Dig a Ditch

Well hello there long lost friends!  I know I have been MIA for quite a while...a month to be exact, but to be honest with you work is kicking my butt.  I have been so exhausted and literally fall asleep every night before 9:00.  I know, old womanlike.  Anyways, I have had a relaxing Sunday and figured I should venture back into the blogging world.  Something that has really spoken to me this weekend is the concept of "digging ditches".  No, not like a construction worker or gravedigger, but in a spiritual sense.  

Pastor Steven Furtick, my pastor, released his new book Greater recently and it has been our series at church these past two weeks.  The book is hitting spiritual spots on my heart, especially this week.  This week we talked about digging ditches.  Elisha was asked to pray to the Lord to bring water to the armies who were dying of thirst in the dessert and God responded "make this valley full of ditches".  He meant that if the armies would make preparations in faith that the Lord would show His faithfulness and bring the rain.  

This really struck me.  So many times I pray to God to make something happen in my life.  I pray for reconciled relationships, I pray for the will to forgive, I pray for people to be saved, I pray for purpose, etc. etc., but rarely do I make the room for God to move.  

God is omnipotent, yes, but we are not helpless.  He expects us to get up and step out in faith.  We cannot expect God to honor our faith if we do not demonstrate it to Him.  All we have is all God needs, but we need to use what we have to prepare the way for the Lord to do greater things in our lives.  I am so guilty of this.  I just expect that God will answer every prayer and I can just sit back and watch.  Not the case.  I need to get up and start digging some ditches because God has a rainfall coming my way that will cause the ditches to overflow with blessings.  So let's get dirty and dig some ditches.   

Declaration

Let this be my declaration this week.  When we face troubles, the Lord is by our side.  He always comes through.  He has so much more for me than what and who was in the past.  Declaring this to myself today.  I will not fear, for my help is on the way. 

Camp 658

This week my sister, Melissa, and I had the amazing opportunity to volunteer with Project 658 as a "coach" at Camp 658.  This camp was organized and held at a local apartment complex in a low-income area of our city.  For four days we got to hang out, play with, and reach out to children from the surrounding area.  It truly was an incredible experience.  We did arts and crafts, sports, games, and of course talked a lot about Jesus.  The kids have an incredible spirit and were so full of life and joy. 

Each day we would walk to the surrounding apartment complexes and go to the doors to pick up the kids.  Some kids didn't speak English, but still wanted to come.  They were all so sweet and fun.  Many of the kids would just run up, grab your hand or crawl on your back, and be ready to go.  I can tell you I got a major workout from carry kids around all week!  Just an added bonus!  Two days of the week were dedicated to art and two were dedicated to sports and playing outside.  The kids loved it all.  They were up for anything and it was so sweet to be able to teach them new things and see their little faces light up when they accomplished something.  

I truly believe that Jesus calls each of us to serve our cities and  communities.  We are all so blessed to know Christ and need to be a light in the world.  Whether you like working with kids, adults, the elderly, or just doing something with your hands, the Lord can use your talents and skills.  Trust that you can make a difference.  Just holding a child's hand or serving someone a meal goes a lot further than we think.  So get on out there and make a difference!  You will receive just as many blessings as the people you are serving.

Friendship

Sorry I have been so absent on here lately.  I promise I'm not abandoning you, I've just had some serious writer's block, like really bad.  Anyways, a topic I have been thinking a lot about lately is friendship.  As a woman friends are critical.  Growing up, during your middle and high school years, nothing could come between you and your girlfriends.  They are the ones you told your deepest secrets to, the ones you danced around the kitchen at 2 AM with, and the ones who knew you better than you knew yourself.  As we get older the importance of friendship does not change, but the types of friendships do change. 

Whether we like to admit it or not friends don't always stick around, no matter how close you are to them.  People come and go, your expectations change, you change, and your life moves forward regardless.  I think especially when you get married you redefine your friendships.  I no longer run to my closest girlfriend to pour my heart out to, I turn to my husband.  Instead of planning my weekend around my friends, I plan to spend time with my husband.  Some people stick around for the ride and join in the change, while others jump ship.  

