High Heels & Duct Tape

Insider Scoop: Crossing Easter {Friday Version+stuff that happened last night}

Easter services started last night, Crossing! (Times/locs HERE)

Here's some stuff I know, that you might wanna know, too.

Bring your first-time guests by the red VIP tent (outside each entrance, all campuses). This is NEW! 

Check out the trash can fire in the Crossing Kids' lobby. And the bus stop.

If you have kiddos, check out the new paint designs around CK.

Our new 567 CK class for middle schoolers starts this weekend for select services in ER. Get info @CK check-in.

Pastor Eric is telling a LOT of fishing stories this weekend. Your friend will not feel preached-at, but the gospel truth will be given in a powerful way.

There is a MOTORCYCLE in the men's bathroom. FRIDAY UPDATE: Unbeknownst to Pastor Kasey, Chris Grabrick & Co. stole her scooter and put it in the women's bathroom last night. We'll find out if it makes its way back there today... Cool story: it matches the decor.

Do NOT be late for the worship service, or you'll wanna punch yourself in the face. The opening song is legit. And the style will surprise you. And I LOVE it. (If you know me, you know what that means.)

The new giving envelopes are in, and they're orange. That might not matter to you, but I didn't like the pinkish ones. (!) These are way cooler.

If you missed last weekend, you haven't yet seen the texting opportunity at the end of the service. It's brilliant, and it works. We had 40 people text MOVE last weekend. Come find out what that means. Hey, guess what. A bunch did the same LAST NIGHT!!!

If you are new to following Jesus and would like to Go Public with your faith, we're doing a baptism this Saturday night at VandenBerge, after the second service. You can catch a baptism class after the service tonight (Fri) or tomorrow night. Invite your friends to come to church & then celebrate your baptism with you!

All Crossing people (unless you're driving a first-timer), please park far, far away from the building, to give HONOR to our first-time guests. In Elk River, the corner lot at Jackson & School is a great place to park. Thanks!

We've been fasting together. We've been praying together. We've been inviting people to Easter and leading them to Jesus. Let's put on our game faces, open our arms to all those whom Jesus wants to love through us, and watch God reach into lives and bring radical hope this weekend.

Everyone was gripped with great wonder and awe, and they praised God, exclaiming, "We have seen amazing things today!" - Luke 5:26

How God Built My Faith This Weekend

This Sunday after church, a woman came up to me. She said, "Remember when I tithed?"

This kind of thing happens often. I scrambled around in my brain, looking for a memory to connect with this woman, and (fortunately), it popped up. Flashback 2 weeks...

She met me in the aisle after church. Her eyes were huge with tears sneaking out.  I saw fear combined with a soft heart, wanting to trust Jesus.  She said, "Pastor Kelly, I really want to tithe, but if I do, I won't have enough money to pay my bills."

GULP. It's far easier to stand onstage in front of hundreds of people and preach the tithe. Looking into the eyes of someone who will genuinely not have what she needs if she tithes...that's a whole different story. I took a deep breath and said gently, "All I can tell you is what I believe to be true. If you do, God promises that He will take care of you. I don't know what else to say." 

We stood there and I prayed boldly that God would bless her unbelieveably as she took that leap. As I walked away, I begged Him to show up in her life. I believe, but imagine the weight on my chest as I guide someone who is already lacking, to make this sacrifice...I know He'll provide, but what if He waits awhile? "Oh, God, please come through..."

Back to Sunday. Smiling, she said, "I could hardly wait to come and tell you! I gave $80. $70 was tithe, and $10 was Samurai."

"Yeah?" I said. "Awesome!"

She continued, "And last week I was given $800."

No. Freakin'. Way.

Me: "Eight hundred dollars?!"

Laughing, she said, "Yes! That's 10 times what I gave! I had to come and tell you!"

"Thank you, Jesus!" I yelled. "Do you have any idea how hard it was for me to tell you to tithe?"

"Yeah," she said, "And you told me to 'do it anyway'. And I did."

And that's how God built my faith this weekend. He did it. He came through like He promised He would. That's our story, me and my new tithing buddy. Neither of us will ever forget it, and fear is struck down as the glory of our loving Father shines all over us. 

