Getting Crafty

In case you were unaware, I am your typical domestic housewife...minus the husband. HGTV is my constant companion, my idea of a good read is the Pottery Barn Fall Catalog, and baking is more often than not therapeutic and rewarding. More recently, I've had the opportunity to get crafty and work on a few projects that had been pushed aside due to lack of time and making the move to Brentwood in May. Since I've been failing at keeping up with this blog, I figured sharing some of my projects would be a good way to ease back into it. Enjoy!



Really excited about this one. I have all these earrings that aren't doing any good sitting in my drawer, so I found this old frame in my parents basement and decided to make my jewelry a work of art. It was beyond easy: simply use a staple gun to hold the 3/4" jewelry wire in place on the back of the frame and VOILA! A handmade jewelry tree that also functions quite nicely as a piece of art!



Next up, another steal from the parents basement of treasures! An antique over-sized seat that was in desperate need of some new fabric. After ripping of layers of tattered and worn fabrics that should never be a part of your decor, I added new batting and recovered the seat with a simple cotton fabric. To match all my other furniture, I painted the frame black. The final product:




Now onto food! I have a slight obsession with cupcakes and cheesecakes, both of which I believe are to be enjoyed on a regular basis. Luckily, I HAD to make both desserts in one week making THIS girl pretty stinkin' happy! The first were cupcakes made for my co-worker's birthday who happens to love peacock feathers. The cupcakes were from a box, dark chocolate Betty Crocker cake mix with homemade frosting using Magnolia Bakery's fabulous vanilla frosting recipe, which I found here. Not only were they delicious, but fun and beautiful as well!


Later that week, one of my roommate's needed a special dessert, which is obviously code for cheesecake! The plan was a pumpkin cheesecake, however, not one single grocery store in the greater Nashville area carries canned pumpkin pie filling in July. Who knew? Our misfortune turned into a deliciously rich, extremely fattening, yet artfully beautiful success!
This Rasberry Cheesecake and all of its 2 1/2 pounds of cream cheese comes highly recommended!
And last but not least, a few cards that just happen to be some favorites. I've never gotten to make cards celebrating births and it seems I'll be making a lot more in the near future! The baby card is for my friend Sara in England who should be having the baby any day now and I couldn't be more excited for her and husband Adam!



There ya go! An update on my craft-centered life...and maybe a little inspiration for you to get in touch with your inner Martha Stewart.

Redirected Hope

I can feel my heart sitting at the bottom of my chest and it's been there all week. I'm quite sure that it's physically impossible for this life-sustaining organ to fall victim to sadness in this way, but if ever there were a time for it to start doing so, it would be now. Most of you have experienced this weight of deep emotion at some point in your life, probably in moments of significant personal loss. Thankfully, I haven't lost a thing, but unfortunately I can't say the same for thousands of others in and around Nashville, my home.

It's day 5 of what has become known as the 1,000 Year Flood, a natural disaster so unlikely that it only "comes around" every 1,000 years or so. Saturday morning, we awoke to severe thunderstorms, torrential rains and winds so strong they were producing tornadoes in some areas. Typically, it passes through and we're no worse off than the day before, but this storm was different. My roommate and I sat in our apartment, stranded, glued to Channel 4 news for two days watching as storm cells lined up one after the other ready to take a ride through Tennessee. Within 48 hours, half of Nashville was under anywhere from a foot to 8+ feet of water and it had claimed the lives of 29 people between Mississippi, Tennessee and Kentucky.

I've never experienced devastation like this before, but I've also never had the opportunity to be a part of a community that rallies around one another in love when the rest of the world is slow to catch on. Monday morning, I joined my CrossPoint church family to be sent out to homes in the area that had been less fortunate than I had. It's hard to explain the overwhelming emotions that poured into my heart that day, all I can offer are verbal representations of the snapshots in my mind. The roads that had turned into rivers, cars submerged to the roof, soccer fields that looked like lakes were all shocking. However, the moments that have been replaying in my head like a broken record are those of husbands holding their weeping wives, rescue workers helping families out of the boat that just saved them from their drowning homes, and sifting through the water-logged, mud-caked memories of people's past. Front yards have turned into open dumpsters full of furniture, dry wall and trash bags of ruined clothes. Police officers are stationed at every corner with yellow crime scene tape strewn from trees and stop signs, making the quaint southern neighborhoods look like war zones. You'd think after the third day of volunteering, these sights would be easier to swallow, but I have yet to stop the tears.

