small group

Grant and I have found the most incredible small group--we're so so thankful! Fits the season. Anyway, we all kinda met together for a structured 8 week thing, but we didn't want to lose the friendships we found so we're continuing it at our place! Last night was the first real meeting. It was awesome. We're going through Andy Stanley's iMarriage. So perfect for us "MWok"s--Married WithOut Kids. Fresh perspective meets local favorite (andy) as five couples sit around and discuss the woes and wonders of marriage. It rocks. quick shout out to chris and jen, josh and amanda, erika and brian, and chris and caitlin! love yall!

Thanksgiving: we're having 10 people over for Thanksgiving! Yay for family! Rick and Janice, Mama Heath, G-ma, Grant's fam: Perry, Leigh Ann and their girls Evan and Aubrey (remember, from the wedding ;) and possibly my uncle merrill. You probably noticed that MY DAD AND BROTHER aren't listed. I KNOW! Stahler's football team is like a big deal (like 4th in the state), and they have to practice on Thursday, play on Friday--LAME! So daddy and Stahler man will not be with us on MY FAVORITE HOLIDAY. so so sad. We'll make it up at Christmas!! I will, however, be cooking for 10 no less. (omg) I'm really really looking forward to it. It'll still be fun and we have so so much to be thankful for.

School: I only have one more week of driving back and forth PRAISE JESUS! Looking at our finances tonight, we noted that gas will be significantly lower, meals out (since I eat out when I'm gone each week) will be much less, and we'll have so much more time together! It'll be like a second honeymoon just to spend all 7 days of a week together in one home--no more couch surfing, though I have enjoyed staying with Mason and Harrison--yall rock. seriously.

I graduate December 13th at 9 am in Tuscaloosa! We're spending the rest of the weekend at the LAKE with the fam! What a treat! But before all that I have two HUGE papers... dun dun dun. They are 30% and 50% of my grade in two of my three classes... can you believe it...? ughhgghh. Anyway, once I tackle those (then immediately forget them in order to enjoy thanksgiving) I can breathe easy.

Hannah: IS HAVING A BABY!!! still not sure it's registered with me the magnitude of that statement. wow. And we can't WAIT to meet little man Nile! If everything works out, hopefully Grant and I will get to make it up to Charlotte before he arrives! But who knows--babies have a mind of their own about being born on time... love you hannah bear.

Job: Please continue to pray for me in this. We kinda really need a second income (more significant than the pt check I get from Bulloch, tho I LOVE what I'm doing there) and I think one may come my way soon. I have an interview December 10th with a headhunting firm. We're just praying over and over again: YOUR will be done, Lord. I know it will work out in His time and with His provision (it sure would be nice if that happened before Christmas...) xoxoox

That's about all that's new with me (total chaos as usual). What's new with you?

quick fave

For the past 4 days I have been lounging on the beach with Nida and Ashley spending some much needed quality time. While I have much to blog about that, for now I'll leave you with my quick fave from the entire trip. On Sunday at church we heard a gospel choir sing--Amazing! This is my favorite quote from that service and one I want to remember forever about the body of Christ:

I pray for you
you pray for me
I love you
I need you to survive.

More to come...
[miss them already, especially as I'm thrown back into school work...]

tag it!

I Am: a wife, a student, a daughter, a sister, a friend, a lover of Jesus
I Have: all that i need. actually probably more than i need
I Think: constantly--i'm always in my head
I Know: where my treasure lies
I Dislike: ignorance
I Miss: my fam--esp precious stahler
I Fear: failure
I Feel: loved, blessed, happy, and content
I Want: peace
I Smell: grant even when i'm away each week b/c i put his cologne on my pillow
I Crave: dexter dvds. that serial-killer is awesome
I Cry: every once in a while. sometimes just because
I Usually: am contemplating the future
I Search: for jobs constantly, continually, daily, hourly, all the time
I Wonder: where we'll be in 5 years
I Care: so much about family, traditions, love, seasons, and holidays
I Love: grant grant grant and of course, dane cook and Jesus
I Regret: not soaking up every minute at uga
I Always: search for the good in people or circumstances
I Worry: that i wont ever reach or respond to my full potential
I Am Not: excited about working in the 'real world'
I Remember: my sweet granddaddy and our 'dates'--lunch most fridays of my senior year in high school
I Dance: ALL the time, in public, alone, with music, without, all the time my heart sings and i dance
I Don't Always: do anything
I Write: all the time. i love reading, writing, exploring words' meanings in written form. words are all we have to discribe this life and all its beauty
I Win: nothing. incredibly unlucky
I Wish: everyone could feel what i feel as a newly wed. seriously, this is the greatest thing ever and i hope everyone is emersed lavishly in love at least once
I Argue: when i should conceed
I Listen: to better understand (but never enough)
I Lose: the backs of earrings
I Don't Understand: why some people choose not to get better, not to change, not to heal
I Can Usually Be Found: with a good book and coffee out on our back porch
I Am Scared: to have children. that's a lot to be responsible for.
I Need: love
I Forget: the hard parts of seasons and somehow remember mostly the good
I Am: grateful

