Late Nite Social a huge success!

We had our first Late Nite Social this past Saturday and it was AWESOME! We ate GREAT food, watched a great video, heard great testimonies and statistics, gave out great awards to some great people, and had a GREAT time!!! Even though it took over 6 hours of set-up, lots of people stuck around after the party to help out and we got everything torn down and put away in just over one hour! Praise ye the Lord!!! We have such amazing leaders and volunteers who are willing to do whatever it takes- I love HPC people!! I love this church...........

Yay for Chick Day!

This weekend was so busy, but so fun! Chick Day was incredible. I know so many girls poured all their blood, sweat and tears into it and it definitely paid off. The food was great, the fashion show was the funniest thing I have ever seen, and the message April Simons brought was truly life-changing... the shopping was great, too. I got to hang out with my mom and we had a blast! I love my mom. She's really the greatest. She's definitely my very best friend besides Chris... I really can't say enough nice things about her. And yesterday I got to hang out with my daddy... He's the greatest, too. I've always been such a daddy's girl. It's truly a blessing to have such a strong relationship with my Father in Heaven AND get to have such amazing parents here on earth. It's something I do not take for granted. Plus I have the greatest husband, brother, and in-laws. I mean, what else does a girl need?

The devil tried really hard to steal my joy yesterday- like REALLY hard. And I did break down and cry a couple times, but after I was done, I was able to thank God for His blessings and put all my faith and trust in Him again. I know I have made progress in that area, and yet I still feel that I have so far to go. But to be honest, it's way better to just trust him and remember all the times He has come through instead of worrying and crying.

So Devil, just keep on trying. It only strengthens me. During this holiday season I am going to keep my eyes on the One who gave it all for me.

Staff Christmas Party

We had our annual staff Christmas party today at the Country Club of Louisiana. It was a great time of food, hanging out, laughing, and reflecting. It's so much fun seeing everyone all in one place!

The Year in Review video was once again HI-larious! Lance and his team did such a great job. I was crying I was laughing so hard. Six fellow staff members got up and spoke about their most memorable moments from the year. They had us both laughing and crying. It really has been a great year. I feel so incredibly blessed and honored to get to do life with these people. I have made the best friends I could ever ask for, met the man of my dreams, and I get to do what I love every single day. Life is grand, ain't it?

What this season is all about

I just wanted to let you all know of an opportunity to help the less fortunate this year. I know many of you give through projects at your churches or through other organizations… but there is a family that is very close to our heart that needs help. Through inner city ministry years ago, Sarah Haviland and I met this lady (Ms. Maude) who has over 20 grandchildren. They live in a very poor area of Baton Rouge and the children sleep 2-4 per bed. Their living conditions look like something out of a third world country.

We thought about just going through the HPC Christmas gift delivery, but because of the large number of kids and the low number of donations, we have decided to adopt them ourselves and make their Christmas as special as possible. We are going to do all the leg-work (gift buying, gift wrapping, gift delivering, etc.)… All we need are some donors that would be willing to give financially so that we can make this happen for these great kids. If you feel in your heart that this is something you would like to be a part of, please leave a comment, send an email or call me as soon as possible so we can work something out.

Here are some pictures from last year...

A phone call...

So, I have decided to terminate my advertising everyday what I am grateful for due to the fact that people who check our blog daily has dropped to half of what it used to be. Obviously, my blog watchers don't enjoy it, so I'll change it up a bit. However, I still intend on thinking constantly about what I am thankful for.

While I was watching the front desk for Stacey today at lunch, the sweetest lady called. Her name is Ms. Pauline and she can barely see. She was looking for John 9 in her bible and couldn't find it and was getting kind of upset. I figured out that she was looking in 1 John, 2 John, 3 John, so I talked her through it and got her back to the Gospel of John. Turns out, John 9 is the story about Jesus healing the blind man. She was so desperate to find that story about healing to help her keep the faith. She begged me to pray for her eyes to be healed, and she told me about her financial problems because she can't get a job with her vision, and she can't get a car until she gets a job. It just made me think about everything I have... which I know I have been blogging on for a couple weeks... Anyway, she totally made my day. She thanked me a hundred times. I just wanted to reach through the phone and give her a big hug. If you think about it today, please pray for her. She still believes in the power of God, and so do I.