In times like these, it's near impossible to see the silver lining amidst the questions, fears and hopelessness overtaking a city caught off guard. Frustration can be intoxicating and often fuels the fire of bitterness and self-pity. In the words of singer/songwriter, Phil Wickham, "all you're left with is a tired and broken heart." Monday morning, as the waters slowly began to recede, I imagine these were the sentiments of many families and individuals standing outside their destroyed homes wondering, "What now?"

There's no simple, straight-forward answer as to why God allows these things to happen and I'm afraid we'll never understand how he works. But what if we needed to be stripped of everything in order to re-focus on one thing? What if through crisis, God was building our character? The past few weeks at CrossPoint, Pastor Pete has been leading us through a series called Shattered Dreams, which oddly enough resonates so deeply with our situation and honestly reassures my trust in God's perfect timing. Two weeks ago, we read the story of the death of Lazarus in John 11. Lazarus is deathly ill, so Mary and Martha call on the Lord to heal him because they know of his power. Yet,

"When he heard this, Jesus said, 'This sickness will not end in death. No, it is for God's glory so that God's Son may be glorified through it.' Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus. Yet when he heard that Lazarus was sick, he stayed where he was two more days."

Lazarus dies while they were waiting on the Lord and everyone is left wondering why, if he loves us, would he allow this to happen? The story goes on and tells us of Martha's doubt, not in his power but in his timing. She knew that if Jesus had been there, he could have saved her brother. Yet, after all of this, in what would have been her time of mourning, she was able to say, "But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask." She still had faith, she still trusted, she remained hopeful. Because of this, Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead. This is the state of mind that the people of Nashville are in today. We still have faith, we are still trusting, we are still hopeful, because we believe in a God who has promised to lift us up in our times of need and hold onto us through the storm. Though my time here has been short in comparison to most, I know without a shadow of a doubt that this community will rise above any expectations and come out stronger for it.

"God will allow suffering, pain, and crisis in order to detach HOPE from other things and attach it to himself." -Pete Wilson

Over the past few days, thousands of people have dropped everything and put their unaffected lives on hold to pick up the leftover pieces of our loved ones, neighbors, and strangers who were victims of the flood. Despite the fact that we've had a severe lack of national media coverage, our city has been able to come together in a powerful way to instill a small reminder that God is not absent from this disaster. Though he is in the suffering, the pain and loss, he is also our source of hope and recovery. It's hard to say how long it will take or if things will get back to normal, but maybe that was the plan all along.



***Nashville is in need of your donations. CrossPoint Church has set up a flood relief fund, go to www.crosspoint.tv to help today!

Broken Promises

Yesterday, I had the opportunity to be at CultivateHer, a women's group focused on developing leaders, not necessarily in business or the Church, but in life. We discuss things like discovering our dreams, pursuing them, and this week...finding confidence in ourselves and our passions. While I will admit to lacking confidence in, often times, a debilitating way, the words I desperately needed to here came from the 24 year old girl who was living out the dreams of my past.

I can remember the moment I realized that I wanted to work in the music industry. It was the end of my freshman year of college and I had just changed my social work major to undecided. My friend and I were at a concert, watching the stage hands run around preparing for the next artist when it occurred to me that these things don't just happen. A lot of work goes into the planning and production of each show, which is almost always a part of a larger tour with calendars full of performances. It was then that I thought, how amazing would it be to plan a nationwide tour and be an integral part of each show. For me, concerts aren't just the chance to see your favorite artist in person. Everything about the experience stirs my insides; from the kick of the bass that becomes your heartbeat to the melodies that you run through your mind for days after. How incredible would it be to feel that every night? From that point on, I was determined to make this dream a reality, and tried everything in my power to achieve it. It's hard to say whether God had put this on my heart or if I had to convince myself that He had, and to be honest I'm still not sure. Regardless, I packed up my car...a U-Haul and minivan with the help of my family...and headed to Nashville, to what was suppose to be my answer to prayer.