What's Up?

1. At The Crossing: I have no freakin' clue.  God is shaking stuff up across The Crossing, and I can't even begin to tell you how awesome it is. There are so many cool stories and so many people around me and on staff who are hearing the same kinds of messages from the Holy Spirit... It is so clear that HE is working on something huge. And it has absolutely nothing to do with anything we have done/can do in our own power. 

Due to the crazy stuff God is doing and telling us, we held our first Prayer, Worship & Communion night a week ago. It was a powerful night, with the Holy Spirit's presence so strong in the room, it was undeniable. We believe that this type of evening is much needed at The Crossing (we do a great job of "moving seekers one step closer to Jesus" on the weekends, but on these nights in addition to Cellar, etc., we're watching God "thrill believers with spiritual truth of an awe-inspiring God" - as our mission statement says). The next one is March 7, and we're seriously praying about doing this every week during the summer. Stay tuned.

2. With TWIRL: Due to #1 (above), my priority has shifted a bit for a little while. At this time, it looks like the next Twirl will be in August. Do not fret, though! You can keep in touch with your Twirl girls through the Facebook chick cliques, and you should be getting together now & then. Chick Cliques are a lightweight commitment, though, so you yourself have to take the initiative and reach out! Also, if you're a Crossing attender, you NEED TO BE VOLUNTEERING somewhere, or you are simply not a part of the community of believers, like you should be. This will give you friendship and connection. I tell you this lovingly but firmly. If you need a less-crowded environment, check out the Zimmerman, Princeton, or Big Lake campus.

And also, Twirl Girls, I'm writing a book for you. I'm about 6 chapters into it.

3. At My House: Cool stuff! Like, I'm making a menu and (sort of) sticking to it, which takes the guesswork out of dinner. I'm shopping weekly (sort of), which helps me stick to budget and reduces wasted food and "emergency" trips to the store for important things like salsa.

Girls around The Crossing know that for about a year or two, we had an awesome young lady who did housecleaning for our family. Well, she got a "real" job (we're so happy for her), and we are now without a Heather. So after a couple of weeks (don't judge me), I realized we needed to clean our own house. (I'm EXTREMELY diligent about clean toilets and NO CLUTTER, but not so much the other stuff. So my house looks clean but isn't. Ha.) My kids regularly vacuum & dust their own rooms and do dishes and trash.

Anyhoo, I divvied up responsibilities, and let me tell you what, the amount of complaining I heard about cleaning prompted me to NOT continue my search for a new Heather, and instead create responsibility charts for my kiddos. They are 9, 11, and 14, so they're old enough to check their list each day for their one responsibility; do it, and check it off. At the end of the week, they bring it to me for their allowance (which they usually just receive automatically).

My stress level is way lower than it used to be when I first hired Heather, so I think we'll just keep this up for awhile and see how it goes. I'm guessing that my kiddos need to get used to a little more work so they won't complain when asked to help. Plus, the extra money will be helpful in my newly-diligent financial plan: give a lot, don't spend so much, try to pay stuff off, and try to save some.

4. In My Heart: The challenges of the past year have deepened my dependence on God. Plain and simple. As I've leaned into Him, He has taught me so much about how He loves me and wants to work through me; not me work for Him. When I relax, He does His Good-Father thing. When I get angry or fight, He lets me fight it out by myself. (That way does NOT bring peace. I tried. Trust me.) He is digging into my crappy heart and pulling out 2 major things: 1. anger, and 2. control.

I naturally (firstborn, Type-A) desire control. Over the past three weeks, there are a few things God has moved in my heart about, that have helped me release my need to control to the Holy Spirit. I'm also learning to shut up and allow my husband to have an opinion that doesn't match mine. Or not informing him of all the reasons my idea is better than his. (I'm pretty good at letting him lead the church, but not so good at letting him choose the best route to the airport. lol...)  So that's the honest truth about that. :)

5. With You: Today I pray that whomever reads this is encouraged to 1. Press into Jesus. 2. Relax and let His peace rule your lfe. 3. Be obedient to what His Spirit tells you to do, even if it doesn't make sense. 4. Surround yourself with wise people who will help you live out the destiny that God has for you. I'm thriving in mine right now, and I WANT THAT FOR YOU!

