Weekend Wanderings
This morning I took a little trip downtown..my dog Eli riding shot-gun..windows down and of course Michael Ketterer’s glorious new album rocking my speakers! Yes an amazing saturday morning…and I picked up these..Yes, recently Cut off from their life source..but blessing my home…breathing life into my living room :)
There is so much beauty all around us. It’s there…just open your eyes :) Our God is majestic, good and bursting with color and beauty!
I LOVE the summer. and I LOVE the beach! Tomorrow morning we begin our journey..the parents in the front..me and my sis in the back..12 hours to St. Pete, Fl. There’s nothing like road trips to the beach that remind me of those care free childhood days. Oh how sweet those summer days were…BEACH we are coming!
This is the SUV appreciation blog..Because i appreciate my SUV :)
I have a Nissan Xterra. and I love it. Actually it’s my favorite car ever. I don’t want a different one or a better one..or a more expensive one. NO i like my xterra. It’s a sport utility vehicle at it ‘s finest.. and I use it as such. It’s kinda like a transformer actually. It can convert into a truck with the snap of a finger! I live life to the fullest so I need a vehicle that can hang with me. This beautiful piece of metal hauls my dogs to the park, my bike to my morning rides..it hosts my various toys such as my sweaty yoga mat, my kickboxing gloves, my music equipment..and she’s such a good sport when forced to spend 12 + hours in the hospital garage while I work to finance my adventures. She has been on many a road trip, hit many a pothole, endured many a skunk stank, and weathered the storms with me..without one complaint. Thank you Terri (my xterra) for all you do. We are a great team. this is just the beginning. I will try to wash you more :)
your devoted driver, C
Why can’t Memphis have Legit coffee shops?
I’m sitting here at Republic Coffee with my coffee expert friend..Morgan :) I was completely ignorant of the joys of a really well made latte’ until….
In January of this year I spent a few days in Seattle, Wa and lots of time drinking amaaaaaazing coffee. I’d never come across people who took such pride in their art..barista. My eyes were opened..my taste buds exhilerated..and then I had to go home to Memphis. Starbucks dominates the coffee scene here..sadly. The only question is when will the great coffee revolution begin…who will stand up and fight for coffee roasting purity?
that’s all.
I’m really beginning to love this whole Saturday mornings at Panera thing..egg and cheese asiago bagel, coffee, headphones, mac book, ipad, and my One year chronological Bible. It’s strange because it’s a busy little place on saturday mornings..but somehow I’m able to escape into my own little world. A world where the sounds of UP’s new “Found” resonate in my headphones and occasional bursts of heavenly revelation light up these cold grey winter days. Yes, my God speaks to me at Panera…it fits though doesn’t it? Panera in Italian mean “a time for bread”…my time with the Lord is a time for bread..yes He is my daily portion..my daily bread :) 
My new website!! A product of true community.
God is teaching me more and more about this very thing. He’s teaching me about what the body of christ really looks like. Despite traditions of men, the body of christ is not a building..it’s not 4 songs and a 30 minute sermon..and it’s not wednesday night church. In fact, you can go to church every sunday and be completely foreign to true community. Here’s what I think it is. I believe community is the walking out of this narrow way with our fellow citizens of heaven. It’s the lifestyle we signed up for the day we pledged our allegiance to Jesus. Community is the setting in which we believers do life together, break bread together, worship in spirit and in truth together, encourage each other, and it is the beautiful display of the spirit of God working in each of us as we grow to look Jesus, our Community Captain!
My journey into walking into the fullness of who I was created to be cannot be done on my own. We were not designed to do anything on our own. Just as we are a human race in need of our heavenly father…we children are in need of each other. The beauty of us created beings is that each are so unique. We mirror our creator in such diverse ways. Yes, our unique gifts, abilities, and talents were given in such a manner that we can do more together than independent.
With that said, I’d like to propose something. What if we served each other with our gifts. What if…instead of striving to be first and the best..we used our gifts to literally shove our brothers and sisters further ahead..What if…what if..what if..
This is close to my heart right now because I belive I’m in the midst of this very revolutionary movement. I happen to be apart of a community of Jesus followers that are very creative! In the areas of music, video, photography, graphic arts, and writing! We are using our gifts and moving forward. We are not waiting for the world to give us an invitation..we are literally invading the world the with the essence of who we are..with our ART. We know who we are and whose we are and we don’t have to bow to the big labels, firms, and more conventional ways of doing things because we have all the resources of heaven at our fingertips. (not that I’m against labels, etc) Instead, we are making albums, recording music videos, doing proffessional photo shoots, designing websites and album covers..yep we are doing it ourselves and for each other!!!
My recent shift in winds said “RUN” with your gifts and let the whole world see. But that would be impossible without the people that God has surrounded me with. Everything from my photo shoot, to my website, to my future album and video will all be products of individuals who are operating in their gifts and talents and saying “hey, I see who you are and where you are going…let me use what God has given me and help you get there”!
Yes, friends, that’s Community at it’s finest!
Can God speak through fortune cookies?
my thoughts: Well..I mean..He is God..can’t he speak through whatever He wants??
My conclusion: yes
Something happened to me in October. There was a distinct shift in the winds! It’s almost as if I awoke from a deep sleep and my heart said “Go!! Now is the time to run..and run hard”!! I’m a singer..a songwriter…worship leader..a rocker..and that music part of me has almost been in a gestation period..so to speak..
About a year and a half ago I moved from Knoxville, where I had been living the past 5 years, back to my home town in memphis, Tn. In the process of moving back a friend had a dream about me. In the dream I was coming back to Memphis pregnant with twins! In the dream my belly was huge! She said It was so big you could use it like a table! It wasn’t really until about a month ago that the Lord really spoke to me about the meaning of that dream. He said I was pregnant in the spirit with two babies..a ministry of music to not just the church but to the world :) It was a timely revelation because it was then that Lord started saying over my life “arise and shine for your light has come”! The time has come to move out in my gifting and anointing in song and music and walk into that destiny.
So that’s what I’ve been doing…arisng..and moving forward into what I believe is a calling to make music that brings life to a dead, dark world and sing the heart of God over a broken and lost generation.
So Here WE GO!!!
I was greatly blessed to have the great Brittany Fray do a photo shoot for me this past November. Sooooo fun!!! She’s so talented!! check her out at www.britfrayphotography.com
