Mini Break

Hey all! I am not posting again until Dec 31st :) We are blessed to have family in town and we want to make the most of our time together. Be sure to check back on Dec 31st for 2009- a year in fail :)!

Love,
Emily

Marketing Fail of the Day- Christmas Edition!

This is an actual billboard in Europe....... um, wow

Marketing Fail of the Day

........and your little dog too!

St Pete Vineyard Stage Design

St Pete Vineyard recently was blessed to move to a new building. The building was in great shape but not our style. Thanks to many willing hearts and hands we were able to transform the building into our new home. I was part of the stage design team and below are some pics of what we, along with many talented volunteers, were able to do with our new stage. We have even more plans for artwork and other details but I'd say we're off to a good start :)






BEFORE:













AFTER:

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(I like to pair this with my high-waisted 'mom' jeans and a scrunchy.... sexy, eh?)

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"It's a 'Spiritual Accessory'- Personally I think the background music is the best part :)

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(They are very exclusive, I heard they even turned Jesus away)
provided by Chris Cahall

My little Gifts- Merry Christmas to Me! :)

j

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(Just when we thought Jesus couldn't get any tastier!)

Love can be the Hardest Thing

Sometimes being yourself in church can be the hardest thing. I almost feel bad for saying that, but it can be very true. Most of us have been hurt badly by people. We've been misunderstood, lied to, and just treated unfairly and not just in the world but in the church too. I know that sounds sad but it's not all bad. After all the Church is made up of people. We've likely hurt others as much as we've been hurt. I once heard Rick Warren say, "Hurt people, hurt people" How true is that? There was a day when people went to the church for sanctuary. It was a place to be at peace and find comfort regardless of your condition. Nowadays, I think many people aren't afraid of God they are afraid of us.

Now, there are many awesome churches and I believe that in general, Christians have a heart to do good things, so why is it that we have such a hard time walking in love with one another? Once again, I don't pretend to know, but here's a couple of things I've observed:

1. We are insecure- I have a strong personality and that makes a lot of people feel intimidated but what those people don't get is that I am just as insecure as they are. I have the same need to feel loved, accepted, and encouraged. I just express myself differently. We are all laced with insecurities and they often get in the way of our relationships with one another.

2. We are skeptics- Our society teaches us not to trust, especially when people are too nice or too eager. We are taught that there is so selflessness. I've learned that if you continuously question someone's motives, eventually they will let you down. So really instead of believing in our brother and sisters to succeed, we are just waiting for them to fail.

3. We are afraid- If you've been hurt, and let's face it, we've all been hurt. The worst thing you can imagine is being hurt again. These emotional scars are painful reminders of what we fear most and our natural human reaction is to flee anything that looks like it might reopen our wounds. I know this from experience. This kind of fear kept me from being in a small group for years and it is very unhealthy.

The solution? Heck, I don't know! I'm not a great philosopher or theologian. I'm just some chick who's been there and maybe you can relate? The only answer I can offer is in the Bible (cause let's face it those answers are usually the best ones):
"I want you to think about how all this makes you more significant, not less. A body isn't just a single part blown up into something huge. It's all the different-but-similar parts arranged and functioning together. If Foot said, "I'm not elegant like Hand, embellished with rings; I guess I don't belong to this body," would that make it so? If Ear said, "I'm not beautiful like Eye, limpid and expressive; I don't deserve a place on the head," would you want to remove it from the body? If the body was all eye, how could it hear? If all ear, how could it smell? As it is, we see that God has carefully placed each part of the body right where he wanted it. ^19-24But I also want you to think about how this keeps your significance from getting blown up into self-importance. For no matter how significant you are, it is only because of what you are a part of." 1 Corinthians 12:14-19 MSG

We are all important. Just realizing that we ALL matter helps. Sometimes we get consumed with feelings of self importance and this can set us up for even bigger hurts and sometimes we are consumed with feeling insignificant and the result is the same. Remembering that we are all not just A part but an IMPORTANT part of God's big picture can give us great security and strength when we feel hurt, neglected, or alone and it can give us perspective when we need it.

