Pay It Forward (encouragement, that is)

I know two people who are really struggling. One is a family member, one is a friend. They've been on my heart so much lately. If you've ever "walked through the valley" & are on the other side of it, could you please leave a comment for them? A prayer. A verse. A word of encouragement. A thought on how you got through it. I'll let them know this post is dedicated to them. Thank you for your willingness.



Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.
1 Thess. 5:11

The Good Anger

Throughout Jesus' life, there are instances when He (perfect & without sin) got angry. This is called righteous anger or simply good anger. If you want to know what good anger is, go to www.biblegateway.com, do a Keyword Search for "anger/angry" & do a Limit-Search for "Gospels." From Jesus, you'll learn what good anger is. For me, it's been out of this that one of my passions has been birthed. I'll leave a comment & tell you. If you want, you can weigh in on what righteously angers you too.


(it's not too late to join me in the 7-Day Anger Challenge. Visit www.troygramling.com)

What Ticks You Off That Shouldn't?

Today, I begin my 7-Day Anger Challenge (visit troygramling.com if you want to join me). So I thought we'd do a 2-parter on anger. Today, let's talk about things that tick us off that shouldn't. If you are an angry person, this should be easy for you. If you are NOT an angry person, you'll enjoy telling on those of us who are. I'll go first by commenting on something that occasionally ticks me off that shouldn't...

If I Were My Own Friend, This is What I Would Give Myself for my Bday Today:

My Life Verse for When It Sucks the Most

For almost 10 years this has been my life verse for the worst times:

"We have troubles all around us,
but we are not defeated.
We do not know what to do,
but we do not give up the hope of living.
We are persecuted,
but God does not leave us.
We are hurt sometimes,
but we are not destroyed."
2 Corinthians 4:8-9

A Day in the Life of Ordinary Me on a Tuesday

5:45am - to the gym
7:00am - to Starbucks, venti coffee
7:45am - quiet time: journaled & read Isaiah
9am - creative planning meeting
12:30 - salon, blow dry
1:30 - a meeting w/ the Cuban (yes, we sched'ed it)
2:30 - flippin car accident w/ a 2009 Mercedes. grrrrrrrr
5:00 - finally home from car accident.
5:15 - couch time w/ the boys
6:15 - world's fastest mani/pedi
7:00 - "Heroes and Villains" Connect Group
9:00 - work time on the laptop
10:00 - body - horizontal; eyes - closed; brain - on; heart - calm

Confession: I Used to be a Return-Snob

Yep. There. Said it. It's true. I used to be a return-snob. What's that? Well, it's...
>When you exercise your right to return because you know, ultimately, retail management has to adhere to the adage that the customer is always right.

>When you buy things but use tricks like safety pins or tape to conceal the pricetag you leave on...just in case you change your mind.

>Oh, and here's a real classic: When I was 19, I bought a dress to wear to a wedding with a check I didn't have the funds for. I partied all night in that dress. I threw up on it. It reeked like alcohol & smoke. And it had obvious deodorant and sweat stains. Well, despite all that, I had the audacity to return it the next day. (which, btw, the store refused to do). Which ended my return-snob streak cause I was so humiliated by being "busted."

Thankfully, that's all behind me; glad I got it out there. So...anyone else feel like 'fessin up?? :)

My Very First Post.

On June 17, 2007, I began this crazy blog called "LeadHership." That was 648 posts ago. I thought we'd walk down memory lane & have a good laugh at my first one:

"The Nude Cuban? My 1st Blog Post"
Ok, let my first official blog entry be something a tad tasteless. But if you will note the photo on your left, the title does fit. We are on vacation in the Keys. For the 4 of us, it's been a great time of exclusive family time. Though it is hard to disengage from our world, Flamingo Road Church and though I miss my pastor & boss, Pastor Troy & his wife, Steph, it is ALWAYS good to get away. OK, anyway, this blog, LeadHership, is about my life and your leadership. I'll try to maintain a healthy balance of both. What leadership food do I have for you all today? Straight up...it's not from me, but Him, "Be still and know that I am God." (Psalm 46:10). We can't lead if we can't rest.

