Hey guys, I am posting over on Deeper Church today.
A few weeks ago, I attended the last ever church service in Cross Point’s Charlotte Avenue campus. I got teary-eyed as I sat sandwiched between two of my best friends’ families and belted out the words to “One Thing Remains.” I was heartbroken to leave the worn in pews and the memories behind. Click here to continue reading…
Last week I had the pleasure of sitting down with two of my favorite people, Trisha and Justin Davis, to talk about their new book, Beyond Ordinary: When a Good Marriage Isn’t Good Enough. The Davises have taught me so much through their friendship, their ministry and their book about living a life that is beyond ordinary. A life full of forgiveness, grace, truth, and healthy boundaries. I am so excited that their book will magnify their message, their influence. We all have a lot to learn from them!
In the video below, I ask them to give a brief synopsis of the beginning of their ministry, to tell us how their book actually applies to a broader audience than one might think, and to share how those in a ‘happy’ marriage might take some proactive steps to strengthen their relationship. Please watch and share.
Oh, and don’t forget to…
Join their community on Facebook.
Follow Justin and Trish on Twitter.
In the spirit of improving your marriage, what is your favorite piece of marriage advice?
As I spent time over-analyzing myself earlier today {too bad I can’t figure out how to make a career out of self-analysis…I’d be rich}, I realized that I am in the midst of a mini identity crisis. With so much new, and so little old, I am struggling to pinpoint who I am, what I think, and how to share this journey with you.
In the most simplest terms, I am in the process of discovering what remains…of me.
Without my precious pup, the church that restored my faith in God and community, the comfortable routines that filled my Nashville existence, the job and the company that I knew like the back of my hand, the conferences where I felt known and respected, and the cast of kids that I adored spoiling rotten, I feel a little lost, a little timid, and a lot unsure.
Answering questions as simple as “who are you?” and “what are you doing in Southern California?” leave me perplexed and stumbling to find words. But maybe, just maybe, that is how it should be? Maybe I don’t need to search for the answers, maybe I need to live my way into the answers?
“Have patience with everything unresolved in your heart and try to love the question themselves, as if they were locked rooms or books written in a very foreign language. Don’t search for the answers, which could not be given to you now, because you would not be able to live them. And the point is to live everything. Live the questions now. Perhaps then, some day far in the future, you will gradually, without even noticing it, live your way into the answer.”
― Rainer Maria Rilke, Letters to a Young Poet
Are you good at loving the questions? Or are you like me, searching through every nook and cranny for answers?
I said my last goodbye and pulled out of Nashville eight days ago. And it still hasn’t hit me that this isn’t some supped up vacation.
I have been in Orange County since Wednesday, but haven’t even begun to get settled. {I know what you are thinking. I should be settled by now. I’ve had days. And you’ve seen my twitter stream and are well aware that I have been running around Southern California footloose and fancy free. But don’t judge me, it’s difficult to get settled when your stuff, and your car, are on a semi-truck somewhere between here and there.} Instead for the last week, I have been crashing with friends and living what I’ve deemed “the surreal life.”
My friend Allison flew down from San Francisco and we had a wonderful couple of days exploring Orange County. We strolled through Newport and Laguna. We ventured out into Newport’s Back Bay on standup paddle boards. {No, I didn’t fall in. Well, I didn’t fall completely in.} We made our way down to Dana Point to have a cocktail al fresco at the Ritz Carlton. {The view and the ambiance was definitely worth the extra $5 I paid for my drink.} We ate fish tacos and poke at Bear Flag Fish Company. And we hung out with a host of welcoming Californians.
Yesterday, Allison flew home and I caught my first service at Mariner’s Church. While on the outside Mariner’s looks and feels so different from Cross Point, I love the heart of the church. Like Cross Point, they believe that real life transformation happens in community and so they make it a top priority. I’m really looking forward to getting rooted there.
All my loot should arrive sometime later this week and I’ll be ready to get to work. Truth be told, living “the surreal life” has been nice, but I cannot wait to sleep in my own bed, start my new job, and begin establishing a few healthy routines.
What have you been up to this Labor Day weekend?
Tomorrow morning I get on an American Airlines flight and head to Orange County to begin my new adventure. I am thankful that I will be greeted by a few familiar faces, that I have found a lovely place to lay my head {once my bed and all my stuff make their way}, and that I have a job that is sure to keep me quite busy.
