As they say in the theatre world...

Well, my season as a small group Hometeam leader has come and gone…last Sunday, after 2 years (exactly!) of being a hometeam leader, I stepped down from my position. It’s kinda weird. I keep thinking things like “oh, I have to be sure to write this in the weekly email” or “I better get with Ross to see when our next planning meeting is” or “we should use that example for the next lesson”…except I don’t have to do those things anymore. And that’s how my brain has always worked…hometeam has always been so close to my heart that it’s never very far from my mind. I could be driving down the road and suddenly think of something I need to do for the hometeam, or be in the middle of work and suddenly have some great idea for the next lesson. Ross knows all about this, because when those random thoughts hit me, guess who gets the first phone call!

I know there are like 3 people who read this blog, but I want to give a shout out to the ever-evolving hometeam that has held such a huge part of my heart for the last 2 years. First of all to Erick…had he not been a hometeam leader himself, and such a selfless servant-hearted one at that, I never would have gotten plugged in to hometeam, to Fellowship Church, and to Christ. He taught me everything I needed to know about becoming a Christ-follower to being a baby Christian to growing up to a woman of God. And to Matt, who taught me what it meant to encourage spiritual leadership, rather than trying to do it all myself! To Amanda, who reminds me everyday what it means to have a childlike faith, and to Brad, who can’t help but instill his contagious hunger and passion for the Lord in everyone he meets. To Jami, who inspires other with her perseverance and persistence thru all obstacles, and to David who always reminded me to laugh. And finally to Ross, my most recent co-leader, and to whom I leave all of hometeam in his ever-capable hands. Of all the leaders I have teamed up with, Ross probably saw me at my worst (well, with the exception of Erick, who saw the pre-Christ Crys!). Ross saw me through those last few months of hometeam…when I was so tired that the last thing I wanted to do was meet up with him to plan the next lesson, and he energized me. When I felt defeated because only a few people showed up to that week’s meeting, and he pointed out all the awesome things I had done. When I just couldn’t figure out God’s will for my role in hometeam, and he was the prayer warrior above all warriors. And when I said I was leaving, he was supportive even though he didn’t like it.

And to everyone else who I didn’t lead with, but rather attempted to lead, either successfully or not, you as well have touched my life. Last Sunday people like Ross and Matt told me how much they learned from me or were influenced by me, but I have to say that anything I may have done to inspire people, the hometeam has given back to me ten-fold. My life has been changed and is improved because of the people I met there. If you go to Fellowship Church and you are reading this blog and not in a hometeam, get in one NOW! (which is unlikely because the 3 people that read this blog are all in my hometeam) My life would never have the abundant blessings of God that it has now without the influence of hometeam, and I am so sad that I am no longer going to be leading anymore, but I know it is of God and because of that his peace surrounds me.

So as my hometeam leader season comes to a close, there’s only one thing left to say…

Aaaaand…scene.

WHAT I love...

Last year me and some friends took a road trip to New York. To pass the time, we made up a game where we all say things we love starting with every letter of the alphabet. So thus begins the game of ‘what I love…’ (not to be confused with the post ‘why I love…’)

A- Aaah…I already can’t think of something for A. We’re off to a good start.
B- Broadway Shows…specifically Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Les Mis.
C- Crys! You say conceit, I say healthy self-image. So there.
D- Duncan! I would say Duncan is my cat, but in reality, I am his human.
E- Emperor’s New Groove, one of the best movies ever! Llamaface!!!!
F- Fried stuff. Chicken. Okra. Mushrooms. Pickles. Who needs moderation?
G- Gum. Less because I love it, more because I need it. Yes, oral fixations abound.
H- Hugs. And real ones, not those sissy side ones.
I- Ice Cream!! Perhaps my biggest vice. Ben and Jerry’s Neopolitan Dynamite. Or Baskin Robbins Peanut Butter and Chocolate.
J- Jesus! (You didn’t think I was going to leave out the Sunday School answer, did you?)
K- Kelly Clarkson. I don’t follow a lot of music but she’s one of my faves. And she’s from Texas so she’s already cooler than most.
L- Laughing. It’s just fun. And you burn calories doing it.
M- Mapquest. Seriously, how did we ever get anywhere before it existed?
N- New York City…the place I would live if it weren’t in Texas
O- Organization. And all the cool bins and containers, notebooks, and labelmakers that go with it. And yes, I am an office supply dork. Show me a desktop organizer and I’ll show you the many wonderous categories of the pen.
P- Playing guitar. I’m currently taking applications for groupies.
Q- Quiet time with God every morning. With my cup of coffee on the patio. Greatness.
R- Red Robin. Mmmmm.
S- Starbucks. Or really, coffee in general.
T- Texas! I wouldn’t want to live anywhere else.
U- Underwear. It’s very important people. You shouldn’t leave home without it.
V- Very good workouts. Yes, that counts for V. As much as I hate to say it, I like working out. (but running sucks)
W-Wheat Thins. I will OD on those things.
X- X-Men. Ok I’ve never seen the movie, but I would make a killer superhero, so I figure I would like it if I saw it. (Hey…you think of something you love that begins with x!)
Y- Ok I don’t have anything for Y. Or Z. I was stretching with X. But I’m the only one playing the ‘what I love’ game so I still win. The end.