^"4Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. ⁵It is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. ⁶Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. ⁷It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. ⁸Love never fails. " 1 Corinthians 13:4-8 NIV

We've all heard this a million times but it will always be relevant. This is how God defines love and this ought to be the standard for how we treat one another. At the end of the day we are all in this together. Loving each other with Christ-like love can be hard, but sometimes allowing ourselves to receive it can be even harder. I believe that the more we love each other, the greater our witness is. Let's all challenge ourselves to take the next step in love and let's do it together. It's when all of us journey together in love that we can do the greatest things for God's Kingdom.

What do you think? Am I being too harsh? Have you ever felt this way? How do you handle it?

Marketing Fail of the Day- I only wish I were kidding

Okay when I saw this on Matthew Paul Turner's website, I thought it was a joke. I really thought it was totally faked, but no. These people are totally serious. All I can say is this doesn't look like keeping the 'Christ' in Christmas it looks more like putting a little Easter in Christmas. I'm going say it's definitely a movement... towards stupidity. Seriously, would you ever in your life have this in your house?

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(to be honest, I don't think Jesus would vote..... just sayin')

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(mmm... Venti Vanilla Nonfat Jesus)

So Beautiful- Lyrics

I was worshiping and stumbled on to this song. It feels like a metaphor for my life or something. I really have no idea what it will end up sounding like. I was playing it in D, but from there it was all very random and organic, so for now I'll just post the lyrics without chords. If anyone has a thought, please share :)


Verse:
I was broken and lost in depravity
You found me, healed me, set me free
Ashamed, rejected, no where to call home
You kept me, held me, called me Your own

Chorus
So beautiful
So beautiful
So beautiful
Is the Savior's love for us

Verse:
Your greatness and power I can't even comprehend
And still you want me just as I am
You're Justice, Love, Peace, and Truth
Everyday you make me a little more like you

Bridge:
No matter how I fall, or how far I stray
You love still saves me, this Grace will never change

Ah, teaching the next generation......

Why didn't I think about doing that with my kids?

Marketing WIN!!!!

Maybe it's just the classic gamer in me, but 8-bit Jesus is the best thing I've ever seen!

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(Just in case your friends don't think you're lame enough already, here's a minty way to remind them.)

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(when I was in school I could have had my ass kicked just for reading something this cheesy, let alone actually going)

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(that's what we put on the sign when I lead worship)

Recent Creations :)

These are some recent creations for the St Pete Vineyard. The first two are invite cards for our 'six-packs' The last one is a postcard designed for our December Series. Tell me what you think!

This was an original creation for SPV. Except the interior text which I borrowed from a previous creation.

(^Front^)

I originally made this design for NewDay Church in Indiana, but the St Pete Vineyard loved it so much that I recreated it for them :) (It's one of my personal favorites!)

This is the postcard :)

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(OMG Clipart from my old Windows 3.1 pc threw up all over this banner!)

Leftovers???

Being in ministry you often hear people talk about how difficult it is to balance time in ministry and time with family. Ministry is a tough field. We work 40-50 hours per week in a battlefield and I've yet to meet a pastor who is paid what he's worth (at least not an honest one!) We come home tired to families, ready to give what we can. Many people refer to this as the 'leftovers'. I've heard it several times and I heard it again today. Why do we feel this way? Why is it that when we work hard for the Kingdom, we allow ourselves to feel guilty? Why do our spouses make us feel guilty?

Anne Jackson wrote recently on her blog that "When you say yes to something, that means you're saying no to something else." This is very true. When I say yes to spending time at church, I am essentially saying no spending that time with my family. My question is why is that always seen as a bad thing? If I say no to time at church, I am saying no to something much larger. I'm saying no to preparing to do my part in the body. I'm saying no to raising up the next generation. I'm saying no to my calling. I'm saying know to my church family.

Now, don't get me wrong; a healthy family is vital to a healthy pastor, but it shouldn't an either/or thing. Ministry requires a significant amount of time above and beyond what you're paid for (if your lucky enough to be in paid ministry) and that's just what it is. This is a reality that should be discussed with our families before we go into ministry or get married if you're already in ministry.

My husband is not in ministry, but he is very aware of what it demands. He knows that I will always work more than I'm paid for (if I'm being paid at all). He knows that Christmas Eve, Easter, Mother's Day and Father's Day are the highest visitors week in churches, and therefore I may be absent from home on those days. He knows that if there is an opportunity to expand God's Kingdom that my needs and his needs have to take a back seat. He also knows that I love him, I appreciate him, and I support him in what he does just as much as he supports me.

