A few of my favorite things this week…

• Teeth cleaning today.  Really, I love it!
• An inbox full of banter between our India team who are preparing to leave Wednesday.  Say some prayers for us!
• World Book Night!  Okay, pause here for a moment because this is super cool.  I read about it on Margaret‘s blog yesterday.

“World Book Night is an annual celebration designed to spread a love of reading and books. To be held in the U.S. as well as the U.K. and Ireland on April 23, 2012. It will see tens of thousands of people go out into their communities to spread the joy and love of reading by giving out free World Book Night paperbacks.”  You can apply here to be one of the thousands who give out free books!  Margaret made the great suggestion of adding a few Bibles to the stack and giving those away too.

• I just learned about a new FREE online event for preachers and communicators – “Preach Better Sermons” is March 15th.  You and your team should check it out!
• Lively discussion at churchleaders.com over my article “The Church’s Next Great Crisis”.  I stirred it up a bit – yikes!
• Favorite new-to-me show this week: Parenthood
• Favorite treat this week: Keebler Frosted Animal Cookies (love them but they are so bad!)
• Favorite meeting this week: Our Franklin Campus launch meeting
• Favorite scripture this week: Philippians 1:6 & 9

“There has never been the slightest doubt in my mind that the God who started this great work in you would keep at it and bring it to a flourishing finish on the very day Christ Jesus appears.  So this is my prayer; that your love will flourish and that you will not only love much but well.”

What has been one of your favorite things this week?

Hello Friday!

What a great week.

• I’m so proud of the Leading and Loving It team.  Nearly 2700 women participate in the JustONE Conf this week.  Amazing!  If you’re a pastor’s wife or women in ministry, you need to jump in and join us Monday.  Get all the details here.
• Several conversations this week helped me move the ball down the field on a couple of key projects.  That always feels good.
• My team on the Cultivate Her site are writing some really good posts right now.  Hop over and check out “How To Empower the Women in Your Church” by Sharon Hodde Miller and “The Glass Walls” by Shannon Miles.
• I love to make banana bread and my dog loves to lick the beaters.  We make a good team.
• Our Exec staff is reading Great by Choice: Uncertainty, Chaos, and Luck–Why Some Thrive Despite Them All by Jim Collins.  Your team really needs to read this!  Does your team know what your ’20 Mile March’ is?  They should.
• I went to see the movie The Iron Lady last night.  Such a pitiful depiction of such an influential leader.  No matter your political bent, any leader with that much gumption should be honored better than that.
• Shopping for my India trip must happen this weekend.  Pretty much that means lots of snacks so I can survive all the curry.
• I’m getting increasingly more excited and less fearful of all that 2012 holds!

Have a great weekend!

Whew!  Very full week with a lot of great things happening!

• I’m totally sucked into Downton Abbey.  I really believe I should have been born in England.  The Brits get me every time!  We watched the entire first season in a week!
• Had the privilege of going to Elevation for a night of Code Orange Revival.  Grateful for our friends there.  Bonus was dinner with Lysa Terkeurst!
• Being an aunt is a blast.  My sister sent this picture to me this week.  Sweet little Charlotte had craft time at daycare and made this little penguin with her foot print.  Charlotte’s cute little chunky toes turned into a penguin’s hiney… brilliant! (as the Brits would say… see I told you I should have been British and I am drinking a cup of English Breakfast tea right now too) 

• The countdown for our trip to India is on!  Just got my visa back and realized I only have 2 1/2 weeks before we leave.
• The JustONE Conference starts Monday.  Are you planning to join us?
• Why do your biggest growth moments and your worst days have to be so closely linked to one another?  I had a few of those this week.
• I think I get to run with Ashley today!   Honored to steal some of Ash’s time since it’s sweet Audrey’s 2nd birthday!!

Ok, sorry today is just a bunch of rambling.  Have a great weekend everyone!

We got our first little smattering of snow last night.  I use the word smattering because what we got doesn’t even qualify as a dusting.  60 degrees on Wednesday.  28 degrees and snow on Thursday.  Nashville weather is so weird!

What’s more weird is that schools are closed today.  I love the drama of the South!

Today I’ll be camped out in my sunroom with a cup of tea, a cozy candle and my computer pounding out some writing projects.  I woke up with ideas flowing this morning.  I love those days when the anticipation and expectation overflows.  I hope it’s indicative of what God has in store for this year.

While I’m thinking about it, there are a couple of great things going on this month that you should check out:

My friends at Leading and Loving It are hosting JustONE, a virtual conference for Pastor’s Wives and Women in Ministry.  Four consecutive weeks of some amazing speakers including Kay Warren, Holly Furtick, Lysa TerKeurst and Lisa Young.  The conference begins January 23rd.  Get all the details and register for FREE here!

Cross Point is going to be a host site for The Elephant Room on January 25th.  Seven pastors will agree to disagree on some of the biggest issues facing Christianity today.  Get all the details here.

Ok, that’s all for today.

What’s the biggest thing you’re looking forward to this month?

It’s all things

C H R I S T M A S

my friends!

Christmas decorating.

Christmas shopping.

Christmas cookie baking.

Christmas movie watching.

Christmas light hanging.

Christmas party going.

Christmas cleaning.

Christmas laundry.

Well… okay, not the last two.  But they sound better if you put Christmas in front of them.

That’s what I’m up to this weekend.  How about you?

It’s back again… my favorite day of the week – FRIDAY!

