I have had this video flagged to view for months, and thanks to strep throat, along with a nasty ear and sinus infection, I finally had a chance to watch it today.  I don’t want to give too much away in case you haven’t seen it yet, but this video should be watched.  The Butterfly Circus not only brings a message of hope, redemption, restoration, and community, but of the incredible transformation that can take place in a person’s life when they face their imperfections, admit their need for something or someone bigger and more powerful than themselves, and finally allow the painful process of change to happen.

Last weekend Mason, Drake, Eric, Jim, Danielle, Lauren & I escorted our teens to DNow 10 hosted by Northwood Church.  It was an incredible weekend event with four local churches coming together: aforementioned Northwood Church, us at Alliance Baptist Church, Hillside Community Church, and Harvest Church.  God used two vital instruments to carve our hearts: the band Pocket Full of Rocks led us in worship (wow!), and Ryan Dalgliesh fervently and authentically preached God’s Word.  Over the course of the weekend, we broke into small discussion groups after each main session and talked about how God’s truths applied to our lives, and what impacted each person individually.  In our down time (as girls, i know the boys had some of their own fun) we played some Wii, did Mary Kay makeovers, and as a church we even had a Digital Scavenger Hunt around town!  We all had a blast, and got little sleep; however, above all of that, I had a few favorite moments during one-on-one conversations with young women who realized their crippling imperfections, and having seen their need for change, were desperate for God to restore their lives!  What a privilege to pray alongside them, to share my own experiences, and to be a first-hand witness of their butterfly circus!

Here is one of my favorite pictures of the entire weekend  🙂

Ryan Dalgliesh, Kyle Gray, Mason Stanley