Yard Sale brings in almost $500!!

Last Saturday, I had a yard sale to raise money for flood victims, specifically a dear friend's mother who lost pretty much everything! With the help of many friends and shoppers, we raised almost $500!! In addition, Ed agreed to match the proceeds by giving to Cross Point's Flood Relief Fund! I can't believe that the "things" that were worth nothing to us, could bring $1,000 in relief to families in need. God is good!

A special thanks to Cross Point small group members, many friends, and specifically Ashley and Ed for helping make this such a success! I couldn't have done it without your donations, time and effort!

Yard Sale for Flood Victims

This Saturday I'm participating in my neighborhood yard sale from 7 am-2 pm and I'm giving all proceeds to Nashville flood victims! If you have stuff you were going to give to Goodwill or that you are no longer using, please contact me and I will arrange to pick it up! Also if you want to come buy things, leave a comment and I'll email you the details! There were so many who lost EVERYTHING in the flood so the least we can do is sell the things we don't want so they can buy things they NEED!

The Flood

This weekend Nashville had one of the biggest floods in its history! The remarkable 13+ inches takes the record for the most rainfall in decades. Many lives (and cars) were turned upside down in less than 24 hours. Houses were flooded, businesses ruined and many were stranded for days. PLEASE pray for those affected by this flood who lost homes, family members, cars, jobs, etc. It will take MANY months to rebuild what was destroyed. Nashville also lost many landmarks and historic places that will never be the same: Opryland Hotel, Grand Ole Opry, downtown Nashville, etc. just to name a few. Here are a few pictures of the devastation: This last pic is from I-24 about 4 miles from my house. That building is floating down the interstate with the vehicles! Insane!

Out of Touch with Reality

One of the biggest problems outsiders claim to have with the Christian faith is that we are judgmental and out of touch with reality. I would agree. There are many Christ followers who preach at others in an attempt to "scare" them into faith when in reality they scare them away. Others send a vibe of arrogance and superiority which sends people running in the other direction. Sometimes, we become judgmental of others and we don't even realize we are doing it.

Those of you who know me, know that I don't watch much TV at all, I only listen to Way-FM radio, and I can barely put an actor's face with a name. I'm just REALLY out of touch with reality. Period. I never thought that had anything to do with me being above it, just the fact that I don't have TIME to watch TV (due to studying for the CPA exam), it doesn't really interest me (because I can't sit still for very long), and I don't have any more brain cells left (again, studying for the CPA exam) to remember names of people who don't really matter to my life. Hear that? MY life. My self-focused life.

I just read a blog post by Jonathan Acuff titled "Bragging about being clueless about pop culture" that REALLY put me in my place....and made me laugh hysterically. I am SO guilty of bragging about being clueless about pop culture, although usually followed by embarrassment when I don't know things like Tom Cruise = Jerry McGuire (yea, that was bad). I just never thought others might see that as me claiming to be in this world but not "of" it or being better than them.

After reading this post, I've realized that even though I might not say the things he mentions in his blog post, I may be thinking them. This comes back to a heart issue. Trust me, I'm not saying I have a problem with a little Family Guy, etc. After all, I have seen every episode of Sex and the City on DVD. I'm just realizing that sometimes I am guilty of giving Christians these horrible perceptions and I don't even realize it!

So, to all you TV buffs, keep doing what you do. And when I brag about being clueless about pop culture, just know that I am not judging you for how you spend your time, I'm really just embarrassed that I can't even contribute to the conversation or that I'm so busy studying for this exam that I keep failing to watch with you! :)

Please check out Jon Acuff's blog for more posts about Stuff Christians Like. To read another one of my favorites, Click here!

Next In Line

Hello blogger friends! I have the most exciting news to share! This past weekend, my mom got married in a private ceremony (which I knew was going to happen just didn't know it would be Saturday until, well, Saturday). I wasn't invited to the ceremony (only their mothers) but she told me how much she wished I could've been there to share in the moment with her.

Well, apparently, she meant it. I was going to be a part of her wedding one way or another...and more importantly, she was going to give me a chance to catch that bouqet and be next in line (I mean, a girl needs all the luck she can get...thanks mom).

