...the end is here...

After 159 posts, I am saying "goodbye" to blogger. Yep, it's official- we have our very own domain!! MeghanandChris.blogspot.com is gone after fourteen devoted months. From now on, check out chrisandmeghan.com!!!!

Bare with me as it will take a lot of playing around to figure out what looks good. While wordpress has a lot of options, those options can be confusing to non-nerds like me! So change your links, your netvibes, your everything- so we can all be on the same page!!

Peace out, blogger!!!

Great word for the day!!

This is Chris here. Since my wonderful wife has already posted something for the day and posted yesterday, I won’t be very long.

I just want to share a point with y’all from this weekend’s FUSION retreat. Mike really brought the word and this was just one point from one of his messages this weekend. If you weren't there, you really missed out! Here goes:


The purpose of influence is to speak up for those who have no influence!!

Can you say Huuuuuge?!! This is definitely my life mission!!

The scripture reference with the point is Psalm 72:8-14.
Check it out and let me know what you think.

Happy Daddy's Day!!

I am surrounded on a daily basis by the most amazing men on the face of the planet. I have my incredible daddy who has always been there to love and support me throughout my entire life (no matter what I put him through). I have a great step-dad who has given so much of himself to me and my family over the last few years. I am married to a man who blows my mind everyday and who I know will be the best father to our kids. And I have a precious brother who grows up a little more everyday and constantly surprises me with his maturity. Here are some pictures from my day yesterday with all my favorite men!!

If you weren't there... you missed out!

Fusion was incredible!! God showed up in a huge way and made it all happen. People experienced Christ and we made so many new friends. There were 107 people there and I had never even seen at least 30-40 of them before yesterday. It was awesome!!

I can't wait to see what God has in store for this ministry. There are thousands of college kids and twenty-somethings in the area that are so hungry for a deeper relationship with Jesus. I wish I had pictures from the retreat to show you, but I will get some up soon. Steve shot some great video of Fusion Field Day: Battle of the Sexes! There's nothing funnier than watching people spin 8 times around a baseball bat and then try and run straight, or watching a 25 year old athletic male hula hooping, or seeing someone potato sack hopping and completely bust it! (It was definitely a spiritual weekend, but we had some serious fun, too!!)

Props to Mike and the Late Nite team for making it happen. Mike delivered some life-changing messages and the whole team created an amazing weekend. I am so proud to get to play a small part in this ministry and in this incredible church. And to everyone who came, thank you for your commitment to know the heart of God a little better.

If you weren't there, you missed out!

I love this...

The other day I was reading in this book called "Jesus, Life Coach", and a few paragraphs have really rocked my world. I won't over-explain... just read slowly and let the words sink in.

"...Don't hang around negative people. Don't believe the lies that you are worthless or unimportant. Don't buy for a minute the illusion that your money will comfort you more than the relationship you can have with me. Shift your orientation away from sorrow and pain and toward the light of laughter and dance and joy...

Follow me, and I will take you places you never even knew existed...

Follow me, and I will cause you to leap like deer in the dawn...

Follow me, and we will climb mountains and get through valleys and come out of them on top, laughing, living, holding each other, into eternity..."

FUSION TONIGHT!!!!!

Online registration is now closed, but if you haven’t registered, we still want you to come! Meet us tonight at 5:30pm by the outreach building at the back of the Highland campus. Don’t forget a bible, notebook, pen, towel, toiletries and a couple changes of casual clothes. We can’t wait to see all of you tonight… this weekend is going to be slammin’!!!!!

Totally inspirational...what else can I call it?

Last week I had the awesome privilege of meeting a girl named Chelsey and her amazing family. Chelsey was in a terrible car accident a few weeks ago and lost most of the feeling in her legs. She also has lost her fine motor skills, but her gross motor skills are still in tact. Her parents are staying at a home in Dutchtown (they are from Eunice) and noticed a guy next door working on the fence. Assuming it was the neighbor, Chelsey's dad struck up a conversation with him and ended up asking about good churches in the area. Well, the guy working on the fence was Joey Laird (Tweez's brother) and he told them all about Healing Place. That Sunday they came to the 12pm service and were totally blown away. They fell in love with the music, the message, and the heart of the church. They met Pastor Dino and he assured them that the HPC family would be there for them...

That's where I come in. Pastor asked me to go to the Healthsouth rehabilitation hospital to meet Chelsey and serve her in any way I could. You know how sometimes you think you are going to bless someone, and they end up blessing you a million times more? That's totally what happened here. Chesley, her mom, and her boyfriend were some of the greatest people I have ever met. She had only been with her boyfriend, Slade, for three weeks before the wreck, and he has been at her side ever since. Can you say "true love"? Her mom poured her heart out to me about how her faith has grown through this tragedy and how she truly believes Chelsey will walk again and be made whole. They beamed with the joy only found in Jesus. Chelsey shared all that God has taught her since the accident. Slade was just happy to play with her hair and hold her hand.

I just keep thinking about Romans 8:28- that God will use everything for His good. This family is a shining example of that. They have grown closer to each other and have drawn into a deeper relationship with Jesus through all the craziness. They could have been angry, but instead they chose to be grateful. They could have given up, but instead they have hope. Like I said... totally inspirational.

Just gotta brag...

Ok ladies, do your best not to be jealous right now... I have got to brag on my man. This weekend he helped me with all my errands, volunteered at all four services, and stayed for 6 extra house on Sunday to set up for Pamper Night (totaling 10.5 hours of volunteer work that day). Then Monday he worked a 9 hour day at his wonderful job, went home and cleaned our apartment, then came to HPC to help tear down after Pamper Night. Plus, his blogging skills are incredible and he challenges me to a deeper relationship with Christ everyday.

