We got to celebrate one of our dearest friend's birthdays last night. Several of us gathered at Mark & Penny Mumford's home to celebrate Robby turning 26! We love you Robby!! We love your funny faces, especially the one when you're trying really hard to process something or figure it out. We love what happens to you when you drink even the tiniest ounce of caffeine. We love your marathon naps! We love your desire to organize Fantasy Football leagues. We love your refusal to partake of anything containing a grain of sugar. We love your extreme attention to detail and your love of Nacho Libre..



...in all seriousness, we really do honor you and treasure you as a friend, brother, leader and fellow worker in the Kingdom! Happy (late) Birthday.

Jordan and I were just discussing how happy we've been with our recent Sundays. With the schedule we have right now in life, most of the time we don't have a full "off" day. We work M-F, and have U-turn (youth group) every Saturday, as well as various church activities several times per month, and then Sunday (at least the first half of the day) is like a work day with service stuff. I typically get up earlier on Sundays than any other day of the week. We love it though and wouldn't have it any other way!

But after services on Sunday. we typically are able to relax the rest of the day. There's just something about relaxing when you don't have anywhere to be the rest of the day, and we've been able to do some fun things the past few weeks. Last week we played Ultimate Frisbee and then hung out with several of our favorite people that night, and yesterday was just an all-around awesome day.

We had our first Sunday Celebration Service in our new facility, which despite all the kinks to yet be worked out, was awesome! We were there for quite a while, but finally got to sit down to lunch at Asuka Japanese restaurant with Ben & Michele Christy, Ferris, Rob & Tami, Dad & Robby. We had so much fun sitting at the low table on the ground and eating sushi & edamame. We were able to get in naps, grocery shopping (for me), some good reading time at Saxby's (where Kelsey & Chris joined us) and a little movie action (Nacho Libre, which I'm still not sure how I feel about that one) It was an excellent and very restful and purposeful day. I love it!

There is absolutely no purpose to this picture other than the fact I was thinking we don't put enough pictures on here....this one is from like 3 or 4 months ago, but oh well! Just a little something to brighten your day...or not :-)

One thing I wanted to tell you ALL about was my amazing discovery yesterday. I had a meeting at Saxby's b/w work and our Leadership Team meeting, and I had just swung through the gym to run a quick couple of miles so I wasn't sure what kind of coffee or tea I was in the mood for. I was waiting and reading about some new drink they have and I noticed that it was made with real matcha powder.

We were introduced to matcha by the most adorable sales girl at where else- Teavana a few months ago. It's a very interesting and acquired taste but I really like it. Anyway, I asked the lady at Saxby's if she could make me a matcha soy latte and it was SOOO delish! Jordan tasted it and liked it too. So, if you get the opportunity- I highly recommend a Matcha latte- without soy would be better for you (I just didn't want all that milk on my stomach yesterday)

It is yummy!!

You can tell this is a little busier of a week with my not-as-frequent blogging. It's been a great week though. Monday evening was our night to be at home, and I was able to plant some flowers/bushes I had gotten, some from Mom which I am so enjoying! Jordan and I spent the evening reading, worshipping, and having an all-around wonderful time. Tuesday was full of worship arts things..I had a director's meeting at 4:30 and then we had a network worship leader's meeting following that. It was SO good to hear Jeff speak about things on his heart and what the Lord has been showing Him. We will be having a network-wide WA community gathering in August so he'll be able to download to the whole group, which will be great! Last night was Life Group, and it was so good! I've missed our Life Group, because the last time it was a LG week, we had the Kid's VBS and were helping out with that. It was great having everyone in our home again and getting to connect. Tonight is our Leadership Team meeting, which will be packed I'm sure, with details about the "move" on Saturday to the new facility.

YEAH!

That's all I have for now! I've run out of time...

We changed our plans and ended up NOT going to Borders on Friday night. Jordan realized it was the release of Harry Potter and the place would be swarming with little wizards and whatever else Harry Potter is about (I have no clue about any of the books/movies) so we ran some errands and ended up at Saxby's in Spring Hill for a while. It was still wonderful and restful.

Saturday Ferris and I went to work getting ready for the shower at 10:00. Thankfully, Brian had to drop Tammy Gee off early, and I was so glad, b/c she helped us finish things we probably wouldn't have. We had exactly the amount of ladies I predicted and Natasha had an amazing time! I was very pleased with how everything went. By the time we finished cleaning, had a bite of lunch, and I went over to give my neighbor a baby gift and play with her daughter for a bit, it was time to go up to Cool Springs to get the van. U-turn was AWESOME on Saturday night. We had a U-turn Worship Arts' camp all last week that about 40 students participated in. They each selected two areas that ranged from graphic design to worship leading to specific instruments like bass and drums to drama. It was so strong, and so well-organized. They presented various elements on Saturday night and we talked about what worship is and who you worship.

