5.28.2009

Found It!

Ever since I ran Sunday morning I have not been able to find my running watch. I bought this thing right after I moved to Dallas and it has been such a great companion. Seriously, I don't know what I did before I had this thing. I really has revolutionized my running and makes it so much easier.

It has been driving me nuts, though, not being able to find it. I don't really misplace things often so it really drives me crazy when I can't remember where I put things. These past two days I have been searching high and low to find it and it was nowhere to be found.

Rather than go into panic mode, I decided to take a different route (for once). I asked God to show me where it was. I even had someone tell me that it doesn't really work like that when you are trying to find things. But I really knew that He would show me where I put the stupid thing. It was one of those things where I said "Lord, if it's gone, let me know that it's gone so that I can move on. But if it's here, show me where it is." I knew I wasn't going to find it on my own.

So late last night I was putting some things away in my room. I got ready for bed and everything, and for some reason opened the bottom drawer in my bathroom. I really cannot remember what I was looking for in the drawer. And lo and behold, underneath my HAIRDRYER, was my watch. Seriously, I have NO idea when I put that thing in there. There is no reason for my watch to be with my brushes and hairdryer.

But I found it! OR God showed me where it was. I just busted out laughing when I saw it. God has such a sense of humor sometimes. But the best part was that I just felt His presence. Even looking for a watch WITH God gave me such joy! Just to know that He is walking with me through every part of my day and life is so amazing to me. It makes me smile just to think about that story. I'm so thankful that I lost my watch so that God could be glorified in such a small way!

Be encouraged today to give him your heart and mind in every aspect of your life!

5.26.2009

More Confessions

Ok, so I have another confession to make. As some of you may know, I am a REALLY bad fiction reader. I love to read, but for some reason it is really hard for me to get through a fiction book.

Sarah got me started on this Series called Mark of the Lion by Francene Rivers. Let me just tell you that for someone who doesn't read fiction, these books look very intimidating. They are very big books! Anyway, to make a long story short, I finished the first book right after I moved to Dallas, and have yet to finished book #2. So, I have decided to challenge myself: I'm going to commit to finishing book #2 by this Sunday evening! (I'm only on chapter 7 so I have about 150 more to go)

I have my doubts about me finishing it, but I really want to! For many reasons but mainly so that I can get Sarah's books back to her =)

So, if I don't finish, I owe you something. I'm giving you the freedom to leave a response and tell me what I have to do if I don't finish the book. Have at it......

5.21.2009

4 Years Wait!

I'm going to share something with you that I'm not the least bit ashamed of. So I went to Italy the summer after my Sophomore year in College with Campus Crusade and lived in Pisa. It, of course, was an amazing trip. But that's not what I want to tell you. What I want to tell you is that I have regretted ever since then that I did not get this one specific purse from Florence! I have been thinking about this purse for 4 years. I have been looking high and low for a purse like it. Every time I go to Marshalls I hope that they will miraculously have a purse that looks like the one at that specific kiosk stand in Florence. But no. I have found not one like it in America. Not in Chicago, not in Nashville, not in Dallas. Nowhere to be found.

So what do I do? I had a friend purchase me one who has been in Italy for the past several months and bring one home with her. I just couldn't stand it any longer. This poor girl, who is incredibly kind and thoughtful, went to the market and got the purse for me. Not only did she get the purse, but she bargained a great deal!!

Sometimes I just really love being a girl. And this is one of those moments!

The doorbell rang a few moments ago and I knew exactly what it was: MY PURSE. So ladies and gentlemen, I present to you the most amazing, beautiful purse you have ever seen in your life. And yes it does smell like new neather. AMAZING.

5.19.2009

Catalyst One Day Dallas - Part 2

Yesterday was so much fun! Even though I missed the first half of the conference, it still learned a lot for the short time that I was there.