So, what does mom do? She drove 2 hours on the back of a motorcycle on Easter Sunday with bouqet in hand to ensure the deed was done. Knowing nothing of this secret plan, I agreed to meet her and Bob after church just to get a hug since they were cruising around on the "hog" and ended up in Dickson. So, I suggest we meet at Sonic because it was a central location. Yeah. You're getting the picture now.

We pull up to Sonic. Mom and Bob on the Honda Goldwing. Its about 9:30pm. While Ed is ordering his Oreo blast, mom proceeds to turn around toss the bouqet through the crisp Spring air and I caught it!! Woo hoo! My chances of being next in line are well....1 of 1. Not bad. I'm not sure what that says about me that my mom would drive 2 hours to make sure I caught the bouqet, but I'm grateful to have been a part of her weekend. I don't think either of us will forget that moment for quite some time!

Five Things That Inspire Me

My friend Ashley posted 5 things that inspire her and asked that I blog it forward! What a fun challenge! I'm excited to share the long overdue....5 things that inspire me!

God's Creation



I am in awe of the beauty of His masterpiece and am inspired to know that God is in all things!

Serving Others



Pouring into the lives of others and seeing the impact it can have inspires me to do everything I can to help others.

Music



Singing is one of my greatest passions, but I get goosebumps when I just close my eyes and listen to my entire church worshiping at the same time. What a beautiful sound! I am also rediscovering my love for playing the piano. There is something inspiring about making the notes come to life and creating your own song!

Reading



There is something magical about a good book! I used to not be able to sit still long enough to read a book so now I think my inspiration comes in knowing that I actually completed the task! HA

Cooking



Being able to take my mind off of a hectic day and cook inspires me to be creative! There is nothing better than smelling a wonderful aroma in the kitchen....well...next to eating it!!



Thanks sfgirlbybay for creating Blog It Forward! Now I'd like to pass my umbrella to my girlies Tara and Tanya. Be sure to check their blogs to see what inspires them and pass it forward!

Chasing Daylight Chapter 9

The final chapter of a great book!

1. “Often lost potential is a result of lack of investment”. Are we guilty of this? What excuses do we make for our lack of investment? “Potential is a glimpse of what could be, yet there must be a shift from where we have potential to where we are potent” (pg 237). McManus speaks about the ages where we should shift from potential to productivity. Are we at that stage? Have you done this or are you missing out on opportunities that God has put within your potential?

2. McManus discusses four types of people affected by divine moments: faithful, paralyzed, prodigals, and dysfunctional. Which one are you most like? Are there people in your life who fit these categories that need to be unleashed or restored? Is God calling you to show them a glimpse of His Glory through your influence in their life?

3. We were created for relationships and to live in community with one another. Everything we do affects others in some way. Are you hurting or helping others through your actions? “It is extremely dangerous to make yourself all you care about”. “We get better when we give ourselves away” (pg 253). Divine moments are not “self-serving”, but moments where we, through our obedience and movement with God, allow him to change others. Let’s move out of the way and let God’s love shine through.

4. “God is always the Source of life. Wherever He is, there is always a future and a hope. He raises us from the dead, never intending that we would spend our lives leaning against our tombstones” (pg 256). Are we just hanging around in our Christian bubble or are we impacting the “world by fighting the battles that are on God’s heart” (pg 257)? What can we do to ensure that we seize every moment instead of letting them slip away?

Challenge: Imagine what your potential looks like in God’s eyes. Are you living up to that potential? Are you using every gift/talent/opportunity to spread Christ’s love to others? Ask God to show you areas where you have great potential that needs to be unleashed. Set a goal for this week to seize one opportunity that uses your potential to further the Kingdom. Let’s impact the “world by fighting the battles that are on God’s heart” (pg 257)!!

Chasing Daylight Chapter 8

1. McManus talks about being one step behind: praying when we should be obeying, acting when we should be waiting, etc. Do you feel you are one step behind seizing God’s divine moments in your life? What causes this? What can we do to ensure that we are in the right place at the right time?

2. The Father knows what you need before you ask him. So, why pray? “Prayer is not about informing God of your needs, nor is it even about trying to convince God to help you. Prayer is about connecting to God” (pg 215). Also, “we are not positioned to seize divine moments when we neglect to pray. Prayer keeps you in step with God’s Spirit and in tune to His voice” (pg 217). But McManus also talks about the danger/emptiness in meaningless repetition of prayer. What things to do we need to focus on in effective prayer and what is the goal?

