Sometimes life's biggest blessings come in the smallest of packaging. My neighbor called and said, “You should go to Overflow. And I’ll pay for it.” This is how my story started. And it has forever changed my life.

After ten years of marriage, four amazing children, and seven years of a stay at home mom career, by my own choice, it was all over. And I own it. I own the fear I felt when I said the D word. I own the reality of rocking my children's world. I own the complete redefining of my normal.  It's not the place you plan to be after just turning 40, but it was my reality. And I felt completely lost.

It was March 14, 2015. To be fair and completely honest, the only reason I went to Overflow is because it was free, it was close by AND I had talked another single mom into going with me. I sat down at a table with my friend, not fully knowing what exactly I had said yes to. When the music started, and all those women flung their hands in the air in worship, I felt so out of place. It had been a very long time since I had been in a room full of women, who I was sure, loved Jesus with all their guts! And be sure, God was very much present there, in that strange little building that looked like the Alamo. He was there and He knew exactly what He was doing. And I was more and more convinced that I was meant to be there too as the day went on. I met some of the most God fearing women, heard some amazing, gut wrenching, rip my heart out testimonies, and  was reminded over and over again that God knew I would be a single mom before I ever considered it. Finding myself at a “single mom conference” was all but overwhelming for me, to be labeled as such was just unreal. Because that just wasn’t the plan for my life. But looking back I know this conference was God’s way of helping me live and cope…..and bless….this reality I had created. Because His plan, had JUST begun in me.

The next six Sundays were a post Overflow study group. Enter the enemy. I didn’t attend the first two. I wasn’t feeling “it” and even though I loved the conference, I just kept finding excuses as to why I didn’t need to be there. But God!! One day, I finally picked up the book from the study group and started reading it. I was totally drawn into to this woman's story. It was the first time I had read a book and identified with a single mom. Ok God! I HAD to go back to the group and be a part of this discussion. The following Sunday morning I went to the study group. It was nice to see some of the women again and be able to talk through this single mom story. Afterwards, everyone was going to service. Even as I sit and type this, the tears have welled up because I remember how I felt that morning sitting in my chair with all these women praising the One who brought me there. Since my divorce, I had been looking for a home church to bring my family to, and not once did I ever consider this one. Until now. I knew that everything I had been searching for and the amazing heart of God had just been placed in my lap. I felt so incredibly blessed to have gone to church that day, listened to the sermon and been totally overwhelmed by God’s renewed love for me, despite the choices I had made to end my marriage. I remember wanting to run back to my neighbor and hug her and tell her that what she did changed my life. This church. These people. They changed my life. They SAVED my life. Nearly two years later, here I sit. My children are plugged in, we have a foundation to build on and there is a new Head of our household.  And most importantly, I don’t feel like I am parenting alone anymore. I am walking along side Jesus and He will forever lead us through our life here on earth.

There don’t seem to be sufficient words to adequately describe these last two years of my amazing journey and my relationship with Jesus. Yet, they would look completely different if one person had changed the course of their actions. But God!! I am now a member of the greatest church in the city involved in a community group, Discipleship, the Overflow planning team and serving people in His name. I could not be more blessed.

Register today at www.overflowbcf.com and become part of the Overflow family!  We can't wait to meet you and your children!

Over the next few weeks we want to share some stories from past Overflow conferences with you.  There is no better way for you to know what Overflow is like, unless you hear from the people that have already been to the conference.  If you have friends that you want to invite, or people that are hesitant to register, we hope that you share these stories with them.  This is the heart of Overflow and these are the women of Overflow.  We love them so much and we know that you will too.

Dani’s story

When I think about Overflow, I think about community and fellowship. During a very difficult time, I was introduced to Overflow.  At first, I had some reservations and was a little skeptical. In my past experiences with single parent groups, they felt disconnected from the church and lacked vision, so I went in unsure of what to expect. Overflow was exactly what my heart needed. As women and mom's, we are constantly giving to our children, jobs, relationships, etc. and Overflow was an opportunity to take a deep breath, be still in prayer, cry/sing out to the Lord, and soak up the knowledge and wisdom of our God. 

I left feeling refreshed and inspired.  Eager and more hopeful, than when I walked in.  I left Overflow feeling loved in the most sweet way. 