Yesterday the theme was "Creating Momentum" in our church, ministry, or even career. Craig Goeshel talked about creating personal spiritual moment. At one point he had the entire auditorium COMPLETELY silent. You could've heard a needle drop in there. He was speaking to us in regards to how we spend our days, what our schedules look like, and if they match up with our values. He really challenged us in the area of resting, taking time off, etc. What's amazing is that one of the biggest problems in ministry is that we don't take time off! Not only that, but we don't manage our schedules well while we are working. Some days are so unproductive because we have so much on our plate and we don't know how to delegate responsibilities.

Why don't we take enough time off? Plain and simple.... we have too much PRIDE. We think that others aren't going to get the job done as well as we are, or we feel weak if we take time off. We think people will look down on us if we aren't in the church or at our ministry 24/7. Not only does not taking time off show pride, it also shows a lack of leadership. Craig talked to us about his schedule... he leaves work every day by 3:45! Why? b/c he goes straight to the gym to workout (b/c stress reflief and exercise is very important!) and then he can be home with his family for dinner. How great is that? Why is this so abnormal in our church culture? If you know that you have until 3:45 every day to get all that you need to get done, you're going to be productive, and what you can't do, you will pass on to someone else, or you will get done what needs to be done for the day and do the rest later. Good stuff! How are you doing with your schedule? Are you building your schedule around your values? Your schedule will show what your values are. Kinda scary, isn't it?

I think my favorite thing that stuck with me yesterday was something Pete Briscoe said about pastoring a church, which I really feel as though it applies to our every day lives.. he said you need to make sure you are doing three things.....
1. Preach the Gospel
2. Love people
3. Pray the spirit moves

Nailed it! Gosh that is my prayer for my life. That my actions and life would preach the gospel, that I would learn to love people, and that the spirit would move!

Great encouragement for this week! Come and join me at Catlyst East in Atlanta in October!

5.18.2009

Catalyst One Day Dallas

Today I am so excited about being able to attend Catalyst One Day here in Dallas. I won't make it for the morning sessions but I hope to make it out there by lunchtime. I can't wait to report back to you what I learn from today later on tonight. I've heard so many amazing things about these conferences, so I can only imagine what you learn just from one day with these people.

I'm so blessed to be able to attend conferences like this for my job!

Have a great day!

5.16.2009

Amazing Weekend

I can't even begin to describe how great this weekend was.. but I will try =)

I feel as though I left a piece of me back in Jacksonville with all of those who were at the Shine Conference. Never before have I seen people serve like they do. From the minute we stepped off the plane to the minute we got back on the plane, the people of Celebration Church blew me away. There's just something about these people that are so magnetic. They do everything with excellency.... they love the Lord with excellency, they put together a conference with excellency, they worship with excellency, and they SERVE with excellency. If you are familiar with the book Servolution, then these people are what the book talks about.

We got to hear from Holly Wagner of Oasis church Thursday night with a Shane and Shane concert later that night, Kerri Weems Friday morning followed by Priscilla. Priscilla spoke again Friday evening and there was a huge after party. Then Saturday morning we got to hear from Vera Kasevich and Holly once more. Such an amazing group of people! All of these women are so great and have such unique and different stories. It's so neat how God brings together women from all around the world to share and fellowship with each other. It was neat being able to meet Shane and Shane and Joey as well and get to talk with them for a little bit. Poor guys were surrounded by women all weeekend! If you are around the area or feel like taking a trip next year to Jacksonville, you should definitely go!

My prayer after leaving this conference is that I will become like these people; I want to be known as a generous person and a servant. I'm so grateful for the opportunity this weekend to be with Shine. Looking forward to the many more events we have left for the year!

5.14.2009

Jacksonville, Here We Come

So excited about this weekend! We will be taking off around 2:30 today to head to Jacksonville for Shine. I'm so ready to be with these people after they have worked so hard to put the event together. More details to follow....

What about you? What are your plans for this weekend?

