8.26.2009

LA Here We Come

I'm not going to lie, I'm really excited about heading to LA this weekend. We are going to be with Oasis Christian Center and I know it's going to be so much fun! I haven't even met these people yet and they have blown me away with their service and desire to serve the Lord.

It's going to be great as Priscilla will speak at their staff/volunteer retreat Friday&Saturday and then she will be speaking at their church services on Sunday. I met the pastor's wife when we were at Celebration Church a while back and she could not have been any cuter. Really, this group of churches are just amazing and I'm humbled to be such a small part in all of it.

I'm even more excited about getting to see my cousin, Maureen, who just happens to live down the street from the church (what are the chances of that?) and my sweet friend Chelsea who will be there interviewing for an internship at Saddleback Church. Pray she gets it!! I fully anticipate eating some amazing food and this MUST be in the itinerary somewhere:
http://www.pinkberry.com/
Fro-yo! Yum!

LA, here we come......

8.19.2009

I'm Back

It seems like forever since I have had a time to sit down and write about what's been going on lately. I can tell that summer is over because things are really starting to pick up with work and life.

This past weekend my family and I went to Michigan for my grandmothers funeral. She lived an amazing life for 94 years! So hard to believe. I really want to say that it was much more of a celebration than a funeral. While it's really hard to lose someone so close to you, you can't help but rejoice knowing that she is finally where she has always wanted to be: In Heaven with her Father! My grandmother lived a life worthy of God's calling. We are going to miss her very much!

Needless to say, I got to see my sister Sara who I haven't seen since May which was awesome! Brian and Luci and Nicole and her little baby got to come as well. So it was good to be with our family, even if it was a short visit.

This weekend, we are going to be in Louisville Kentucky for a Going Beyond Event. Nashvillians, people from Illinois, Ohio, Indiana... if you don't have anything to do this weekend, drop everything and come to Louisville! I can't think of a better way to spend your weekend than hanging out with us at Southeast Christian Church =) You can still register here.

I look forward to being back in the blogging world: hopefully! Have a great day!

8.10.2009

21


My brother and I weren't supposed to run 21 miles until this weekend. But, I was already going to be in Waco this past weekend, so we decided to go ahead and get it over with. So, we ran 21 miles on Saturday morning.

Sheesh!

It's so crazy to say that I have run that far. You just kinda get to a point where you accept the fact that you are running that far and you just do it. It also helps TREMENDOUSLY when you have someone to run with. But to be honest with you, I really am enjoying it. I love the challenge... I love strapping on all my gear with water, gatorade, and energy bars.. putting on my tennis shoes.. and heading out the door knowing I won't be back for quite some time. I'm starting to think about being finished with training and it makes me sad to think that it will be over soon. Call me crazy, but it's true.

We still have 5 more miles to go before we make it to 26.2, and those last 5 miles might completely change everything and make me never want to run that far again, but I'm so thankful that I'm able to say, at this point, that I'm loving every second of it...I'm thankful that I haven't had any major injuries! I definitely don't want to take that for granted.

So, October 11 couldn't get here fast enough! I'm so stinkin' excited.. especially to be running in Chicago! If you are thinking about training for a marathon... DO IT!!! And do it Jeff Galloway style!

8.06.2009

Trusting Him To Keep You

I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. Philippians 3:12

We admit that that it is a blessed privilege to abide in Christ but shrink back continually before the question: Is it possible.... a life of unbroken fellowship with the Savior?

Abiding in Christ is meant for the weak and beautifully suited to their frailty. It is not the doing of some great thing and does not demand that we first lead a very holy and devoted life. No, it is simply weakness entrusting itself to a Mighty One to be kept, the unfaithful one casting itself on One who is altogether trustworthy and true. Abiding in Him is not a work that we have to do as the condition for enjoying His salvation, but rather a consenting to let Him do all for us, in us, and through us. Our part is simply to yield, to trust, and to wait for what He has promised to perform.

