Thursday, July 26, 2007

Another excerpt from my book on motherhood

I am posting another little excerpt from my book on motherhood. This one is more like a journal entry than an excerpt because I haven’t don’t the first bit of editing on it yet. I really want to highlight how being a mom opened my eyes up to the generations before me and how that added richness to my life. Any of you out there had a similar experience? I would love to know about it.


Love,

Kerri LB xoxo



Far From Ordinary

I remember shortly after I had my first child, my beautiful daughter Kaylan, (who is now 10) I experienced a period of real loneliness. My mother was working, my sister was working, and I was the first among all of my close friends to have a baby. At 27 years old, it sometimes felt like life was passing me by. All of a sudden I wasn’t free to go out to dinner whenever I wanted, or just grab a cup of coffee. I was at home with a baby all day, and sometimes all night, with no one to talk to. My husband was still new in his ministry career and was working many long days. I often felt lonely and isolated. Even though I loved my beautiful new baby girl, I craved adult interaction. It wasn’t anything tragic. It was just that sometimes I felt like my brain was turning into mashed bananas!

One day the bright idea struck me to visit my grandmother, my mother’s mom, with my new baby. The fact was she was the only one available. My grandmother’s name was Evelyn Gertrude Louque Boyle. She was really the spiritual matriarch of our family, but in no way would I describe her as “formidable.” In fact, she was just the opposite. She was down to earth, funny, and a little mischievous. She wore these thick glasses with silver cat-eye frames that had little rhinestones in the corners for most of my life. Her daily uniform was a house coat and slippers from TG&Y. Most of the week, or at least every time I saw her, she had her hair in pink foam rollers set with Dippty Do. She took her rollers out and put on a dress for Sunday church services and then put them back on again on Monday. Her favorite things to do were to wake up at the crack of dawn on Saturdays and go to garage sales, draw, read the Bible, pray, and feed people.

We were close, but because I was always going to school or working, I had not had the time to spend visiting with her as much as I would have liked. She called me frequently, but I am ashamed to admit that I did not always pick up the phone or return her calls. Now, however, I hoped that she would be available for me. I was so desperate to talk to someone who used words to communicate and not 100 decibel shrieks. She was a widow and she could not drive, so I was pretty sure she’d be home.

When I drove up, she was so glad to see me. She flung open the front door, and came padding out to meet me in her housecoat and slippers. I remember walking into my grandmother’s house and feeling immediately relaxed. As we talked, she brought something very valuable into my life – long term perspective. Here was a woman who raised four children and lived through the great depression. She was a pioneer of salvation in her family, the first of many to be saved. She was a giver to the poor that frequently came to her house in need of food or clothing. She had lived a lot of life, some of it really tough. But she kept her faith in God and her love for His Word the most important things in her world.

From her vantage point it was pretty clear which things matter in the long run and which things don’t. She encouraged me to put love, forgiveness, and trust before my own selfish needs. She encouraged me to slow down and embrace this season of life, because laundry and work will always be with me. She laughed at things that other moms my age were freaking out about, knowing that in about a week or two none of it would matter. She had the time to listen to me and to pray for me. In return, I was able to take her on errands that she couldn’t go on alone. I took her to the grocery store, to the fruit stand, to the bank – just small errands that made a big difference to her.

My grandmother and I became unlikely companions that year. I came to know her in a new way. I learned about her childhood, about my own history, and about my family in a way I couldn’t have from any other person. In a bittersweet way, I saw that aging really does make it more difficult to change your habits and perspectives, but I also learned to honor that season of life by gleaning the wisdom from her life and experience. Yes, the world was vastly different when she was raising her children (and I must say that I am very glad for that – I like 21st century life!) But so much of what I gathered from our time together was timeless in its appeal and application. Mostly I learned that generations standing together are stronger than generations standing alone. Shortly after my daughter’s first birthday, we moved to Jacksonville, Florida to start Celebration Church. I was so thankful for the time I had with my grandmother, and I missed her companionship.

