Monday, April 22, 2013

Passion & Purpose

When Nate and I were in Atlanta a couple weeks ago, we attended PassionCity Church. The pastor is Louie Giglio and the worship leader is Chris Tomlin. Yes, the music was amazing and the sermon was well delivered but more importantly it was humbly done. Louie Giglio preached a sermon titled "Passion and Purpose" and it has been etched on my heart and mind ever since.

Am I in the place God wants me to be?
Can I know in the end of my days that my life counted for something?

Yes and yes.

Colossians 3:17, "And whatever you do, in word or in deed, do everything in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through Him."
"And whatever you do..." - PASSION. You have a unique gifting. God given potential. What makes you come alive inside? What fires you up? Those things are your passions.
"Do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus..." - PURPOSE. Do the "whatever"/passion in the name of Jesus. Our passions are different but the purpose is the same. Romans 11:36.

At the end of the day have you given ALL to Him and glorified Him on earth?
Does my life shine a light on Jesus?

Colossians 1:15, "All things were created BY Him and FOR Him." He creates amazing things with amazing creativity. We have something that reflects that God given creativity. Those gifts are given FOR Him.

Identify and embrace your passions. Pay attention to how He has uniquely gifted you.
It's important to know that purpose always overshadows our passion. It's about the conduct of our journey, not the product.


Ok, so those are notes that I took but there was SO MUCH said that I couldn't scribble fast enough.

He challenged us to discover our passions...whether that's being an architect, salesman, or missionary. We are all passionate about something and we can fulfill our purpose doing those things we are passionate about.

I left church that day with a sad heart. Encouraged? Yes. But sad.

Nate and I both have passions for ministry and the Church. We desire to spend our life on earth sharing the hope of Christ and discipling others to have a love for Him that is evident in their passions. We are at a place in our journey that is like a holding tank. We are learning lots in the process but I am saddened that we aren't able to live out these God given passions. We have sent Nate's resume to numerous churches and associations and we are just waiting.

WAITING REQUIRES PATIENCE WHICH I AM TERRIBLE AT!!

Nate is very passionate about the Word and His people and desires to teach and preach.
I, like Nate, love teaching (women, of course =)) and discipleship. I have a passion for ministry and walking along Nate in his role as a pastor.

I know that God is sovereign and I know He has a perfect plan for our lives...
I know that this is just a season in the journey and He will carry us through...
I know that He is faithful even when we aren't...
I know that we will look back on this time and be thankful for the waiting...

Pray for the process. Pray for our hearts.




His,
Meg
Zeph. 3:17

Thursday, April 18, 2013

Zoo Day

Last Friday was supposed to be a day to stay home. I was planning to clean and catch up on laundry before having to work that night. At about 8:45am I realized it was going to be a beautiful day and I didn't want the boys to have to stay inside so we went to the zoo. It was the PERFECT DAY for it!! I packed our lunches and made plans to stay all day...and we did. The boys were well behaved the entire time and were worn out when we got home. Perfection =)









Their first carousel ride. Brandon was excited. Carson was a little hesitant. They loved it.





The elephants were their favorite.





There is a huge play area at the zoo so after lunch we played. Dalton was so glad to be out of the stroller. Yes, they wrestle everywhere...even at the zoo.















Time for a slush!



Carson could see himself in the window and he stood there and talked to himself for quite a while. Hilarious.







My friend, Becky, works down the street from the zoo, so she came when she got off work. The boys love "Bicky." =)



What a great day!!! I had to work 6:00-9:00 that night and the boys ended up going to a softball game. It was a fun, busy day...we all slept well that night!!!



His,
Meg
Zeph. 3:17

Tubes!



On April 8, Dalton finally got tubes!!! He is nine months old and has (NO JOKE) had drainage/fluid/congestion issues since he was about 8 weeks old. He has had ear infection after ear infection and has had a few rounds of meds for wheezing due to all the drainage and crud. So, when we got the word on April 3rd that he was going to get tubes on the 8th, I was so excited and so ready!! Carson had tubes when he was 14 months so I knew what to expect which helped with the emotion of it all.

He did great!!! The doctor said there was lots of thick fluid but the tubes should help clear it out. The nurses said when he woke up from the anesthesia he just looked around and waited for someone to pick him up. They said they wished every child could be like him. Awwwww bless!! =) I am so glad he had my personality!!! HAHAHAHAHAHAHA

He went for a check up today and everything is clear. YAY!!!! The tubes are doing their job and he looks great!!! I am making an appointment with the urologist tomorrow so we can get this other surgery behind us. Reminder: He was supposed to have surgery a few months ago but couldn't because of a slight wheeze which could get worse with anesthesia.

So thankful for healthy babies!!!



His,
Meg
Zeph. 3:17

Anniversary Weekend

It's been a few weeks since the last post...so here's the first of a few posts as an update.

Our anniversary was April 5 and because we have amazing family and friends, Nate and I were able to get away for the weekend. Grammy and Papa (Nate's parents) kept the boys in Alabama and Dalton stayed with our friends, the Blairs, here in Nashville. We spent the weekend in Atlanta and it was a much needed getaway!!!

I have been a Braves fan for years so I was SO excited when Nate told me he had Braves tickets for the Friday night game against the Cubs. We had great seats and the weather was perfect.



The NCAA basketball tournament was in Atlanta the same weekend we were there so it was pretty crazy but we stayed away from downtown and took the Marta (subway) everywhere. We knew better than to try and drive in that craziness. So, Saturday, we stayed away from the crowds of the tournament. We took the Marta to a shopping district and spent the afternoon walking and shopping. We even got to eat a nice sit down meal with NO INTERRUPTIONS!!! =) It was a beautiful weekend!!



We worshiped at Passion City church Sunday morning (more about that in an upcoming post) then drove home. Since Dalton was staying with friends in Nashville we were able to get him as soon as we got home. He was scheduled to get tubes (FINALLY) the following morning so I wasn't going to get the big boys back till the next afternoon. We were able to spend a nice evening with Dalton. It's very rare that it's just the three of us so it was nice.




I Face Timed the boys while they were in Alabama and even though I miss them like crazy when they are gone, I know they have a great time. Thanks, Grammy and Papa for spoiling my babies!! They loved going to the races and being outside all weekend.




I am so thankful for our weekend away...it was a much needed break from things here and I am thankful for those that made it possible!




His,
Meg
Zeph. 3:17