Love you!

Things We Can Live Without

I've been living without a clothes dryer since Thanksgiving. 

It's funny how little this impacts my life.

It helps that my kids all wash their own clothes, so I'm not constantly faced with a mountain of laundry. I do help them hang their clothes up so they dry properly.

It helps that it's winter, so the house can use some extra moisture in the air.

It helps that we are OK with wearing jeans at least 3 times before we wash them.

It helps that I have a good washing machine, so it spins the clothes out well.

It struck me this morning that I'm not super bothered by this, and I was trying to figure out why. I guess that all of the above reasons tell you why.

Then it struck me that I lived without a microwave for about 2 years, after my friend died of cancer, and I got freaked out about the crack in the door of my microwave and the possible carcinogens. Then I was grateful for the extra counter space and rebelled against giving it back up.

We are living without the internet at home. We moved into the boondocks, and haven't done the work of figuring out what will work for us. Temporarily, we have a mobile phone hotspot that works. Sometimes. If you position the phone right and don't move. So besides our phones, we are living without the net.

Why am I sharing this with you? In our super-equipped, super-entitled culture, sometimes we THINK we need something, but if forced to live without it, we adapt.

And sometimes we lose access to or the use of something, and we freak out.

We get it into our heads that we are entitled to a certain level of living, and we refuse to make do or exercise self-discipline when our income doesn't support it.

You'd be surprised what you can live without. I am.

And it makes me far more prone to gratitude when I receive blessings.

Just a thought for this Christmas season.

 

(Don't stress out; we're getting the dryer fixed this week.)

 

"That Was For Me!" (Modern-Day Pentecost) & A Twirl Thing

There was this big day in the Bible (called Pentecost), when the gospel of Jesus was preached, and people were amazed because they heard the message in their own languages, even though there was only one guy preaching. Meaning, a Greek guy would be teaching, and I'd hear it in English, and my friend Ana would hear it in Spanish. Her friend Isabelle would hear it in Italian. It's this awesome, crazy, powerful thing the Holy Spirit did to jump start the world hearing about Jesus Christ.

Occasionally someone will come up to Eric or I and say, "Thank you so much for what you taught! God spoke to me about __________." And what they say truly has NOTHING to do with what we thought we were teaching! But it's like the Holy Spirit of God takes our words and causes the hearer to be moved spiritually toward whatever He wills them to hear/do. The other day, I mentioned to Eric that I think this is kind of a modern-day Pentecost miracle! People hear the message through the Holy Spirit, in a language their heart can understand and apply to their specific situations. (SO cool!)

Last night at Twirl, I did something I've never done before. I taught with no notes. I read the scripture verses I had put into the slides, having worked through what I "wanted" to talk about, but I asked God to let me say what He thought was important, and forget anything else. 

Let me tell you, I was SCARED about that. I felt so unprepared!! But God has been pushing me SO hard to not trust in human wisdom/my own cleverness and allow His Holy Spirit to do the work. So I took that risk. (My stomach hurts just typing this, remembering how I felt yesterday. Why is it so scary to trust our good Father? Grrrrr...)

Anyhow, back to Twirl: Partway through the talk, I broached a topic I hadn't planned to talk about. And I actually stopped and said something like, "Wow. I did NOT plan to say that. But apparently somebody in this room needs to hear this tonight, so..." and I went on to talk for a few seconds about that topic. 

Afterward, two different women told us, "That was for ME! I NEEDED to hear that!" 

Holy Cow. I mean, HOLY. SPIRIT.

God will talk to people. He will tell them what He wants them to hear. We need not be stressed about what we will say, because He can use whatever He wants to do whatever He pleases.

That's all I've got. I have a Twirl hangover, and I'm pretty fuzzy. But I thought I'd share for a second.

And say this: MY GOD IS AWESOME. Thank you, Jesus!

These people...

So. I arrived at work before everyone else today. (Or so I thought; turns out Pastor Ted was already here, but anyway...)