Although I didn't hear the story that lead Sarah, the 24 yr old from CultivateHer, to a career in the music industry, I listened as she explained her spontaneous move from the familiarity of home to her dream job in Nashville. Despite the fact that we had just spent a few moments talking about jealousy being one of the enemies of our confidence, I couldn't help but feel my heart sink deep down into my chest and wonder why God had fulfilled this for her, but not me. She actually described Nashville as the City of Broken Promises, which is so fitting for a place filled with artists, songwriters, and music business hopefuls who spend their days serving coffee and nights watching the ones who got it right, up on stage.

As I sat there, wallowing in self-pity, it occurred to me that God never promised me I would land my "dream" job if I moved to Nashville. He never promised a nice little salary, more friends than I could handle or a diamond ring on my finger. What He did promise was that He would never leave my side, His dreams for my life would be fulfilled, and His perfect love would carry me through anything. My life verse, one that has been a daily necessity lately, comes from Isaiah 43:1-5:

"Fear not, for I have redeemed you, I have summoned you by name; you are mine. When you pass through the waters, I will be with you; and when you pass through the rivers, they will not sweep over you. When you walk through the fire, you will not be burned; the flames will not set you ablaze. For I am the Lord, your God, the Holy One of Israel, your Savior; I give Egypt for your ransom, Cush and Seba for your stead. Since you are precious and honored in my sight, I will give men in exchange for you and people in exchange for your life. Do not be afraid for I am with you."

So easily I forget those words that are written on my heart. In the wake of these shattered dreams lies the reality that they are being broken by the One who we were so confident gave them to us. Peace and the ability to move forward come when we are open to the new opportunities God has in store for us, which I am certain are more than my imagination can handle. My dream to work in the music industry still haunts me on occasion, in fact going on tour is on my vision board! Thankfully, God has been faithful to open other doors and has led me to new dreams to pursue. Maybe someday they'll cross paths, or just fade into the background, but until that day I'll hold onto the promises that can never be broken.

-L

The Bystander Effect

Every morning at 7:05 my t.v. turns on automatically, I use it as a back-up alarm for my dysfunctional cell phone. Today was no exception. However, upon coming out of my sweet slumber I began to hear the words of the news reporter and was immediately struck with a broken heart, which isn't the best way to start your day.

In New York City, a woman was being mugged and a good Samaritan stepped into help, only to be stabbed while the thief ran off. Making only a few steps before collapsing to the ground, the wounded man lay on the ground for hours as more than 25 people passed him by, some even stopping to take pictures. Not one person stopped to help him or call emergency services and the man died before anyone could save him. All of this was caught on security cameras and now broadcast for the world to see.

(you can watch it here: http://today.msnbc.msn.com/id/26184891/vp/36776405#36776405)

The reporters described it as the Bystander Effect, a "social psychological phenomenon that refers to cases where individuals do not offer help in an emergency situation when other people are present." To me, it was a modern day story of the parable of the Good Samaritan in the gospel of Luke:

"A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he fell into the hands of robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man he passed by on the other side. So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, took him to an inn and took care of him." Luke 10:30-34

As I sat there, watching this story and recaps of other similar situations that have been caught on tape, I was overcome with sadness as the tears flowed down my face. If you know me, this isn't exactly hard to believe...I'm extremely emotional and sometimes cry during a good commercial. I couldn't help but wonder how many times we pass by people in need everyday without a second thought. I personally have never, to my knowledge, encountered this type of situation, but I have ignored the cries of the homeless and hungry more times than I can count. Are they no different than the man that has been stabbed? Jesus says in Matthew 25:37-40:

"Then the righteous will answer him, 'Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?' The King will reply, 'I tell you the truth, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers of mine, you did for me.'"

So often, we ask that our hearts will break for what breaks the heart of our Father, but I think we forget that He's listening to our requests and will follow through. Conviction is a hard thing to swallow, but I'm thankful for the opportunity to rest in His grace and the chance to take action, not ignoring the silent whispers of my Savior through the lips of those who need our love. Join me, will you?


No longer a bystander,

L

Just this one thing...

...Found this draft of a blog, just waiting to be posted. Thought you might like to read it.


For the past few weeks, our church has been going through a series called "Shattered Dreams", which happens to be coming at the perfect time for what seems like quite a few people. The first week we looked into the idea of control and how we cling onto it as if our lives depend on it, so easily forgetting that our dreams are not our own. This week, however, was beyond an explanation, the kind of message that makes it seem like God called you to his office just to meet with you and no one else, although I'm positive I was not alone in this.