This doesn't mean that a married woman doesn't need friends, she certainly does.  Marriage just changes your friendships, whether we like it or not.  There are times when I yearn for my old best friends and that time of my life was amazing.  The Lord really blessed me with some great friends as I grew up.  Those women shaped part of my life and I am thankful for that.  Friends mold and shape us, they live life with us.  

The good thing is, the Lord's timing is perfect.  He knows exactly who we need in our lives at any given moment.  I can speak this through experience.  I know that my old friendships are not going to be brought back to their glory days, but I do know that the Lord is constantly moving.  As our lives change, the people are strategically placed at any given moment.  See, the Lord makes all things new.  I used to be in a really dark place in the area of friendship in my life.  I don't like to admit that, but it was a dark time of my life.  The good news, the Lord is working through and making friendship new in my life.  I can see him placing Godly women in my life and bringing me out of the darkness to a new point of light.  He is restoring my belief in friendship and I see a new purpose through it all.   
 

Love Week 2012

Every year my church hosts a city-wide event called Love Week.  The goal is to spread out all over and serve our city through a variety of service opportunities.  Love week started in 2010 with a goal of serving 5,000 volunteer hours and we busted that goal by serving over 10,000.  Last year the goal was 30,000 hours and this year the goal was 50,000 hours.  Our church partnered with 93 churches to serve those 50,000 hours.  This year the mayor of Charlotte declared this week officially as Love Week for the city of Charlotte, totally awesome!  Brandon and I had the opportunity to serve in 4 projects over the last week.  Love week is an amazing opportunity to serve others and demonstrate Christ's love through our actions.  It is one of my favorite events that the church hosts. 

Our small group met to make snack packs for A Child's Place.  They support homeless children and give them a snack bag every nigh because they don't know if they will get dinner that night. 

My mom, Brandon, and I also served at Bright Blessings.  They provide birthday parties and birthday presents for homeless students.  They serve students in my school, so it was a great way to serve them who serve us.  They are one of my favorite organizations.  

We also helped process new shoes for Samaritan's Feet and donated clothing items and books for local crisis outreach partners.  Love week is always so fun.  I just hope that I can continue the spirit of generosity every week.

Sharing My Story

 Hey Lovelies.  Today I am over at Amber's blog Pless Press to share my story.  She has a wonderful guest post series where she encourages women to share their stories of how the Lord is working in their lives.  I decided this would be a great place to be a little vulnerable and share about a difficult part of my life.  I really hesitated to write this, but I hope that by sharing my story it will resonate with some other women and encourage them through Christ's love.  Without further ado, go check out my story!

The difficulty of the trial you survived indicates the depth of blessing that's ahead. God TESTS you to PROMOTE you.   - Pastor Steven Furtick

12 days

Hello there lovelies!  I'm back!  As you read, I have been involved with a 12 day old school revival with my church called Code Orange Revival.  It was 12 amazing nights of worship and hearing from the Lord from 12 amazing pastors from across the world.  Brandon and I had the privilege to volunteer for 9 of the 12 nights.  We serve as ushers and love it.  It is such an honor to be able to usher people into seats where their lives could be changed forever.  We had planned to serve 10 nights, but Brandon got sick for two nights and then we went to the experience with our precious E-group one night.  

We have 6 campuses, but only two were open during the week for the revival.  The pastors spoke live at one and it was simulcasted to the other in live time.  We served at the overflow campus.  I cannot even begin to describe the life change that occurred over these past 12 nights.  We baptized 205 people and had countless people accept Christ as Savior.  People camped out in the freezing temperatures and rain just to get a seat in the auditorium.  We prayed together, sang together, lifted our hands in worship, and hear the Word preached in so many different styles.  

Night one: Craig Groschel taught us how to be an idiot for Christ.

Night two: Jentezen Franklin taught us how to store up mercies instead of inequities so that future generations will be blessed.

Night three: Matt Chandler taught us that God is for God

Night four: Christine Cain taught us that our due date is not the same as God's appointed time

Night five: Ed Young taught us that Jesus is our life ring, but we have to pull so the house will be full

Night six: Israel Houghton rocked the house with his worship and taught us that the "atmosphere of expectation is the breeding ground for miracles"

Night seven: Perry Noble taught us that we are blessed because of the things we have seen and heard. Oh, and we baptized 204 people!