Misty’s Story

It is difficult to sum up Overflow in just one paragraph!  It has meant so so much to me :)  You never “hope” that you are going to be in a position where the need for other women to wrap you up and carry you is there. Nobody “hopes” for that kind of hurt.  But these women…the women of Bayou City Fellowship who have this calling on their lives…they do EXACTLY that, and they do it with such beauty and such grace.  I have never seen anything like it.  

Pretty early in my adult life, I realized that people who are real and broken and authentic and full of grace are the people I wanted to be surrounded by in life.  This is where beauty in relationship happens. What I felt when I walked into that room full of brokenness (at Overflow) was something you have to experience to understand.  That brokenness facilitates “real” and “authentic” in a way that nothing else can.  I have never felt the presence of the Holy Spirit the way I did that weekend…and all because I followed the leading of the Holy Spirit and went to Starbucks!  hahaha :) yes, you heard me right!  2 nights before Overflow I had an hour and a half to kill before picking my daughter up at VBS and I had a little angel and devil duking it out on my shoulders about how I should use that time.  I was really feeling like I was supposed to go to Starbucks for some reason, but I was feeling guilty about it!  You know, feeling like I should be doing laundry or cleaning or something more “mom like” or domestic.  Well I went…and there was the Overflow flyer on the cork board at Starbucks!  The rest is history :) 

Heather’s Story

The most precious gift that is given to us is often something we won't ever see at that moment. My life today is so different then it was when I walked through the doors at BCF, I promise you in those moments I couldn't feel the love that was shared with me, I couldn't see the possibility of good. It took me too many years to get to Overflow. I'll admit it, I wonder what would have changed had I gone sooner? 

What does overflow mean to me? Overflow was the turning point in believing that regardless of my current situation the future held something better. It was the eye opener to believing I could also find happiness in my current situation. It was the reminder that my past, the abuse, the fear, the being alone...didn't define me. Overflow gave me hope. It gave me peace. It gave me an overflowing of love for life today.

You too can have your own Overflow story.  We hope that you and your friends register today at www.overflowbcf.com.  We will see you soon!

We are giving away a week of summer camp from Pine Cove Silverado!!  It is an amazing opportunity for your child!  Thanks to the generosity of the folks at Pine Cove, we have been able to give away camp weeks at the previous two Overflow conferences.   Both years, the families that received the camp week had great experiences!  A week at camp is valued at over $1000!!  Last year's winner was Shepard Leder and his mom Debbie.  We got together recently and asked them to share their thoughts on the Pine Cove camp experience.

With a vivid imagination and a sincere heart for others, Shepard is a 10 year old boy who loves life and is very active.  He had a blast at camp last year and he is excited that his mom signed him up to go back this summer!  It was his first time to ever go to sleep away camp and he loved it.  We thought it would be fun to share his thoughts about Pine Cove with you:

What was your favorite memory of camp last year?
When we did the mud wars!  I got mud in my eyes and all over my hair.  Every single kid there had to take a shower afterwards!

What was your counselor's name?
Fruit Ninja!  They all went by names that were different from their real names.

Did your cabin win any awards?
Yes!  Each day there was a cabin that got the award for being cleaned the best!  We won that a few times!

What was your favorite theme night?
Camouflage night!  I dressed up for all of them.  There was a Star Wars night too!

What was your favorite activity?
Every day. they gave us an hour of free time.  Every morning, I went to the store and got a Gatorade and an ice cream bar and then I went to the pool.  I went swimming every day!

What were some other activities?
We did a water war with water soakers in two big tree houses that were a couple of stories high.  We played capture the flag.  We zip lined into the lake.  You could kayak with a friend.  We could play basketball, dodgeball, archery, or shooting.  It was really fun!

If you could give one piece of advice to someone going to camp for the first time what would it be?
Make sure you do everything more than once because everything is super fun!

On a scale of 1 to 10 how fun was it?
5,000,000!!!!

Debbie is Shepard's mom. He is her only child and she was a little nervous to send him away for his first overnight camp. We wanted to get her thoughts on his experience and see if she had any advice for mom's who are considering camp.