I sat here with my office door open, putting on my makeup (don't judge; I had to leave the house at 7:15 for the kiddos to meet the bus, and I was NOT going to do my makeup that early).  And as I sat, I heard my co-workers come in, one by one.  No voices; just the jingling of keys and the click of office doors. 

And my heart warmed.

Each shuffle of footsteps represented a brother or sister who works each day with me. Who lives this life with me. Who has the same extreme focus and is willing to do whatever it takes to see one more person find out about Jesus Christ and choose to follow Him.

The staff of The Crossing are hard-working, self-sacrificial, God-honoring, passionately-Jesus-seeking, amazing people. I love them like my own family, because we are family, as kids of the King.

And something I really appreciate and receive as a major blessing from God, is the unity in which we function.

We pray for our staff what Paul prayed in Romans 15:5-6, "May the God who gives endurance and encouragement, give you a spirit of unity among yourselves as you follow Christ Jesus, so that with ONE HEART and MOUTH you may glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."

And God makes it happen. I've worked in environments where everyone's out for him/herself, and there's selfishness, whining, bickering and gossip. There's always drama.

Not here. Our labor of love is too important; too soul-spending; to waste energy on drama. On gossip. On meddling in others' affairs. Rather, there's prayer. There's encouragement. There's generosity. Over the past few weeks, I've observed our staff blessing others with kindness and gifts, with prayer and love. Being a part of this group is a gift from God that I do not take lightly. 

I would serve Jesus alone. I'm grateful I get to do it with a family of believers who--though none of us have it all together--love and accept each other for who we are and the gifts we each possess.

And together we advance the Kingdom of Jesus. 

How good and pleasant it is 
   when brothers live together in unity! 
It is like precious oil poured on the head, 
   running down on the beard, 
running down on Aaron’s beard, 
   down upon the collar of his robes. 
It is as if the dew of Hermon 
   were falling on Mount Zion. 
For there the LORD bestows his blessing, 
   even life forevermore.

Psalm 133:1-3

FREEDOM! Quick TWIRL Recap

The purpose of Twirl is to THRILL the women of The Crossing (and their friends!) with their unique design from God and to MOVE them to TWIRL--with open arms, generous hearts, and meaningful friendships--that together will change the world.

Last night at Twirl, our theme was FREEDOM!  We launched the night with the Alicia Keyes version of "Freedom"...compliments of Sharon, Brit, Gracia, Ana & the boys.  Let me TELL you, that was freakin' awesome. Those girls can SANG (as we say in the South)!

I introduced our Campus Pastor Chicks (wives of our CP's, or, in Pastor Kasey's case, the CP).  I really want those of you who live in the areas of our smaller campuses to connect THERE, where you can reach YOUR community with the hope that Jesus offers through The Crossing. Don't just commute to Elk River for yourself; be missional about where you attend, serve, and bring people.

Zimmerman Campus: Tracy Keech (also a Crossing office manager)

Princeton Campus: Pastor Diane Rauma (also our womens' counseling pastor and co-lead of our Crossing Recovery program)

Big Lake Campus: Kirsten Tuckey 

Elk River Campus: Pastor Kasey Pupeza

We did a scavenger hunt & gave away TONS of prizes donated by lots of our Twirl Girls' businesses.

In our segment, "How to Pull That Off", we talked about asking for what you want. Many times we don't ask for what we want/need because we're afraid of a) rejection, or b) making the other person feel bad for saying "no". So we say "no" for them by NOT asking!

The steps/tips I gave you were:

1. Pray. (Ask God if it's worth the trouble; if it's something you need; & ask for wisdom.)

2. Do Your Homework (make sure you're asking for something reasonable; like a refund within the store's policy or a salary that is the industry standard) so you don't look stupid.

3. Don't Be Crabby. (Honey attracts more flies than vinegar. Respect the person's position, or, if they don't have much of a position, help them feel empowered to help you.) Be friendly!

4. Ask for what you want, clearly. (Don't babble in circles and beat around the bush. Just say it. "I have a meeting next Thursday, and I'm wondering if you might be able to watch my children." Not, "I have this meeting, and, well, I wouldn't ask if I didn't really need your help and I know you're really busy and you can say no if you want to and...blahblahblah...")