So I refuse to call what I have to give at the end of the day, "leftovers", because it's not. My working hard for God during the day doesn't mean I only have junk left to give my husband. Do I get tired, beaten, and grumpy- absolutely, but it's job to know how to work hard for God and be a good wife. When I struggle with it, I know God can show me how.

Being a good spouse is less about quantity and more about quality. If you feel like your giving your spouse 'leftovers', don't immediately think you shouldn't do so much at church. Try to look at the quality of the relationship. Here are a list of questions to help you determine why your involvement might be causing a problem(some of them seem silly, but they're true!):

1. Do you have at least one quality evening together a week?
2. Do you send each other romantic or even sexy little texts/emails/notes?
3. Do you tell your spouse how much you appreciate them at least once per week?
4. Do you kiss each other for at least 5 minutes everyday?
5. Do you have a healthy sex life?
6. Do you CLEARLY communicate where you are and when you'll be home
7. If you have kids: Do you try to give your spouse at least two hours a week without them?
8. Do you know that you have your spouse's support when you're away from home?
9. Do you demonstrate support for each other emotionally and practically?
10. Do you tell your spouse how attractive they are to you everyday?

If you answered 'no' to at least 3 of these, then I would say that it's not the amount of time you're involved, it's the strength of your relationship. Try doing each of these things, and try having a heartfelt discussion with your spouse. Usually the non-involved spouse is really just feeling shafted by your busyness or sometimes just insecure. Strengthening the relationship from the inside is what needs to happen. Cutting back the time you spend in ministry WILL NOT fix the problem, it will only put a band-aid on it. As someone who's been divorced- I know this first hand. If the problem is in the relationship, then address it with your spouse and address it with God.
-JUST MY OPINION

DISCLAIMER: This article does not apply to workaholics. If you work more than 50 hours per week on a regular basis, then please buy Anne Jackson's Book 'Mad Church Disease' and take a vacation!

Marketing Fail of the Day

(damn those rebellious women... oh, wait a sec, they're talking about me....dang it!)

Peace- New Song :)

Okay here's another song currently under construction. I know I keep saying that I will upload a recording and eventually I will :) Truth be told, I'm not a big fan of my own guitar playing (or singing for that matter) But someday I will make one of my very talented friends do a recording for me. For now I'll let you use your imagination :-P

Peace

Verse:
D Dsus
I come and I bow
D/F#m7 Asus
Here I find Your peace now (repeat)

Chorus:
Em7 G Em7 D/F#m7
Oh how You love me and oh, how you comfort me
Em7 G G/b Em7 Asus
Oh, how you you hold me. In Your hands I'm whole

Verse 2:
D Dsus
Here I am, all for You
D/F#m7 Asus
No chaos around me, only truth

Bridge:
(under construction)
Oh how I love you

Oh how I need you

Marketing Fail of the Day

(thanks for confirming what the Atheists say about us, dude)

Doubt: Saboteur or Smoke Alarm?

There is a fine line between self-doubt that seeks to hinder and coming to a realization that you simply are not meant to do something. What I am struggling to find is the line between the two. How do you know when it's time to lay aside uncertainty and push forward toward the goal or lay down what you want to do because it's just not something that God has for you? I only wish I knew the answer.........

I have always struggled with self-doubt. I really don't talk about it, but I am consistently filled with feelings that tell me I not good/pretty/talented/smart/liked enough to do this or that. Most of the time God really helps me overcome these things, so I can do the things He needs me to do, but the feelings exist nevertheless. Like I said, I don't really have many people that I talk about 'feelings' with but I know that there are probably many people who struggle with the same things. Right now I'm feeling like a certain thing (that I won't name) is something that I'm just not cut out to do. It's hard to distinguish between whether my doubt is just a lack of confidence on my part or something alarming me to the fact that I'm going the wrong way. Benjamin Franklin once said, "When in doubt, don't"

So, I remain stuck, I can either push past my feelings and risk disappointment or I can accept that I'm just not cut out for this and lay it down. Oh decisions, how I hate you, but at least I get to gripe on my blog :)

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(mmmm.... tasty Jesus)

Marketing Fail of the Day

(and if you're like me it leads to an allergy attack as I'm allergic to dust)

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(Okay, apparently R2-D2 is the devil- Check out this website. It is an EPIC FAIL if I've ever seen one- http://www.ooze.com/toolofsatan/ )

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(Wow, how friendly........)

