1. At The Crossing: I have no freakin' clue. God is shaking stuff up across The Crossing, and I can't even begin to tell you how awesome it is. There are so many cool stories and so many people around me and on staff who are hearing the same kinds of messages from the Holy Spirit... It is so clear that HE is working on something huge. And it has absolutely nothing to do with anything we have done/can do in our own power.
Due to the crazy stuff God is doing and telling us, we held our first Prayer, Worship & Communion night a week ago. It was a powerful night, with the Holy Spirit's presence so strong in the room, it was undeniable. We believe that this type of evening is much needed at The Crossing (we do a great job of "moving seekers one step closer to Jesus" on the weekends, but on these nights in addition to Cellar, etc., we're watching God "thrill believers with spiritual truth of an awe-inspiring God" - as our mission statement says). The next one is March 7, and we're seriously praying about doing this every week during the summer. Stay tuned.
2. With TWIRL: Due to #1 (above), my priority has shifted a bit for a little while. At this time, it looks like the next Twirl will be in August. Do not fret, though! You can keep in touch with your Twirl girls through the Facebook chick cliques, and you should be getting together now & then. Chick Cliques are a lightweight commitment, though, so you yourself have to take the initiative and reach out! Also, if you're a Crossing attender, you NEED TO BE VOLUNTEERING somewhere, or you are simply not a part of the community of believers, like you should be. This will give you friendship and connection. I tell you this lovingly but firmly. If you need a less-crowded environment, check out the Zimmerman, Princeton, or Big Lake campus.
And also, Twirl Girls, I'm writing a book for you. I'm about 6 chapters into it.
3. At My House: Cool stuff! Like, I'm making a menu and (sort of) sticking to it, which takes the guesswork out of dinner. I'm shopping weekly (sort of), which helps me stick to budget and reduces wasted food and "emergency" trips to the store for important things like salsa.
Girls around The Crossing know that for about a year or two, we had an awesome young lady who did housecleaning for our family. Well, she got a "real" job (we're so happy for her), and we are now without a Heather. So after a couple of weeks (don't judge me), I realized we needed to clean our own house. (I'm EXTREMELY diligent about clean toilets and NO CLUTTER, but not so much the other stuff. So my house looks clean but isn't. Ha.) My kids regularly vacuum & dust their own rooms and do dishes and trash.
Anyhoo, I divvied up responsibilities, and let me tell you what, the amount of complaining I heard about cleaning prompted me to NOT continue my search for a new Heather, and instead create responsibility charts for my kiddos. They are 9, 11, and 14, so they're old enough to check their list each day for their one responsibility; do it, and check it off. At the end of the week, they bring it to me for their allowance (which they usually just receive automatically).
My stress level is way lower than it used to be when I first hired Heather, so I think we'll just keep this up for awhile and see how it goes. I'm guessing that my kiddos need to get used to a little more work so they won't complain when asked to help. Plus, the extra money will be helpful in my newly-diligent financial plan: give a lot, don't spend so much, try to pay stuff off, and try to save some.
4. In My Heart: The challenges of the past year have deepened my dependence on God. Plain and simple. As I've leaned into Him, He has taught me so much about how He loves me and wants to work through me; not me work for Him. When I relax, He does His Good-Father thing. When I get angry or fight, He lets me fight it out by myself. (That way does NOT bring peace. I tried. Trust me.) He is digging into my crappy heart and pulling out 2 major things: 1. anger, and 2. control.
I naturally (firstborn, Type-A) desire control. Over the past three weeks, there are a few things God has moved in my heart about, that have helped me release my need to control to the Holy Spirit. I'm also learning to shut up and allow my husband to have an opinion that doesn't match mine. Or not informing him of all the reasons my idea is better than his. (I'm pretty good at letting him lead the church, but not so good at letting him choose the best route to the airport. lol...) So that's the honest truth about that. :)
5. With You: Today I pray that whomever reads this is encouraged to 1. Press into Jesus. 2. Relax and let His peace rule your lfe. 3. Be obedient to what His Spirit tells you to do, even if it doesn't make sense. 4. Surround yourself with wise people who will help you live out the destiny that God has for you. I'm thriving in mine right now, and I WANT THAT FOR YOU!
Love you!