Day 15 of gratitude

I love the holidays! I love the cool air and the Christmas parties and everything that comes with it! This week we have our staff party as well as the Chick Day. It's going to be super fun.

Also, as you have noticed by now, I switched up the blog template. I got bored of the other one and this one seemed more my style. Thank goodness for Dan Ohlerking who came to my blogging rescue. This template was missing some things I need and his geniusness added them for me.

Something else really cool happened today... I heard from a friend I haven't talked to in years, and we got to chat for a long time. She is having a hard time because her family just found out her dad has panchriatic cancer. He is going to M.D. Anderson this weekend for some tests... if it hasn't spread, they can go in for surgery and hopefully get it out. So, we're praying for that or just miraculous healing. If it spreads, this cancer is very deadly, so please keep Katie and her family in your prayers.

And here's a few more things I am grateful for...

A happy, healthy family.

Lots of free meals this week.

A job where people come before paperwork.

Holiday parties!

My really hot and amazing husband.

Cute shoes ( I mean maybe it's superficial, but at least I am grateful :)

All the great things organizations like Children's Cup do for the poor and the hurting.

Look at my other baby....

This is Wally... my cat. My original baby... who is treated like my child. He even has a stocking on our mantle and gets lots of Christmas presents. Luckily, he and Chris have grown to really love each other, too. (Good thing since he is the third body in our bed and takes up a LOT of space.)I felt the need to share something else I am SO grateful for!!!

Slumber Party!!

Today, I am grateful for all the Elevate girls who came over Friday night! We had so much fun!!! I loved having fun girl time to watch girlie movies, talk girlie talk, and eat lots of junk!Here are some fun pics...

(These are Kat's cool cat PJ's... oh yes, they're hot...GRRR!)


Oh, and props to my man for giving up his house so we could all have a night of "holiday frosting and girl bonding." :)

Cool quote for the weekend

Since the liklihood of my posting over the weekend is slim, I wanted to leave you with a cool quote. It's a Joel Osteen quote, but Brooke reminded me of it yesterday...

"Stop talking to God about how big your mountains are... and start talking to your mountains about how big your God is."

I LOVE IT!

It's gonna be a great month!

The month of December is my favorite month of the year... people are nicer, the weather is great, people actually talk about Jesus, we get to give and receive presents, and we get to have parties!! Tonight I am having a little Christmas slumber party for the girls in Elevate full-time.

I really felt that God wanted me to connect with these girls on another level, and I thought this would be a great opportunity to do it. They are all amazing women of Christ and challenge me all the time to grow and learn and be more on fire for Jesus. I can't wait for tonight!!

Tomorrow, Chris and I get to go have our pictures taken and our Christmas cards made! I am so excited that this is our first Christmas as a married couple! People have asked why we don't just get a wedding picture put on a card, but there are a couple reasons I decided against it. #1, this is a Christmas card, not a wedding card. #2, we wanted a card to commemorate our first holiday together to cherish for years to come. Anyway, I am really excited :)

Also, we played this video at church a couple months back and Pastor Dino has it on his blog- http://216.70.117.172/me_english.htm. Check it out- it might rock your world.

And here are some more things I am grateful for- day 11 of my new great habit!!!

I am thankful for the extra money God gave us so that I could put together this little party for some amazing girls and get some beautiful Christmas cards made.

I am thankful for cable TV so I can watch The Practice every morning and Without a Trace every night.

I am thankful for Children's Cup and the events they put on and the love they give those special kids in Africa who all have my heart.

I am thankful for friends who offer to cook for us.

I am thankful for a job I love to come to every day.

I am thankful for a husband who trusts God first, and me second with our finances.

I am thankful for all the recent campaigns to fight the tragedies in Africa.

Until next time....

Ten days of Thanks!

