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Name: Tiff
Birthday: 5/16/1983
Gender: Female


Interests: golf, guitar, church stuff (i heart jesus), chi rho camp, backpacking, and music
Expertise: being from iowa , driving cow spotted volkswagens and hanging out with the coolest chi rho kids ever
Occupation: Retired
Industry: Textiles


Message: message me
AIM: poqueno15
MSN: tiffaustin@hotmail.com


Member Since: 10/28/2004

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Saturday, June 07, 2008

Well, June is shaping up to be a typical June in youth ministry...

Week 1: Interns start, get them trained, get all the office work done for the whole month, oh and resign
Week 2: Chi rho mission trip, help a friend move
Week 3: Carruthers family reunion, officiate my uncle's wedding, get back just in time for Chi Rho Camp
Week 4: Chi Rho Camp and last day festivities at UCC
Week 5: Niner's Youth Conference and first day at Granbury

Oh and somewhere in there I am supposed to find time to pack up my office and move it to Granbury, say good-bye to all of the UCC kids and hello to the Granbury ones.

Why do they schedule all the camps for June again?

And why do I keep doing this to myself, for 7 summers in a row now?  Do I somehow think I am suddenly going to quit being an introvert and become an extrovert who loves being around people all the time?  Oh well, I am confident it will all be worth it.  God will be praised and kids will be safe and loved.  And I will be tired and renewed at the same time!

So to all my Cowtown friends- see you in July!


Saturday, April 12, 2008

all in a week's work...

This one could be long...

I'll never be able to accurately describe with words the experiences I have lived through this week.  But maybe for no other reason than to start to understand what's happened I feel compelled to write about it.

I've experienced something I hoped I would never have to live through in youth ministry.  I pray you never have to endure it in your youth ministry.  A friend of mine says they're our youth until one of us dies.  Well friends, it's a lot easier if you go first.

This week one of my kids took his own life.  Maybe I need to qualify "my".  He was a pretty frequent visitor at UCC even though he had membership at another church.  He was one of those kids who was around a lot with his friends who go to our church.  I'd see him every time I was at a middle school gathering or sporting event.  He was one of mine.  And he decided to take himself away from us.  What a waste; what a tragedy.

I'm not sure you know what this sort of grief is like until you experience it.  It's like carrying a ton of bricks on your back, having the wind knocked out of you and getting hit in the voice box all at once.  You carry the weight of all the youth and parents who are grieving with you; this is coupled with the weight of wondering if you missed a sign along the way and your own grief about losing someone important to you...  Your own grief cripples you such that it's hard to draw breath when you think of this beautiful child of God gone from us...  Your voice is unable to put together the words to tell the babies you live/work/play with why their friend decided to hurt himself.  It's like no other grief I've ever endured.

Have you ever had your shirt covered in the tears of your youth?  Then you have not been down the path I have walked this week.  I pray I never see you on this path.  It is better that it is the road less traveled.

My heart hurts.  My whole being hurts.

Lord make me an instrument of your peace.




Sunday, March 23, 2008

"A week without Tiff is like a day without sunshine." -one of the kids after having been gone on Spring Break for a week.

It's the little side comments that keep me going and make this 'difficult, stressful, time-consuming, all-consuming, weird work schedule' calling worth pursuing...

Happy Easter.


Monday, March 17, 2008

Palm Sunday

Adventures on the 3rd floor...
-----------------------------------------------------
Lauren: Tiff, crucifixion is gross.
Tiff:  Yes, it is really gross.
Lauren:  I mean really, really gross Tiff
Tiff:  Yep, it's pretty gross stuff.
Lauren:  I don't think you understand how gross it is Tiff.  Do they still do that to people?  Because that's pretty mean if they do.  I mean, I'd never break a law if I knew that was coming.
Tiff:  Nope, they don't do that anymore.
Lauren:  Good.  We're safe.
Lauren trots off...
-------------------------------------------------------
Katie:  Tiff, what's a sabbath?
Tiff:  It's a day of rest.
Katie:  Why do we do it?
Tiff:  God told us to.  God took a day of rest and figured we should do the same.
Katie:  So Sunday is the Sabbath right?
Tiff:  Sort of, yes.
Katie:  Well, if it's the Sabbath and we're supposed to be all rested why do we have to get up so freakin' early for church?  That just makes me more tired and more grumpy.
Tiff:  That's the best question you've ever asked Katie.
Katie:  This doesn't make any sense.  I think Tim needs to change church to 2:00 in the afternoon.
Tiff:  I think so too, Katie.
------------------------------------------------------
Tiff: (singing)  From the window to the floor
Scott:  It's from the window to the wall Tiff.
Tiff:  Rap's not really my genre.
Scott:  We know.  We voted and we all think you should stick with Johnny Cash.


Wednesday, December 05, 2007

adeste fidelis

A little known fact about me is that I love Christmas.  This is my favorite Christmas hymn...  I thought we could all use a little Christmas today.  Or, at least I could...


O come, all ye faithful, joyful and triumphant,
O come ye, O come ye, to Bethlehem.
Come and behold Him, born the King of angels;

Refrain

O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him,
Christ the Lord.

True God of true God, Light from Light Eternal,
Lo, He shuns not the Virgin’s womb;
Son of the Father, begotten, not created;

Refrain

Sing, choirs of angels, sing in exultation;
O sing, all ye citizens of heaven above!
Glory to God, all glory in the highest;

Refrain

See how the shepherds, summoned to His cradle,
Leaving their flocks, draw nigh to gaze;
We too will thither bend our joyful footsteps;

Refrain

Lo! star led chieftains, Magi, Christ adoring,
Offer Him incense, gold, and myrrh;
We to the Christ Child bring our hearts’ oblations.

Refrain

Child, for us sinners poor and in the manger,
We would embrace Thee, with love and awe;
Who would not love Thee, loving us so dearly?

Refrain

Yea, Lord, we greet Thee, born this happy morning;
Jesus, to Thee be glory given;
Word of the Father, now in flesh appearing.

Refrain



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