MR. MEN & LITTLE MISS

Since I was a little girl, I've been enchanted with the Mr. Men and Little Miss characters. I remember when I was a kid, my parents took me to the mall, and with my little handful of allowance money, I bought a Mr. Men book for my little brother & a Little Miss Bossy book for me. Last year, my friend Steph bought me the Little Miss Chatterbox book. Little Miss Bossy & Chatterbox? Huh. How perplexing! ;)

Passing Out

I was looking through my pix & noticed I had a nice lil collection of pix where Andy's passed out. Please don't think I'm negligent with my kid's sleep needs. On the contrary, the running joke with close fam & friends is that my kids go to bed so early, they've never seen the moon! But unlike Andy, I can't pass out anywhere. Not in the car, not on planes, not on a couch. How 'bout you?

Words That Pour & Fill

Time and time again, these words have been like water poured into my quenched heart. Even if you have just a little, tiny empty space in your heart, I hope these words pour in & fill it, too:
"But now, God's Message,
the God who made you in the first place,
the One who got you started:
Don't be afraid, I've redeemed you.
I've called your name. You're mine.
When you're in over your head, I'll be there with you.
When you're in rough waters, you will not go down.
When you're between a rock and a hard place, it won't be a dead end—
because I am God, your personal God, The Holy of Israel, your Savior.
I paid a huge price for you...That's how much you mean to me!
That's how much I love you!
I'd sell off the whole world to get you back, trade the creation just for you.
So don't be afraid: I'm with you."
Isaiah 43

His Highlights!

We prayed; He delivered! What a weekend at Flamingo Road Church.
We kicked off our new series, Heroes and Villains and that was JUST the beginning...
We had an amazing performance of Skillet's "Hero."
We had a fun, interactive crowd moment with glowsticks.
We had Pastor Troy's moving message on tragedy (with a real purple cow).
We had Family Fun Day & my kids ate it up. DJ loved the rock-climbing wall.
We had record attendance & our volunteers were off the chain, man! Crazy good!

I was blessed to be in the audience for all the services and see many, many people come forward to either say a prayer to receive Jesus or say a prayer to receive His comfort.
If you were a part of this weekend, what did YOU see God do?

Looks Like I'll be Sleeping on the Couch

Imagine my surprise when I came home today to this.
First, I thought the ceiling people would only need one day to do the job.
They needed two.
Second, I thought they would cover only the furniture.
They covered the entire room.
So it looks like I'll be sleeping on the couch tonight.
Moral of the story?
When scheduling home improvement...ask more questions.

Only for the Burdened

Today, this is for the burdened. If you are, fill in these blanks with your name and make it your prayer...

Dear ______,
Come to Me, ______
you who labor & are heavy-laden & overburdened
& I will cause you, ______, to rest.
I will ease & relieve & refresh your soul, ________.
Take My yoke upon you, ______, and learn of Me,
for I am gentle (meek) & humble (lowly) in heart
& you, _______, will find rest for your soul.

Matthew 11:28-29

WHAT'S ON YOUR FRIDGE?

On our fridge, we have this picture. It says: "Dear Mom and Dad, Skool is going fandtastic. and I'm Being grate. I Love It. D.J." Pitter patter goes my heart!! My fridge is a magnet for proudly displaying the things my boys do.

God does that. He sees the things you do. When you do something that makes God proud, He notices, He rejoices & He has a packed stadium in Heaven applauding it.

Some of you don't have a big cheering section on Earth. Some of you don't have parents who have ever proudly displayed your work on a fridge.

Not God. God notices. God celebrates. God has a fridge & your victories & accomplishments are proudly displayed on it. And He is very proud of you.

"Say Salsa"

+ = SALSA DANCER

I may have hung up my dancing shoes when I married the Cuban, but I still LOVE dancing. So when my friend Lisette asked if I'd get the word out about this new Salsa group I said "my pleasure!"
Beginner's Salsa Connect Group
Flamingo Road Church
in "The Dive"
at 7pm
on Sept. 8, 15, 22, 29 & Oct. 6

To sign up or get more scoop, click HERE.

Being a Pastor Means...

Being a pastor means...
mentoring
sacrificing
modeling
empowering
encouraging
inspiring
motivating
tough-loving
shepherding
counseling
correcting
giving and
guiding
lots & lots of sheep.
And believing no matter how hard it gets,
God has called you to it
and God knows you can do it!

This Fired Me Up

Dr. Benjamin Elijah Mays, a former beloved President of Morehouse College, regularly recited this poem to his students. It fired me up when I read it:

I’ve only just a minute,
Only sixty seconds in it.
Forced upon me, can’t refuse it,
Didn’t seek it, didn’t choose it,
But it’s up to me to use it.
I must suffer if I lose it,
Give an account if I abuse it,
Just a tiny little minute,
But eternity is in it.