Here is a quick list of things I have learned as I work my way through this transition:
1. I am terrible at goodbyes. Terrible. For the last two weeks, I have struggled to be present with some of my closest friends, to not allow myself to be distracted by the impending cross-country move, and it has been immensely difficult. How do you say goodbye to friends and mentors who have supported and championed you along the way? How do you leave a church that renewed your faith? How do walk away from families who have loved on you when you weren’t in a place to love yourself? Words don’t suffice. Finally Sunday after church and lunch, I got in my car, turned up the radio, pulled out of town and began to process through everything I was thinking and feeling.
2. Emotions are complicated. When we sit down and start sorting through what we are really feeling, we realize that the joy is right there with the grief, and the hope is right there with the fear. We need to give ourselves some time and grace to untangle them so that each is given the proper acknowledgment.
3. The world we exist in will naturally evolve in our absence. I realized this after making my last big move four years ago. Until that time, I operated under the freakishly naive assumption that my previous life would exist for me to step back in to whenever it was convenient for me. Not the case. I will change. My friends will change. My world will change. My friendships will change. Their friendships will change. Their world will change. I will never be able to go back and step into the same exact role I have previously played. But I will always be able to go back and meet everyone where they are.
4. As much as we try to invision our future, we have no idea what God has in store for us. Remember in January when I wrote this, I had NO IDEA {not even an inkling} that God would be preparing me for a move where I would do life day-in-day-out with these friends. I don’t think I can say it better than I said it then.
As hard as I try, as creatively as dream, I can not even begin to imagine what God has in store for me tomorrow, next week, or next year.
I know that there will be strangers who become friends, and friends who will become strangers. I know that there will be sadness and joy, love and heartbreak, death and new life. But I can’t begin to imagine the possibility that is in store.
So, here’s to 2011 and to a God who is weaving together a beautiful story that is simply and wonderfully unfathomable!
5. Road trips are for indulgences. And the ultimate indulgence de jour is the Nutter Butter Blizzard from Dairy Queen. I know that this seems a little out of place here but if you takeaway anything from this post, takeaway this…you need to indulge in a Cool Treat next time you pass a DQ. Life is too short not to.
What have you been learning lately?
PS – See you tomorrow California. Nashville, I miss you already! Thank you for being so incredibly wonderful to me.
Gosh, sorry I haven’t written since the big news. I meant to, but time has sort of escaped me.
How have I been doing???
Well, I have been a tad overwhelmed.
The logistics of moving to California are far more complicated than I imagined. Figuring out where to live and how to get my self, my belongings and my car from Nashville to Orange County has been pretty much all consuming. Not to mention the plotting of a lot difficult goodbyes.
And, for the better part of last week I was gripped with fear.
Can I really do this? What was I thinking? Moving to Southern California…the land of earthquakes and Real Housewives? Who am I? Without Nashville, my friends, my church, and my dog? {Yeah, I came to the brutal decision to send Molly to reside in Texas with my parents than force her to accompany me as I get settled. Brutal.}
But…things are looking up.
I am feeling more cool, calm, and collected as the plan begins coming together. And I know this sounds corny and perhaps a little hyper-spiritual but Sunday as I sat in church I couldn’t miss the little confirmations, the gifts of reassurance, from God that this is the right move. And that I am not taking this leap alone.
From the gripping lyrics of Healer, “Nothing is impossible with You. You hold my world in Your hands.” To Pete Wilson’s poignant message about what being radically devoted to Christ looks like. To watching the waves crash on a rocky beach as Merlyn Catron sang, “Where you go, I’ll go. Where you stay, I’ll stay. When you move, I’ll move. I will follow you.” To the perfectly timed text message from Tyler Merrick nudging the Project 7 team to, “Look for His details in the tapestry of your life today and this week.”
He won’t let me endeavor to think I am taking this leap alone.
Praise. The. Lord.
Enough about me. Has He sent you any gifts of reassurance lately?
Today, like many Sundays, I was struck with an incredible sense of thankfulness for my church. I know that there are hundreds, thousands, millions, of great churches out there, but for now, Cross Point is the right fit for me.
I know that you probably feel the same way, and that’s why I would love to hear what you appreciate most about your church. One of the things I love most about the Christian Church at large is how we all have different traditions, different methods, and different pastors, but worship the same great big God.
Well, anyway, here is what I appreciate most about Cross Point:
We have an unusual pastor in Pete Wilson. Every time he shares a message, it is evident that he is still fighting the good fight. He doesn’t have it all figured out. (Praise the Lord.) He is actively struggling to be the man God created him to be. He is learning and battling with the rest of us. He is real, approachable, and graceful. Under his leadership, a staff, and a congregation, model “going first” so that others can see the powerful ways that God redeems our stories and our brokenness.
There are other things I love…The community. The friendships. The support. The coffee. The creative energy. The worship (except when they make us “roar” like lions). But if I had to say what I appreciate the most, it’s how Pete fosters an environment of authenticity.
