I feel it.

You know that oh-no-here-come-the-holidays-I’m-going-to-gain-10 pounds-because-I-can’t-avoid-all-the-good-food-and-treats feeling.

Yep.  I felt it this morning while I was running because, well… I run for treats.  That’s my motto.  My selfish obsession with “thin” coupled with my love of food is enough to keep me motivated to workout a few hours every week.

It’s cold weather season, so what does that mean?  Comfort food.

I love comfort food.  A good pot roast with carrots, potatoes and gravy cooked in the crock pot so that I don’t even feel like I really cooked – yeah, that’s nearly heaven.

It’s also time for the holidays.  That means comfort food combined with lots of treats.  Seriously, does it get any better?

So yep, I’ll be lacing up the running shoes and hitting the pavement pretty frequently.  If you happen to see me just yell out “keep running for treats!”  It’s all the motivation I need.

What’s your favorite holiday treat?

Are you really leading or are you just surviving each responsibility, meeting, conversation, or task that comes at you?

Are you just reacting or are you leaning in?

Are you really listening or are you just taking in facts and spitting out solutions?

Are you dreaming or are you just dealing with the status quo?

Are you creating change or are you just trying to hold down the fort?

Are you passionate, excited and energized or are you lifeless, numb and immobilized?

Are you thriving or just surviving?

One of my favorite things to do is to sit down with another woman over a cup of tea to learn more about her life, her story, her journey, her dreams.  I’m always honored when someone just a bit younger asks to talk with me.  It’s a treasure to share how God has worked in my life, what I’ve learned so far, and what I would do differently if given the chance.  I love the idea of pouring just a bit of wisdom into someone else’ life.  And it’s an absolute gift when someone a few steps ahead of me will take the time to impart some wisdom to me.

I keep a running list of women I’d like to meet with.  My list goes forward to the women a few steps (sometimes a lot of steps) ahead of me.  These are the women who I believe can pull me along, kick me in the pants if needed, and stretch me to the next level.  And my list looks around me to the women who are just a few steps behind me either in experiences or age.  These are the women I feel responsible to encourage, challenge and stretch to achieve their dreams.  I’m convinced that the power of a gracious leader is immeasurable.  And too many times we as leaders are so busy seeking our own growth and gain that we’re missing the opportunities to invest in those around us.

This month at Cultivate Her we’ll be talking about the power of the gracious leader.  We’ll hear from several leaders who lead graciously by investing and empowering others around them on a consistent basis.  And we’ll be challenging you to identify one woman who you can invest in.

If you could have a cup of tea with any woman throughout history, past or present, who would it be?

My list?

Queen Elizabeth I

Eleanor Roosevelt

Mother Theresa

Condoleeza Rice

This is the biggest night of our year at Cross Point – the night we honor YOU, our volunteers!

If you have volunteered any time, anywhere, at any campus – YOU ARE INVITED!!

Our team has been working up some fun stuff for you once again this year.  I promise… you don’t want to miss it.

Are you in?

If so, please email the following to rsvp@crosspoint.tv

• Your name
• If you’re bringing a guest
• If you’re bringing your kids and how old they are

And just in case you need a little incentive to commit, here’s the video that brought the house down last year.  Enjoy!

• the homemade chocolate chip cookies and cup of tea I’m about to devour while I write this
• putting the finishing touches on my guest room that I’ve been remodeling
• spending Sunday at Cross Point North
• finishing the 2010 budgets that are looming over my head
• Cross Point’s 7th Annual Volunteer Appreciation Gala
• hanging out with Lindsey on Sunday afternoon
• co-hosting showers for Ashley and baby Audrey
• the release of New Moon
• hosting Thanksgiving at my house and cooking with my sister
• Christmas decorating, baking, shopping

What are you looking forward to?

REALLY EXCITING STUFF!

But I’ll be honest… there was a point a few weeks ago where it wasn’t so exciting.  I was up to my eyeballs in plans, deadlines, numbers and negotiations and I was exhausted.  I remember very vividly walking out to my car one morning to go to work and I just didn’t have the energy to keep moving.  It was everything I could do to head out that door rather than back to bed.  And then very clearly I felt like I heard God say:

“Jenni, you don’t HAVE to be a part of this.  You GET to be a part of this.”

I GET to be a part of this!

I GET to be a part of creating life changing environments where we are able to communicate the love of God to people who need it most.

I GET to be a part of creating amazing places for kids and students to worship and learn about God.

I GET to be a part of a place where marriages are healed, lives are transformed and hope is restored.

I don’t HAVE to.  I GET to!

That is what Faith, Hope & Love is all about.  It’s about GETTING to be a part of the story… God’s amazing story.  There have been seasons throughout Cross Point’s history where others have made the choice to “get to be a part” and by their sacrifice created a place where many of our stories of faith, hope and love have been written.  My challenge to you, is to consider how you can “get to be a part”.

What can you do to create an empty seat?

How can you contribute to our goal to raise $2.25 million?

How can you volunteer your time?

Will you commit to pray?

You’ll never know the life that may be influenced by your willingness to “get to be a part”!

Will you join us?

This is such a powerful series!  Not only is it a huge season of faith and growth for us as a church, but how God is working in individual lives is amazing!

Here are my notes from Pete‘s message today:

Faith is not just a belief in a statement, it’s trust in a person.

Without trust and faith, your relationship won’t go to the next level.  This is not only true in your relationships with others, it’s also true in your relationship with God.

Genesis 1:

Genesis 16:1-3

Abraham starts to manipulate the situation.

The devil only has one lie, and that is to cast critical doubt on God’s character.

It’s not happening the way Abraham thought it should happen, so he starts to take control.

Abraham assumes he knows what God thinks.  We get in all kinds of trouble when we assume that God thinks and works the way we do.

