Need I say more?

But I will…

Jes and I are having a blast getting away for a few days.

So far we’ve:

• Sat on the beach
• Read on the beach
• Shopped
• Eaten
• Sat on the beach
• Read on the beach
• Walked on the beach
• Shopped
• Eaten

Today we’ll:

• Run/walk on the beach
• Eat
• Lay on the beach
• Lay on our rafts on the water
• Read on the beach
• Eat
• Shop
• Eat again

Totally predictable & fabulous!

What are you doing this weekend?

Sisters, sisters
There were never such devoted sisters,
Never had to have a chaperone, no sir,
I’m there to keep my eye on her
Caring, sharing
Every little thing that we are wearing
When a certain gentleman arrived from rome
She wore the dress, and I stayed home
All kinds of weather, we stick together
The same in the rain and sun
Two different faces, but in tight places
We think and we act as one
Those who’ve seen us
Know that not a thing could come between us
** Lyrics from Irving Berlin’s “Sisters, Sisters”

For the next couple of days I’m hanging out with my little sis at the beach.  This time together is so therapeutic (at least for me… I hope for her too.) I’m pretty sure that no one else on earth knows me quite as well as Jes does.  There is just something about a sister bond that can’t be replaced.  She’s known me her entire life and she still willingly hangs out with me!!

So while I’m feeling a little sentimental, here are some of my favorite memories that we’ve shared:

• Scrounging the couch cushions for enough change to buy each of us an ice cream cone.  We’d then hop on our bikes and ride across town to our favorite ice cream shop.
• Watching Samford & Son together.  Seriously, she LOVED that show.
• Me yelling at her to come back home when she packed her suitcase and decided to “runaway” on my watch.
• Convincing her to do a crazy jump on her bike that landed her flat on her face (I still don’t think she’s completely forgiven me for that one.)
• Spending precious moments with her on my wedding day while she did my hair and makeup before I walked down the aisle.
• Welcoming her through my front door when she moved to Nashville.

Hoping we make another great memory this week!

Do you have a favorite memory that you’ve shared with one of your siblings.  Share it!

This week flew by!

Fortunately it was a very good one.  Here are some things on my mind today:

• An important project that I’ve been working on (which happened to be one of my thorns), is officially complete today!  Holy cow, that’s a wonderful feeling.  I’m not sure how to adequately celebrate it.
• It’s been a roller coaster week for all things Cultivate Her.  Some good news, some bad news, some big dreaming and then a great event this past Wednesday with our guest speaker Tami Heim.  We’re dreaming and scheming some amazing stuff for all things women in leadership, so stay tuned.
• Our Cross Point missions teams are back home this week.  Our team in the Dominican Republic came back Tuesday and our Honduras team gets back tomorrow.  So proud of each of these teams for serving so big!  You can check out highlights from the Honduras trip HERE.
• Almost finished with Steven Furtick’s new book Sun Stand Still: What Happens When You Dare to Ask God for the Impossible.  This one is making me think and pray BIG!  It doesn’t release until Sept 21st, but you can pre-order by clicking the title.
• Gotta finish up my talk for The NINES this weekend.  Are you registered to attend?  It’s FREE!  Our entire staff is going to attend this year.
• Can’t believe July is almost over.
• I’m working on some big planning and leadership development stuff for our team for this fall.  I’m getting so excited – love people development stuff – LOVE IT!
• My thumb which I smashed during flood week is growing back really funky.  Kind of afraid it’s going to stay that way. 
• Going to the beach for a few days the end of next week with my sis.  Can’t wait!
• Walking with Ash in 30 minutes!  Love that sweet little Audrey Beth but she has messed up our weekly run/walk time.  Excited to get back to it!
• Hoping to see Inception this weekend.  Everyone is raving about it.  Have you seen it?

Find some joy in your weekend and tell us about it!

According to the L.A. Times, Eclipse opened with first week sales of $175.3 million making it the most successful first week sales for any movie so far this year.

And yes, I too am a sucker for the Twilight Saga.