So, it's Day 10 of my new thankfulness habit formation (kinda of sounds like something geological, eh?) It's amazing how great things are when you see them from this perspective. Perspective can really change everything. As cheesy as it may be for me and as boring as it may be for you, listing things I am grateful for has really been amazing for my heart... and my brain. I suggest everyone do it a few times a week- and no repeating answers!

I am thankful for a mom who loves to come to my little apartment to hang out with me and my husband and tells me how great my cooking is (when it's terrible in comparison to hers, and after I had to call her 37 times to ask how to fix what I messed up while making it!)

I am thankful for a true ministry job, where ministry really, actually, truly comes first.

I am thankful that I get to listen to all the Elevaters preach- it's not only encouraging to see God speaking through them, but I learn a LOT from them.

I am thankful that we have bunches of Christmas parties to go to :)

I am thankful for the Home Depot gift cards Chris got at his honeydo shower because we got a great Christmas tree, wreath, and poinsetta- all for free!!

I am thankful that God hooks me up with free lunches and cool ways.

I am thankful for SALVATION! Guess that one should have been the very first!!!

Day 8 and happy turkeys!!!

So, we went to Texas for four wonderful days over the break... It was SUCH a good time. Of course I got really sick on Friday and have stayed sick ever since, but it was still very enjoyable. I think I gained 5 pounds, but oh well :) We got to meet Chris' brother's new girlfriend... she's a cutie. Her personality kinds reminds me of myself (kinda scary for him...hehehehehe).

I know I skipped Days 3-7 of my thankfulness pledge on here, but I was with family so there was no time for blogging! I kept my promise of being grateful, I was just unable to share it with the world. Here are some more reasons I am thankful...

I am thankful for a mother-in-law who cooks amazing food and teaches me how.

I am thankful for a washer and dryer to wash our huge mounds of dirty clothes we seem to accumulate.

I am thankful for my new brother and sister who I simply ADORE! (and who also enjoy our marathon games of UNO!)

I am thankful for another set of parents to love me and take care of me even when I have a bad attitude (Me have a bad attitude? I know that's hard for you to believe!!)

I am thankful for my parents who endlessly give me everything I could ever need- emotionally, spiritually, and physically.

I am thankful for a brother who is definitely the coolest 18 year old on the planet!

I am thankful for a husband who thinks I'm hottest in PJ's with no make-up on.

I am thankful for a real Christmas tree in my living room, a garland wreath on my door, and a beautiful poinsetta that all bring color and vibrancy to the season.

I am thankful for the EXTRA money we have in our bank account right now... God IS FAITHFUL!!!

Giving thanks, Day 2

I am thankful for a marriage orchestrated, ordained, and blessed by God.



I am thankful for the very best friends a girl could have.


I am thankful for the opportunity to be a part of a church who takes care of the poor and hurting.

I am thankful for the fact that I always have money in the bank and my bills always seem to get paid.


I am thankful for a vehicle to drive to Texas to see family.


I am thankful that I work for a man who has the highest grace, mercy, patience, and love for me.

I am thankful that I have food to eat on Thanksgiving and loved ones to share it with.

That's good for now............... :)

Ok Ok, God... I learned my lesson!!!

So, ya know how sometimes God has to pretty much smack you upside the head with a baseball bat before you get the point He's trying to make? Well, consider me smacked. I have been so heavily concentrated on our lack of funds that I almost forgot about my big, huge God who had given me everything I have. Late Nite last week helped me to remember that God is testing us... and this weekend's services made me remember all the blessings we have- test or no test.

Pastor Stovall Weems preached on Sunday, and this weekend just so happened to be the weekend I stage directed, so I got to sit in on all three services. Wanna know what he taught on? THANKFULNESS. (Something I have recently been stinkin' at pretty bad.) It was a very appropriate message for the upcoming holiday- but more than that it was a very relevant message to me. Ps. Stovall reminded me that thankfulness is a choice- MY choice- and it's up to me to remember all the blessings and favor we recieve everyday. He also said that thankfulness builds faith. The more I remind myself of everything God has given me, the easier it will be for me to believe that He will provide in the future as well. His last point was that thankfulness brings wholeness- the fuller I am of gratitude, the fuller I can be of Him. Ps. Stovall really brought the Word and it was such an honor to serve him... and Him.