What advice would you give other mom's considering sending their kids for overnight camp?
I would tell parents to feel safe in sending their kids away to Pine Cove, because that was my biggest anxiety!  Would he be safe?  But the minute I dropped him off I felt like he was safe.  I kind of instantly knew that this was a good idea.  It was his first time to ever to go to an away camp.  My only regret is that I didn't send him earlier when he was younger.  I would also share with them that they post pictures daily of the kids and that made me feel a lot better.  Every day, I could log on and see what he was doing and how much fun he was having.  It was a great experience for us and we hope that whoever wins this year has just as great of an experience as we did!

Thanks, Debbie and Shepard for taking the time to share your memories and their advice with us.

REGISTER for the Overflow conference by May 15th to enter the drawing for the giveaway.  There is a box to check on the registration form to enter!  This is for first time Pine Cove campers only.  Silverado is for kids who will be in 2nd to 5th grade for the upcoming school year.  Winners can choose from any week in the 2017 summer schedule with an opening.  Click on the link below to register and enter to win!   We can't wait to see who goes to camp this year!

http://www.overflowbcf.com/registration/

We hope you and your kids are doing really well this spring.  We are getting super excited about Overflow 2017 and registration will open on Monday, April 10th! Hope you will come and bring a friend!

BUT, this blog is to let you know about a fun evening coming up soon for Pizza in the Park!

Many of you know Liesel Araoz already and if you don't, she can't wait to meet you.  Liesel has been a huge part of Overflow from the very, very beginning!  She attends Bayou City Fellowship Cypress and is part of a small group that meets every week that we call a community group.  The group would like to invite you all to join them at Telge Park for a fun evening of pizza, games and fun!

Here's the details:

Wednesday April 12th, any time after 6:30.

Telge Park
12400 Pleasant Grove Road
Cypress, TX 77429

*If you get caught in traffic, you won't be late. You can't be late to the park! :)

Please RSVP and refer any questions to LieselAraoz@gmail.com
They want to plan enough pizza for everyone!

Beloved  (Part Five)

Today, let’s begin with a look at how the word beloved appears in the New Testament!  We see that beloved is an affectionate term used to describe those with a new life in Christ.  The chosen of God are described as "holy & beloved".  In Romans 1:7, Paul writes to these new Christians as  “to all who are beloved of God in Rome, called as saints”.   The word beloved is also used for individuals such as when Paul calls Timothy “a beloved child” (2 Timothy 1:2), and refers to Philemon as a beloved fellow worker (Philemon 1:1).  In Ephesians 1:6, Jesus Christ is called the Beloved “to the praise of his glorious grace, with which he has blessed us in the Beloved”.  Repeatedly, beloved is used to express God the Father's affection for Jesus as His "beloved Son".

He was still speaking when, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them, and a voice from the cloud said, “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased; listen to him.”  Matthew 17: 5

Beloved.  It’s a word used throughout the entirety of the Scriptures in both the Old and the New Testaments.  It is a strong word that expresses deep affection.  You don’t just call someone beloved unless there is a precious, abiding, covenant love for them. 

“You are the called of Jesus Christ; you are my loved ones.  I have chosen you for my own; I have called you; I have justified you; I will keep you; I will work in you what is pleasing in my sight (Hebrews 13:21); nothing will separate you from me; because I love you with an everlasting love.  You are my beloved.” John Piper in The Called of Christ & the Loved of God

As I sit here writing today, I cannot help but reflect on the most common start to wedding vows, “dearly beloved.” A wedding is ceremony of covenant love, where the chosen ones commit to live in a relationship bound in love to one another.   If you are a believer in Jesus Christ, YOU are His dearly beloved, bound in a covenant with Him that will not be broken, will not be shaken, will not be forgotten.  You will not be rejected by Him and His love for you will never end. Nothing can separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:39).   Beloved, He loves you.  If you have not yet trusted Jesus with your heart, he stands waiting to receive you and to love you with an everlasting love.

The question that remains is will you let yourself be loved? 

not be good, but be loved. 

not be perfect, but be loved.

not have it all together, but be loved.

Will you receive the grace from God in Christ Jesus and be set free into God's love?

When the lies come marching into your head that you are not loveable, not worthy of love or not capable of being a loving person, talk back to yourself with truth from the Scriptures.  Know what the Lord says about His beloved and know that He is speaking to you.

Christ's love makes me a new person.  