I've shared with you a little of my own personal "shattered dream"; of the desire to work in the music industry and the illusion that because I was trusting and taking that leap of faith, God would hand me my dream job on a silver platter at a circus-like welcoming party upon my arrival to Nashville. After just 3 months of resumes and cover letters, I found refuge in the idea of throwing in the towel and moving home. Three months. That's all it took to feel as if I had been abandoned and cast off by the One who had instilled this desire to be here in the first place.

"And yet the truth is that God is most powerfully PRESENT even when he seems most apparently ABSENT." -Pete Wilson (my pastor)

It's so simple, God has promised that he will never for one second abandon us under any circumstance, yet we are so quick to assume he has when things aren't going the way that we had imagined they would. His PRESENCE should be felt in a powerful way in these moments of uncertainty. More often than not, I think we get lost while we're waiting on God's timing and fall back into our natural instinct to control and manipulate our circumstances to suit our needs. The tragedy is that while "we're focused on where we're going, we miss who we are becoming." -P.W. We continually ask God for just this one thing, convinced that it will make our lives more significant, whether it be a job, relationship, healing, etc. What we're missing is the person that He is creating us to be while we wait.

There have been many times in my life where I've truly felt abandoned because the dreams I had for my life were not panning out as I thought they should be. Peace and understanding is found when we realize that we can't always see the web that He is weaving. Uncertainty is no longer a word to be feared, but embraced. I've come to find that the moments I feel surrounded by chaos are the times when He is doing his best work.


"All around
Hope is springing up from this old ground
Out of chaos life is being found in You.
You make me new, You are making me new."
--Gungor, "Beautiful Things"

Driven to a Purpose

For the past 5+ years, I've been focusing my attention on the age old question, "What am I going to do with my life?" More often than not, it seems to revolve around the career path I'd like to take, the salary that would allow me to live comfortably (while satisfying my shopping habits!), and one that is easily transferable due to my ever changing geographical desires. After flip-flopping my way through high school and college, I graduated with a degree in Business Management, a path that I never thought I would take. The "plan" was to move to Nashville the minute I walked off the stage with diploma in hand, but my lack of reality drove me head on into my Aunts' basement apartment with two jobs and a less than glamorous lifestyle. Eventually, that stirring, unsettling feeling in my heart became my sole companion and I realized it was time to move, both figuratively and physically. Through all my ups and downs, taking this road instead of that one, I held steady to the fact that I am made for greatness. Not one person in this world is void of that calling, despite the contradictions fed to us daily.

I recently came across a quote that I wish would have come along months and months ago, but nonetheless it found its way to me in time.

"And the day came when the RISK to remain tight in a bud was more painful than the risk it took to blossom." --Anais Nin

There's a point in our lives when I think God pokes us between the eyes and forces us out of our comatose state to see the person we could be, the life we could have, the dreams we could be living, if only we're willing to risk our complacency. I was facing this issue then and am at a crossroads with it once again. Having jumped off the deep end to make the move to Nashville, I came to a point where my jobs (yes, plural!) were consuming me body, mind and soul in the worst way possible. Slowly, I began to see that my relationships, both heavenly and earthly were being affected and I was being asked by the One who holds my heart, "Is it worth it?" I cannot claim to be a biblical scholar, but I'm fairly certain that in not one version does it say love your job, love money, love exhaustion, etc...in fact I believe it says the exact opposite, all encompassed into love God and love people. Period. God had given me exactly what I asked for, I was financially stable after months of pinching pennies, but at what cost? True reality was charging at me like a runaway freight train and I was standing on the tracks just waiting for it to hit me. It was no longer a matter of what my dream job is or where my next paycheck is coming from, but what is my purpose, and am I doing everything I can to work towards that goal? I've realized that it's not about whether your job is fulfilling or not, but are you fulfilling your job?

With that idea of purpose in mind, I'd like to take you back to January of this year when an earthquake of epic proportions hit Haiti, an already devastated and unstable country. I think its safe to say that it rocked our world tremendously. Swarms of people, money and supplies flooded the country at a rapid, unexpected pace and gave rise to a movement of people of action. Amidst all of the debates, not one person deserves life over another; whatever side you were on, the people of Haiti needed help and still do. My heart was breaking and nothing I could do seemed to mend that. In the weeks following the tragedy, I couldn't seem to shake this jittery feeling (like a kid who has had one too many marshmallow peeps on Easter morning) and concluded that there had to be something I could do. With minimal finances and lack of ability to pick up and leave, I started creating. It never occurred to me in the past that hobbies could become acts of service and love, they were there as an outlet to our sometimes mediocre lives. Crafting greeting cards has more recently become a stress-relief and economic necessity, but after posting a few pictures of my creations, the feedback gave rise to an inspired idea, which leads me to Vision #1: Design and sell cards for Made4Love.