Sunday, Jordan led worship at Cool Springs and I was at Spring Hill. We met up at the Ultimate Frisbee field at 2:00 with about 45 other people to play a few hours of Ultimate. It was hot, but so fun, even though my team lost overall...oh well...I just couldn't keep up with Ferris to save my life.

The weekend ended with a relaxing dinner at Mom & Dad's with Ian, Robby, Jordan, Mom & Ferris. I was hoping to get to see Radiance, Chris's new niece, but Camille, Chris and Cara didn't pull in until about 10:30, and we had to go before that. I will have to enjoy the pictures from afar! She is beautiful though.

So do you have big weekend plans? I think it's funny how our culture has become so revolved around the weekend, and many regard it as the only truly fun and relaxing time in their week. While I certainly love weekends, I am just as big of a fan of our weeks- the week days, the week nights, as well as the revered Fri-Sun time. It definitely is a time where you're able to take trips and have more parties, because of the time off work, but thank the Lord that there are many times all throughout the week to look forward to and to enjoy.

This weekend, Jordan and I do have a few things going on. Frontline, which is our college-age ministry at church has their small groups tonight, and one of the girl's groups is meeting here at our home. We aren't involved in it, but we're letting them use the house. Jordan and I will probably spend the evening relaxing, maybe make it up to Border's to do some reading- we've been really enjoying that lately!

Tomorrow morning I am hosting a shower for one of the girl's in our church who is getting married in a couple of weeks. I'm excited about that. Ferris is giving it with me, so she'll probably spend the night tonight to be here and help me get ready in the morning. We'll have U-turn tomorrow night, which will be wonderfu!! And then service on Sunday: Jordan will be leading worship at our Cool Springs campus and I'll be leading at Spring Hill. And we have Ultimate Frisbee on Sunday so I'm praying for a cool front :-)

Whatever your weekend holds- may it be full with the Lord's perfect plans!

**currently drinking: rooibos chai

Time is so interesting. It's something that has always stayed the same- we always have the same amount of it and it never goes faster or slower...it just is! When you think about the order of the world, how the sun sets and rises, and the moon provides light at the nighttime, and the earth rotates on it's axis....all these amazing things that God set into place to keep an order and a rhythm to our days and our months and our years.

We all have the same amount of it too. While almost everything else in our lives is variable: finances, relationships, locations, culture, food, etc, everyone has the same time! It's such an interesting thing to think about, when you really get down to it.

The big question is: how do you spend yours? How do you approach your time? We all hear the oft-quoted mantra, "I just don't have enough time," or "I ran out of time." Really, that's not true!

The Lord is challenging me that there is ALWAYS enough time to do what HE has called me to. There is not enough time to do all the other things. I am continuously challenged to press in more and more to the Holy Spirit for His direction on my time. I know it's there. I know it can be done. Not through my own striving but through His guidance and power.

Be encouraged! There is grace sufficient for our times of need- but if you're finding yourself stressed because of a lack of time, ask those questions? Am I putting my hand exactly to things that God has called me to, or am I filling my time with "good" but non-purposeful things. A rich, full, and fulfilling life is each of our destiny in the Lord, and He will provide the time for everything!

**currently drinking: coffee (I needed more of a pick-me-up this morning)

Last night was fun....Jordan met up with Janelle at 4:30 to discuss some youth stuff and then I met them at Saxby's at 5:30 and finished up. Then Janelle and I took off and spent the evening with her just hanging out and talking at her new house- it looks so great! We picked up some salads and chips and salsa (with ranch of course) from Chilis. Jordan spend the evening with our "new son" Jphen and grilled some chicken for them for dinner. It was a nice relaxing night and I was able to get in bed at a good time. I love getting a good night's sleep! Today we're just working away and getting stuff done here- not too much going on. Ferris and I are throwing a bridal shower on Saturday here at the house, so we have a little bit to do to get ready for that.

Just a little mid-week update for ya! Have a great day!

currently drinking: water (seems to be the drink of choice)

So this morning- my husband had organized a big breakfast for the junior high and high school students who live in Spring Hill. We met at 7:00 at this old diner called "Poplar House," it's the oldest restaurant in Spring Hill. It was definitely your classic small-town diner, and we really invaded the place with about 20 students, but it was a lot of fun and I know the kids really enjoyed it :-) I jetted off at 5 'til 8 to "open up" the office. It's great to see these youth in Spring Hill really connecting and building relationships with each other.