Then yesterday I got an email from someone who has made an impact on my life, Ms. Andrena. Here's a bit of the great advice she gave me... "LACK" should be banished from all thought no matter what is happening around you. It may be hard to do at first, but it only takes 28 days to form a new habit. By living in the moment, in JOY and appreciation of our blessings, where God always wants you to be, you will feel and be in HIS presence and have nothing to fear. WE, or rather our EGOS, are the ones that make ourselves miserable. "... I don't get to talk to her much, but she reads my blogs and has some serious insight and wisdom for me. Today starts day 1 of the formation of my new habit- THANKFULNESS.

And if those things weren't enough, God sent me to HP Women last night. I don't usually go, but Kim had a little house emergency and needed me to stage direct for her. Early on in the service, one of the girls around me reminded me that I wasn't there on accident. A couple minutes later Ms. Claudia got on stage to do an icebreaker and began talking about--- you guessed it--- THANKFULNESS. I was like, "OK, GOD- I GOT IT!!!" It's really amazing how much reminding I need sometimes.

So, in honor of my new habit, I want to do the cheesy, yet effective Thanksgiving tradition and list some things I am thankful for....
My amazing, beautiful, serving, loving, unselfish, hard-working husband who was SO worth the wait.
My incredible, selfless, giving family who never ceases to amaze me.
My church home where Jesus is shown everyday to thousands of people.
Being on the HPC staff team where I get the opportunity to do what I love every single day of my life.
My friends- my sisters and brothers in Christ- who are always there for me.
My in-laws- God SO hooked me up.
The people who bring wisdom to my life everyday- and help me get smacked!!

Since this entry is so long, I will continue this list in the days to follow!!!

God is NOT a liar

I sit here and realize that last night was too powerful for my simple words, but for the sake of blogging, here's my best effort.

We did things a little different. Mike was feeling more of a One Way worship, altar, prayer flow.
We kicked things off high energy, pumped up, rockin' and rollin'. After a couple songs, we sat down while Mike welcomed visitors and took the offering. Then it was time for a Holy Ghost throw-down! We sang some incredible songs and the worship team really ushered in the Spirit. I didn't make it too long standing up- I sat down and cried and prayed to God, repenting for not fully trusting Him with our finances.

After amazing worship, Mike got on stage and talked about tests. Job 23:10 says, "But he knows the way that I take; when he has tested me, I will come forth as gold." It's great to know that what we're going through is just a test- it's not forever. And when we get through it- because we will get throught it- He will make us pure as gold. I don't think I ever stopped crying. I needed it. I felt like I was crying out every disappointment, every frustration, every trick of the devil. We went to the altar and cried some more. The songs the worship team sang were perfect. Mike came and prayed over us.

When I thought the ministry was over for the night, I got to talk with my friend Angelle for a long time after service. She is such an amazing woman of God and spoke some powerful things over my life. She was my encourager.

Today is a good day. I trust God... He is who He says He is. He will do what He says He will do. He is NOT a liar. His promises are true. We are being purified so that we can be like gold. Today is a good day.

Christmas Decorating and LAST Late Nite!!

This weekend was definitely one of the more exciting ones we have had lately. We got to go out to eat (thank you, Jesus, for giftcards). We got to go to the LSU game (even though we were on the second to highest row in the stadium and the windchill was about 30 degrees). And we got to begin Christmas decorating (we love the Dollar Tree and Hobby Lobby)! Christmas is definitely the best time of the year- It's crisp outside, there's cuddling inside, everyone is cheery and merry, and there is actually some public concentration on Jesus. I was a little discouraged when I was looking for "Jesus" decorations and could barely find any. Why is everything about Santa Claus and snowmen? Last time I checked, Santa and snowmen never died for any of our sins.

Anyway, tonight is the final Late Nite of '06, and it is the LAST Wednesday night Late Nite ever!! Praise Him!! We're going to have fun, food, and just an overall awesome closing night. We get started at 8:30pm, so don't miss this once-in-a-lifetime Late Nite experience. It's really going to be incredible.

