Major Influencers

“God appeals to us through other good people, through good sermons, or through the reading of good books.” – Teresa of Avila

In no way is this list exhaustive but it gathers many of the most influential appeals in my life and walk with God.

Good People:

Lisa Kotarski

Aaron Clum

Joel Rash

The guys in South Bay Bessie

Dave and Christy Flowers

Chuck and Nina Flowers

Phil Hearn

Lynn Pratt

Brent Adams

John and Bonnie Whaite

Charly and Christina Sommers

Good Sermons/Preachers:

Dave Flowers (pretty much everything, but especially his early series on Spiritual Reality)

Rob Bell

Andy Stanley (Best Question Ever)

That guy at the Alpha Conference a few years ago

Unknown Priest at St. Paul’s Cathedral in London, England

Steven Furtick (From the Promise to the Payoff @ Catalyst 2008)

Good Books:

The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren

Blue Like Jazz by Donald Miller

If You Wanna Walk on Water, You’ve Got to Get Out of the Boat by John Ortberg

Mere Christianity by C.S. Lewis

Velvet Elvis by Rob Bell

Praise Habit by David Crowder

Wild at Heart by John Eldridge

Saving God’s Green Earth by Tri Robinson

The Irresistible Revolution by Shane Claiborne

New Neighbor by Leroy Barber

Other:

Relevant Magazine and Podcast

Catalyst Podcast

What does your list look like?

Lisa dropped that ball...

"Watch what you say... tiny bones forming in baby's ears mean the little one can now pick up your voice. Eyebrows, lashes and hair are starting to fill in, and taste buds are forming. And, if you're interested, an ultrasound might be able to determine gender. "

When Lisa told me this yesterday, I talk to the little one all the way from Target to home. Precious or what?

Together...

I am sitting here reflecting on this year's Catalyst Conference when I should be writing a paper. I am going to pretend that getting the fingers flowing on the keyboard over here is going to help me get flowing on my paper.

Catalyst is a conference in Atlanta that is geared toward young church leaders. The theme for this year's conference was "Together". Amazing speakers from the church world and the business world presented some big ideas that dealt with the daily business of leading a team of people to achieve a common goal, creating culture, what it means to lead a tribe, and we were presented with opportunities to do some awesome things together as a group of 12,000 people from around the country. I am still unpacking much of what I heard and was impacted by in Atlanta but I go to thinking about how "togetherness" has always been an extremely important value in my life. Here's some ways I have seen this work out for me:

Undoing Racism: When I was in high school, and almost failing every class, I approached my principal about getting involved with an organization that was dealing with issues I was passionate it about. He was hesitant but he let me leave school once a month to participate because he saw that I actually cared to learn something for a change. I became a member of the Community Coalition Youth Council to participate in dialogue sessions and training workshops to be a leader in helping other youth to break down the walls that separate us. I remember freestyling with Jihad and Vanessa and sharing my own songs as an example of using my gifts to spread messages that were inportant to me.

Putting on Shows: After playing in bands for a while some of my greatest joys in the music scene were the times that I set up shows for touring bands. Most of the bands I brought to Flint were often bands that only I cared about but I worked to get people together to hear something new and have a lot of fun. I remember the time that I had a new band play their first show and was able to pay them $60 (this was a ton of money in the punk rock world at the time) because we packed the place out. People came together and experienced something new because I took time to share something that was important to me.

Coffee Shops: I have worked at coffee shops and often just like to hang out at coffee shops. I love the oppurtunity for a connecting point for nieghbors, friends, and lovers. Sure you get coffee but people are willing to pay just to be with other people.

Board Games: Lots of fun and rarely possible to do alone. I love to play games and it's always a good excuse to get people over to catch up and stay up too late.

Leading Small Groups: I have had so many meaningful experiences of gathering with people to talk about God, life, hopes, dreams, regrets, heartache, and joy. Being intentional about depth isn't always the most common thing to do but it is such an important part of creating meaningful community.

Grilling: Nothing brings people together like food. This in one thing that I really missed while Lisa and were working at Maranatha this summer. The thing I lvoe the most about barbequeing is that I get to create something and give it away. Maybe it's just some chicken with storebought marinade or maybe it's a peeper stuffed with bleu cheese and chives. Whatever it is it brings people around the the table to enjoy each other. Brennan Manning once said, "Sadly, the meaning of meal sharing is largely lost in the Christian community today. In the Near East, to share a meal with someone is a guarantee of peace, trust, fraternity, and forgiveness: the shared table signifies a shared life."

We all need other people. We were created for community. How are you bringing, or have you brought, people together?

Week 15...and the possibility of a belly pictures coming soon....

So this weekend was the first time that I walked around in public with pants that did not button OR zip. I had this little nifty new-fangled gadget called a BellyBand that hid all the bumps and it was pretty darn sad. It is not easy to feel okay about gaining weight. I've been so obsessed with my weight for the past, oh, I don't know, 15 years, that it is very hard to be okay with my pants not fitting.

But I'm trying really hard to feel cute instead of fat...

So anyway--Week 15....Here goes...



The legs are longer than the arms this week...and it has joints, so it can start to learn to dance....Now a baby with vocal cords like me AND dance moves, I don't know if we can handle it!!!! :)

Have a great week everybody!

A LEMON IS HUGE!!

The Green Couch. Final Day. 17 songs in 30 days!

Green Couch Psalm 103

A peach is pretty cute!!! And vocal cords people...can you imagine what those vocal cords are gonna look like with a mom and dad like Jason and Lisa??? What a fun week!

And just an update on my belly...my pants still fit, and although I HAVE been taking weekly belly pictures, the belly pictures all look the same, so I'm not posting them until I pop...Keep checking back, it can't be too long now I'm sure!!

:)

Green Couch, the final week begins.

Green Couch: Psalm 78

Week Twelve!!!!

Wow! A plum! That's fun!!!

New Green Couch Song Up Now!