This connection between Christ's work and our work is beautifully expressed in the words of Paul: "I press on, to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." Fix your eyes first on the that for which He has taken hold of you. It is nothing less than a life of abiding, unbroken fellowship with himself to which He is seeking to lift you up. Fix your eye on this, and gaze until it stands out before you clear and unmistakable: Christ's aim is to have me abiding in Him. Keep your gaze fixed on Him holding you and waiting to lift you up. Begin at once to say "O my Jesus, if you bid me, and if you will indeed lift me up and keep me there, I will venture. Trembling, but trusting, I will say, 'Jesus, I do abide in you.'"

My beloved fellow believers, go, and take time alone with Jesus, and say this to Him. Yield yourself this very day to the blessed Savior by surrendering the one thing He asks of you: Give up yourself to abide in Him. He himself will work it in you. You can trust Him to keep you trusting and abiding.

I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me." It is because Jesus has taken hold of me, and because Jesus keeps me, that I dare to say: "Savior, I abide in you."

Abiding in Christ: Andrew Murray, Day 3

8.05.2009

Waffles


What's that you say? That is a result of what happens when Linnae cooks in the kitchen really early in the morning. Or maybe it really has nothing to do with me being tired. Regardless, I walked downstairs this morning and thought to myself, "I am going to make a HUGE waffle!" It sounded perfect. I turned on the waffle maker, mixed up the ingredients, and poured 2/3 of the mix onto that sucker knowing that it was going to be the biggest, fattest, waffle ever.

Five minutes later I open it up..... stuck! Completely stuck to the waffle maker.

BUMMER!

Did I still get my waffle this morning? Yes I did. Only about 30 minutes later. I had to scrub the thing down and let it cool off before I could make another one. My waffle wasn't as big as I had hoped, but it was still good.

Lesson learned: When making waffles, let the machine heat up, then SPRAY it, then pour in the waffle mix =)

It's quite an adventure living with this gal. Too bad no one was here to experience it this morning.

8.03.2009

Deeper Still - Greensboro

Wow. I don't really know how to describe this weekend. God way surpassed all our hopes and dreams for this weekend. From my perspective, I just can't believe that I get to be a small part of God working in the lives of thousands of women!

God's teaching through Miss Kay, Priscilla, and Miss Beth was incredible. Miss Kay, of course, taught the whole book of Hebrews to us Friday night in about 2 hours. I aspire to be like that women of God in many many ways.. but I was blown away this weekend by her desire to take the Word of God to the whole world. Miss Kay literally knows the Bible back and forth and desires that all have a sound understand of it. You cannot stop her from teaching the Word of God. Every moment I spent with her this weekend, she talked about the Word of God. What a sweet woman! Miss Beth of course is just as wonderful as Miss Kay. She is a blast! It is truly an honor to be able to sit under her teaching. I was inspired to have a deeper, more intimate fellowship with my Father because of being with her this weekend. Her assistant and I definitely bonded, (Michelle) and I look forward to spending more time with her as the "assistants unite". We are going to form a group together - not sure what it's going to be called. But Michelle was kind enough to let me join Mrs. Dobson's assistant and Vonette Bright's assistant in their "assistant's unite" group. There is so much to learn from each other as we serve these incredible women of God. I can't wait to meet the other two girls!

Priscilla's teaching was absolutely phenomenal. I was blown away by how God used her this weekend. She taught from Ephesians 3:20-21 "Now to him who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to his power that is at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen." Phew! If that doesn't pump you up I don't know what will.

SERIOUSLY, you have GOT to come to this event. There are two more left this year: Orlando in September and Oklahoma City in December. Just do it! It'll be one of the sweetest weekends you can encounter!

Rich put a video together for us from the weekend and you can see it here. My favorite part of this video is a picture of three women: two of which are workers at the Greensboro Coliseum who were there to watch the facilities and had no idea what they were in for working at the event this weekend. How neat is that? Enjoy!