We're still believing for financial miracles and we appreciate all of you out there who have been praying and believing with us. See you tonight!!!

Trusting God

You ever have trouble trusting God? Well I do! I try my best but sometimes I just rely too much on natural ways of things happening rather than Jesus ways. His ways are always more suprising and adventurous than mine. I was trying to think of a good "trust God" scripture, and then I looked over at the corner of my desk and saw the giant plaque that has Proverbs 3:5-6 plastered on it in really pretty writing. It reads "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding. In all your ways acknowledge Him and He will make your paths straight."

Ok, allow me to talk to myself for a moment... "Meghan, lean NOT on YOUR own understanding!!! Who CARES if you don't know where the money's coming from! God is your provider, NOT man!"... Whew, ok, I feel better. Thanks for letting me get that out.

On another note, last night we were able to go to Chris' grandparents' house for some yummy dinner. Shea and the girls were over there and Christine (Chris' mom) came over after work. We had a fun time of family lovin'! I am really starting to enjoy all the in-laws... Life is good.

So proud of my Pastor

Check out Pastor Dino on the cover of Church Executive magazine. There's a great article about our Pastor and our church. It makes me very, very proud to attend HPC, work at HPC, and serve at HPC.

Read the whole article at www.churchexecutive.com.

Politics

**Disclaimer: The following opinions are mine and mine alone. They do not reflect feelings or opnions of anyone else around me. If you don't agree with me, get mad at me and no one else. But I'd rather you didn't get mad at all :) **

Some people say it's not good for Christians to talk about politics because it may alienate people. Some say that we have to talk about it so that righteousness can win out. I am somewhere in the middle. I took the "W" sticker off my car a while back because I didn't want to be labeled by people before I ever got to reach them. After yesterday's midterm elections, I wish more Christians hod gotten out there and voted. I am proud of Pastor Dino for praying for these elections from the pulpit. He didn't verbalize his vote, but he emphasized the importance of voting for righteousness.

I am neither 100% Republican or Democrat. My moral issues tend to usually fall on the conservative side. While it worries me that the next Speaker of the House is going to be a liberal woman, she has made some promises that I do like. Pelosi has outlined a “First Hundred Hours” agenda that promises to enact the recommendations of the bipartisan 9/11 commission, raise the minimum wage to $7.25 an hour, cut the interest rate on student loans in half, and streamline Medicare’s prescription drug program. I am ALL for a much higher minimum wage and much lower student loan rates. I am not for abortion and same sex marriage, which is something Democrats typically fight for lately.

For right now, I am just going to trust God that He will turn everything to good, just as His word promises. Even if it looks rough on the surface to some people, God is a big, huge God and He can make anything work for our good and His glory. Even on the local level, I really believe that too many people didn't do their homework and just voted "yes" on every amendment that sounded ok. However, looking deeper at several of those amendments, their passing creates more problem than good. But once again, this world is in God's hands, not ours. Therefore I will stand strong in my belief that He will take care of us.

For now, I can just say I hope next time everyone does a little more research... but no matter what, I pray that we can still have ultimate faith in God.

Mighty to Save

I just got the CD in the mail a couple days ago and it hasn't left my car or iPod. It's so good! At the Cross is one of the best songs I have heard in a while. I have been having big-time inner battles the last few days and that song has been really therapeutic. For some reason, the devil has really been attacking my humility and attitude, which are two things I really have got to keep in control in order to be effective in ministry... and in life. Isn't it just like the devil to do this when I am the happiest I have ever been? It's my own fault for not having my guard up. Life is a constant battle with the enemy and I haven't been fighting hard enough.

For those of you that have had to deal with my ungrateful attitude or lack of humility, I am very sorry. I need to be reminded daily that it's about the goal, not the role. It's about the unsaved, not me. It's about what I can do for them, not what they can do for me.

He has overcome the grave. His glory fills the highest place and nothing can seperate me from that. He made the way for us. For me. Nothing I deal with now is new to Him, and that is so comforting.

If any of you have scriptures for me that would encourage me in this, I am all ears. (Or eyes, I guess, in the blog world).

Thanks for always being there to listen :)