of sharing with you all my woes, I will choose to do some self-filtering. Even in the midst of struggle, I am reminded that Jesus needs to be at the center of everything. It’s not all about me. I know that I am not alone and that if Jesus called me to something, he will come through for me. It’s hard though in the moments when I’m not sure how it’s all going to come together. My life often resolves around church ministry, which is great, but I think I loose perspective and balance. My life isn’t about church. It isn’t about my job. It’s about JESUS! Despite all the frustrations, complications, setbacks, and challenges, I need to remember who I’m really living for – not myself, not my church, not my family, not my friends, not my students. I’m living for Jesus! Ultimately, what he thinks matters most, more than any other. It can be hard to push aside the voices of stress and worry – all the demands that creep up in my mind and make me wonder how I’m going to do it. In this moment, I’m choosing to let Jesus be the voice I listen to. If I have nothing nice to say then I’ll be quiet. Maybe if I’m quiet, I can hear Jesus better.

Just some of my rambling thoughts for today…

 

Rainy Day Plan May 29, 2012

Filed under: Children's Ministry — Amy Scott @ 7:27 pm

I think all of us that live in Washington state know what I mean when I say “Rainy Day Plan”. Most events have two plans – the best case scenario sunny day plan and the worst case scenario rainy day plan. Never assume it’s going to be sunny – even when the little icon on the weather forecast says it might be. Two plans might be a bit more work, but when pulling off a successful event, it will be time well spent.

The 2011 Sleepover Crew!

This weekend is my annual 5th/6th grade class sleepover. Each year I bring my Wednesday night class of about 12 girls over to my house for a sleepover. This is always the highlight of the year for a lot of my students. While we a have big sleepover for all 1st-5th grade girls in February, this one is just for our class and the special treat is they get to come over to my house. I really enjoy doing this event because I want the girls to get the message that I enjoy spending time with them. I don’t just teach them at church because I have to but because I want to. Even more than that, I want them to know what their welcome in my life – beyond the church. If that means attending a band concert or a softball game, I want them to know that I’m here for them and I want to share my life with them. My home is not off-limits.

So I’ll push all the furniture up against the walls. I’ll put the extra leaf in the table and set up the card table. I’ll make my home as kid friendly and welcome the group of them right on in. Usually in the past, we’ve gone outside to play a game of croquet. Let me tell you, croquet with 5th and 6th grade girls is always a hoot! However, there are little rain drops in the forecast, so now I must plan indoor activities. Here are some of the things I’ve been brainstorming:

  • Board Games – Disney Scene It is always a hit
  • Wii Games – Mario Party or Wii Party
  • Make Your Own Dessert Kebabs – This will fill time as they make their own dessert. I’ve already made a list of the yummy food we can put on stick – like strawberries, marshmallows, cubed cake pieces, brownie bites, doughnut holes, pineapple, etc. Thanks to Sweet Maggie May’s for this inspiration (http://sweetmaggiemays.wordpress.com/2012/05/28/summer-dessert-kebabs/).
  • Crafting – I’m pondering doing a craft project similar to what we did at my family ladies retreat in April. You can get picture frames that are blank at the craft store and decorate them using mod podge and craft paper. I’m still debating if this might be too messy. I will need to protect my table and my floors. However, the girls are usually pretty good at keeping things clean when strict instruction has been given. So we’ll see… this one is still up in the air.
  • A Movie – this is how I wrap up the night at all my sleepovers. The girls lay down, the lights dim and suddenly they get sleepy! A movie is the perfect way to calm down the vibe and get them ready for sleep (because some sleep is always nice at a sleepover)!

I look forward to sharing with you how this weekend goes! Even if it turns out to be a rainy day, we’ll still have a blast. You always have to have a rainy day plan that rivals the sunny day plan. There will be no less fun had even if there are rain drops falling from the sky. We live in Washington state for crying out loud! We’re pros at having a good time indoors! Here’s hoping that is exactly what happens this weekend!

 

Happy Birthday, Nephew! May 28, 2012

Filed under: Family Time — Amy Scott @ 9:17 pm

Today is my wonderful nephew’s 2nd birthday! I couldn’t go without a blog shout out to my favorite nephew, Carson! Right now he is my one and only nephew so it makes it pretty easy to shower all my auntie attention on him. He will be a big brother in July and I’m excited to know if I’ll be have another nephew or maybe a niece this time!

This Saturday, we all assembled at the Point Defiance Zoo in Tacoma, WA to celebrate the glorious birthday! It was perfect weather – not too hot and beautifully sunny! It was a joy to watch Carson’s reaction to each animal! I also got to share a few moments one on one with my little nephew. I treasure these times to snuggle or hold his little hand. So sweet!

After the zoo, we went to a picnic area in the park to have cupcakes and watch Carson open presents! It was so much fun to watch his face as he opened his gifts. He was very excited and played with each one.  Another highlight was listening to him chatter on! I will admit that I don’t understand much of what he says, but I’m so excited for the day where I can understand all his stories! From what I can tell he has a lot of them to share!