Why I love...The Web Office!

Welcome to the latest installment of “why I love…” and today I love the web office! Boy…that web office is really cool. I mean, it has windows and Ikea furniture. And you never have to turn the fluorescent lights on, and the walls are really white.

Ok, what I really love are the guys IN the web office. Why? Because it was there that I was first welcomed into the Fellowship family with sarcasm and mockery…I mean brotherly love and affection. It was there that I learned that to be really important at Fellowship Church, you had to have TWO computer monitors, eat Quiznos like it was going out of business, and whoever dies with the most water bottle caps wins. I also learned all about Bradittude, which I would explain if I thought you could handle it, but you can’t.
I also love them because I can come and visit them any time I want and they are always happy to see me! At least, they pretend to be. I think they are really just hoping for cookies. Or an invite to lunch.
Brian is a super cool boss because he lets them print out giant posters of him and tape it to the door. He’s also really smart and talented and has been published in the wall street journal. We’ve discussed the intelligence of his blog and how much more smarter it is than mine…I would insert a link to it here except I’m not that smarrt.
Brad is also super cool because he does things like curling (the human-sized shuffle board thing they do in the Olympics) and swim to Alcatraz in shark-infested waters. I don’t know anybody who can say that. He also leads a hometeam, and hometeam leaders in and of themselves are cool.
Andy seems pretty super cool but I gotta say I don’t know him very well since I got booted out of the office when he showed up so he could have a desk (seriously people, priorities). But I do know that he’s always at the tone & tighten classes at lunch so he can probably beat up Chuck Norris.
And of course there’s Jeph, who even if you don’t know him, you already know he’s super cool because he spells his name with a PH. People with alternative and confusing spellings of their names are always cool. Jeph also has the best sense of humor out of anyone I know, and he says it’s pronounced “porsch” instead of “porsch-A”. Try it next time you see him. He likes it, I swear.

So, web office, that is why I love you. Never change your unique blend of witty, jovial, cynical, clever, chuck-norris kicking, weird name spelling, smart blog typing, bradittuding fun because you guys are great!

Oh yeah…and I like bread.

Florida is stealing my friends.

Stupid Florida. It steals all my friends. First the Bradquester and now Ryan King and who knows who else around here will be boxed up and shipped off to Florida.

Ok don’t get me wrong, I love the fact that we have a new church in Miami, it’s amazing in ways I can’t even fathom. And so stinking exciting. I love it. Every minute of it.

But Florida is not allowed to steal any more of my friends. None. No more. That’s it. El Fine.

Dinner for One

How to Eat Alone
by Daniel Halpern

While it’s still light out set the table for one: a red linen tablecloth, one white plate, a bowl for the salad and the proper silverware. Take out a three-pound leg of lamb, rub it with salt, pepper and cumin, then push in two cloves of garlic splinters. Place it in a 325-degree oven and set the timer for an hour. Put freshly cut vegetables into a pot with some herbs and the crudest olive oil you can find. Heat on low flame. Clean the salad. Be sure the dressing is made with fresh dill, mustard and the juice of hard lemons.
Open a bottle of good late harvest zinfandel and let it breathe on the table. Pour yourself a glass of cold California chardonnay and go to your study and read. As the story unfolds you will smell the lamb and the vegetables. This is the best part of the evening: the food cooking, the armchair, the book and bright flavor of the chilled wine. When the timer goes off, toss the salad and prepare the vegetables and the lamb. Bring them out to the table. Light the candles and pour the red wine into your glass. Before you begin to eat, raise your glass in honor of yourself.
The company is the best you’ll ever have.

This piece of prose I discovered in college and always enjoyed what it had to say. This week my one evening off was on Tuesday night, and as I stared blankly into my refrigerator wondering what to eat, this piece popped into my head. So I turned off the tv and turned on my soundtrack to “The Piano” and cooked up a real dinner...there wasn’t even anything that got put in the microwave! I pulled out the pretty silverware and lit some candles and set the table as if someone important were visiting. When I sat down with my food, just looking at the way it all was set and how nice it looked made me peaceful already. I enjoyed the stillness and quiet and totally loved it. Ok, so maybe the chicken wasn’t exactly 4-star restaurant quality and there was 2% milk in my wine glass, but it was still greatness. And I realized that so often we are always so concerned about not offending others, or how everyone else feels, and if we’re treating our neighbors as ourselves. Which is all well and good. But sometimes you have to take a step back and treat yourself as others would treat you. A good quote to go along with this… “if you had a friend that talked to you the way you talked to yourself, would you continue to hang out with that person?”

I would challenge everyone I know...especially all the single ones...not only to treat others the way they'd want to be treated, but also to treat yourself how you want others to treat you! Because whether you realize it or not, you're teaching them how to do it right now. And why wait to get married before somebody starts treating you right??