First Day of School

Elevation : Blakeney

Ahead of schedule

and we are so excited!!!

this is the new worship center :)

First Impressions

tonight was so nice! very informal, just sitting around the kitchen table getting to know each other.  I am so glad that God gave me the strength to start this group.

Karin and I 

Dress up + Dinner

and the girls... she has two girls Ella (4) Abby (2)

getting ready for my eGroup: Moms

here is my first post about my mom's eGroup

Moms of Faith : Ever Feel Like You Are In Mommy Solitary Confinement

i came across this blog post while reading my favorite blog on Moms of Faith and I can completely relate to what Robin is saying. Please take a moment to read it

Short story into my life:
my family moved to Belmont (charlotte area) 2 years ago because I was getting a transfer with my job, during this time I was pregnant with my second child.  Once we had moved and was still getting settled in, my company told me that once I had my second child they would no longer need me (due to economic times of course). I was FIRED!! i've never been fired!  It was so difficult, knowing that once I gave birth to my child I would loose my job. I guess I was lucky that they allowed me to continue to work and receive benefits until I had Emma.

The first 3 months after her birth weren't bad, I was busy, occupied with all the new born stuff. Around month four I started finding it difficult, becoming depressed.. something i have experienced a few times in my life. Alone all day with my two kids, all i wanted to do was sleep! After all it wasn't MY PLAN to be a stay-at-home-mom.

to make a long story short....

after a year, and still no job, I knew something HAD to change. I was searching for the light at the end of the tunnel, which i thought would be getting a job, but what I realized was that I needed to have a relationship with my Father, God, Jesus!!! That's the piece that was missing.

And after one visit to Elevation, I was reminded of His glory and His great things. And for the FIRST time since I lost my job I was at peace, knowing that He will provide for my family.

God has giving me the courage to leave the house, to attend Church on a regular basis, to be on an eTeam and to start this eGroup. His love for me has open my heart to many new opportunities and to trust in Him for he knows what's best for me.

I am NOT alone and neither are you!! Remember God is always with you and He always has a listening ear. He's a GREAT listener.

All things are possible though Jesus Christ!!

The Code

I will be starting a new adventure soon... and eGroup (which is a community group that i will be doing with my church) they are helping to prepare me for this new season in my life by providing lots of helpful tools, which i will sure to speak about later. one thing that they have asked us all to know is "The Code" and since i'm trying to memorize it i thought i'd share it with all my readers... all one of you LOL  (love you marty)

The Code is our core set of values at Elevation Church. It sets the tone and trajectory for how we get things done. If the mission is the compass, The Code is the map that gives us direction.

1. We Act in Audacious Faith – In order to dominate a city with the gospel of Jesus, we can’t think small. We will set impossible goals, take bold steps of faith and watch God move.
2. We Are a Generation of Honor – We freely give honor to those above us, beside us and under us because of the calling and potential God has placed inside of them.
3. We Lead the Way in Generosity – Our staff and church will go above and beyond to give sacrificially to the work of God in our city.
4. We Are United Under the Visionary – Elevation is built on the vision God gave Pastor Steven. We will aggressively defend our unity and his vision.
5. We Need Your Seat – We will not cater to personal preference in our mission to reach this city. We are more concerned with the people we are trying to reach than the people we are trying to keep.
6. We Think Inside the Box – We will embrace our limitations. They will inspire our greatest creativity and innovation.
7. We Dress for the Wedding – We will continually increase our capacity by structuring for where we want to go, not where we are. We will remain on the edge of our momentum by overreacting to harness strategic momentum initiatives.
8. We Are Ruth’s Chris, Not Golden Corral – Simplicity enables excellence. We place a disproportionate value on creating a worship experience that boldly celebrates Jesus and attracts people far from God.
9. We Are All About the Numbers – Tracking metrics measures effectiveness. We unapologetically set goals and measure progress through all available quantitative means.
10. We Eat the Fish and Leave the Bones – We will always maintain a posture of learning. We seek to learn from everyone and incorporate a variety of influences into our methodology.
11. We Are Known for What We Are For – We will speak vision and life over our people. We will lift up the salvation of Jesus rather than using our platform to condemn.
12. We Will Not Take This for Granted – What we are experiencing is not normal. This is the highest calling, and we will remain grateful for God’s hand of favor.

organizing my life.... part five, six and seven

part FIVE : coat two
part SIX : coat three
part SEVEN : moving the desk into place and starting to paint the inside of the drawers. which i'm so excited about b/c i'm going to paint each drawer a different color. since i'm the only one who will ever see the inside of the drawers :)

don't you just love the pop of green inside the drawer?

I DO so i don't care if you don't LOL

the paper i'm using for the top of the desk is scrapbook paper made by DCWV called The Green Stack 

i loved this paper so much that i am turning some of the pages into coasters to use at my desk! They are too cute  

there are five in all

organizing my life.... part four

part FOUR : first coat of paint

i've never painting any piece of furniture and i'm usually never this bold. so although i love it, it will take some time for me to get use to it.

and btw.... these pictures make it look really orange and it's really not