33 and counting...

Today is my birthday :) 33 years ago today the lord decided it was time to introduce me to everyone. 13 years ago in Jan. he decided to introduce me to himself.

Now I do the best I can introducing others to himself .. And live like a child of the king.. I often fail miserably.

Jesus lived 33 or so years.. 30 years behind the scenes, not drawing a crowd.. Then he went public. 3 years he made such an impact that the world is forever changed.. And will continue to be changed. And I will continue to be changed

Now the 3 birthday questions..

1- favorite birthday memory? Last year- my Uw team sang the song "hero" to me.. I haven't laughed that hard in so long. It was fantastic!

2- good, and not so good of this past year?

Oh gosh- July to July... It's been a really tough one... The good? Time with family; uconn winning and seeing them win; Nicole getting saved ; the village - Nicole, k.t., shiner, Oliver and me; spring break selection process; mass. Camps; px 90; Disney and beach trip; driving my jeep; going to dog park with shiner; leading entreps; meeting with Krissy; shape week during 35 days; alot of good ole fun!!

Not so good?

Job stress; Satan attacks; seeing people I love go down; seeing my family in pain; feeling not able to bounce back from it all; griffins struggles; battles with sin

3- what am I most looking forward to in my 34th year??

Clarity; more time with family; more life transformation;

Birthdays... A reminder of gods love and faithfulness.. :)

Heather Lodovico
College Director
www.hcbcut.com

... if we ever leave a legacy, let it be that we loved eachother well...

Family time in conn.

I am spending the week in Connecticut.. Where I was born and raised.. And spent most of my days.. Ha. My family still lives there. Mom, dad, sister, nephew, aunts, uncles, cousins.. I'm here to see them and also run two sports camps for Uw sports ministries.  A great ministry by the way... 

New England needs the gospel.. So here Is my attempt to be a useful vessel in a very hard area.  And I love little kids.  I get them and they understand me.. It's an outlet for me to use my gifts with kids.  I don't have that in Austin.  I did when I was teaching, but I haven't found it yet working full time for Hcbcut.  So Uw allows me to play with kids.. And reach out to new England. A win win eh?

I love reading the paper here. There are uconn and Yankee stories every day :) . 

I love being with my family.  I love watching the Yankees with my dad. I enjoy watching movies with my sister . I love talking about mj or the latest news with my cousin. I love hanging with my nephew.  

However, my heart also aches.  My family wants me home. They always have. I've been living away since my junior year of college. Now going on.. 11-12 years.  They have been asking to move back ever since.  

Instead I've moved farther away.. From long island, ny to Harrisonburg, va to Vienna, va to fort myers, fl to Austin, tx.   I've been searching for home.. A place to serve, a community to be on mission with.. Warm weather :)

However today :

 

My 7 yr old nephew asked me why I live in Texas. I told him I like my job and my friends. He asked if I like my friends more than family. :(

He has asked me things like this before.  He doesn't understand why I don't live with the family.  He doesn't understand. 

He also has autism. He is brilliant. But struggles socially.  He is struggling. The family is struggling. It's been a very hard semester for them. And for me. 

Ugggg.  

I hope the trip is great. I hope time with the family is good and fun. I hope the lord uses the camp to bring many to him and encouragement to all. I hope taurasi gets to play in the wnba all star game and the Yankees win. 

And I hope He sustains my head and heart . 

 

 

   

Heather Lodovico

College Director

www.hcbcut.com

... if we ever leave a legacy, let it be that we loved eachother well...

It's very early....

I don't know how people get up before the sun each day and function well. So not my gifting. Going to bed early may have helped, but after a long day of very fruitful meetings, packing, laundry, and checking email, facebook, and Twitter one last night, I found my mind and body restless... And then the alarm sounded.

Uggggggg

Godly people in the bible and in the past rose early ... I'm not spiritual enough.

I got up early for 12 years of school.. Waiting for the bus in the cold.. No fun. Had my share of 8 o'clocks in college.. And was up even earlier when I taught elem pe. Whose great idea was it to shape young minds before 8am anyway!!

Now I leave Austin tx for a stretch in my homeland - Connecticut !!! I'll be seeing my family, leading 2 gospel centered sports camps, celebrating my birthday, going to the wnba all star game, going to the new Yankee stadium, and touring espn..

I'll be up early each day for camp.. Uggg ...

Heather Lodovico
College Director
www.hcbcut.com

... if we ever leave a legacy, let it be that we loved eachother well...

risk to annoy

while i'm emailing, facebooking, texting, chatting, calling and twittering with college students..it made me think.. do we pursue folks with the same intensity that Jesus pursued/ pursues us? i know we are not all initiators, and its hard for some to pursue without getting a response or being pursued ourselves.. but we should strive to be little jesus's to quote frost.. and live like him right?

its risky to pursue.. you may annoy... you may be misunderstood.. you may be rejected... yeah.. but jesus left the 99 to reach the one.. and was rejected by many.. and annoyed folks.. and was misunderstood..

do i wish my phone rang more? sure.. but that doesn't keep me from passionately pursuing folks- to help connect them to Christ, his community, and his calling on their lives.. dead people dont pick up the phone... but neither do christ followers...

Blog

Now I can blog through email. Wow

Heather Lodovico
College Director
www.hcbcut.com

... if we ever leave a legacy, let it be that we loved eachother well...

I'm blogging through text on my iPhone... Wow

my dog is named shiner

yes after the beer... i love the new york yankees, the new york football giants, and the uconn huskies.. my father raised me right.

i know jesus.. somedays better than others

my big ole italian family lived in bristol and avon ct. i have over 80 cousins... im a new englander.. a yankee..

7 of the top ten least religious states are in new england... makes me sad

im on my second round of px90..

i got saved in college.. in virgina.. james madison university.. go dukes.. college students were meing missional there before the word was cool.. wish i had thought of that word.. id be rich.. if i had a million dollars..

i consider myself reformed..

i think i/ we can learn from anyone.. any church.. any author, pastor, book, sacred and secular. i used to be an arogant, ignorant son of a gun.. god's been and continues to work on me..

jury is still out on twitter.. blogging.. the south..

the red sox suck... its sad cause i really like the city of boston..

ive lived in bristol conn, garden city new york; harrisonburg, virginia; vienna, va; fort myers, fl; and now austin, tx; i dont think im done yet.

i have 5 tatoos- a turtle, soccerball, design by mandy latz, the word His in hebrew and the uconn huskies logo.. i have my next 5 picked out.

i have worked as a grocery bagger and checker- go walbaum foodmart, park and rec supervisor, data entry clerk, fast food worker, sports manager , factory temp work, waitress, para church staffer- intervarsity and FCA, church intern- mclean bible church, high school coach, little gym manager, chilis training team- opening 5 new chilis, elem. and jr. high PE teacher, athletic director, middle school coach, college ministry director, associate college director, and now connections director- at hcbcut

im used to and built to handle many tasks at once

i am a super lion.. or a DS...

i think the s.h.a.p.e book is gold to the believer. everyone should go through it and apply it to their lives

i connect people to jesus, his people, and his specific calling on their lives

im good at it.. like spooky good...

i spend way too much money.. help

this semester has been hard.. like very hard

i am very flawed

i dont trust people.. my heart hurts from folks ive let in and have bolted

i love my family.. and live too far from them.. it makes my head and heart hurt.

i have a thorn in my flesh..

i own a jeep..

diet coke is awesome. so are mudslides, cheese burgers, cliff bars, the p90x recovery drink, peanut butter and wheat thins..