The vision is to create packs of handmade greeting cards with all profits going directly to world relief efforts. I'm particularly fond of Samaritan's Purse and World Vision, who have been dedicated to serving those in need throughout the world. There is a lot to be done for the cause and will most likely require more time than I can give, but I'm alright with being tired and exhausted if it's for the building of a kingdom that is filled with people of action. I'm welcome to suggestions on designs, website & logo creation, buyers, etc so please, don't hold back! Below are some of the cards I've made recently:

I think its about time we take a step back for a fresh look so that we can make a few strides forward. We're all called to greatness, whether the action is seemingly insignificant or over the top. Each of us serves a purpose that we must discover in order to fit the pieces of this puzzle we call life, together. So, what's your purpose?

Called to love,

-L

Its all about the details...

The infamous first post. Its funny how daunting this seems, stepping out into this new realm of technology, embarking on a quest to share with the world --(or maybe just the handful of people I verbally force to read)-- the most intimate details of the things that run through my mind. I can't promise anything groundbreaking, but I'll do my best to make your time spent worthwhile. I will admit that I have a tendency to be long-winded and on occasion have been known to amuse myself more than others, but my journey to relentlessly chase after God's dreams for my life is about to begin and I'm in need of accountability, and maybe some loud cheers from the sidelines.

For as long as I can remember, I've struggled with wanting to say too much, which is a strange contradiction to my shy, soft-spoken demeanor. What I mean is that in my telling of stories, emails, papers and letters, I focus on the details because to me, that is what makes the story. To me, if you're constantly focused on the bigger picture, you're missing out on the small moments that are the brush strokes to the masterpiece. I've been reading this book, "Wide Awake" by Erwin McManus, which, true to cliche, is changing my life. The main idea he presents is that God has instilled great dreams in you and that ignoring them is not only a slap in the face, but a huge disservice to humanity. With this fresh point of view, I decided it was about time to create a vision board; to write out all of these seemingly crazy ideas that have been hibernating inside while I seek out job after job trying to find some sense of purpose, and to create action plans for acheiving each one.

Here it goes, putting pen to paper...or fingers to keys. These are my dreams, both personal and professional. At times, these things seem to resemble a "bucket list" but a dream is a dream. All of these will be explained in further detail, don't you worry!

-photograph an artist for their album cover
-sell a print of one of my photos
-shadow Jeremy Cowart on a photo shoot (if you're not familiar with his work, you should be!)
-be a Top 10 photograph in the Photographer's Forum contest
-be featured in a home decorating magazine or tv show
-travel with a band for at least one tour
-meet NEEDTOBREATHE
-Open a Cafe/Music Venue/Gallery
-attend the Dove Awards and Grammy's
-photograph for a home decorating magazine or catalog (like Real Simple or Pottery Barn)
-photograph a wedding
-design and sell cards for my non-profit venture ---made4love---
-be involved in planning a major music festival
-plan a benefit concert
-renovate a house
-design a website for East Elm Photography
-sit behind home plate at a Red Sox game
-own a vacation home on the Cape or Vineyard
-Ski: Vail, Jackson hole, The Alps, Whistler
-do another cross-country road trip
-go on a missions trip
-run a 5k, 10k, and 1/2 marathon
-go to the winter Olympics (as a spectator)
-backpack Europe (Prague, Ireland, London, Paris, Florence, Rome, Portugal, Austria and Germany...to name a few places)
-See: Brandi Carlile, Hillsong, Nickel Creek, Blink 182, Hootie & the Blowfish (if they ever reunited!), Colbie Caillat, Ingrid Michaelson, John Mayer, etc :: In concert!
....to be continued

And so begins this new adventure in blogging. Over the coming months, years, however long it takes, I'll fill you in on all the ups and downs that are bound to be a part of this beautiful mess, as I chase after my passions. I hope you'll join me in this quest!

peace&love
-L