3. McManus talks about the importance of obedience before prayer. Do you agree? Many situations are black and white in the Word and some feel they can’t act yet because they “just need to pray about it” when really they just need to take action. Are there any situations in your life that you are constantly praying about that can be answered through God’s word and pure obedience?

4. This chapter focuses on movement. If we are obedient and move with God, we have no idea the impact it can have on others. Others then see Christ in us and are drawn to the movement. It may at first just open their eyes to Christianity and raise questions, but that is the first step. We may never know the number of people changed by our simple acts of obedience. When you move, what do others see? Do they see Christ?

Challenge: Let’s focus this week on seizing every moment to move in line with God’s heart. If we are obedient and walk with Him, others will see Christ in us. We have the ability to influence others through our obedience. Pray that God will show you areas that are clear in His word so we can start obeying instead of praying about things that should be clear! Pray that God will use our simple obedience to make a huge impact on those around us!

Chasing Daylight Chapter 7

1. We shouldn’t always wait for God to open doors because many opportunities are within the walls; they require “genuine effort”. Christianity often suggests that “if God is in it, it comes easily” (pg 183). Therefore, when we struggle with something, we assume that God isn’t in it or we are pursuing the wrong thing. Have you ever struggled through a situation wondering if God was in it? Have you ever given up because the way was too tough? If God speaks through open doors and sometimes through walls, how do we know it’s Him?

2. Has God ever asked you “what are you doing here”? Many of us settle for mediocre, average lives, but God has called us to so much more. “The solution is to stop running and hiding from God and to listen once again to His voice. Wherever you are, God will find you. This is not a threat: this is a promise”. “When we run from His purpose, we run from His presence” (pg 189). Could this be why He feels so distant at times and we aren’t hearing His voice clearly? Do you often feel like God isn’t there?

3. McManus discusses the story of Elijah (1 Kings 19). Sometimes we must take a few steps back before we can see the light. Describe a time in your life when God had you go back before moving forward. Sometimes our efforts cause backward movement even when we feel we are moving in the right direction. “Are you willing to do the right things even if the result is decline?” (pg 192)

Challenge: Are you willing to bear the initial impact of following Christ alone? What are you running from because you are afraid that God will not come through or you will be alone in the journey? Pray that God will give you the courage to step out and take a leap of faith. “Whenever we are willing to bear the initial impact, whenever we choose to seize those divine moments whatever the cost, we create the opportunity for God to make visible the invisible, for God to shake things up, for God to make Himself known” (pg 202).

Chasing Daylight Chapter 6

Sorry to do this but I have to play catch up! Here are the last 4 outlines for the Chasing Daylight study. Then I can blog about whatever I want! :) (Ashley your "What inspires me?" blog post is coming)

1. McManus uses the analogy of God’s party. God was throwing a party for his family in LA and if they didn’t RSVP there would be two empty seats. What excuses are we making not to attend the party that God is inviting us to? Why would we ever want to miss out on the greatest party of all times? “Many times when we claim we are waiting on God, He is waiting on us” (pg 162).

2. “When you’re moving with God, you must move with an advance mentality. You move forward unless God tells you to stop. You advance unless God tells you to wait. There are certain things that you do not need permission to do. You’ve already been commissioned to do them. There are certain things that you do not need a calling to do. You’ve already been commanded to do them” (pg 159). What are these things and what sign are you waiting for?

3. Society makes us think there is a road map for every aspect of our lives and if we don’t accomplish that checklist we have messed up. God doesn’t give us a detailed outline of what to do each day and how to accomplish His will for our lives. Instead, he gives us a compass. What has he given us to use as a guide? How are we to use these things to move forward in the journey? We must remember that everyone’s journey is different and that there is no set path to following Christ. It is as unique as each of us.

4. Once we decide not to turn back, our only option is to move forward, “to face [our] giants”. We must “make clear our priorities. Are we in it for what we can get or for what we can give?” (pg 175). What is your mindset and how can we ensure it aligns with God’s character?

Challenge: Are we filling our lives with friends and family who want to seize divine moments and capture all that life has to experience? Pray that God will help you overcome your fears. Don’t wait on God, just advance. “No phobia, no fear, just pure defiance-leaning forward, seizing the divine moments, advancing the kingdom of God” (pg 173).