Night eight: Stovall Weems taught us that we have to create the space for God to fill and lay hold of the moments

Night nine: Kevin Gerald taught us that our right to choose is one of the greatest gifts God offers

Night ten: Bishop TD Jakes taught us that Jesus can touch us and we can reach out for Him

Yes, someone strung up a hammock to camp out

Night eleven: James McDonald taught us that Jesus is not only holy but holy, holy, holy

Night twelve: Pastor Steven Furtick taught us that we have to turn this moment into momentum, the best is yet to come

all photos via

I wish I had taken pictures, but I was trying to focus on the Word and on serving Christ and the guests that came to Elevation.  I am so lucky though that we have an amazing production team who put together an awesome video of the revival. 12 nights in 5 minutes.  Also, they are going to release the podcasts of all of the messages tonight!!  Go HERE to download them all for FREE. Overall, it was an amazing, life changing experience!  I love being a part of this move of God.


Code Orange Revival from Elevation Church on Vimeo.

Where I've Been

Sorry I haven't been very present this week in the blogging world, but I've been somewhere amazing.  No it wasn't a super exciting vacay.  I've been at church.  My church is hosting a 12 night revival called Code Orange Revival.  We have some of the best pastors in the world coming to our church to preach the Word.  I have been volunteering for the first three nights of the revival and it has been INCREDIBLE!  You can be a part of this too.  We are streaming the revival live on the Elevation Network.  Go HERE to join us in this incredible move of God.  You can catch the broadcast at 6:12 every weeknight and 4:12 on weekends through Jan. 22.  It is also rebroadcast at 10:12, 3:12 AM, and 12:12 PM.  So come on in!!  I will be back in regular blogging habits after the revival finishes!

I want

Sometimes in life, well a lot of times, I feel stuck.  I feel like the selfishness of others pulls my courage down and makes me shrink.  While this is not a fun place to be, there is a positive side to these funks. Times like these make me reflect on what I want in life, about what kind of person I want to be.  It is a catalyst for the way I want to live my life.  I want to be happy.  I want so much more out of this beautiful existence the Lord has given me than an everyday life. 


I want to breathe in grace and exhale mercy. I want to say what I mean and mean what I say and NOT be afraid. I want to right my wrongs and learn from my mistakes.

 I want to cherish the small things, like laughing in bed with Brandon and making a child smile at my job. I want to hug tightly and love deeply.

I want the mindset of Christ, to just keep moving forward against opposition.

There are so many things I want in life.  I don't always know where or how to start, but I do know that life is worth more than a boring existence.  I do know that the Lord equips us with exactly what and who we need when we need it; and I do know that we get unstuck and keep moving forward in pursuit of a beautiful brokenness that we call life.  

Inconvenience Me

Last week I was privileged to attend Ladies Night at my church.  It was a night geared towards connecting, encouraging, and pouring into the women.  Our campus pastor's wife spoke on the topic of asking God to inconvenience us, asking God to open our eyes to opportunities to speak life into others.  

The way she said it, inconvenience me, made me think about something.  How many times have I missed the opportunity to bless someone or to pour into someone because it was out of my way, I didn't have time...it was inconvenient.  I believe that God moves when life gets hard, when it's not easy.  God moves when we sacrifice ourselves, our time for Him, for His time, His purpose.  If we learn to open our eyes to see the favor God has placed in our life we can open our eyes to opportunity.  When we recognize our strengths we can use them for the good of others.  

No, it may not always be convenient.  It may be as we're leaving the office for the day, it may be when you're in a hurry, or as you are walking out of church on your way to lunch.  You never know what situation a person is going through, even if you think you know them.  Your time, your words, your presence could show the love of Christ and change their life forever. 

I pray that the Lord would inconvenience me.  In my job, in my church, in my every day life, inconvenience me Lord.  I want to see the opportunities around me to show favor to others, to be a light into the darkness that is some people's existence.  Use me Lord and help me to recognize those opportunities and to never let them pass me by.   