I have been challenged on many occasions by my more rational friends (usually of the male gender I might add) to explain my fascination with vampires, werewolves and far-fetched story lines…

So here’s what I’ve got for you…

Everyone needs an Edward.

(And guys, before you choose to check out, hang in here.  I think I have a nugget for you too.)

Everyone needs an Edward because…

Everyone needs a fierce defender. Someone who loves you that ridiculously and protects you with the fiercest love and devotion.

Everyone needs someone who understands our fragility. Someone who understands how fragile you are and cares for you with the ultimate gentleness.

Everyone needs someone who believes in them.  Someone who believes in the good you are and are yet to become.

Everyone needs someone who watches out for our heart. Someone who cares for and protects your soul.

One of my favorite John Maxwell leadership laws is The Law of the Inner Circle.  John explains the importance of having a team of people around us who play different roles in our life: Intercessor, Listener, Encourager, Creator, Discerner, Giver, Defender, Implementer, Celebrator, Resourcer, Sponsor, Thinker, Networker, Mentor & Protege.  (I’ve talked about this before here.)

We long for teammates who complete us, who complement our gifts and champion us to be our best.

So maybe, just maybe that’s what all we raving Twilight fans are connecting with.

Maybe

Go Team Edward!

The 4th of July is filled with so many fond memories for me:

• big parties with family
• tables and tables of red, white & blue deserts (some of those were just plain weird)
• fear that someone was going to blow up the neighborhood
• lazy days at the lake
• fireworks shows that seemed larger than life
• lots of laughter

I hope you are enjoying a fabulous 4th of July with family and friends!

Have a favorite 4th of July tradition or memory?  Share it with us!

Ahhhh, the 4th of July weekend!  I love this holiday!

It’s snuck up on me a little bit, but I’m seriously glad for a long weekend to relax and spend time with friends.

Here’s what’s on my mind today:

• Finally got to see Eclipse last night and I LOVED IT!  The directing, special effects and acting get a bit better with every movie, but honestly it really is a cheesy story in movie form (I can’t believe I just admitted that out loud – don’t tell Merlyn!).  If you haven’t read the books, you are missing layers of story that finish it out and make it seem less ridiculous.
• I’m keeping Lindsey’s dog Molly for the weekend and she’s become my new best friend.  Follows me everywhere I go and does leaping circles every time I come home… makes me feel kind of loved
• I have a couple of writing projects I need to work on this weekend.  Need to break-away for some inspiration.
• We’ve confirmed our guest speaker for the July Cultivate Her event – will announce this on the Cultivate Her blog by Monday.  Very excited!
• Wimbledon is absolutely crazy this year.  Can’t believe Federer & Venus are out.  Anxious to see how it finishes!
• Hoping to tackle of chunk of John Ortberg’s The Me I Want to Be: Becoming God’s Best Version of You I’m loving this book!
• Tomatoes and green peppers are flowing from my little patio garden.  Divine!

Hope you have a wonderful and safe 4th of July weekend!

Anything exciting planned?

It’s been a good week.  Life feels very full and blessed.

Here’s some of the randomness on my mind and in my life right now.

• Have a great day planned with friends today.  Much needed time with people who speak truth and celebrate big.
• Excited that tomorrow is Serving Saturday at all of our campuses.  We’ll be continuing flood relief efforts.  Come out and join us!  We’re meeting at 8am at all of the campuses.
• I’m thoroughly enjoying some of the this summer’s Top 40 music.  Music always marks the seasons for me.  I’m lovin’ “Nothin’ On You” by B.o.B. featuring Bruno Mars
• Thrilled that I could get the new iPhone4.  I know some of you are tired of hearing about it, but sometimes you gotta just enjoy the silly things in life.
• Started reading John Ortberg’s The Me I Want to Be.  This one is gonna be good for me.
• Had a great day at Cultivate Her Wednesday morning.  Really excited about some of the ideas and direction this ministry is taking.  Big news coming soon about the plans and opportunities for Cultivate Her!
• So excited that it’s Wimbledon time and can’t believe the Isner-Mahut match.  Isner wins with a 70-68 game set.  CRAZY!  Here’s the interview of the players after the match.  I can’t imagine how tired they were after playing the same match for three straight days.  That’s determination!

