Chasing Daylight Chapter 1

Last night my small group started our study of Chasing Daylight by Erwin McManus. We had amazing discussion about how to seize every moment of our lives to fully live for Christ! I will post our discussion outline each week (written by me so don't expect much) but we would love for you to study along with us! We are a 20s and 30s co-ed small group of 10 going on 30 (literally) so pray for us as we make this transition and find a space to fit us!

1. What fear, doubt, pain or disappointment is keeping you from a life FULLY lived? McManus says “to play it safe is to lose the game” (p5). Do you agree/disagree? What does he mean by this?

2. We sometimes put God in the backseat because we want to control the outcomes of our lives. What area(s) of your life do YOU control that you need to let go of?

3. Do you ever feel like your past is so ugly that God couldn’t possibly make anything of your life? Perhaps you are currently not making the best choices in the moments you are given. Even in our deepest, darkest place, God will PURSUE us and set out in search of our hearts. What HOPE we can find in that!

4. “A moment is small enough to ignore and big enough to change your life forever” (p17) WOW! Our journey is defined by the CHOICES we make in every moment from here on out. We can’t change past moments but even “at our worst, good is only one decision away” (p24). So what are we waiting for?

Challenge: Find something to be a reminder for you this week to live for the MOMENT! (I’m using a rubber band bracelet) Pray that God will create in you a clean heart to start over from this very moment to make the most of the short life we have on this earth!

Verses: Psalms 51:10, Phil 3:13-14

We can Make a Difference!

I know that everyone is saddened by the tragedy in Haiti. Thousands of lives are said to be lost, children have lost parents, injured can't get the medical help that they need, and food and water are in short supply. It seems that in times like these, our hearts break during the initial shock and then we move on with our lives because the tragedy seems so distant and it seems that there is nothing we can do from here to help someone so far away. PLEASE realize that if every single one of us committed to pray for those people daily or agreed to give a one time gift to a reputable organization like Samaritan's Purse who already have a team on the ground in Haiti providing food, water and medicine, we CAN make a difference! It is up to us to change the world! I urge you to pray for the millions affected by this earthquake and to pray about what YOU can do to make a difference in a life there!

College Nights and Lights Tours

This year I hosted a few College Nights/Lights Tours around the holidays. That just means you stay in with your girlfriends with dinner and wine like we used to do in college! We did cheer stunts in the living room and played tons of games!!! Except now that I live next to the most festive street in town, we get to add a lights tour in the mix no matter WHAT the holiday! First there was Halloween.......none of the lights were on but we still did the tour anyway! We saw a few ghosts and spider webs....and a baby swing! HA Then there was Christmas.....need I say more!!!! And no the lights weren't on the night we went by, but I went back later and snapped a photo of what it WOULD have looked like had the neighbors cooperated with my lil party schedule! HA

Christmas Highlights

This Christmas was definitely one to remember! I went to KY for 4 days (probably a record for me) and got to spend lots of time with family!! I spent the first night with dad and Beverly and made a lasagna for his birthday. Christmas Eve was spent with my mom's side of the family, eating too much and watching all the kids get so excited about their gifts! Then I got to exchange gifts with mom and Bob and celebrate their December engagement!! ON Christmas Day I played with my niece and nephew tons (pics below). Funny story here: I told Brady that I missed getting to see him open his gift in all the excitement and he said, "I didn't like it anyway. I don't like penguins (Party with the Penguins) or magaskar (Merry Madagascar). Can you go to the store right now and get me a Wall-e movie?" HA HA I was laughing so hard! He is five! HA After Christmas I spent a whole day with my paternal grandmother going through some family things/keepsakes and learning more about her life growing up. Then we went to a late lunch with my aunt and just had a great girls day out! I didn't get to see my brother much because he always has to work holidays so I'll have to make a special visit soon just to spend some time with him! Last but not least, I got back to Nashville and found a letter in my mailbox from Sergio, my Compassion sponsor child. He even drew me a picture!!! A gift from Honduras...that made my Christmas complete! I'm truly blessed!