What do you do in your life when God isn’t moving fast enough for you?

What do you do when your dreams aren’t happening the way you thought they would happen?  It doesn’t mean your life is out of control.  It means you’re not in control.

Control is the greatest of all allusions that you’ll face in your life.

Obedience is the key.  Miracles always happen on the other side of obedience.

Genesis 22:1-2

Abraham comes to a wall – God is asking him to sacrifice his only son who is the fulfillment of a promise that greatly impacts the future God promised.

The wall represents when our will and God’s will collide.  Our ability to handle our lives is over.  We start to question ourselves.  We start to question God.

At the wall, you have more questions than answers.  The very foundation of your faith feels like it’s slipping away.

God loves you enough to strip you of anything that keeps you from Him.

The wall is the place where we need to relinquish anything that we cling to for identity. (work, religion, dreams, need for control, desire for approval)

Abraham doesn’t argue.  He obeys.

Abraham finds a way to remember “God is with us.”  He builds altars to remind himself that he can trust God.

History tells us God does not forget His people and He’s not going to start with you.  God is faithful.

Abraham created altars to mark moments where God was faithful.  What are the trigger points/moments in your life that remind you what God has done?  You have to have these moments to remind you so you won’t give up in the tough times.  What altars are you creating in your life to mark those moments where God was faithful?

God is big enough that we can trust Him.  God is faithful.

Genesis 22:9-12

Some of us refuse to go further because we can’t see the way. (from Thomas Merton quote)

You will get to a place – you will get to a wall – where God is trying to get you to the place where you surrender your plans for His plans.  Will you remember that God is who He says He is?

Is there a wall that you’re facing in your life right now?  Is so, how can I pray for you?

This morning I read this great excerpt from the devotional Dare To Journey with Henri Nouwen by Charles Ringma and it challenged me to consider my approach to seeking this rhythm, balance and pace that seems so illusive.

The recognition that we need a receptive place – a place of quietness, openness, expectancy, and hope – usually springs from failure, stress, or difficulty.  It occurs when our personal resources are depleted and we are not coping.  Thus the quest for the receptive place is often the result of crisis rather than the product of careful management.  It comes from difficulty rather than from a recognition of our own finiteness and our constant need for inner renewal.

If we create the receptive place only when we urgently need it, then we can only expect short-term solutions.  But if we make the receptive place a way of life, then we can expect renewal, discernment, direction, courage, and hope.

So many times it takes being utterly exhausted for me to realize how dry I am spiritually and how desperate I am for that quiet place.  Oftentimes the quiet place seems like a luxury to me so it gets squeezed out of my schedule because of the host of responsibilities that I need to tackle.  The greatest challenge for me in creating this quite place is in understanding that my time with God is not a luxury but a necessity from which the rest of my life flows out of.  (Seriously, why is that so hard?!)

What is the greatest challenge for you in creating the receptive/quiet place?

I couldn’t have been more than 3 or 4 years old when I first watched Wonder Woman on TV, but I remember specifically thinking…

“She is awesome”

“I want to be her”

“She’s so strong”

“She’s so pretty”

Somehow she became my super hero.

I even sported Wonder Woman Underoos until I could no longer fit in them. (Don’t judge, I know you had your favorite super hero Underoos too!)

Known for her super human strength, speed, reflexes, stamina and durability, Wonder Woman became an icon in my fragile little 3 year old psyche.  Little did I realize how much that subtle influence would frame the expectations I’ve put on myself now as an adult.

I can’t really blame Wonder Woman entirely.  I’ve spent most of my life admiring strong, confident, accomplished woman and somewhere in all of that I’ve created a mountain of expectations for myself that I doubt even a super hero could tackle.

As a leader I’m learning that I can not be Wonder Woman.

I can not be   strong enough,   smart enough,   tough enough,   gentle enough,   kind enough,   eloquent enough,   educated enough,   patient enough,   fill-in-the-blank enough.

But too many times I’ve pridefully tried to be all of those things, leaning into my own strength, and attempting to do the impossible just to prove that I’m that good.

Ouch, what a dangerous place.

So, I’m attempting to put my cape down… to find confidence in the gifts, talents, strengths and limitations that make me who God made me… to rest in His strength, speed and stamina… and to turn my super hero worship toward a great Wonder(ful) God!

How about you?  Do you have any “capes” to put down?

Yesterday was a very big day for all of our campuses.  Pete shared a  big vision and plans for the future of Cross Point.  I’m so excited about what God is up to through our church!

There is no way that I could adequately recap the vision that Pete shared in such a powerful way yesterday, so please go to our website and listen or watch online the message in it’s entirety.  I promise you this is worth your 25 minutes!

In the meantime, this quick 8 minute video is a good overview.

Here are a few of the key points that I took away from the message yesterday:

Intimacy Through Trust – message by Pete Wilson

Faith is trust in a person.  When you trust somebody you always take a risk.

When I trust you and place something in your hands, I become vulnerable to you.  You have to extend your faithfulness back to me.  The greater the risk, the greater the opportunity for intimacy.

There can be no growth or intimacy in a relationship without trust.

Hebrews 11:6 – “Without faith it is impossible to please God”

Faith is foundational to every relationship.

Community is the way that God confronts and redeems our desire to give up.

Faith is always tied to God’s ultimate purpose – the redemption of mankind.

Over and over again God asks his servants to do ridiculous things to see His miraculous power released.

Obedience is key.  Miracles always happen on the other side of obedience.

Matthew 6:21″For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.”

Over the next 4 weeks we are going to be on a journey as a church to step out into a big season of faith.

I challenge you to…

listen to the message

read the Faith, Hope & Love stories

pray for a miracle

and find your place in this story.

It’s going to be an amazing journey!