Give 52 Week 44 - Me and You on a Patio.

Give 52 - Week 44
Cheryl Houston 2016

Today is Darci's birthday! Happy Birthday!

Darci and I were roommates at Texas Tech in Lubbock. We didn't hit it off when we first met at Freshman Orientation because she thought I was a dork. Probably not far from the truth but it takes some time to get to know me.

We had some very wild times together and because there was alcohol involved - lots of alcohol -the facts tend to be fuzzy but eventually we hit it off.

After our freshman year in a dorm, we moved into an apartment. One of my favorite stories of us is this: We were writing out checks to pay bills, complaining about how much money we didn't have. As we were writing the dates on the checks we realized, "Holy shit! It's Cinco de Mayo!"

That year, 1989, Corona had a fun ad campaign out. The papers had all advertised these fun cartoon drawings of people enjoying Corona beer on Cinco de Mayo. I think we had some cut out and put up in the apartment. (I can't find not one of the ads on the internet! Boo Hiss!?!) We couldn't let the day go by without driving our tushes out to the strip and buying a case of Corona! (Lubbock was/still is I think dry/ and you have to drive out of city/county limits to buy alcohol.)

Broke girls be damned! It's Cinco de Mayo!

We put on our bathing suits and hopped out on the porch and enjoyed our cervezas! And that my friends, is our holiday! Our Anniversary!

Next year, Darci! You and me. Cinco de Mayo. It's a Friday. On a patio. Drinking a beer and laughing about all the good times we've shared!

This is my gift. I give it to you.

Give 52 Week 28 - Blessed

Give 52 Week 28
Cheryl Houston 2016

Oh my goodness! I forgot to post after I got my artwork in the mail.

I made this piece for a man that is in my son, Drew's, life. Drew's dad got Drew in a city league of football when he was in the 6th grade. One of Drew's coaches was Ryan Young.

Ryan is this giant of a man but as nice and welcoming as they come and he has a love for God. He's such a good example for our boys.

Ryan leads Fellowship of Christian Atheletes and he has meetings at Drew's school. The other morning Drew told me he had attended a meeting and I thought about how grateful I was that Ryan is in Drew's life.

As many of my friends say, "It takes a village."

I pray that my children will always know God's love for them, that they will trust in the Lord for the good plans He has in store for them.

Ryan, thank you for all you do for the young men in this community.

This is my gift. I give it to you .

Give 52 - Week 4: Salt and Light

Salt & Light for John & Colleen Stickl
Give 52 - Week 4
Cheryl Houston 2015

When I met my husband in 2011, I was pretty much on the outs with God.

Well, I was out. God was faithfully waiting on me to open. Open my eyes. Open my heart. Open my mind. Open the door.

Chris had been attending Valley Creek Church for a couple of years and while at dinner on a Saturday night he invited me to go with him the next morning.

This was the moment I was dreading- the moment of invitation but I knew it was important to him so I held on to my open heart and said okay. I think my exact words were, "Okay, but don't expect me to be all churchy with you every week. Me and God have an understanding- stay out of each others business."

Okay, I was the only one in on that agreement.

Pastor John was in the middle of a series called Favor and talking about grace and gratitude. Quietly, my heart responded: "If someone had taught me about grace 20 years ago, it would have probably saved me a lot of heartache and frustration."

And, just like that I was hooked.

When I wasn't able to go with Chris, I was watching online. When he wasn't able to go, I was going by myself. Three years later, I found myself in a baptismal tank getting baptized and we rarely miss a week in the presence of God and our church.

(If one of my family members is reading this and saying, but Cheryl, "You were baptized in 1997 at St. Michael's Catholic Church! I saw you!" I can only say to you that I argued with God about the same exact point for about a year when asking God what my next step was. I would say, "I already did that, God!" But what I came to understand was in 1997 I got baptized to join a family. A family I'm no longer a part of and this time- I got baptized to follow Jesus. And it was pretty wonderful.)

Pastor John and his wife, Colleen, are awesome. Colleen has delivered the Mother's Day message for the last two years and I love it! My whole spiritual journey has been set on lighted path because of the work they do with the church. I've been to a lot of churches throughout my lifetime and the presence of God is so strong in this community. From the worship to teams to the serving teams to the leadership. Top to bottom and in the smiles of everyone's faces.

Our marriage is blessed to be in such a loving, honest place and while I could go on and on about all the different messages that have been spoken directly into my heart and changed my life this really isn't about me. I suggest if you're looking for some spiritual leadership that you join us at Valley Creek Church in Flower Mound. Not in Flower Mound - join us online. They live stream the service every week and have past series in the media archives.

Because of the gift that God has given to Pastor John, I have been blessed and I trust in the good plans that God has for me and my family.

This is my gift. I give it to you.