My grandmother crossed the line into eternity in January of 2007. I had the honor of presiding over her funeral. Two things about her life stood out to me as I was preparing the eulogy:

She gave God what appeared to be an average life by any earthly standard, but He breathed on it and made it great. The dictionary defines greatness as, “extraordinary powers; having unusual merit; very admirable.” To the human eye, I am sure that her life seemed far from great. But to the Father’s eyes I am confident that it was admirable and worthy of merit.
Because of her “Yes” to God, three generations were clothed in salvation. I am standing on her shoulders now because she stood up for God. I owe my success to this poor widow from Baton Rouge, Louisiana because she stood, often alone, and believed God for her family to come to Christ.

So maybe since you’ve just had a baby, you feel like your world has gotten a little smaller in some ways. I want to encourage you not to mistake “smaller” for “less important.” There are God opportunities in every minute of your day. Ask God to show you those moments. Ask the Holy Spirit to speak to you in that still, small voice and breathe life into the ordinary places in your daily life. Don’t waste your season, embrace it. Because this is not a break from kingdom purpose, it’s just a different battle ground.

Remember that there may be friends in unlikely places. Maybe you don’t have a grandmother like I did, but I guarantee you that there are some awesome, mature women of God whose company you would love and who would be blessed by your friendship as well.

Monday, July 23, 2007

Channel 4 News

Check us out tonight on Channel 4 news at 10:00p.m.! News anchor Tom Wills is doing a spot on Celebration Church, here's a preview of what they're saying now on their website about the spot:

Rockin' For Jesus
It may look like a rock concert or a night at Club Paris, but it really is a regularly scheduled worship service at a Jacksonville church. Tonight on The Ten O'Clock News, Tom Wills takes us inside to find out why this is one of the fastest growing churches in the nation.

Kerri

Thursday, July 19, 2007

Here it is! As promised, here's the link to the Cambodia Missions Trip Blog Spot.

The team will be posting updates and photos of the trip throughout the next week.


http://hopecambodia.blogspot.com/

BTW, I also posted a few new pictures from the Hillsong Conference in the post below. Try to guess which one is my favorite!

Kerri,
LB xoxoxoxo

Wednesday, July 18, 2007

As most of you know, we have a missions trip underway in partnership with Go Global and Joyce Meyer Ministries that just left on Monday on their way to Cambodia. We have a team of 16 people from our church that went, and we have just received word that they have arrived safely.

The team will be setting up a blog with updates and photos of the trip. I will send out an update to my blog with that link as soon as they are up and running.

Please remember to keep the entire team in your prayers.


Kerri
LB xoxoxo

Tuesday, July 17, 2007

Here are a couple of pictures from the Hillsong Conference. This is so funny, in this first one you'll see Stovall, and he is - typically - texting!





L-R: Me, Stovall, Emily, Dino, Julio Melara, Chris, and Lee Domingue
Stovall and Me


Chris Tomlin Singing "Indescribable"


Joel Houston/United leading worship



Look! SHINE is being advertised all the way in Australia! Just kidding, SHINE was the lyrics to one of the songs we were singing.




Wednesday, July 11, 2007

The Next Step



I'm writing this post to let all of you out there know that we will not be resuming our Thursday Celebration Women meetings, at Midtowne (Deerwood) and OP in the fall. Beginning in the early spring of this year I became unsettled about the CW meetings and began to really seek God about how they fit into the bigger picture of what He wanted to do in Celebration Church as a whole. Late in the spring, God began to speak to Stovall's heart strongly about groups, and I knew that the season for the Thursday meetings had come to a close.

Celebration Women has been great as it has rallied together a group of women who have a heart to see the women in our church rise to their fullest potential. Its been a great training ground and a very precious season in my life. But now I feel like we have to take all the energy we were spending on those meetings and put that into groups.

I want to thank all the women who are on my ministry team that made those meetings happen every week. They are awesome world-lifters, and I am so honored to have them on my team. Many of then will transition into the role of group leader, so I am sure the ministry and leadership will continue to increase in their lives.