Moving Towards Normalcy

Can I just say again how amazingly supportive my husband has been through this past week.  I don't know what I would have done without him.  This weekend, after the memorial service on Friday, he made it his mission that we would have a fun weekend.  Saturday was the unc vs. NCSU football game.  It's a game I look forward to watching every year.  After a week full of meaningless, ignorant trash talk, needless to say, the Wolfpack beat the tarholes for the fifth straight year!!  It was so exciting and I look forward to rubbing it in at Brandon's uncle's house on Thanksgiving.   

After the game we relaxed for a while and then we headed out for a night of fun and relaxation.  We first set out to go to Taco Mac, a local sports grill, to watch the LSU/Alabama game, but the wait was an hour and a half.  That being said, we headed out in search of another viewing location.  We hooked up the GPS to search for local restaurants and randomly decided to go to Hickory Tavern.  When we got to the supposed location of Hickory Tavern, there was no Hickory Tavern in sight; however, in its place was another sports bar.  We set out for a good time.  We ordered an appetizer, which we never do.  We each got a drink, which we rarely do.  We shared dinner and then ordered dessert to split.  While waiting for our dessert to come out I was thinking to myself what is the name of this restaurant again?  I look over and see the name of the restaurant  CB 7.  I was astonished.  My Popaw's name was C.B.  How is it that we randomly ended up at this restaurant out of every sports bar in the city of Charlotte?  We didn't set out to go there, no the road led us there.  It was like the Lord was speaking to me....He's still with you.

Today in church Pastor Steven preached on the breaking of the bread. He spoke about how even when you are in the breaking stage, you never leave God's hand.  Last night I truly believe the Lord was speaking to me.  Thinking about it gives me chills.  Even though the road has been weary these past few days, I am still in the Lord's hands.  Even if he has to remind me through a restaurant over chocolate cake.  
  

Project 31 Day 13: Perfecting Imperfection

 Day 13.  Write about something you would like to change about yourself for the better.

I'm not perfect.  I'm the first to admit it.  There are many things I would like to change about myself.  Some are necessary and some are my own critical eye.  Regardless of where the desire to change comes from change is necessary.  I want to continuously seek growth opportunities in my life.  

One of the main areas I want to improve upon is my patience, which ties hand-in-hand with my need to have a plan and have control.  I admittedly am a Type-A personality.  I like having a plan.  I like knowing what is coming next.  I need to be able to have control over the situation.  Being out of control, flying by the seat of my pants, is somewhat anxiety provoking for me.  This is where my patience issues come into play.  I was blessed with the gift of patience.  I get impatient, especially when there is not a plan, when there is a lack of decision making.  Now, this does not mean that I need every moment planned out with no spontaneity.  I like being prepared for what is coming next.  

The only problem is, I am not God.  I do not have it all figured out, but He does.  He is the mastermind behind my life.  When I get impatient I need to wait for the Lord.  When I get anxious about not having a plan, I need to press into my faith.  Last week, Pastor Craig Groeschel was our guest speaker at church and he gave an interesting illustration.  Jesus is the lamp unto our feet, but the lamp lights our feet not the entire journey ahead of us.  Jesus gives me exactly what I need to get through the present moment.  I don't need to question what lies ahead because Jesus' lamp moves with my feet.  I want to become more faithful and less impatient.  I want my plan to become smaller and His to become greater.  I am not in control nor should I be.   

Stand in Line

All these victims
Stand in line for
The crumbs that fall from the table
Just enough to get by
All the while
Your invitation
Wake on up from your slumber
Come on open up your eyes 

                        -NEEDTOBREATHE

Needless to say The Reckoning has been dominating my car rides lately.  Let me just say, the car is my jammin' out place.  It's where I pretend I'm on stage and sing my lungs out.  Music really speaks to me and whenever I hear a new song or new album I really try to listen to the lyrics and try to get the meaning out of the words.  Well I was listening to Slumber today on NeedtoBreathe's new album today and I've heard it several times already, but when I was really listening today the lyrics above got me thinking.  