Here are FINALLY some pics from Florida. Mom came over for dinner last night, so I got them from her camera.

**currently drinking: water

great weekend! Yesterday I led worship at our Cool Springs campus- it was so good to be there. We have three Newsong campuses, the one Jordan and I are primarily involved in is the one in Spring Hill, but as a worship leader, we all rotate between all the campuses. Jordan will be at Cool Springs leading next week, and I'll be back at Spring Hill. It's really a neat dynamic, and something I love doing. It keeps it so fresh and interesting, as every worship leader brings something amazing to the table.

After service (which is pretty much a work day - leave the house at 6:30am, finish at 1:30pm after 2nd service!) I went over to Mom & Dad's to grab a bite to eat. After lunch we (myself, Jordan, Jphen, Mom, Dad, Ian, Chris & Ferris) all headed over to Crockett Park to play some tennis. We had a great time and it was so good to get out and play.

Ferris, Ian, Jordan and me finished up at Border's just chillin' and reading, and Jordan and I had a simple dinner at home while working on some finance stuff before going to bed (too late!)

It was a great weekend, and full of great fellowship, community, worship, fun, and all sorts of blessings from the Lord. I am so thankful!!

**currently drinking: water

So far, GREAT weekend. Last night Jordan and I visited the new-to-Cool Springs, Saltgrass Steakhouse. Jordan has been raving about it ever since we heard from Nathan that it was in the area, so we finally got to try it last night, and I must say, it was wonderful!!

Today has been so great too. I made whole-grain waffles this morning and turkey sausage, and then took off to hang out with my dear friend Kelly, and head down to Green Hills for a trip to Teavana. Kelly, as I knew she would be, fell in love with it, especially all the teapots. I restocked my Haute Chocolate and got some much anticipated Azteca Fire and Rooibos Rose Garden. Mmm, mmm....

I have some free time to finish preparing for worship tomorrow and get a few things done around the house before U-turn tonight. I am, so thankful for the Lord's grace on our lives- giving us the time and grace for everything!

Blessings to you and may the rest of your weekend be filled with grace!

**Currently drinking: Azteca Fire mixed with Haute Chocolate

There are some amazing things happening that I am just so excited about! For the past few months, Jordan and I have been walking through a very difficult time in ministry with many, many families that we go to church with. It just seemed that every time we turned around, someone within our direct area of influence was pretty much at rock bottom, and that was a hard thing for a young couple in ministry to walk through (knowing there are many more to come) But it's amazing to see these very same families beginning to see the rainbows in the middle of their storms. We're seeing sons returned, families walking out of depression into hope, financial situations that seemed impossible are turning around, engagements happening, babies conceived, amazing amazing things.

My sister in law, Erin, wrote a post the other day about trusting God, and it's very true that it's simple to trust Him when the risk isn't costly for us, or the stakes aren't too high. But what about when it's your family, or your marriage, or your financial status, or when it goes against EVERY FIBER of your being. Having the ability to trust, and really trust Him in those times is when it counts, and it's amazing to see God showing up, although the timing was different that we would predict.

One of my favorite verses, Isaiah 43:19, " Behold, I will do a new thing. Now it shall spring forth: shall you not know it? I will even make a road in the wilderness and rivers in the desert."

Repentance Walk

...walking down Church Street in Nashville at 7:00am on 7.07.07...pretty amazing!! It was like this for a long way behind us as well...

Kid's Summer Celebration

Last night was the first of three that we are helping out with Kid's Summer Celebration, our Vacation Bible School at church. This year's theme is "Avalanche Ranch: taking kids on a wild ride through God's word." Jordan is leading worship for them, and I'm helping, but Jordan is hilarious! He does such a good job of being goofy and engaging the kids! It's great.

These kids are so funny! I loved the little guy who I was talking with when we were eating dinner, who after I mentioned something about what could happen if you put too many red hots in your mouth at one time, looks at me, nodding and very serious and says," You have a point." Or the adorable little toddlers running around screaming for me to help them catch "light bugs!" Or the little guy, thinking that Jordan was Phil Joel because he was leading one of his songs told him, "I heard you on the radio!"

Kids are amazing. I'm sure all of you parents could tell me funny story after funny story, and all of the things you've learned from your children.....I love the simplicity & honesty of children, yet it also breaks my heart to see young ones that are already tainted by something, most likely instability or perversion at home.