5. Shut up and wait. (Resist the temptation to ease the awkward silence by babbling again. Silently smile and allow the other person to make their choice. This is HARD but worth it, especially when negotiating. Name your price and wait. Otherwise, you'll soften the bargain FOR the other person. Just shut up and wait. Remember, they don't want to be mean or reject you; if you're quiet, they're more likely to give you what you need.)

6. I didn't say this last night, but should have: Remember to be thankful. To God for helping you, and to the person for blessing you.

In "That Proverbs 31 Chick", we looked at verses 8-9, "Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed. Yes, speak up for the poor and helpless, and see that they get justice."  I shared with the Twirl Girls about the A21 Campaign, which is committed to abolishing human trafficking/sex slavery.  You can visit http://www.TheA21Campaign.com to learn about their mission, make donations, and buy their products to promote awareness (like the cool shirt I'll be wearing this weekend). You can also text "A21" to 85944 to donate $10 right this VERY MINUTE!

We intro'd all the Chick Cliques, who meet up on Facebook and get together at least once before the next Twirl. Don't do life alone. Join a Chick Clique right now. We have Cliques for all phases in life, from teen to empty nest; from special-needs moms to multi-taskers. Check 'em. We also encouraged every woman to use her unique gifts by volunteering in the church...this is the #1 way to make friends here.

We took a dance party break, and then I chatted about the Freedom that Jesus gives...from fear, from worry about what others think, and from guilt/condemnation... You can catch my talk online soon. I'll post a link when it's up. 

At the end of the evening, many, many women walked to the front of the Crossing stage to pray with one of our leaders and take a step into Freedom. Hundreds went home with a recycled key (with a past) on a ribbon to remind them of their freedom in Christ.

After Twirl, several of the Chick Cliques hung out at local restaurants. I was with a few women in their wedding dresses. That gave us several opportunities to invite people to church. We called it "wedding dress evangelism." Funny.

I pretty much love my Jesus, my church, and the beautiful women all around me. Oh, and the men who help make Twirl possible. And my wonderful husband without whom I would not have learned to Twirl.

Everybody sing, "FREEDOM!"

Pregnancy Journal: Week 5 - Day 6

This post is the fourth and final installment in a series this week. You may want to catch up before reading it.

I am happy about having another child. I am happy about having another child because I am having another child. I was not trying to become pregnant, and we really were not sure if we wanted to have a third, but that all changed once that pregnancy test came up positive. No more options. No more, "what ifs." Simply, "We're having another baby! 

While this is clear to Eric and I, however, it is not clear to others. The human mind tends toward blaming something or someone for everything: figuring out the dirt on others. Some people thrive on finding something negative in ever situation, even the most joyful known to humankind. So I know I'll have to be prepared to answer the well-meaning but nosy questions of acquaintances: "Oh, wow. Already? Were you trying? Did you want to have another one?" And because the news is so new to me--I'm still adjusting, myself--I'm not ready to share.

But today I was forced to tell a few people about my pregnancy. I had to, because Eric spilled the beans in a meeting this morning (he claims he was forced), and I didn't want my two closest friends here to hear from someone else. 

My uncertainty about facing the reactions of others was justified when a well-meaning friend, following a series of, "Are you serious?", "You're kidding!", and "You just had a baby!" statements, actually asked me, "Can I say, 'congratulations'?" As if I am disappointed to be pregnant; as if I would be offended by a congratulation. 

That's why I wanted to wait. I am excited because God is blessing us with a miracle! But I don't want to answer the questions that people carelessly pose.

Now, I am worlds apart from the situation Job faced in scripture, but his friends also brought pain when they should have bestowed support. In anguish, he said, "How long will you torment my soul, and break me in pieces with your words?" (Job 19:2)

So I learn a couple of lessons here: First of all, once again, I must remember my security is in God--not in the affirmation of others. Second, I should be careful to watch my own tongue, so as not to bring pain. I don't want to be the one asking careless, nosy questions that might hurt. To instead always be encouraging and uplifting, seeking only the positive, "rejoicing with those who rejoice, and mourning with those who mourn," and being quietly sensitive to know which to do.