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(so, it's not THAT bad..... at least they're honest!)

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(Oh, hell yes... three words: sign me up!)

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(hmmmm..... I wonder where this church is located? Now here I thought that in Wisconsin Brett Farve was God)

Marketing Fail of the Day- Turkey Edition

(OMG some clip art just exploded on this flier. Is this for a church or a 5th grade Thanksgiving Day Pageant? I really can't tell )

(Great verse but FOR THE LOVE OF GOD stop using this picture. It's soooooo over!)

(How come my thanksgiving food never glows as it pours out of a cornucopia? I think I hear some Gather band in the background.....)

Screw Thanksgiving.... here comes Christmas!

Marketing Fail of the Day

(I love Jesus, where's my freakin' easy button? Seriously, when do I get one?)

Marketing Fail of the Day- Slogan Edition

The following is a list of Christian slogans/saying that need to die. If you I hear any Christians under the age of 65 say, think, or interject these into advertising, I swear I will slap them- You've been warned!

My commentary is in red :)

Can't sleep? Try counting your blessings. - or tylenol pm
Christians, keep the faith - but not from others! - okay that's just dumb sounding, really!
Don't wait for the hearse to take you to Church. - fear... that'll get 'em!
God answers knee-mail.- I bet a grandpa who doesn't own a computer made this up

It's hard to stumble when you're down on your knees.- that is actually true and helpful if your someone who frequently walks around on your knees
Prevent truth decay. Read your Bible.- I think I've seen this on every fundemental baptist church sign I've ever read.
Tithe if you love Jesus! Anyone can honk!- And just when we began to convince people that we are interested in them and not their money- thanks for setting the Church back several hundred years!

"What part of 'THOU SHALT NOT' don't you understand?" // "Have you read my #1 best seller? There's going to be a test." // "We need to talk" // "Let's meet at my house Sunday, before the game" // "C'mon over and bring the kids" // "Keep using my name in vain, I'll make rush hour longer" // "Loved the wedding, invite me to the marriage" // "You think it's hot here?" // "Don't make me come down there" - God
I just put all the God Speaks stuff together- seriously, just stop with this. It's over (waaaay over).

Don't put a question mark where God put a period.- yes question nothing, just do what we say and be mindless freaks

Be ye fishers of men. You catch 'em - He'll clean 'em.- You might be a redneck if......

Forbidden fruits create many jams.- I think my Grandma once told me this except I think she said they make the sweetest jams.

Want to make God laugh? Tell him your plans.- Yes, God is laughing at you, not with you

If you don't like the way you were born, try being born again.- So if I'm 'born again' I can be blonder, skinnier, and maybe even a dude? No thanks, I'll just accept the way God made me the first time around.

Come work for the Lord. The work is hard, the hours are long and the pay is low. But the retirement benefits are out of this world.- So they have a good 401(k) or what?

Turn Life's Cares into Prayers.- said the needlepoint on the nursing home wall

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(Because having one first lady isn't enough....)

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(apparently all atheists are murders, so be careful)

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(I go to church on Sunday, so I must be in cahoots with the antichrist)

Fall on Me

Finally got my new guitar! I've been guitarless for 3 months and it sucked, but good things really do come to those who wait!

So I could not put my new baby down today, and God blessed me with the beginnings of a new song (YAY!). I would have posted a recording but my voice is MIA at the moment. It's not totally gone, but I sound like a combo between Louis Armstrong and Bono. So I just posted the lyrics and Chords. I'd love any feedback or suggestions anyone would like to give :)

Verse 1:

E Bm7 A2 E A2 F#m7

Fall on me. let me feel you here, set me free from fear.

E Bm7 A2 E A2 F#m7

Fall on me. wanna seek your face in the Holy Place

Chorus:

E A2 E

Yeah, Jesus you’re all I need

F#m7 C#m7 A2 G3m7 A2

My soul comes alive as I sing your praises

Verse 2:

E Bm7 A2 E A2 F#m7

Fall on me. you’re my hope, my all. to the cross I crawl

E Bm7 A2 E A2 F#m7

Fall on Me. Father hold me close in your arms I’m home