I can't wait until tonight- we serve an awesome God who longs to move mightily in all of us- even a little 5 year old boy who swears up and down that his Kool-aid is poisonous dragon blood! :-)

Call

Well, I still haven't gotten any pictures from our Florida trip. I unfortunately didn't take any myself, I let my mom take them all, so I still need to get those from her. But another week has come and gone, and it's been a pretty big one.

We had a young man, Jordan Fenton, move in with us on Monday. He's been one of Dylan's (my brother) closest friend for a long time and it was something God was putting on both mine and Jordan's heart. It's funny having two Jordan's in the house...I just have to call him by his nickname: JPhen, so if I refer to Jphen, that's who I am talking about. But it's exciting and Jordan and I feel blessed to be a part of the amazing call God has on his life.

We had quite the eventful weekend. The Call came to Nashville and it was unbelievable. Click on the link to find out more about what this is. We were down at Centennial Park in Nashville at 6:15am, and we left the stadium to come home about 6:45pm. It was about repentance in the church, and crying out to the Lord for the sins that we have committed. How can you have moral authority to speak to something if you're not walking in it yourself? And that's the plague that has infiltrated our church in America- it is a mess! We preach against infidelity and anger, and deception and jealousy, but so many of us as Christians are guilty of those very things. It was an incredible thing, that I believe wasn't just another "event," but something that can spur us on to greater things God has called us to in our nation.

So, we're hitting it hard again on this Monday. I think I'm going to make a pizza tonight...I made a whole wheat crust earlier (mmmm,mmm) but we're still trying to determine exactly what we need to do.

Have a wonderful Monday evening!

Wonderful Restful Week

We have returned from an awesome trip to North West Florida: Fort Walton Beach. It was so peaceful and wonderful. I'll post some pictures soon and tell more about it, but we're here and we're back!

My favorite things....

We have a friend who is looking to start up an Organization business where they go in and help people organize rooms, files, anything really- even their entire house. It made me realize, as I told Jordan last night, that if I could be doing anything in the world everyday, it would be Event Planning and Organizing! He said it's too boring, but I couldn't disagree more. There's something wonderful about cleaning thigns out, throwing away junk and knowing things are nice and in order. It made me want to get the couple of drawers I have that have "junk" in them and organize them. Since we just moved in November, that's really all I have now that needs organizing, other than a little more in the upstairs storage. That's the problem with organizing....once you've done it, if you stick to it, you don't need to do it anymore. So if anyone wants me to help them- let me know!

Moving Fun...

Last night we helped Kyle & Janelle with packing up their apartment. They closed on their new home last week and are beginning the fun moving process. They've already been working on painting everything, which looks amazing! Tonight is the "big" moving night, lifting furniture, boxes etc. Not that I'll have to do too much of that. I'll try to get some good pictures! We're very excited for them!!

(this pic is obviously not of us moving...but of them at their wedding last year)

Happy Father's Day

Didn't get a chance to post this yesterday so I wanted to take a moment to honor all the men who are fathers to us. We have been blessed with some pretty amazing fathers, beginning of course with my dad- Dave and Jordan's dad- Steve. Both are awesome men of God who love their families beyond description and support their wives and children in everything. They lead with strength and humility and are amazing examples. We also have wonderful legacies in our grandfathers: Beda, Grandpa Chalker, Grandpa Bob & Grandpa Fred (I couldn't find pictures for all of them!). These are all wonderful men and Jordan and I are so blessed to have them all in our lives. We love them dearly.

In addition, we've also had the privilege of having many Spiritual fathers in our lives. The Bible speaks of the Lord placing the solitary in families and of giving us a spiritual heritage of children and legacies. Not that Jordan and I are "solitary" but the Lord has blessed us with men such as Scott Weaver, Dale Evrist, Rob Lykens, Coury Adams, Phil Breeden- men who have sown into us in countless ways over the years and continue to pour into us. We are so thankful and grateful to the Lord for all of the wisdom we have access to.

Blessings to all of you on this (day after) Father's Day. We honor you for all that you do and most importantly, what you teach us about being people after God's heart!

Pictures from Lake Tahoe!!!

Hey everyone- finally- here you go....some pictures from Lake Tahoe. (only a month later) OH well, better late than never right? If you ever get the chance to go, take it! It's one of the most beautiful places I've seen.

Big thanks to Hope and Steve for allowing us to take this trip! It was amazing!