the emerging church

I have been talking about the emerging church a lot since I researched it for some graduate study. Here are the basics:

The Emerging Church—aka “The Emergent Church”
--A Christian movement that focuses on increasing faith by emulating Jesus without adhering to or requiring typical religious traditions or rules. The idea—most popular among young people and un-churched people [those who have never or rarely attend traditional church services]—embraces and emphasizes experience, believing that the deep connection between human experience and spiritual rightness is the key to discovering how Christ lived his live in union—or communion—with God. Participants of this movement call it a “conversation” to highlight its developmental and volatile status, as well as to emphasize interfaith dialogue rather than former “one-way evangelism.” It is arguably the pinnacle of relational ministry and places high value on good works, social activism, missional living, and community and fellowship as acts of worship.

The point: to create a kingdom of heaven on Earth, believing that Jesus came to give life in the now, not just life in eternity.

Here are some EC books that embody this new theology (a few personal faves):
The Shack, Velvet Elvis, Sex.God.

The Bigs:
Voddie Bauchamof Grace Family Baptist, Rob Bell at Mars Hill Bible Church, DA Carson, Mark Driscolland the Resurgance also at Mars Hill, Tim Kellerat Redeemer in NYC, Todd Mangum, Erwin McManus of Mosaic, Brian McLarenat founding pastor of Cedar Ridge Community Church, Stuart Murray Williams, John Piperof Desiring God Ministries and Bethlehem Baptist Church, Andy Stanley of Northpoint Ministries, Rick Warren at Saddleback, David Wells, and NT Wright, Ed Young at Fellowship,

A few more sites, in case you're interested:

SimpleWay
Emerging Church Info
Every This is Spiritual
The Gods Arent Angry
Open Source Theology
Religion Link
Rethink Theology
The Ooze

And some articles if you have time:

Jones, Tony. “The State of Emergent 2006.” Next Wave E-Zine (Jan 2006).
--Underlining the changes and discoveries within the movement.

Little, Blake. “The 25 Most Influential Evangelicals in America.” TIME Magazine (7 Feb 2005).
--Describing the range and scope of this leader’s influence on a national level.

Hall, Chad. “What Leaders Can Learn From Rob Bell: His sold-out tour shows us a better way to engage listeners on today’s topics.” Leadership Journal (26 Nov 2007).
--Naming Rob Bell the Rock Star of this movement.

Cuccia, Vic. “An Interview with Rob Bell.” The Ooze (3 Jul 2007).
--Describing Rob Bell’s megachurch, Nooma video series, and theology.

Van Biema, David. “The Hipper-Than-Thou Pastor.” TIME Magazine (6 Dec 2007).
--Closer look at Rob Bell.

Kuo, David. “Finding the Big Jesus: An Interview with Rob Bell.” BeliefNet.
--Closer look at Rob Bell’s basic beliefs on Jesus.

Hansen, Collin. “Pastor Provocateur.” Christianity Today (21 Sept 2007).
--Describing Mark Driscoll’s ideology.

Riley, Jennifer. “Brian McLaren: Postmodern Christianity Understood as Story.” Christian Post (18 Feb 2008).
--Describing Brian McLaren’s slant on the movement.

McKnight, Scott. “Five Streams of the Emerging Church: Key elements of the most controversial and misunderstood movement in the church today.” Christianity Today (19 Jan 2007).
--Describing issues in the Church and in the emerging church movement.

The Panel. “Seven Big Questions: Seven Leaders on Where the Church is Headed.” Relevant Magazine. (Jan/Feb 2007).
--The Bigs take on the tough issues using the emerging church movement as a platform.