What are you looking forward to this weekend?

I’m chillin’ at the beach this week.

So you won’t see much of me here at the blog for a few days…  Hoping to rejuvenate, read a lot and give these white chicken legs a little color.

I might twitter a few things occasionally, so you can follow along there.

Hope you had a wonderful Memorial Day weekend!

Yesterday we celebrated the life of a dear friend and mentor, Jimmy Holt.

Jimmy was a firecracker of a guy.  He lived life to the fullest and didn’t waste a minute.  He was constantly improving himself and surrounded himself with others who subscribed to the same mentality.

When I joined the Cross Point staff and began leading our Board of Directors, I’ll admit I was a little a lot terrified of trying to lead Jimmy Holt who was one of the founding members of the church and a long-standing Board member.

I don’t know how it happened, but somewhere along the way I earned Jimmy’s favor.  And being that Jimmy was a little “old school” and I was a young female, I knew that earning his approval was a very big deal.

Over time Jimmy and I developed a special friendship that I will cherish all my life.  He was a man of few words, so we didn’t have long, in depth conversations, but there was a mutual respect for one another and passion to serve the church together that created a special bond.

Jimmy believed in me whole-heartedly.  I remember one specific time his company was working on an office renovation project and he told his crew “you do whatever Jenni wants.”  That crew of workers wouldn’t put an outlet in the wall without asking me exactly where I wanted it placed.  If I had said 5 3/8″ from the door and 2 1/3″ from the ceiling, they would have put it exactly in that spot.

There were many times we were making big leadership decisions and I could count on Jimmy to cut to the chase and help our team make a decision.

Jimmy also invested in me personally.  He helped me develop my tennis game (but he never let me win ).  And he and my husband enjoyed several rounds of golf.

I’ve had several months to come to terms with the fact that Jimmy wouldn’t be here much longer.  I was fortunate to have some good conversations in these last few months.  I was able to tell him what he meant to me and I was able to remind him how much of an influence he had been in so many lives.

But yesterday in the memorial service, it hit me… and it hit me hard.

Jimmy had become a set of shoulders for me to stand upon. He provided confidence, stability and reassurance in the days where I was uncertain about my leadership decisions.  I always knew I could fall back on Jimmy.  I always knew he would help me think through a decision and find a way to make a dream possible.

Today I feel wobbly. I lost a large part of my leadership support system.  I lost some shoulders that I didn’t even always realize I was resting on.  They were so comfortable… and so safe.

A part of me was forced to grow up yesterday.  Perhaps I need to become some shoulders for someone else.  Perhaps a new set of shoulders will come along.

But I will always remember and be thankful for those shoulders I had the privilege of standing on!

We did it!

Finished the race just before the storms hit.  Yea!

Here are some random musings and thoughts from the day:

• It was so much fun to have so many friends running the race this year including my beautiful sister!
• I missed Ashley… just not the same running without her.
• I started too fast.  I was so excited about my pace the first several miles, but I totally blew myself out.
• Ignorance is bliss.  I know the course too well after three years of running it.  I psych myself out thinking about the parts of the race I don’t enjoy.  Might be time to try a new 1/2 marathon somewhere else.
• I trained using the Galloway (run/walk) method this year.  Not sure I’m a believer.  I thought that I was pacing faster, but didn’t come close to beating my best time.
• My best 1/2 marathon was my first year (2008).  I think the energy, excitement and unknown carried me through.  I’m getting discouraged that I haven’t improved my time since then.
• I appreciate all the goodies that Publix gives away at the end of the race.
• The Powered by Hope team was amazing.  Wish I had met my fundraising goal, but thrilled that I was able to train with this group and run for New Hope Academy.
• It was awesome to have my dad and my husband there to see me cross the finish line!

Did you run in the Country Music Marathon?  What was the best part of the day for you?