We are all these victims.  We stand in line to accept only the crumbs that fall from the table.  We are only looking for enough to get by, but is this what Christ wants for us.  I think not.  We can get so blinded by our need to survive and forget how much more God wants for our lives.  We continuously settle for the bare minimum in life and forget that the greatest invitation is waiting on us each day.  We don't have to settle for the crumbs because Christ has an entire feast waiting on us, we just need to wake up and open up our eyes.  

It's amazing how a few lines of a song can really speak to a much greater picture.  It triggers things that you may forget in the daily drum of life.  This is something I want to work on.  I want to continuously seek out God's will for my life and to never settle for a ho-hum world.  I want to wake up to the excellence I know is waiting on me. 

Pray for You

Have you ever had someone say "I'll pray for you"  and you think to yourself "will you really?"  Prayer is something that should not be taken lightly.  It is our direct communication with God and I often wonder if people really are praying for me when they say they are.  I know that I am also guilty of this and it is something I want to work on.  

On the other hand, there are instances where I know people are genuine in prayer and I know without a shadow of a doubt that they are praying for me when they say they are going to.  Today someone told me they would pray for me and I believe them.  It is so reassuring to know that someone else is lifting you up.  It is too easy to get bogged down in my own prayer life.  I often feel like I pray the same prayers, ask for the same things, but there is something about someone else praying for me that makes me feel loved, cared for, and that they are concerned enough to include me in their prayer life. 

Oftentimes, the sad thing is that the people who are genuine in their prayer offerings are not my close friends, no they are strangers.  They are people in my church who lift me up; they are people in the blogospere (hint, hint that's you potentially); they are people who may never know me.  Why is it that people outside of my own personal life are more apt to pray for me and my struggles than people who know me the best?  

The good thing is that it shouldn't matter who is praying for you.  I am thankful for all of the voices that speak on my behalf, the ones who care enough to lift up my petty concerns and struggles.  I want to be one of those people, who cares enough to pray for a complete stranger who in fact is my brother or sister in Christ.  

How can I pray for you today?  Maybe you are feeling lonely, left out, having relationship issues, or just having a daily struggle.  Maybe you feel like no one else will pray for you in your time of need (I've often felt that way).  So what is it?  Leave a comment and know, I am praying for you and I mean it.               

It's Not Like the Movies

Do you ever wish your life was like a movie or a television remote?  I mean have you ever wanted to hit the rewind button, edit certain events in your journey, cut and paste, or erase a scene all together?  I've been thinking a lot about the things that have occurred in my life in the past year and a half or so.  There are certain things I would keep on repeat and certain things I would rather redo.   There are moments that make my heart melt and that keep me smiling, but there are moments that have wrecked my soul and that continue to haunt me.  

Sometimes I wish I could hit the edit tab and I think If only I had seen what I know now, then (insert Taylor Swift reference here).  If I could just go back and get a redo, I could change it and maybe I wouldn't feel this way today.  With the simple touch of a button I could edit the scene and, in retrospect, I could make it right.  I could make that person treat me better, I could retract that statement, I could invest my time differently, and in effect I could have no regrets.      

Maybe life would be easier this way, maybe it would lessen our stress, but the reality is that life is not like the movies.  There are struggles, there are joys and tears, moments come and just as quickly they are gone.  Yes, it is not like the movies and we do not have a remote control, but there is good news.  Our creator has a magnificent, perfect plan with every detail laid out just as it should be.  The tears are not for loss, but for our gain.  He works all things for our good.  So, yes we do not have life on DVR, but we have a Mastermind who knows every second of our existence.  He is in control of every moment and because of this, no remote control needed.        

 

Freedom is Here

Last night Brandon, my parents, and myself had the privilege to go to the Hillsong United concert in Greensboro!  It was beyond amazing.  If you don't know who Hillsong United is, they are a worship band from Australia who writes most of the popular worship music used all over the world.  They have such a heart for Christ and for worship.  It was so freeing to be in a huge arena full of people worshiping the same amazing God.  We are so privileged to be able to worship freely. There are so many people across this world who cannot openly express the joy they have in Christ.  We get to do this whenever we want, which is something that is too often taken for granted.  If you ever have the opportunity to attend a major worship event like a Hillsong United concert I highly recommend you take advantage of it.  The experience is priceless.