Kenney, David. “Dynamic Ideas: How Rob Bell’s ‘The Gods Aren’t Angry’ tour is Rethinking How We Talk about Faith.” Relevant Magazine.
--Discussing Rob Bell’s 27-stop, sold-out tour and its big concepts.

books, weddings, and celebrations!

books: I am currently reading A Voice in the Wind by Francine Rivers and Love and Respect by Eggerichs. I picked up two other quick reads on sale today: a Mary Higgins Clark thriller and Stephen King's Lisey's Story. But I'm not so good with the scary ones. Suspence, thriller, murder mystery, deceit--all the good ones I can handle just fine.... But I don't think I'm ready to read the Stephen King yet b/c I'm usually too scared to watch his movies... so I'm thinking... not ready to read his books.... Anyway, if y'all have read any of these, or have any other great reading suggestions, send them my b/c I love to read. seriously.

weddings: Scotty and Lindsay got married Oct 4th and it was gorgeous! so fun! and on the lake!! [my fave]
This weekend Andrew McCleskey and Allison Wise are tying the knot in Asheville, NC! can't wait! Our neighbors will be newly weds and both of them will be living down stairs! yay! They're having a beautiful outdoor wedding so pray for pretty weather. I have a feeling God has it taken care of.
Next weekend a childhood friend of mine--completely precious angel--Mary Catherine is getting married! we are so excited for her and are privaleged to be a part of things. We're having her bridesmaids luncheon at our house the day before her wedding! so so great! and we are so so excited for them! I got to meet Syman a few times and he's lucky to have our Mimi.

celebrations: I GET TO SEE HANNAH TMRW! how great is that?!?! Yes! Really and truly! for the first time since our wedding and the first time in person with her visible bump! I cannot wait!! two hours of uninterrupted lucy-hannah time. bring it on! There is much to celebrate: she's pregnant and having a baby shower this weekend and a baby [Nile] in December, Aswan is signed and will be releasing an album soon [feb 2009-ish...???!!! i think?], I'm so close to being done with school I can feel it!, we are so so so remarkably blessed it's ridiculous. Oh, and did I mention that my husband is AWESOME!

Looking forward to up-coming travels too: Asheville, NC this weekend with a quick stay with the Duggar clan in Greenville, SC friday night before the wedding on saturday; back to Huntsville the next weekend for Mary Catherine's wedding; Grant's off to Philadelphia for business [no, I don't get to go.... :( ]; then finally Nida and I get to visit ASHLEY! can't wait!!; then possibly visiting Hannah and Azzy before the birth of precious little Nile; then off to Tuscaloosa to graduate! praise the Lord! CANNOT WAIT!

these are very exciting times and we feel so very blessed to have the best friends and family to share it all with. love yall!!! xoxoxo

fireproof

Grant and I spent the evening with our bible study group going to dinner together and watching a movie. It was a really nice change of pace from the typical bible study routine and we got to connect on other levels, too. The movie was incredible.

We saw Fireproof. It was so good and so real and not as cheesy as I thought it could have been. It gave a very realistic dialogue to what could tear apart a marriage, and what could put it back together. you can see the movie trailer here or visit the website to learn more here. I wont go on and on for fear of ruining or over-rating it, but there's nothing like experiencing a movie like that to really appreciate what we have, be thankful for the gift God gave me in Grant, and be more prayerful and watchful than ever to guard what is so sacred to us.

why did the chicken cross the road?

I received this hilarious email from my dear mother and had to share it with you all [hannah, nida, sometimes-ashley and other vegitarians, flexitarians, and vegans, please do not take offense to this post]:


Why Did the Chicken Cross the Road?

BARACK OBAMA: The chicken crossed the road because it was time for a
change! The chicken wanted change!

JOHN MC CAIN: My friends, that chicken crossed the road because he
recognized the need to engage in cooperation and dialogue with all the
chickens on the other side of the road... ZZZZZzzzzzzzzz

SARAH PALIN: BECAUSE, PRAISE JESUS, I WAS GONNA SHOOT HIS SORRY LIBERAL A** OFF FOR BLOCKING MY VIEW OF RUSSIA!

HILLARY CLINTON: When I was First Lady, I personally helped that little
chicken to cross the road. This experience makes me uniquely qualified
to ensure right from Day One that every chicken in this country gets the
chance it deserves to cross the road. But then, this really isn't about
me.

GEORGE W. BUSH: We don't really care why the chicken crossed the road.
We just want to know if the chicken is on our side of the road, or not.
The chicken is either against us, or for us. There is no middle ground
here.

DICK CHENEY: Where's my gun?

COLIN POWELL: Now to the left of the screen, you can clearly see the
satellite image of the chicken crossing the road.