Sometimes I get so excited about Friday that I become paralyzed trying to figure out what to do first.  I try to cram all of my favorite things into Friday…

• Reading a good book
• A nice long energizing walk
• Lunch or tea with friends
• Relaxing by the pool (at least that one is eliminated for a few months now)
• Tidying and decorating my home
• Writing
• Dreaming and planning
• Catching up on a favorite show or going to a movie
• Browsing some of my favorite stores

Oh, there are so many things I could do to fill my day!

Today my plan is to take that nice long walk, catch lunch with my Golden Girls, wander a few stores for some decorating ideas and go grocery shopping.  I don’t love the grocery shopping but even on your best days you have to be a little responsible.

What’s your favorite day of the week?

How do you like to fill it?

It’s another Fabulous Friday and I’m beginning my morning with the perfect cup of tea, sitting on my patio, watching the rain fall while my dog romps through the yard a dripping, soggy, smelly mess.  He’s having a blast and I’m peacefully enjoying a slow-moving morning.

These types of days are rare and precious.

I found a few great things I thought you should check out this Fabulous Friday:

My friends at the Bloom Book Club have recently announced that Angie‘s new book What Women Fear will be the next selection.  If you’re interested in doing a book club with some other great women, you should check it out.  Angie’s new book is phenomenal… and I’m not just saying that because I like her.

Next Tuesday, September 27th I’ll be joining a great list of speakers for The NINES.  The NINES is a free online conference packed with 9 hours of great content.  Be sure to join us by registering here!

Backstage Leadership has some new options for you to engage with some great leadership content.  Another great resource for you to check out!

What other great resources have you discovered lately?

Have a great weekend!

My Fabulous Friday is filled with packing, painting, cleaning, more painting and more packing.  Oh and probably a run to get more boxes and packing supplies.  Moving is a great reminder of how much crap you collect.  PURGE people, PURGE!  It’s good for the soul.

I have a few opportunities to post around the blog-o-sphere this week.  If you’re bored, you can check these out:

• Talking about “What’s Next” at the Willow Creek Association blog
• Having some more conversation about the dangers of “Hitting the Wall” at the Gifted for Leadership blog

And to top off our Fabulous Friday, it’s a book-giveaway day!

I’ve got 5 copies of the new release The Guardian

A young woman thrust into a world of power and corruption…
The sold-out follower of Christ who vows to defend her…
And the scroll that links them both together…

Anna Riley has just stumbled across a family secret–her ancestors have been keepers of an ancient scroll that God gave to John the Disciple.  And now it’s hers.  But Anna will soon discover that being the keeper of the Scroll comes at a price, for there are those inside the Church who would have the scroll and its secrets at any cost.  Sucked into a world of corruption and deceit, Anna is thrust into a journey that leads her half way around the world.  And the only person she can trust is a stranger named Jason Lang who, she’s told, was appointed by God to help her with the task.

As Anna and Jason race against the clock, Anna’s own journey of faith may very well be the thing that unlocks the scroll’s secrets.  And her decisions will determine whether the man she’s grown to love will live or die, as a mystery that’s eluded the world since the time of Adam and Eve is finally revealed.

I’m usually a little wary of Christian fiction but this book was a great read!

To win your copy, leave a comment telling us your favorite Christian fiction book.

Have a great weekend everyone!

It doesn’t take much for me to enjoy my day off… just a little less demanding schedule and I’m in heaven.

I don’t have one single scheduled commitment today.  That’s a miracle that I will treasure every moment of!

Ok, here’s my random Fabulous Friday thoughts:

• I get to work with an incredible staff at Cross Point.  We hosted a special event last night and it was a blast to have our entire team together… long day with lots of laughs.  I wouldn’t advise hiring Cross Point staff to cater your event though… just ask the chicken.
• Today is the first of my posts at the Willow Creek Association blog.  I’ll be blogging about leadership there once a month.  Join the conversation!
• Target, I think I’ll pay you a visit today.
• I’m painting all the baseboards in my house.  If anything builds patience, this does!
• Sadly I have to say “So long for now” to Lindsey as she prepares for her move to Southern California.  I’m so glad the world really is so much smaller than it used to be… it’s funny that Orange County really doesn’t feel that far away anymore.
• And last but not least, you have to check out this video promoting our upcoming Family Night at Cross Point.  Well done Grant & team!

Cross Point Family Night Promo from Cross Point Church on Vimeo.

In the dead of winter I always say that “I never complain about the heat”… “I love summer”…

I think I’m getting very close to complaining about the heat this summer.  It’s really quite crazy.  The morning run was grueling today.  I’m looking forward to a great weekend and a few other things…

• A week from today I’ll be attending the Global Leadership Summit at Willow Creek.  I can’t wait to hear from some amazing speakers and get to share as one of the bloggers for the Summit.  To learn more, check out this post from Tim about his thoughts on Willow and this conference.
• I’m craving Oreos today.  Tam, don’t we share this affinity?  Just another reason we need to hang out soon! 
• Read through Justin‘s notes for this weekend’s message at Cross Point.  Good stuff.  You should join us!
• This post from Thom Rainer really challenged me.  Any leader of a growing church should read this and pray through potential application.
• My great friends at Leading and Loving It are launching the next round of virtual community groups.  If you are a pastor’s wife or women in ministry, this is such a great opportunity!
• I’m spending some time in an undisclosed location today (that sounds so official doesn’t it?) to try to work on some writing projects.  My wonderful agent is a slave driver.
• Has anyone ever stripped/sanded the handrails of your hardwood staircase?  I’m about to try that and I’m afraid I’m going to totally mess it up.  I’ll take any tips you have!
• Grateful for God’s blessings and unexpected answers to prayer.  Why am I always surprised when He answers prayer?

What’s the best thing you read or discovered this week?