His promises of love are true.

He gives me the power to love others in ways I never could on my own.

But God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. .  1 John 4:7ESV

Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 1 John 4:7 ESV

Love is the command and being loved is the power!

The love from God in you overflows to those around you.  As we accept the love so freely and abundantly given from the Lord, love overflows from us to others and especially to our children.  We all want our kids to know that they are loved and to know that they are accepted and loved completely.  The love given from God can overflow from our hearts to theirs, but it has to start from within our own hearts.  We cannot give them or teach them something that we don’t have ourselves. 

One of the women that attended the Overflow conference last June, sent us such a lovely email afterwards and I wanted to share a little snippet, “During the Overflow conference, Lisa Harper said to be like a child wanting to be picked up.... Reach your arms up to him and he will pick you up and hold you. I remind myself of that daily.  That it's all in his hands and because of his grace my past transgressions aren't held against me. I'm completely forgiven and loved the exact same.”

You were made to love God. 

Love your god with all you heart and all your mind and all your soul. 

He wants you to love Him because He loves you. 

Be loved, Beloved. 

Beloved  (Part Four)

About Benjamin he said, "let the beloved of the Lord rest secure in him, for he shields him all day long, and the one the Lord loves rests between his shoulders."  Deuteronomy 33:12 NIV

Can you just imagine a favorite child riding on the strong shoulders of her Father?  Daddy reaches down and swings his little one up onto his shoulders.  The child giggles with delight with little pudgy hands wrapped around her daddy’s head.  She leans down to sing a sweet little silly song in her father’s ears.  The dad laughs and stops to point out the sunset and the puppies playing nearby.  They walk through the late afternoon enjoying just being together. 

Why do you think a father would lift up a child onto his shoulders?  Sometimes it is just for play, to have fun and laugh together!  Other times, a dad can see that his child is getting tired and needs to rest and be carried.   

A few months ago, I was traveling in a foreign country with my son, my daughter-in-law and little toddler grandson.  One day, we were walking through a very crowded market with people going and coming from all directions.   Carts pulled by donkeys pushed through the narrow streets, motor scooters whizzed by with only a second to get out of the way and so many people continually asking us to come into their market stalls.   For hours, we had been walking through the ancient city and my little grandson’s legs were getting tired.  All of a sudden, my son reached down and scooped up his child and placed him onto his shoulders.  There, he was lifted out of the crowd and was protected from the bustling market crowds around us, resting his little legs while safe and secure on his dad’s shoulders.

As I walked behind them, I thought about this scripture from Deuteronomy..  Sometimes, the Lord is sweet to give us a visual reminder of what His has said in the Scriptures.  When we rest on our Father’s shoulders, we are protected from the crowds and the chaos. Even though the things of life swirl around us, on His shoulders, I can ride, rest and hold onto Him.   As I watched my son and his son together, I thought about how our heavenly Father also enjoys just being with us, having times of fun and laughter together.  I could also see my little grandson’s head so close to his father’s ear, that he was able to talk to him.  It didn’t matter that he could only babble in toddler words.  His daddy loved the sound of his voice.  How much does our heavenly Father enjoy us talking to him too, even the simple babble of our observations, worries and dreams! 

Another thing that I noticed when my grandson was up on his daddy’s shoulders was that he could now see what his dad could see. Their eyes were at the same level giving him the same viewpoint as his father.   He had a better, broader view of the world around him. 

So Jesus said to them, Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing.  For whatever the Father does, that the Son does likewise.  John 5:19 ESV

Think about that for a few minutes.  As we rest securely between the shoulders of our Father, we can begin to see the world from His perspective.  We begin to see what He sees.  As we rest on Him and abide in Him, He gives us a different viewpoint – His.   Removed from where all we see is the muck and the mire, he brings us up to where the air is clear and we have a fresh, new perspective to see others as He does, to love others, to be able to forgive, and to be able to accept forgiveness - all through knowing Jesus Christ, the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.  To live now for telling others about Christ Jesus and His Kingdom.  Looking towards the horizon for when He will come again to gather us unto Himself. 

For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities – all things were created through him and for him.  Colossians 1:16 ESV

I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace.  In the world, you will have tribulation.  But take heart; I have overcome the world.  John 16:33 EVS