Celebrating Carson’s birthday was the highlight of my Memorial Day weekend. I’m so blessed by his addition to our family! I love being an aunt! Every time we get to hang out is special. Family is very important to me, so I look forward to celebrating many more birthdays with Carson as well as future nieces and nephews!

PS – A close second highlight of the weekend, was my brother-in-law arrived today from Kansas! It’s official! My family is all back in the Northwest! This was a very happy weekend to celebrate family!

 

Pretty or Tasty? May 26, 2012

Filed under: Cooking Experiments — Amy Scott @ 8:30 am

It would be ideal if both happened, but sometimes you can only settle for one! I would choose tasty if I had the choice. I’m guessing the rest of you would as well!

Jeremy and I are in the middle of an experiment. We’re trying to eat everything in our freezer, frig and pantry before we go shopping. We are doing a good job, but now we have to get creative when it comes to making things. We wanted to use the blueberries in our freezer and make a dessert with the limited items we have.

The final result was lemon-blueberry scones with a lemon glaze.  Honestly, I made a mess in the kitchen. A big one! They also didn’t turn out beautiful and well shaped like the scones you might find at Starbucks. Oh well! I should have waited until after dinner, but I had one right away just to make sure that they tasted okay. Let me tell you – they were awesome! Yay!

So here are the lessons learned today: Simple ideas might not be simple to execute and messes can be worth the results!

 

You Lost Me Live May 25, 2012

Filed under: Simply Me,Women in Ministry — Amy Scott @ 10:00 am

I’m the type that gets star-struck… It just happens! I found myself with a few stars in my eyes as I sat in the same room as David Kinnaman and Jim Henderson. David Kinnaman is the author of two books and the current president of the Barna Research Group. Jim Henderson authored The Resignation of Eve which I reviewed here on my blog a few months back. Jim Henderson is an advocate of women in ministry and is bold enough to ask the questions that others avoid (I got that line from his website, but after reading one of his books and seeing him live – I know that is the truth)! I admire the work that both these men do, so it was a pleasure to spend 4 hours in a live setting to hear directly from them.

The event I am referring to is You Lost Me Live. It was a presentation based off Kinnaman’s recent book You Lost Me which focuses on why the next generation is the leaving the church and not coming back. In some cases, they aren’t just leaving the church, but they are walking away from faith all together. It was great to have the research of Barna bring to life this startling trend.

There is so much I could pull out my time at You Lost Me Live to blog about, but that would take forever and probably excitement me a whole lot more than it excites you. So, I will share one thought that stood out to me. Here we go – There is a belief among the older generations that Christians may walk away from their faith during their college years, but not to worry because they will reconnect with the faith community once they have kids.  It was interesting to learn that there a lot of factors that play into this being a false assumption.

The biggest factor that took me by surprise was how the economy played a large part in this. Students are coming out of college with more debt than ever before. They are also coming out of college into a hard job market. While some can’t even find employment, many are living paycheck to paycheck. This leads to many adult life experiences being put on hold. Things like moving out of the parent’s house, buying a house, getting married, and having kids are happening later and later in life. Living with the parents might be the only option for a post-grad who can’t make enough to cover the bills. This prolongs other life changes – like getting married. Who wants to propose and move into the parent’s basement? Who wants get married and have kids when they are can barely support themselves? Research shows that young people are waiting longer to get married and have kids. While most cite careers as being the reason why, is it any wonder that a career takes priority when there is a mound of debt that needs to be paid off.

This makes a lot of sense to me. I can see it in my own friends since I’m the generation they are talking about (young Christians ages 18-29). So what does that mean? The church just waits for them to come back in their 30’s once they get all the pieces of the puzzle put together? That seems like an awful lot of wasted time to me. If someone has a gap in their church attendance of 10+ years, I have a hard time believing it will be easy for them to come back to church.  I’m sure most will say that they hold on to their Christian beliefs; I’m not positive that we will see the fruit of a healthy Christian lifestyle. How deep will this faith they claim be?

The thing about You Lost Me is that the research is stated simply. The issues are clearly seen. However, a research group doesn’t have the answers; they just tell you how it is. In a way this is a golden opportunity. The church has some talking to do. They need to be honest about where the next generation is at. They need to acknowledge their needs and their struggles. They need recognize that the times are different. It’s like it was when you were growing up. However, we are all human and have our human frailty in common. We all need a Savior. When the gospel is at the core of our message then we truly do having something offer this generation that seems to be walking off. When I say the gospel, I really mean the good news – the story of Jesus – his love and redemption. It’s not about being churchy and making them all act the same and look the same and talk the same.  There is hope in Jesus and we need to keep that at the forefront.

Oh my… there are so many other topics I could discuss… this might have to be a blogging mini-series!