5.12.2009

Refreshed

I finally made it home yesterday morning after a delayed flight Sunday night. I had such an amazing and refreshing vacation! You already heard about my trip to Nashville, and Memphis was so great as well being with my sisters and mom and niece (and brother-in-law...poor guy) =)

What is crazy is that I have been gone for the last 4 weekends, and we have another event this weekend called Shine Conference at Celebration Church in Jacksonville, FL. Check out their websites if you aren't familiar with them. I am so looking forward to this weekend. These people seem genuine, energetic, and I can tell they do such an amazing job with these events.

After this weekend, I have the next two weekends off! This will be the first time I will be in Dallas for two weekends in a row! How insane is that? Because I have been gone so much lately, I am really praying and trying to focus on where I can invest my time this summer. I am ready to have some commitment for the week days so that I can make sure that I am being fed and being able to give and serve.

Goals for the next two weekends:
  • Clean! and Organize!
  • Rest
  • Read a book, or two
  • And I get to see Martha and maybe even Margie!
What about you? Doing anything exciting this weekend?

5.09.2009

Perfection

Be perfect, therefore, just as your Heavenly Father is perfect. Matthew 5:48

I'm going through the different attributes of the word "Father" in the bible, and this is the verse I am pondering today. Be perfect as your Father is perfect. That's quite a loaded sentence, one that I hope to have more insight on throughout this day.

This verse is in context with Jesus talking about loving your enemies, something He did very well. Love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you. And be perfect.

Do you think we have the ability to be perfect? If so, do you think loving our enemies is the way to do it?

Food for thought....

5.06.2009

Blessed After All

Wow... I can't believe it's already Wednesday. Which means that my time here in Nashville has come to an end.

I've learned a lot from my time here:

1. Authentic Community is so important.
It's been so exciting to visit my friends and learn all about what God is doing in each of their lives. I feel as though their friendships are genuine and purposeful. A big prayer of mine for this summer is finding a place of safety and community where I can be myself and be challenged in my faith. I feel like the Lord wants me to be very intentional about where I spend my efforts this summer as we are in a busy season with work.

2. God is always in control
I shared about this yesterday but I can't say it enough. As long as we seek Him and wait on Him, He will lead us and guide us. Even if we aren't sure if we are making the right decision or not 100% sure what He is saying, if we step out in faith, He is going to honor that. This move has been one of the hardest things I've had to one, and yet one of the biggest growth times of my life. He is faithful!

3. Nashville is amazing
If you don't live in Nashville, you need to get there as fast as you can ;) Or you need to move to Dallas because it is just as great!

4. Live an intentional life
After reading the book Crazy Love by Francis Chan, it really helps you to re-evaluate your life and how you are living. Be intentional. Serve more. Love more. God has given us many blessings and gifts and we need to figure out how we can use them for the benefit of others and not for ourselves.

What a blessing it has been to see all of my friends:
Sarah, you rock my face off! Thanks for being you and loving me for who I am.
Luna, I wish I could've seen you more but I'm excited for all the new things you have going on and so proud of you for going back to school.
Peter, I believe many and great things for you. Love you dearly.
Mason, you are the most ridiculous human being ever. You are my favorite running buddy. Katie, always so good to see you. Thanks for having us over on Sunday. So excited for how God is using you here
Ben and Kyle - momma bear and pappa bear. I miss my fam!
Britney - so good to hear your heart this morning. I will be praying for you! So proud of you who are and your love for the Lord!
Wes - so great getting to know you better. Thanks for hanging out.
Whitney - HAPPY BIRTHDAY! I'm so glad that we could celebrate your life yesterday. I believe God has huge plans for your life! I'm so thankful to be able to be a part of it all.
Bible study girls - So glad I got to hang out and meet all of you! I'm excited for your next study and what God is doing!!!
Jenni and Jessica - ALWAYS so great catching up with you! Loved spending time with the two of you!

So many others to name but I'm so grateful that people took time out of their schedules to hang out with me while I was here. What a great trip! Can't wait until my next visit to Nashvegas!

5.05.2009

Cindo De Mayo

I don't believe that I have seen so many cloudy days in a row. Unbelievable. Rain or shine, it has still been an amazing trip.