Where do you go to church? And what do you appreciate most about it?
Today is one of those days where I have a thousand different thoughts circling around in my head and so instead of fleshing one out to make a tidy little post, or not blogging at all (which is the more likely alternative), you are going to get a whole bunch of randomness.
Last night I got to help out with Cross Point’s new internet campus. I am such a huge fan of my church and so I am stoked that they have created a way for me to share the experience with friends and family who aren’t in Nashville. Be sure tune in with us next Sunday night at 6 PM CST at http://www.crosspoint.tv/live.
I am so very sad to be missing Catalyst Dallas. As I said here, Catalyst and Dallas are two of my favorite things so I am pretty sure that together they will be pretty freakin’ incredible. If you go (there are still tickets available here if you haven’t purchased yours yet), be sure to take good notes so you can tell me all about it. And will someone please keep an eye on Bianca for me? I have this fear that she is gonna go all cowgirl on us and we won’t be able to get her back to her to the “gnarly” Southern California girl I know and love.
Instead of heading to the Lone Star State, I am heading to Louisville, Kentucky to participate in the Christian Alliance for Orphans Summit at Southeast Christian Church. I am really excited to see some friends, learn more about how we can get better serve orphans, and blog about the experience. It’s gonna be awesome. And this is my first trip to Louisville. Any tips on things to do, or more importantly, places to eat?
Last but not least, today Shaun Groves posted a sweet introduction to all the Compassion Bloggers that are heading to the Philippines. Go meet them and join me in praying for their trip. The month or so before they head out can be scary (I know that I was a big ol’ mess before my trip) so pray that they will find peace as God begins to open their hearts and prepare them for this journey.
Now it’s your turn. What’s circling in your head today?
So often what we want is not really what we need. We want a cheeseburger, but we need a salad. We want to ride off into the sunset bad boy, but we need to grow old with a solid, dependable best friend. We want to run kicking and screaming at the first sign of trouble, but we need to learn how to stick it out.
Too often, we, the church, want a pastor who is eloquent, a pastor who has it all together, a pastor who makes it look easy, a pastor who tells us that if we just have enough faith our life will be full of blessings, and a pastor who is faultless, blameless, and, of course, sinless. But what we need is a pastor who is honest and open about his brokenness, a pastor who allows his friends and congregants to see his humanity, a pastor who is trying to close the gap between who he is and who God created him to be, and a pastor who fosters a community of grace by boldly going first.
On Sunday morning, Pete Wilson, by authentically and emotionally sharing a recent struggle, reminded me what I love most about Cross Point, a church has transformed my perspective, my faith, and my life. He reminded me that while we all strive to holy, we remain human, broken, and hurting. And we will not fully experience life, redemption, or healing if we hide that truth from ourselves and those around us.
What do you want from your pastor? And more importantly, what do you need from him/her?
Oh, and you can listen to Pete’s message here.
Last week when I decided to take a short break from blogging, my intentions were good. I thought.
But looking back I am sure if I was exactly honest with you, or with me.
The truth is…
I have been a basket case preparing for Guatemala. (Did you know the definition of basket case is “a person or thing regarded as useless or unable to cope”? Yep, that has been me. Although I hide it well.)
I have stayed frantically busy so I didn’t have time to dig into the mess that is my heart.
I have been battling fears and insecurities that might just swallow me whole.
What if I don’t have words to tell the stories of the families we meet, of the amazing work being done?
What if my posts don’t measure up? (Have you read the beautiful words of my travel companions? Intimidating.)
What if no one likes me? (What am I in sixth grade? Ugh.)
I have made this amazing opportunity ALL ABOUT ME. (Yuck.)
But yesterday at Cross Point, with tears streaming my face, I was reminded I have nothing to worry about. You see, my Savior He can move the mountains. My God He is mighty to save. (The Hillsong worship songs get me every time.)
So take me as You find me,
All my fears and failures,
Fill my life again.I give my life to follow
Everything I believe in,
Now I surrender.My Saviour, He can move the mountains,
My God is Mighty to save,
He is Mighty to save.
Forever, Author of salvation,
He rose and conquered the grave,
Jesus conquered the grave.Shine your light and let the whole world see,
We’re singing for the glory of the risen King
I hope that you will join me on this journey and watch God at work.
In me.
And God-willing, through me.
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Also, I hope that you will pray for me and my travel companions, for our safety, for our hearts, and for our willingness to be broken by what we experience. And pray for the people of Guatemala who are getting slammed by torrential rains and landslides.
Are you battling any fears and insecurities right now? How can people be praying for you?