"Let my...words descend like the dew, like showers on new grass, like abundant rain on tender plants.  --Deut. 32:2 (NIV)

"When words are many, sin is not absent, but he who holds his tongue is wise. The tongue of the righteous is choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is of little value. The lips of the righteous nourish many, but fools die for lack of judgement." --Prov. 10:19-21 (NIV)

And thus ends the journal of my third pregnancy...or at least the one I intended to write for real, for others to read.

Note to self: finish what you start. It would be really freaking cool to be able to say, "Yeah, I did that." Instead of, "Yeah, I did that for 6 days and quit."

Pregnancy Journal: Week 5 - Day 5

This post is third in a series I've posted this week. You might wanna start at the beginning, or you may be a little confused...

Tonight when I was tucking four-and-a-half-year-old Braden into bed, he said his ritual bedtime prayer: "Dear Lord, thank you for me, Mom, Dad, Holland, and Maccabes [the puppy we had for about 3 weeks and gave away due to carpet staining] amen." I then suggested that he thank Jesus for the new baby. So he did that, and I kissed him and headed for the kitchen, but he stopped me on the way out with, "Do you have a baby right now?"

I said, "Yep! Right here in my tummy. It's really tiny." Across his face came this intense look as he considered that, and then out bubbled the cutest little giggle! Sighing, he snuggled down to sleep.

When I was pregnant with Holland, Braden had a few questions about how the baby "got in there" and how she "got out." We gave accurate but vague answers like, "God put her there," and "the doctor got her out."

I think sometimes God handles me the same way. I ask big questions like "Why is this happening so soon?" or "Am I ready for this?" or "How on earth will I handle three?!" He, a parent, in His wisdom, sees far beyond what I, like a four-year-old, can understand.

His replies are vague: "Because I want it that way," or, "Just wait, you'll see." And like Braden, I should give a giggle and snuggle down into His big soft grip and rest, knowing that for today, I have all the answers  need. 

"For I know the plans I have for you, says the Lord. They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope." --Jeremiah 29:11 (NLT)

"Sleep, baby, sleep. Down where the woodbines creep. Be ever like a lamb so mild, a kind and sweet and gentle child. Sleep, baby sleep."  -- from a doll cradle I had as a child

Pregnancy Journal: Week 5 - Day 4

(This post is a continuation of the previous one. Read Pregnancy Journal: Preface and Prologue first, or this will really goof you up.)

Week 5 - Day 4

Urinating on a stick or in a cup is one of the grossest parts of pregnancy, in my opinion. OK, well, when I really think about it, there are all kinds of gross parts, but most of them are handled by someone else. I placed the stick on the sink and unlocked the bathroom door for Eric to read the test and give me the verdict. Well, actually, I sort of peeked and saw a pink line before I turned my back, but when he insisted that there weren't lines in either window, I had to look and explain it to him. Pink line: the tewt is working. Blue line in the other window: BOOM. We had to wait a minute, but then, ever so faintly, BOOM. We hugged there in our little bathroom, and uncertainly, I looked at him and said, "Are you happy?" I'll never forget his reply, "Yes! And now we have to get a bigger truck!"

I know my life is wrapped up in my husband and how he is feeling, what he is thinking, and what he says and does.  This is reaffirmed today as I realize that his response to my (rather unplanned) pregnancy determined mine. I find that it is important to me that Eric exhibits happiness and confidence about this pregnancy--and another child--so that through his stregnth I will find the same sense of peace.

But what happens when he has a bad day? When he fails to fulfill my need for affirmation and support? This is the problem of depending too much on the emotions of others. They will fail. Humanity is that way.  That is when I look for an "alternate power source," and a struggle ensues for me to find God's strength in the midst of a time of anxiety.

At this point I realize that I have it backwards: Eric's support is vital, but that need is secondary to the perfect, never-failing strength of God as my primary source of power. His strength is constant, unchanging. It alone is dependable. He will be able to steady my fickle emotions on a moment-by-moment basis within the coming months. 

"...The weakness of God is stronger than man's strength." --I Corinthians 1:25 (NIV)

"Last of all, I want to remind you that your strength must come from the Lord's mighty power within you." --Ephesians 6:!0 (TLB)