Today I get to celebrate one of my good friends, Whitney Plunk's, birthday! Happy birthday Whit! I get a haircut, which is really exciting; Sarah is taking off this afternoon; and we get to eat lots of good Mexican food! I'm hoping to end the night at Rumours with some good friends, but we will see.

There really is no other place like Nashville. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love Dallas and my job and wouldn't change a thing about my life, but there is just a part of me that will always love Nashville and it will always feel like home. Maybe it's because I moved here first right out of college and went through a lot here.. maybe it's because I have such great friends here.. maybe it's because it's a comfortable place for me.. or maybe it is just that great! For whatever reason, I'm so glad I've had a chance to be here and visit and enjoy my time and not feel rushed. I'm thankful that I got to live here for a time.

I'm also very thankful that the Lord brought me to Dallas... to a new place of excitement, change, and growth. Visiting Nashville has confirmed in my heart that I am in the right place.. that God really is in control and I am not! That He knows what He is doing. That His ways are higher than my ways, and His thoughts are definitely NOT my thoughts. I'm encouraged to know that even though I may not feel like He is alive and well in me, I can know that He always is! My responsibility is to every day just say "yes" to Him. Even though I have no idea what's in store for each day, I just have to submit to Him.

I still have a lot of thoughts from being here and I'm trying to process them all, but be encouraged today that in the midst of your surroundings, He is God and He is in control. Submit your life to Him today!

5.04.2009

Taking It All In

I cannot begin to explain what a joy it has been to be in Nashville these past two days. I have felt nothing but Gods presence and love being here and fellowshipping with my best of friends.

I got here Saturday around 3:00 and just took it all in as I was actually looking at Sarah in person! 3 months sort of seemed like an eternity since I have seen her. We went to dinner with friends at PM - had my favorite burger of all time and favorite sushi roll of all time! Of course the night involved ice cream and good hang out time!

Sunday was always my favorite day. Church at Crosspoint, brunch at Le Peep eating eggs benedict, reading and good convo at Frothy Monkey with Sarah, bible study with the girls, and game night! Always such a life giving day!

Today I have been sitting at Frothy Monkey taking it all in and reflecting on my life these past few months. I feel like a spoiled little girl. My life is filled with so many blessings! I have been giving more than I deserve.

I am pondering over the words from Proverbs 3 today.

Let love and faithfulness never leave you..trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight..Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil..This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones. My daughter, do not despise the Lord's discipline because the Lord disciplines those he loves..Blessed is the man who finds wisdom..for she is more profitable than silver..she is more precious than rubies; nothing you desire can compare with her..she is a tree of life to those who embrace her..preserve sound judgment and discernment..they will be life for you.. then you will go on your way in safety, and your foot will not stumble; when you lie down you will not be afraid and your sleep will be sweet.

I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for us today!

5.01.2009

Oh Sevierville

We made it to Sevierville. What an interesting city!

So you know that two weeks ago we were in Branson and I was really hoping to meet Kirk Cameron. Obviously that didn't happen because P and I got stuck at the airport and made it too late to hear him speak on Friday. I was totally bummed and determined that I was going to meet him this weekend.

So we are on our flight to Knoxville this morning and it was about half way through the flight. And I look up and see this guy walking towards us.... guess who? Kirk! Yes, the Kirk Cameron. Of course he knew P and Jerry so they starting chatting and I was included in the convo and thrilled! Let me just tell you that he looks exactly the same! exactly! I honestly can't tell how old he is. He has six kids and one of them is at least 12 so he has got to be in his 40s I guess.

So hilarious! He is a really nice guy... exactly what you expect. I didn't make it out to hear him speak tonight but I'm sure it was great. All the ladies were going crazy over him. And I mean crazy. They looooooove Kirk Cameron.

So, I feel as though tomorrow is going to go well. P speaks at 9:00 and then I have to take them to the airport so they can catch another flight at 1:00. THEN I'M HEADED TO NASHVILLE! That deserves a whole another blog, so I will withold how extremely excited I am about seeing Sarah and many others!!

God bless you this evening.