All day I have been astounded at the blessings that God has poured out on me. Chris is by far the greatest gift I have ever received (besides salvation, of course). For all of you out there who haven't yet found "the one"- keep waiting. Don't settle. Take it from someone who has been there and done that- it is SO worth the wait!!!!

Here I go...again!!

Hey guys, this is Chris checkin' in again. Many of you may have forgotten about me already or possibly most of you may just not care that I'm actually contributing to this blog now, as noted by the multitude of you that commented on my post last week. Thanks Gered, for your one lonesome comment!!! It was much appreciated.

Anyway, I was reading through this book that I read during my quiet time alone with God and I was struck by one of the statements that I read in the pages. The title of the chapter was "Be a voice, not an echo!!" What a strong statement! I could stop there and we could all go about our merry little way and be extremely blessed, but I must share a more compelling thought from later on in the chapter. The author goes on to tell the story of how the CEO of a large hospital system in Texas changed the state of the business by his attitude towards it. His attitude is contrary to the that held by most in business, which is, "No Margin, No Mission". His attitude is the opposite, "No Mission, No Margin." In other words, "If you are Living your mission, you Will make a profit."

I just thought I would share this with all of you. It was really a compelling thought to me. We all have a purpose from God and it is crucial for our success. Pursuing your God-given purpose in life will provide you with more fulfillment than you ever thought possible. You should try it!!

Do you need a little margin in your life? Start living your mission!!!!

What are your thoughts? (insert comment now)

New Children's Cup Site

Children's Cup has a brand spankin' new website that I love! It's more accessible, has great curb appeal, and though it's technically a blog- it's not at all bloggy!! The new format will make it easier for them to update it regularly, so we will have all the latest info on what's going down in southern Africa. My favorite part is the media gallery, where we get to check out stories, pictures and videos all about the kids.

My heart is in Africa. My heart is with these kids. Praise God for Children's Cup and all that they do to feed, clothe, and share the love of Jesus with families on that continent.

Don't they deserve it? Didn't Jesus die for them, too? We can't blame the children for the actions of their parents, and we can't blame the parents for not knowing any better... It's time to change the world. You in?

Referrals

As much as I love to blog, today I just really need to direct you to few posts that really shook me.

Here's the one from today from Pastor Dino.

And here's Rob's blog. Check out the one entitled "A Little Thicker."

And my constant favorite, Mr. Dan Ohlerking.

Little miracles along the way...

First miracle: My husband posted a blog yesterday. Isn't he so great?
Second miracle: Doug Musso got a blog.
Third and most important/ amazing miracle: A man walked in the office today and asked Stacey if anyone was taking a mission trip to Italy this year. Stacey told him about Late Nite's trip and told him I was going and that I am here... I go up there, talk to him for a couple minutes, and he writes me a check for $45. God is so random and so amazing and I love how He works! When I went back to tell Mike the good news, he said, "God is giving you the money in small increments so that you will see little miracles along the way... Signs and wonders follow those who believe."

I have been getting slightly impatient with the speed at which the funds have been coming in. I don't doubt that they will come, but I have to admit- I wanted them to come faster. Isn't it so cool that God sees my impatience and gives me little reminders along the way that He is still in charge and still faithful? I love the God that we serve- the One and only true God. If anyone doubts His existence, I dare them to ask me why I believe.

A Take from the Other Side

Yes, ladies and gentleman, this is Chris. I know many of you have wondered as to what the Chris of the meghanandchris.blogspot.com has to say about things. Well, I’m here to tell you that I’m making the commitment to share my thoughts at least once a week (possibly more). It will most likely be on Mondays since that seems to be the day when my wife tells me she is least likely to post something. I hope to share something insightful with you each and every week but I cannot promise that will always be the case. Please bear with me as I learn and grow in my blogging skills as I have never been one to put my thoughts onto paper.

So without further ado,
I would like to share with you a simple thought that Mike Haman shared with us at the Go Big Men’s Bible study last Friday morning. It goes like this: “The most important thing about you is what you think about when you think about God.” By A.W. Tozer. I don’t know about you but that really shook me when I heard it! What do I think of God? Who do I think He is? Is He just simply some higher power up in the sky? Is He just some go-to guy that we go to when we’re desperate? Is He just some guy who is keeping score of all the good and bad we do? Or is He the Lord over all of our life? Our Creator! Our Heartbeat! Our Best Friend! The One we live for! Our Abba Father!! He is all of these things and so much more to all of us! I pray that He is always number one in our lives!

What do you think about when you think of God?



PS: There may be times when my posts have random blurbs or rants about football. Like this one, we are only 87 days away from football season!!

Led by grace

On Monday, my devotional wrapped up the story of Joseph. I have to say, I was a little disappointed. I have learned so much from studying his life. The last entry was entitled "Led by grace". What a perfect three word summary of Joseph! Here's an excerpt from that page- it rocked my world.

...Guard your heart when you have the power to place guilt on someone else. Refuse to rub their nose in the mess they've made. Remember the father of the Prodigal Son. Best of all, remember Joseph. "Don't be afraid," he comforted them kindly. "I will provide for you and your children"...

...Joseph was led by grace. He spoke by grace. He forgave by grace. He forgot by grace. He loved by grace. He remembered by grace. He provided by grace. Because of grace, when his brothers bowed before him in fear, he could say, "Get on your feet! God meant it all for good"...

What else is there to say?