Sneek Peak at Christmas Colors 2010

I love decorating for the holidays and each year I try to come up with a different theme, or color for the Christmas season. This year I decided to keep things light and fun. I won't be going all out like last year. As a matter of fact I'm leaning towards only putting up one tree, and the outside won't be decked out with all of the usual lawn ornaments. Simplicity is the key (well as simple as I can get considering my love of decorating). I still plan to decorate the main rooms (diningroom, familyroom, foyer and stairs) but the word is low key with a bit of whimsy. So am I the only crazy person who does a different theme each year?

Happy Thanksgiving

I want to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving Holiday. I will be spending the week hanging out with family and preparing for Thanksgiving Day. Granted, the only thing I have to do is pick up some rolls and a pie from our local Sam's Club! That is the beauty of holding the holiday celebrations at my mom's new home! Of course any holiday celebration with my family usually includes some crazy scheme, so it will be interesting to see how this year unfolds (pictures to come). So how will you be spending the holidays? Any Thanksgiving traditions to share?

Its all or nothing!

Honestly, I don't know where she gets it from. But the girl has to go all out, its all in or nothing. If you tell her she is going to be cheering in a game then she does it from head to toe! Nothing has changed, she is the most girly tomboy I know. And we all know how I feel about sports. This is all her dad's fault! Just Sayin.

The Black Queen of England! Who Knew?

So as many of you know this summer Nicki and I took a cruise to Canada with my mom and cousins. One of the tours we took was to a Black History Museum. Today while surfing through some of Nicki's photos I came across these pictures.

I have always had a fascination with the Royal Family. As a young teen I started reading romance books written about England (a few were written by an actual princess if I am not mistaken), many times about a prince and princess! When Princess Diana married Prince Charles I was glued to my TV just like everyone else in the world. I "followed" (can you imagine what it would have been like if we had twitter back then) her life from that moment on. Even keeping a scrapbook of the big day. I even ordered a smaller version of the engagement ring, which I still have to this day.

I was delighted to hear of the upcoming marriage of Prince William and Kate, and just as before have been following the story. I guess you can say I am a bit of a "royal family junkie" (hello, Disneyqueen addict here). So imagine my surprise when I read about Queen Charlotte, Black Queen of England! And all of those years we waited to get a Black Disney Princess, and there was a real live flesh and blood black queen all along! And how I missed this bit of info during the tour I will never know!

Where Will You Be In 6 Months?

We want YOU to be with us in Nashville, May 10-12,2011!

So, Pastors’ Wives …Put Armed & Dangerous on your Christmas list! We will be living it up at a beautiful hotel …laughing … connecting … encouraging … and relaxing. Early-bird pricing ends with the close of 2010. Starting January 1st, the price will move from $275 to $325, so consider signing up soon. You can email any questions to Lori at leadingandlovingit[at]me[dot]com . And, most importantly, you can register here. We’d love help getting the word out this week via FB & Twitter. So, please let your Pastor’s Wife friends know about the retreat.

Now … who’s in?

2nd Anniversary in Pictures!

Yesterday Marc and I celebrated two years at WABC! It turned out to be a very good day, filled with lots of surprises. Marc had a friend speak during the morning service for him, which allowed him to sleep in late that morning and allowed us to spend all day Saturday together. Its not often that we get a chance to enjoy the entire weekend just hanging out. We also had a surprise visit from a friend that we attended church with years ago. He actually found our church on the Internet and just happened to pick Sunday to come by and visit. His family will be moving back to the area after being stationed in another state for the last few years.  

That afternoon the church held an anniversary celebration. The guest was our home church Greater Mount Zion. And as expected they showed up and showed out! I think for Marc the favorite part of the whole day was the tribute that the youth did in his honor. Afterwards they showered him with gifts (so many that we had to stash them under the pew where we were sitting so that the aisle would be free). Marc has drawers and shelves in his office filled with snacks and candy which he passes out to the kids (young and old). Thanks to the youth we now have a whole new batch of snacks that he can share. The flowers and Godiva Candy were gifts given to me. Of course I am sure the girls and I will be cracking open those fish crackers and pretzels before he can get to them. lol

After the service we set down for dinner which included Baked chicken, mac and cheese, yams, greens and for Marc his favorite ribs from Smokie Bones. And yes, if you haven't noticed I wore the official "First Lady" attire for the occasion. Including high heel shoes and stockings. All of which will go right back in the drawer this week! I figure I can do it at least once a year, but no more then that. I was hot and uncomfortable the whole time but I was told several times I looked very pretty. So mission accomplished. My mother will be very pleased that I did not embarrass her and the family. LOL

Trust God!

When you think your all alone, trust God. When you can't seem to find your way, trust God. When your world seems turned upside down, trust God. When you question the path your on, trust God. When your friends and family don't seem to understand, trust God. Whatever life seems to throw your way, trust God. In good times, in bad times.......... trust God. No matter what, trust God. Are you putting all of your faith and hope in God? If not, trust God!

Ethnic Blends, Mixing Diversity Into Your Local Church!

If you have read my blog or follow me on twitter for any length of time you know that I am a big supporter of churches being multi-ethnic. Its one of the reasons my family was first drawn to New Life Providence in Va Beach. And although we are leading at WABC, its been a long time vision of my husbands to lead a multi-ethnic church. It was through New Life Providence that we were first introduced to Mark DeMaz a few years ago after attending a Trans  Ethnic Conference. At the time I picked up his book "Building a Healthy Multi-Ethnic Church. This summer we were blessed to hear Pastor Mark again at the second Trans-Ethnic Conference held at NLP. I'm sure a large influence for us at the idea of a multi-ethnic church community started during our years as a military family. Over the years our children were exposed to many cultures, and backgrounds. But like most people of our generation we returned home and immediately sort out a church that looked like "us". Over the years it just became a comfortable hat to live under. But over time we questioned the community of friends and even the church of which we were a part. Everyone knows the saying by Martin Luther King in which he states the at 11 AM on Sunday's morning is the most segregated hour in the nation!

Dr. Mark does an excellent job of laying out a biblical mandate for the need for multi-ethnic diversity in our local churches. And not just along racial lines, but generational, and economic lines. His new book Ethnic Blends which he co-wrote with Michael Emerson delves into the difficulties, obstacles and actions that will be needed by churches who wish to embark on this journey. In the book they give you tried and true suggestions for how to go about doing this. Granted its not an easy journey, but they back it up with scriptures. I recommend this book to anyone who is looking to start or transform your church and community,but also to those who are  curious about this and may consider it just a trend. I think you will be surprised by the biblical basis.

I received this book for free. I was not required or influenced to give a positive review in any way. The opinions expressed here are that of my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commissions 16 CFR, part 255

Fall Fest 2010

We had the best time on Saturday hosting our first Fall Fest! We used a kit from group publishing (I can't say enough how much easier its been to host events since I started using their resources). We had carnival games (the kit made this very easy to pull off), lots of free food, prizes, and a boat load of candy! The ladies on the planning team did a great job. We had a few glitches but considering the fact that it was our first year I thought it went very well. From everything I heard on Sunday the kids had a great time (even pulled in some kids from the neighborhood) and are looking forward to next year! I am still amazed at the generosity of the people at this small church. With the exception of a few items, everything for this event was donated!