I want to stress that Celebration Women is not about a meeting, but is about the caliber of woman that arises from the ranks of Celebration Church. About 2.5 years ago I wrote a vision of womanhood for the women in our church called, "The Woman that I see." That dream resounds stronger than ever in my heart today, and groups are the next step in developing the potential in all of the precious women and girls God has entrusted to our care. Here it is for those of you who have never read it before. Love you girls!


Kerri
LB xoxo

VISION FOR MINSTRY TO WOMEN

The woman that I see…

…Knows her value in the eyes of God, and seeks to live a life of choices that attest to her intrinsic worth.

…Understands that she is invited to participate in God’s amazing adventure to rescue humanity, and that she is integral and irreplaceable in His plan.

..Loves her femininity, and values the unique contribution that womanhood brings to the table of life.

…Lives generously, opening her heart to ever-increasing capacity for the kingdom of God.

…Walks in wisdom and kindness, strength and dignity and confers worth on every person she encounters.

…Is filled with joy, and a passion for life. Even when life brings trials her way, she brings forth treasure from them.

…Knows who she is, where she is going, and how she is going to get there. She equips herself to finish strong on the journey of life.

…Is in love with the House of God, desperate for the presence of God, and positions herself to encounter God, to hear from God, and to be used by God.

…Surrounds herself with friends who inspire and encourage her to live her best life for the kingdom. She positions herself to inspire others.

…Knows and values God-breathed friendship; she fights to protect those she loves.

…Shines like a star in the universe, holding out the Word of Life, and clothing her world in salvation.

Back in Business!


Well, I've come to the end of a long summer of travelling, and I am so glad to be back home! I just returned from Hillsong Conference in Sydney, Australia. It was truly the most incredible conference I've ever been to. The theme of the conference was, "Future." It was all about moving into the future as the body of Christ and empowering the generations that follow to carry the cause of Christ forward. One recurring theme of the conference was leading when you are certain, but not defined. In other words, there are times when you know God has called you forward, but you don't have the details. It takes courage to move forward when you don't know the exact outcome. But when we step out in courage and faith without the details and lean completely on God, it works humility in us.


On night during worship I looked out over the crowd of 30,000 people. Hands were raised everywhere and people were singing these words:


Let now Your church shine as the bride

That You saw in Your heart

As you offered up your life

Let now the lost be welcomed home

By the saved and redeemed

You've adopted as Your own


I just thought, what an honor that God allows me to lead in His body and to help welcome home the lost that reurn to Him. As I looked out over the crowd of people there, I had a small glimpse of how vast and diverse the church is. And while I suddently felt very, very small, I also realized how magnificent our God is. He is bigger than the universe, yet through the Holy Spirit inhabits each of us and empowers us to do our part. In the end we will see the big picture as He sees it, and I know it will be more beautiful than we can imagine!



Monday, July 2, 2007

I am sitting here in the Jacksonville airport getting ready to head out to Australia for the Hillsong conference. I have been to Colour (the women's conference) several times, but I have never been to the church conference. It is going to be really exciting to be with over 30,000 pastors and church leaders from around the world.
But man-- I have to say what a joy it was to be back in Jacksonville this weekend at Celebration Church with all the awesome people that call Celebration Church home. In my book, there's no place like it!
We had a great time in Louisiana. Stovall preached at Healing Place Church where his good firend, Dino Rizzo is pastor. We went to hang at a camp in Mississippi, and had a great time riding 4-wheelers through the creek and shooting BB guns. Annabelle did get her tooth knocked out in a 4-wheeler accident and got stung by several wasps, but other than that, it was fun.
Stovall and Stovie went fishing in Grand Isle and caught 60 fish! While they were cleaning the fish, dolphins came under the dock and scooped up the leftovers for dinner!
Its hard to beleieve summer is half way over. It flies by! If any of you are in groups this summer, I'd love to hear from you. If you could post some comments about good stuff from your groups, I'd love to hear about them.
I'll try to post from Sydney to keep in touch. Ya'll are the best!
Love,
Kerri
LB xoxo
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