Can't Grow This...

I stepped outside this morning and was instantly drawn into the perfectly beautiful overcast day. I could no longer deny myself the pleasure of creation. I love my garden. It's not graceful, it's not sweeping, but it's mine...well, for now anyway. I could spend all day out there. Pruning, picking, stress free and quiet. I am breathing in and out, marveling at that beauty when I walk around the corner and I see this:

I love my fish pond. But my pond does not love me. I can grow just about anything...anything but aquatic plants.  What the heck, they live in water!!! And thats the key to gardening, water, water, and more water...well unless you are working with succulents and lantana, and some other stuff, but I digress.  So, dear readers, anyone know how to help me? 

Balance, Baby, Balance

Stained carpet, vinyl seats in 70s colors, poles that have been touched by who knows what. Can anyone guess where I am? No, it's not a strip club...you are gross!! It's the metro, and I am on it. After an eventful morning, and a little bit of Jersey Shore (yes, I watch that crap...and I pray for them), I am off to meet my husband for a day date. We are going to try some restaurants he has been talking about for awhile, since seeing them while commuting to work. I don't know who is more excited him or me...which leads me to wonder how many times has he asked me on a date and I mercilessly squashed his attempts. Not that I did it purposely mind you, but often I am so consumed with myself and what I need to get done that I view him wanting to "just hang out" as lazy or unproductive. Wow, there was a lot of "I" in that last sentence. But the reality is that it is productive. It keeps us connected, it keeps us happy.  That's why we got married isn't it? Because we liked hanging out together. So where does that bring me? I guess it brings me back to balance. I can't just stay home all the time and just hang out cause that leads to us not having anything to talk about, but the flip side to that is I can't just do do do do do do do and do all the time. So although it feels funny, I have actually started a little system...I have started writing down things that I want to talk to him about so that when we are "just hanging out" we have plenty to talk about. That and so we don't have to fight about "yes, I did tell you about that." You might be seeing a common thread here for the next bit as I try to wrap my head around balance. 

Some things we have done

Beautiful Lord
Awesome and mighty
I'm captured by this love I see
Beautiful Lord
Tender and holy
Your mercy brings me to my knees
It's Your mercy that has made me free
Beautiful Lord -Beautiful Lord (Leeland)

This is the cry of my heart today as I sit and write this update. The
love that I have seen out pouring from the hearts of New Lifers has
brought me to my knees in awe of the One who died on the cross for you
and for me. We are seated at the table of the Lord and I am rejoicing
to be able to celebrate this with all of you. God brought my husband
and me to New Life in April and I never expected to be so utterly
devastated by the love of the people here. So thank you, all of you.
I want to thank all of those who selflessly gave their time, talents,
and energy by coming and having a blast at Starlight Cinema. Each one
of you are why it was a success. Not because of what you did, but
more because of why. Because Christ loves you. Thank you for sharing
the joy that so evidently overflows out of your hearts. I would love
to thank each one of you personally, but this is already going to be
too long. :) Ya'll are stealing this Mississippi girl's heart! If
you weren't there and you are reading this, find someone who was, I
guarantee they have an awesome story of what happened on Saturdays
this past August!

As if that weren't enough to make a passionate person all fired up,
then you guys hit me with the backpack drive. We collected almost
$10,000 in supplies and backpacks!!! Yes thats right I said TEN
THOUSAND DOLLARS!!! We were able to touch the lives of 300 students
with backpacks alone, not to mention the teachers and classrooms that
will benefit from all the extra supplies. Again, its all because the
people of New Life understand firstly that God LOVES them with a
unending and unchanging love. Only because of that. I am so excited
I am starting to sweat! You guys get it. You get that God loves.
Thats it, He loves, and thats what people need!

That is what New Life has to offer. Love. Thats why we do what we
do. Thats why we are having this Block Party. Because "we have have
caught a revelation that nothing can separate us from the love we
received through salvation. It fills your daughters and your
sons!!!!" People are calling the office as I write this asking about
our building and our Block Party because they want to be where the
love is. People wanted to be where Christ was. Why? Not because He
was some amazing speaker, or He had a lot of money. It was because He
loved. Jesus is here. Jesus is in your heart and people want to be
where you are. They want to be here. So sign up to be at the Block
Party, so people can be near you!!!

The little girl in the purple shirt

I was standing there manning the castle moon bounce when all of a sudden she broke into my world. In the eyes of the world she is insignificant. She is tiny, she is ignorant of the ways of the world, she is impolite, but at that moment, the precise moment that she came into my life, The Creator allowed me to see her God label. All she wanted was for someone to say she was beautiful. For someone to recognize that she, by merely being alive, was Gods prized creation. Too often little girls in purple shirts, and little boys in green shirts, are looked over...they are harassed and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. You see I was once a little girl in a purple shirt, I too longed for someone to see ME, not just my circumstance or as the inconvenience that got in their way. It wasn't until someone took the time time to brush the mess off my face and just love me for me that I could even begin to fathom that there was a God out there and He loved me. I bet you were that little girl or boy too.

So what do we do with that? When we are caught up in a love relationship with Christ we are called into action. We are called to share good news! Here at our church we have AWESOME news. Some of our news is we have just bought this amazing building that is going to fill some major needs in our community. That means that no matter who you are or what you believe you can have a place to come meet people, have fun, and maybe even learn something. So the staff here at our church wanted to come up with a way for you to share this good news. That's the whole point of the Block Party...it's to find the girl in the purple shirt and say "hey, we love you just for being you!" It's to bring the community into our space and show them first hand ALL that we have to offer. And let's be honest, we have a TON to offer. I want to encourage, no implore you, to take a major part in this Block Party. Don't let this be just another event where you let the harassed and helpless pass you by. If you call our church your home church and you have a growing relationship with Jesus, you should want to be apart of this perfect opportunity to share some good news. And don't just take my word for it. “35Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, preaching the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field."Matt 9:35-38

The staff of our church is praying that the Lord of the harvest will send us His workers. Not for our benefit, or because we don’t want to work (trust us we will be working, too) but because the harvest is so plentiful. There are so many people in our community who need to be loved, and we simply can’t love on all of them by ourselves. So, maybe you are saying, “I don’t have anything to offer,” or “I don’t feel comfortable talking to people I don’t know.” This is the perfect opportunity to learn how. We have tons of games, food, music, and more to help you connect with the people that walk in the door. We will also have seasoned veterans (don’t lick them though, Tom Smith tried and some people got really offended plus he said they didn’t taste good) who will be there to help get you started.

Come on, sign up to work a game, or make sno-balls, or even help people find a place to park. You never know, you might be the one that begins to change their view of eternity.

Its been two years...wow

So, its been two years since I have written something. I am not totally sure why I stopped, butI think it might be because I was in such a state of upheaval. Well, I am settled now...for the most part. My husband and I have relocated to the DC area (which is where I was born by the way), we both have new jobs, and guess what, there are new pets. I know, that last one is a big surprise. So I am not going to really try and fill everyone in on all the new developments, that's way too much ground to cover, but I think that it should be easy enough to catch on once you start reading, and more importantly I start writing again on a regular basis. Lets just start with this...there is a movement afoot. A love movement, and I am pretty excited about it. You can see it everywhere if you are looking. I am going to post a couple of things here in just a second (they may seem repetitive, but I don't want to lose the information plus I was crying as I wrote some of it so to me its important...it may not be to you but whatever) that are my gut reaction...lets just call it brain vomit. Ok, and away we go.