BILL CLINTON: I did not cross the road with that chicken. What is your
definition of crossing?

AL GORE: I invented the chicken.

JOHN KERRY: Although I voted to let the chicken cross the road, I am now
against it! It was the wrong road to cross, and I was misled about the
chicken's intentions. I am not for it now, and will remain against it.

AL SHARPTON: Why are all the chickens white? We need some black
chickens.

DR. PHIL: The problem we have here is that this chicken won't realize
that he must first deal with the problem on this side of the road before
it goes after the problem on the other side of the road. What we need to
do is help him realize how stupid he's acting by not taking on his
current problems before adding new problems.

OPRAH: Well, I understand that the chicken is having problems, which is
why he wants to cross this road so bad. So instead of having the chicken
learn from his mistakes and take falls, which is a part of life, I'm
going to give this chicken a car so that he can just drive across the
road and not live his life like the rest of the chickens.

ANDERSON COOPER, CNN: We have reason to believe there is a chicken, but we have not yet been allowed to have access to the other side of the
road.

PAT BUCHANAN: To steal the job of a decent, hardworking American.

MARTHA STEWART: No one called me to warn me which way that chicken was
going. I had a standing order at the Farmers Market to sell my eggs when
the price dropped to a certain level. No little bird gave me any insider
information.

GRANDPA: In my day we didn't ask why the chicken crossed the road.
Somebody told us the chicken crossed the road, and that was good enough.

BARBARA WALTERS: Isn't that interesting? In a few moments, we will be
listening to the chicken
tell, for the first time, the heart warming story of how it experienced
a serious case of molting, and went on to accomplish its lifelong dream
of crossing the road.

ARISTOTLE: It is the nature of chickens to cross the road.

JOHN LENNON: Imagine all the chickens in the world crossing roads
together, in peace.

ALBERT EINSTEIN: Did the chicken really cross the road, or did the road
move beneath the chicken?

COLONEL SANDERS: Did I miss one?

confession

Ok. So. I have a confession to make: I might have a renewed addiction to... Dawson's Creek.

I know. I know. But that's so high school... and then we all watched that in college in between classes. In the past, right? Nope. I'm watching it all over again, reliving the teen angst, one dvd at a time. o.m.g.

Anyone else have a guilty pleasure? Annie, I know you love Reba, and girl, I love her too. Anyone else???

what?!

I can't believe that Alabama beat Georgia last night. Apparently I'm now more into football that I ever was in college and follow it ardently. Seriously. Last night we were all in shock. Then the fighting that broke out around us snapped us back to reality, we picked-up our tail-gate, and went home. Sad day.

On a lighter note, we loved watching Ole Miss demolish Florida. THAT was awesome. Actually, yesterday there were a lot of upsets, I just never saw the Bama/ UGA one coming. Family gatherings with Mama and Daddy Heath should be interesting for the next few years... xoxoxo

amazed

today, buckhead church was awesome. not that it isn't other sundays, but today was different. today was a baptism sunday that engaged my heart, mind (and tears) till the end.

The first lady, a very attractive 30-something explained her story: college, met a guy, got married, got pregnant. sounds great until the guy left her 8 months pregnant, broke and alone. she started coming to buckhead church, working in waumba land volunteering with kids and coming back around to the idea of God when she met a guy. they got engaged, but the engagement was broken "abruptly" and she hit an all time low. she realized that she needed jesus, and surrendered to the Lord. what is interesting in this story is that you don't immediately feel content b/c it's not over yet. she doesn't yet have the perfect house and kids and husband, but the Lord is faithful and can give her hope and love in the midst of all that "unfinished-ness"--enough to allow them to be baptized. she (and all the girls on my row, myself included) cried through the whole thing. it was beautiful.

The second was a guy from britain. his tape messed up. no sound. seriously. the tech guys could not make it work, and there was an anticipation that turned to panic when we all realized we wouldn't hear his story--you mean God brought him all this way to this place to have a congregation not hear his story? five minutes later they gave the man a mic and he gave a concise slightly emotional account of his story. it was amazing, b/c it wasn't recorded or proofed or perfect: it was REAL. afterward, we all stood (several thousand) and applauded his courage to speak about a personal relationship, a personal transformation live in front of so many strangers. it was a beautiful thing: what God had done in his life and what God did in the hearts of our church today. needless to say, i was a wreck by the end.

the worship was touching and andy's message was--of course--totally real and pertinent, but the service was unforgettable because of the people who shared their stories and were baptized. wow.